Filled with adolescent anxiety, a lost young man begins to discover the confidence to fly far from home in Elaiza Ikeda’s beautifully drawn Kyushu coming-of-age tale
Sep 3, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
![Featured image for Town Without Sea (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210915/1631701394.21403.47433.jpg)
Town Without Sea (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A visually engaging narrative about the nature of happiness and the importance of desire that is highly relevant for Japanese youth.”
My Blood & Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (砕け散るところを見せてあげる, SABU, 2020)
A young man’s attempt to protect a bullied schoolmate leads him into infinite darkness but eventually also to the light in SABU’s poetic teen drama
Sincerity (まごころ, Mikio Naruse, 1939)
When the daughter of a poor family leapfrogs that of a rich one to be named top of the class, it exposes a series of hypocrisies and contradictions…
"これいる？ vs. これ欲しい？" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Passing Fancy (出来ごころ, Yasujiro Ozu, 1933)
A feckless widowed father faces twin crises when he falls for a young woman and his falls ill in Yasujiro Ozu’s depression-era drama.
A Far Shore (遠いところ, Masaaki Kudo, 2022)
A teenage mother struggles to make a life for herself in contemporary Okinawa in Masaaki Kudo’s bleak social drama.
konna koto mo arou ka to こんなこともあろうかと
What konna koto mo arou ka to こんなこともあろうかと means in Japanese, with examples.
Song of the Sea: This Time WithOUT Feeling?
I finally got to see Cartoon Saloon’s The Secret of Kells after years of buildup. I loved it, so naturally, I did the next logical step: also watch…
Can You Say このぬいぐるみいる？ #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
A Far Shore 遠いところ (2023) Director: Masaaki Kudo
A Far Shore 遠いところ (2023), by director Masaaki Kudo @kudomasaaki, is a topical and harrowing drama that depicts the fight for survival of a teen mother in an uncaring…
いろいろ December 2023
I ran out of space over at the newsletter this month, so I thought I’d share the いろいろ section on the blog instead. Podcast link at the bottom!…
~koto ni suru ～ことにする - Meaning in Japanese
The meaning of ~koto ni suru ～ことにする in Japanese. Examples and grammar.
~koto ni naru ～ことになる - Meaning in Japanese
The meaning of ~koto ni naru ～ことになる in Japanese. Examples and grammar.
~koto wo suru ～ことをする - Meaning in Japanese
What is ~koto wo suru ～ことをする, ~koto ga dekiru ～ことができる in Japanese? Examples and grammar.
夏物語
夏物語、 川上 未映子、文藝春秋、 2019 Summer Story, Mieko Kawakami, Bungeishunju, 2019 [Since I first read this book, an English translation has been published by Europa Press as Breasts and…
Strangers (Kenta Ikeda, 2024)
Naoko, the heroine of Kenta Ikeda’s Strangers, says she’s been pretending all her life. She’s been pretending to be what everyone wanted her to without really knowing or…
Sea You, Sea Me
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
てへぺろ [Tehepero](๑≧౪≦)てへぺろ
Hi everyone. Oh no, I have left my blog for too long. I even forgot to write in English! Does anyone help me with my terrible English? My…
![Featured image for The Town of Headcounts (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20210626/1624674242.15466.40498.jpg)
The Town of Headcounts (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“His dystopian ‘thriller’ does not only masterly highlight, in a chilling way, the various ills that marks contemporary society, but also shows, that within such dystopian world, a…
Replaceable Summer / 夏のレプリカ
In the opening paragraph of my Illusion Acts Like Magic review, I described how Moe met her high school friend Tomoe Minosawa, and then nev...
Company Retreat (ある職場, Atsushi Funahashi, 2020)
A workplace trip descends into mistrust and suspicion following an accusation of harassment in Funahashi’s contemplative drama
True Mothers (朝が来る, Naomi Kawase, 2020)
Adoptive parents face a moment of crisis after receiving a message from a woman claiming to be their son’s birth mother in Kawase’s hugely empathetic family drama
Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる)
Kimi to Shiranai Natsu ni Naru, Volume 1 (君としらない夏になる), subtitled in English “Throw away the suit together,” is one of my favorite reads currently in Comic Yuri Hime…
Around Town
We’ve made it safely back to Tokyo for the first time in 4 years. I’d say about 35-40% of folks are masked and of course we are, but…
いる vs ある #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
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 Old Town Girls (兔子暴力, Shen Yu, 2020)
The left behind children of decaying industrial China find themselves at the mercy of a corrupted parental legacy in Shen Yu’s gritty neo-noir
Kono Naka ni Hotori, Imouto ga Iru! この中に1人、妹がいる!
Mikadono Shougo, son to a rich and powerful company chairman, has to attend school to find a girl he is serious on before he can inherit the company.…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 05
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA ULOZ.TO BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 05 [B55CEDA4] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 05…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 04
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA ULOZ.TO BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 04 [0C344316] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 04…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 09
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 09 [15F3769E] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 09 in…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 07
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA ULOZ.TO BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 07 [654993D5] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 07…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 08
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA ULOZ.TO BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 08 [674C4CC6] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 08…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 06
NYAA ANIDEX MEGA ULOZ.TO BITCHUTE (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 06 [6B5CA053] shiteatersubs presents New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition episode 06…
Is This Heaven? (天国か、ここ？, Shinji Imaoka, 2023)
A middle-aged couple ponder loss and regret on a surreal odyssey into the afterlife , or something like it at least, in Shinji Imaoka’s cheerfully absurdist dramedy
Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で)
Haru Tsuzuru, Sakura Saku Kono Heya de (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で) is a deeply poignant and touching manga by Tokuwotsumu, an author who does low-key Yuri that I absolutely love. Haruki…
Shirobamba / しろばんば (1962)
Obscure Japanese Film #248Toru Shimamura This Nikkatsu production was based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by one of Japan’s major writers, Yasushi Inoue (1907-91). The book was translated into…
The Sea Mystery
detective fiction, 推理小説、games, mystery, murder, locked room, Japanese, translations,
Trapped At Sea
Under the seaDarling, it's betterDown where it's wetter Take it from me"Under the Sea" (Samuel E. Wright) Hmm, I only reviewed two mystery games last year! I definitely hope to…
"Can I Say 日本に行く。お土産いる？ Without けど?" #learnjapanese
Learn Japanese with Me - https://bit.ly/4drmyU2
Char Aznable Pia Mook – Interview with Shūichi Ikeda
The following is a translation of the interview with Shūichi Ikeda from the Char Aznable Pia Mook, published by Pia (ぴあ) in 2020. The existence of Gundam has…
New Maple Town Stories Palm Town Edition 10-12
NYAA MEGA: 10 / 11 / 12 BITCHUTE: 10 / 11 / 12 (shiteater) New Maple Town Stories – Palm Town Edition 10 [AA837EB4] (shiteater) New Maple Town…
The Real Thing (本気のしるし, Koji Fukada, 2020)
A bored salaryman begins to chase the real thing after saving a distressed woman from an oncoming train in Fukada’s beautifully elliptical drama
Haru Tsudzuru, Sakurasaku Kono Heya de, Volume 2 (春綴る、桜咲くこの部屋で)
In Volume 1, we met Haruki, a woman suffering from intense, debilitating grief from the loss of her lover, even after 5 years. She finds Sakura’s 10-year diary…
Episode #52 – Kikujiro (菊次郎の夏)
We’ve got another Kitano film this episode, featuring new guest Dan Clarke of the SuperMakerUniverse YouTube channel. We discuss Kitano’s coming-of-age comedy film, Kikujiro.
Along the Sea (海辺の彼女たち, Akio Fujimoto, 2020)
A migrant worker from Vietnam is faced with her lack of possibility after discovering she is pregnant while living undocumented in Fujimoto’s unflinching social drama
![Featured image for Kaina and the Great Snow Sea – 8 [Lost at Sea]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230306/1678117211.54707.87400.jpg)
Kaina and the Great Snow Sea – 8 [Lost at Sea]
Welcome everyone, to another week of Kaina and the Great Snow Sea! This is a slow week all thing considered, which is weird when you realize it’s also…