A middle-aged woman struggles to care for her father-in-law as his dementia intensifies in Shiro Toyoda’s empathetic drama.
Jan 6, 2025 • Subscribe
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The Twilight Years / 恍惚の人 / Kokotsu no hito (‘Senile Person’, 1973)
Obscure Japanese Film #153 Hideko Takamine and Takahiro Tamura Akiko (Hideko Takamine) is a middle-aged woman with an office job who lives...
Nightingale (鶯, Shiro Toyoda, 1938)
Residents of a small rural town find themselves caught in a moment of confusion amid encroaching modernity in Shiro Toyoda’s warmhearted drama.
Snow Country (雪国, Shiro Toyoda, 1957)
A self-absorbed, unappreciated painter is torn between an embittered geisha and her resentful yet pure sister in Toyoda’s adaptation of the classic Kawabata novel
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.
The Wind Blows Twice (風ふたゝび, Shiro Toyoda, 1952)
Following the failure of her marriage, a young woman finds herself caught between two suitors in Shiro Toyoda’s gentle romantic melodrama.
The Mannequin House Murders / 人形館の殺人
I didn’t like this book at all. I don’t have much more to say about it.
Death Within the Evil Eye / 魔眼の匣の殺人
It’s difficult to succeed genius. Chrono Cross isn’t as good as Chrono Trigger , Bioshock 2 isn’t as good as Bioshock , and National Treas...
The Petrified Forest (化石の森, Masahiro Shinoda, 1973)
An angst-ridden medical student wrestles with truth and responsibility while drawn into a toxic relationship with a childhood friend and trying to avoid the estranged mother he resents…
Toshiaki Toyoda
By Tom Wilmot. When people think of the new masters of Japanese cinema, the same roster of names continues to crop up. Hirokazu Koreeda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Takashi…
Horror of the Wolf (狼の紋章, Masashi Matsumoto, 1973)
A traumatised werewolf is drawn into teen gang intrigue after returning to Japan in Masashi Matsumoto’s visually striking exploitation movie.
Shiro: The Cat
In a year and three months, Shiro made a special place into my heart.
The Labyrinth House Murders / 迷路館の殺人
The shin-honkaku movement has always been a bit meta. It’s right there in the name: it means “new orthodox,” as it’s a revival of the origi...
The Seven Great Detectives / 7人の名探偵
Yukito Ayatsuji ’s The Decagon House Murders was published in 1987, and is credited with kick-starting the shin-honkaku (new orthodox) mov...
The Black Umbrella Mystery / 体育館の殺人
The Black Umbrella Mystery is a story with the soul of Ellery Queen and the body of an anime protagonist. There are a few Japanese…
The Town of Headcounts (人数の町, Shinji Araki, 2020)
A disaffected young man gets a fresh start in a utopian community but quickly becomes disillusioned in Shinji Araki’s slick dystopian thriller
The Human Wall / 人間の壁/ Ningen no kabe (1959)
Obscure Japanese Film #113 Kyoko Kagawa Fumiko (Kyoko Kagawa) is a teacher at an elementary school in Saga Prefecture in the south of Japa...
Murder in the Crimson Manor / 紅蓮館の殺人
Murder in the Crimson Manor is lit. Actually, I think it’s just okay, but “Murder in the Crimson Manor is lit” seemed like a snappier opening, and obliques…
Otona no Yuricon 2020 (大人のユリコン2020)
After a prolonged trip across the ocean, a long-awaited doujinshi has finally arrived at my home. And, like clockwork, the Melonbooks website is down for maintenance, so I…
Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
Desperate peasants recruit samurai protectors in Akira Kurosawa’s classic historical epic back in UK cinemas Oct. 29
Three Women of the North (北の三人, Kiyoshi Saeki, 1945)
Three female radio operators become the backbone of a moribund war effort in the last propaganda film produced before the war’s end.
Hametsu no Koibito, Volume 1 (破滅の恋人)
We recently had the pleasure of three guest reviews for Plongée dans la nuit, the French edition of Yoru to Umi, by Goumoto. I had read the first…
Tokyo Sweetheart (東京の恋人, Yasuki Chiba, 1952)
A fake ring causes untold chaos in a small corner of Ginza in Yasuki Chiba’s charming ensemble rom-com.
House on Fire (火宅の人, Kinji Fukasaku, 1986)
An anxious writer fears collapse under the weight of fatherhood in Kinji Fuksaku’s adaptation of the autobiographical novel of Kazuo Dan.
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.
The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人, Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
A fugitive princess offers a new hope for a peaceful and prosperous socitey in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era epic.
Rainbow Over the Pacific (夜明けの二人, Yoshitaro Nomura, 1968)
An unserious man begins to grow up while chasing love in Hawaii in a cheerful if ultimately downbeat musical celebration of the centenary of Japanese migration to Hawaii.
I’m Flash! (Toshiaki Toyoda, 2012)
A conflicted cult leader experiences an existential crisis after meeting a mysterious woman in a bar in Toshiaki Toyoda’s Okinawan drama
Anime (1963 - 1973)
Reference for the latest documentary "Anime and the Economic Miracle" https://youtu.be/xYZXTQX_wXE Anime includes: Astro Boy 鉄腕アトム Eight Man エイトマン Galactic Boy Team 銀河少年隊 Gigantor 鉄人28号 Hermit Village 仙人部落 Locus 軌跡…
Ninpu Kamui Gaiden, Cleopatra: Queen of Sex, Donkikko, Panda no Daibouken, Kyojin no Hoshi
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人（エトランゼ）』のあとがき
『戦国魔神ゴーショーグン 時の異邦人（エトランゼ）』のあとがき
Samurai Kids (水の旅人－侍KIDS－, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1993)
A small boy grows closer to the natural world while guiding a tiny samurai on his journey to the sea in Nobuhiko Obayashi’s charming family adventure.
Murder in the Hall of the Eye: The Book / 眼球堂の殺人 ~The Book~
Eye see you, heheheh… The best way I can describe Murder in the Hall of the Eye is “discount Hiroshi Mori .” Which on one hand…
Monsters Club (モンスターズクラブ, Toshiaki Toyoda, 2011)
A traumatised young man still painfully in love with an imperfect world is plagued by trickster ghosts and shapeshifting monsters in Toyoda’s melancholy character study
Six Singing Women (唄う六人の女, Yoshimasa Ishibashi, 2023)
A man finds himself trapped in a strange place after travelling to the mountains in the wake of his estranged father’s death in Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s surreal dra
S4E8 - Lady Snowblood (1973)
Hello everyone, In this episode of Heroic Purgatory, we resume our fourth season to talk about the iconic revenge film, Lady Snowblood (1973). We talk about the historical significance…
Golgo 13 (1973) review
A pleasant action-narrative that is all about celebrating the character Golgo 13
Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini (1996) – Pseudo Lawrence of Arabia 100 years later
Following what the TMS YouTube channel is posting every month, this one was another look into the history of dubbing and other things. Mainly the connection between Lupin…
S3E10 - The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Hello everyone, In this episode of Heroic Purgatory: An Asian Cinema Podcast, John and Jason discuss the 2002 Yoji Yamada (of Tara-san fame) film, The Twilight Samurai. Along with…
S3E10 - The Twilight Samurai (2002)
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S3E10 - The Twilight Samurai (2002)
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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.
スタジオダブの裏話: サンライズの名作アニメを作った人々 – 西村誠芳ロングインタビュー
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Sex and Fury (不良姐御伝 猪の鹿お蝶, Norifumi Suzuki,1973)
An orphaned daughter takes revenge against the corruptions of the late Meiji society in Norifumi Suzuki’s pinky violence classic.
Kanada between 1973 and 1974
One of the most difficult periods to retrace in Kanada’s career is his early days. His first credit dates from late 1970, as an in-betweener on the Tôei…
Three little Geisha (1973) review
A pleasant but largely forgettable experience.
Vintage Report 1: 1973-74
As Yamato Resurrection approached in 2009, this website took on a new dimension when the Yamato saga returned to real time and there was news to report every…
Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi
Plot: Saint Cecilia is beloved by the townspeople—not only is she elegant and composed, but she also benevolently shares her wisdom with all who seek it. That is…
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Hello all, and welcome back to Why It Works! Today we’re exploring more of The Girl in Twilight, a show whose first episode intrigued me and second episode…
The Girl in Twilight – Episode 6
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