The unresolved past conspires against present happiness in Chihiro Ito’s etherial drama.
Apr 1, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
![Featured image for Side by Side サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人 (2023) Dir: Chihiro Ito [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230319/1679236810.55698.88494.jpg)
Side by Side サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人 (2023) Dir: Chihiro Ito [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]
Side by Side サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人, by director Chihiro Ito, is a visually sumptuous film with a light supernatural story. Side by Side サイド バイ サイド 隣にいる人 (2023)…
Kono Naka ni Hotori, Imouto ga Iru! この中に1人、妹がいる!
Mikadono Shougo, son to a rich and powerful company chairman, has to attend school to find a girl he is serious on before he can inherit the company.…
![Featured image for Side by Side (2023) review [OAFF 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230319/1679205610.55672.88465.jpg)
Side by Side (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A peaceful dream-like visual experience that celebrates both the impact subjects have on each other as well as the manner in which the subject remains opaque to himself…
What does まどかが好きな人は二人いる mean?
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3hyXcYh Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
People Who Talk to Plushies Are Kind (ぬいぐるみとしゃべる人はやさしい, Yurina Kaneko, 2023)
A collection of sensitive uni students pour out their worries to cuddly toys to avoid burdening others with their fears in Yurina Kaneko’s charmingly empathetic drama.
In Her Room (ひとりぼっちじゃない, Chihiro Ito, 2022)
A shy dentist’s sense of reality is undermined by his relationship with a mysterious woman living in an indoor forest in Chihiro Ito’s ethereal drama.
Lesson in Murder (死刑にいたる病, Kazuya Shiraishi, 2022)
A diffident student falls under the spell of a manipulative serial killer in Kazuya Shirashi’s intense mystery drama.
Call Me Chihiro (2023) review
What makes Imaizumi’s narrative a pleasant and such an emotional watch is the fine balance he found between waves of light-heartedness and the forlorn aftertaste that remains after…
Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano
Domains is a thoroughly absorbing drama thanks to excellent performances and its unique structure. Domains 王国 (あるいはその家について) (2019) Dir: Natsuka Kusano
掌に眠る舞台
Yōko Ogawa’s 2022 collection 掌に眠る舞台 contains eight stories connected by the broad theme of “stages.” Some stories are about the world of performing arts, while others take an…
![Featured image for In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022) Director: Chihiro Ito [New York Asian Film Festival 2023] 2](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230725/1690301321.65487.100468.jpg)
In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022) Director: Chihiro Ito [New York Asian Film Festival 2023] 2
In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022), by director Chihiro Ito, is an offbeat and erotic tale of jealousy that is told in a visually dazzling way with a slow pace…
Memories of His Scent (においが眠るまで, Kahori Higashi, 2024)
A young woman travels Japan looking for the scent of her later father in Kahori Higashi’s gentle summer move.
Great Absence (大いなる不在, Kei Chikaura, 2023)
A forced reconnection with his estranged father forces a young man to contemplate the great absences of life in Kei Chikaura’s poetic drama.
Ito (いとみち, Satoko Yokohama, 2021)
A shy young woman with a talent for Tsugaru shamisen grows in confidence after getting a job at a maid cafe in Satoko Yokohama’s warmhearted drama
![Featured image for An Interview with Chihiro Ito, Director of In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022) [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230823/1692811721.67090.102370.jpg)
An Interview with Chihiro Ito, Director of In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022) [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]
In Her Room ひとりぼっちじゃない (2022) Director: Chihiro Ito [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]
All Under the Moon (月はどっちに出ている, Yoichi Sai, 1993)
Citizens of post-Bubble Tokyo struggle to reorient themselves amid changing realities in Yoichi Sai’s lighthearted comedy.
いろいろ December 2023
I ran out of space over at the newsletter this month, so I thought I’d share the いろいろ section on the blog instead. Podcast link at the bottom!…
~ni naru ～になる - Meaning in Japanese
The meaning in Japanese of ni naru になる. Grammar and examples.
~ni suru ～にする - Meaning in Japanese
What ni suru にする means in Japanese. Grammar and examples.
Spring In Between (はざまに生きる、春, Rika Katsu, 2023)
A struggling editor at a magazine gains a new perspective while falling in love with an autistic artist in Rika Katsu’s romantic drama.
Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる)
Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる), subtitled in English “Throw away the suit together,” is one of my favorite reads currently in Comic Yuri Hime…
Books: By Your Side
By Jonathan Clements. The inauguration of Barazoku (“Rose Tribe”), a magazine for gay men in 1971, brought with it a sop to the ladies, in the form of…
Alien’s Daydream (地球星人（エイリアン）は空想する, Yoshiki Matsumoto, 2023)
Assigned to investigate a possible alien abduction, a jaded journalist uncovers a completely different story in Yoshiki Matsumoto’s surreal dramedy.
漫画において重要…！脇を固める役者の描き方 Important to Manga! How to Draw Superior Side Characters
漫画家・浦沢直樹の「浦沢チャンネル」。「あさドラ！」第7集発売を記念して、脇を固める役者たちの重要性と描き方、そして年配の方を描く際のポイントについてお話ししました。 “Urasawa Channel“, a Youtube channel by a Japanese manga artist, Naoki Urasawa. In commemoration of publishing “Asadora!” Vol.7, Naoki Urasawa explains the importance of side characters, how to…
Inch Forward (走れない人の走り方, Su Yu-Chun, 2023)
An indie filmmaker experiences various setbacks while trying to complete her latest film in Su Yu-Chun’s cheerful dramedy.
![Featured image for Lesson in Murder 死刑にいたる病 Director: Kazuya Shiraishi [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20220726/1658833140.40524.70313.jpg)
Lesson in Murder 死刑にいたる病 Director: Kazuya Shiraishi [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]
Lesson in Murder is a fine Kazuya Shiraishi production that adapts a novel for the big screen. Although slow, the performances will enrapture viewers. Lesson in Murder 死刑にいたる病 Director: Kazuya Shir…
To Sleep So as to Dream (夢みるように眠りたい, Kaizo Hayashi, 1986)
A detective becomes lost in the labyrinths of cinema while chasing a ghost of the silver screen in Kaizo Hayashi’s ethereal ode to the silent movie
Yagate Kimi ni Naru Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite, Volume 3 (やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について)
Saeki Sayaka, very serious, prone to overthinking things, has met someone who will change her life. Edamoto Haru, first year in college has confessed to liking Sayaka, and…
Sensei, Would You Sit Beside Me? (先生、私の隣に座っていただけませんか？, Takahiro Horie, 2021)
A mangaka and her cheating husband become locked in a cat and mouse game of ambiguous revenge in Takahiro Horie’s deliciously cynical anti-rom-com
![Featured image for Memories of His Scent においが眠るまで Director: Kahori Higashi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240303/1709504770.80315.118649.jpg)
Memories of His Scent においが眠るまで Director: Kahori Higashi [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2024]
Memories of His Scent においが眠るまで, by director Kahori Higashi, is a gentle and melancholy tale of a teenage girl searching for her late father through smell and visiting…
Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo (勇者になりたい少女と、勇者になるべき彼女)
It seems very appropriate to start our happy New Year with some happy new Yuri, so today we’re going to take a look at Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo…
Advanced Japanese Reading Practice with Side-by-Side Readers
Want Japanese reading practice with newspapers or essays? Here's how to level up your Japanese game with side-by-side readers.
Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 1 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)
Aya is a high school student who loves music of the 90s-00s. She’s content to sit and listen to the Foo Fighters in her ear buds, but when…
Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 2 (気になってる人が男じゃなかった)
In Volume 1, we met Ohsawa Aya, a fashionable girl in most ways – except for her retro taste in music. When she walks into a shabby CD…
Cosplay Beats! Kiki + Chihiro
Our resident cosplayer, Paris, returns—this time as Studio Ghibli’s incorrigible heroine, Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)! She’s joined by V.Zelaya as another Ghibli favorite, Chih…
Hiragana Song あいうえおにいいさん (ft みーぽん CV @swimmy_music ) / YuTanP
Sign Up for My Japanese Lessons & Get the Lyrics PDF with Definitions and Grammar Explanations https://bit.ly/4aFRVb7 あいうえおにいいさん - Hiragana Song Written, Arranged, Produced by YuTanP Vocal: https://www.youtube.com/@swimmy_music Drums: Glenn Welman https://www.fiverr.com/glennwelman Guitar:…
Learn Advanced Japanese With These Side-by-Side English Readers
Want to read Japanese newspapers or essays? Preparing for JLPT N1? Here's how to level up your Japanese game with side-by-side readers.
you ni naru ようになる - Meaning in Japanese
What you ni naru ようになる means in Japanese. Examples. Grammar.
you ni suru ようにする - Meaning in Japanese
What you ni suru ようにする means in Japanese. Examples. Grammar.
~koto ni naru ～ことになる - Meaning in Japanese
The meaning of ~koto ni naru ～ことになる in Japanese. Examples and grammar.
~koto ni suru ～ことにする - Meaning in Japanese
The meaning of ~koto ni suru ～ことにする in Japanese. Examples and grammar.
Struggling Man (私はいったい、何と闘っているのか, Toshio Lee, 2021)
A dejected middle-aged man experiences a crisis of masculinity when his home and work lives come under threat in Toshio Lee’s warmhearted comedy.
![Featured image for Insomniacs After School (君は放課後インソムニア, Chihiro Ikeda, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230726/1690414120.65572.100565.jpg)
Insomniacs After School (君は放課後インソムニア, Chihiro Ikeda, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
Two teens begin to overcome their fears and anxieties after bonding over their shared insomnia in Chihiro Ikeda’s adaptation of the Makoto Ojiro manga.
![Featured image for Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.7] [ENG TL]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894251.12234.36793.jpg)
Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.7] [ENG TL]
Japanese Transcript*今日も元気に過ごせるようにまいにち動画＋２０２０年、１０月 ７日（水）みなさん、おはようございます。そしてお誕生日の方もおめでとうございます!みなさんは、しっかりお休みできていますか？出来ないことを、どうか、責めないで。前進している最中なのですから！頑張っている人はとっても、輝いていると思います！頑張ってね！それでは今日のくち占い！今日は食器を綺麗に片…
AI翻訳について思うこと
翻訳を使っていない人間がそれについて言及するのはおこがましいと思ってちょっと好きな作品の翻訳をAIに任せたのだけど、出てきたのがぜんぜん使えなかった。意味が違う、面白みがないのは仕方ないとして、文章としては自然で整っているから返って危険なんですよ。正しいって人を騙しやすいから。 ここでいう正しいとは「文章が自然体で正しい文章に見える」のことです。中身は歪曲されていたら、欠落あったり、明らかな…
![Featured image for Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.5] [ENG TL]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894248.12239.36795.jpg)
Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.5] [ENG TL]
Japanese Transcript*今日も元気にまいにち動画＋２０２０年、１０月 ５日（月）みなさん、おはようございます。そしてお誕生日の方もおめでとうございます!そして、おひさしぶりです。何も言わすにお休みに入ってしまってごめんなさい。お誕生日や、お休みしている期間を通してー私がどれだけ皆さんに支えてもらっているかということを痛感しましたー弱い私ですがーこれからまた新しい私で頑張ってい…
![Featured image for Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.8] [ENG TL]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894249.12237.36792.jpg)
Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.8] [ENG TL]
Japanese Transcript*今日の朝もまいにち動画からまいにち動画＋２０２０年、１０月 ８日（木）みなさん、おはようございます。そしてお誕生日の方もおめでとうございます!みなさんは今日の朝、1番最初にどんな言葉を発しましたか?おはよう！などの挨拶って意識しないうちに、家族の間でもしなくなっているかもしれませんでも、朝に顔を合わせた人に挨拶をすると、なんとなくー心がほっこりすきがす…
![Featured image for Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.6] [ENG TL]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894244.12245.36794.jpg)
Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.6] [ENG TL]
Japanese Transcript*今日もまいにち動画＋２０２０年、１０月 ６日（火）みなさん、おはようございます。そしてお誕生日の方もおめでとうございます!何かを頑張る時って、その頑張りに、結果に、いろいろなことに、波があると思います。勢いがつくとき、それが止まってしまう時ーだから今、止まってしまっているなぁーと思う人は頑張ってる人なんだと思います。大丈夫！十分がんばってるよ！この先は…
![Featured image for Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.31] [ENG TL]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210513/1620894252.12231.36791.jpg)
Sister Claire’s まいにち動画+ [10.31] [ENG TL]
Japanese Transcript*今日もまいにち動画始まります！２０２０年、１０月 ３１日（土）みなさん、おはようございます。そしてお誕生日の方もおめでとうございます!うらめしや～この格好でこのセリフはおかしいか？TRICK OR TREATお菓子をくれないとーいたずらしちゃうぞ！ーなんて私はもう子どもたちにお菓子をくばるがかりです.でもたまにはいたずらもーいいかも?それでは今日のくち…