Anime Blog Tracker

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.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 5, 2023 • Subscribe

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.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 16, 2023 • Subscribe

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…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 19, 2023 • Subscribe

JAPAN CUTS Announces 2023 Lineup

At Japan Society New York July 26 to Aug. 6

Windows on Worlds

Jun 22, 2023 • Subscribe

Kubi (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

One of best period dramas in recent years.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 3, 2024 • Subscribe

Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

A fabulous narrative that explores the destructive effects caused by the radical misunderstanding that marks the field of speech and the refusal to speak to one’s child as…

psycho-cinematography

Jan 23, 2024 • Subscribe

Hand (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Matsui avoids delivering an exploitative erotic piece merely to be enjoyed by male audiences.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 22, 2023 • Subscribe

Japan Cuts 2018 Film Festival at the Japan Society

This past few weeks I  volunteered for the Japan Society Film Department’s annual Japan Cuts film festival, which screens a host of new Japanese blockbusters, avant-garde films, and…

踊る猿life is kyōgen

Aug 3, 2018 • Subscribe

Best Wishes To All (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

A surprisingly satisfying horror-narrative

psycho-cinematography

Dec 3, 2023 • Subscribe

The Legend and The Butterfly (2023) [Japan Cuts 2023]

The combination of historical anchor points, a phantasmatic romance to link those points together, and satisfying burst of action will surely be able to satisfy those who thirst…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 31, 2023 • Subscribe

Six Singing Women (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

A great narrative, yet one that stumbles over its own thematical fixation

psycho-cinematography

Aug 18, 2024 • Subscribe

Father of The Milky Way Railroad (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

By being able to rely on such talent, Narushima is able to deliver a narrative that gracefully moves the spectator and elegantly provokes spectator’s emotions and tears.

psycho-cinematography

Sep 3, 2023 • Subscribe

Kubi 首 (2023) Director: Takeshi Kitano [Japan Cuts 2024]

Kubi 首 (2023), directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a historical epic that amps up the violence and sex for satire’s sake as Kitano takes aim at the absurd samurai social…

Genkinahito

Jul 17, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Nezumikozō Jirokichi (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

The mix of elements supports the film’s aim well, that is to entice spectators to seek out the three films that remain from this somewhat forgotten master

psycho-cinematography

Jul 13, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Social Circles (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

A highly experimental and conceptual experience that might not be for everyone

psycho-cinematography

Jul 16, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Hail Mary (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

Nakamura succeeds in making the spectator care for Maria and impact him/her emotionally with her tragedy.   

psycho-cinematography

Jun 23, 2024 • Subscribe

A Preview of Japan Cuts 2023 (July 26th – August 06th)

Details on the line-up for Japan Cuts 2023 (July 26th – August 06th)

Genkinahito

Jun 28, 2023 • Subscribe

THE FIRST SLAM DUNK

JAPAN CUTS Announces 2024 Lineup

At Japan Society New York from July 10 to 21

Windows on Worlds

Jul 3, 2024 • Subscribe

Kubi 首 (2023) Director: Takeshi Kitano, Shuta Takahata [Japan Cuts 2024]

Kubi 首 (2023), directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a historical epic that amps up the violence and sex for satire’s sake as Kitano takes aim at the absurd samurai social…

Genkinahito

Jul 17, 2024 • Subscribe

The Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Those spectators that love to release their stress by releasing tears will be very satisfied by Kitamura’s narrative.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 13, 2023 • Subscribe

Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Yamamoto is not able to create a composition that engages the spectator with its highly relevant message.”

psycho-cinematography

Feb 10, 2024 • Subscribe

Special - Japan Cuts Film Festival 2024

  Table of Contents Hello everyone, Once again this year, the Heroic Purgatory podcast is covering the Japan Cuts 2024 film…

Heroic Purgatory

Jul 21, 2024 • Subscribe

Whale Bones 鯨の骨 (2023) Director: Takamasa Oe [Japan Cuts 2024]

Takamasa Oe’s social media mystery turns into a satire of living life online as a hapless website worker tries to find a missing AR girl in his beautifully…

Genkinahito

Jul 13, 2024 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Prize Announces Winners for 44th Edition

Fukushima 50 takes home 6 awards but misses out on Picture to Midnight Swan which also takes actor for Tsuyoshi Kusanagi 

Windows on Worlds

Mar 19, 2021 • Subscribe

SOLO LEVELING wins “best anime” at Astra Awards

"Solo Leveling" has been crowned "best anime" at the Astra TV Awards, with English VA Aleks Le accepting the award on the show's behalf.

K-Comics Beat

Dec 10, 2024 • Subscribe

Solo Leveling

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Winners for 45th Edition

International festival hit Drive My Car picking up awards in all eight nominated categories while Best Actress goes to Kasumi Arimura

Windows on Worlds

Mar 11, 2022 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Winners for 48th Edition

Surprise indie hit A Samurai in Time takes the top prize with Michihito Fujii nabbing Best Director. Ryusei Yokohama also took best actor for Faceless alongside Yuumi Kawai…

Windows on Worlds

Mar 14, 2025 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Nominees for 48th Edition

This year’s frontrunner is Michihito’s Fujii’s Netflix movie Faceless which is nominated for 13 awards in 12 categories.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 1, 2025 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Nominees for 47th Edition

The Japan Academy Film Prize, Japan’s equivalent of the Oscars awarded by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals, has announced the candidate list for its 47th edition which h…

Windows on Worlds

Jan 25, 2024 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Nominees for 45th Edition

Last of the Wolves dominates with 13 nominations across 12 categories while Takahisa Zeze’s In the Wake trails closely with 12

Windows on Worlds

Jan 18, 2022 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Winners for 47th Edition

Godzilla Minus One takes Best Picture while Sakura Ando picks up both leading and supporting actress.

Windows on Worlds

Mar 8, 2024 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Winners for 46th Edition

The Japan Academy Film Prize, Japan’s equivalent of the Oscars awarded by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals, has announced the winners for its 46th edition which honours …

Windows on Worlds

Mar 10, 2023 • Subscribe

Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Nominees for 46th Edition

Kei Ishikawa’s A Man sweeps the board with 13 nominations, while Shin Ultraman and Ryuichi Hiroki’s Phases of the Moon pick up multiple nominations.

Windows on Worlds

Jan 24, 2023 • Subscribe

School Radio to Major Tom (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Takuya Chisaka's short film School Radio to Major Tom.

VCinema

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Understanding Obayashi: House (1977)

Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House is an incredible film, and here I talk about some of its cultural context and thematic meanings.

Ostensibly Extant

Mar 31, 2024 • Subscribe

Motion Picture: Choke 映画（窒息) (2023) Director: Gen Nagao [Japan Cuts 2024]

Gen Nagao’s Motion Picture: Choke 映画（窒息) (2023), is a complete surprise with its post-apocalyptic dialogue-free story centred on a cavewoman and sterling action set pieces [Japan Cuts 2024]…

Genkinahito

Jul 11, 2024 • Subscribe

Japan Cuts Announces Lineup for 2021 Hybrid Edition

In-person & online Aug. 20 – Sept. 2

Windows on Worlds

Aug 17, 2021 • Subscribe

Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…

psycho-cinematography

Oct 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Town Without Sea (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A visually engaging narrative about the nature of happiness and the importance of desire that is highly relevant for Japanese youth.”

psycho-cinematography

Sep 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”    

psycho-cinematography

Sep 12, 2021 • Subscribe

Talking The Pictures (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Mayayuki’s celebration of cinematic history deeply satisfies the spectator’s desire to see cinema as an experience that can touch our being and the art of the benshi triumph.&#82…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Hiroku The Goblin (1991) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

‘A classic that offers an unforgettable experience that is as touchingly lighthearted as is it disturbingly horrifying.’

psycho-cinematography

Sep 3, 2021 • Subscribe

News recap: RIP Nobuhiko Obayashi

Welcome back! Hopefully everyone is following good social distancing guidelines, but in case you need some help, our favorite kaiju heroes are here to help:   On to…

Maser Patrol

Apr 15, 2020 • Subscribe

Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron" Wins Big at BAFTA

The award marks a pivotal moment for anime in the United Kingdom

The Accidental Otaku - The Official JMaz Anime Substack

Feb 21, 2024 • Subscribe

The Boy and the Heron

Short Movie Time: Bottle George (2024) [Japan Cuts 2024]

An instant stop-motion classic

psycho-cinematography

Jun 26, 2024 • Subscribe

Kiba: Fangs of Fiction (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Daihachi Yoshida succeeds in turning Shiota’s interesting story and fascinating world of publishing and bookstores into an engaging and pleasant filmic narrative.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

All The Long Nights (2024) review [Japan Cuts 2024]

A splendid drama that shows how symptoms can disturb a subject’s life and how the social field attains its cruel complexity due to the riddle of desire.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 20, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Honeymoon (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A pleasing narrative about the arbitrariness of language and culture.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 9, 2021 • Subscribe

When Akio Wins

Akio Ohtori is one of the most insidious villains in anime because of his predatory nature. This post isn’t exactly about Akio, though. It’s about what happens when…

Anime Rants

Nov 7, 2024 • Subscribe

In First, Gay Couple in Japan Wins Common Law Marriage Designation

For the first time in Japan, a local government recognized same-sex spouses as a common-law marriage. It could start a trend.

Unseen Japan

Jun 8, 2024 • Subscribe