Japan On Film

Takeshi Fukunaga's latest movie, AINU MOSIR, is a beautiful coming-of-age story featuring Kanto, a young boy who lives in the Ainu village of Akan and struggles with his cultural identity. I spoke with the director about his influences, inspiration, ideas of cultural identity. and more. AINU MOSIR is available on Netflix in English-speaking territories on November 17th and available in select theaters in Japan on October 17th. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Film student and Tsukamoto fan Michael Torres is the guest in the last episode of the season, where he and Perry discuss Tetsuo: The Iron Man, the movie that made Tsukamoto a cult favorite film director. Listen as they discuss their impressions and interpretations of this unique cyberpunk film. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Graduate student Emma, who just completed her thesis on the Ghost in the Shell series, joins the show to discuss the groundbreaking anime film! They discuss the importance of the movie and go in-depth into some of the philosophy behind the movie. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Patrick, a professor of Japanese cinema, joins Perry in this episode to discuss the 1981 cult classic, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun! Learn more about this intriguing film that offers some pretty unique social critiques of Japanese society. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Perry is joined by Singapore-based scholar Richard Davis, who is very knowledgeable about early Japanese cinema. In this episode, they explore Yasujiru Ozu’s classic Tokyo Story. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Perry is joined this episode by Joshua, another foreign English teacher currently in Japan. They take on the 2006 anime, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Listen in to hear what they thought of it and to learn more about the many incarnations this story has gone through! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

I’m joined in the latest episode by Adam of the Asian Movie Pulse website and we talk about Sogo Ishii’s short film, Electric Dragon 80,000V! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

We're back with a brand-new episode and a brand-new season! Pick up your Buster Sword and fire up your nostalgia, because in this episode, Ken of the Ongaku To You podcast joins me to discuss Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Derrick Ferguson of Perry's other podcast, Superhero Cinephiles, returns to Japan On Film. With his knowledge of westerns and Perry's knowledge of Japanese history, they team up to discuss Sang-il Lee's Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood's revisionist western, Unforgiven! As Derrick put it best, this is less a remake and more a translation, with Lee seamlessly melding the classic story in Meiji-era Japan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

John Atom of VCinema returns to discuss the 1978 Message From Space. While on the surface it seems like a Star Wars rip-off, it’s directed by the legendary Kinji Fukasaku, so there’s a bit more going on under the surface. Plus, there’s a certain campy charm about it that can’t be denied. So strap in and listen to our discussion on Message From Space! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Perry welcomes back returning guest Aaron Shelton of the Kame House Party and Thinking Too Much About Anime podcasts. In this episode, they discuss Karate-Robo Zaborgar. A remake of a short-lived 70s tokusatsu series, director Noboru Iguchi not only pays homage to the tokusatsu genre, but also puts some of his own trademarked weirdness on display. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

This Godzilla reboot from the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion takes inspiration from the government’s handling of the Fukushima disaster and feels especially appropriate given the COVID19 pandemic. Author, film critic, and Godzilla fan Mark Bousquet joins this episode to discuss the movie’s political themes and its place in the Godzilla pantheon. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Perry is joined by Konner and Michael from The KMP Podcast to discuss the first film in Yoji Yamada’s samurai trilogy. Get ready for a more realistic look at the end of the samurai era as they talk about some of the history of the samurai at that time and how some of the ideas and themes are reflected in contemporary Japan. Also an update about the COVID19 situation in Japan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Japanese-style Shakespeare takes the stage in this episode. Perry is joined by Aaron Shelton of the Kame House Party podcast to talk about Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa’s 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. While not our favorite Kurosawa film, this conversation definitely goes into some interesting and unexpected areas! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

JOF is back with a new season! Join Perry and VCinema’s John Atom as they discuss Shinichiro Ueda’s smash 2018 comedy, One Cut of the Dead! What starts as a B-grade zombie movie turns into something far more meta. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

This episode, I’m joined by guest-host Jenn to discuss Satoshi Kon’s 1997 psychological thriller anime, Perfect Blue. We especially focus on the film’s commentary of the treatment of women in Japan’s entertainment industry, particularly J-Pop idols, and why the potential American remake would never have worked. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Takashi Miike’s 2010 remake of Eichi Kudo’s 13 Assassins was a worldwide hit and featured some of Japan’s finest young actors. Bob Serrano of The Aging Hipster Podcast joins me this episode to discuss some of the parallels with Japanese society and war, as well as to figure out just what the hell Koyata was. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Hideo Nakata’s Ring became an international sensation and Gore Verbinski’s American remake kicked off a whole slew of American remakes of Japanese horror. Special guest host Sam LeGassick of A New Winter: Cults & Culture podcast joins Perry to discuss both the original and the remake. Find out just how much effort and care was put into translating this very Japanese story into an American context and some of the different aspects of their respective societies both movies choose to highlight. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

Takashi Miike’s One Missed Call is often dismissed as yet another Ring clone. And yet, it’s actually got a lot more to offer than many realize. Give this underrated J-Horror flick a fresh look! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message

A more nuanced view of Japanese soldiers in World War II is the focus of Clint Eastwood’s 2006 Letters From Iwo Jima and why it’s one of the most powerful anti-war films ever made. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/japanonfilm/message