A satisfying narrative that illustrates how the subject’s ego is but a response to his complexes and struggles.
Mar 5, 2024 • Subscribe
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Amalock (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A narrative that fluidly combines comedy and tragedy to deliver an experience of smiles and tears.
Snowdrop (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A complex character portrait that touchingly illustrates how easy it is to misrecognize the logic of the subject-supposed-to-be-in-need.
Suton (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
Rikako Watanabe’s narrative succeeds to echo the unvocalized ‘pandemic’ truth of many.
Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.
Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”
Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…
Blue Imagine (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A powerful reminder of the sexual transgressions that structurally plague the Japanese film industry
Wash Away (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A pleasant narrative that offers a fresh but familiar exploration of the subject’s fundamental desire for recognition/love and the problematic yet medicative function of consumption.
Sumiko 22 (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A subtle but playful narrative about a subject who slowly tries to crawl out the hole of emptiness and diminished self-worth.
The Light Of The Spring (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An experimental ‘dramamentary’ that succeeds to charm and touch the spectator with its rich mundane and genuine interactions.”
Our House Party (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
Sanka: Nomads of the Mountains (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A visually enticing narrative that elegantly explores the unresolvable tension between the societal Other and the subject.”
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
Faraway Family (2023) review [OAFF 2024]
A very touching narrative that explores the frail position of the father and how his structural failure can cause subjective struggles and inhibitions.
Far Away, Further Away (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A beautiful film that elegantly explores the role the imaginary plays in marital failure as well as in the beginning of a new romantic bond.”
Short Movie Time: Outsourcing (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”
Memories of this Scent (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
An endearing and fragrance rich tale of subjective change.
Short Movie Time: Ririka of the Star (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A narrative that does not merely emphasize the beauty of moving female body, but reveals that such beauty can change subjects.
Short Movie Time: Bagmati River (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A beautiful poetic short that elegantly plays with the contrast between life and death.”
Short Movie Review: Natsuko (2020) [OAFF 2022]
“A splendid debut by Shuna Iijima.”
Short Movie Time: Perfect・Nervous (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
An exquisitely crafted narrative that touchingly shows that a simple encounter, a simple exchange of signifiers, can turn a wish to die into a desire to life.
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Yuasa’s narrative shows that the unavoidable presence of death during a funeral can allow a subject to re-route his own trajectory.
Short Movie Time: On a Boat (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
The exploration of the frail stability of an obsessional neurotic does not miss its impact on the spectator.
The Wonder Of a Summer Day (2022) [OAFF 2022]
“A visually pleasing narrative that underlines, in a charming and touching way, the importance for the subject to find the kind of signifiers that can unlock his/her deadlock.”
North Shinjuku 2055 (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Daisuke Miyazaki's sci-fi short North Shinjuku 2055.
Review: Moon Man (2022)
Moon Man 独行月球 China, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 120 mins. Director: Zhang Chiyu 张吃鱼. Rating: 6/10. Beijing troupe Ma Hua FunAge goes full-on sci-fi with a man stranded on…
Out of TOKYO 202x (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Akinori Ikuse's short film Out of TOKYO 202x.
To Be Killed by a High School Girl (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“The effective interaction between his fluid composition, the great narrative structure, and the thematical exploration of trauma and perverse fantasies ensures that the film hits all the rig…
Short movie time: North Shinjuku 2055 (2021) review [OAFF 2022]
“A pleasant experimental short.”
Review: ALIEN IDOL shoots for the moon
Alien Idol pays homage to the high-concept shojo comics of the 1990s, with ideas and style to match. But can it live up to those standards?
Cafune (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A very strong debut by Haruki Kinemura.
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You S1 Review
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The Burden Of The Past (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
With his latest drama film, Funahashi’s delivers a contender for this year’s best Japanese film.
Anime That is Over the Moon for the Moon!
By now everyone has probably already heard about the spectacular launch of the Artemis One mission by NASA. As we watch anime here on Earth, the Artemis rocket…
Ask The Con Nazi
Japanese animation, anime, cartoons, manga, 1960-1990, Tezuka, Miyazaki, Ishinomori, Matsumoto, Yamato, Gatchaman, Star Blazers, Captain Harlock
V. Maria (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
The neatly interwoven narrative fabric, which evokes the dimension of loss in various forms, beautifully sketches out the importance for the subject to construct a narrative to support…
Good Luck (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
Shin Adachi utilizes the dynamic of the encounter to examine the problem of desiring within the societal field and the way desire give rise to misunderstanding between subjects.
Yoyogi Johnny (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
Kimura’s choice to give the tragical dimension of love a deadpan comical twist pays off, creating a unique narrative that will resonate with youth and those who have…
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Ask John: Why is Sailor Moon Such an Iconic Success?
Question: What makes Sailor Moon such an iconic global franchise among anime fans, despite other magical girl anime sharing similar traits such as action-oriented plots, drama, in-depth world-building…
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2 Review
AstroNerdBoy reviews the anime series TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2, which is mostly innocent fluff that is easily forgotten.
AstroNerdBoy's Anime & Manga Blog
TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You, TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You Season 2
Anime Review 227 TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You
In every anime season, you always have that one or couple of shows that you watched the premiere episode, only to put it on hold until the show…
Review: Table for Six (2022)
Table for Six 饭戏攻心 Hong Kong, 2022, colour, 2.35:1, 117 mins. Director: Chen Yongshen 陈咏燊 [Sunny Chan]. Rating: 6/10. Relationships comedy about three half-brothers and their girlfriends has…
Review: Go for Broke (2024)
Go for Broke 重生 China/Hong Kong, 2024, colour, 2.35:1, 113 mins. Director: Ma Yuke 马浴柯. Rating: 7/10. Another tough, twisty crime drama by Mainland actor-turned-director Ma Yuke, with…
Sailor Moon Fan Club Pretty Guardians Opens Enrollment For 2024
The Sailor Moon fan club is open for 2024! The official Sailor Moon Fan Club,...
Short Movie Time: Shall We Love You? (2022) [OAFF 2023]
A nice little heart-warming short that questions the connection between love and happiness.
Interview with Kasho Iizuka, Director of Angry Son [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher talks to Kasho Iizuka about his drama Angry Son.