Aragami: rather bland action bromance film about how appearances can’t be trusted
Ryuhei Kitamura, “Aragami” (2003) The Japan Foundation Office across the road from where I work put on a week’s worth of Japanese films during the April…
Japanese Films
Reviews of films from Japan.
Arrietty: disheartening social conservatism and narrow prospects for a plucky heroine mar a charming film
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, “Arrietty / Karu-gurashi no Arrietti” (2010) A charming offering from Studio Ghibli, based loosely on Mary Norton’s novel “The Borrowers”, this film is beautiful…
Howl’s Moving Castle: cut-and-paste job of previous Studio Ghibli films masks a conservative message for women and girls
Hayao Miyazaki, “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2005) Up to and including “Spirited Away”, the animated films by Studio Ghibli are of a high standard both technically and…
Jumping (dir. Osamu Tezuka): experimental short snapshot of the human condition through a child’s viewpoint
Osamu Tezuka, “Jumping” (1984) Boing! BOING! BOI-I-I-ING-G-G!!! Here comes “Jumping” by the legendary Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astroboy, who made a fair few experimental anime film…
True demon movie hiding in “Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek” but weak story and characters need more work to bring out the monsters
Shuhei Morita, “Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek” (2004) A very lavish short film that uses cel-shaded animation to render the CG imagery three-dimensional, “Kakurenbo” has a definite…
Cat Soup: surreal meditation on life and death, time, religion and the universe
Tatsuo Sato, “Cat Soup” / “Nekojiru-so” (2003) Here is a beautifully animated surreal short film which superficially looks like a children’s film but is clearly intended…
13 Assassins: good guys fight bad guys in a changing world where old traditions and values are redundant
Takashi Miike, “13 Assassins” / “Jusannin no Shikaku” (2010) Is there a genre of film the prolific director Takashi Miike hasn’t yet touched? Eighty films in…
Anxiety about industrialisation and technology and their effects on individuals and society in “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”
Shinya Tsukamoto, “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” (1989) Once again Tsukamoto has remade “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” in the form of “Tetsuo: Bullet Man”, the previous remake having been…
Rashomon: still a timely investigation into human nature and its need for approval, and how truth is lost
Akira Kurosawa, “Rashomon” (1950) For this film, director Kurosawa used a blend of two short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, “Rashomon” and “In a Grove”, the latter…
Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors: uneven animated movie with strident tone preaches a nationalistic message
Mitsuyo Seo, “Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors” (1945) Japan’s first full-length animated movie is a World War II propaganda film aimed at children and centred around a…