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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 …
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,…
On This Earth / 地上 / Chijo (1957)
Obscure Japanese Film #150 Hitomi Nozoe and Hiroshi Kawaguchi Kanazawa, central Japan, c.1920. Heiichiro (Hiroshi Kawaguchi) is a student ...
School of the Holy Beast (聖獣学園, Norifumi Suzuki, 1974)
A young woman heads into the lions den in search of the truth of her past in Norifumi Suzuki’s feverish take on nunsploitation.
Takarazuka; God of Stars / Éclair Brillant (GOD OF STARS -食聖-』/『Éclair Brillant 』)
While we were in Tokyo for the 100 Years of Yurj Tour, a number of us went to see a Takarazuka musical revue. I wrote about it here…
The Last Dance (破·地獄, Anselm Chan, 2024)
A wedding-planner turned undertaker finds himself in conflict with an irascible Taoist priest in Anselm Chan’s touching dramedy.
Portrait of Hell (地獄変, Shiro Toyoda, 1969)
An artist finds himself in conflict with a cruel feudal lord when asked to paint a picture of heaven in Shiro Toyoda’s haunting adaptation of the Akutagawa story.
Restart the Earth (重启地球, Lin Zhenzhao, 2021)
A father tries to protect his daughter when the world is taken over by sentient plants in Lin Zhenzhao’s post-apocalyptic eco thriller.
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
100 Yards (门前宝地, Xu Junfeng, Xu Haofeng, 2023)
A scorned son fights to reclaim his paternal legacy in Xu Junfeng & Xu Haofeng’s martial arts drama.
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.
High and Low (天国と地獄, Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
A self-made millionaire faces a moral dilemma when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped in place of his own in Kurosawa’s post-war crime film.
Uraroji Romanya Monogatari (裏路地浪漫屋物語)
Uraroji Romanya Monogatari (裏路地浪漫屋物語) is a collection of Yuri stories by creator Kumosuzume. It’s a nice collection, with a variety of tones. The title story tells of a…
The Wandering Earth II (流浪地球2, Frant Gwo, 2023)
Humanity resolves to choose hope in the face of oncoming apocalypse in Frant Gwo’s sequel to the hit schi-fi drama
The Periphery of the Base (基地之侧, Zhou Tao, 2024)
Periphery is a strange word. It automatically suggests a border and that the speaker is on one side of it, yet unlike a horizon it implies an end…
Episode #102 (S13E03) – High and Low (1963) [天国と地獄]
YouTuber and fellow Japan resident Amanda Hartsell joins Perry in this episode to discuss capitalism and Japanese society as depicted in Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.
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…
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.
The Nineteen-Year-Old’s Map (十九歳の地図, Mitsuo Yanagimachi, 1979)
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.
Boonie Bears: Back to Earth (熊出没·重返地球, Lin Huida, 2022)
Fun-loving woodland bear Bramble gets the chance to become the hero he always wanted to be after teaming up with an alien cat in the latest outing for…
![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
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.…
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.
Samurai Wolf 2: Hell Cut (牙狼之介 地獄斬り, Hideo Gosha, 1967)
Kiba is again confronted with the duplicities of late Meiji society after being pulled into intrigue at a disused mine in Hideo Gosha’s striking chanbara.
Rampo Noir 乱歩地獄 (2005) Dirs: Suguru Takeuchi, Akio Jissoji, Hisyasu Sato, Atsushi Kaneko
The 2022 Halloween review is the anthology film Rampo Noir 乱歩地獄 (2005) Dirs: Suguru Takeuchi, Akio Jissoji, Hisyasu Sato, Atsushi Kaneko
Model-chan to Jimi Mane-san, Volume 2 (モデルちゃんと地味マネさん)
In Volume 1, we met Okabe-san, a new manager for top model Yuria-san. Yuri appears cool and remotes but that may well be because she’s so beautiful no…
Ping Pong: The Triumph (中国乒乓之绝地反击, Deng Chao & Yu Baimei, 2023)
A changing China tries to recapture its sense of possibility by regaining its reputation as a ping pong powerhouse in Deng Chao & Yu Baimei’s rousing table tennis…
![Featured image for Alien’s Daydream 地球星人（エイリアン）は空想する (2023) Director: Yoshiki Matsumoto [Nippon Connection 2024]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20240702/1719942929.86591.126419.jpg)
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…
![Featured image for Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210814/1628931797.19343.45002.jpg)
Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]
Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale is a funny battle comedy that satirises office culture and delinquent manga/films! Jigoku no Hanazono: Office Royale 地獄の花園 Director: Kazuaki Seki (2021) [New York …
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...