When asked by an interviewer why he became a manga creator, the late Sanpei Shirato answered bluntly: “I needed to eat.” This seemingly simple reply encapsulated much of his own gritty, materialist attitude towards storytelling. He was always aware of the big picture, of the great weight of history as it marched along, but focussed […]
Oct 26, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Asei Kobayashi (1932-2021)
Asei Kobayashi, who died on 30th May from a heart attack, was an unlikely candidate for musical composer, or actor, or game-show champion…. Pushed by his parents into…
Nagisa Oshima (1932-2013)
After Shindo and Wakamatsu, Oshima...It's a great loss because he was one of the directors that introduced me to cinema with his stunni...
Baccano!: 1932 Summer: Man in the Killer
By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel. After a very depressing 1700s…
SHANGHAI EXPRESS 1932 to 2007: Five Degrees of Separation
SHANGHAI EXPRESS is the title of two great films made 54 years apart, 1932 and 1986, in two different countries thousands of miles apart, the U.S. and Hong…
Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth? (靑春の夢いまいづこ, Yasujiro Ozu, 1932)
A privileged young man begins to understand the divisive effects of inequality after taking over the family business in Ozu’s wistful student drama
POP! (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Masashi Komura's surreal coming-of-age tale POP!
Ito (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Satoko Yokohama's comedy-drama Ito.
Junk Head (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Atom reviews Takahide Hori's stop motion animation Junk Head.
Barbarian Invasion [NYAFF 2021] (Malaysia, 2021)
Epoy Deyto reviews Tan Chui Mui's meta-film Barbarian Invasion.
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Ninja Girl (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino reviews Yu Irie's subversive comedy Ninja Girl.
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
Drifting (Hong Kong, 2021) [CVF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Jun Li’s socially conscious drama Drifting.
January 2021
With returning to blogging on January 10, this month has been one where I’ve been trying to find a balance between my real world commitments and my firm…
Spring 2021.
Wanna hear something embarrassing? This post has been sitting, complete and ready to post, in my drafts for over a month now. I just lacked the energy to…
Spring 2021!
It’s been about a year now since we’ve all been experiencing (in one way or another) the effects of the global pandemic. I hope that you and yours…
Fall 2021.
Sweater season is upon us! Not really because it’s Spring in Melbourne but somehow still feels like it’s the middle of Winter. I’ve had hail in my area…
The Vampire Dies in No Time, Musashi, Platinum End, VISUAL PRISON, Blue Period
2021 Retrospective
Here's to another good one, friends. 3:02 - 2021 Recommendations 3:13 - Golden Kamuy 4:15 - Hina Change 5:21 - Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6:57 - Curtains Up, I'm Off 8:01 - The Bones…
Farewell, 2021…
Just a quick post about my next plans as 2021 is gonna end soon. Yes, we’re still under the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I’m hoping that…
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Summer 2021
Another 3 months gone and I don’t even know where it’s gone TBH. I had a Moot Court this past Monday and it left me emotionally drained and…
The Dungeon of Black Company, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, Scarlet Nexus, Sonny Boy, The aquatope on white sand
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…
Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
The Asian Angel (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino review Yuya Ishii's road movie The Asian Angel.
yes, yes, yes (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
yes, yes, yes (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Drive All Night (USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Berra reviews Peter Hsieh's neo-noir Drive All Night.
Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
South Korean cinema is no longer the producer of small and idiosyncratic films that have to seep through the cracks of international cinema. It hasn’t been for years.…
Raging Fire (China/Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Berra reviews Benny Chan's action movie Raging Fire.
Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
It's been 2 years since the last one, let's get right into it. Winter 2021 1) Wonder Egg Priority Worth watching for the animation alone. However the ending is chotto... 2) Re:Zero…
Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”
Last of the Wolves (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Kazuya Shiraishi's sequel Last of the Wolves.
Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…
Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.
A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul
CP Day 2021
It’s that time of year again. No, not Christmas. It’s CP Day! Which is called that because not only is December 24th Christmas Eve, it was also the…
February 2021 Review
Ah, February is here and thus another traditional post to be done-a review focused on character relationships and/or romance. Hard to believe I have done reviews of this…
Summer 2021 2
Your average quiet university before the fun starts. We start with Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki, where a college boy named Kazuya is shunted off from his…
The Duke of Death and His Maid, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Genji, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
Yuri Anime 2021
Just like our Yuri Anime 2013, Yuri Anime 2014, Yuri Anime 2015, Yuri Anime 2016, Yuri Anime 2017, Yuri Anime 2018, Yuri Anime 2019, and Yuri Anime 2020…
Princess Principal, Revue Starlight, VLAD LOVE, KINMOZA!, Otherside Picnic
Frantic (2021) review
“Fuji delivers his best movie yet and, quite possibly, the cult-film of the year.”
Underdog (2021) review
“Take’s film powerfully shows that the heroism of the art of boxing lies in the very subjective meaning that power the jabs, the hooks, and the uppercuts.”
Winter 2021 Anime...
My thoughts on Anime in the season of Winter 2021.
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2, SK8 the Infinity, Skate-Leading Stars, Scar on the Praeter, The Promised Neverland
2021 in Review
The world continues to go to hell in a handbasket. The pandemic continues to rage. The world supply chain is borked. Inflation is rampant. W...
Rain Boy, Yawara!, Bakumatsu no Spasibo, Super Cub, Horimiya
Fall 2021 Schedule
Sunday Digimon Ghost Game 09:00 Fuji TV (10/03) Mieruko-chan 22:00 AT-X (10/03) Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru 22:00 TOKYO MX (10/03) Tesla Note 23:00 TOKYO MX (10/03) Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku Hen 23:15 Fuji TV (10/10) Mushoku Tensei:…
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Shikizakura, Tesla Note, VISUAL PRISON, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
Goals for 2021
Not a very interesting post but I’ll write a bit about what I want to do this year.There is always a lot of stuff I want to get…