Guts of a Virgin - Kazuo Komizu 1986

LONE WOLF AND CUB: BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS

A message to send

Expose a fraudulent Prince

Test 5 warriors

Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950) Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Noriko Homma, Daisuke Kato. Screenplay: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa. Production design: Takashi Matsuyama. Film editing: Akira Kurosawa. Music: Fumio Hayasaka. When I was growing up, Rashomon was one of those films like Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (1957) that you had to have seen just to be considered culturally literate. Among other things, it's often cited as the career breakthrough of Akira Kurosawa and his frequent star, Toshiro Mifune. But if there's a key to the success of Rashomon as drama it's the performance of MIchiko Kyo in the female lead. Kyo was the star of another 1950s imported hit, Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953), and gave memorable performances for Kenji Mizoguchi in Street of Shame (1956) and especially Ugetsu (1953) as well as for Yasujiro Ozu in Floating Weeds (1959). She even crossed the Pacific to play opposite Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando (in yellowface) in the film version of The Teahouse of the August Moon (Daniel Mann, 1956). The nuances of Kyo's performance make Rashomon work; they keep us guessing whether she was the dutiful wife or the savage wanton. As I watch more and more Japanese film of the late 1940s, '50s, and '60s, it becomes clearer that this was a great period for female actors like Kyo, Setsuko Hara, Kyoko Kagawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Isuzu Yamada, Hideko Takamine, and many others -- most of whose names are unknown to Americans today. As for Rashomon itself, while it remains essential viewing for the cinematically literate, I don't hold it in as high esteem as I do such Kurosawa/Mifune collaborations as  Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Lower Depths (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), or High and Low (1963). Rashomon feels arty and remote in ways that those don't.

gifs by talesfromthecrypts

I had such a good reading month!

I had five five star books, that never happens.

I finished War & Peace, I didn't even know I could do that.

It's been an awful whirl of news this month and books for me have been a way of escaping that a little, I must admit and I hope that if you are reading this, you are safe and that you are in a good place.

Places you can donate:

Oxfam | Red Cross/Red Crescent. | Medical Aid For Palestinians. | UNRWA.

Blue Exorcist Vol. 2 by Kazuo Kato - A manga series recommended by someone I follow on YouTube, I wasn't sure this series wasn't for me, however the more I get into it, the more I enjoy it. The story of a boy who realises his dad, well more finds out his dad is the devil after his mentor is killed by him, he then joins an academy to learn how to fight with his brother. I feel like reading it is by far better than any description I can give to be honest but I do recommend it!

Amari And The Great Game by B.B. Alston - One of the best middles grade series right now, the Amari and The Night Brothers books are so good. Amari continues to be a strong and brilliant character and the plots are gripping even for an adult like myself. Middle grade books now are some of the most diverse and exciting stories right now in my opinion and this series is certainly proof of that.

Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid - I've always loved stories where the characters are straight forward and honest with the reader, and no one is more honest and direct to the reader than Lucy, our protagonist. The story of a young woman who moves in with a couple as she begins to figure out her life, it explore life, love, sex, and packs it all in perfectly in so few pages.

Another Day In The Death Of America by Gary Younge - A book that has been on my TBR for way too long, this book tells the story of 10 young people who were killed by guns in the US in the cycle of 24 hours. Thoughtfully written and emotionally impactful throughout, the stories of these young people are profound and heartbreaking. If you can handle this book, please do, it's beautifully written and deeply researched and shines a light on the gun control issues that America faces today.

The Barmy British Empire by Terry Deary - I have always loved Horrible Histories, and this book really does convey honestly how bloody awful the colonial past of the British empire was and really should be compulsory reading for anyone old enough capable of reading it. Though I have also read 'adult' books on the impact of colonialism, this is a great place to begin and a book that doesn't shy away from the cruelty of empire, not just from Britain but also Belgium and Portugal.

Those were five star reads from October, what did you read this month? Have you read any of these? Let me know!

Thanks again for reading!

Vee xo.

G7 finance chiefs face a tough trade-off as they discuss steps to counter China By Reuters

4/4 ©Reuters. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda attend a family photo session at the meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Niigata, Japan on May 12, 2023. REUTERS /Issei Kato 2/4 By Leika Kihara and Andrea Shalal NIIGATA, Japan (Reuters) – Financial leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies will this week debate the…

View On WordPress

Asian markets breathe sigh of relief amid Ueda hearing

[ad_1] © Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Japanese government’s nominee for the Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a hearing session at the lower house of the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian markets breathed a sigh of relief on Friday as the incoming head of Japan’s central bank soothed fears of an early…

View On WordPress

Asian markets breathe sigh of relief amid Ueda hearing

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Japanese government’s nominee for the Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a hearing session at the lower house of the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian markets breathed a sigh of relief on Friday as the incoming head of Japan’s central bank soothed fears of an early end to…

View On WordPress

Shadowings 2022 “KAZUO UMEZZ THE GREAT ART EXHIBTION” Installation View TOKYO CITY VIEW, Tokyo, Japan Mixed Media ©Yuma Tomiyasu ©Kazuo Umezz Photo: Ken Kato An installation work in collaboration with 101 original sketches of “ZOKU SHINGO: Small Robots: Shingo Museum” by manga artist Kazuo Umezz. Tomiyasu is also responsible for the direction of the exhibition room, including the placement of the 101 pieces of "ZOKU-SHINGO". In the center of the exhibition room, a lattice-like hut is set up with various objects inspired by “ZOKU-SHINGO” and its predecessor, “My Name is Shingo”, as well as Tomiyasu's paintings. Various lights, such as spotlights, a floor light, a revolving lantern, and a ceiling light, are installed in the exhibition room, and turn on and off creating a variety of light effects in 10-minute cycles, including one that turns the room bright red. In addition, a rotary dial phone sometimes rings, just like the scene in “My Name is Shingo”. Shadowings 2022 「楳図かずお大美術展」 展示風景 東京シティビュー, 東京 ミクストメディア ©冨安由真 ©楳図かずお 撮影: 加藤健 漫画家楳図かずおの連作絵画『ZOKU-SHINGO 小さなロボット シンゴ美術館』の素描作 品とコラボレーションしたインスタレーション作品。『ZOKU-SHINGO 小さなロボット シンゴ 美術館』101点の配置も含め、展示室内の演出も手掛けている。展示室の中央には格子 状の小屋が設置され、『ZOKU-SHINGO 小さなロボット シンゴ美術館』と、その前作となる 『わたしは真悟』にインスピレーションを得た様々なオブジェと、冨安の絵画作品が設置されている。展示室内にはスポットライトやフロアライト、回転灯ろうやシーリン グライトなど様々な照明が設置され、時間の経過と共に点いたり消えたりし、展示室内が真っ赤に染まる照明も含め、10分周期で様々な光の演出がなされる。また 『わたしは真悟』のシーンさながら、時折黒電話が鳴る仕掛けがある。

Nami to appear at the music play “#RiKōran -Flowers and Flowers-”🎭 To mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China and the 45th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China, a special play will be held 🇯🇵🇨🇳 A Japan-China co-production of the music play 「#李香蘭-花と華-」 (Ri Kōran -Flowers and Flowers -), which depicts the life of the legendary diva Yoshiko Yamaguchi, also known as Li Xianglan and rendered in Japanese as Ri Kōran (李香蘭), who survived World War II, will be performed in January 2023 with a script by Takaya Okamoto and directed by Shinji Rachi! Nami Tamaki will be cast in two roles: Yoshiko Kawashima and Ryubachika. She will be playing one of the roles depending on the performance and day. 🔸 Performance Information A Japan-China joint production of the music play 「李香蘭-花と華-」 (Ri Kōran -Flowers and Flowers-) 🔸 Performance Schedule January 13, 2023 ~ January 22, 2023 @ Kinokuniya Southern Theater TAKASHIMAYA *Detailed schedule to be announced at a later date. 🔸 Cast Ri Kōran: Mariya Nishiuchi Yoshiko Kawashima: Tsukasa Hiryu, Nami Tamaki (W CAST) Ryubachika: Nami Tamaki, Maon Kurosaki (W CAST) Kodama Eisui: Taro Nakamura Nagamasa Kawakita: Hirotaka Ise Toru Yamaya: Daisuke Yanase Masahiko Amakasu: Shinji Rachi Ai Yamaguchi: Rika Matsumoto Fumio Yamaguchi: Kentaro Hayami General Li: Yasuhisa Kato Pan Yuehua: Aya Akane Kazuo Hasegawa: Shusuke Saito Yoshiko Yamaguchi: Mira Yasutoshi (special appearance) etc. Script and Lyrics: Takaya Okamoto Direction and Choreography: Shinji Rachi Composer: Masato Kamata Choreography: Kayoko Nakura General Direction: Kensuke Yokouchi #玉置成実 #namitamaki #tamakinami #jpop #japaneseartist #japanesesinger #instagram #beautiful #girl #jmusic #picoftheday #japanesemusic #japan #japanese #music #artist #singer #love #entertainment #instalike #followme #instadaily #エンターテイメント #歌手 #アニソン #アーティスト #日本 https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbGJW7K1F5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Omakase: restaurantes japoneses que oferecem o menu em São Paulo

Omakase: restaurantes japoneses que oferecem o menu em São Paulo

Entre R$ 280 e R$ 2,4 mil, restaurantes apresentam menus que mudam todos os dias, de acordo com o que há de mais frescopor Matheus Mans, O Estado de S.Paulo Peixes e insumos do restaurante Kazuo, comandado pelo chef Kazuo Harada Foto: Rubens Kato Você entra em um restaurante japonês e simplesmente não escolhe nada do que vai comer. Deixa tudo nas mãos do itamae-san – o chef da cozinha japonesa.…

View On WordPress

Broken Commandment 破戒 Director: Kazuo Maeda [New York Asian Film Festival 2022]

Broken Commandment 破戒 Director: Kazuo Maeda [New York Asian Film Festival 2022] @NYAFF #NYAFF #NYAFF2022

Broken Commandment  破戒 「Hakai」 Release Date: July 08th, 2022 Duration: 119 mins. Director: Kazuo Maeda Writer: Masato Kato, Norio Kida (Script), Toson Shimazaki (Original Story) Starring: Shotaro Mamiya, Anna Ishii, Yuma Yamoto, Naoto Takenaka, Ayako Kobayashi, Yoji Tanaka, Renji Ishibashi, Website   JFDB Thursday Jul 28, 6:30pm Broken Commandment is an adaptation of Toson Shimazaki’s 1906 novel.…

View On WordPress

GOKE, BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL (1968, Aka KYUKETSUKI GOKEMIDORO) – Episode 126 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“Such a deep wound and no bloodstains. I have a bad feeling about this.” And well you should! The insanity has just begun. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, and Jeff Mohr – as they each express their “what-the-hell-am-I-watching” reactions to Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 126 – Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

The survivors of a plane crash in a remote area are attacked by blob-like alien creatures that turn their victims into blood-thirsty vampires

Director: Hajime Satô

Writers: Kyûzô Kobayashi, Susumu Takaku

Based on: Gokemidoro (TV 1967) by Tomio Sagisu (also known as Soji Ushio)

Music by: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Cinematography by: Shizuo Hirase

Special Effects by: Michio Mikami

Selected Cast

Teruo Yoshida as Ei Sugisaka (the co-pilot)

Tomomi Sato as Kazumi Asakura (the stewardess)

Eizo Kitamura as Gôzô Mano (the senator)

Hideo Ko as Hirofumi Teraoka (the hijacker)

Kathy Horan as Mrs. Neal (the blonde)

Yuko Kusunoki as Noriko Tokuyasu

Nobuo Kaneko as Mr. Tokuyasu (the businessman)

Kazuo Kato as Dr. Momotake (the psychiatrist)

Hiroyuki Nishimoto as the airplane captain

Masaya Takahashi as Toshiyuki Saga (the scientist)

Toshihiko Yamamoto as Matsumiya (the bomber)

Keiichi Noda as Gokemidoro (voice)

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (aka, Kyuketsuki Gokemidoro) is Daphne’s pick and she loves the cool visuals and crazy colors and has fun with the film’s all-out wackiness. The look of Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell reminded Whitney of Planet of the Vampires, identifying director Hajime Satô as a fan of Mario Bava’s work. This movie has everything according to Chad. Birds committing suicide, vampires, aliens, blobs, space ships, and an end-of-the-world scenario, to name just a few of the insane plot points in Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell that keep you guessing. Jeff is so gobsmacked once the first vampire shows up that he completely loses track of the story. He loves everything about Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, including the music.

If you haven’t seen Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, it’s time you did! As of this writing, the movie is available to stream from the Classic Sci-Fi Movie Channel, The Criterion Channel, and Flix Fling. In terms of physical media, Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell is available on a Criterion DVD as part of its When Horror Came to Shochiku collection along with The X from Outer Space (1967), The Living Skeleton (1968), and Genocide (1968).

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule is one chosen by Whitney: El libro de piedra (1969, The Book of Stone), another fine entry to the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era files from Mexico.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at [email protected]

To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”

Check out this episode!

RAN (1985)

Director - Akira Kurosawa, Cinematography - Takao Saito, Masaharu Ueda & Asakazu Nakai

"In a mad world only the mad are sane."

Toshiro Mifune in Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

Kaoru Yachigusa in Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple

Toshiro Mifune and Koji Tsuruta in Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

The Samurai Trilogy: Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1954, 1955, 1956)

Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, Koji Tsuruta, Rentaro Mikuni, Kuroemon Onoe, Mariko Okada, Mitsuko Mito, Eiko Miyoshi, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kokuten Kodo, Ko Mihashi, Daisuke Kato, Eijiro Tono. Screenplay: Hiroshi Inagaki, Tokuhei Wakao, based on a play by Hideji Hojo and a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa. Cinematography: Jun Yasumoto (I,II), Kazuo Yamada (III). Art direction: Makoto Sono (I), production design: Kisaku Ito (II,III). Film editing: Eiji Ooi (I,II), Koichi Iwashita (III). Music: Ikuma Dan. Toshiro Mifune achieves a kind of gravitas in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy that he never displays in the movies by Akira Kurosawa in which he played more flamboyant samurai. That's because Hiroshi Inagaki's trilogy is a kind of cinematic Bildungsroman: the education of Musashi Miyamoto, a historic figure who served as a kind of bridge between the swordsmanship tradition of the Japanese warrior and the meditative tradition rooted in Zen Buddhism. It's a strongly planned trilogy where it comes to Miyamoto's development, and Mifune provides a solid center. But I found myself distracted by the Hollywoodizing of the story, especially the subplot involving Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa), the woman who loves Miyamoto so much that she devotes her life to seeking him out. The argument goes that this romantic subplot represents one of the trials that Miyamoto must undergo before he can achieve the kind of wisdom that his spiritual mentors wish for him, but Otsu's doggedness struck me as heavy-handed and sentimental. Still, it's a fascinating and often spectacular trio of films, beautifully climaxing in the battle between Miyamoto and Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta) as the sun sets over the sea on whose verge they are dueling.

http://all-comic.com/2019/manga-mavericks-ep-84-heart-gear-spy-x-family/

Last week we sadly lost two influential mangaka whose works have become cultural institutions. Kazuhiko Kato, more popularly known by his pen name Monkey Punch, and Kazuo Koike have both passed away due to pneumonia. It’s bittersweet that Koike’s final tweets were reminiscing on his friend and rival, as both of their iconic series competed for popularity in Weekly Manga Action over nearly 50 years ago. His very last internet words were “I’m really going to miss him,” and we at Manga Mavericks feel the same about both creators. Lupin the Third is a franchise we both adore and one that has endured and entertained generations. Many of Koike’s works, including Lone Wolf and Cub, are absolute classics, and his legacy and influence on the medium can be seen through the numerous talents he helped nurture like Rumiko Takahashi and Tetsuo Hara, among many others. Both creators’ influence extend beyond manga, having even influence film directors abroad like Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino through film adaptations of their works. So while we mourn their passing, we also find solace that their life’s work and legacy will continue to live on.  

Though we’d like to spend more time eulogizing them, there’s been a lot of other news in the manga world we need to talk about. There’s new series, new licenses, and exciting opportunities for aspiring mangaka to break-in to the industry! Plus, we’ve got two new Jump Starts to talk about! Or, rather, “Manga Plus Starts” since they’re exclusive to that service. Did Heart Gear and Spy x Family mend our broken hearts, or are they series we’d rather exclude from the Manga Plus family? Listen in and find out!

Look forward to next week’s podcast where we answer all your We Never Learn Q&As AND make an exciting announcement! What could it be? You’ll have to listen and see! Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and now on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!

G7 finance leaders debate the risks of the financial system By Reuters

©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda attends a press conference following their policy meeting at BOJ’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan on April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato By Leika Kihara NIIGATA, Japan (Reuters) – Calm has returned to the global financial system following the recent bankruptcy of several US banks, but Group of Seven (G7) financial leaders will…

View On WordPress