Stormy Family (2019) review [Nippon Connection 2021]

“A great narrative that succeeds in exploring the very way that imaginary injuries and resentments erode family bonds, by causing a subjective blindness for the suffering of the other.”

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 subject can always rediscover something to life and fight for.”

The Promised Land (2019) review [Nippon Connection 2021]

A beautifully composed and highly relevant narrative about destructive kinds of social violence, a social violence against the Otherness present in the community and an ostracizing violence to turn the once-trusted other into an unwanted Otherness.

New Neighbour (2013) review

“A pleasant narrative that underlines, in more ways than one, the fact that sexuality can be very problematic for a (female) subject.”

Bolt (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]

“A great narrative by Kaizo Hayashi that explores, via the structure fiction, the truth of three different affects – responsibility, guilt, and sadness through loss – during and in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.”

Ride Or Die (2021) review

“A highly enjoyable romance narrative that thrives on a rich current of heartfelt romantic and raw natural emotions. “