An angry young man struggles to reintegrate his fracturing sense of identity in Chang Chih-Wei’s sensitive coming-of-age drama.
Apr 11, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
The Ark (方舟, Wei Dan, 2020)
An elderly woman suffering with a non-Covid medical condition is cared for by her children and grandchildren in Wei Dan’s documentary.
A Leg (腿, Chang Yao-sheng, 2020)
A bereaved wife becomes obsessed with retrieving her husband’s severed leg in order to lay him to rest in Chang Yao-sheng’s darkly humorous romantic drama
Lee Jang-ho’s Baseball Team (이장호의 외인구단, Lee Jang-ho, 1986)
A young man dreaming of baseball glory is forced on a bizarre desert island training mission by his insane mentor in Lee Jang-ho’s incredibly strange sports movie.
City of Lost Things (廢棄之城, Yee Chih-Yen, 2020)
An alienated teen finds a place to belong in Trash City only to instantly betray his new paradise in Yee Chin-Yen’s inspirational family animation
Canola (계춘할망, Chang, 2016)
A sullen young woman gains the confidence to step into herself thanks the unconditional love of a Jeju grandmother in Chang’s emotional drama
The Soul (緝魂, Cheng Wei-Hao, 2021)
“Affection is the greatest obstacle on the path to success” according to the villain at the centre of Cheng Wei-Hao’s philosophical mystery, The Soul (緝魂, Jī Hún). Adapted…
Sankarea: Undying Love (Volume 3) – Fear the Foreigner
Rea is determined to return to school and start her normal life, but she hadn’t counted on a stranger arriving and revealing some shocking truths about her condition.…
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
The Rape of Nanking covers the destruction of present-day Nanjing City by the Japanese during World War II. The book doesn’t hold back. In several chapters, I had…
Black Dog (狗阵, Guan Hu, 2024)
Recently released from prison and returning to a rundown town, a young man begins to identify with a fugitive dog in Guan Hu’s elegiac drama.
Rebound (리바운드, Jang Hang-jun, 2023)
Underdog teens learn a few lessons in perseverance while taking their moribund high school basketball team to the national championships in Jang Hang-jun’s sporting drama.
Exhuma (파묘, Jang Jae-hyun, 2024)
The vengeful ghost of Japanese imperialism rises to take its revenge on its forgetful children in Jang Jae-hyun’s eerie supernatural horror.
Learning Japanese Tea Ceremony as a Foreigner
Have you ever wanted to learn Japanese tea ceremony? Here’s how I came to study it and my advice for other aspiring tea masters.
Hopeless (화란, Kim Chang-hoon, 2023)
An alienated young man dreaming of an idyllic life in Holland has his illusions slowly crushed by the world around him in Kim Chang-hoon’s gritty drama.
Walk on Water by Jang Mokdan / Jaxx
As long time readers know, I have been feeling guilty about not posting more manga that have no anime counterpart. So, tonight I just clicked on the first…
Ping Pong (乒乓, Leong Po-Chih, 1986)
A young woman wrestles with her cultural identity when tasked with executing a will she can’t even read in Leong Po-Chih’s 1986 diaspora drama.
Between the Knees (무릎과 무릎 사이, Lee Jang-ho, 1984)
A young woman struggles to accept her desires amid the oppressive social codes of contemporary Korea in Lee Jang-ho’s erotic melodrama.
Er Woo Dong: The Entertainer (어우동, Lee Jang-ho, 1985)
A liberated woman is condemned by an oppressive society in Lee Jang-ho’s feudal drama.
The Phantom Goblin (まぼろし天狗, Nobuo Nakagawa, 1962)
Hashizo Okawa takes on dual roles as earnest brothers separated at birth determined to “clean out evil in Edo” in Nobuo Nakagawa’s jidaigeki drama
Redemption with Life (兄弟, Zhang Wei, 2023)
A young man with old-fashioned values is slowly consumed by the contradictions of the modern China in Zhang Wei’s indie drama.
Finding a Home as a Foreigner in Japan
Finding a home as a foreigner in Japan can be tricky, but know that you're not alone. From owning to renting we cover all things real estate.
幻の光 OST - Ming-Chang Chen
Maborosi [Maboroshi no Hikari] Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda 1995 Download
The Road to the Racetrack (경마장 가는 길, Jang Sun-woo, 1991)
A pompous scholar returning home after five years living abroad in France struggles to adapt himself to a changed Korea in Jang Sun-woo’s literary drama.
Tengu Priest (お坊主天狗, Yasushi Sasaki, 1962)
Disparate denizens of Edo are united in one thing in Yasushi Sasaki’s light hearted jidaigeki, Tengu Priest (お坊主天狗, Obozu tengu), revenge. Like many jidaigeki, what they really want…
"5 Reasons Dating in Japan SUCKS as a Foreigner"
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3Cj9wHV Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/ 5 Reasons Dating in Japan SUCKS as a Foreigner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2vESD-gEoc
How to Get Married in Japan as a Foreigner
So, you’ve met the man or woman of your dreams and finally decided to make it official. Here’s a guide on how to get married in Japan.
Only the River Flows (河边的错误, Wei Shujun, 2023)
A detective begins to lose his grip on reality while investigating the murder of an old woman in Wei Shujun’s ’90s-set Sino-noir.
Lotus Lantern (宝莲灯, Chang Guangxi, 1999)
A devoted son goes to great lengths to free his goddess mother after her transgressive love for a mortal sees her imprisoned in a mountain in Chang Guangxi’s…
The Best Secret Agent (天字第一號, Chang Ying, 1964)
A female super spy is forced to sacrifice romantic fulfilment in the pursuit of her duty but with it gains true freedom and independence in Chang Ying’s hugely…
Days Before the Millennium (徘徊年代, Chang Teng-Yuan, 2021)
Two Vietnamese women who came to Taiwan 20 years apart and in very different circumstances discover a sense of mutual solidarity in Chang’s migratory epic
Wuhan Wuhan (武汉武汉, Chang Yung, 2021)
Chang Yung’s exploration of the later stages of Wuhan lockdown provides a more hopeful counterpart to the fear and confusion of 76 Days
The Man with Three Coffins (나그네는 길에서도 쉬지 않는다, Lee Jang-ho, 1987)
A lonely soul finds himself condemned to wander in a land divided from itself in Lee Jang-ho’s oneiric drama.
The Winter of 1905 (1981) Director: Yu Wei-Cheng [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]
The Winter of 1905 (1981), directed by Yu Wei-Cheng, is a solid dramatisation of Li Shutong’s time in Japan and the influences that would lead him to become…
The Fantasy of Deer Warrior (大俠梅花鹿, Chang Ying, 1961)
The harmony of the forest is disrupted by an influx of marauding wolves in Chang Ying’s decidedly strange children’s adventure musical
Ripples of Life (永安镇故事集, Wei Shujun, 2021)
Wei Shujun’s meta odyssey follows a Beijing film crew to a small town in rural China where everyone it seems is longing for escape
What Is My Worth as a Foreigner in Japan? A Pandemic Query
Our author discusses how the pandemic has laid bare elements of how the Japanese public and government perceive the foreign residents in their midst.
The Cabbie (運転手之戀, Chen Yi-wen & Chang Hwa-kun, 2000)
The crazy freewheeling life of a lovestruck taxi driver eventually takes a turn for the contemplative in Chen Yi-wen & Chang Hwa-kun’s infinitely charming comedy.
Listen Before You Sing (聽見歌 再唱, Yang Chih-lin, 2021)
A school under threat of closure pins its hopes on an indigenous choir in Yang Chih-lin’s cheerful social drama
A Fine, Windy Day (바람 불어 좋은 날, Lee Jang-ho, 1980)
Three men find themselves displaced in a rapidly developing society in Lee Jang-ho’s social drama.
2020 the Anime: Japan Sinks-2020
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and some part of me wants to remember 2020 before moving on with the new year. And what…
Hero (世间有她, Li Shaohong, Joan Chen, Sylvia Chang, 2022)
Li Shaohong, Joan Chen, and Sylvia Chang tell the stories of women in Wuhan, Beijing, and Hong Kong in this tripartite pandemic anthology film.
Tales from the Occult (失衡凶間, Fruit Chan, Fung Chih-Chiang, Wesley Hoi Ip-Sang, 2022)
Hong Kongers contend with the hidden horrors of the contemporary society in the first instalment in a series of anthology horror films.
The Killers (더 킬러스, Kim Jong-kwan & Roh Deok & Chang Hang-jun & Lee Myung-se, 2024)
Led by Lee Myung-se, The Killers (더 킬러스) was originally billed as a six-part anthology film featuring different takes on the short story by Ernest Hemingway, but somewhere…
As We Like It (揭大歡喜, Chen Hung-i & Muni Wei, 2021)
A romantic exile meanders through an internet free corner of Taipei in Chen & Wei’s all-female adaptation of the Shakespeare play.
*Guest Post* 2020 the Anime: Japan Sinks-2020
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and some part of me wants to remember 2020 before moving on with the new year. And what…
Summer 2020: The Restart
Take 2. Summer 2020 is going to be a recovery period for most of us out there. While the succeeding seasons is going to consist of many readjustments,…
DECA-DENCE, Fruits Basket, The God of High School, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, APPARE-RANMAN!
The Journalist (2020) review
A highly relevant narrative that succeeds in underlining the importance of fighting against a-moral system of media manipulation.
The Anime Of 2020
What is a GOAT if not an AOTY? Yup, that’s right, the goat is the animal of the year! And in the meanwhile, let’s look at 2020’s anime!
Beyond The Mountain Lies A World Of Frills
Blade of the Immortal, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, DECA-DENCE, Dorohedoro
My Lovely Angel (내겐 너무 소중한 너, Lee Chang-won & Kwon Sung-mo, 2021)
A cynical man’s horizon’s broaden when he begins taking care of a little girl who is deafblind in Lee Chang-won & Kwon Sung-mo’s touching drama.
2020… The end of the Season!
Image courtesy via Pixiv Sorry to keep you waiting, but it’s time for my review on the 2020 Anime Season where it’s really affected by the ongoing COVID-19…