Anime Blog Tracker

Short Movie Time: Honeymoon (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A pleasing narrative about the arbitrariness of language and culture.”

psycho-cinematography

Nov 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Go Seppukku Yourselves (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“An enthralling audiovisual experience and a powerful critique of the Japanese political system.”

psycho-cinematography

Oct 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Bath House of Whales (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]

Introduction Mizuki Kiyama’s graduation short film Bath House of Whales is a creative reworking of her memories of accompanying her mother, a person of Korean descent living in…

psycho-cinematography

Oct 19, 2021 • Subscribe

B/B (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Grant Watson reviews Kosuke Nakahama’s debut feature B/B.

VCinema

Sep 7, 2021 • Subscribe

Wonderful Paradise (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Epoy Deyto reviews Masashi Yamamoto's eccentric comedy Wonderful Paradise.

VCinema

Sep 23, 2021 • Subscribe

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.”

psycho-cinematography

Sep 15, 2021 • Subscribe

The Blue Danube (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Epoy Deyto reviews Akira Ikeda's anti-war satire The Blue Danube.

VCinema

Sep 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie time: Psychology counsellor (2021)

“A thrilling masterpiece.”

psycho-cinematography

Feb 28, 2022 • Subscribe

It’s a Summer Film! (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

John Atom reviews Soushi Matsumoto's teen comedy It's a Summer Film.

VCinema

Sep 5, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Kyonetsu (2017) [JFFH 2020]

An impressive narrative that, due to its short runtime, leaves the spectator wanting more.

psycho-cinematography

Apr 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Among Four of Us (Japan, 2020) [OAFF 2021/JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Mayu Nakamura’s short Among Four of Us.

VCinema

Aug 30, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie time: Canary (2023) review

Taka Jeremy Tsubota confirms his talent as director.

psycho-cinematography

May 17, 2023 • Subscribe

Canary

Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”    

psycho-cinematography

Sep 12, 2021 • Subscribe

Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…

psycho-cinematography

Oct 16, 2021 • Subscribe

Short movie time: Laundromat on the Corner (2020)

“A very pleasant horror-romance short narrative.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 24, 2022 • Subscribe

Short movie time: Reason To Oblivion (2021) review [JFFH 2022]

A pleasant horror short-narrative that showcases Miyahara’s talent.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 4, 2022 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: The Fish With One Sleeve (2021) review

“Tokaibayashi Tsuyoshi delivers an important narrative that reveals how a societal system, which struggles with the newly-posed riddle of gender, problematizes the integration of the transgen…

psycho-cinematography

Mar 15, 2022 • Subscribe

Short movie time: North Shinjuku 2055 (2021) review [OAFF 2022]

“A pleasant experimental short.”

psycho-cinematography

Mar 30, 2022 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Sad Girl (2021) [JFFH 2023]

A pleasant comical romance narrative.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 10, 2023 • Subscribe

Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.

VCinema

Sep 5, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba: Fangs of Fiction (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Daihachi Yoshida succeeds in turning Shiota’s interesting story and fascinating world of publishing and bookstores into an engaging and pleasant filmic narrative.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

Short Movie Time: Kaiju Girl (2022) review

A pleasant short about the need to find a desire to be able to give direction to one’s subject.

psycho-cinematography

Jul 16, 2023 • Subscribe

Short movie time: Norioka Workshop (2022) review

A great short film that illustrates the necessity as well as the inherent danger of the imaginary dimension in social interactions.

psycho-cinematography

May 15, 2023 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Yamome (2018)

A pleasant short film that highlights that deception in romance finds its ultimate support in the subject’s desire to be loved.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 1, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Transmission (2019)

A short experiment that succeeds in engaging the spectator and keep him on the edge of his seat until the very end.

psycho-cinematography

Apr 27, 2021 • Subscribe

Hiroku The Goblin (1991) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

‘A classic that offers an unforgettable experience that is as touchingly lighthearted as is it disturbingly horrifying.’

psycho-cinematography

Sep 3, 2021 • Subscribe

Talking The Pictures (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Mayayuki’s celebration of cinematic history deeply satisfies the spectator’s desire to see cinema as an experience that can touch our being and the art of the benshi triumph.&#82…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 6, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Review: Natsuko (2020) [OAFF 2022]

“A splendid debut by Shuna Iijima.”

psycho-cinematography

Mar 27, 2022 • Subscribe

The Great Yokai War – Guardians (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“A pleasant and truly satisfying ride for the whole family.”

psycho-cinematography

Aug 28, 2021 • Subscribe

Robinson’s Garden (1988) [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Yamamoto is not able to create a composition that engages the spectator with its highly relevant message.”

psycho-cinematography

Feb 10, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Outsourcing (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”

psycho-cinematography

Apr 17, 2022 • Subscribe

Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Arthi Vasudevan reviews Daihachi Yoshida’s workplace comedy Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction.

VCinema

Sep 5, 2021 • Subscribe

Kiba

School Radio to Major Tom (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Takuya Chisaka's short film School Radio to Major Tom.

VCinema

Aug 31, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Two Of Us (2019) [Female Gaze – Japan Society]

Negishi proves that she is ready to tackle the daunting task of making a feature film. 

psycho-cinematography

Dec 28, 2022 • Subscribe

The Goldfish Dreaming Of The Sea (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]

“Ogawa’s thoughtful lyricism that gives the emotionality of the performances their power to touch the spectator and enables her exploration of the difficulty to separate from one’s mother…

psycho-cinematography

Sep 9, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Perfect・Nervous (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

An exquisitely crafted narrative that touchingly shows that a simple encounter, a simple exchange of signifiers, can turn a wish to die into a desire to life.

psycho-cinematography

Mar 26, 2024 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Necessary & unnecessary (2022) review [JFFH 2023]

A quirky little narrative that explores the necessity of forming inter-subjective social bonds.

psycho-cinematography

Jun 28, 2023 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Bagmati River (2022) review [OAFF 2022]

“A beautiful poetic short that elegantly plays with the contrast between life and death.”

psycho-cinematography

Mar 24, 2022 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Long-Term Coffee Break (2022) [Female Gaze – Japan Society]

Fuelled by great performances and a visually pleasant composition, Fujita confronts the spectator with the subjective weight of a symbolic commitment and the phantasmatic nature of marital harmony.

psycho-cinematography

Jan 18, 2023 • Subscribe

Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions (Japan, 2020) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]

Jason Maher reviews Haruka Komori and Natsumi Seo's documentary Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions.

VCinema

Sep 15, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Kanro (2023) [OAFF 2023]

A simple but effective short that explores inter-subjective distance and the desire to bridge it in a surprising and satisfying way.

psycho-cinematography

Mar 21, 2023 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: Glitch (2022) [JFFH 2023]

A pleasant horror-action that beautifully shows that what can poison the subject is the Other he is subjected to.

psycho-cinematography

Jun 26, 2023 • Subscribe

Winny (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Matsumoto offers a serene insight in how the Other of the law curtails a subject and, indirectly, sabotages the prospects of a new industry.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 5, 2023 • Subscribe

Plastic (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]                

Miyazaki creates a moody narrative that highlights the equivocal functionality of music for the subject as well as the destructive impact of not being able to create an…

psycho-cinematography

Aug 19, 2023 • Subscribe

Hand (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Matsui avoids delivering an exploitative erotic piece merely to be enjoyed by male audiences.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 22, 2023 • Subscribe

Single8 (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

Konaka offers the spectator a heartwarming invitation to re-find, within oneself, one’s (nearly extinguished) passion for creation.

psycho-cinematography

Aug 16, 2023 • Subscribe

Amiko (2022) review [Japan Cuts 2023]

A fabulous narrative that explores the destructive effects caused by the radical misunderstanding that marks the field of speech and the refusal to speak to one’s child as…

psycho-cinematography

Jan 23, 2024 • Subscribe

Blind Bombing, Filmed by a Bat (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]

 Introduction Kota Takeuchi is man of many creative talents, but whatever he does – be it painting, filming, or sculpting – it is related to historical or contemporary…

psycho-cinematography

Jul 20, 2021 • Subscribe

Tora-san, Wish you were here (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]

“Yamada’s latest offers not only a powerful homage to the late great Kiyoshi Atsumi but also a moving nostalgic ride along many of the iconic scenes of the…

psycho-cinematography

May 27, 2021 • Subscribe

Short Movie Time: On a Boat (2024) review [OAFF 2024]

The exploration of the frail stability of an obsessional neurotic does not miss its impact on the spectator.

psycho-cinematography

Mar 20, 2024 • Subscribe

Melody