The manga artist Hiroshi Hirata, who died last week, spent his formative years struggling to make ends meet in a poverty-stricken Japan. He was born in Tokyo, where his parents were preachers for the Tenrikyo Buddhist sect, but was evacuated to the order’s heartland, Tenri, in Nara to avoid Allied air raids. He drew his […]
Dec 17, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Hiroshi Manabe
真鍋博 MANABE HIROSHI *Though more famous for his retro futurist illustrations, Manabe was one third of the original Animation Sannin no Kai group that jumpstarted independent animation in…
Mad About Madhouse: Toshio Hirata
Toshio Hirata briefly talks about the origin of Japanimation, the revolution of limited animation, Masao Maruyama’s unusual and pivotal role in Madhouse, and his prior work, such as…
Death on the Nile (1937)
A blog focused on gaining experience about art. Writing in particular.
Hotel Iris (艾莉絲旅館, Hiroshi Okuhara, 2021)
You can check out any time you like, but you can never really leave the titular Hotel Iris (艾莉絲旅館) at the centre of centre of Hiroshi Okuhara’s Taiwan-set…
The Bobby Book: Toshio Hirata Interview
Interview with director Toshio Hirata on Bobby's Girl from The Bobby Book.
Kei Hirata Is Inspiring The Next Generation
Kei Hirata, a dance community leader, choreographer and podcaster, is a beacon of positivity in both her professional and personal life.
Animator Hiroshi Watanabe’s Interview
This is an interview with one of Studio Live’s main animators, Hiroshi Watanabe. For more on Studio Live and Hiroshi Watanabe, I recommend reading my previous post on…
OUT (Hiroshi Shinagawa, 2023)
Delinquent dramas have been having a bit of a moment over the last few years and like many Hiroshi Shinagawa’s manga adaptation OUT is a comic retro throwback…
Animating Halloween | Mickey Mouse: Lonesome Ghosts (1937) Review
Plot: Mickey, Donald and Goofy have created a ghost-hunting business and their newest ‘clients’ happen to be a group of bored ghosts looking for some fun scares. Breakdown:…
![Featured image for [English translation] Hiroaki Hirata and Shinji Kawada PASH!+ Interview](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220706/1657139552.39044.68504.png)
[English translation] Hiroaki Hirata and Shinji Kawada PASH!+ Interview
This interview came from the September issue of PASH! which is later extracted and posted at the magazine’s website three weeks after its release. I said this multiple times…
![Featured image for Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210312/1615555659.6131.29350.jpg)
Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A film for the economic uncertainty of our Covid-19 age. Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
Nohara Hiroshi Hiru Meshi no Ryuugi
A food manga staring the father Hiroshi Nohara from Crayon Shinchan. Follows Hiroshi as he eats various meals during his lunch break at work. Continue reading →
The Playful Icons of Hiroshi Mori
While browsing Pinterest recently, I found this: Beneath, some wags had christened this the “Moe Lisa” by “Leonardo Doujinshi.” The whimsical, anime-esque style reminds me of the playful…
Tatsumi (辰巳, Hiroshi Shoji, 2023)
A fisherman with a sideline in disposing of corpses is dragged into gangland intrigue when his is murdered in Hiroshi Shoji’s retro crime drama.
Japanese Animation, 1937-1958: or, more notes on Akira Daikuhara
The origin and core of this piece is my personal interest in Daikuhara, but it will not be another biographical piece like my previous one. I will rather…
![Featured image for An Email Interview with Hiroshi Gokan, Director of “Gotō-san” [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210405/1617614642.8529.32370.jpg)
An Email Interview with Hiroshi Gokan, Director of “Gotō-san” [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
An Email Interview with Hiroshi Gokan, Director of “Gotō-san” [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
Dancing Girl (踊子, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1957)
The arrival of a free-spirited younger sister creates chaos in the live of a chorus dancer and her violinist husband in Hiroshi Shimizu’s elegantly lensed melodrama.
ANN Guest Article: Interview with Hiroshi Nagahama
I am incredibly honored to have gotten to interview Hiroshi Nagahama ( Revolutionary Girl Utena, Mushi-shi, The Flowers of Evil ) about hi...
Sasuga no Sarutobi, Yoshiji Kigami and Hiroshi Fukutomi
I’ve been watching ‘Sasuga no Sarutobi’ (also called ‘The Academy of Ninjas’) up to episode 20 over the last few weeks, an 80s ninja/martial arts comedy that…
Sayon’s Bell (サヨンの鐘, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1943)
An indigenous woman becomes a martyr for the Japanese empire after drowning in a river while carrying the possessions of a Japanese policeman in an unabashed propaganda effort…
Director Hiroshi Nagahama, From Wicked City to Uzumaki
We sat down with the Uzumaki anime director to see what hints he could give us about the horror series before it premieres this weekend.
Goto-san (ゴトーさん, Hiroshi Gokan, 2020)
A young man’s peaceful dropout existence is disrupted by potential romance, a deadly virus, and economic instability in Gokan’s deceptively quirky drama
Seiyuu Highlights: Hiroshi Kamiya 神谷 浩史
From the voice that brought you humanity's strongest soldier from Attack On Titan, Hiroshi Kamiya is one of the most popular voice actor in our recent time, having…
Notable Disney Songs that Didn't Make the Cut (Part 1): 1937-1968
As a semi follow up to my past article, Animated Films that Never Were (Disney Edition) , I have decided to write about ten musical numbers ...
Song of the Flower Basket (花籠の歌, Heinosuke Gosho, 1937)
The daughter of a tonkatsu shop finds herself with an overabundance of suitors in Heinosuke Gosho’s generally cheerful yet occasionally dark melodrama.
Hirohiko Araki Recommends “SMOTHER ME” Manga by Hiroshi Shimomoto
Hirohiko Araki recommends Volume 1 of "SMOTHER ME" manga, praising Hiroshi Shimomoto's debut for its art style and protagonist.
TOUGEN ANKI Interview with Kamiya Hiroshi and Koutaro Nishiyama
© Yura Urushibara (AKITASHOTEN) /TOUGEN ANKI PROJECTMeet the cast!Hiroshi Kamiya is a renowned voice actor with a long-standing career in the industry. His role in TOUGEN ANKI is…
Gift of Fire (太陽の子, Hiroshi Kurosaki, 2020)
A conflicted scientist struggles to reconcile himself to the implications of his work while researching an atomic bomb in Kurosaki’s contemplative wartime drama
Sound in the Mist (霧の音, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1956)
A botanist continues to visit the same mountain lodge each Harvest Moon in search of lost love in a late melodrama from Hiroshi Shimizu
An Honorary Compendium of Writings on Toshio Hirata (平田敏夫) and His Collaborators
February 16th, 2018 marked what would have been the 80th birthday of the late but great Japanese animator Toshio Hirata, and today marks four years since his death.…
The Golden Bullet (黄金の弾丸, Hiroshi Innami, 1927)
A locked room mystery sends a dogged detective hot on the trail of the Benevolent Picaroon in Hiroshi Innami’s highly stylised silent
Hiroshi Fujioka Looks Back at 50 Years of Being Kamen Rider
"My encounter with Kamen Rider is the biggest thing that ever happened to me—it really changed my life. But more than that, I think it even changed history."
You’ve Probably Seen His Work: A Brief Introduction to Hiroshi Yamaguchi
You may not know his name, but if you’ve watched Armored Hunter Mellowlink, Evangelion, or Gurren Lagann then you’ve seen his work.
![Featured image for SHUNGA: The Lost Japanese Erotica 春の画 SHUNGA (2023) Director: Junko Hirata [Nippon Connection 2024]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240709/1720506329.86994.126954.jpg)
SHUNGA: The Lost Japanese Erotica 春の画 SHUNGA (2023) Director: Junko Hirata [Nippon Connection 2024]
Junko Hirata’s gorgeous and informative documentary SHUNGA: The Lost Japanese Erotica 春の画 SHUNGA (2023) reclaims the erotic artform by showing the skill involved in making the prints and the…
My Sunshine (ぼくのお日さま, Hiroshi Okuyama, 2024)
A young man with his head in the clouds discovers a new means of expression through figure skating in Hiroshi Okuyama’s delicate drama.
Interview: Hiroshi Fujioka Looks Back at 50 Years of Being Kamen Rider
At this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, I got to spend thirty minutes with Hiroshi Fujioka, the original Kamen Rider.
Record of a Woman Doctor (女医の記録, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1941)
A doctor gains a new perspective on life after being sent to a remote rural village in Hiroshi Shimizu’s gentle social drama.
Image of a Mother (母のおもかげ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1959)
A little boy’s difficulties in accepting his new stepmother express an anxiety about the changing nature of the family in Hiroshi Shimizu’s familial melodrama.
Seven Days War (ぼくらの七日間戦争, Hiroshi Sugawara, 1988)
Oppressed teens rebel against the constraints of the Bubble-era society in Hiroshi Sugawara’s anarchic Kadokawa teen movie.
Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather (明日は日本晴れ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1948)
A bus breaking down on a mountain pass signals a roadblock on the way to a new Japan in Hiroshi Shimizu’s lighthearted yet melancholy drama.
![Featured image for Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894243.12248.36802.png)
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…
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
![Featured image for Directing Mushishi and other spiraling stories – Hiroshi Nagahama and Uki Satake [Panels at Japan Expo Orléans 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240209/1707498969.78945.116725.jpg)
Directing Mushishi and other spiraling stories – Hiroshi Nagahama and Uki Satake [Panels at Japan Expo Orléans 2023]
The post Directing Mushishi and other spiraling stories – Hiroshi Nagahama and Uki Satake [Panels at Japan Expo Orléans 2023] appeared first on fullfrontal.moe.
Children of the Great Buddha (大仏さまと子供たち, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1952)
A collection of orphans attempt to support themselves as tour guides to the ancient capital of Nara in HIroshi Shimizu’s empathetic drama.
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…
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
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
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…
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