Erik Matti contemplates the underlying anxieties of the contemporary society in four tales of pandemic-era horror.
Apr 28, 2022 • Subscribe
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✧ Beastmaster & Prince ✧ Erik
Erik is the fourth prince of Fasan who was turned into a rabbit by Gerda’s curse. He’s ridiculously gifted in the arts despite his youthful appearance. Erik carries…
Interviews with Artists: Erik Ly (Orbital Bloom) at Anime Expo 2023
Anime Herald: How would you say the artist Celtis has inspired you? Erik Ly: Oh. I think she’s made my art way worse. I was doing really well,…
Interviews with Artists: Erik Ly (Orbital Bloom) at Anime Expo 2023
Anime Herald: How would you say the artist Celtis has inspired you? Erik Ly: Oh. I think she’s made my art way worse. I was doing really well,…
Ito (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Satoko Yokohama's comedy-drama Ito.
POP! (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Masashi Komura's surreal coming-of-age tale POP!
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Junk Head (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Atom reviews Takahide Hori's stop motion animation Junk Head.
Drifting (Hong Kong, 2021) [CVF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Jun Li’s socially conscious drama Drifting.
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
Ninja Girl (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino reviews Yu Irie's subversive comedy Ninja Girl.
Barbarian Invasion [NYAFF 2021] (Malaysia, 2021)
Epoy Deyto reviews Tan Chui Mui's meta-film Barbarian Invasion.
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…
Summer 2021
Another 3 months gone and I don’t even know where it’s gone TBH. I had a Moot Court this past Monday and it left me emotionally drained and…
The Dungeon of Black Company, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, Scarlet Nexus, Sonny Boy, The aquatope on white sand
January 2021
With returning to blogging on January 10, this month has been one where I’ve been trying to find a balance between my real world commitments and my firm…
2021 Retrospective
Here's to another good one, friends. 3:02 - 2021 Recommendations 3:13 - Golden Kamuy 4:15 - Hina Change 5:21 - Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6:57 - Curtains Up, I'm Off 8:01 - The Bones…
Farewell, 2021…
Just a quick post about my next plans as 2021 is gonna end soon. Yes, we’re still under the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I’m hoping that…
Fall 2021.
Sweater season is upon us! Not really because it’s Spring in Melbourne but somehow still feels like it’s the middle of Winter. I’ve had hail in my area…
The Vampire Dies in No Time, Musashi, Platinum End, VISUAL PRISON, Blue Period
Spring 2021.
Wanna hear something embarrassing? This post has been sitting, complete and ready to post, in my drafts for over a month now. I just lacked the energy to…
Spring 2021!
It’s been about a year now since we’ve all been experiencing (in one way or another) the effects of the global pandemic. I hope that you and yours…
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
yes, yes, yes (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
yes, yes, yes (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Drive All Night (USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Berra reviews Peter Hsieh's neo-noir Drive All Night.
Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
The Asian Angel (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino review Yuya Ishii's road movie The Asian Angel.
Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.
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
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…
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
South Korean cinema is no longer the producer of small and idiosyncratic films that have to seep through the cracks of international cinema. It hasn’t been for years.…
Raging Fire (China/Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Berra reviews Benny Chan's action movie Raging Fire.
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…
Last of the Wolves (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Kazuya Shiraishi's sequel Last of the Wolves.
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
It's been 2 years since the last one, let's get right into it. Winter 2021 1) Wonder Egg Priority Worth watching for the animation alone. However the ending is chotto... 2) Re:Zero…
Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
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
A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
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.”
AnimeJapan 2021 Winners
AnimeJapan 2021 “Manga we want to see animated” Poll winners!!! A short but celebratory post. A quick glance at the announced winners. Source. No surprise, Solo Leveling, Spy…
Sunday Retrospective (2021)
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MAJOR 2nd, The Duke of Death and His Maid, Call of the Night
Best of 2021
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Review: Secret (2021)
Secret 秘不可言 China, 2021, colour, 2.35:1, 90 mins. Director: Cao Yong 曹涌 [Cao Yong 曹勇]. Rating: 5/10. Intriguing, well-mounted psychodrama-cum-mystery starts well but becomes scarcely credible later on.…
Fall Anime 2021
Summer 2021 was an underrated season, with a lot of watched anime being ones that I did not intend on seeing in the beginning. Fall looks even more…
Goals for 2021
Not a very interesting post but I’ll write a bit about what I want to do this year.There is always a lot of stuff I want to get…
Happy Fall 2021!!!
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Fall 2021 Preview
I loved autumn as a school kid because signified a return to school, where I could finally see my friends again after one summer apart. Strange child. I…
Ranking of Kings, The Faraway Paladin, Selection Project, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut, Digimon Ghost Game
Winter Preview 2021
Ahh winter. Snow; festivities; hectic family get togethers: it truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and while global pandemics (and 2020 in general) may be…
BACK ARROW, Horimiya, The Seven Deadly Sins, WONDER EGG PRIORITY, Dr. STONE
Winter 2021 3
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BACK ARROW, Log Horizon, Non Non Biyori, Non Non Biyori Nonstop, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Plans for 2021
Let me know what anime you’d like to see reviewed this year.
CLAMP Day 2021
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