A salaryman’s moment of triumph is disrupted when he falls down a manhole the night before his wedding in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s unhinged B-movie thriller.
Apr 18, 2023 • Subscribe
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Yoko (658km、陽子の旅, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, 2023)
An isolated woman begins to rediscover herself while hitchhiking to her estranged father’s funeral in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s quietly moving road movie.


Hole in the Sky (2001) Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
Hole in the Sky (2001) Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri is a great character study of a lonely man finding the will to move on after meeting a woman he…


#Manhole (2023) review
A highly engaging and twist-rich narrative that beautifully illustrates the continued importance of the image for the subject as well as the disastrous effects of the frustration of…


Sailor Moon themed Manhole cover installation
It is common for famous anime and manga franchises to get homaged in Japan by...


Understanding Manhole: A Horror Film with Missed Opportunities
Similar to After My Death, I went into Manhole expecting something different. While a movie’s description not matching the actual movie isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does…
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Cafune (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A very strong debut by Haruki Kinemura.
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Plastic (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Miyazaki creates a moody narrative that highlights the equivocal functionality of music for the subject as well as the destructive impact of not being able to create an…
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Single8 (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Konaka offers the spectator a heartwarming invitation to re-find, within oneself, one’s (nearly extinguished) passion for creation.
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Winny (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Matsumoto offers a serene insight in how the Other of the law curtails a subject and, indirectly, sabotages the prospects of a new industry.


Fanime 2023
This Fanime season was a bit special for me. I got the opportunity to have my own panel and also present alongside the Nakama Podcast too.


Farewell, 2023…
This post is brought you by Sasaki and Peeps (or Sasaki to Pii-chan) as I’ll be picking this new anime adaptation in Winter 2023, which will begin in…


2023~ update
Still alive! :) A new thing I added a Trending ‘block’ to the top of the ABT homepage. It’s a really simple formula at the moment – I’m…


Update (2023)
It’s a bit sad to have to say this, especially since I was so excited to come back to blogging (ok, I completely failed on that part LOL),…


Farewell 2023
Another year has passed which means its time to reflect. This has become a yearly tradition where on New Years Eve I reflect on my life and the…
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Thorns of Beauty (2023) [Nippon Connection 2023]
Hideo’s latest uncovers the deep marks that the thorns of phallic beauty have left on contemporary society.
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Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
A gorgeous stylish exploration of the subjective struggles and the solutions subjects invent within the field of love and desire.
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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…
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Short Movie Time: Kanro (2023) [OAFF 2023]
A simple but effective short that explores inter-subjective distance and the desire to bridge it in a surprising and satisfying way.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-12-01)
As the holiday season has arrived, I need to re-evaluate my goals and find out what I should really prioritize. These last two weeks were not good from…


2023 Routines Status Update (2023-06-08)
I will learn Google Cloud Computing skills every day. I still am behind on this goal, and I need to get this completed by the end of the…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-02-26)
I feel like it’s about time to do a status update on all my goals.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-01-24)
I feel like it’s time to give a status update on my goals. Sometimes I need to check on those goals to make sure I stay on track.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-01-31)
With a brand new month on the horizon, it’s time to review my goals, update my goals, and add some new goals.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-02-15)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills [SUBGOAL] Make and host Vue.js projects by learning through the Vue.js guide [SUBGOAL] Take Chris Dixon’s Skillshare Course on Vue.js 3 &…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-11-01)
I feel like now would be a good time to provide an update to some of my goals.


2023 Routines Status Update (2023-05-02)
[SUSPENDED] I will learn Google Cloud Computing skills every day. As it turns out, I need to risk spending money to make progress on this goal, and I…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-12-28)
The year is almost over, and I need to get ready for 2024. What I’ve learned is that in 2023, I tried focusing on too many things at…


2023 Routines Status Update (2023-05-29)
[ABANDONED] I will go to the Vue.js guide and work on small projects every day. At this point, I feel complacent about my programming skill levels. With me…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-03-25)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills (Completed) [SUBGOAL] Learn how to use the Notion API I now know how to import data to Notion using the Notion API,…


2023 Goals Status Update (1-13-2023)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills I learned how to read and modify XML files using JavaScript, so that counts as learning new coding skills. I have made…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-11-18)
7. (Completed) Organize my iTunes Library (Completed) [SUBGOAL] Analyze five songs a day (Completed) [SUBGOAL] Remove some works. songs from iTunes Library Finally. My iTunes Library is fully…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-10-24)
I was reading through my old blog posts about my goals and routines throughout the year, and I realized that I need to step things up. At this…
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Mad Cats (Reiki Tsuno, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
The captive felines of Japan are mad as hell and they aren’t going to take it anymore in Reiki Tsuno’s absurd action comedy.


2023 Routines Status Update (2023-04-23)
[COMPLETED] I will learn to code by going to Skillshare and watching at least one video every day. I now have an intermediate understanding of Vue.JS 3 in…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-12-13)
I had a very productive evening tonight, and I thought I’d share an update on my goals.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-03-17)
I feel like it’s time for me to review my goals since I felt like a plastic bag drifting through the wind and wanting to ground myself back…


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-02-22)
Quick summary: I completed a subgoal, gave some exciting updates about a couple of goals, and got an e-mail from an application I use that inspires a new…
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River (2023) review [Fantasia Film Fest 2023]
If you like low-key humour and some time-twisting fun, you should not miss Yamaguchi’s latest.


2023 Goals Status Update (2023-01-15)
I was about to give up on my goals last Saturday. I was supposed to clean my apartment that day, but I felt overwhelmed and would rather just…
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Devils (악마들, Kim Jae-hoon, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
A detective consumed by thoughts of vengeance suddenly wakes up in the body of the serial killer he’s hunting in Kim Jae-hoon’s twisty thriller.
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Shin Kamer Rider (2023) review [Fantasia Fest 2023]
Anno delivers an action-hero experience that is both incredibly fun and emotionally touching.
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Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
Introduction Junji Sakamoto (Another World (2019), I Never Shot Anyone (2020), My Brother, The Android and Me (2022)) might not be as well-known by international audiences as other…
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Ninja Vs Shark (2023) review [Camera Japan 2023]
A pleasant B-film action experience.


Short Movie Time: Detouring Blue (2023) (OAFF 2023)
A highly recommended short that touchingly shows that what dooms the subject to the de-subjectifying effect of the societal Other or to the birth of a subjective deadlock…
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Short Movie Time: TOMA #2 (2023) [OAFF 2023]
A touching narrative that explores the difficulty for the subject to give the Othering effect of dementia on a family member a place


OCTOBER 2023 UPDATE
More Anime Abandons a month, and a debut novel? Yeah, I've been busy. SUPPORT THE SHOW HERE: https://www.patreon.com/BennettTheSage BUY YOUR SHIRTS AND POSTERS HERE: https://retroware.com/collections/bennettthesage


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Flashover 惊天救援 China, 2023, colour/b&w, 2.35:1, 113 mins. Director: Peng Shun 彭顺 [Oxide Pang]. Rating: 5/10. Solid, procedural firefighting movie is short on character development and has a…