XXXholic (2022) review

“An exquisite visual experience that is sadly held back by its unfitting manga-like moments.”

Onpaku (2022) review

While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame  can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.

Lesson In Murder (2022) review

In Shiraishi’s talented hands the narrative transforms into a visual elegant and compelling examination of the desire that drives us all.  

The Island Closest To Heaven (1984) review

“This might be the purest idol-film Obayashi made and the clearest example of how Kadokawa wanted to exploit the audio-visual medium.”

A Madder Red (2021) review [Nippon Connection 2022]

Machiko Ono and Yuki Katayama breathe extra-ordinary life and realism into the pain, the hopes, the white lies, the tears, the smiles, and the anger of contemporary female subjects subjected to a phallically-structured societal system. Highly recommended.

Journey To The Shore (2015) review

“An elegant and touching exploration of arrested mourning, unresolved subjective regrets, and the impact of unfinished business on the deceived or the living subject.”