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May 18, 2024
 

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James Hadfield
For James Hadfield's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 25, 2020
‘Tezuka’s Barbara’: A dazzlingly dull descent into madness
Macoto Tezka's adaptation of his father's racy 1970s manga is visually intoxicating, but liable to leave viewers with a hangover.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 18, 2020
‘Me & My Brother’s Mistress’: Sneaky siblings will surprise you
When we first see Yoko (Nanami Kasamatsu), the stone-faced heroine of “Me & My Brother’s Mistress,” she’s looking right into the camera lens. Then she raises a camera of her own and starts taking photos, capturing her older brother, Kenji (Satoshi Iwago), emerging from a love hotel with someone...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2020
‘Sakura’: A family held together by dogged devotion
Hitoshi Yazaki turns Kana Nishino's novel about a family overcoming tragedy with the help of their dog into an amiable but wildly uneven drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2020
‘Georama Boy, Panorama Girl’: Not your typical teen romance
Natsuki Seta's playful adaptation of a manga by Kyoko Okazaki avoids the more conventional plot points of 'seishun eiga' (youth films).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2020
‘Dancing in Her Dreams’: Falling under the seductive spell of a bygone era
Hideyuki Tokigawa's film romanticizes the heyday of Hiroshima's strip theaters and the dancers who brought late-night fantasies to life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 22, 2020
Veteran Koji Yakusho brings his movie star clout to the Tokyo International Film Festival
This year's TIFF ambassador discusses the festival experience, the effects of COVID-19 on the film industry, and discovering his inner Marie Kondo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2020
‘True Mothers’: An intimate look at two sides of adoption
Naomi Kawase's drama tackles child adoption and teenage pregnancy with seriousness and compassion, while drawing a stand-out performance from Aju Makita.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2020
In ‘True Mothers,’ Naomi Kawase examines what makes a family
Naomi Kawase draws on personal experience in her new film, an intimate look at adoption that blurs the line between documentary and fiction.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 30, 2020
‘All the Things We Never Said’: Life is bleak, so find a friend to lean on
Yuya Ishii draws some raw performances from his cast in a low-budget, self-produced drama about alienation and unraveling relationships.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2020
‘The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese’: Looking for love in the wrong places
Isao Yukisada's gay romance offers refreshing scenes of domestic intimacy, but can't resolve the underlying problems of its manga source material.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2020
‘The Brightest Roof in the Universe’: Looks nice, lacks sparkle
Michihito Fujii changes pace but can't quite find the right tempo on this lightweight follow-up to gritty award winner “The Journalist.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2020
‘Soiree’: Melancholy drama casts a beautiful spell
Bunji Sotoyama's intimate late-summer drama about a couple who take flight from their hometown is evocative and emotional.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2020
‘Crazy Samurai Musashi’: One-cut carnage is bloody exhausting
Yuji Shimomura's “Crazy Samurai Musashi” boasts a 77-minute continuous shot in which Tak Sakaguchi slashes his way through nearly 600 adversaries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2020
‘Dos Siki’: Dos Monos cuts the fat and ups the ante
Tokyo-based trio Dos Monos' second album is an EP-length explosion of energy and confidence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2020
‘My Name Is Yours’: The kids are not alright in this already dated drama
Momoko Fukuda's film about teenage ennui seems out of step during a time in which the coronavirus pandemic has put many rites of passage on hold.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2020
‘Theatre: A Love Story’: No sparks in this tortured romance
Based on a novel by comedian-turned-author Naoki Matayoshi, “Theatre: A Love Story” centers on a narcissistic playwright and his long-suffering girlfriend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2020
‘The Gun 2020’: Locked, loaded and nowhere to go
“The Gun 2020” revisits the story of Masaharu Take's 2018 film, “The Gun,” this time with a woman as the weapon-wielding protagonist. A feminist thriller it is not.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2020
‘I Never Shot Anyone’: This nostalgic neo-noir misses its mark
Junji Sakamoto's neo-noir film about a writer leading a shadowy double life has a cast laden with heavyweight talents, but it doesn't quite hit the spot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2020
‘Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister’: A Sisyphean slog toward the top office
Shinzo Abe has been with us for so long now, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when Japan’s premiership seemed to rotate as frequently as the membership of AKB48.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2020
South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon details immigrant experience in Japan on debut album
On his formidable debut album, “Passport & Garcon,” South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon lays claim to his present home in suburban Osaka with unusual specificity.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Japan to review romanization system for first time in 70 years
An advisory panel to the education ministry will consider how the Japanese language should be transcribed into the Latin alphabet, including unifying different romanization styles currently in use.
Japanese billionaire sues Meta over investment scams using his image
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
Toshiba takes advantage of private status to chart new course
Toshiba announced on Thursday that it would cut up to 4,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan.
U.S. envoy to Japan makes landmark visit to front-line island near Taiwan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with members of the Self-Defense Forces stationed on Yonaguni, Okinawa Prefecture, on Friday.
Xi and Putin mark ‘new era’ amid efforts to counter U.S. ‘containment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an event in Beijing on Thursday. During Putin's visit, the leaders showed off their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.
Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.
New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.

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