Is it the truth, or a romantic fiction? If the latter, who is telling the story? The vignette at the start of Shûsuke Kaneko’s much-loved manga adaptation packs in every available Gothic cliché. A lonely boy plays the piano late at night, by the light of an oil lamp. He’s disturbed by a sudden gust of wind, which sets white curtains billowing. Leaving the room, he walks along a corridor, slips an envelope under a door, then exits the mansion as a grandfather clock chimes ominously. It’s even a full moon. He’s going to throw himself into the lake, and that’s what we seem to see. But is it what it seems?
Skip forward three months. The school – for that’s what the building is – has emptied for summer vacation, all but for three boys who have nowhere else to go. Seniors Kazuhiko (Tomoko Ôtakara) and Naoto (Miyuki Nakano), together.
Skip forward three months. The school – for that’s what the building is – has emptied for summer vacation, all but for three boys who have nowhere else to go. Seniors Kazuhiko (Tomoko Ôtakara) and Naoto (Miyuki Nakano), together.
- 4/20/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Famous for its surreal genre-mashing and cross-gender casting, “Summer Vacation 1999”'s (1988) cultish elements recall the beginnings of shonen-ai (boy's love), one of many queercoded creative spaces that have been veiled for heterosexual enjoyment. Before our time of identity politics and labels, representations of gender and sexual fluidity wove itself into existence by sheer will and unquenchable desire. Today, in the restored catalogs of festivals such as Queer East, we look back in celebration, but also with a mixed sense of wonder, empathy and relief. In Shusuke Kaneko's futurist romantic-mystery, three boys reel from the return of their supposed-dead schoolmate to their countryside boarding school, igniting tensions and unrequited desires. “Summer Vacation 1999” breathes life into a depiction of queer spaces as innocent, fleeting and beautiful, forever scarred into memory.
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
Summer Vacation 1999 is screening at Queer East Festival
Under an ominous full moon, we witness the dramatic suicide of the well-loved,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Renee Ng
- AsianMoviePulse
Despite having directed some excellent films, as in the case of “Dog Bite Dog” and “Love Battlefield” and a masterpiece in “Limbo”, Soi Cheang's filmography is actually filled with titles of questionable quality, to say the least. “Shamo” which is based on the homonymous manga written by Izo Hashimoto and illustrated by Akio Tanaka definitely lies in the second category.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In an expectedly failed effort to fit 34 volumes of a manga into a 105 minutes movie, the script revolves around Ryo Narushima, a young man who ended up in prison for killing his parents. While inside, he is being tortured and abused, with the permission of the notorious warden, Principal Saeki, who seems at least as sinister as the convicts. Just before he commits suicide, though, Ryo is saved by Kenji, a karate master who is in prison for killing the Japanese Prime minister,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In an expectedly failed effort to fit 34 volumes of a manga into a 105 minutes movie, the script revolves around Ryo Narushima, a young man who ended up in prison for killing his parents. While inside, he is being tortured and abused, with the permission of the notorious warden, Principal Saeki, who seems at least as sinister as the convicts. Just before he commits suicide, though, Ryo is saved by Kenji, a karate master who is in prison for killing the Japanese Prime minister,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
By Nubia Jade Brice
“University student Mimi and her boyfriend Naoto encounter one chilling mystery after another. There’s the enigmatic neighbor woman dressed in black from head to toe—but if she’s so odd, why does it seem like there are many others like her? Then, whose eyes track Mimi’s movements from the cemetery next door? And why does a bizarre red circle drawn on a basement wall change with each passing day?” (Viz Media)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
For many people, autumn and all things scary just seem to go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that horror legend Junji Ito would drop a new manga just in time for the height of Fall. Combining his iconic art with stories by authors Hirokatsu Kihara and Ichiro Nakayama, “Mimi’s Tales of Terror” is the perfect collection of...
“University student Mimi and her boyfriend Naoto encounter one chilling mystery after another. There’s the enigmatic neighbor woman dressed in black from head to toe—but if she’s so odd, why does it seem like there are many others like her? Then, whose eyes track Mimi’s movements from the cemetery next door? And why does a bizarre red circle drawn on a basement wall change with each passing day?” (Viz Media)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
For many people, autumn and all things scary just seem to go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that horror legend Junji Ito would drop a new manga just in time for the height of Fall. Combining his iconic art with stories by authors Hirokatsu Kihara and Ichiro Nakayama, “Mimi’s Tales of Terror” is the perfect collection of...
- 10/23/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The concept of going back in time in order to correct past mistakes was occasionally used brilliantly in the anime world, with titles such “When They Cry” highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. Based on the homonymous manga by Ken Wakui, which currently is one of the best-selling of all time, “Tokyo Revengers” attempts to do something similar, adding however, the rather popular theme of delinquent gangs.
on Crunchyroll
by clicking on the image below
Takemichi Hanagaki, a 26-year-old freeter with no hope in life, learns one day that his middle school ex-girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, as well as her younger brother Naoto, are killed by the Toman (Tokyo Manji) gang, after a rather violent incident. Later that day, a shocked Takemichi is pushed in front of a train, but instead of dying, he teleports exactly 12 years into the past, to 2005. He relives his middle school years,...
on Crunchyroll
by clicking on the image below
Takemichi Hanagaki, a 26-year-old freeter with no hope in life, learns one day that his middle school ex-girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, as well as her younger brother Naoto, are killed by the Toman (Tokyo Manji) gang, after a rather violent incident. Later that day, a shocked Takemichi is pushed in front of a train, but instead of dying, he teleports exactly 12 years into the past, to 2005. He relives his middle school years,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
At this point in his career, Kazuyuki Akashi has largely remained under the radar, although he might be a director worth seeking out. His 2011 debut film ‘Press' caught attention at its Cannes international screening, but his international attention seemed to dwindle shortly thereafter. Last year's ‘Hannora' might be similar to ‘Press' in its focus on themes relating to troubled youth, merging the Japanese words ‘half' (han) and ‘stray' (nora) with its title. And with all of its action, drama and absurdity, ‘Hannora' might be the film which will bring this director back to international attention.
Hannora screened at Japan FilmFest Hamburg
The film follows the perspective of Naoto, a high school student in a rock band with his two best friends who works a part-time job at a mysterious Chinese restaurant which occasionally hosts music performances. Naoto's life takes a turn when he runs into Maki, a girl his...
Hannora screened at Japan FilmFest Hamburg
The film follows the perspective of Naoto, a high school student in a rock band with his two best friends who works a part-time job at a mysterious Chinese restaurant which occasionally hosts music performances. Naoto's life takes a turn when he runs into Maki, a girl his...
- 6/28/2023
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
“March 11th, 2011: a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered a devastating tsunami which, in turn, destroyed the three core reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This tragedy cost almost 20,000 lives and devastated countless more, including Naoto Matsumura, a farmer ordered to evacuate from the deadly radiation zone. Unwilling to abandon his beloved animals, Matsumura chose to return home to his farm, and to fight for the beauty of life. This powerful graphic novel from France intertwines Matsumura’s story of human resilience and compassion with the compelling mythology of Japanese folk tales.” (Tokyopop)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Framed in the forward to the comic, when tragedies strike, the humanity of the situation is often lost in statistics that don’t quite illicit a response reflective of the actual horrors that occurred. It is, undeniably, simpler for those...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Framed in the forward to the comic, when tragedies strike, the humanity of the situation is often lost in statistics that don’t quite illicit a response reflective of the actual horrors that occurred. It is, undeniably, simpler for those...
- 2/16/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
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