Eye see you, heheheh… The best way I can describe Murder in the Hall of the Eye is “discount Hiroshi Mori .” Which on one hand feels a bit...
Jan 31, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Death Within the Evil Eye / 魔眼の匣の殺人
It’s difficult to succeed genius. Chrono Cross isn’t as good as Chrono Trigger , Bioshock 2 isn’t as good as Bioshock , and National Treas...
The Mannequin House Murders / 人形館の殺人
I didn’t like this book at all. I don’t have much more to say about it.
The Butterfly Murder Case / 蝶々殺人事件
While Kousuke Kindaichi is by far Seishi Yokomizo ’s most famous fictional detective, he is not the only one. Yokomizo also wrote many book...
The Black Umbrella Mystery / 体育館の殺人
The Black Umbrella Mystery is a story with the soul of Ellery Queen and the body of an anime protagonist. There are a few Japanese…
The Labyrinth House Murders / 迷路館の殺人
The shin-honkaku movement has always been a bit meta. It’s right there in the name: it means “new orthodox,” as it’s a revival of the origi...
Murderer vs. Maniac / 殺人犯 対 殺人鬼
While some books take a while to get into the action, Murderer vs. Maniac wastes no time. The opening scene is all about the protagonist ...
Love and Murder of Sheep and Wolf 羊とオオカミの恋と殺人 (2020) Director: Kayoko Asakura
Love and Murder of Sheep and Wolf has a great concept about dating a hitwoman but a dull final result in its execution. Love and Murder of Sheep…
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.
[Review] Kuroshitsuji OVA: Book of Murder
I should be sleeping because I have to go to work tomorrow but you know what the problem is with turning nocturnal? It’s HARD getting back to a…
Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman (目中无人, Yang Bingjia, 2022)
A blind swordsman takes revenge against the evils of feudal society in Yang Bingjia’s impressively helmed action drama,
食堂
Mourning a tremendous loss to the 食堂 community - How to Japanese - November 2021
The Town of Headcounts (人数の町, Shinji Araki, 2020)
A disaffected young man gets a fresh start in a utopian community but quickly becomes disillusioned in Shinji Araki’s slick dystopian thriller
A Bloodthirsty Killer (殺人魔 / 살인마, Lee Yong-min, 1965)
A hapless middle-aged man finds himself haunted by the spectre of wronged femininity in Lee Yong-min’s eerie gothic chiller.
Willful Murder (日本の熱い日々 謀殺・下山事件, Kei Kumai, 1981)
A dogged reporter comes to the conclusion an industrialist was murdered but cannot say by whom in Kei Kumai’s searing exploration of the occupation and the economic miracle.
The Bartender of Eden´s Hall
20/20 in 2020 Article: Our blog’s theme for this year is “20/20 in 2020: Setting Our Vision on Christ.” Throughout the year, we’ll post articles which relate to…
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.
Murder in the Maze
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
The Seven Great Detectives / 7人の名探偵
Yukito Ayatsuji ’s The Decagon House Murders was published in 1987, and is credited with kick-starting the shin-honkaku (new orthodox) mov...
[Commentary/Analysis] True Gothic Form & Black Butler: Book of Murder
Source: In school, I quite liked the Gothic novel. I like a lot of old literature, but the Gothic is something that has always drawn me in despite…
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.
Mystery of the Glowing Eye
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Graveyard Kitaro, Spooky Kitaro, Spooky Kitaro, Gegege no Kitarou (1985), Doraemon
Why the NFL Hall of Fame is Misleading
(Note: This could technically apply to the Hall of Fame moniker in any competitive sport, but football is the only one I care enough about, so I titled…
The Human Wall / 人間の壁/ Ningen no kabe (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #113 Kyoko Kagawa Fumiko (Kyoko Kagawa) is a teacher at an elementary school in Saga Prefecture in the south of Japa...
The Mystery of the Evil Eye
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Desperate peasants recruit samurai protectors in Akira Kurosawa’s classic historical epic back in UK cinemas Oct. 29
Otona no Yuricon 2020 (大人のユリコン2020)
After a prolonged trip across the ocean, a long-awaited doujinshi has finally arrived at my home. And, like clockwork, the Melonbooks website is down for maintenance, so I…
Every Trick In The Book (鳩の撃退法, Hideta Takahata, 2021)
A down on his luck writer finds himself at the centre of a mystery only how much is truth and how much fiction in Hideta Takahata’s literary mystery.
The Liquid Matthew Murder: The Murder of Francisco Patino Gutierrez
In Hialeah, Miami, Florida on Sunday December 6th, 1983 two joggers were out running in the evening when they came across a man lying face-down in a car…
Great Pretender – 14 – Fake is in the Eye of the Beholder
Laurent goes all out renting out a damn castle for his intentionally over-the-top art auction for the ages that James Coleman has no choice but to attend. Despite his…
Tokyo Sweetheart (東京の恋人, Yasuki Chiba, 1952)
A fake ring causes untold chaos in a small corner of Ginza in Yasuki Chiba’s charming ensemble rom-com.
House on Fire (火宅の人, Kinji Fukasaku, 1986)
An anxious writer fears collapse under the weight of fatherhood in Kinji Fuksaku’s adaptation of the autobiographical novel of Kazuo Dan.
Hametsu no Koibito, Volume 1 (破滅の恋人)
We recently had the pleasure of three guest reviews for Plongée dans la nuit, the French edition of Yoru to Umi, by Goumoto. I had read the first…
The Book of Bantorra (Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra)
Book of Bantorra is definitely more than its fan service – though if you need some, then the costumes for Noloty and Chesty La Rue Hamyuts Meseta will…
Pattern of Murder
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人, Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
A fugitive princess offers a new hope for a peaceful and prosperous socitey in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era epic.
Rainbow Over the Pacific (夜明けの二人, Yoshitaro Nomura, 1968)
An unserious man begins to grow up while chasing love in Hawaii in a cheerful if ultimately downbeat musical celebration of the centenary of Japanese migration to Hawaii.
“Kawaii Hito” or how beauty is in the eye of the beholder
“Kawaii Hito” might look like a horror manga but I assure you there’s nothing scary about it (unless you’re scared of getting diabetes that is).😆 Looks can be…
Murder in F Sharp
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)』のあとがき
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)』のあとがき
Samurai Kids (水の旅人-侍KIDS-, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993)
A small boy grows closer to the natural world while guiding a tiny samurai on his journey to the sea in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s charming family adventure.
Another Revisit in the Eye-Patch Girl Era
Another is a horror-mystery anime from 2012. I first saw it and reviewed it at the beginning of my blog writing. For Halloween, I added it to my…
Made in Abyss – S2 05 – Within the Eye
After his encounter with Faputa Reg is not only lost, but being tenaciously pursued by a turbinid-dragon, who is able to read his moves and even chip his…
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, Made in Abyss
The Most Terrible Time in My Life (我が人生最悪の時, Kaizo Hayashi, 1994)
PI/projectionist Maiku Hama becomes embroiled in a burgeoning turf war while trying to help a friend in the first instalment in Kaizo Hayashi’s noir trilogy.
A Very GLORIO 2021: Aqua’s Hall of Fame
As the year draws to a close, Aqua provides an overview of the most memorable and interesting characters he got to meet during these four seasons of anime…
The Unsolved Murder of Frank Newbery
Frank Newbery was a World War II veteran. He operated the convenience store Frank’s Ham & Beef at 27 Union Street, Cooks Hill, located in the inner-city of…
Alien’s Daydream 地球星人(エイリアン)は空想する (2023) Director: Yoshiki Matsumoto [Nippon Connection 2024]
Yoshiki Matsumoto’s Alien’s Daydream 地球星人(エイリアン)は空想する (2023) is a low-budget movie but goes from a mockumentary and multimedia flood aesthetic to utterly beautiful imagery that hints at…
Undead Murder Farce – 11 – In the Doghouse
Following another unsettling monochromatic flashback involving werewolves convict and execute a pregnant woman via Giant Jenga, back in the present the Royce agents report they were unable to…
Book ‘The Early Reception of Manga in the West’ published
I’m thrilled and excited that my PhD thesis has now been published in print: The Early Reception of Manga in the WestCh. A. Bachmann Verlag 2023ISBN 978-3-96234-077-3 It…
Wrath of Desire (愛・殺, Zero Chou, 2021)
A religious lawyer’s ordered existence is turned upside down by her attraction to a female tattoo artist accused of murder in Zero Chou’s heady drama
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Obsession of the Woman from Peony Hall
Tonight's story is a variation on a folktale that is famous all over the world. The Tale of the Peony Lantern has been featured in A-Yokai-A-Day before, and…