A restaurateur’s attempts to shake off his violent past are frustrated by the nature of his transgressions in Masaharu Segawa’s noirish drama.
Jul 11, 2022 • Subscribe
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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.
日本コンテンツと海外プラットフォーム
最近の作成AIコンテンツや物語性を含まない居心地の良いコンテンツ作りを見ていて憂慮するすることは色々ある。 ネットでただで享受できるコンテンツが爆発的に増えただけならいざ知らず、それらを配布するプラットフォームが一点集中し、興行的成功の落差が激しくなっている。これに加えて作成AIを用いることで一見精度の高そうに見える創作物を大量の生み出され、いわばダンピングが行われてしまい、人の手で創る創作…
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
The Big Boss (暗黒街の顔役, Kihachi Okamoto, 1959)
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
Japan Stories それぞれの日本
A beautifully written patchwork of stories of contemporary Japan each of which focuses on and mainly revolves around one person with associated minor characters who, though obviously less…
Episode #51 – Big Man Japan (大日本人)
Author Patrick Moody makes his JOF debut to discuss Hitoshi Matsumoto’s kaiju mockumentary film, Big Man Japan.
Day Off (本日公休, Fu Tien-Yu, 2023)
The wholesome small-town values of an ageing hairdresser place her increasingly at odds with her cynical consumerist kids in Fu Tien-Yu’s poignant tale of changing times.
街
The Town, and Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - March 2023
The Blossom and the Sword (日本侠花伝, Tai Kato, 1973)
A young woman defies the expectations of a patriarchal society in resisting the rising militarism of the Taisho society in Tai Kato’s historical epic.
Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather (明日は日本晴れ, Hiroshi Shimizu, 1948)
A bus breaking down on a mountain pass signals a roadblock on the way to a new Japan in Hiroshi Shimizu’s lighthearted yet melancholy drama.
Willful Murder (日本の熱い日々 謀殺・下山事件, Kei Kumai, 1981)
A dogged reporter comes to the conclusion an industrialist was murdered but cannot say by whom in Kei Kumai’s searing exploration of the occupation and the economic miracle.
Episode #54 – Night and Fog in Japan (日本の夜と霧)
In the final episode of the season, Kota of the Against Japanism podcast brings his extensive knowledge of Japanese politics and the Japanese left-wing to bear in this…
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.
MADE IN JAPAN 日本製造 メイド・イン・ジャパン (2019) Dir: Yusaku Matsumoto
A brutal murder leads one delinquent to milk news sites for money in this critique of how the media works. SAKKA will make Yusaku Matsumoto’s MADE IN JAPAN…
本心
With「本心」, Keiichiro Hirano (平野 啓一郎) has written a big, old-fashioned novel of ideas. It is set in the 2040s in a Japan in which a tenuous daily life…
本心
With「本心」, Keiichiro Hirano (平野 啓一郎) has written a big, old-fashioned novel of ideas. It is set in the 2040s in a Japan in which a tenuous daily life…
Daimajin (1966) review
“A wonderful and refreshing blend between the jidai-geki/chanbara and the kaiju genre.”
Irezumi (1966) review
“Masamura delivers a phenomenal narrative, a true post-war classic.”
Kentaro Miura (1966-2021)
“When you’re a cartoonist and working at home you sit at your desk pretty much all day,” Kentaro Miura once said in an interview. “You get most of…
Black Tight Killers (1966)
A stylish and visually dazzling romp with lots of action and sensuality
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 Sunday Runoff (決戦は日曜日, Yuichiro Sakashita, 2021)
A naive woman asked to stand for political office in her father’s place finds herself conflicted by the depth of corruption she discovers in Yuichiro Sakashita’s political satire.
(Don’t) Fight the Past
An anime about past mistakes correcting the past mistakes of its movie… kind of. Scott Pilgrim vs the World took the younger generation, one much more intertwined with and…
Looking to the Past
For a long time I meticulously maintained a MAL page where I’d keep track of the obnoxious number of anime series I was watching at a time. Every…
Moving Passed the Past
What does fooly cooly even mean!? FLCL (fooly cooly) is a 2000 anime from Gainax (Evangelion), who formed an eventual offshoot of Studio Trigger (Kill la Kill), which shows…
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 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 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 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
Kentaro Miura (1966-2021): A Tribute
In which I talk about the recent passing of a manga legend.
![Featured image for Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966) review [The Godzilla Project]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230630/1688106521.63836.98401.jpg)
Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966) review [The Godzilla Project]
A pleasant Kaiju film that continues to emphasize the imaginary dynamic of us (i.e. societal harmony) against them (i.e. the Otherness that threatens it)
The Golden Bat (黄金バット, Hajime Sato, 1966)
Skeletal superhero Golden Bat is woken from his 10,000 year slumber to fight for justice when the Earth is threatened with destruction in Hajime Sato’s delightfully silly tokusatsu…
Past; Beliefs
My freshman dorm room The concept of rebirth is common to many religions. From the ashes of his past, the man is given a chance to live again…
A Fugitive from the Past
by Jeremy Clarke. Voted third in Kinema Junpo magazine’s 1999 list of the greatest Japanese film of all time, Tomu Uchida’s A Fugitive From The Past (1965) is…
A Blast from the Past
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life: Episode 0
How the Reboot Resurrects the Past
By Anton Mei Brandt The makers of the Yamato reboots have gone on record time and time again to state that their most important mission is to maintain…
Violent Streets (暴力街, Hideo Gosha, 1974)
A former yakuza’s attempts to leave the underworld behind are frustrated by gang intrigue and changing times in Hideo Gosha’s intense gangland drama.
Black Rain (黒い雨, Shohei Imamura, 1989)
A small family finds itself contending with social stigma and a changing Japan in Shohei Imamura’s harrowing exploration of the legacy of the atomic bomb
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 Past, the Present and the Future
Visit the post for more.
The History of Mushi Pro – 02 – Anime business (1965-1966)
While I’m hesitant to speak of “golden ages”, if Mushi Production had one, it was certainly the years 1965-1966. Still riding on Tetsuwan Atom’s prodigious popularity, the studio…
Seeking fansubber help | 日本語のネイティブスピーカーを探しています | Mencari fansubbers | 寻找翻译帮助
We’re seeking help for a subbing project (an 80s dorama). Looking for people who are either native Japanese speakers, or proficient in the language. Most of the initial…
He Defeated Sukuna In The Past?!
Updated October 17, 2023 by Noel Vermen Yuji Itadori is BACK and he’s coming in HOT! Yeah, he is on fire! Because our boy has been on the…
Keiko Nobumoto and the Inescapable Past
After leaving a Macross Plus viewing on Tuesday night, I just feel like it is time to talk about one of the more underrated people behind anime series…
Lupin III: Prison of the Past
I should have gotten this out earlier because this ova was only available for the entire month of February. Though I do have to say, spoilers, this one…
He Defeated Sukuna In The Past?!
Yuji Itadori is BACK and he's coming in HOT! Yeah, he is on fire!
Kimizero – 04 – Let the Past Die
When confronted with nasty rumors, the honorable Ryuuto has no choice but to let the cat out of the bag: he’s dating Runa. When Runa confirms it, it send…
