Category: Japanese films
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่ถ FIRST IMPRESSIONS ่ถ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Kokuho: Lee Sang-ilโs Mesmerizing Portrait of Kabuki Mastery” by Jennifer Eagleton Lee Sang-il (director), Kokuho, 2025. 174 min. What makes Lee Sang-ilโs Kokuho special are the tight closeups of onnagata…
![[REVIEW] “๐พ๐๐๐ขโ๐: Lee Sang-ilโs Mesmerizing Portrait of Kabuki Mastery” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/httpsgkids.comfilmskokuho.png?w=1024)
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่ถ FIRST IMPRESSIONS ่ถ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โEtienne Pรฉrierโs Bridge to the Sun and Extremism Abroadโ by Jeremiah Dutch Etenne Pรฉrier (director), Bridge to the Sun, 1961. 113 min. Living abroad and watching oneโs homeland descend…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โEtienne Pรฉrierโs ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐ and Extremism Abroadโ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/bridge-to-the-sun-cha.png?w=1024)
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TIFF 2025 โ 10. The Archivistโs Film: A Conversation on Kunsang Kyirongโs 100 Sunsetโ 9. She Was Screaming into Silence: A Conversation on Cai Shangjunโs The Sun Rises On Us Allโ 8. You Don’t Belong to Anyone: A Conversation on…
![[TIFF 2025] โThe Need for Change: On Kei Ishikawaโs ๐ด ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ โ by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2a-pale-view-of-hills-e981a0e38184e5b1b1e381aae381bfe381aee58589-kei-ishikawa.jpg?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Masayuki Suo (director), Shall We Dance? 1996, 136 min. At college, I once romanced a young lady by agreeing to take ballroom dancing lessons with her after her…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โForget the Remake, Masayuki Suoโs ๐โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐? is in Perfect Step with Japanโ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/masayuki-sou-director-shall-we-dance-1996-136-min.-.jpg?w=686)
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TIFF 2025 โ 10. The Archivistโs Film: A Conversation on Kunsang Kyirongโs 100 Sunsetโ 9. She Was Screaming into Silence: A Conversation on Cai Shangjunโs The Sun Rises On Us Allโ 8. You Don’t Belong to Anyone: A Conversation on…
![[TIFF 2025] โLight At The End of the Labyrinth: On Genki Kawamuraโs ๐ธ๐ฅ๐๐ก 8โ by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/exit-8.jpg?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] โPseudo-Resistance and Ethical Beauty: A Critique of South Korean and Japanese Cinematic Aestheticsโ by Zheng Wang In the narrative context of East Asian visual media, both South Korean and Japanese films and television series excel at exposing the darker…
![[ESSAY] โPseudo-Resistance and Ethical Beauty: A Critique of South Korean and Japanese Cinematic Aestheticsโ by Zheng Wang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/8331752405576_.pic_.png?w=610)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Masaki Kobayashi (director), Kwaidan, 1964. 175 min. Maโa profound Japanese concept that encapsulates the essence of stillness. The term refers to the empty spaces in between, a fleeting suspension…
![[EXCLUSIVE] โ๐พ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐: Horror and Folklore as an Art Formโ by Tushi Gogoi](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/kwaidan.jpg?w=570)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Shunji Iwai (director), Undo, 1994. 47 min. The film Undo (1994) by Shunji Iwai is modest in length at just 47 minutes. Yet the narrative never feels rushed,…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Beyond Earshot: Transcribing Meaning in Shunji Iwaiโs ๐๐๐๐” by Miran Tsay](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/shunji-iwai.jpg?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Nobuhiro Doi (director), Hanamizuki, 2010. 128 min. Water plays a significant role in the work of many filmmakers. One might, for instance, recall the rainwater and silvery puddles…
![[REVIEW] “The Measure of Love in Nobuhiro Doi’s ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐” by Anders Kรธlle](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/hanamizuki-e3838fe3838ae3839fe382bae382ad.png?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Shinya Tsukamoto ๅกๆฌๆไน, Tetsuo: The Iron Man ้็ท, 1989. 67 min. I leave the factory. Pass through a haze of cigarette smoke. Walk to the car. Slide…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โViewing ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐: ๐โ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ in an Old Pajama Factory in a Small Town Americaโ by Kristen Cantor](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/shinya-tsukamoto-tetsuo-the-iron-man-e98984e794b7.jpg?w=600)
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๐ย RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ย RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Naomi Kawase, True Mothers, 2020. 140 min. Are human faces a resource? Are they a commodity? Can they be picked like grapes and harvested like grain? Can they be…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “The Face Of Integrity In Naomi Kawase’s ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐ ” by Anders Kรธlle](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/true-mothers.jpg?w=708)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS ๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Kลki Mitani (director), Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald, 1997. 103 min. Kลki Mitani has a particular knack for satirising the Japanese inclination to avoid confrontation. As the screenwriter…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โJapanese Comedy Cinema at Its Finest: Kลki Mitaniโs ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐, ๐๐. ๐๐๐ท๐๐๐๐๐โ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/mv5bodhimtlimzmtodk0my00ogjklwjjmwytythlyta3mzllzjq1xkeyxkfqcgc40._v1_.jpg?w=853)
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TIFF 2024 โ Introductionโ 8. Band of Outsiders: On Neo Sora’s Happyendโ 7. The Soul of an Artist: On Hong Sang-sooโs By The Streamโ 6. The Two Maidens: On Trฦฐฦกng Minh Quรฝโs Viet and Namโ 5. The Master and Her…
![[TIFF 2024] โBand of Outsiders: On Neo Soraโs ๐ป๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐โ by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/happyend_cha.png?w=1024)
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๐RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Toshihiko Tanaka (director), Rei ่ใฎๅฏพ, 2024. 190 min. Toshihiko Tanaka, an actor and photography enthusiast, crafts a compelling narrative in his minimalist yet emotionally resonant debut, Rei. The story…
![[REVIEW] โThe Parallax Effect: Toshihiko Tanakaโs ๐
๐๐โ by Marianna Jaลniak](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/rei-1.png?w=1024)
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๐RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Shiori Ito (director), Black Box Diaries, 2024. 102 min. This review may contain spoilers. In Bangkok, I went with a friend to see Black Box Diaries, directed by Shiori…
![[REVIEW] “Shiori Ito’s ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ฅ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐ : Documentation is a Political Action, Courage Too” by Peixuan Xie](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/screenshot-2024-11-25-at-19.39.56-1.png?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Teinosuke Kinugasa (director), A Page of Madness, 1926. 70 min. Itโs almost Halloween as I write this and it seems fitting to think about what it is that makes…
![[REVIEW] โ๐ด ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ and the Cinema of the Uncannyโ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/a-page-of-madness-film.png?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Ryรปsuke Hamaguchi (director), Evil Does Not Exist, 2023. 106 min. Ryรปsuke Hamaguchiโs follow-up to his Oscar-nominated hit Drive My Car starts off as a seemingly much more…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โEnigmatic Pronouncement: Ryรปsuke Hamaguchiโs ๐ธ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ธ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐กโ by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/evil-does-not-exist-new.jpg?w=1000)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS รlise Girard (director), Sidonie in Japan, 2024. 95 min. Sidonie Perceval (Isabelle Huppert) is a writer, or at least she once was. She has now decided to…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โSpectral Valency: รlise Girard’s ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/elise-girard-director-sidonie-in-japan-2024.-95-min.jpg?w=559)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Clickย HERE to readย all entries inย Chaย onย Perfect Days. Wim Wenders (director),ย Perfect Days, 2023. 123 min. Perfect Days (2023) is a drama directed by Wim Wenders, from a script written…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “An Excellent Example of Slow Cinema: Wim Wenders’s ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ท๐๐ฆ๐ ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/perfect-days-copy.webp?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Perfect Days. Wim Wenders (director), Perfect Days, 2023. 123 min. Wim Wenders is not alone among Western filmmakers in having a fascination with…
![[REVIEW] “Clean Work: Wim Wenders’s ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ท๐๐ฆ๐ ” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/74409c07-88f6-44de-94a4-98f879833225.jpeg?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jun Ichikawa (director), Tony Takitani, 2004. 75 min. Tony Takitani is a film about loneliness and its unwavering cloudinessโthe way it makes you want to lie down in a…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Human Loneliness: Jun Ichikawa’s ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐” by Yimin Huang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/takitani.jpg?w=345)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Nightmare Japan. โ Jinhee Choi and Mitsuyo Wada-Marciano (editors), Horror to the Extreme: Changing Boundaries in Asian Cinema, Hong Kong University Press, 2009. 284 pgs.โ Jay…
![[REVIEW] โThe Golden Age of Asian Horror Film: An Examination of ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ธ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐ and ๐๐๐โ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐โ by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/horror.png?w=1024)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Mamoru Hosada (director), Wolf Children, 2012. 117 min. A story about a single mother trying to bring up two half-Japanese children on her own might naturally be of interest…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โ๐๐๐๐ ๐ถโ๐๐๐๐๐๐ as a Statement on Parenthood and Modern Japanโ by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/wolf-children.jpg?w=1020)
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๐ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS๐ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Akira Kurosawa (director), Stray Dog, 1949. 122 min. Tokyo is a city that is always changing. Old buildings are constantly being torn down and new ones put up. As I…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] โAkira Kurosawa’s ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฆ ๐ท๐๐ as a View into Post-war Tokyo” by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/stray-dog-3.jpg?w=836)
Cha 