Horror is typically regarded as the least feminist genre of film; a genre that routinely objectifies, sexualizes, tortures, rapes and murders women and girls. However, if viewed from a different angle, horror films often feature story lines that grant wronged women the power and agency (in death) to respond to the injustices done to them [...]
Archive for the ‘Japan’ Category
Feminism in Horror Film: Dead Wet Girls and Onryō
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Film Reviews, tagged constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, critical essay, film, film review, Film Reviews, ghosts, horror, J-horror, Japan, japanese film, JU-ON, Kwaidan, Nakata Heideo, Oiwa, Okiku, onryo, Shimizu Takashi, The Grudge, The Ring, yokai, yotsuya kaidan, yurei on January 23, 2012 | 6 Comments »
Japanese Film Review: Takahashi Gen’s GOTH (2008)
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Film Reviews on January 19, 2012 | 6 Comments »
Based upon the novel by Otsuichi, GOTH is about two morbid high school students who share a fascination with murder. Kamiyama (Hongo Kanata) is an outwardly friendly and popular boy who hides his potentially sociopathic nature with a carefree, happy attitude. Loner Morino (Takanashi Rin), on the other hand, does little to hide her strange [...]
Japanese Film Review: Yamada Yoji’s KABEI: OUR MOTHER (2008)
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Film Reviews, Japanese History on December 14, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Yamada Yoji does not make action-packed Hollywood blockbusters. Stemming from the branch of Japanese filmmakers taught by Ozu and Mizoguchi, Yamada’s films usually take a more introspective, down-to-earth direction. While Kabei: Our Mother marks his 80th film, it was only in the early 2000s that Yamada gained the recognition of Western audiences. The films of his samurai trilogy (The Twilight [...]
Japanese Film Review: Kon Satoshi’s PERFECT BLUE (1998)
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Film Reviews, tagged anime, CHAM, constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, critical essay, film review, Japan, Japanese culture, japanese film, Japanese film review, Kon Satoshi, Perfect Blue on November 26, 2011 | 7 Comments »
Already before Perfect Blue I wrote a script for another director [Katsuhiro Otomo], an episode of the omnibus film Memories called Magnetic Rose. It was also a story of confusion between memory and the real world. Because I didn’t direct it myself I was a bit concerned about how it was turning out. On many occasions I [...]
Caught Doing Good: Teaching English in Korea and Japan
Posted in Japan, Japanese Culture, Teaching English Abroad, tagged Caught Doing Good, constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Korea, life in Japan, life in Korea, South Korea, teaching, teaching English, teaching English abroad, teaching English in Japan, teaching English in Korea, ToLokyo, Travel on September 10, 2010 | 8 Comments »
Next up in the “Teaching in Asia” interview series is my friend Philip, who some of you may know as ToLokyo on YouTube. Philip graduated from university in 2003 with a degree in English Education – Secondary and a certification to teach grades 6-12 in Florida. During college, Philip did an internship abroad in Saipan. [...]
Absolutely Grotesque: Feminist Literature in Japan
Posted in Book Reviews, Japan, Japanese Culture, tagged book review, constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, critical essay, feminism, grotesque, Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese feminism, kirino natsuo, natsuo kirino on September 9, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Unlike the West, Japan does not have a history of strong feminist movements – or, at least, Japanese feminism is less focused on individual autonomy than Western feminism. Even today, most ‘feminist’ dialogue takes place within community or civil rights organizations, not feminist activist groups. While the position of women within Japanese society has changed [...]
Hired Swords vs. Heavenly Warriors: The Development of Warrior Power in Early Japan
Posted in Book Reviews, Japan, Japanese History, tagged constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, Heavenly Warrirors, Hired Swords, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese history, Karl Friday, samurai, Temmu, Tenmu, William Farris on September 4, 2010 | 2 Comments »
The common treatment of the Heian court found in textbooks and survey histories depicts Japan’s ruling class as a group of leisured and effete aristocrats more concerned with composing elaborate waka (poetry) and mastering esoteric Buddhist practices than the effective governance of the country. Furthermore, efforts during the Taika Reform era to adopt a Chinese-style [...]
Japanese Film Review: Memories – Magnetic Rose 彼女の想いで (1995)
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Film Reviews, tagged constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, critical essay, film review, Film Reviews, japanese film, Kon Satoshi, Magnetic Rose, Memories, Satoshi Kon on September 1, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Magnetic Rose (a rather loose translation of 彼女の想いで, “her memories”) is the first of three episodes based on the manga short stories of Otomo Katsuhiro (the genius behind Akira). Directed by Morimoto Koji, Magnetic Rose does not offer any insight into Kon Satoshi’s work as a director. However, he wrote the adaption of Otomo’s original [...]
The Works of Kon Satoshi: Introduction
Posted in Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese Culture, tagged anime, constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, film review, Film Reviews, Japan, Japanese animation, Japanese culture, japanese film, Kon Satoshi, Millennium Actress, Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon, Tokyo Godfathers on September 1, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Alright, I realize that by doing something like this I am going to be revealing just how much of a nerd I am to everyone who reads this blog. However, considering my last blog post mentioned that I have history-induced orgasms, I guess I’m not fooling anyone into thinking that I am coolness personified. Over [...]
The CAF and The Japanese Zero 零式艦上戦闘機二二型
Posted in Japan, Japanese History, Travel, tagged A6M3 Type 0 Model 22, CAF, Camarillo Airport, Commemorative Air Force, constantine in tokyo, constantineintokyo, fighters, Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese history, Japanese Zero, Pacific War, war, World War II, WWII, WWII aircraft, Zero on August 30, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Some of you know that I recently went back to America during part of summer vacation. While I was in Los Angeles, my friend Worm (it’s a nickname, don’t ask) was kind enough to take me up to see the Southern Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) at Camarillo Airport where he volunteers as [...]
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