Delightful family dramedy While browsing Netflix and its international shows available, I was delighted to find many Japanese productions. Some produced by the streaming service, others classics or popular shows made on channels like Tokyo Broadcasting System. Such as Ikebukuro West Gate Park; starring Junya Nakano whose performances impressed me. And from discovering that artist, … Continue reading Tiger and Dragon (タイガー＆ドラゴン) – Kankuro Kudo (宮藤官九郎) (screenwriter), Fuminori Kaneko (金子 文紀) (Director), Osamu Katayama (片山 修) (Director), Toshio Tsuboi (坪井敏雄) (Director)
Category: Television
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (伊藤潤二 (マニアック)) – Studio Deen (株式会社スタジオディーン) (studio), Shinobu Tagashira (田頭しのぶ) (Director), and Kaoru Sawada (澤田薫) (Screenwriter)
Lots of good points, lots of bad points If you follow manga culture and the horror genre, Junji Ito is among readers' top names. Known for his scary stories set in strange communities or sinister households, this mangaka is excellent at depicting the mysterious and the paranormal forces haunting our world. For more than thirty … Continue reading Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (伊藤潤二 (マニアック)) – Studio Deen (株式会社スタジオディーン) (studio), Shinobu Tagashira (田頭しのぶ) (Director), and Kaoru Sawada (澤田薫) (Screenwriter)
Jump, L’âge d’or du manga (Jump, the Golden Age of Manga) – Hiroki Goto (author)
Fascinating analysis of the evolution of Shonen Jump since its beginnings If you follow manga culture, you will notice how many series published in books or adapted into cartoons and video games come from the same magazine called Shonen Jump. For those who don't know, Shonen Jump is a weekly magazine launched in 1968; first … Continue reading Jump, L’âge d’or du manga (Jump, the Golden Age of Manga) – Hiroki Goto (author)
Jump, L’âge d’or du manga – Hiroki Goto (auteur)
Fascinante analyse sur l'évolution du Shonen Jump depuis ses débuts Si vous suivez la culture manga, vous remarquerez comment beaucoup de séries publiées en livres ou adaptées en dessin animé et jeux vidéo proviennent d'un même magazine intitulé Shonen Jump. Pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, le Shonen Jump est une revue hebdomadaire lancée … Continue reading Jump, L’âge d’or du manga – Hiroki Goto (auteur)
Majo no Jouken (魔女の条件) (Terms for a Witch) – Nobuhiro Doi (土井 裕泰) (Director), Kazuhiro Nanba (難波 一弘) (Director), Osamu Katayama (片山修) (Director), and Kazuhiko Yukawa (遊川和彦) (Screenwriter)
Excellent, provocative and a great debate instigator In manga and anime cultures, many series are set during high school years. Some involve academic life, others extra curricular activities (tennis, basketball, volleyball baseball, martial arts, board games like Go, etc.); and some explore romantic relationships between students. However, for the romance genre, another scope is explored; … Continue reading Majo no Jouken (魔女の条件) (Terms for a Witch) – Nobuhiro Doi (土井 裕泰) (Director), Kazuhiro Nanba (難波 一弘) (Director), Osamu Katayama (片山修) (Director), and Kazuhiko Yukawa (遊川和彦) (Screenwriter)
Ikebukuro West Gate Park (池袋ウエストゲートパーク) – Kankurō Kudō (Screenwriter) and Ira Ishida (Original novel series)
A great detective series for everyone; including non-fans of such shows In 2005, I discovered Ira Ishida's novel Ikebukuro West Gate Park; a series of stories set around the Ikebukuro neighborhood in Tokyo and the adventures that former High School delinquent Makoto Majima lives there as he resides with his mother and manages her fruit … Continue reading Ikebukuro West Gate Park (池袋ウエストゲートパーク) – Kankurō Kudō (Screenwriter) and Ira Ishida (Original novel series)
Midnight Diner (深夜食堂) and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories – Joji Matsuoka (Director), Nobuhiro Yamashita (Director), Shotarou Kobayashi (Director), and Yaro Abe (Co-screenwriter and author of the original Manga)
A jewel within Netflix If you are new to Netflix, the monopoly of North American and British productions on it might overwhelm you. You can watch on it movies, tv series, mini series, cartoons, short films, and even documentaries; though that term is now very questionable as so many documentaries are becoming manipulative, tabloid, and … Continue reading Midnight Diner (深夜食堂) and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories – Joji Matsuoka (Director), Nobuhiro Yamashita (Director), Shotarou Kobayashi (Director), and Yaro Abe (Co-screenwriter and author of the original Manga)
Red Beard (赤ひげ/Aka Hige) -Akira Kurosawa (黒澤明) (Director and co-writer), Masato Ide (井手雅人) (Co-writer), Hideo Oguni (小国英雄) (Co-writer), Ryuzo Kikushima (菊島隆三) (Co-writer) and Shugoro Yamamoto (山本周五郎) (original novel’s author)
"Poverty's a political problem they say. But what has politics ever done for the poor? Has a law been passed to get rid of poverty and ignorance?" - Dr. Kyojo Niide From the moment Toshiro Mifune did motion pictures with Akira Kurosawa, starting with Stray Dog, an important friendship and partnership occured between them. As … Continue reading Red Beard (赤ひげ/Aka Hige) -Akira Kurosawa (黒澤明) (Director and co-writer), Masato Ide (井手雅人) (Co-writer), Hideo Oguni (小国英雄) (Co-writer), Ryuzo Kikushima (菊島隆三) (Co-writer) and Shugoro Yamamoto (山本周五郎) (original novel’s author)
Words of thoughts during this period of absence; about my view of social media in a climate of misinformation
Subscribers might notice that I was absent from WordPress for four months, and less present on social media in the last three weeks. The reason is that I had serious renovations in my work space due to a plumbing incident. And though the problem was not as dramatic as what others experienced during this spring’s … Continue reading Words of thoughts during this period of absence; about my view of social media in a climate of misinformation
Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook – Dawn Wells, Ken Beck and Jim Clark (authors)
A beautiful cookbook recipe that will delight fans of Gilligan's Island When Sherwood Schwartz's Gilligan's Island first appeared on airwaves, its reception was polarized. If, on one side, the press and critics hated the show and villified it in their pages, the public however enjoyed and raved about it, praising its stories, its protagonists, and … Continue reading Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook – Dawn Wells, Ken Beck and Jim Clark (authors)
Omnes's Oasis 