A small boy finds himself trapped between the new society and the old in Mikio Naruse’s often deceptively cheerful childhood drama.
Sep 23, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Review: "The Wind Rises" (風立ちぬ) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki, the founder of “Ghibli” film studios, is the undisputed king of Japanese animation. As the medium increasingly becomes domi...
Wife (妻, Mikio Naruse, 1953)
An unhappily married woman contemplates independence but struggles to see herself as anything other than a “wife” in Naruse’s bitter marital drama
Repast (めし, Mikio Naruse, 1951)
An unhappily married woman fed up with the drudgery of her existence considers other options but finally concludes there are none in Naruse’s bleak melodrama
Mikio Naruse: Adventures on Harumi Island
I got a pleasant surprise recently when I watched Mikio Naruse’s AUTUMN HAS ALREADY STARTED (1960). At a key point in the narrative, the two child protagonists living…
Sound of the Mountain (山の音, Mikio Naruse, 1954)
A failed patriarch resolves to set his unhappily married daughter-in-free in Mikio Naruse’s post-war marital drama
Late Chrysanthemums (晩菊, Mikio Naruse, 1954)
Four former geishas struggle to find their place in a changing society in Miko Naruse’s melancholy melodrama.
Untamed (あらくれ, Mikio Naruse, 1957)
A rebellious woman strives for independence in a patriarchal society but nevertheless finds herself hamstrung by feckless men in Naruse’s Taisho-era drama
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.
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
A Wanderer’s Notebook (放浪記, Mikio Naruse, 1962)
A determined young woman seeks a way out of poverty in Mikio Naruse’s biopic of author Fumiko Hayashi.
A Wife’s Heart (妻の心, Mikio Naruse, 1956)
When plans to start a new business go awry, a dejected wife finds herself at a crossroads in Mikio Naruse’s martial drama.
A Woman’s Place (女の座, Mikio Naruse, 1962)
The young women of post-war Japan struggle to define themselves in a changing society in Mikio Naruse’s uncharacteristically hopeful family drama
Execution in Autumn (秋決, Li Hsing, 1972)
A condemned man undergoes a spiritual awakening but only to understand that he must die in Li Hsing’s melancholy existential drama
Hit and Run (ひき逃げ, Mikio Naruse, 1966)
A grief-stricken mother hatches a desperate plan of revenge against the woman who killed her son in Mikio Naruse’s dark psychological drama.
Fallen Blossoms (花ちりぬ, Tamizo Ishida, 1938)
Troubled geisha find themselves engulfed by oncoming revolution in Tamizo Ishida incendiary drama.
Five Men in a Circus (サーカス五人組, Mikio Naruse, 1935)
A 5-piece jinta brass band ends up performing as ringers at strike-stricken circus in Naruse’s melancholy anti-authoritarian comedy
Naruse A Master of the Japanese Cinema - Booklet
Articles by Audie Bock, Hideko Takamine and Kihachi Okamoto (19 Pages )
Reviewing Anime – My Approach
Some notes and pointers on how to get started with reviewing anime on your own.
Tarako (1960-2024)
“Tarako” Isono, who died on 4th March, would often contend against the media’s assessment of her. Repeatedly in interviews, she would assert that she identified as a “singer-songwriter”,…
Saiyuuki (1960) HD
In honor of the 60th anniversary of its release in 1960, Orphan is releasing a high-definition version of Saiyuuki , encoded from an HDTV ...
Saiyuki, Candy Candy, Devilman, The Devil Lady, GeGeGe no Kitaro
Drawing 101: The Animator's Approach to Doodling
Let's do some doodling! Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lastanimator Support me on Patreon: http://patreon.com/dongchang
The End of Summer (小早川家の秋, Yasujiro Ozu, 1961)
A small family become increasingly exasperated with the happy-go-lucky patriarch’s inconsiderate and irresponsible behaviour in Yasujiro Ozu’s penultimate film.
Jonas Mekas on the Joys of Hollywood Cinema 1960-65
Jonas Mekas began writing a regular column, entitled Movie Journal, in the Village Voice of November 12, 1958. A filmmaker himself and co-founder of Anthology Film Archives in…
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
The artist Mutsumi Inomata, who died on 10th March, has been a ubiquitous presence in the anime world for the last forty years, even though she distanced herself…
1960 in Three Places
Three countries, three films and one pivotal year.
Mutsumi Inomata (1960-2024)
We’ve got some terrible news… Mutsumi Inomata, character designer for Acrobunch (which is kinda like saying, “James Cameron, director of Pirhana 2”), passed away at the age of…
I like the Frieren approach to solving problems
Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 09 (Autumn Activities! #しゃちされたい)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost 09. Yuurei-chan & Myaako go shopping. Tsukimi and Halloween arrive.
The Beloved Image/ 顔 / Kao (‘Face’, 1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #129 Machiko Kyo and Ryo Ikebe This Daiei picture opens with young executive Ko (Ryo Ikebe) being seen off at Haneda...
HAIKYU!! ‘The Dumpster Battle’ Makes its APPROACH to Theaters!
Get ready for the global release of HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle! Witness the thrilling conclusion of the beloved Haikyu series in theaters worldwide.
Silent Naruse: STREET WITHOUT END (1934)
Last year I saw eleven films directed by Mikio Naruse, raising to 24 the number of films I’ve seen by him. So far this year I’ve seen two…
Ghibli's Gamble: Exclusive Translation of Toshio Suzuki's Interview on the No-Ad Approach
A translated clip revealing Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki's bold PR plan for "How Do You Live?"
Toren Smith, RIP (1960 - 2013)
I learned the sad news today that Toren Smith has passed away at the young age of 52. Toren…
The History of Mushi Pro – 01 – The Road to TV Anime (1960-1965)
Osamu Tezuka, the God of Manga, is also the father of modern anime – not only did he coin the word, his Tetsuwan Atom was the first animated…
Lust of the White Serpent (蛇精の淫, Morihei Magatani, 1960)
A village boy falls for the headman’s daughter but unwittingly embarks on an affair with a snake spirit in Morihei Magatani’s Shintoho horror
Chainsaw Man - Episode 5 - Hands Approach Power
Power promised Denji three free squeezes. Get your squeeze game on, Denji! Will Power's boobs make his dreams come true? Chainsaw Man - Episode 5
The Autumn of Black Cat: Final Thoughts on the Series
The Autumn of Black Cat concludes! It’s been a journey and now it, like the series has to come to an end. I’ve discussed all the volumes, talked…
Autumn 2019 End of Season Rankings
Before I share my thoughts on the year as a whole (let alone the past decade), here’s what I ended up watching to completion this season! As usual,…
Autumn 2023 End of Season Rankings
Pretty much all the winter anime have now aired, and (I think) I’ve got a lineup I’m happy with! But that can wait for a future post, this…
Autumn 2021 End of Season Rankings
10 days into the new year already! I’ve already picked up half my lineup for the Winter 2022 season, but first, let’s wrap up last year’s series lists…
Autumn 2022 End of Season Rankings
Time to wrap up the amazing season that was Autumn 2022! A few changes from my mid season list: one series removed due to its second half being…
Autumn 2020 End of Season Rankings
Happy New Year, blog readers! Normally I’d make a dedicated post on the subject, but I’ve got so many overdue posts to finish already, unfinished business from 2020.…
川のほとりに立つ者は
A young woman named Kiyose was recently promoted to the position of manager at an independent café. She devotes her love and attention to the business, but all…
A Confucian Confusion (獨立時代, Edward Yang, 1994)
A collection of conflicted urbanites find themselves lost in a rapidly changing society in Edward Yang’s bitterly ironic social drama.
Re:Cutie Honey: A New Approach to Hideaki Anno
Foundations of Trigger and more Hideaki Anno Stuff In a lot of ways, the early 2000’s material behind Gainax led to a lot of what we know of…
'I Tend to Have a Gut Feeling About the Right Approach'
Chatting with veteran composer and sound designer David Kamp.
An Autumn’s Tale (秋天的童話, Mabel Cheung, 1987)
Dumped by her longterm boyfriend, a young woman falls for a diffident neighbour while stepping into her adult life in Mabel Cheung’s charming NY rom-com
Autumn 2020 First Impressions – Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina
Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 12 Source: Light Novel Summary: As a young girl, Elaina reads stories of a traveling witch’s adventures. She asks her parents if she can become…
Autumn 2020 First Impressions – King’s Raid: Successors of the Will
The demons return after a century long slumber… Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 26 Source: Game Summary: A century ago, the Kingdom of Orvelia quelled a demon invasion. Since then,…
Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Ranking of Kings
Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 23 Source: Manga Episode Summary: Kings are ranked by their physical prowess and the number of knights and followers they have. Prince Bojji, heir to…