Latest Posts
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Dai-bosatsu tōge (Great Bodhisattva Pass) Part 1 (1957)
Directed by Tomu Uchida It is 1858. The twilight of the shogunate. In a few years the feudal world would be gone forever. In the countryside, life continues to go on virtually unchanged as it has done for centuries. We… Continue reading
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Dai-bosatsu tōge (Great Bodhisattva Pass) (1957 – 1959)
Directed by Tomu Uchida Introduction A bodhisattva is a compassionate awakened being who helps others achieve enlightenment. Such beings are in short supply in Dai-bosatsu tōge, Tomu Uchida’s epic three-part adaptation of Kaizan Nakazato’s novel, a vast sprawling work comprising… Continue reading
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Obōzu Tengu (Tengu Priest) (1962)
Directed by Yasushi Sasaki The title refers to the protagonist’s nickname. Based on the novel by Kan Shimozawa, this is fairly formulaic stuff in terms of plot. Nevertheless it offers a number of things that make it worth a watch.… Continue reading
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Shinsengumi-Fest!
Lots going on this month. It’s my birthday month, for starters. July in Japan is very festive too. Folks have all sorts of seasonal festivals they can attend. There’s Tanabata on the 7th of July, marking the reunion of Orihime… Continue reading
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Koiya koi nasuna koi (The Mad Fox / Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow) (1962)
Directed by Tomu Uchida Summer is here, and many of you will be on holiday right now. Have you ever wanted to REALLY get away from it all? Let’s take a vacation from what is politely called consensus reality as… Continue reading
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Yoto monogatari: Hana no Yoshiwara hyakunin giri (The Tale of the Demonic Sword: The Hundred-Man Killing Spree in Yoshiwara / Hero of the Red-Light District / Killing in Yoshiwara) (1960)
Directed by Tomu Uchida I’m back! Let’s celebrate by reviewing a film I swore I wouldn’t watch again because it was too upsetting. Toei didn’t release it on DVD until this year. Why the heck did it take so long?… Continue reading
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Chūshingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki (Chūshingura: Story of Flower, Story of Snow) (1962)
Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki The end of the year approaches, and with it all the usual holiday stress. Escape with me now to 18th century Japan, a world of grace and beauty, honor and courage. This is the world of… Continue reading
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Happy Halloween!
Wishing you all a very spooky Halloween! xoxo Ann Continue reading
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Tokugawa Sekkusu Kinshi-rei: Ahikijō Daimyō (Tokugawa Sex Ban / The Erotomaniac Daimyō) (1972)
Directed by Norifumi Suzuki Look, I know. I KNOW. Hear me out. This is a good movie! I’m struggling to describe it. It’s… a soft-core dramedy? The title character is an absurd figure played with admirably straight-faced conviction by Hiroshi… Continue reading
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Yūrei-sen: Zenpen (Ghost Ship) (1957); Yūrei-sen: Kōhen (Ghost Ship Part 2) (1957)
Directed by Sadatsugu Matsuda A two-part action/adventure tale with fantasy overtones and faint echoes of the Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: the eponymous ship attacks other vessels and vanishes, retreating to a secret island base which blows up… Continue reading
