A deeply moving experience that does not only offer the spectator a mesmerizing and deeply intimate celebration of the performative art of kabuki, but also unearths the radical subjective dimension of embodying and performing a role.
Category: Reviews
She Taught Me Serendipity (2024) review
Akiko Ohku steers away from delivering a clear-cut romantic fantasy to confront the spectator with the messy consequences of utilizing signifiers in the game of love in a very moving way.
Super Happy Forever (2024) review
A compelling drama that traces out the effect of the unsaid on the subject and highlights the subjective need to have some sort of material proof to support a faded fantasy of harmonious union.
One Percenter (2023) review
Yamaguchi delivers a love-letter to down-to-earth action that proves that there is plenty of poetry to be found in the physical action-performances.
Red Peony Gambler 3: Flower Cards Game (1969) review
Tai Kato delivers an impressive visual experience that develops the themes of the series in a meaningful way.
Rental Family (2025)
Hikari re-affirms her talent for creating uplifting and touching filmic experiences.
A Love Letter From Yesterday (2024) review
The emotional drama is extremely flat – and even the sexual encounters, despite being well-acted by the female cast, cannot infuse life into the dried-up bed of the film’s emotional river.
Rainy Blue (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
Asuna Yanagi does not simply deliver a heartwarming coming-of-age narrative, but also a work that has the potential to inspire young people.
Dollhouse (2025) review
Yaguchi’s horror will please audiences new to the J-horror genre as well as long-time fans of the genre.
Under Ninja (2025) review
Great mindless fun, perfect to wash away the stress that has infiltrated one’s body during the week.
Demon City (2025) review
A fun, yet extremely forgettable experience.
Bullet Train Explosion (2025) review
A competent sequel that will please audiences and invites spectators to explore Sato’s classic.
Best Japanese Movies of 2025
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Lumberjack the Monster (2023) review
A great example of a filmic experience that is helmed by a director that is uninvested in the material and, consequently, merely does his bare minimum
The Godzilla Project: Godzilla Minus One (2023) review
A triumphant return of the most beloved Kaiju of all and a deeply emotional experience that re-assessing the themes of the original Godzilla in a refreshing way.
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