An earnest yakuza trying to walk a more legitimate path faces off against a thuggish businessman in Tai Kato’s late-Meiji ninkyo eiga.
Feb 25, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
The Blossom and the Sword (日本侠花伝, Tai Kato, 1973)
A young woman defies the expectations of a patriarchal society in resisting the rising militarism of the Taisho society in Tai Kato’s historical epic.
In Search of Mother (瞼の母, Tai Kato, 1962)
A lonely yakuza longs to reconnect with mainstream society by finding the mother who was forced to abandon him in Tai Kato’s hugely moving jidaigeki.
The Sea of Genkai (任侠外伝 玄海灘, Juro Kara, 1976)
A petty gangster finds himself confronted by the traumatic past on discovering a stowaway aboard his smuggling boat in Juro Kara’s infinitely bleak drama.
Eighteen Years in Prison (懲役十八年, Tai Kato, 1967)
A former captain of the kamikaze squad finds himself caught between the contradictions of post-war Japan and the American occupation in Tai Kato’s gangster drama.
Wind, Woman and Road (風と女と旅鴉, Tai Kato, 1958)
A wanderer returns home and finds himself torn between a desire for acceptance and revenge in an early Tai Kato jidaigeki.
Road Warriors (あやめ笠 喧嘩街道, Tai Kato, 1960)
A penniless wander is caught up in intrigue after encountering a woman travelling alone for the purposes of revenge in Tai Kato’s Toei chanbara.
The Insatiable (現代ポルノ伝 先天性淫婦, Norifumi Suzuki, 1971)
A young woman finds herself following in her mother’s footsteps after a series of traumatic sexual experiences in Norifumi Suzuki’s erotic drama.
The Art of Kunio Kato
Returning to the "miniature garden."
The Revenge Of Bleach: Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Anime
Bleach is BACK FOR REVENGE. It's been 10 years since the Bleach anime was canceled due to low ratings. Now in 2022 we've been given the final chapter…
Mahou Tsukai Tai
Long time ago, I decided to give Mahou Tsukai Tai the skip because I thought this was going to be another one of those magical girl series directly…
Recommending Yankee Reppu-tai
Part of the reason I enjoy watching anime I’m unfamiliar with is the rare occasional discovery of forgotten gems. The Yankee Reppu-tai OVA series is one such forgotten…
Sue to Tai-Chan / Sue & Tai-Chan (Vol 1) by Konami Kanata
I picked up this manga at an amazing used bookstore in Connecticut. It comes from the same author of Chi’s Sweet Home and Fuku Fuku: Kitten Tales. I…
Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Blood of the Wise, Blood of the Fool
We often want to go back home, but where is home now? As we live, cities change, the mighty of yesterday fall, new players rise, and unthinkable things…
Tokyo Olympiad (1965) [Documentary Review]
Tokyo Olympiad or, Faster, Higher, Stronger The Olympics are a symbol of human aspiration When it comes to sports-oriented movies, ther...
![Featured image for Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) review [The Godzilla Project]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230527/1685161121.61795.96041.jpg)
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) review [The Godzilla Project]
A great narrative that is marred by budget and time-constraints.
Episode 12 - Dr. Naoko Kato (UBC)
In this Episode, Dr. Naoko Kato (UBC) catalogues the impact of the Meiji Period on Sino-Japanese relations through the person of Uchiyama Kanzo and the Uchiyama bookstore in…
Koisuru Meiga (恋する名画)
Yuri reviews, news and interviews are the primary function here at Okazu. Over the years, I’ve also sneakily (sometimes not very sneakily) found a way to include art,…
Hidden Blade (无名, Cheng Er, 2023)
Ideologically victorious but emotionally ruined, sleeper agents of a coming revolution find themselves lonely exiles in Cheng Er’s melancholy espionage drama.
The History of Mushi Pro – 02 – Anime business (1965-1966)
While I’m hesitant to speak of “golden ages”, if Mushi Production had one, it was certainly the years 1965-1966. Still riding on Tetsuwan Atom’s prodigious popularity, the studio…
Kizumonogatari Staff Interview: VFX Supervisor Michiya Kato
Our next Kizumonogatari staff interview translation has VFX supervisor and eventual director of photography Michiya Kato give an in-depth chronicle about its production: the deliberate aesthetic mi…
Tokyo Revengers: Revenge of the Rift
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and welcome to another brand new review! And in another edition of anime I’m really late talking about,…
4-Koma: Revenge of the Rolo.
Look out! He’s in the background… Code Geass R2: 4 Koma No.12 – Revenge of the Rolo.
The Age of Assassins (殺人狂時代, Kihachi Okamoto, 1967)
A mild-mannered professor is dragged into an international conspiracy in Kihachi Okamoto’s absurdist adventure.
Masami Mori【森匡三】Sakuga MAD
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWnak7V8hr0 SOTY SAIKOOOUUUUU also known as Keisuke Mori, and another kanji reading is 森雅美
Movie Review: You Name (君の名は)
Your Name (Kimi no Na wa / 君の名は) is honestly one of the best Japanese movies I’ve seen – ever. It is engaging, funny, clever, interesting and brilliantly…
![Featured image for Episode #79 (S10E8) – Kwaidan [怪談] (1965)](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240320/1710922571.81177.119684.jpg)
Episode #79 (S10E8) – Kwaidan [怪談] (1965)
Podcaster Mike Lund visits the show to discuss Kwaidan, an adaptation of four of Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese ghost stories. We discuss our favorite stories from this anthology, some…
Sword Devil (剣鬼, Kenji Misumi, 1965)
A gentle samurai who just wants to grow flowers finds himself consumed by courtly intrigue and a cruel destiny in a visual tour de force from Kenji Misumi
Spiraken Manga Review Ep 394: Sue & Tai-Chan
In this episode, Xan reviews a slice of life manga that deals not only with pet ownership, but also pet ownership when you introduce a new pet to…
Legend of the Cat Monster (麗猫伝説, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1983)
A young writer falls prey to the dream of cinema while tasked with convincing a reclusive actress to return to the silver screen in Obayashi’s gothic tale of…
Ghost Cat of Nabeshima (鍋島怪猫伝, Kunio Watanabe, 1949)
A haunted Go board, a paranoid lord, and a rumour about a vengeful ghost cat spirit throw a small community into chaos in Kunio Watabe’s playful supernatural drama
House of Earth and Blood
The first sentence on the blurb on the back cover of House of Earth and Blood is “Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life.” And t...
Trail Of Blood (1972) review
Ikehiro stylishly celebrates the Matatabi film of the past and offers the chanbara-enthusiast enough sword-fighting action to satisfy him/her.
Anime’s Invisible Aces: Michiya Kato And CYCLONE GRAPHICS
What does BEASTARS‘ opening sequence have in common with other iconic intros like DRIFTERS and Tatami Galaxy, the filmography of geniuses like Satoshi Kon and Tatsuya Oishi, plus…
Kenshin Blader #03 — Revenge of Gun-Haver
The strongest supervillain of all. I'm not sure what the deal is with (sala)Ryman's Club. It was supposed to air last week, but was pre-empted because its…
Blood+ One Night Kiss: The Drop of Blood for the Future of Grasshopper
Not too long ago I got done with Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked. The licensed game is based on the anime series with hip hop ascetics in a samurai tale.…
Three Women of the North (北の三人, Kiyoshi Saeki, 1945)
Three female radio operators become the backbone of a moribund war effort in the last propaganda film produced before the war’s end.
Revenge (1964) review
A classic – a jidai-geki that every cinephile should see.
Blood Domination BL Game Review – The Will Of Blood Is Absolute
Blood Domination is a BL visual novel that follows five different couples, uncovering the secrets of their pasts and controlling their fates.
Endless Journey (三大队, Dai Mo, 2023)
A disgraced policeman devotes the remainder of his life to catch the suspect who got away in Dai Mo’s strangely poignant Sino-noir.
Sanjuro (椿三十郎, Akira Kurosawa, 1962)
The cynical drifter finds himself offering fatherly advice to idealistic but hot-headed samurai youth in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo followup.
Masami Mori【森匡三】Sakuga MAD 2
Innocent Arrogance - BiSH soty saikou. Mori has been busy since my original MAD to say the least, so I thought it was about time for a new showcase.…
How to Have an American Baby (Leslie Tai, 2023)
Leslie Tai’s intimate documentary follows a series of women giving birth abroad in the hope of getting US citizenship for their children.
Obake no Q-Taro (1965) – Episodes 01A & 12B
Based on the gag manga by the duo known as Fujiko Fujio, here’s the very first segment of the original black and white anime. The first series featured…
Daughter-in-Law (민며느리, Choi Eun-hee, 1965)
A sense of female solidarity eventually develops between a dutiful young woman and her tyrannical mother-in-law in Choi Eun-hee’s lighthearted directorial debut
![Featured image for [Interview] CLAMP in Wonderland 2 – Hiromi Kato (Character Design)](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20221016/1665898140.45397.76221.jpg)
[Interview] CLAMP in Wonderland 2 – Hiromi Kato (Character Design)
Hiromi Kato was the Character Designer and Animation Director of CLAMP in Wonderland 2. Aiming for the best result an unprecedented number of key animations were used for…
Motoshinkakarannu (沖縄エロス外伝 モトシンカカランヌー, NDU, 1971)
The Nihon Documentarist Union visits Okinawa on the brink of its reversion and capture a sense of anxiety of those caught at a moment of transition.
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.
Zombieland Saga Revenge: Night of the Living Idols
One of the most surprising anime hits of the last couple years was Zombieland Saga. With humor, great music, cute girls, and an interesting take on the genre.…
Anime Nano Podcast #18: Revenge of the Nano
The Anime Nano Podcast is finally off of hiatus! This week, we cover stuff like the Basugasubakuhatsu Karaoke Contest, recent licenses, SaiGAR, and the new Winter season anime!…