Salaryman Kintaro / Sarariman Kintaro (1999)

Anyone coming to Salaryman Kintaro expecting a “typical” Takashi Miike movie will be surprised, to say the least. Kintaro is a young salaryman now working in the offices of Yamato construction. His honest company runs up against corruption in the government and construction industry and he tries to fight it head on, only to eventually …

21st Century Pinku — Three Movies

The success of Flower and Snake suggests taking a brief look at what was happening in the more traditional pinku genre films being made in the earlier part of the century. Like most pinku films from earlier years, The Japanese Wife Next Door is aimed at pure titillation but in what will be a more …

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Though it was widely seen and written about on its initial release, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata is so full of forgotten detail that it is more than worth a second or a third look. While it is the story of a salaryman who loses his job and almost loses his family, it is far more …

Gentle Breeze in the Village / Tennen kokekko (2007)

Soyo is the oldest girl in her tiny village whom we follow in A Gentle Breeze in the Village for about two years until she enters high school. A new boy arrives from far-away Tokyo, and everyone assumes a romance will develop, but it is very tentative and awkward, as we would hope to see …

Nana (2005)

A cute young woman hunts for an empty seat on the train to Tokyo and finds the only one holds a guitar case next to another young woman in a leather jacket. They discover that they are both named Nana. They part ways at the station but soon run into each other when both try …

Casshern (2004)

Sometimes we come across a movie of such significance or uniqueness that, despite its many flaws, it should at least be mentioned in any look at Japanese film and culture. It was only a matter of time before the turn of the century nostalgia for old manga and anime, the spread of CGI, and the …

Dororo (2007)

Manga has been a constant source of inspiration for Japanese movie-makers, long before the American deep dive into the Marvel universe. Red Shadow had brought a 21st century live-action feel to the work of one of the godfathers of the manga, Mitsuteru Yokoyama. Dororo takes a similar live-action approach to one of the most inventive …

Kekko Kamen (2003-4)

In a nation whose film culture is often distinguished by its ventures into weirdness, one of the weirdest is the Kekko Kamen series. Kekko rides around Tokyo on her red motor scooter completely nude except for red gloves, boots, scarf, and a mask with floppy rabbit ears. But the series is not a pinku series …

Girl of Silence / Fazafakka (1995)

There have been many Japanese movies about sex and the teen-aged girl, but few are as disturbing to watch as Girl of Silence. Shizuko is 14 when her mother brings home a new man. She has her first sexual experience with a boy in her school class, and very awkward it is for both of …

Cat’s Eye (1997)

Many Japanese movies were based on manga but few I have seen caught the true comic book experience as well as Cat's Eye. A live action adaptation of an eighties animated TV series, it navigates the space between parody of and love for its early teen story line that makes it a great pleasure for …