A veteran yakuza falls foul of changing times trying to save his teen idol younger brother from the underworld in an early crime drama from Kihachi Okamoto
Jan 4, 2022 • Subscribe
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The Last Gunfight (暗黒街の対決, Kihachi Okamoto, 1960)
A maverick cop finds himself at the centre of a moribund gang war in Kihachi Okamoto’s anarchic western-inflected crime drama
Prison Boss (獄中の顔役, Yasuo Furuhata, 1968)
A noble-hearted gangster finds himself at odds with an increasingly corrupt society in Furuhata’s manly yakuza drama
Street of Love and Hope (愛と希望の街, Nagisa Oshima, 1959)
A young man’s pigeon selling scam eventually ruins his cross-class friendship with a wealthy young woman in Oshima’s biting sociopolitical drama
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 Angry Street (怒りの街, Mikio Naruse, 1950)
A sociopathic student takes revenge on a changing society by seducing wealthy women in Mikio Naruse’s brooding noir.
Over the Town (街の上で, Rikiya Imaizumi, 2019)
An awkward young man chases love and romance on the streets of Shimokitazawa in Imaizumi’s soulful ode to the ever changing district
Boss Gets BIG (Ai the Somnium Files)
#aithesomniumfiles #letsplay #blind
街
The Town, and Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - March 2023
The Thief in Black (黒の盗賊, Umetsugu Inoue, 1964)
Twins separated at birth kick back against the samurai corruption and growing Tokugawa authoritarianism i Umetsugu Inoue’s politically charged jidaigeki.
The Human Wall / 人間の壁/ Ningen no kabe (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #113 Kyoko Kagawa Fumiko (Kyoko Kagawa) is a teacher at an elementary school in Saga Prefecture in the south of Japa...
The Naked Executive / 裸の重役 / Hadaka no juyaku (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #151 Hisaya Morishige Hidaka (Hisaya Morishige) is a widowed office manager with a grown-up daughter, Keiko (Yuriko ...
The Tales of Kurashiki (蔵のある街, Emiko Hiramatsu, 2025)
A trio of teens begin to find new direction in their lives after coming together to organise a fireworks festival in Emiko Hiramatsu warmhearted local drama.
The Sands of Kurobe (黒部の太陽, Kei Kumai, 1968)
Kei Kumai directs a three-hour epic devoted to the sometimes brutal construction of the Kurobe Dam.
The Beloved Image/ 顔 / Kao (‘Face’, 1960）
Obscure Japanese Film #129 Machiko Kyo and Ryo Ikebe This Daiei picture opens with young executive Ko (Ryo Ikebe) being seen off at Haneda...
Seiyuu Series: Nobuhiko Okamoto
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The Ladder of Success / 夜の素顔 / Yoru no sagao (‘The True Face of the Night’, 1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #170 Machiko Kyo in the moonlight scene 1944. Akemi (Machiko Kyo) is a traditional dancer entertaining the troops at...
Kaze no aru michi / 風のある道 / (‘Windy Road’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #240Izumi Ashikawa Naoko (Izumi Ashikawa) is a young woman still living at home with her father (Shiro Osaka), mother (Toshiko Yamane) and younger sister Chikako (Mayumi Shimizu). Her older…
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beauty (1959) Upon re-watching Sleeping Beauty recently I was fascinated to realise that the three fairies are pretty much the main characters :) Obviously they’re not the…
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Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A charming cringe comedy that takes place in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa. Over the Town 街の上で Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A Bullet Hole Underground (地下街の弾痕, Kazuo Mori, 1949)
A lovelorn policeman finds himself investigating the murder of an old flame’s husband in Kazuo Mori’s procedural drama.
OZLAND (オズランド 笑顔の魔法おしえます。, Takafumi Hatano, 2018)
A snooty young woman from Tokyo rediscovers a sense of magic in the everyday when dispatched to a rural theme park in Takafumi Hatano’s cheerful workplace dramedy
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.
The Lost Alibi (黒い画集 あるサラリーマンの証言, Hiromichi Horikawa, 1960)
A salaryman is conflicted when asked to provide an alibi knowing to do so could expose his extra-marital affair in Hiromichi Horikawa’s psychological noir.
Darkness in the Light (日本の黒い夏ー冤罪, Kei Kumai, 2001)
Idealistic teen reporters have some questions to ask of mass media and the police in Kei Kumai’s true life drama.
Krazytoons: “Christmas Daze” (1959)
Part of the "Tune Cartoon" series produced by Rowl Greenhalgh Productions in Australia for Television in the late 50s.
Akemi Tanaka 1959 - 2021
In sad news this week we learned of the passing of Akemi Tanaka. She died of cancer on Monday 7th June 2021. Many anime fans will remember A...
Between the White Key and the Black Key (白鍵と黒鍵の間に, Masanori Tominaga, 2023)
A jaded bar musician is confronted by his younger, more idealistic self in 1980s Ginza in Masanori Tominaga’s surrealistic adaptation of the memoirs of jazz musician Hiroshi Minami.
Kill! (斬る, Kihachi Okamoto, 1968)
An ambitious farmer and former samurai turned wandering yakuza are swept into intrigue when seven samurai arrive to bump off a corrupt lord in Kihachi Okamoto’s absurdist jidaigeki.
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The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) Director: Emiko Hiramatsu [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025]
The Tales of Kurashiki 蔵のある街 (2025) is a celebration of the beautiful historic city by director Emiko Hiramatsu who sets a youth story in her hometown and delivers…
Break Down That Wall / その壁を砕け / Sono kabe o kudake (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #108 Izumi Ashikawa and Yuji Odaka in foreground Saburo (Yuji Odaka) is a young Tokyo garage mechanic who has been w...
Gearing-Up With the Mecha-Ude Anime Creator Okamoto
We spoke with Okamoto about her upcoming anime, the crowdfunding campaign, and the female animation team at TriF Studios.
Bara no ki ni bara no hana saku / 薔薇の木にバラの花咲く / (‘Roses Bloom on the Rose Bush’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #136 Ayako Wakao Rieko Sumi and Ayako Wakao Reiko (Ayako Wakao) is a senior university student majoring in English w...
Elfen Lied Volume 1 by Lynn Okamoto
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia while reading the first volume of Elfen Lied. First and foremost, the artstyle feels of an era, that era…
Four Hours of Terror (高度7000米 恐怖の四時間, Tsuneo Kobayashi, 1959)
A fugitive on the run for a murder hijacks a passenger plane in an attempt to get away in Tsuneo Kobayashi’s airborne thriller.
The Makioka Sisters / 細雪 / Sasameyuki (‘Light Snowfall’, 1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #148 Junko Kano and Fujiko Yamamoto Junichiro Tanizaki’s novel Sasameyuki is widely recognised as a classic of Japa...
Halloween Special Review: The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) review
Nakagawa succeeds in delivering an unforgettable finale that, due to its hallucinatory feel, mesmerises the spectator with its haunting imagery.
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 6 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 6 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) manga covers a pivotal moment. Yes, Claire and Rae are on vacation and yes, Claire is finally getting a…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 3 ( 私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
In Volume 1, Oohashi Rei, found herself waking in the world of her favorite otome game and free to pursue the villainess of the game, the highborn noble,…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akujyaku Reijou., Volume 2 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
Watashi no Oshi ha Akujyaku Reijou., Volume 2 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) gets into the first of my two favorite arcs in the first WataOshi novel – Rei and Claire are…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Volume 7 ( 私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
In Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 7 ( 私の推しは悪役令嬢。) a new characters is introduced that will (arguably, has) changed the course of the narrative. Cardinal Lily…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 8 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 8 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) is the climax of Yu’s arc and, as a result it is poignant and touching in about 4 different…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 5 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
Before we start today’s review, I want to let you know that until May my reviews are going to be less regular. I have a relentless schedule for…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Volume 4 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 4 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) is a wild ride of a novel that has more twists and turns than the newest roller coaster at…
Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou. Volume 3 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。)
I don’t really know how to review this book. ^_^; There’s so much to tell you and so little I can say! In Volume 1, we met former…
The Big O is a Big Hit
After writing for the cult classic, Serial Experiments Lain, Chiaki J. Konaka took to scripting The Big O, a 26-episode mecha series for the premier studio of mecha…
Pick of the Week: Big Big Waves
SEAN: It’s possible I’m not on the same WAVElength as the rest of the group, but I’m going to channel my inner nerd and pick the final (no…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 1
Content warning: The plot here is 100% manipulation, violence and sexual violence. Shirakawa Junko is beloved in her office. The younger employees look up to her with deep…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 3
In Volume 1 we met Shirakawa, top of her department in her office and Kuroda, a promising up-and-comer who threatens to take everything Shirakawa has built. They briefly…
白と黒~Black & White~, Volume 2
In Volume 1, we met Shirakawa Junko and Kuroda Kayo two high-spec, elites in an international sales department, who are natural enemies. They don’t just fight…in fact, they…
The Big Four
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
