An alienated young man maps out moral failure and eases his sense of futility through empty threats of violence in Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s dark youth drama.
Sep 13, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Jungle Block (地図のない町, Ko Nakahira, 1960)
A jaded doctor finds himself fixating on vengeance when the slum he lives in is targeted for redevelopment in Ko Nakahira’s searing noir.
A Town Not on the Map / 地図のない町 / Chizu no mai machi (aka ‘The Jungle Block’, 1960)
Obscure Japanese Film #127 Yoko Minamida Ryoji Hayama Shinsuke (Ryoji Hayama) is a young doctor who has had to resign from his post at a...
A Son (二十歳の息子, Ryuichi Shimada, 2022)
Documentarian Ryuichi Shimada follows a social worker who decides to adopt a 20-year-old man recently released from juvenile detention.
The Inferno (地獄, Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1979)
No one can escape from their sins according to the ominous voiceover that opens Tatsumi Kumashiro’s loose reimagining of Nobuo Nakagawa’s Jigoku, The Inferno (地獄, Jigoku). Then again,…
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園)
Jigoku Hanazono (地獄の花園) is absolute trash, hilarious and unforgivable, and probably puzzling to anyone who isn’t deeply interested in girl-gang lore. It’s a movie tailored almost …
図書館
A trip to the new Haruki Murakami Library - How to Japanese - March 2022
いい歳
How to Know You're in the Good Old Days - How to Japanese - May 2021
Crossroad (死の十字路, Umetsugu Inoue, 1956)
An adulterous industrialist’s life unravels after he accidentally kills his wife and tries to cover up the crime in Umetsugu Inoue’s gothic noir.
Golden Partners (黄金のパートナー, Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1979)
Two aimless best friends team up with a young woman looking for her missing father to find long lost wartime gold in Kiyoshi Nishimura’s breezy adventure.
The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor (十階のモスキート, Yoichi Sai, 1983)
A beaten-down beat cop’s existential crisis progressively deepens after he throws himself into financial ruin to buy a computer in Yoichi Sai’s debut feature.
Eleven Samurai (十一人の侍, Eiichi Kudo, 1967)
Faced with dissolution, a wronged clan plots revenge against a selfish and entitled young lord in Eiichi Kudo’s nihilistic jidaigeki.
Apart from Life (地の群れ, Kei Kumai, 1970)
Marginalised communities turn against each other while locked out of an increasingly prosperous society in Kei Kumai’s uncompromising post-war drama
The House of Hanging (病院坂の首縊りの家, Kon Ichikawa, 1979)
A legacy of familial trauma engulfs a once noble house in Kindaichi’s final and most complicated case
銀魂 - 鍋は人生の縮図である (25)
GinTama - The hot-pot is a microcosm of life Episode 25
Dead Angle (白昼の死角, Toru Murakawa, 1979)
A narcissistic conman takes ironic revenge on the post-war society in Toru Murakawa’s nihilistic crime drama.
Strange Map
Strange Map (変な地図), published in October 2025, is the fourth book written by Uketsu, the bestselling author of Strange Pictures and Strange Houses. Unlike Uketsu’s previous books, which…
The Guard From Underground (地獄の警備員, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1992)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa positions an office building as an industrial hell but suggests it’s only one of many hazards to be aware of for a woman in the corporate…
Leaving on the 15th Spring (旅立ちの島唄～十五の春～, Yasuhiro Yoshida, 2013)
“How many of them will come back?” a man on the shore ominously asks as he watches the young people of his island ship out to pursue their…
Judai no seiten / 十代の性典 (‘Teenage Sex Book’, 1953)
Obscure Japanese Film #114 Ayako Wakao When high school student Fusae (Yoko Minamida) is excused from PE one day due to having her perio...
Beyond the Werefox Whistle - Map
Beyond the Werefox Whistle Written by Uehashi Nahoko Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai WORLD MAP
Hotaru Road Map
A road trip of self discovery awaits the changed protagonist of tonight’s show and tell, a chronicle of one woman’s newfound mobility as she leaves behind familiar friends…
MAL Map Revisited
One common complaint with MAL Map is that it shows sequels of anime. And when I came back, it was changed for the better. So now, I decide…
BLEND-S, Ro-Kyu-Bu ~ Fast Break!, The Devil is a Part-Timer!, Bunny Drop, Wagnaria!!
九条櫻子 (Kujou Sakurako)
Who is Kujou Sakurako? Kujou Sakurako is the protagonist of Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru, a highly intelligent osteologist with a fascination for human remains.…
The Guard From Underground 地獄の警備員 (1992) Remaster Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
The Guard From Underground 地獄の警備員 (1992) Remaster, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is a solid slasher film that features a psychotic sumo wrestler smashing the world of corporate Japan.…
The Execution Game (1979) review
A satisfying and stylish conclusion full of captivating action-sequences.
A Bullet Hole Underground (地下街の弾痕, Kazuo Mori, 1949)
A lovelorn policeman finds himself investigating the murder of an old flame’s husband in Kazuo Mori’s procedural drama.
Special - Alien (1979)
Hello everyone, In a season of female action heroes for the Heroic Purgatory podcast, we tackle what may be perhaps the first female action hero in the history of…
A Dangerous Age / 続十代の性典 / Zoku judai no seiten (1953)
Obscure Japanese Film #118 Ayako Wakao The Japanese title of this film (which translates as ‘Teenage Sex Diary Sequel’) is somewhat misl...
Let’s Have A Dream (九ちゃんのでっかい夢, Yoji Yamada, 1967)
Fearing he has a terminal disease a young man falls into despair little knowing he is the heir to a Swiss fortune in Yoji Yamada’s nonsense comedy.
I Discovered MAL Map
When browsing the anime subreddit, I found this website called MAL Map. It is an interactive map showing relationships between different anime based on their vibe. I’m having…
The New Voyage Time Machine, 1979
Contained here is a complete record of media coverage for The New Voyage from the first teaser to the last lookback, spanning all of 1979. April 9: Middle…
![Featured image for Jigoku-no-Hanazono: Office Royale (地獄の花園, Kazuaki Seki, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210909/1631146394.21046.47019.jpg)
Jigoku-no-Hanazono: Office Royale (地獄の花園, Kazuaki Seki, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
Office ladies go to war in Kazuaki Seki’s anarchic, Bakarhythm-scripted transposition of the yankee manga to the world of the OL
1979 Voice Actor interviews
In the wake of The New Voyage, the popularity of Yamato‘s voice actors continued to grow in parallel with Yamato itself and the overall anime boom it helped…
Yoshinobu Nishizaki profile, 1979
The magazine Gallantmen was so close in style and content to the Japanese Playboy, you could have switched covers and not known the difference. Why has it come…
From Dennou Coil To The Orbital Children: Mitsuo Iso, Animating The Future
Nearly 15 years since the cult hit Dennou Coil, its spiritual successor The Orbital Children has just been released. This is the story of how and why they…
The Rest of Our Lives (ラストターン 福山健二71歳、二度目の青春, Shinji Kuma, 2023)
A pair of elderly men struggle to find meaning in their lives in the face of well-meaning infantilism and health anxiety in Shinji Kuma’s warmhearted ageing drama.
Toshiyuki Inoue discusses three decades of Mitsuo Iso – Interview
Legendary animator Toshiyuki Inoue discusses his relationship to animator and director Mitsuo Iso for The Orbital Children's release.
Fire Festival (火まつり, Mitsuo Yanagimachi, 1985)
A proud mountain man goes to great lengths to hold back the tides of modernity in Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s poetic fable
Vintage Report 18: February 1979
As Yamato 2 moved into its post-Telezart phase with four very compelling episodes, development continued on The New Voyage, media coverage intensified, and new books kept the world…
Kanada and Tomonaga, 1978-1979
This article is an annex to this piece 1979 was no doubt a busy year in the anime industry, and especially so in the careers of Yoshinori Kanada…
Vintage Report 17: January 1979
At the dawn of 1979, Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s Office Academy studio was on the highest trajectory ever seen in the TV anime industry, which at the time was just…
Office Academy brochure, May 1979
Anticipating the character of the times: ACADEMY ’79-’80 This is the front and back cover of a unique time capsule of anime history, the 16-page company brochure for…
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1979) - Episode 02
Episode 02: A Journey to Distant Lands The journey continues. Email | Discord Download it on Nyaa!
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1979) - Episode 01
Episode 01: A Journey to Distant Lands The journey begins. Email | Discord Download it on Nyaa!
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1979) - Episode 03
Episode 03: The Two Priests The journey continues. Email | Discord Download it on Nyaa!
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1979) - Episode 04
Episode 04: Farewell, the Star of Nafud The journey continues. Email | Discord Download it on Nyaa!
Ultimate Cherry Blossom Map in Kanto
Home to the Greater Tokyo Area, the Kanto Region offers easy access to a variety of beautiful sakura viewing spots.
Ultimate Cherry Blossom Map in Kyushu
Kyushu, a volcanic mountainous region in southern Japan, offers scenic seasonal views, especially in spring.
Cherry Blossoms in Hokkaido | Ultimate Map
The Hokkaido region in northern Japan offers cherry blossoms viewing spots later in the season for sakura viewing.