A recently released street punk is dragged into local gang intrigue by the bored son of a CEO in Toshiya Fujita’s freewheeling underworld drama
Mar 3, 2022 • Subscribe
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Step On
Author: Ukari (translated with author’s permission, please visit their website to see the original Japanese works!) To say here is far, The post Step On first appeared on Kowabana.
Kimizero – 11 – Foot On the Gas
It’s been two weeks since the festival, and things are going great … for Nicole and Sekiya. Runa and Ryuuto seem cordial, but distant, as if the chill…
The Creature Called Man (豹は走った, Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1970)
A policeman on a mission squares off against an assassin intent on executing an exiled dictator in Kiyoshi Nishimura’s thorny geopolitical thriller.
It’s All My Fault (ぜんぶ、ボクのせい, Yusaku Matsumoto, 2022)
A young orphan and a homeless drifter attempt to overcome the legacy of parental rejection in Yusaku Matsumoto’s sensitive coming-of-age drama.
Gacharic Spin steps on the gas and doesn’t stop.
I have no idea if the incredibly high concentration of all girl rock bands in Japan is a rebellious result of women wanting to stick it to the…
Out of Gas
You've probably noticed that Orphan's releases this year lean heavily towards re-releases of past projects or of previously fansubbed material. Basically, the group is out of gas; our…
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The Backloggers 6th Year Anniversary – Step By Step
Wow! It’s not 2020 anymore, and we’re still here! We hope that you’re still here too! Let’s be honest, it’s been a rough year for all of us…
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“Sounds, music, performances, and darkish visuals all blend beautifully together to deliver an unsettling but enchanting account of vampirism in Japan.”
OtakuGeneration (Show #68) the Gas-Ron
NOTE: This was also cross posted in the otakugeneration LJ community. Shownotes :: (show 068) :: (website) :: (podcast feed) :: (direct download) :: (direct iTunes link) With…
浦沢直樹より重大なお知らせ。YouTube更新が止まっていた理由… Important Notice from Naoki Urasawa
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。1981年に新人賞を受賞してから2021年でちょうど40年の節目に、〇〇を解禁します。 The year 2021 marks exactly 40 years since I won the Rookie Award in 1981, so I will be starting XX for my very first time. #浦沢直樹 #NaokiUrasawa #重大発表 ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー ◆浦沢直樹電子書籍特設サイト https://bigcomicbros.net/urasawadigital/ Naoki…
Vlad Love (ぶらどらぶ) Guest Review by Megan
Today is my favorite kind of day – we have a brand new Guest Reviewer here on Okazu! Many of you will have noticed that Megan has been…
I Never Shot Anyone (一度も撃ってません, Junji Sakamoto, 2020)
An unsuccessful writer staves off a sense of existential despair living by night in Junji Sakamoto’s darkly comic tale of late life ennui
Mabataki (まばたき)
Mabataki (まばたき) is a collection of short stories by Battan, creator of Run Away With Me, Girl. This is another manga I picked up while in Japan (I…
Mayhem Girls (メイヘムガールズ, Shinichi Fujita, 2022)
Teenage girls unexpectedly find themselves with superpowers during the pandemic, but struggle with the same problems as everyone else in Shinichi Fujita’s sci-fi-inflected high school dramedy
Step into the sunlight with Mr.FanTastiC!
Mr.FanTastiC spits out some of my favorite feel good, straight up rock and they’ve done it once again with their new track 晴れたらいいな (Haretara Ii Na/I Hope it’s…
Dissecting the Disquels: The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (Part Two – Step-By-Step Analysis)
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Fruits Basket 2nd Season: Second Cour: Step Forward, Step Backward
I’ll be honest here guys. My thoughts on the second cour of Fruits Basket is pretty much the exact same as the first. Everything I said in that…
Anime Characters Who Wear A Gas Mask
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What we should be reading in Japanese - How to Japanese - April 2021
Kokoro Connect: Step Time
By Sadanatsu Anda and Shiromizakana. Released in Japan by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Molly Lee. I get the feeling the author…
The Bloody Boot of Apathy Will Not Step on the Righteous Soul! Witness the Fatal Rebirth!
Well, hmm, this blog stuff if tougher than I thought. Maybe tomorrow...
Arte – 04 – The First Step to Hell
When Arte first experiences heartache, she has no idea what it is, just that it is negatively affecting her work and making her absent-minded. All of that makes…
The Eleventh Hour (どたんば, Tomu Uchida, 1957)
The problematic working practices of a post-war coal mine are thrown into stark relief when five men are trapped underground during a collapse in Tomu Uchida’s tense rescue…
Raging Gas!! Dragon Ball Super Chapter 80 BREAKDOWN
There were………… a lot of puns that I could have come up with for this chapter. After I finished reading the spoiler summary; all I did was think…
Yamabuki (やまぶき, Juichiro Yamasaki, 2022)
The lives of a series of dejected souls in a moribund quarry town intersect in unexpected ways in a poetical drama from Juichiro Yamasaki
The History of Mushi Pro – 04 – Mushi’s gekiga (1969-1970)
According to Eiichi Yamamoto, the years 1970-1971 represented Mushi Pro’s “second golden age” [1]. There seems to be some truth to this statement: the number of new productions…
Kyojin no Hoshi, Lupin III, Sabu & Ichi's Arrest Warrant, Tomorrow's Joe, Dororo
Gamera, Frankenstein, Sabata and Zatoichi: The Genre Films of 1970
50 years ago, in 1970, neighborhood theaters offered quite a varied landscape of cinematic fare, although it took me some time to find it all. I managed to…
Ultraman Taro: The Biggest Step Into The Ultra Fantasy
Ultraman has been a franchise known heavily for its science fiction elements. The franchise started with Ultra Q and were mini-Kaiju stories or even horror inspired tales. When…
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Granolah The Avenger vs Gas The Jealous! Dragon Ball Super Chapter 79 BREAKDOWN
Hello, my wonderful readers! If all goes accordingly; this should be one of my last posts in 2021. It’s been……… a year. CERTAINLY better than the previous one.…
How to Make a VRChat Avatar for FREE? A Step-by-Step Guide
Craft your very own personalized VRChat avatar from scratch, and guess what? It won't cost you a penny! Follow this guide.
REIGEN ARATAKA (霊幻新隆) Sakuga MAD
this is my most important work reigen has had a very big week
The New God (新しい神様, Yutaka Tsuchiya, 1999)
Documentarian Yukata Tsuchiya’s personal documentary explores his friendship with a right-wing punk duo despite not sharing any of their nationalist views
GoFundMe: Help Me Hire Someone to Step on Me and Call Me “Senpai”
We all have dreams and often those dreams require us to put our best foot forward. Although in this case I would preferably like that foot to be…
Sunday Veterans: Kazuhiko Shimamoto and Kazuhiro Fujita interview translation.
Hey-lo, Sunday fans. In what's become a strange tradition it's me, Sakaki updating the blog on my birthday rather than resting or doing anyt...
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The History of Mushi Pro – 05 – Farewell to Tezuka (1970-1972)
From a Tezuka-centered perspective, the legacy of the Animerama films is difficult to assess. They were certainly pioneering, but the studio had to pay a heavy toll for…
Love Live! Superstar!! Episode 11: The Important Step Forward
One of our heroines had a final obstacle to overcome before truly being ready for the big stage. Best part of this scene were Ren’s reactions.
Shrieking in the Rain (雨に叫べば, Eiji Uchida, 2021)
A female director struggles to make a mark in the midst of sexist crew members, the absurdity of the censors board, and the commercial concerns of the industry…
A Step into Mike Flanagan’s Horror
The effect Midnight Mass has had on me feels so profound and intimate. The show is just……hauntingly beautiful. I know it sounds strange but there is no other…
The End of the Track (跑道終點, Mou Tun-Fei, 1970)
A teenage boy finds himself knocked off course after his best friend suddenly dies in Mou Tun-Fei’s subversive social drama
Gas Throws His Hat In The Ring! Dragon Ball Super Chapter 78 BREAKDOWN
Greetings and Bien Venue, boys and girls. Good news: This and Boruto: Naruto Next Generation have their chapters out a day earlier! Though that doesn’t mean this review…
Of Course You Can Step On…I Mean Tease Me: The Age of Tease is Upon Us!
Those who can effectively tease their crush have some serious skill. The age of teasing anime romances is upon us!
The Last Kamikaze (最後の特攻隊, Junya Sato, 1970)
Junya Sato’s ambivalent drama straddles the fine line between condemning the wartime past and glorifying those who gave their lives for it.
A full run through the King Crimson discography: Part 4 (Lizard, 1970)
After the release of In the Wake of Poseidon (or in the wake of Poseidon? Yeah? Sorry) King Crimson reformed in 1970 for the first time out of several times…
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After a difficult to watch for some episode last time how would they wrap up this dramatic arc?
KyoAni’s Present And Future: Naoko Yamada and Haruka Fujita Interview
It’s time to examine Kyoto Animation’s present and future with an interview featuring their current creative leader and the up-and-coming star who looks up to her! Naoko Yamada…
496 – Manben Machinations 2 – Kazuhiro Fujita, Akiko Higashimura, Shin’ichi Sakamoto
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Management of a Novice Alchemist Episode 1: The First Step
One of my most anticipated shows of the season. I had no idea what to expect but hoping it’ll somehow fill the void of RPG Real Estate. As…
Yami Shibai 4: A Major Step Back
I’ve talked about Yami Shibai many times. It’s a franchise built around short form horror from ILCA. Thus far, it’s been pretty solid. Let’s look at the fourth…
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