Anime Blog Tracker

The Swordsman (검객, Choi Jae-hoon, 2020)

A master swordsman is dragged back into the world of courtly intrigue years after renouncing the code of violence when his daughter is taken by slavers in Choi’s…

Windows on Worlds

Mar 4, 2021 • Subscribe

The Killer (더 킬러: 죽어도 되는 아이, Choi Jae-hoon, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]

A cynical hitman stumbles on a dark conspiracy when the teenager he’s supposed to be babysitting is kidnapped in Choi Jae-hoon’s retro action thriller.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 8, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

In Our Prime (이상한 나라의 수학자, Park Dong-hun, 2022)

A student outcast bonds with an equally excluded genius from North Korea Park Dong-hun’s educational drama.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 2, 2024 • Subscribe

Er Dong (China, 2008)

Karen Ma reviews Yang Jin's independent feature Er Dong.

VCinema

Jun 30, 2022 • Subscribe

The Witch: Part 2. The Other One (마녀 2, Park Hoon-jung, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]

A “perfect model” of transhumanism takes refuge in a remote farmhouse in Park’s sequel to The Witch: Part One. The subversion.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 7, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Sinkhole (싱크홀, Kim Ji-hoon, 2021)

A new homeowner sees his investment in the future crumble beneath his feet in Kim Ji-hoon’s harrowing disaster dramedy

Windows on Worlds

Sep 2, 2021 • Subscribe

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.

Windows on Worlds

Dec 23, 2023 • Subscribe

Drive (드라이브, Park Dong-hee, 2023)

Forced to livestream her own kidnapping, an influencer must confront her authentic self in Park Dong-hee’s tense kidnap thriller.

Windows on Worlds

Oct 3, 2023 • Subscribe

Herstory (허스토리, Min Kyu-dong, 2018)

A female business owner ensures now elderly victims of wartime sexual slavery will have their voices heard in Min Kyu-dong’s empathetic drama.

Windows on Worlds

May 22, 2023 • Subscribe

The Basement (지하실, Choi Yang-hyun, 2021)

A family of three attempt to stave off boredom, fear, and despair while taking refuge in their basement after a nuclear attack in Choi Yang-hyun’s claustrophobic drama

Windows on Worlds

Jan 3, 2022 • Subscribe

Tinker Ticker (들개, Kim Jung-hoon, 2013)

A jaded young man finds himself torn between continuing to fight the system and a total capitulation to it in Kim Jung-hoon’s explosive debut feature.

Windows on Worlds

Nov 26, 2023 • Subscribe

The Prayer (간호중, Min Kyu-dong, 2020)

A caregiving android’s awakening spirituality and poor grasp of human empathy present a series of ethical questions in Min’s existential sci-fi drama

Windows on Worlds

Oct 19, 2021 • Subscribe

Hard Love (“炼”爱, Tracy Dong, 2021)

A series of single women in their 30s reflect on love and marriage in Tracy Dong’s probing social documentary

Windows on Worlds

May 10, 2022 • Subscribe

The Slug (태어나길 잘했어, Choi Jin-young, 2020)

A woman in her ’30s struggles to overcome a sense of toxic inadequacy born of teenage trauma in Choi Jin-young’s whimsical drama

Windows on Worlds

Apr 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Daughter-in-Law (민며느리, Choi Eun-hee, 1965)

A sense of female solidarity eventually develops between a dutiful young woman and her tyrannical mother-in-law in Choi Eun-hee’s lighthearted directorial debut

Windows on Worlds

May 17, 2021 • Subscribe

Devils (악마들, Kim Jae-hoon, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]

A detective consumed by thoughts of vengeance suddenly wakes up in the body of the serial killer he’s hunting in Kim Jae-hoon’s twisty thriller.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 31, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Hong Kong: City on Fire (不作浮塵, Choi Ka-yan & Lee Hiu-ling, 2022)

Visceral in its immediacy, Hong Kong City on Fire is among the bleakest of the recent series of documentaries focussing on the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill protests

Windows on Worlds

Nov 19, 2022 • Subscribe

One and Only (热烈, Dong Chengpeng, 2023)

An aspiring street dancer from an impoverished background just can’t seem to catch a break no matter how hard he works in Dong Chengpeng’s inspiring dramedy.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 10, 2024 • Subscribe

The Childe (귀공자, Park Hoon-jung, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]

A boxer finds himself in a precarious position after travelling to Korea in search of the father who abandoned him in Park Hoon-jung’s bloody thriller.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 19, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Night in Paradise (낙원의 밤, Park Hoon-jung, 2020)

A fugitive gangster encounters a terminally ill young woman in idyllic Jeju in Park Hoon-jung’s melancholy gangster noir.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 13, 2024 • Subscribe

South Korea Day 4 | Hongdae & KBBQ at Myeong Dong

Day 4 in Seoul was all about the vibes (and you know the girlies love the vibes). Our plan was to go to Hongdae, explore Itaewon and finally…

Blubbyweb

Nov 25, 2023 • Subscribe

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.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 16, 2024 • Subscribe

Please Make Me Look Pretty (니얼굴, Seo Dong-il, 2020)

Filmed over three years, Seo Dong-il’s documentary follows his step-daughter Eun-hye who was born with Down Syndrome as she finds success as an artist.

Windows on Worlds

Mar 26, 2023 • Subscribe

Johnny Keep Walking! (年会不能停！, Dong Runnian, 2024)

An earnest factory experiences a rude awakening when he’s accidentally promoted to head office in Dong Runnian’s hilarious satirical comedy.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 1, 2024 • Subscribe

Lonely Eighteen (我們的十八歲, Tracy Choi Ian-Sin, 2023)

The contrasting fortunes of two friends trying to make it in the ’80s entertainment industry are explored in Tracy Choi’s meandering drama.

Windows on Worlds

Dec 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Memento Mori (여고괴담 두번째 이야기, Kim Tae-yong & Min Kyu-dong, 1999)

Internalised shame leads to tragic, unforeseen consequences in Kim Tae-yong & Min Kyu-dong landmark South Korean horror

Windows on Worlds

May 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Gon

A Princess’ One-Sided Love (公主님의 짝사랑 / 공주님의 짝사랑, Choi Eun-hee, 1967)

A feisty princess rejects the constraints of nobility in order to chase love and freedom outside of the palace walls Choi Eun-hee’s historical drama

Windows on Worlds

Jan 28, 2022 • Subscribe

Spiraken Manga Review Ep 71: Ikigami The Ultimate Limit (or Ding Dong Ikigami Calling)

In this episode of the Spiraken Manga Review, Xan ponders about life and death and reviews the disturbing intellectual manga , Ikigami The Ultimate Limit by Motoro Mase…

Spiraken Review Podcast

Oct 7, 2009 • Subscribe

Ode to the Spring (没有一个春天不会来临, Zhou Nan, Zhang Chi, Dong Yue, Tian Yusheng, Rao Xiaozhi, 2022)

With an all star cast and five top directors, Ode to the Spring celebrates the efforts of frontline workers in Wuhan during the pandemic.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 5, 2022 • Subscribe

Tian Yu

The Slug 태어나길 잘했어 (2020) Dir: Choi Jin-young (South Korea) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]

Hands down, one of the best films at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021, I cried multiple times during this heartfelt film about overcoming existential loneliness. The Slug…

Genkinahito

Mar 10, 2021 • Subscribe

Mixed (USA, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]

John Atom reviews Caty Borum Chattoo & Leena Jayaswal's documentary Mixed.

VCinema

May 23, 2022 • Subscribe

Howling (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]

Jason Maher reviews M Haris Sheikh's neo noir Howling.

VCinema

Apr 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Yamabuki (2022) review [IFFR 2022]

“A beautiful socially-engaged narrative that explores the very fact that, by being grasped within the societal network of relations, one cannot but influence the other and become influenced…

psycho-cinematography

Feb 4, 2022 • Subscribe

Kirara

Dawning (USA, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]

Colleen Wanglund reviews Young Min Kim's psychological thriller Dawning.

VCinema

May 28, 2022 • Subscribe

Eleven Greed (2022) [JFFH 2022]

Despite its obvious low-budget nature, Soejima delivers a highly entertaining and engaging action-thriller.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 19, 2022 • Subscribe

Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…

psycho-cinematography

Mar 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Bagmati River (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]

Jason Maher reviews Yusaku Matsumoto's short film Bagmati River.

VCinema

Apr 7, 2022 • Subscribe

Charlotte

Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.

psycho-cinematography

Apr 20, 2022 • Subscribe

Shaman’s Daughter (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

A genre mish-mash – a cocktail of light-hearted comedy, family drama, bloody thriller, and ghostly romance – that is not only pleasant but offers the spectator a rich…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Summer Wedding (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]

Jason Maher reviews Azusa Hieda’s short film Summer Wedding.

VCinema

Jun 24, 2022 • Subscribe

Stone Steps (2022) review [JFFH 2022]

A great indie narrative that highlights the need for the parental and the traditional Other to aid the subject to embark on the path of his own desire.…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 1, 2022 • Subscribe

Angry Son (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]

Jason Maher reviews Kashou Iizuka's drama Angry Son.

VCinema

May 24, 2022 • Subscribe

Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”

psycho-cinematography

Apr 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Straying (2022) review [Camera Japan 2022]

A pleasant and charming exploration of the fact that, within the game of love and romance and beyond, subjects often rely on acting-out to reveal to the other…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Random Call (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]

Jason Maher reviews Riki Ohkanda's comedy-drama Random Call.

VCinema

Apr 3, 2022 • Subscribe

2022 Retrospective

As we say hello to 2023, it's time to take a look back at the many highs and hilarious lows of 2022... 2:01 - 2022 Recommendations 3:16 - Liar Game 5:30…

Weekly Manga Recap

Jan 5, 2023 • Subscribe

BLUELOCK, Cipher, Crossing Time, Dororo, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Farewell 2022

Happy New Year! We have entered into 2023 and so I decided to look back and reflect on the podcast and life in 2022. Lets go down memory…

dadneedstotalk.com

Jan 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Winter 2022

Happy New Year! I’m aware January is almost over but I’m still taking this as a win that I managed to send this post out while it was…

xxanimexxgirlxx

Jan 31, 2022 • Subscribe

Bastard! (2022)

See here for the review.

USA Anime

Jul 3, 2022 • Subscribe