An anxious writer fears collapse under the weight of fatherhood in Kinji Fuksaku’s adaptation of the autobiographical novel of Kazuo Dan.
Jun 18, 2022 • Subscribe
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Graveyard of Honor (仁義の墓場, Kinji Fukasaku, 1975)
A renegade gangster slowly implodes amid the turbulent winds of the post-war era in Kinji Fukasaku’s anarchic take on the life of Rikio Ishikawa
Sympathy for the Underdog (博徒外人部隊, Kinji Fukasaku, 1971)
A displaced post-war gangster relocates to Okinawa where the conditions of the occupation are stil very much in play in Fukasaku’s proto-jitsuroku yakuza drama
The Threat (脅迫, Kinji Fukasaku, 1966)
An ambitious executive is confronted with the emasculating nature of the salaryman dream when escaped convicts invade his home in an early thriller from Kinji Fukasaku.
The Mannequin House Murders / 人形館の殺人
I didn’t like this book at all. I don’t have much more to say about it.
The Kamikaze Guy (カミカゼ野郎 真昼の決斗, Kinji Fukasaku, 1966)
A bumbling pilot becomes embroiled in a conspiracy after an encounter on a ski slope in a goodnatured action comedy starring a young Sonny Chiba.
Yakuza Graveyard (やくざの墓場 くちなしの花, Kinji Fukasaku, 1976)
A maverick cop finds himself sympathising with noble yakuza when confronted by entrenched corruption in Kinji Fukasaku’s jitsuroku-esque gangster drama.
The Labyrinth House Murders / 迷路館の殺人
The shin-honkaku movement has always been a bit meta. It’s right there in the name: it means “new orthodox,” as it’s a revival of the origi...
Raging Fire (怒火, Benny Chan, 2021)
A righteous cop finds himself in a battle of wits with a former colleague gone rogue in a searing high octane action thriller from the late Benny Chan
The Phoenix (火の鳥, Kon Ichikawa, 1978)
The people of early Japan contemplate different visions of immortality in Kon Ichikawa’s sprawling adaptation of the first chapter in Osamu Tezuka’s manga series.
Japan Organized Crime Boss (日本暴力団 組長, Kinji Fukasaku, 1969)
A recently released yakuza emerges into a changed Japan in Kinji Fukasaku’s proto-jitsuroku gangster picture.
Fire Festival (火まつり, Mitsuo Yanagimachi, 1985)
A proud mountain man goes to great lengths to hold back the tides of modernity in Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s poetic fable
Crest of Betrayal (忠臣蔵外伝 四谷怪談, Kinji Fukasaku, 1994)
An ambitious samurai finds himself corrupted by the times in which he lives in Fukasaku’s etherial fusion of Yotsuya Kaidan and the Chushingura
Death Within the Evil Eye / 魔眼の匣の殺人
It’s difficult to succeed genius. Chrono Cross isn’t as good as Chrono Trigger , Bioshock 2 isn’t as good as Bioshock , and National Treas...
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
Otona no Yuricon 2020 (大人のユリコン2020)
After a prolonged trip across the ocean, a long-awaited doujinshi has finally arrived at my home. And, like clockwork, the Melonbooks website is down for maintenance, so I…
The Black Umbrella Mystery / 体育館の殺人
The Black Umbrella Mystery is a story with the soul of Ellery Queen and the body of an anime protagonist. There are a few Japanese…
Tokyo Sweetheart (東京の恋人, Yasuki Chiba, 1952)
A fake ring causes untold chaos in a small corner of Ginza in Yasuki Chiba’s charming ensemble rom-com.
The Seven Great Detectives / 7人の名探偵
Yukito Ayatsuji ’s The Decagon House Murders was published in 1987, and is credited with kick-starting the shin-honkaku (new orthodox) mov...
Hametsu no Koibito, Volume 1 (破滅の恋人)
We recently had the pleasure of three guest reviews for Plongée dans la nuit, the French edition of Yoru to Umi, by Goumoto. I had read the first…
Casting Blossoms to the Sky (この空の花 長岡花火物語, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 2012)
An emotionally arrested journalist begins to reconnect with the past through wartime stories of Nagaoka in Obayashi’s compassionate plea for a kinder future
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)』のあとがき
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The Town of Headcounts (人数の町, Shinji Araki, 2020)
A disaffected young man gets a fresh start in a utopian community but quickly becomes disillusioned in Shinji Araki’s slick dystopian thriller
Samurai Kids (水の旅人-侍KIDS-, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993)
A small boy grows closer to the natural world while guiding a tiny samurai on his journey to the sea in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s charming family adventure.
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...
Brief Thoughts On: Shadows House
Shadows House certainly has the look & feel that I also loved in Kuro, so it's a shame that everything else failed to impress.
Episode #67 (S9E5) – Castle in the Sky [天空の城ラピュタ] (1986)
This week, Perry is joined by returning guest, author Patrick Moody, to discuss the Studio Ghibli classic, Castle in the Sky. We discuss the film’s legacy, influence, and…
California Crisis (1986)
https://nyaa.si/view/1546926 Fansubs credits can be viewed in the link above. Another co-production with Kineko Video! This time it's a new ...
Six Singing Women (唄う六人の女, Yoshimasa Ishibashi, 2023)
A man finds himself trapped in a strange place after travelling to the mountains in the wake of his estranged father’s death in Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s surreal dra
Three Women of the North (北の三人, Kiyoshi Saeki, 1945)
Three female radio operators become the backbone of a moribund war effort in the last propaganda film produced before the war’s end.
Brief Thoughts On: Fire Tripper
Releasing in 1985 and based on a manga by Rumiko Takahashi, Fire Tripper often goes forgotten these days. I'd like to see that changed.
Our House Party (ボクらのホームパーティー, Shuichi Kawanobe, 2022)
Quietly simmering tensions build towards a small explosion among a group of friends at house party in Shuichi Kawanobe’s intense social drama
Tree on House – Please Wait Warmly
If you weren't aware, the Pacific NW had a bit of a weather incident yesterday. What was supposedly going to be a blizzard turned out to be a…
#114.5 First Thoughts on Psych House
Our Psych House in the Middle of Our Street David and Jordan give their first thoughts on Shonen Jump manga Psych House. Listen in as they give…
The House of Hanging (病院坂の首縊りの家, Kon Ichikawa, 1979)
A legacy of familial trauma engulfs a once noble house in Kindaichi’s final and most complicated case
The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人, Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
A fugitive princess offers a new hope for a peaceful and prosperous socitey in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era epic.
Like a Savage (野蛮人のように, Toru Kawashima, 1985)
A blocked writer is dragged into intrigue while searching for “adventure in the night” in Toru Kawashima zeitgeisty drama.
銀魂 - 鍋は人生の縮図である (25)
GinTama - The hot-pot is a microcosm of life Episode 25
Rainbow Over the Pacific (夜明けの二人, Yoshitaro Nomura, 1968)
An unserious man begins to grow up while chasing love in Hawaii in a cheerful if ultimately downbeat musical celebration of the centenary of Japanese migration to Hawaii.
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
Winter’s Wish Spirits of Edo Kinji Walkthrough
Winter's Wish Spirits of Edo Kinji Walkthrough: Guide to help you full clear Kinji's route in the otome Winter's Wish Spirits of Edo
Shy #02 — Sad Girls on Fire
Everybody's parents must burn! Impressions: I really wish the animation here was just a bit better, or that it was a little more action focused. The director…
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
This past week, Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire premiered on streaming platform Hulu. This has been on my to-watch list since last autumn and now…
Helck #01 — Loud Girls on Fire
Please give my ears a rest. Impressions: It's probably not a good sign when it's five minutes into the episode, three and a half if you cut…
On Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo
The absolute climax of the game. Year 1990. Nintendo puts out a game titled “Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken” for the NES Famicom. Considered a…
On Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
got nothing witty to write here April 2004. Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki, the Gamecube game now know as FE: Path of Radiance in the West, was announced.…
Mr. Pen Pen (1986)
https://nyaa.si/view/1618768 Fansub credits can be found in the link above. Here's an English fansub of something I've been eyeing for a w...
Okubyou na Venus (1986)
https://nyaa.si/view/1761785 Fansub credits can be found in the link above. Jeez... I didn't realize I haven't updated this blog since lik...
Kizudarake no Kunshou (1986)
https://nyaa.si/view/1657618 Fansub credits can be found in the link above. So...how did I stumble upon this movie? Many many years ago I us...
Sayaka Kanda (1986-2021)
The actress Sayaka Kanda, who died yesterday, will be remembered as a media hyphenate – a performer on stage and screen, and a voice performer not only for…
PROJECT A-KO (1986)
Take me down to parody city......