“Masamura delivers a phenomenal narrative, a true post-war classic.”
Oct 31, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Irezumi
By Tim Wilmot. By the mid-1970s, the decline of the Japanese studio system had led to the rise of pinku eiga, low-budget soft porn movies that were targeted at a…
Daimajin (1966) review
“A wonderful and refreshing blend between the jidai-geki/chanbara and the kaiju genre.”
Kentaro Miura (1966-2021)
“When you’re a cartoonist and working at home you sit at your desk pretty much all day,” Kentaro Miura once said in an interview. “You get most of…
Black Tight Killers (1966)
A stylish and visually dazzling romp with lots of action and sensuality
Arrow Video to Release “Irezumi” by Yasuzo Masumura!
Drawn from the pen of one of Japan’s foremost writers of the 20th century, Junichiro Tanizaki (A Fool’s Love, The Makioka Sisters), Irezumi is a stylish tale of lust, betrayal and…
![Featured image for Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966) review [The Godzilla Project]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230630/1688106521.63836.98401.jpg)
Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966) review [The Godzilla Project]
A pleasant Kaiju film that continues to emphasize the imaginary dynamic of us (i.e. societal harmony) against them (i.e. the Otherness that threatens it)
The Wild Goose / 雁 / Gan (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #158 Ayako Wakao Tokyo, 1880. Otama (Ayako Wakao) is a young woman back living with her widowed father (Tomosaburo...
Kentaro Miura (1966-2021): A Tribute
In which I talk about the recent passing of a manga legend.
The Threat (脅迫, Kinji Fukasaku, 1966)
An ambitious executive is confronted with the emasculating nature of the salaryman dream when escaped convicts invade his home in an early thriller from Kinji Fukasaku.
Tattoo Irezumi Ari TATTOO＜刺青＞あり (1982) Director: Banmei Takahashi
Tattoo Irezumi Ari TATTOO＜刺青＞あり (1982), by director Banmei Takahashi, is a fairly follow-the-line biopic of a real-life bank robber where the women dominate this character study.
The Kii River / 紀ノ川 / Kinokawa (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #152 Yoko Tsukasa Wakayama, 1899. Hana (Yoko Tsukasa) is a young woman from a highly-respected family who marries ...
A Water Mill (물레방아, Lee Man-hee, 1966)
A wandering soul stumbles on a death rite that may in some senses be his own in Lee Man-hee’s haunting feudal drama.
Samurai Wolf (牙狼之介, Hideo Gosha, 1966)
A wandering samurai squares off against a corrupt postmaster in Hideo Gosha’s uncharacteristically aventgarde chambara.
Carmen from Kawachi (河内カルメン, Seijun Suzuki, 1966)
Suzuki’s anarchic take on Bizet’s opera sees its heroine transcend the forces which oppress her to find true freedom and independence.
The Golden Bat (黄金バット, Hajime Sato, 1966)
Skeletal superhero Golden Bat is woken from his 10,000 year slumber to fight for justice when the Earth is threatened with destruction in Hajime Sato’s delightfully silly tokusatsu…
Yakuza Hooligans (893 愚連隊, Sadao Nakajima, 1966)
A gang of petty criminals get in over their heads while working with the yakuza in Sadao Nakajima’s ironic crime movie.
Shojo yutai / 処女受胎 (‘Immaculate Conception’, 1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #146 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Aiko, a modernist oil painter who has hit a creative w...
Green Rain (草雨 / 초우, Chung Jin-woo, 1966)
The false promises of the post-war era are brought home to two romantic youths dreaming of an illusionary future in Chung Jin-woo’s anti-romantic melodrama.
The History of Mushi Pro – 02 – Anime business (1965-1966)
While I’m hesitant to speak of “golden ages”, if Mushi Production had one, it was certainly the years 1965-1966. Still riding on Tetsuwan Atom’s prodigious popularity, the studio…
Hit and Run (ひき逃げ, Mikio Naruse, 1966)
A grief-stricken mother hatches a desperate plan of revenge against the woman who killed her son in Mikio Naruse’s dark psychological drama.
Tokyo Drifter (東京流れ者, Seijun Suzuki, 1966)
A recently released yakuza attempts to join the new society by going straight but finds his efforts frustrated by upstart gangsters in Seijun Suzuki’s postmodern noir.
The Magic Serpent (怪竜大決戦, Tetsuya Yamanouchi, 1966)
A classic tale of intrigue and revenge leads to revolution against the feudal order in Tetsuya Yamanouchi’s tokusatsu ninja movie.
The Great White Tower (白い巨塔, Satsuo Yamamoto, 1966)
The medical system is just another corporate body filled with egotistical salarymen and dangerously narcissistic careerists in Satsuo Yamamoto’s tense political drama
![Featured image for Episode #89 (S11E9) – Tokyo Drifter [東京流れ者] (1966)](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240911/1726042794.89884.130564.jpg)
Episode #89 (S11E9) – Tokyo Drifter [東京流れ者] (1966)
Director Seijun Suzuki is a really unique figure in the world of Japanese cinema, with a style all his own. In this episode, Japanese film scholar Jennifer Upton…
The Virgin Witness / 処女が見た / Shojo ga mita (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #120 Michiyo Yasuda Kazue (Michiyo Yasuda) is an 18-year-old orphan who has been adopted by her uncle and aunt, with...
Rub Out the Past (日本暗黒街, Masaharu Segawa, 1966)
A restaurateur’s attempts to shake off his violent past are frustrated by the nature of his transgressions in Masaharu Segawa’s noirish drama.
The Heart of Hiroshima (愛と死の記録, Koreyoshi Kurahara, 1966)
Sayuri Yoshinaga was the top female star at Nikkatsu in the mid-1960s. Together with her regular co-star Mitsuo Hamada, she starred in a series of hit youth romances…
RISE AGAINST THE SWORD (1966): When Toshiro Mifune No Longer Needed the Seven Samurai
On what would have been Toshiro Mifune’s 102nd birthday (I covered his centennial in three blog posts in 2020), I look at a lesser-known historical drama starring Mifune,…
The Kamikaze Guy (カミカゼ野郎 真昼の決斗, Kinji Fukasaku, 1966)
A bumbling pilot becomes embroiled in a conspiracy after an encounter on a ski slope in a goodnatured action comedy starring a young Sonny Chiba.
Toei and early TV anime – Part 2: the rise of gekiga anime (1966-1968)
Many of Tôei’s promising artists, who had for the most part worked on Fujimaru, were determined to follow up on the possibilities the TV show had opened. This…
Cyborg 009, Cyborg 009, Kyojin no Hoshi, Sabu & Ichi's Arrest Warrant, Tiger Mask
That Complicated Guy / 複雑な彼 / Fukuzatsu no kare (aka ‘A Complicated Man’,1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #238Jiro Tamiya This Daiei production stars Jiro Tamiya as Joji Miyagi, who works as a flight attendant for a Japanese airline. One day, en route to San Francisco,…
Břetislav Pojar and Miroslav Štěpánek #2: The largely Štěpánek-directed “Hey Mister, Let’s Play!” entries (1966-67)
Watch the films discussed in this article with English subtitles by viewing them on YouTube here! …or, download copies for personal viewing here! When we left off in…
Spiraken Game Review: Xbox One Review
Hello ladies and gents, boys and girls, reds, blues and all you good folk of the Spiraken community! We’re back discussing your eventually go-to devices for all the…
![Featured image for Bastard!! Season 2 Review [Video Review]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20231010/1696909201.70230.106125.png)
Bastard!! Season 2 Review [Video Review]
For fans of Bastard who enjoy OVAs, we’re finally treated to an arc that goes beyond the fight against Abigail. As for season 2, it offers a glimpse…
![Featured image for Vagabond [ Review ]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220114/1642169914.29203.56718.jpg)
Vagabond [ Review ]
The whole world’s gone crazy. A man might as well be a dead leaf, floating in the autumn breeze.Yoshikawa Eiji, Miyamoto Musashi The artwork of Vagabond is simply…
Review: RIZELMINE
Don't think we're ignoring shonen romance, as here's a wretched little one-shot example from the creator of D.N. Angel . RIZELMINE ( Rizerum...
Haikyuu!! Review
A blog about reviewing anime, anime episodes, anime movies, books, manga and other things.
Review: Leaper
Published in the west by Irodori Comics under their Aqua (All-Ages) line, Leaper is a one-shot doujinshi by mangaka, Isaki Uta. For those unfamiliar, doujinshi are manga that are…
Review: BOKURANO:OURS
We got a lot of original mecha stories around the turn of the millennium, most of which were anime originals. This is one of the rare excep...
Euphoria Review
There are fetishes or taboos that almost nobody will ever understand or appreciate. Especially ones that might make someone feel nauseous or disturbed by how it is portrayed.…
Aggretsuko Review
Unless you're very lucky, you'll have to accept the fact that you'll have to work for most of your life. It is a cruel fate but one that…
Kakushigoto Review
It’s often the unexpected things in life that we remember the most. Looking back on memories, both fond and terrible, are the cornerstones of what makes us up…
REVIEW: I.L
A film director who’s fallen behind the times gets his next big hit with the help of an unexpected actress- a shapeshifting doll for hire- in this short…
Review: STRAVAGANZA
Good news! I found a fantasy manga to review this month that isn't an isekai light novel adaptation! The bad news? Well... STRAVAGANZA (...
Review – “Monster”
I wrote this a long time ago, for a blog that no longer exists (it’s for the best, trust me). I can’t remember if I ever published it…
Review: BELLE
As a child, I spent most of my waking hours surrounded by technology. One of my earliest memories is of lazing about on the floor, Nintendo DS in…
Beastars Review
Well, certain circumstances have left me saddled with a bit of time, so I decided to check what was available on Netflix and stumbled across Beastars.…
Review Survey!
Is there a review you’d like to see me prioritize or a topic you really need me to cover? Fill out this survey to give me an idea…
Marineford Review
Wow… just wow. The best arc by far, entirely gripping from beginning to end, with so many twists and turns, characters, fights, and surprises. Even though I had…
