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
The Virgin Witness / 処女が見た / Shojo ga mita (1966)
Obscure Japanese Film #120 Michiyo Yasuda Kazue (Michiyo Yasuda) is an 18-year-old orphan who has been adopted by her uncle and aunt, with...
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
Furin / 不倫 (1965)
Obscure Japanese Film #126 Ayako Wakao Saburi (Keizo Kawasaki) is a writer who has just won the Newcomer of the Year Award for…
![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
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
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
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,…
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 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…
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.
![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.
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…
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…
Mermaid Legend (人魚伝説, Toshiharu Ikeda, 1984)
When her husband is murdered by shady businessmen and she’s framed for the crime, a wife plots bloody revenge in Toshiharu Ikeda’s supernaturally charged thriller.
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.
![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 …
Kitanhana Monogatari (綺譚花物語)
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing a book on Yuri history in Taiwan by Baihe novelist 楊雙子 Yáng Shuāngzǐ. Today I am reviewing the…
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 …
Kalanchoe (カランコエの花, Shun Nakagawa, 2017)
The truth is, most people genuinely mean well but they often make mistakes. They make them because they don’t think things through, fail to consider perspectives outside of…
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road – 01
「処刑人」 (Shokeinin) "The Executioner" Wait, are we the baddies?
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 – 03
「 禁忌の【赤】」 (Kinki no [Aka]) "Taboo in [Red]" Let the time travelling commence.
Brief Thoughts On: Iron Virgin Jun
Compared to the many other old school Go Nagai licenses, Iron Virgin Jun stands out for its relative normalcy.
Oyafuko dori / 親不孝通り (1958)
Obscure Japanese Film #168 Hiroshi Kawaguchi and Yoko Katsuragi Katsuya ( Hiroshi Kawaguchi) is a cynical student who studies as little ...
KALANCHOE カランコエの花 (2017) Dir: Shun Nakagawa
Shun Nakagawa’s coming-of-age drama Kalanchoe (2017) uses a class as a microcosm for society to explore difficulties in sincerely dealing with people who are different. It will be…
Equinox Flower (彼岸花, Yasujiro Ozu, 1958)
An ageing patriarch struggles to accept his declining authority in Ozu’s first colour film
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…
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 #08
Hey everyone, they’re still at Libelle as Menou failed to kill Akari Tokito by sending her to the fog containing Pandemonium. And speaking of Akari, it appears that…
Hidden Gems: Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road
Are you tired of isekai yet? It’s a genre so chock full of formulaic garbage that even its noteworthy successes are somewhat stained by merely being in the…
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 #03
Oh boy, looks like this train is full of terrorists the moment this princess gets into the train. What a pain in the ass to deal with, but…
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 #02
Well everyone, looks like Menou has finally reached Akari Tokito as the maid is about to take the Lost One from captivity…
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 #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 #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 #01
Oh no, we have another isekai anime show where this protagonist named Mitsuki has the ability to turn everything into no-
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