The Island Closest to Heaven; or, Let’s Go to the Beach See this river? If you follow it all the way out, it leads you to the sea. If ...
Jan 15, 2023 • Subscribe
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The Island Closest To Heaven (1984) review
“This might be the purest idol-film Obayashi made and the clearest example of how Kadokawa wanted to exploit the audio-visual medium.”
The Island Closest to Heaven (天国にいちばん近い島, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1984)
A young woman comes to a new understanding of herself while travelling abroad in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s laidback kadokawa idol movie.
His Motorbike, Her Island (1986) [Film Review]
His Motorbike, Her Island; or, Crazy Thunder Road 2: Love Warrior She was there from one summer to the next. She became my story. I pre...
Review: GAKUEN HEAVEN
It's back-to-school time here at the Manga Test Drive, which in the manga world means attending anything but your ordinary Japanese high sc...
Review: GAKUEN HEAVEN
It's back-to-school time here at the Manga Test Drive, which in the manga world means attending anything but your ordinary Japanese high sc...
‘Unico in the Island of Magic’ to be Screened at Shinjuku Higashiguchi Film Festival
The 1983 film Unico in the Island of Magic has been selected for screening at the Shinjuku Higashiguchi Film Festival in Japan.
Return to Shironagasu Island Visual Novel Review (Spoilers)
Kaley delves into the mystery behind "Return to Shironagasu Island" as Detective Sen Ikeda and his ward Neneko, but does the game's intrigue hold up?
Waifu Watch: 1984
Welcome to Waifu Watch, a series of blog posts about the most popular anime girls throughout history! I’ve tracked down some of the most popular characters using data…
Lensman Review (1984, Kazuyuki Hirokawa & Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
On May 25, 1977, a small little indie film titled Star Wars (1977) was unleashed onto the world and captured the imagination and hearts of fans and artists…
Spiraken Mini Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984
In this superheroine inspired mini movie review, Xan & Gretta get to talk about the latest DCEU film that was released to HBO MAX before it hit theatres.…
Review: DICK FIGHT ISLAND
Look, I'm not above cashing in on social media trends around here, especially if it means righting a wrong from last year's Holiday Reviews...
Review: Island Keeper (2021)
Island Keeper 守岛人 China, 2021, colour, 2.35:1, 124 mins. Director: Chen Li 陈力. Rating: 6/10. Well-played drama, based on a real-life story, of a couple on a lonely…
Island Review (Spoiler Free)
We’re at the “drama” instalment of my genre review collection, and for this one I went with Island, which I believe was recommended to me for a different…
Review: Island Keeper (2021)
Island Keeper 守岛人 China, 2021, colour, 2.35:1, 124 mins. Director: Chen Li 陈力. Rating: 6/10. Well-played drama, based on a real-life story, of a couple on a lonely…
Review—Heaven, by Mieko Kawakami
Mieko Kawakami has proven once again that she can produce a social critique while remaining entertaining.
4 Reasons To Skip: Island
Island is great at hooking you in with its strong premise and fascinating mysteries, but it falls apart when it starts giving answers.
4 Reasons To Skip: Island
Island is great at hooking you in with its strong premise and fascinating mysteries, but it falls apart when it starts giving answers.
(REVIEW) To Heaven & Back on a Song: The Soothing World of HEALER GIRL
This review contains spoilers for the reviewed material. This is your only warning. “These are the beautiful miracles sung by humanity.” The first thing to know is that Healer Girl…
The Imaginary Film Review
My review of The Imaginary is now up over on Anime News Network. Check it out!
Film Review: The Concierge
There is a certain department store with a very peculiar clientele. It’s not just that it caters to the rich and famous, though many a celebrity, business mogul,…
Film Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes
How far would you go to make a wish come true? Rumor has it, Urashima Tunnel grants your heart’s desire, if only you can find it and if…
F2 Grand Prix (1984)
https://nyaa.si/view/1846614 Fansub credits can be found in the link above. Back with another live-action movie sub! Toho's "F2 Grand Prix...
Dick Fight Island – Manga Review
Oh how this yaoi lover wished they could have a hold of a physical copy of this title but due to high demand it sold out so quickly…
OVA review: Tenkuu Danzai Skelter Heaven
Or the latest in my unofficial “is it really that bad?” review series of anime. I sought out Pupa exactly because it was so poorly rated and watched…
From Wake Island to Gamera to Perry Mason
In 1942, Hollywood made WAKE ISLAND to commemorate one of the earliest battles in the Pacific War. As depicted in the film, the American marines on Wake Island,…
Review: The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023)
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell 扫毒3 人在天涯 Hong Kong/China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 123 mins. Director: Qiu Litao 邱礼涛 [Herman Yau]. Rating: 7/10. The bar stays high…
The Anime Nostalgia Podcast - ep 99: ReView: Dragon's Heaven
Subscribers! Be sure to go to the blog to read the description easier & check out links for this episode! This month’s episode is another ...
Dragon's Heaven, Grey: Digital Target, Iria: Zeiram The Animation
![Featured image for Welcome to the NHK – 13/14 [Welcome to Heaven!/Welcome to Reality!] – Throwback Thursday](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220707/1657215752.39097.68568.jpg)
Welcome to the NHK – 13/14 [Welcome to Heaven!/Welcome to Reality!] – Throwback Thursday
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the 2nd cour of Welcome to the NHK. This week we finish up this whole “suicide cult” think, learn a bit more…
The Concierge Anime Film Review
The Concierge is a light-hearted look at working in the service industry. It shows some of the best and worst of customers and clerks and ties it together…
The Imaginary Anime Film Review
Between reality, storybook worlds, and children's minds, this is a film overflowing with imagination—and it has the animation to match.
![Featured image for The Killer (1989) [Film Review]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210705/1625516600.16642.41934.jpg)
The Killer (1989) [Film Review]
The Killer; or, Tomorrow Never Came In this world, not everybody is untrustworthy. Just how awesome is John Woo? The director is obvio...
Spiraken Manga Review Ep 172: Sekirei (or Ascending To The Heaven...With The Power of BOOBS!!)
In this great episode of the Spiraken Manga Review, Xan gets excited as he talks about the romantic comedy harem fighting series Sekirei written by Sakurako Gokurakuin HE…
Tongari Boushi no Memole (1984)
https://nyaa.si/view/1703816 Credits can be found in the link above. Not too long after this anime finished broadcasting on TV (during its...
Dick Fight Island Vol 1 Review
Reibun Ike’s Dick Fight Island has turned out to be the raunchy little BL manga that could, reaching #1 in Amazon’s Romance Manga and Yaoi & LGBTQ+ Manga categories and,…
His Motorbike, Her Island (1986) review
Obayashi ensures that this narrative, after so many years, still succeeds in captivating and mesmerize the spectator.
Matcha Made in Heaven Vol. 1 Review
Matcha Made in Heaven is a josei slice of life romance manga series by Umebachi Yamanaka and published in English by Kodansha.
Edens Zero Chapter 225 Review – Moscoy Heaven
This isn’t what Valkyrie Yuna died for.
Tomato Heaven – Heavenly Delusion Ep 1 Review
Maru hires Kiruko as a bodyguard in search of a place called ‘Heaven’. Will they find the academy children who live behind walls surrounded by tech?
Anime OVA review: Tenkuu Danzai Skelter Heaven
Or the latest in my unofficial “is it really that bad?” review series of anime. I sought out Pupa exactly because it was so poorly rated and watched…
S4E4 - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Table of Contents Hello everyone, In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we discuss the 1984 film, Nausicaä of the Valley…
Episode 514: All Otakus Go To Fantasy Heaven
Joseph's all alone again, playing both the host and cohost this week. After explaining why this is, he proceeds to announce the winner of the contest for cohost!…
“The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes” Film Review (Spoiler‑Free)
An ode to summer, love, and grief, don't miss Taguchi's adaptation of the award-winning The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.
Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs (Volume 10) – Stairway to Heaven
Something is revealing girls’ panties whenever they climb a staircase at Yukemuri High School. As such, Sagiri and the others are determined to put a stop to it,…
Sainsbury Institute Lectures – The Bridge to Heaven: Comparing UK-Japan Heritage
This week we were invited to watch one of the free monthly lectures held by The Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts & Cultures at Norwich…
One Piece Film: Red Film Review
My review of One Piece Film: Red is now up over on Anime News Network.
Trouble Island
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Hōzuki Island
A deeply unsettling horror manga. Not because it's scary or anything. God no. But because it had to be really weird. 4:08 - Hōzuki Island 28:51 - My Hero Academia…
Lensman: Galactic Patrol (1984) – Episode 23 (thanks to Kineko Video for the 16mm print!)
Here’s the latest episode in our joint project with the /m/subs crew. When we started this project, we had a complete set of Lensman episodes, but in variable…
Paprika – Film Review
The mind-bending visual movie by Satoshi Kon is a classic in Japanese animation, but are its visuals enough to make it worth watching?
Belle Film Review
My review of Belle is now up over on Anime News Network.