Film / Reviews Aug 26, 2021
‘One Summer Story’: Moka Kamishiraishi lights up the screen
Shuichi Okita injects his style of observational humor to this film adaptation of Retto Tajima's manga series.
Film / Reviews Aug 19, 2021
‘Last of the Wolves’: A sequel with just as much bite as the first
The follow-up to Kazuya Shiraishi’s “The Blood of Wolves” features emotionally raw and poignant moments in the middle of violent gang power struggles.
Film / Reviews Aug 12, 2021
‘It's a Summer Film’: Movie worship with a time travel twist
Soushi Matsumoto dips into various genres with his feature debut about a teenage aspiring director who unknowingly casts a time-traveling fan of her work as the lead in her first film.
Film Aug 12, 2021
A director tackles the story of Japan's own nuclear experiment
Hiroshi Kurosaki put years of research into his film, "Gift of Fire," which portrays Japan’s project to create an atomic bomb during World War II.
Film / Reviews Jul 22, 2021
‘Inubu: The Dog Club’: Puppy love with a heavy dose of advocacy
Drawing from a novel based on true events, “Inubu” shows the barriers activists fighting for the humane treatment of animals face, their own physical and financial limits among them.
Film / Reviews Jul 15, 2021
‘Restart’: There’s no place like home for second chances
Director Hiroshi Shinagawa, who endured his own struggles as a young comic, shows the darker side of showbiz, as well as the welcoming beauty of Shimokawa, Hokkaido Prefecture.
Film Jul 8, 2021
Over 100 years of the Olympic spirit captured on screen
Film coverage of the modern Olympics, starting from 1912, shows that national pride and stunning athleticism have always been an integral part of the games.
Film / Reviews Jul 8, 2021
‘A Dobugawa Dream’: An escape from isolation to a personal fantasyland
Asato Watanabe’s debut feature about a man grappling with depression treads the line between reality and fantasy, with comic antics thrown in.
Film / Reviews Jul 1, 2021
‘The Goldfish: Dreaming of the Sea’: A coming-of-age tale told with talent and lyricism
Miyu Ogawa displays gravity and vulnerability in Sara Ogawa’s first theatrical feature, which centers on a teenager who lives in a group home and coaxes a new arrival out of her shell.
Film / Reviews Jun 24, 2021
‘Ito’: Ren Komai strums the right notes
Satoko Yokohama’s drama, set in the director’s native Aomori Prefecture, features a troubled teen whose talent for playing the shamisen is hindered by grief.