The Monk and The Samurai The lives of two men, a monk and a samurai suffer unbearable loss. Heroic to the end their tales intertwine as...
Nov 26, 2022 • Subscribe
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Short Story: The Monk in the Arena
Some fascinating news for you, my dear readers! I’ve written a short story. It’s the first one which I have published in twelve years. Some people on X…
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The Pass: Last Days Of The Samurai (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A very engaging samurai narrative that does not only offer an intriguing glance at one of the most important crossroads of Japanese history, but also a melodramatic exploration…
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The Pass: Last Days Of The Samurai (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A very engaging samurai narrative that does not only offer an intriguing glance at one of the most important crossroads of Japanese history, but also a melodramatic exploration…
Mr. Monk and the Miracle
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Bamnol - The Debt (2021) [Short Film Review]
Bamnol - The Debt My granddaughter works hard! All you do is get drunk everyday! It has been roughly two months since my The Monk and T...
Love and Leashes (2022) [Film Review]
Love and Leashes; or, In the Realm of Domination I told you I don't think you're a pervert. Or maybe you are. Aren't we all somewhat pe...


Short critiques: Homestay (2022) review
Seta’s narrative is, despite its flaws, a pleasant narrative that offers an important message.


Monk and Robot and the Spirit of Iyashikei
Talking about Becky Chamber’s newest novella series Monk and Robot and it’s relationship with Iyashikei.


Manga Review | The Black Monk And The Pink Incubus by Sakira
Rei is an incubus, and he’s got a hot little number he’s planning on bedding and getting some energy from. Unfortunately, his target is not a very willing…
How the Film Influenced Anime: The Seven Samurai vs. Samurai 7
Seven Samurai is one of the most influential movies ever made, yet its anime adaptation continues to languish in relative obscurity. We take a look back at both…
Beloved (2022) [Film Review]
Beloved; or, Stay With Me I have an idea. How about we spend one last day together? Go somewhere, walk around, have dinne r… Director B...


The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl – Film Review
A spin-off of The Tatami Galaxy, this film builds on the style of the acclaimed series with a youthful, feel-good story bursting with fun and creativity!
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Short movie Time: The Stolen Ocean (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
Noaya Asanuma proves that he has a creative voice worth listening too.


Kurobozu – The Black Monk
Translated and Sourced from Mizuki Shigeru’s Mujara, Japanese Wikipedia, and Other Sources If you wake up after a restless night, with reeking breath and gasping for air—beware! You…


The Fox & The Monk – a Dream Hunters review
Yuko Shimizu’s iilustration for one of the covers of the graphic novel edition. You can find more covers on my new Instagram account, @ren.foxwitchling A humble young monk…
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Short Movie Time: Outsourcing (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”


AND THEN: A Girl-Meets-Girl Short Film
In the middle of spring 2020, Jenn Ravenna Tran launched a Kickstarter for a short film And Then, which she described as “A Girl-Meets-Girl Short Film Set in…


A Restaurant of Many Orders - Short Film Review
I’m not gonna do too much for this video but I wanna share this with you. It’s a 20 minute short from 91’ called Chuumon no Ooi Ryouriten…
Plan 75 (2022) [Film Review]
Plan 75; or, The Death of Society It’s something I should think about doing for my grandchildren. Plan 75 is one of those films that I...
Shin Ultraman (2022) [Film Review]
Shin Ultraman; or, In the Tokuverse of Madness Some things are only clear when you are in between. I believe this is why I exist. Shinj...
Pure Japanese (2022) [Film Review]
Pure Japanese; or, Bilateral Frenzy Raised right paws beckon fortune, raised left paws beckon people. Both paws raised means beckoning ...
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Short Movie Time: Bagmati River (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A beautiful poetic short that elegantly plays with the contrast between life and death.”


Review: Stitch and the Samurai, Volume 2
Summary Have you ever watched the movie Lilo and Stitch and wondered to yourself, “Man, what would happen if Stitch crash landed in feudal Japan instead of modern…


Kick Heart (2013) Short Film
As promised, I’m going to review a newer anime today rather than sticking to the decade of my birth like my last few entries. This short film is…


An AI Short Film! Wow!
I love spandex woman and hot man. They are my favorite movie characters. Edited/Written by: @TeeHallumsYT SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/totallynotmark FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/totallynotmark FOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK:…
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Short Movie Review: Faaawww!!! (2022) [JFFH 2023]
Oniki’s twisted finale does not only visually impress but also underlines that the hunger of the Uber-Ich is never stilled.
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Short Movie Review: Natsuko (2020) [OAFF 2022]
“A splendid debut by Shuna Iijima.”


Short Movie Time: Kaiju Girl (2022) review
A pleasant short about the need to find a desire to be able to give direction to one’s subject.


Short movie time: Norioka Workshop (2022) review
A great short film that illustrates the necessity as well as the inherent danger of the imaginary dimension in social interactions.
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Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.
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The Fish Tale (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A very heart-warming and touching narrative that shows that a subject does not necessarily need to make use of the neurotic solution to inscribe himself within the societal…


Lackadaisy is a Fantastic Short Film!
Prohibition hasn’t been easy on the Lackadaisy speakeasy. Is it worth Rocky, Freckle, and Ivy risking their lives to bring back lackluster hootch to survive?


Old Anime Short Film On Bullying..
Nido to Mezamenu Komori Uta Aka death lullaby Father a casualty of war, grandfather a casualty of disease, this boy got it bad, and ultimately this 1985 short is…


Film Review: The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in a decade, is both his most personal and the most ambitious in his venerated catalog. Delving into the…


The Samurai and the Prisoner Novel
Advance to reach heaven. Retreat to know hell. This precept forms the basis of Honobu Yonezawa's Naoki award-winning novel, The Samurai and the Prisoner.


The Elusive Samurai Review — B
A kid is a samurai who’s good at running away.
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Shin-Ultraman (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Higuchi and Anno deliver an impressive love letter to their childhood, yet their devoted love, which is sensible in every aspect of the narrative, might not be able…
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Short Movie Time: Necessary & unnecessary (2022) review [JFFH 2023]
A quirky little narrative that explores the necessity of forming inter-subjective social bonds.


A Man Called Otto — Short Report (Film)
Every Saturday at 1:00 PM, Otto and Sonya visited a little café in town and ate eclairs, which were messy but very tasty. At 2 o’clock, they left.…
Taiso Samurai – 06 [Samurai Father and Daughter]
I’ve been opening these posts with some variation of, “I can’t believe Jotaro wasn’t the focus of this episode!” for three weeks now, so it’s about time I…


Benkei: The Warrior Monk Who Died Standing
Benkei was a Warrior Monk whose life was filled with rich history and folklore. Or at least, that's how the tale is told...
Josee, The Tiger and the Fish Film Review
Last week, I caught Josee, The Tiger and the Fish at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2020. My full review is up over on Anime News Network


Japanese and Korean Films at the Cannes Film Festival 2022
HUNT, BROKER, PLAN 75, DECISION TO LEAVE – A preview of the Japanese and Korean films at the Cannes Film Festival 2022
Popcorn Pulse 74: Diversity Monk
We’ve talked at length about comic book movies pre-Iron Man and the shared universe phenomenon at least once. There are a lot of relics of that passing age…


The Gymnastics Samurai and The Ninja Ballerina
The Gymnastics Samurai was a lot more endearing than I expected and I had a great tie with the series. If you missed out, you should give it…
Review: SHORT SUNZEN
The Tokyopop library is riddled with manga like this - no-name titles with a few interesting ideas that were unceremoniously dropped because...
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Short movie time: North Shinjuku 2055 (2021) review [OAFF 2022]
“A pleasant experimental short.”
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Short movie time: Reason To Oblivion (2021) review [JFFH 2022]
A pleasant horror short-narrative that showcases Miyahara’s talent.
Seven Samurai and Hanebado
The Chicago Bears are the champions of the NFC North! It has been a long journey toward...
Seven Samurai and Hanebado
The Chicago Bears are the champions of the NFC North! It has been a long journey toward relevancy for the Bears, but we’re finally here again. It’s been…