A failed patriarch resolves to set his unhappily married daughter-in-free in Mikio Naruse’s post-war marital drama
Mar 4, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Late Chrysanthemums (晩菊, Mikio Naruse, 1954)
Four former geishas struggle to find their place in a changing society in Miko Naruse’s melancholy melodrama.
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.
A Wife’s Heart (妻の心, Mikio Naruse, 1956)
When plans to start a new business go awry, a dejected wife finds herself at a crossroads in Mikio Naruse’s martial drama.
A Woman’s Place (女の座, Mikio Naruse, 1962)
The young women of post-war Japan struggle to define themselves in a changing society in Mikio Naruse’s uncharacteristically hopeful family 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
Wife (妻, Mikio Naruse, 1953)
An unhappily married woman contemplates independence but struggles to see herself as anything other than a “wife” in Naruse’s bitter marital drama
Repast (めし, Mikio Naruse, 1951)
An unhappily married woman fed up with the drudgery of her existence considers other options but finally concludes there are none in Naruse’s bleak melodrama
Mikio Naruse: Adventures on Harumi Island
I got a pleasant surprise recently when I watched Mikio Naruse’s AUTUMN HAS ALREADY STARTED (1960). At a key point in the narrative, the two child protagonists living…
The Approach of Autumn (秋立ちぬ, Mikio Naruse, 1960)
A small boy finds himself trapped between the new society and the old in Mikio Naruse’s often deceptively cheerful childhood drama.
Those Who Sneer Like the Mountain Fiend / 山魔の如き嗤うもの
Another Genya Toujou book, another series of bizarre murders in a remote village that are entangled with the local folklore. Those Who Snee...
Untamed (あらくれ, Mikio Naruse, 1957)
A rebellious woman strives for independence in a patriarchal society but nevertheless finds herself hamstrung by feckless men in Naruse’s Taisho-era drama
Sanka: Nomads of the Mountain (山歌, Ryohei Sasatani, 2022)
A young man finds himself caught between the new Japan and the old while befriending the last remnants of a nomadic people in Ryohei Sasatani’s poetic drama.
Mother (おかあさん, Mikio Naruse, 1952)
A teenage girl struggles to understand her self-sacrificing mother in Mikio Naruse’s subversive take on the hahamono
A Wanderer’s Notebook (放浪記, Mikio Naruse, 1962)
A determined young woman seeks a way out of poverty in Mikio Naruse’s biopic of author Fumiko Hayashi.
Mountain Woman (山女, Takeshi Fukunaga, 2022)
A young woman walks into the mountains to die but unexpectedly discovers what it is to feel truly human in Takeshi Fukunaga’s bleak folk tale.
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.
Raining in the Mountain (空山靈雨, King Hu, 1979)
Advisors with ulterior motives plot to steal a precious scroll from a temple in the midst of transition in King Hu’s farcical wuxia drama
Five Men in a Circus (サーカス五人組, Mikio Naruse, 1935)
A 5-piece jinta brass band ends up performing as ringers at strike-stricken circus in Naruse’s melancholy anti-authoritarian comedy
Monk Comes Down the Mountain (道士下山, Chen Kaige, 2015)
A wandering monk is forced to consider a series of dualities presented by his traditional upbringing and burgeoning modernity in Chen Kaige’s ‘30s wuxia Monk Comes Down the…
Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Desperate peasants recruit samurai protectors in Akira Kurosawa’s classic historical epic back in UK cinemas Oct. 29
Sound of the Sky: How Sweet The Sound!
I’m here and back on the moe train to talk about more anime series here and there. Believe me when I say that this moe train is going…
Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai remains engaging despite being 66 years old. The story follows seven ronin, masterless samurai, as they defend a farming village from a band of…
Godzilla (1954) review
A timeless classic monster movie.
The Sound of Grass 草の響き Dir: Hisashi Saito (2021)
The Sound of Grass is a slow and solid showcase of the struggle of dealing with mental problems. Based on a story by Yasushi Sato. 草の響き Dir: Hisashi…
Sound of the Sky
★★★★★ A beautiful experience! This is a perfect example of how a lightly dramatic slice of life anime should be. Beautiful, carefully crafted artwork, heartfelt characters and storyline,…
Naruse A Master of the Japanese Cinema - Booklet
Articles by Audie Bock, Hideko Takamine and Kihachi Okamoto (19 Pages )
The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountain
The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountain is currently streaming on Crunchyroll....
Episode 17: The Smile of the Mountain Witch
“Yamamba” from Bakemono no e, circa 1700 (via Wikimedia Commons) Check out Episode 17 of the Read Literature podcast. In this episode… Is she a man-eating crone? Is…
The Tycoon / 傷だらけの山河 / Kizudarake no sanga (1964)
Obscure Japanese Film #144 Ayako Wakao and So Yamamura Having delivered a mega-hit for Daiei studios with Shinobi no mono (1962) and also...
![Featured image for Mountain Woman 山女 (2023) Director: Takeshi Fukunaga [New York Asian Film Festival 2023] 2](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230724/1690211921.65425.100391.jpg)
Mountain Woman 山女 (2023) Director: Takeshi Fukunaga [New York Asian Film Festival 2023] 2
Mountain Woman 山女 (2023), by director Takeshi Fukunaga (Ainu Mosir), is an atmospheric drama about outcasts struggling in a small famine-hit village in Tohoku, circa the late 18th Century.…
The rise of sight, the fall of sound
Perhaps we don’t often think on the settings in which people watched older TV anime. But quite basic facets of TV’s nature have changed through the decades, in…
The Sound of Depression: Liminal Spaces, Sound Design, and Super Cub
Ruminations on everyone's favorite motorbike anime, the pandemic, and my favorite topic: liminal spaces.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 7
The things she carries…
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 6
I half expected the shoot out to be a dream.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 9
The man, the myth, the legend.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 1
Evidently, the sky sounds like an off key bugle.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 8
The simplest job requires the strongest will.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 11
I guess “Amazing Grace” is a universal language.
Episode 346, "The Sound of Silence"
On this week's episode of The One Piece Podcast we discuss the heart-wrenching Chapter 767, "Cora" and the equally heart-wrenching Toonami Episode 278. We also go through a…
Sound of the Sky Quick Thoughts
I just finished a show called Sound of the Sky, animated by A-1 Pictures, and known mostly for looking like K-ON!, but in the military. That’s not really…
Episode 346, "The Sound of Silence"
On this week's episode of The One Piece Podcast we discuss the heart-wrenching Chapter 767, "Cora" and the equally heart-wrenching Toonami Episode 278. We also go through a…
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 2
Doesn’t seem like they’re expected to do much…
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 5
Girls’ First Tour
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 10
I kind of expected the show to save this for the very end.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 4
They’ll be ready for the Tankery tournament in no time.
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 3
Saving Private Sorami
The Growing Mountain of Manga – Early Summer 2015 Purchases
I keep getting behind in my intent to post here, but I still find time for the hobby itself at least! During my (sadly now over) summer break,…
An inn at Osaka (1954) review
“An important document that traces how the post-war capitalistic machine of modernity poisons subjectivity by ‘promoting’ a selfish monetary desire, slowly empties social relations, and cause…
Huge Fauna of Ars #05 — Mountain Fever
This society raises some anthropological questions. Impressions: What a curious culture of orcs mountain-people this is. You must prove your might, but when push comes to shove, that's…
Sound of the Sky – Ep. 7.5 (Special)
War…War never changes…