This is not merely classic that speaks to those who felt lost due to the rapid shifts that upheaved the Japanese societal field after the second world war, but continues to speak to those who feel out-of-place, who feel like Gunji unsuited for this world of ‘criminal’ suits.
Category: Action
Kingdom: Return of the Great General (2024) review
Shinsuke Sato knows what makes people come back to the series and delivers it in spades.
Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Ishikawa delivers an engaging narrative with some satisfying twists, many funny moments, and pleasing action-sequences.
Garo: Taiga (2025) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Keita Amemiya does not only please fans and newcomers alike, but proves the continued appeal of the tokusatsu superhero genre
Abashiri Prison – Saga of Homesickness (1965)
An engaging narrative that illustrates how the image of the father can be a prison for the subject.
Hell Dogs (2022) review
For the hardened fan of the genre, Harada’s newly bottled old wine will be a frustrating experience that delivers nothing more than a sprinkle of excitement.
Abashiri Prison (1965) review
Teruo Ishii delivers an interesting exploration of the frailty of the social bond between criminals as well as the trauma that, in some cases, animates the criminal reflex.
Bushido (2024) review [Camera Japan Festival]
Kazuya Shiraishi proves that the frame of the samurai and the Edo society can still be utilized to deliver refreshing narratives.
Shinobi no Mono: Band of Assassins (1962)
Yamamoto expertly utilizes the game of disguises, traps, gadgets, concealed passages, hidden stairs, and trapdoors, to offer an allegorical tale of the post-war subject’s conundrum
Baby Assassins: Good Days (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Yugo Sakamoto successfully mixes up the formula that structured his previous two action narratives. Highly Recommended.
Kizumonogatari – Koyomi Vamp – (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2024]
An evocative experience that succeeds in giving the vampire and the well-explored themes a fresh coat of drama and sexiness.
Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween – decisive battle (2023) review
Hanabusa can finally do what he does well: deliver dramatic moments whose origin lie in narrative twists or in unexpected turns in the bursts of violence.
Yin Yang Master Zero (2024) review [Nippon Connection 2024]
A fantastical visual experience like no other.
Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween – Destiny (2023) review
A prime example of a cinematic narrative that is solely made for the fans of the manga and the anime.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (1968) review [The Godzilla Project]
Honda delivers another narrative in which Otherness is feared and a deceptive imaginary sense of societal harmony is subtly celebrated.
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