A young woman drifts between fantasy and reality while returning home for a last summer with grandma in Niu Xiaoyu’s surreal drama.
Sep 5, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
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
Grit (鱷魚, Chen Ta-Pu, 2021)
A naive young man finds himself conflicted when tasked with turfing a farmer off her family land in Chen Ta-pu’s quirky romantic crime drama
見学
You can see a lot just by observing - How to Japanese - March 2021
Blue (2021) review
“A very emotional journey about the difficulties of dealing with loss and lack.”
Blue (BLUE/ブルー, Keisuke Yoshida, 2021)
A trio of dejected boxers contemplate their place inside and outside of the ring in Keisuke Yoshida’s unconventional boxing drama
Who Inside / 封印再度
Who Inside is the fifth book in the Saikawa & Moe (or, as I prefer, S&M ) series. It’s ten books total, so we’re halfway through! (…Ignorin...
A Summer Trip (川流不“熄”, Feng Keyu, 2021)
A wayward young man comes to understand more about himself and his family on a summer road trip with grandpa in Feng’s warmhearted drama
Ready O/R Knot (不日成婚, Anselm Chan, 2021)
A woman who wants to get married and her boyfriend who doesn’t end up engaged in an escalating battle of the sexes in Chan’s snarky marital farce
Blue (Japan, 2021) [JFTFP 2022]
Arthi Vasudevan reviews Keisuke Yoshida’s boxing drama Blue.
![Featured image for Jigoku-no-Hanazono: Office Royale (地獄の花園, Kazuaki Seki, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210909/1631146394.21046.47019.jpg)
Jigoku-no-Hanazono: Office Royale (地獄の花園, Kazuaki Seki, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
Office ladies go to war in Kazuaki Seki’s anarchic, Bakarhythm-scripted transposition of the yankee manga to the world of the OL
The Goldfish: Dreaming of the Sea (海辺の金魚, Sara Ogawa, 2021)
An anxious young woman begins to overcome her sense of trauma while bonding with a similarly lonely little girl in Ogawa’s lyrical coming-of-age drama
Leave Me Alone (不想一個人, Fan Yang-chung, 2021)
A lovelorn gallery owner and ambitious pimp embark on a steamy affair but find themselves bound by their shared yet opposing desires in Fan Yang-chung’s steamy urban drama
The Best is Yet to Come (不止不休, Wang Jing, 2020)
A man denied a fair chance because of his impoverished background comes to identify with the plight of those carrying the hepatitis B virus in Wang Jing’s true…
Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Blue Period
Streaming: Netflix Episodes: TBA Source: Manga Episode Summary: Yatora is a high school student making his way through life on auto-pilot. His studiousness makes getting good grades easy,…
Huahua’s Dazzling World and its Myriad Temptations (花花世界, Daphne Xu, 2022)
Xu’s largely observational doc follows an unlikely streaming star as she overcomes her sense of futility through boundless optimism.
Manga Recommendation: Bitter Virgin
Given the recent political developments surrounding sexual assault, violence, and rape, I thought it would be an appropriate time to recommend one of my favorite manga. Bitter Virgin…
The Monkey King: Reborn (西游记之再世妖王, Wang Yun Fei, 2021)
Sun Wukong comes to believe in his own soul while standing up to a cruel and oppressive demon king in Wang Yun Fei’s anarchic family animation
![Featured image for Dark Blue Forest (2021) review [JFFH 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220713/1657699479.39445.68989.jpg)
Dark Blue Forest (2021) review [JFFH 2022]
A great experimental thriller-mystery narrative about borders and the destructive nature of prejudice.
Day Eighteen: Three Colors: Blue (MotM 2021)
Before the numerous superhero trilogies that spawned from the early 2000’s and onwards, there was this trilogy. The theme? Colors. Why? Uh, because.
Spring 2021 First Impressions – Blue Reflection Ray
Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 24 Source: Game Story Summary: Ruka is a quiet girl with a longing to connect with others but an inability to do so effectively. She…
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園)
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園) is absolute trash, hilarious and unforgivable, and probably puzzling to anyone who isn’t deeply interested in girl-gang lore. It’s a movie tailored almost …
Virgin Road #02 — Assassin’s Creed
"Make only a token effort, then throw in the towel." Impressions: Let's start with the good. The music this week was a lot less obnoxious and weird.…
Virgin Road #06 — Friendship Beam
Quick, stand motionless twenty feet apart for ten minutes. Impressions: The two major Akari developments this week were badly needed, showing her to both be a lot…
Shokei Shoujo No Virgin Road
When was the last time an assassin who was supposed to assassinate the target suddenly has a change of heart? That is, the assassin now protects the target…
![Featured image for Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210814/1628931797.19343.45002.jpg)
Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale is a funny battle comedy that satirises office culture and delinquent manga/films! Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York …
The Blue Danube (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Epoy Deyto reviews Akira Ikeda's anti-war satire The Blue Danube.
A Hundred Flowers (百花, Genki Kawamura, 2022)
An expectant father finds himself confronted with paternal anxiety and past trauma on learning that his mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in Genki Kawamura’s adaptation of his…
Hanasaku Iroha 花咲くいろは
Ohana, a Tokyo high school girl, who had been living alone with her single mom has no choice but to relocate to her grandmother’s inn when her mom…
Equinox Flower (彼岸花, Yasujiro Ozu, 1958)
An ageing patriarch struggles to accept his declining authority in Ozu’s first colour film
Where the Wind Blows (風再起時, Philip Yung, 2022)
Colonialism breeds corruption in Philip Yung’s achingly nostalgic evocation of another Hong Kong.
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
Virgin Road #07 — Magical Hair Dryer
Why… Why do we keep highlighting a hairdryer? Impressions: This is where I think we bid this show adieu. I'm not sure I have it in me…
Virgin Road #05 — Precious Bodily Fluids
Wait, the evil church is… evil!? Impressions: I think I have to conclude that the silly fanservice of Dawn of the Witch is the added spice that makes…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road – 03
「 禁忌の【赤】」 (Kinki no [Aka]) "Taboo in [Red]" Let the time travelling commence.
Virgin Road #04 — The Screaming Assassins
Very stealthy and composed. Impressions: My patience has pretty close to run out on this one. While Dawn of the Witch is also slow paced and certainly…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road – 02
「迷い人」 (Mayoibito) "The Lost One" Pink-haired crazy meets cute as a button.
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road – 01
「処刑人」 (Shokeinin) "The Executioner" Wait, are we the baddies?
Fallen Blossoms (花ちりぬ, Tamizo Ishida, 1938)
Troubled geisha find themselves engulfed by oncoming revolution in Tamizo Ishida incendiary drama.
Make-Believers 夢見びと Dir: Kenjo McCurtain (2020)
Make-Believers 夢見びと Dir: Kenjo McCurtain (2020), an indie musical with a sweet heart.
Tsukimi (月見), The Season of Moon Viewing, Has Begun
Tsukimi, the season of moon viewing, starts this week in Japan. Learn about this day's origins - and why the rabbit in the moon is pounding a rice…
The Executioner Girl’s Virgin Road #01 — Pretenders
Pretending to be cliche and bad is a dangerous game. Aharen does air today, but it airs super, super late, so god only knows when it'll show up.…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #12
Well everyone, here’s Akari Tokito where she’s here to save Menou from her demise against Pandemonium. And speaking of Pandemonium, she and the rest of the Human Error…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #10
Oh look, it’s Menou where she’s inside the castle to rescue Akari Tokito and stop Manon Libelle from doing something nasty in this port city. Speaking of Akari,…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #07
Well everyone, looks like Menou will have to find another way to kill Akari Tokito without triggering her Pure Concept of Time as she got her replacement scripture…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #04
Oh look, it’s Momo where she got aboard to a train after dealing with Princess Ashuna Grisarika, but Momo is really jealous that Menou spends her time with…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #09
Oh look, it’s Akari Tokito where she’s reminding to everyone at the party that she’s a pure, just, and strong priestess. Then again, I think Akari shouldn’t bring…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #01
Oh no, we have another isekai anime show where this protagonist named Mitsuki has the ability to turn everything into no-
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road Episode #11
Let’s begin with Akari Tokito where she tries to restore Momo using her Pure Concept of Time. Of course, she’s still under the influence of her own Pure…