The heartrending tale of a faithful dog who continued to wait for his owner at a cable car station becomes a poignant symbol for a left behind China in Xu’s Ang’s reimagining of the 1987 Japanese f…
May 28, 2023 • Subscribe
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Review: Hachiko (2023)
Hachiko 忠犬八公 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 124 mins. Director: Xu Ang 徐昂. Rating: 8/10. A high-quality heartwarmer, inspired by a true story of canine loyalty, that features strong…
100 Yards (门前宝地, Xu Junfeng, Xu Haofeng, 2023)
A scorned son fights to reclaim his paternal legacy in Xu Junfeng & Xu Haofeng’s martial arts drama.
Novel Review | Ang Ang : Hard-Boiled Love by Gwendolyn
Kim Gyuwon has seen all manner of horrors, having worked as a mercenary for most of his adult life. He’s big and buff and has a cool and…
Day Off (本日公休, Fu Tien-Yu, 2023)
The wholesome small-town values of an ageing hairdresser place her increasingly at odds with her cynical consumerist kids in Fu Tien-Yu’s poignant tale of changing times.
The Odd Couple: Nana and Hachiko
I ran into a list of shows that was described as “8 Great Anime for People who Don’t Like Anime” and had a look. You know, there was…
有馬公生 (Arima Kousei)
Who is Arima Kousei? Arima Kousei is a former piano prodigy whose life revolves around music until the traumatic loss of his abusive, yet influential mother leaves him…
Lonely Eighteen (我們的十八歲, Tracy Choi Ian-Sin, 2023)
The contrasting fortunes of two friends trying to make it in the ’80s entertainment industry are explored in Tracy Choi’s meandering drama.
Inu-Oh (犬王, Masaaki Yuasa, 2021)
A blind Biwa player and a cursed young man exorcise the spirits of the Heike through musical expression in Masaaki Yuasa’s stunning prog rock anime
Stray Dog (野良犬, Akira Kurosawa, 1949)
A rookie policeman chases an echo of himself through the backstreets of post-war Japan while looking for his missing gun in Akira Kurosawa’s sweltering noir.
The Desperate (どろ犬, Takaharu Saeki, 1964)
A bruiser cop railing against the system is pulled towards the dark side in Takaharu Saeki’s icy noir.
Sakra (天龍八部之喬峰傳, Donnie Yen & Kam Ka-Wai, 2023)
Donnie Yen stars as tragic wuxia hero Qiao Feng in a well-produced adaptation of Jin Yong’s classic Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
Shibuya Station’s Hachiko Gate Just Became a Gigantic Mess
Going to Shibuya Station? Be warned that a change to the Hachiko Gate due to construction will slow you down.
Thicker Than Water 犬猿 Director: Keisuke Yoshida (2018)
Billed as a comedy, Thicker Than Water by director Keisuke Yoshida turns into a mirthless drama as he piles the misery on the characters. Thicker Than Water 犬猿…
The Others Hachiko: Japan’s Most Famous Dog – and His Monuments
Who's a good boy? For many in Japan, the answer is Hachiko. Learn about the dog who touched a nation's heart.
Crocodile Island (巨鳄岛, Simon Zhao & Xu Shixing, 2020)
Survivors of a plane crash find themselves confronted by a giant crocodile in Simon Zhao & Xu Shixing’s aptly named monster movie.
Park (Taman-taman) (公園, So Yo-hen, 2024)
“Maybe they don’t want to make a film that conveys a message,” one of the men at the centre of So Yo-hen’s poetic documentary hybrid Park (Taman Taman)…
Leonor Will Never Die (Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago, Martika Ramirez Escobar, 2022)
A grief-stricken screenwriter resolves to write her way out of self-imposed inertia while trapped in a world of her own creation in Martika Ramirez Escobar’s meta dramedy.
The Eighth Happiness (八星報喜, Johnnie To, 1988)
A literal series of crossed wires provoke romantic intrigue for three eccentric brothers in Johnnie To’s smash hit Cinema City Lunar New Year comedy.
Village of Eight Gravestones (八つ墓村, Yoshitaro Nomura, 1977)
A young man is called to the country to inherit a cursed fortune in Yoshitaro Nomura’s eerie adaptation of the Seishi Yokomizo mystery.
Curse of the Dog God (犬神の悪霊, Shunya Ito, 1977)
An emissary of modernity finds himself plagued by an ancient curse after upsetting the Dog God in Shunya Ito’s eerie folk horror.
Rhapsody in August (八月の狂詩曲, Akira Kurosawa, 1991)
Three generations reckon with the wartime past after receiving news from estranged relatives in Hawaii in Kurosawa’s humanist drama.
Eighteen Years in Prison (懲役十八年, Tai Kato, 1967)
A former captain of the kamikaze squad finds himself caught between the contradictions of post-war Japan and the American occupation in Tai Kato’s gangster drama.
Huahua’s Dazzling World and its Myriad Temptations (花花世界, Daphne Xu, 2022)
Xu’s largely observational doc follows an unlikely streaming star as she overcomes her sense of futility through boundless optimism.
August in the Water (水の中の八月, Sogo Ishii, 1995)
How does the world, or perhaps the cosmos, attempt to communicate with us? As Douglas Adams once did, August in the Water (水の中の八月, Mizu no naka no Hachigatsu)…
Pickles and Komian Club (丸八やたら漬け, Koichi Sato, 2021)
Koichi Sato’s elegiac documentary mourns the loss of the traditional amidst the modern as a 135-year-old pickle store is forced to close by changing times and a global…
Foolish Bride, Naive Bridegroom (三八新娘憨子婿, Hsin Chi, 1967)
A naive young couple’s desire to marry is frustrated by the revelation their parents were once lovers in Hsin’s delightful screwball rom-com
Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (哪吒闹海, Wang Shuchen & Yan Dingxian & Xu Jingda, 1979)
Nezha takes on the corrupt elites of the celestial order in an unexpectedly brutal take on the classic folktale from the Shanghai Animation Film Studio
A Princess’ One-Sided Love (公主님의 짝사랑 / 공주님의 짝사랑, Choi Eun-hee, 1967)
A feisty princess rejects the constraints of nobility in order to chase love and freedom outside of the palace walls Choi Eun-hee’s historical drama
– Inu to dorei no 100-nichi sensou – (-犬と奴隷の100日戦争-)
I am on a Galette kick! I am desperately trying to clean up after a long, emotionally and physically exhausting winter and that means even metaphorical piles of…
Yagate Kimi ni Naru Koushiki Comic Anthology, Volume 2 (やがて君になる 公式コミックアンソロジー)
Bloom Into You has undeniably had a pretty big impact on the current Yuri audience, with the original manga, light novels, anime and an official comic anthology in…
Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight (ポルノ時代劇 忘八武士道, Teruo Ishii, 1973)
A nihilistic ronin falls into the hellish trap of the Yoshiwara in Teruo Ishii’s dazzlingly psychedelic period drama, Bohachi Bushido
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Cafune (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A very strong debut by Haruki Kinemura.
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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.
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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.
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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…
Farewell 2023
Another year has passed which means its time to reflect. This has become a yearly tradition where on New Years Eve I reflect on my life and the…
2023~ update
Still alive! :) A new thing I added a Trending ‘block’ to the top of the ABT homepage. It’s a really simple formula at the moment – I’m…
Fanime 2023
This Fanime season was a bit special for me. I got the opportunity to have my own panel and also present alongside the Nakama Podcast too.
Farewell, 2023…
This post is brought you by Sasaki and Peeps (or Sasaki to Pii-chan) as I’ll be picking this new anime adaptation in Winter 2023, which will begin in…
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It’s a bit sad to have to say this, especially since I was so excited to come back to blogging (ok, I completely failed on that part LOL),…
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2023 Goals Status Update (2023-12-28)
The year is almost over, and I need to get ready for 2024. What I’ve learned is that in 2023, I tried focusing on too many things at…
2023 Routines Status Update (2023-05-29)
[ABANDONED] I will go to the Vue.js guide and work on small projects every day. At this point, I feel complacent about my programming skill levels. With me…
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Mad Cats (Reiki Tsuno, 2023) [Fantasia 2023]
The captive felines of Japan are mad as hell and they aren’t going to take it anymore in Reiki Tsuno’s absurd action comedy.
2023 Goals Status Update (2023-03-25)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills (Completed) [SUBGOAL] Learn how to use the Notion API I now know how to import data to Notion using the Notion API,…
2023 Routines Status Update (2023-05-02)
[SUSPENDED] I will learn Google Cloud Computing skills every day. As it turns out, I need to risk spending money to make progress on this goal, and I…
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Side by Side (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A peaceful dream-like visual experience that celebrates both the impact subjects have on each other as well as the manner in which the subject remains opaque to himself…
2023 Goals Status Update (1-13-2023)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills I learned how to read and modify XML files using JavaScript, so that counts as learning new coding skills. I have made…
2023 Goals Status Update (2023-02-15)
1. [IRREPLACEABLE] Learn new coding skills [SUBGOAL] Make and host Vue.js projects by learning through the Vue.js guide [SUBGOAL] Take Chris Dixon’s Skillshare Course on Vue.js 3 &…