Film review by Matt S. Japanese cinema has had a long tradition of embracing transgression. From the modern auteurs such as Sono Sion and Miike Takashi, through to the great master of the form, Fukasaku Kinji, Japanese filmmaking and transgression have been so closely linked that the people have even…
Read MoreList by Matt S. Studio Ghibli is rightfully celebrated across the world for its contributions to cinema, as “Japan’s Disney,” only with a far greater emphasis on the artistry and storytelling potential of animation than Disney’s mass-market commercialisation. As one of Japan’s greatest exports, Ghibli, helped by two of the…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. In the latest installment of Hollywood’s ongoing efforts to make everything in history about America, it is now making a film about the nuclear bomb attack on Hiroshima… and in a move that will surprise absolutely no one, it’s also making that film all about a…
Read MoreTelevision by Matt S. Hello Kitty is facing some severe competition as the unofficial mascot of Japan’s heart and soul. It’s a bear in a bear suit, and his name is Rilakkuma. Now, he has his own TV show produced by Netflix, and it might just be the best money…
Read MoreFilm review by Matt S. One of the best things about using a Japanese airline to fly is the selection of local films that tend to show up on the entertainment system. Films that never end up on streaming services or on DVD, and, aside from brief tours with film…
Read MoreFilm review by Matt S. The flight to Japan from Australia is about nine hours long, and while I generally get the overnight flight (so I’m not wasting time during the day in the air), I also can’t sleep on planes. I’m 6’3″, with long legs. Planes weren’t made to…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Isao Takahata, one of the founders of the incredible animation house, Studio Ghibli, and the producer of one of the most important war films of all time, Grave of the Fireflies, has passed away. He was 82. I’m not the only one who reveres Grave of…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. Hollywood has issues. The last year has made that much more clear than ever before. Weinstein and the actions of other men have highlighted serious cultural issues that stretch across the industry, its money, the media, and the community itself. The 90th Oscars show was all…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. We love games from Japan and the rest of Asia, of course; it’s what we do as our bread-and-butter at DDNet. But we also love films, and would love to see more people watching films from Asia, because far too often people miss classic moments in…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. We love games from Japan and the rest of Asia, of course; it’s what we do as our bread-and-butter at DDNet. But we also love films, and would love to see more people watching films from Asia, because far too often people miss classic moments in…
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