Anime Blog Tracker

Remain in Twilight (2021) review [Camera Japan Festival]

“Matsui delivers another masterpiece that will long linger in the spectator’s mind.”

psycho-cinematography

Sep 26, 2021 • Subscribe

Hand (手, Daigo Matsui, 2022)

A young woman meditates on emotional distance and the impossibility of intimacy while fixating on older men Daigo Matsui’s contemporary Roman Porno.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 9, 2023 • Subscribe

Just Remembering (ちょっと思い出しただけ, Daigo Matsui, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]

Former lovers are confronted by reminders of their failed romance amid the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic in Daigo Matsui’s melancholy drama.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 23, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

River (リバー、流れないでよ, Junta Yamaguchi, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]

The staff of a hotel along with its guests find themselves trapped in an infinite two minute loop in Junta Yamaguchi’s strangely poignant farce.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 12, 2023 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

~ku naru ～くなる - Meaning in Japanese

What is ~ku naru ～くなる in Japanese. Examples, grammar and conjugation.

Japanese with Anime

Apr 15, 2022 • Subscribe

Maji, Neuro: Supernatural Detective

Our Huff and Puff Journey (私たちのハァハァ, Daigo Matsui, 2015)

Four high school girls make an impulsive decision to bike to Tokyo from Kyushu to see their favourite band in Daigo Matsui’s teen drama.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 4, 2023 • Subscribe

An Outlaw (ならず者, Teruo Ishii, 1964)

Ken Takakura stars as a China-based hitman dragged into local intrigue when a job goes awry in an early crime thriller from Teruo Ishii.

Windows on Worlds

Jun 29, 2022 • Subscribe

Akagi

初めて言われました

The newsletter is online! This month I wrote about the nice, efficient phrase 初めて言われました (Hajimete iwaremashita, That’s the first time anyone has said that about me). I think…

How to Japanese

Feb 13, 2026 • Subscribe

Untamed (あらくれ, Mikio Naruse, 1957)

A rebellious woman strives for independence in a patriarchal society but nevertheless finds herself hamstrung by feckless men in Naruse’s Taisho-era drama

Windows on Worlds

Feb 16, 2022 • Subscribe

Izumo

Dear Etranger / 幼な子われらに生まれ

It’s no secret that divorce is messy and complicated, particularly when children are involved. From the child’s perspective, it may be the moment that you realize your parents…

eiga files

May 17, 2020 • Subscribe

Bonds of Love (愛のきずな, Takashi Tsuboshima, 1969)

Trapped in a loveless marriage and unsatisfying career, a salaryman’s attempt to escape through an affair proves more complicated than he bargained for in Takashi Tsuboshima’s noirish d…

Windows on Worlds

Feb 8, 2025 • Subscribe

In the Wake (護られなかった者たちへ, Takahisa Zeze, 2021)

A policeman investigating a series of murders comes to a new accommodation with the post-earthquake society in Takahisa Zeze’s gritty crime drama.

Windows on Worlds

Feb 12, 2025 • Subscribe

Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]

Strangers 人知れず Director: Sae Suzuki [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022] is an effective look at how people can explore thorny issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination in…

Genkinahito

Nov 14, 2022 • Subscribe

Bonds of Love / 愛のきずな / Ai no kizuna (1969)

Obscure Japanese Film #125   Mari Sono and Makoto Fujita Suzuki (Makoto Fujita) is a low-level manager at a travel agency who drives a mod...

Martin Dowsing

Aug 8, 2024 • Subscribe

Colorful, exception

We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった  (2021) Director: Yoshihiro Mori

We Couldn’t Become Adults ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった  (2021), by director Yoshihiro Mori, is a well-acted and well-shot drama about a 40-something man in contemporary Japan looking back at his life (v…

Genkinahito

Sep 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Mirai

When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty (朝がくるとむなしくなる, Yuho Ishibashi, 2022)

A young woman wrestles with a sense of failure and inadequacy after leaving the corporate world in Yuho Ishibashi’s zeitgeisty indie drama.

Windows on Worlds

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

One Cut of the Dead / カメラを止めるな！

(Warning: this review contains spoilers about the structure of One Cut of the Dead, which I don’t think detract from enjoyment of the film.) One Cut of the…

eiga files

Jul 8, 2018 • Subscribe

Twilight Saloon (たそがれ酒場, Tomu Uchida, 1955)

A generational divide echoes around a beer hall filled with a defeated sense of bonhomie until finally finding a point of rest in Tomu Uchida’s elliptical single set…

Windows on Worlds

Dec 29, 2023 • Subscribe

Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller

Windows on Worlds

Aug 11, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]

The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 3, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul

Windows on Worlds

Aug 24, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Anime Like Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange

Encouraged to become a firefighter to impress his crush Yuki Nakamura, Shun Onoda is shocked when he discovers that Yuki didn't just like firefighters, she

Recommend Me Anime

Jan 12, 2024 • Subscribe

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange, Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club, Library War, My Hero Academia, Police in a Pod

First Impression: Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange

Ever wonder what a day in the life of a firefighter would be like or how hard it is to become a firefighter in Japan? If so, Firefighter…

Beneath the Tangles

Sep 30, 2023 • Subscribe

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange – Episode 1

A refreshing break from stories equating heroism with violence, though hopefully the lone female character gains more prominence.

Anime Feminist

Oct 2, 2023 • Subscribe

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange

Hold Me Back (私をくいとめて, Akiko Ohku, 2020)

A solitary young woman begins to reassess her life choices after developing a non-relationship with a perfectly pleasant colleague in Ohku’s quirky rom-com

Windows on Worlds

Nov 12, 2021 • Subscribe

The Sadness (哭悲, Robert Jabbaz, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A young couple find themselves caught up in an epidemic of sadistic violence in Robert Jabbaz’ defiantly depraved satirical horror

Windows on Worlds

Aug 22, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Hold Me Back 私をくいとめて Director: Akiko Ohku (2020) [New York Asian Film Festival 2021]

Director Akiko Ohku and lead actor Non make a dream team for the film Hold Me Back, a romantic-comedy which reflects the concerns of modern women. 私をくいとめて Director: Akiko…

Genkinahito

Aug 11, 2021 • Subscribe

Yakuza Graveyard (やくざの墓場　くちなしの花, Kinji Fukasaku, 1976)

A maverick cop finds himself sympathising with noble yakuza when confronted by entrenched corruption in Kinji Fukasaku’s jitsuroku-esque gangster drama.

Windows on Worlds

May 11, 2023 • Subscribe

Shigeru

Mentalist DaiGo and Anti-Homeless Sentiment in Japan

YouTuber Mentalist DaiGo caused a furor saying he valued the lives of cats over the homeless. Yet a lack of care for the unhoused is no rare thing…

Unseen Japan

Sep 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Tokyo Revengers (2021) Review [Fantasia Film Festival]

“An exciting blend of satisfying violence, tensive moments, surges of pleasing lightheartedness, and touching emotional moments.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Tokyo Revengers

Seire (세이레, Park Kang, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]

A new father finds himself haunted by paternal anxiety and old transgressions in Park Kang’s eerie folk horror.

Windows on Worlds

Sep 3, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Shari (シャリ, Nao Yoshigai, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]

A red monster roams the landscape smearing its blood wherever it goes in Nao Yoshigai’s surreal documentary hybrid.

Windows on Worlds

Sep 17, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]

“Hanabusa’s second outing proves to be as enjoyable and thrilling as the first.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 23, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Kakegurui

Tokyo Revengers (東京リベンジャーズ, Tsutomu Hanabusa, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A dejected 27-year-old gets a second chance to face his high school trauma in Hanabusa’s high school delinquent x time travel manga adaptation

Windows on Worlds

Aug 14, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Tokyo Revengers

Sword of Destiny (孤剣は折れず　月影一刀流, Yasushi Sasaki, 1960)

A wandering swordsman winds up in intrigue on returning to his fencing school to find his old master murdered in Yasushi Sasaki’s jidaigeki adventure.

Windows on Worlds

Jan 17, 2024 • Subscribe

Story of a Blind Woman /女めくら物語 / Onna mekura monogatari (1965)

Obscure Japanese Film #130 Ayako Wakao This Daiei production stars Ayako Wakao as Tsuruko, an orphan who loses her sight at the age of 16 ...

Martin Dowsing

Sep 10, 2024 • Subscribe

Colorful

The Hot Little Girl (しびれくらげ, Yasuzo Masumura, 1970)

A young woman uses the tools used against her to fight back against the exploitations of a patriarchal society in Yasuzo Masumura’s provocative drama.

Windows on Worlds

Sep 12, 2022 • Subscribe

Anime character designers remain unrecognized

Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more

Animenomics

Nov 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Anime character designers remain unrecognized

Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more

Animenomics

Nov 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Anime character designers remain unrecognized

Plus: Industry lacks central anime production database; Anime directors discuss feature films at TIFF; City sets tax donation record thanks to anime gifts; and more

Animenomics

Nov 1, 2023 • Subscribe

Dreams of Fire (2021) review [Fantasia Film festival]

“McKie’s film is not only the best dance-film of recent years but might very well be one of the best Japanese films to be released this year.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 25, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021) [Fantasia Film festival]

“A great animation film that offers an emotional and moving celebration of the strength of the bond between a daughter and a mother.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 22, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko

Chorokbam (초록밤, Yoon Seo-jin, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]

A small family contend with the persistent unfairness of the contemporary society in Yoon Seo-jin’s slow burn indie drama.

Windows on Worlds

Jul 20, 2022 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2021 Programme

In cinemas and streaming across Canada Aug. 5 – 25

Windows on Worlds

Aug 2, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Sexual Drive (性的衝動, Kota Yoshida, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]

A strange spirit of sexual liberation visits three troubled couples in Kota Yoshida’s odyssey of food-themed eroticism.

Windows on Worlds

Aug 4, 2021 • Subscribe

Girl from Phantasia

Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister (なぜ君は総理大臣になれないのか, Arata Oshima, 2020)

Arata Oshima follows idealistic politician Junya Ogawa over 17 years in order to explore why his goal of becoming prime minister remains forever elusive

Windows on Worlds

Aug 30, 2021 • Subscribe

The Girl in Twilight – Episode 3

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…

Wrong Every Time

May 30, 2020 • Subscribe

The Girl in Twilight

The Girl in Twilight – Episode 6

Hello everyone, and welcome back. You all feeling ready for some The Girl in Twilight? So far, this show has proven itself to be absolutely full of surprises,…

Wrong Every Time

Aug 24, 2020 • Subscribe

The Girl in Twilight