How to bring Japanese closer to you - How to Japanese - April 2022
Apr 29, 2022 • Subscribe
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Enma-san (えんまさん, Tomoki Suzuki, 2022)
A young woman with the ability to see people’s true thoughts thanks to a magic mirror becomes consumed with hatred for the world’s duplicity but finds unexpected connection…
Ise-san and Shima-san, Volume 2 (伊勢さんと志摩さん)
It’s been a couple of years since I read Volume 1 of this manga about two friend, who share daily “challenges,” by Tokuwotsumu. At the end of that…
となりのメタラーさん
Author & Artist: マミタ (Mamita)Released April 2020 by Tokuma Shoten Publishing’s Chara ComicsGenre: Romance, Drama
Goto-san (ゴトーさん, Hiroshi Gokan, 2020)
A young man’s peaceful dropout existence is disrupted by potential romance, a deadly virus, and economic instability in Gokan’s deceptively quirky drama
Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san, Volume 3 (ヒーローさんと元女幹部さん)
In Volume 1 we met Honjou Hayate, a woman with a secret identity as the hero Rapid Rabbit and her evil arch-rival Honey Trap. Honey leaves the presumably…
Poseidon kiss #anime #shorts #neongenesisevangelion #neongenesisevangelionedit #shinjiさん
No post summary was provided.
Mother (おかあさん, Mikio Naruse, 1952)
A teenage girl struggles to understand her self-sacrificing mother in Mikio Naruse’s subversive take on the hahamono
Yuri Manga: Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san, Volume 2 (ヒーローさんと元女幹部さん)
In Volume 1, we met Hayate a woman who by day is a costumed stage performer in a hero show and by night is an actual superhero, “Rapid…
Model-chan to Jimi Mane-san, Volume 2 (モデルちゃんと地味マネさん)
In Volume 1, we met Okabe-san, a new manager for top model Yuria-san. Yuri appears cool and remotes but that may well be because she’s so beautiful no…
This year is already finished #anime #animeedit #shorts #neongenesisevangelion #shinjiさん #meme
No post summary was provided.
Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 3 ( 山田と加瀬さん。)
Kase-san and Yamada moved to Tokyo last spring. Now winter is ahead of them and they are settling in, mostly. As Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 3 ( 山田と加瀬さん。)…
Yamada to Kase-san, Volume 2 (山田と加瀬さん)
Happy anniversary to Takashima Hiromi-sensei for 10 years of Kase-san and Yamada. Who could have imagined that, when the series debuted in 2010 in Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari,…
Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
A film for the economic uncertainty of our Covid-19 age. Gotō-san ゴトーさん Dir: Hiroshi Gokan (2020) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2021]
Mr. Suzuki: A Man In God’s Country (鈴木さん, Omoi Sasaki, 2020)
An unmarried woman fearing deportation bonds with a silent amnesiac in a land where “God” has long been absent in Omoi Sasaki’s deadpan satire.
さ Particle
The various uses of the さ particle in Japanese, with examples.
Saint Onii-san (聖☆おにいさん). Understanding the Japanese Strategy of Syncretism
When we work as anthropologists, especially we media archaeologists, it is central to question our own interpretations as biased at best. Still, there is work to do. Through…
Aisarete mo Iindayo, Volume 1 ( 愛されてもいいんだよ)
In Amano Shuninta’s Aisarete mo Iindayo, Volume 1 ( 愛されてもいいんだよ) we meet Kimura Rin, an office worker who is being sexually harassed by a superior at work. She has…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) September ED (9月の歌) - Coral Reef (さんご礁)
Sung by (歌): Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) Lyrics (作詞): Tetsuzō Komura (古村徹三) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Seiichirō Uno (宇野誠一郎) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
Quick Weebviews: Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1(古見さんは、コミュ症です。)
Hey I’m not dead! At least not physically. This format is going to just be quick reviews or thoughts about random things I get around to reading. Trust…
●BOOK● OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS 4: SAYONARA NIPPON (さよならにっぽん)
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
A Little Girl’s Dream 夢は牛のお医者さん Director: Yoshiaki Tokita
A Little Girl’s Dream 夢は牛のお医者さん, by director Yoshiaki Tokita, is a simple yet profoundly moving documentary about how a girl’s life lived with animals inspired her to take on…
sa さ-form
The sa-form of adjectives in Japanese.
The Workhorse and the Bigmouth ばしゃ馬さんとビッグマウス (2013) Director: Keisuke Yoshida
“The Workhorse and the Bigmouth” is one of Keisuke Yoshida’s most palatable drama/comedies as it follows two characters trying to make it in the movies and offers a…
Sachiko (さち子) – Lamp
Appears on their album 「Yume」. Sachiko Lyrics by Sakakibara Kaori Composed by Someya Taiyo Performed by Lamp The horizon at the end of summer and the sweet salt wind My newly shorn hair brushes pas…
New Moomin 10/52 - The Police Inspector Goes Away (署長さんがいなくなる) (1972) (English subtitles)
The Police Inspector feels that he is unnecessary in the peaceful Moominvalley, and resolves to leave. However, Stinky overhears this, and connives with Moomin and pals to instigate…
Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau 7 (ささやくように恋を唄う)
We join our resident adorable high school love story as Himari and Yori-sempai share their first real kiss. This leads to them spending the night together after a…
Touma-kun (冬馬くん)
Last week I talked about an objectively problematic book from Galette Works, by an artist I quite like, The Rain and the Other Side of You. This week,…
コンビニくん。[Mr. Mini Mart]
Author & Artist JunkoReleased November 2013 by Digital Manga Inc. imprint Juné [Original Japanese release November 2011 by Tokuma Shoten’s Chara Comics]Translation: Melissa…
Missing (さがす, Shinzo Katayama, 2021)
A young woman finds herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer while looking for her missing father in Shinzo Katayama’s dark mystery drama.
Transform! へんしんっ! Director: Tomoya Ishida [Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2021]
Transform! へんしんっ! Director: Tomoya Ishida [Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2021]
Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 3 (ささやくように恋を唄う)
It’s not like Takeshima Eku’s high school love story is groundbreaking. It’s not that it’s game-changing. It’s just that this story is so pleasant and full of such…
Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 2 (ささやくように恋を唄う)
In Volume 1, Himari saw Yori up on the stage playing with a band and was blown away by her. When she told Yori-sempai, Yori replied that she’d…
Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 6 (ささやくように恋を唄う)
It’s summer! It’s time for one last gasp of wholesome fun, hanging with your friends, eating ice cream, going on dates. Both Yori and Himari are very interested…
Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 5 (ささやくように恋を唄う)
The battle of the bands is coming! Now that Yori-sempai has officially joined the SS Girls, they are raring to go. Only, they seem to have developed a…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) Bonus Song - Come the Day After Tomorrow (あさっておいで)
Sung by (歌): Columbia Yurikago-kai (コロムビアゆりかご会) Lyrics (作詞): Eriko Kishida (岸田衿子) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Seiichirō Uno (宇野誠一郎) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
Miss Oyu (お遊さま, Kenji Mizoguchi, 1951)
Oppressive social codes and repressed desire provoke a tragic love triangle in Mizoguchi’s adaptation of the story by Tanizaki.
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
In the Yuri world Ikeda Takashi is best known for Sasamekikoto / Whispered Words in English, from One Peace Books. That series made fun of every Yuri trope,…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) OP - I Am Reading (よんでいる)
Sung by (歌): Mitsuko Horie (堀江美都子) Lyrics (作詞): Eriko Kishida (岸田衿子) Composition and Arrangement (作曲・編曲): Seiichirō Uno (宇野誠一郎) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this record!
Long Goodbye (さようなら, Yuuji Nomura, 2022)
A collection of dejected factory workers plot escape from small-town ennui by robbing their tax evading boss in Yuuji Nomura’s adaptation of his stage play.
Sayonara Rose Garden, Volume 3 (さよならローズガーデン)
Goodbye, My Rose Garden, Volume 1 by Dr. Pepperco is is out now in English from Seven Seas and in honor of this series coming out in English,…
ShinRa-Bansho – ははうさぎ (Mother Right Heron)
The other day I was looking for a feel-good song to use as a post theme for my Nagano mountains post and came upon this one, ははうさぎ, or…
The Lower Depths (どん底, Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
In the absence of salvation a comforting falsehood is the only means of survival in Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of the Gorky play.
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 4 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
In Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 4 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ) Ikeda Takashi brings his specific brand of wacky slice-of-life to a fantastic conclusion. In the first three volumes of…
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 3 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
One of the defining characteristics of an adult life is facing setbacks. You can work really hard, gambare with all you have and still not achieve the goal.…
Futari ha Daitai Konna Kanji, Volume 2 (ふたりはだいたいこんなかんじ)
Okay, so here’s a mood. You like a creator, so when they announce a new book or series, you’re cautiously optimistic at the least. You know it might…
Nosari: Impermanent Eternity (のさりの島, Tatsuya Yamamoto, 2020)
An ore ore scammer’s cynical worldview is challenged when he finds temporary harbour with an elderly woman in Yamamoto’s touching indie drama
Hoyaman (さよなら ほやマン, Teruaki Shoji, 2023)
The tranquil island life of a pair of brothers is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious woman in Teruaki Shoji’s quirky comedy.
Six Pork Cutlets / 六枚のとんかつ
Feeling hungry? Six Pork Cutlets is a baka-mys short story collection that won the third Mephisto prize , so as you could probably expect ...
The Eleventh Hour (どたんば, Tomu Uchida, 1957)
The problematic working practices of a post-war coal mine are thrown into stark relief when five men are trapped underground during a collapse in Tomu Uchida’s tense rescue…
Manga Kodomo Bunko (まんがこども文庫) August ED (8月の歌) - The Fountain (ふんすい)
Sung by (歌): Koorogi '73 (こおろぎ'73) Lyrics (作詞): Futabako Mitsui (西條ふたばこ) Composition (作曲): Takekuni Hirayoshi (平吉毅州) Arrangement (編曲): Nozomi Aoki (青木望) Very special thanks to PopKorn Kat for transferring and scanning this…