A young man seeks justice for a fallen friend in Toru Murakawa’s grimy neo-noir.
Sep 7, 2024 • Subscribe
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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.
The Shootout (凶弾, Toru Murakawa, 1982)
A trio of teenage boys end up on the run after an altercation with a needlessly authoritarian police officer in Toru Murakawa’s empathetic social drama.
Break Out (行き止まりの挽歌 ブレイクアウト, Toru Murakawa, 1988)
A maverick cop realises he can only enforce the law by breaking it in Toru Murakawa’s hardboiled ’80s noir.
Target (標的, Shinji Nishijima, 2021)
Shinji Nishijima’s documentary follows former Asahi Shimbun journalist Takashi Uemura as he continues to fight for press freedom in an increasingly authoritarian Japan.
The Target of Roses (薔薇の標的, Kiyoshi Nishimura, 1972)
A melancholy sharpshooter finds himself caught up in conspiracy when hired by fascist revolutionaries in Kiyoshi Nishimura’s paranoia thriller.
生成AIの台頭と知的活動の隔絶の心配
AIが発達しても好奇心旺盛な人間、自己顕示欲が強くこだわりが強い創作者、頭の良さがずば抜けている人たち、天邪鬼、変人、狂人は創作や研究において頭角を現し続けるであろう。これは変わらないと思う。しかし頭のねじが壊れていない、その他大勢の方々は知的探求において受け身に甘んじたり思考が単純化しそうで怖い。 趣味の世界で没頭できる余裕がある人は大丈夫だろうけど、駆け出しの十代や日々の生活でかつかつな人たちからすればじっくり研究したり徐々に技を磨く工程が「贅沢な道楽」となってしまうのではないだろうか。 努力せずともそこそこ面白い想像や探究が可能とするAIだが、思考や論理組み立ての基礎が脆弱な段階からAIに依存するとカンペだよりと同じ結果になりそう。計算機を使う前に基礎的な計算方法を知らないとミスが発生しても対応に苦慮するのと同じである。計算機やAIをけなしているのではなく、それを使いこなす教育の不十分さと人間の怠慢さを危惧しているのだが…… また創作や研究への情熱を理解できない人はその重要性を「有効性」「生産性」や「人気」でしか図ることができなくなり、ますます人間の特権である遊び心の領域が退化する不安が先走る。杞憂であればよいのだが。 そもそも知的作業を営む人間の数がごく一部になってしまい、最先端にいる人とその他大勢の間に大きな隔たりが生まれると中世ヨーロッパのように「ラテン語の出来る人とできない人」のように認識能力においてかなり決定的な差異が発生しかねない心配をしている。 中世においてラテン語ができれば古代の知識や遠方の人間との交流を可能とする学術の言語だった。ラテン語ができれば自らの研究が共有されやすく、他者の知的探求を認知しやすくなる。いっぽうラテン語ができない人間は他者（権力者その他）による解説に依存することにある。 これまで人は創作や研究における競争が行き過ぎると、その内容ではなく人格攻撃やプラットフォームでの上げ足取りや人気取りの小手先を重要視する傾向がある。もちろんこれは兼光の個人的な印象でしかないが、日米を比較したり、これまでのメディア業界の歴史を振り返るとそのような事象が目立つのだ。巨大な統一プラットフォームでの勝ち組負け組形成による不均衡の増大より、複数のプラットフォームで色々な競争があったの方が文化は豊かになると思っている。 プラットフォームの集約と生成AIの問題は別だが、片方がもう片方を悪化させる可能性は否めないのではないだろうか。 すごい作品ばかりが立ち並ぶ領域にいきなり立たされると人は委縮しやすい。最初は身近な箱庭がいい。家庭の中で、学校で、同人誌即売会の中で――ローカルで技を磨き、やがて本当に上を目指す人はより大きなステージへ。 しかし生成AIから手軽に研究・創作できると最初からグローバルでの競争となるために、気軽に身近な場所で下手の横好きから創作・研究が始められず、挫折する人が増えそうな気がして仕方ない。 これがすべて50代中盤のおっさんの身勝手な心配であればいいのだが……
Like a Savage (野蛮人のように, Toru Kawashima, 1985)
A blocked writer is dragged into intrigue while searching for “adventure in the night” in Toru Kawashima zeitgeisty drama.
Laughing Target
Orphan concludes (for now) its Rumiko Takahashi festival with the third Rumic World OVA, 1987's Warau Hyouteki ( Laughing Target ). This is...
Death Note, Laughing Target, Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro, Nozomi Witches, One Pound Gospel
Michio Murakawa Interview, October 2022
From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 15 Celebrating the resumption of the comicalized version of Yamato 2199! The comicalize version aims for the summit of…
Albino (アルビノ, Toru Kamei, 2016)
Two women struggle to free themselves from the abuses of a patriarchal and conservative society in Toru Kamei’s tragic lesbian romance
Jack the Poetical Private / 詩的私的ジャック
Despite its focus on STEM, the S&M series sure seems to have an aversion to formula. While the previous book broke the mold by moving from...
The 11 Cats (11ぴきのねこ) and Other Tales (1976, 1980)
At long last, a certain dream of mine for almost four years now has come true—namely, for Group TAC’s long-forgotten classic film The 11 Cats, which was originally…
OVA October: Hell Target
With this entry, I had a note that the anime youtuber Hazel mentioned this title at some point. I’m not sure in a good or bad way, but…
Toward the Terra (1980)
Toward the Terra (1980) I tend to really enjoy stories that feature big concepts – especially imaginings of the future, and Toward the Terra features both of those…
Voice actor roundtable, 1980
In September 1980, a book titled Be Forever Yamato Setting Data Collection presented a wealth of material on the film. It included a conversation between four veteran voice…
1980 Lookback, mecha designs
From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 15 (October 2022): mecha designers Arashi Ishizau and Mika Akitaka look back at the progressive year 1980 and share…
Bona (Lino Brocka, 1980)
A young woman besotted with a bit player actor attempts to change her life but finds little in the way of freedom in Lino Brocka’s searing character study.
5 Facts to Know About Hagakure Toru
While we don’t know what Hagakure looks like, she claims that she looks like a cross between Yang Guifei and Francis Xavier.Toru’s favourite food is caramel, her favourite…
Vintage Report 27: July 1980
This was the last round before the premiere of Be Forever Yamato in theaters, and thus became the single busiest month in all of Yamato history until the…
Astro Boy (1980) 40th Anniversary
It’s the 40th Anniversary of Astro’s colour version this year! A fact which makes me realise that this particular show and I are getting on a bit (I’m…
Crazy Thunder Road (1980) review
“A nihilistic and wild exploration of the self-destructive nature of a relentless search for a dose of pleasure.”
Vintage Report 32: December 1980
As we look back over the entire sweep of 1980, December was the lightest month with the least amount of activity. That wasn’t the case for Yoshinobu Nishizaki,…
Vintage Report 26: June 1980
As Toei Studio’s animation staff labored through their final month on Be Forever Yamato, the publicity machine ramped up with major media coverage and the first live events…
Kaiju Transmissions podcast: Virus (1980)
While there hasn’t been a new Maser Patrol episode in a hot minute, Kevin (along with author John LeMay) had a chance to drop by the Kaiju Transmissions…
Vintage Report 29: September 1980
As Be Forever Yamato closed its premiere run in Japanese theaters, spinoff media became more concentrated as the first dedicated books appeared, and magazines became the first source…
Yoshinobu Nishizaki interview, September 1980
From the pages of Kobunsha’s digest magazine Gem (October 1980 issue) comes this conversation with Yoshinobu Nishizaki on the occasion of Be Forever Yamato, including side treks into…
Vintage Report 30: October 1980
You have to push pretty hard to top the premiere of a new TV series, but the publishing community did its best with the last big wave of…
Vintage Report 31: November 1980
After Yamato III‘s first month on the air, Be Forever was still rippling through the publishing world and all seemed well in camp. At least on the surface.…
Vintage Report 28: August 1980
The enormous momentum that built up in July burst wide open on the first two days of August with the hotly-anticipated premiere of Be Forever Yamato. Familiar patterns…
Magical Girls and their target demographic
Finally an excuse to talk about Punie-chan.
Rumik World: THE LAUGHING TARGET (1987)
I revisit one of Rumiko Takahashi's lesser known works.
Target: Girls’ Sailor Moon Cosplay Dress
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Crazy Thunder Road (1980) [Film Review]
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Manila by Night (Ishmael Bernal, 1980)
Contemporary youth is swallowed by the darkness of the Marcos-era capital in Ishmael Bernal’s meandering nocturnal epic.
1980 Lookback with Writer Hideki Oka
From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine, Vol. 15 (October 2022): 2202 and 2205 scriptwriter Hideki Oka looks back at the progressive year 1980 and recounts his…
Vintage Report 25: April/May 1980
The runup to summer 1980 was deceptively quiet on the surface, but momentum was building like a freight train underneath as Be Forever moved into the second half…
Vintage Report 24: January-March 1980
The new decade dawned with the making of a new Yamato adventure that would be just one part of Academy Studio’s busiest year of them all. While the…
Target: Girls’ Chibi Sailor Moon Short Sleeve
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OVA Week 4: Day 4 – Laughing Target
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Horror Films Seen in Theaters 1960-1980
A look back through my prime formative moviegoing years in the 1960s and ’70s reveals a wide range of different horror films seen in theaters then and I…
Be Forever Yamato (1980) – Love Travels Dimensions
The Be Forever Yamato Down Low In terms of continuity, this one does follow The New Voyage. The weird thing is it doesn’t feel like it at first.…
Firechick's Anime Reviews: Astro Boy (1980 Remake)
Rating : 70/100 On April 3rd, 1952, Osamu Tezuka started up a new manga that would later become not only one of his most iconic works, but become…
Kagemusha (影武者, Akira Kurosawa, 1980)
A thief reborn as a lord finds himself caught between the contradictions of the feudal order and the borders of identity in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era tragedy.
東京战争戦後秘話’ OST - Toru Takemitsu
The Man Who Left His Will on Film [Tokyo Senso Sengo Hiwa] Directed by: Nagisa Oshima 1970 Download
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OVA Week 4: Day 5 – Grey: Digital Target
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