Japan Page 3: Some Fun Alternative Rock - J-Pop, Anime and Trash Films Back to Start Page


The most innovative country with it's fantastic Horror, Crime, Anime, Samurai and Kaiju films. Japanese film exploded all over the world during the 90's
with horror as Ringu and Miyazaki anime and influenced also the western cult crowd, teenagers and kids. Besides films, porn, computer games and Manga,
Japan is also Huge in Asia with it's J-Pop bands/artists. But, as a big fan of non-mainstream film and music on This page i will mention - 1. Some cool indie
rock bands, - 2. Some dark and even controversial anime films and some normal ones too, and - 3. Some mostly delightfully trashy fun films
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Click on the small picture links to the left for more info about the films. No films for sale - only information.


Follow links

Japan - Page 1

Japan - Page 2

Shintaro Katsu - Zatoichi

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picture links
Some anime - see more below (scroll down)

 

Makoto Shinkai's anime blockbuster dazzle us
with mindblowing beautiful visuals. In a story
about a highschool girl, a talking chair and a
portal sealing cat. Delightful comedy, exciting
and with sad memories of the big Tsunami

Suzume no Tojimari

Direction, script, storyboards: Makoto Shinkai, production: 2022

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subs, region all
China bluray edition BD-R

 

Visually beautiful weather drama that in the
second part turns into melodrama with sugar
added. The story about teenagers Hodaka
and Hina, The Sunshine Girl connected to the
Fox God and who can make sunny weather

Weathering with You (Tenki no ko)

Direction and script: Makoto Shinkai, production: 2019

Animated movie
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subs, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures bluray edition

 

Visually beautiful, as always with a Makoto
Shinkai film, melodrama mystery. The story
about a boy and a girl existing in different
levels of time, and about a small coastal town
about to be destroyed by parts from a Comet

Your Name (Kimi no na wa)

Direction and script: Makoto Shinkai, production: 2016

Animated movie
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subs, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures bluray edition

 

Beautiful and lovely and yet another great
film from Studio Ghibli based on The Borrowers
Arietti is an insect sized miniature of a human
and lives with her parents in a miniature
apartment in the cellar of a big human house

The Borrower Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arietti)

Direction: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Studio Ghibli, prod. 2010

Animated movie
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region A
Hong Kong Intercontinental Video bluray edition

 

Beautiful masterpiece, both lyrical and an action
adventure Sci-Fi with Anti-War sentiments about
a floating castle in the sky, created by an ancient
civilization. Early but gorgeous animation and with
an amazing soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi

Laputa - Castle in the Sky (Tenku no shiro Laputa)

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1986

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subs, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures bluray edition


Maybe my favourite Miyazaki movie, why?
Because the resourceful teenage witch Kiki for
some reason calms my soul. At 13 she has to
leave home and be independent. She delivers
bread in a city resembling Stockholm and Visby.
Finally on blu-ray and with lots of extras

Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no takyubin)

Direction, script & production: Hayao Miyazaki 1989

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray
in japanese audio with english subs, region A
US Shout! Factory blu-ray & DVD 2 disc combo edition

 

Maybe Miyazaki's most obscure film, but still a
unusual and unique action adventure with gorgeous
propeller plane views of the Italian landscape and
the Adriatic Sea. Ace pilot Porco Rosso battles Air
Pirates in the 1920's and meets femme fatale Gina

Porco-Rosso (Kurenai no buta)

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1992

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subs, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures bluray edition

 

Ecological minded action adventure from the
fantasy time when Gods and humans still lived side
by side. Violent and dark when polluting humans
want to kill the animals in the forest of the Deer God

The Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime)

Direction and script: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1997

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subs, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures bluray edition

 

Umi lives with her big family in a hilly coastal
town and she signals to passing ships with flags.
The students do everything to keep their Club
House from being demolished

Kokuriko zaka kara (Uppe på Vallmokullen)

Direction: Goro Miyazaki, production: 2011

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subs, region B
Universal Sony Nordic Home Entertainment bluray edition

Satoshi Kon - Genius filmmaker 1963-2010

 

Satoshi Kon - Genius anime filmmaker (director, manga
writer, script writer i.a. who tragically passed away in
cancer much too young. I discovered him too late, but
better late than never and he's my favourite anime
director now .... with the great Miyazaki also

 

I've only seen 2 of his films and both of these were absolute
masterpieces of the genre - the beautiful Tokyo Godfathers
and the delightfully mind-bending Paprika.
Satoshi Kon, a son of Sapporo, lived 1963-2010. R.I.P.
Please see more below

 

Brilliant! Surprising! Mind-bending and hallucinatory
with amazing visuals and a great pace. Based on a
novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui about a dream-traveller
and dream-terrorists. Those parade sequences just
blows my mind and the soundtrack is pure genius

Paprika

Direction and script: Satoshi Kon, production: 2006

Cast: Animated movie
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 2
From Nordic Sony Pictures 9 disc anime edition

 

Masterpiece! A warm and beautiful christmas or
winter fairytale drama about some homeless drifters
and their interactions regarding an abandoned child.
The transsexual Hana, the grumpy geezer Gin and
the teenage girl Miyuki. Just lovely and greatness!

Tokyo Goodfathers (TokyoGoddofazazu)

Direction and story: Satoshi Kon, production: 2003

Cast: Animated movie
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 2
From Nordic Sony Pictures 9 disc anime edition

 

Very entertaining anime series based on a manga
about the forgotten and very minor God Yato, a
slacker who dreams of being popular and meets
schoolgirl Hiyori and fights Phantoms and other
gods. 12 episodes on 2 blu-rays or on 2 DVD

Noragami: The Complete First season

Direction: Kotaro Tamura, production: 2014

Cast voices: Maaya Uchida, Hiroshi Kamiya
Blu-ray in japanese or english audio with english subs, region A
US Funimation 4 disc blu-ray and DVD combo edition

 

Ditto above.
13 episodes on 2 DVD.
Based on the manga by Adachitoka.
The adventures of slacker God Yato goes on
The forgotten God without a shrine

Noragami: The Complete Second Season

Direction: Kotaru Tamura, production: 2015

Cast voices: Maaya Uchida, Hiroshi Kamiya
DVD in japanese or english audio with english subs, region 2
UK Funimation 2 disc DVD edition

 

Great looking 3D animated fantasy adventure
made for the Fuji TV 50 year anniversary.
Alice in Wonderland when a teenage girl follows
a mythical collector fox into his parallell world.
Based on folk tale and the Musashino shrine

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror

Direction & co-script: Shinsuke Sato, production: Japan 2009

Cast voices: Haruka Ayase, Miyuki Sawashiro
Blu-ray in japanese or english audio with english subs, region all
UK Manga Entertainment blu-ray and DVD R2 combo edition

 

Most anime fans seems to hate this film, but I ...
LOVE it. WW2 and a battle between a russian
ESP squad and dead nazi 13th century templars.
It's strange and confusing and much too short.
Will Baron von Wolff and his nazi vixens win ?

First Squad: The Moment of Truth

Direction: Yoshiharu Ashino, Production: Japan-Russia 2009
Created by Misha Shprits & Aljosha Klimov, Studio 4 - Molot
Cast: Animated movie
DVD in russian audio with english subs, region 2
From Nordic Sony Pictures 9 disc anime edition



A great collection of 9 anime films with:
Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, Tekkonkinkreet,
Memories, Metropolis, Steam Boy, Cowboy Bebop,
First Squad and Legend of the Millenium Dragon

Anime 9 disc collection

Misc directors and studios, production: Japan 1995-2011

Cast: Animated movies
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 2
Nordic Sony Pictures 9 disc anime edition

 

 

1. Music - Some Cool Alternative Rock/Pop - A Selected Few (Youtube videos can disappear any time for different reasons)



Barnabys - A Charming and obscure girl indie band who made the Übergreat intro Suki Mami Mai Tai to Umetsu's TV serie Mezzo DSA


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Pic above left: The cover to their great CD EP; Pic above right: Ai, Shoko and Miyoko

One of the many girl-bands or girl-dominated indie-rock bands in Japan. Today, the group's disbanded and i'm not sure if Barnabys really ever existed
as they may have been a project for Yasuomi Umetsu's anime TV series Mezzo: DSA ? But for sure they made a CD single and a great 4 song EP on the
Scitron label (Scitron 2004) with that Fabulous intro song Sukimami maitai and ending song Mitsu to each episode of the series. The über cool Outro
to Sukimami goes on and on in the longer CD version. The band was Ai on vocals and bass and music/lyrics, Shoko on guitar and Miyoko Yamaguchi
on drums. Miyoko left Barnabys to join the heavier, more grunge-ish Detroit 7 in 2005


Listen to their Super Cool Sukimami maitai in the intro to the Mezzo: DSA anime TV series

 

 

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Yum! Yum! Orange - A Great and Fun J-Ska Pop-Rock group with energetic singer Kumi. A Trombone is never wrong




There may be a music club in Tokyo for every genre that's ever existed. Innovative Japan's like a sponge sucking up every music style and then they
reconstruct it and doing their own thing out of it in an uniquely japanese and totally charming way. Other popular and cool japanese ska-pop-rock
bands are/were : Gollbetty, Witchery Skank and Skull Candy.

Yum! Yum! Orange released Clover (2006 Tokuma Japan Communications CD single) which is a pure shot of Adrenaline, fast and fun J-Ska. Ska bands
are not that common here in the west today but they were popular at the end of the 1970's beginning of the 80's with bands as Specials and Madness

 



Listen to the energetic and funny Clover


 

 




Yum! Yum! Orange Live

A really cool band and my favourite among the many japanese ska-
punk-rock-pop bands. A joy to see, with good musicians that play
fast and radiates FUN. Also, in front, cute charismatic singer Kumi.
A Live DVD from Final gig of their Japan tour 2005 has been released



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Judy and Mary with Yuki Isoya - Japan's Great Power Pop band

 

Yuki Isoya - The Charismatic Singer in JAM and solo


Listen to their beautiful classic Daydream

 

 



Collected videoclips of their 21 singles.
Great group led by fine singer Yuki Isoya.
They ruled the 90's - disbanded in 2001.
Daydream, 3d single, a classic pop song,
beautiful guitars that goes on and on

Judy And Mary All Clips: JAM Complete Video Collection

Musik DVD: Epic Records, production: 2001

Group: Judy And Mary; Singer: Yuki Isoya
DVD in japanese audio, japanese edition, region 2




A collection of visually colorful
stunning videosingles from Yuki's
girly-sweet pop
post-JAM career

The Yuki Isoya Video Collection

Music DVD, production: 2005

Artist: Yuki Isoya
DVD in japanese audio, japanese edition, region 2

 

In the credits to this comedy you can
hear Yuki Isoya sing Watashi no negai
goto
, a nice song released in July 2012
Sadly no music video on Youtube.
More about the film below on this page

Akko-Chan: The Movie (Himitsu no Akko-chan)

Direction: Yasuhiro Kawamura, production: 2012

Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, Shosuke Tanihara
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong RAM PMP Entertainment edition

  Detroit 7 A great rock group


Great group! Drummer Miyoko from
Barnabys in 2005. They've toured all
over the world to great critical acclaim

Detroit 7

Powerful rock-power pop group influenced by the Detroit Sound
and legendary influental US bands like Iggy & the Stooges and MC5.
Fronted by gravel voiced singer/guitarist Tomomi Nabana, they made
their debut record in 2003

  The Lovely Vocaloid Hatsune Miku That's a talented girl - listen and learn all screaming Idol contestants

Lovely Japan
! The Future music scene
is here with teenager Hatsune Miku.
A fat punch to the soulless bastards in
the music industry with their abominable
wailing and shreaking Idol-stars
An animation can do it just as good!


Listen to the new japanese music star Hatsune Miku performing Live
in concert 2011, singing her Hit "World is Mine" in front of an ecstatic
audience. Well, you just have to love Japanese people

Follow Link - Listen to World is Mine on Youtube


 

     


Yeah.....and naturally there's lots and lots of more great alternative rock bands from Japan that should be mentioned here as:

The 5, 6, 7, 8's - Guitar Wolf - Ketchup Mania - Go! Go! 7188 - The Killers - 54 Nude Honeys - Anadorei (with Pussy
Carnival Holocaust) - Lulu's Marble - Belters - Pebbles etc. etc. And sweet cutey singer Chieko Kawabe (Be Your Girl)

 

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Chara
- The Enigmatic and very talented singer/songwriter, and actress in 2 legendary Shunji Iwai films. For me, it's one of the great mysteries
that Chara only acted in the 2 Iwai films. Sure, as one of Japan's greatest and most unique singers she was surely busy with writing/recording songs,
BUT - her performances in Picnic (Pikunikku) and Swallowtail Butterfly (Suwaroteiru) was so outstanding Great that it's an enigma that she did not
make more films. Glico the Hooker and Coco with the black feathers, 2 unforgettable roles.
She met Tadanobu Asano during filming of Picnic 1994 and they were married between 1995-2009. What a talented couple

 


Chara in
70% Yugure no Uta (Evening Song) the cool and great looking music video from 1999 where Chara fall asleep in a field and then dream
about the Tokyo Night. A Fine song and visually great video and the song's from her Strange Fruits album

 


Chara in
Taisetsu wo Kizukumono, one of my favourite songs of Chara, Taisetsu wo Kizukumono (Things that make you mean more to me) reached
no. 14 on the japanese charts in 2000 and was included on the great Caramel Milk album. A beautiful video with a big red ball bouncing through a
forest, in front of some cows and finally into a city. Great song and video, but i couldn't find it on Youtube

 

 

Caramel Milk: The Best of Chara
A great collection CD album with 14 of
this unique and talented artist's songs
1996-2000 almost all with text and music
written by Chara

Caramel Milk (CD)

Music CD: Epic Records, production: 2000

Artist: Chara
Music CD Album - Japanese Epic edition


Sugar Hunter: Best Love Songs of Chara

Another even greater collection of her
stuff and something of a definitive
résumé of her career

The Best Love Songs of Chara (DVD + 2 CD)

Music CD and DVD: Epic Records, production: 2007

Artist: Chara
Music CD album and DVD - Japanese edition, region 2

 


The CD with the beautiful title song from
an unique cinematic masterpiece, Shunji
Iwai's Swallowtail Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly (3" CD-single)

Musik CD: Epic/Sony Records, production: 1996

Group: Yentown Band w. Chara, Takeshi Kobayashi, Shunji Iwai
Music CD Single - Japanese Epic/Sony edition

 

The amazing fairytale about dreams, music,
money and death from the immigrant part of
town,The Yentown. A Beautiful masterpiece
with music from Chara & Takashi Kobayashi
Film of the Year and a phenomenon in Japan

Swallowtail Butterfly (Suwaroteiru)

Direction: Shunji Iwai, production: 1996

Cast: Chara, Hiroshi Mikami, Ayumi Ito, Yosuke Eguchi
DVD in japanese and english audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong Panorama edition

 


Poetic, sad and beautiful about 3 mental
patients on the run. Through the city to

the sea on their last day on earth. Visually
haunting with a hypnotic Chara as Coco

Picnic (Pikunikku)

Direction: Shunji Iwai, production: 1994, 1996

Cast: Chara, Asano Tadanobu, Koichi Hashizume
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 2
Japan Ponyo Canyon edition

 

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2. Anime - Some dark and disturbing and some normal ones as Miyazaki



A violent, beautiful darkly poetic anime
masterpiece about the escaped Diclonius
mutant Lucy.
Splatter-action-horror, beautiful sad drama
and love story. Haunting Gregorian chant
intro Lilium and a super catchy end pop
song Be Your Girl from Chieko Kawabe

Elfen Lied - very recommended!

Direction: Mamoru Kanbe, production: 2005

Voices: Chihiro Suzuki, Sanae Kobayashi
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 1
US ADV Films 18A rating 3 disc Collection edition

Listen to Chieko Kawabe perform the magnificent end song to Elfen Lied - Be Your Girl




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The Wild World of Yasuomi Umetsu
Unhinged but gorgeously stylish Anime



Anime genius Umetsu's controversial sex
& violence masterpiece. Beautiful and stylish
Anime
Film Noir.
Furiously dark with a fascinating pulse and
pace. Underrated due to extreme sex scenes

A Kite - Warning! This anime may bite you

Direction/script: Yasuomi Umetsu, production: 1998

DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 1
US Kitty Media 18up rated uncut DVD edition



A
nother controversial Umetsu sex /violence
masterpiece. Also beautiful and stylish, but
not as dark as Kite, more of an ultraviolence
action-comedy. Also underrated due to some
hardcore hentai sex scenes

Mezzo Forte

Direction/script: Yasuomi Umetsu, production: 2001

DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 1
US Kitty Media 18up rated uncut DVD edition

 

A fun TV series as a follow up to the
controversial Kite and Mezzo Forte.
No ultra violence and porn but a lot of
great action and a great Barnabys intro

Mezzo: DSA (Complete 3 disc Collection)

Direction: Yasuomi Umetsu, production: 2003

Voices: Tomoki Kotani etc.
DVD in japanese with english subs, region 1
US ADV Films 3 disc DVD Collection edition


Umetsu's long awaited follow up to Kite.
A girl Monaka, she's the Angel of Death
and her father's an astronaut turned
into a radiation monster, who's then
crashes to the earth.....sounds crazy.
A total but very enjoyable mess

Kite - Liberator

Direction: Yasuomi Umetsu, production: 2008

Voices: Marina Inoue etc.
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 1
US Anime Works DVD edition

 
 

 

Violent and dark - at almost an nihilistic level.
People recently deceased wake up in a state
of Limbo and has to obey the mystic black
sphere- Gantz. An inspired opening, but then
....i don't know really?

Gantz

Direction: Ichiro Itano, production: 2004

Voices: Daisuke Namikawa etc.
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 1
ADV Films DVD edition


 

A complicated plot about a game with the
destiny of Japan at stake. Unusual thriller
with beautiful animation and the first of 2
films made on an anime television series.
The compilation of the series as an extra

Eden of the East: The King of Eden

Direction, script, story: Kenji Kamayama, production: 2009

Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region ?

UK Manga Entertainment bluray edition

 

Pensive and dark anime drama about young
fighter pilots taking part in a war game in an
alternative future. Beautiful and melancholic
and stays in your mind.
Kenji Kawai provides a stunning soundtrack

The Sky Crawlers

Direction: Mamoru Oshii, production: 2008

Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region A

Hong Kong Panorama Entertainment bluray edition

 


Very cool and dark vampire-horror action
about The Hellsing Anti-Vampire Forces
versus the Undead. Fast and fun!

Hellsing

Direction: Yasunori Urata, production: 2002

Voices: Fumiko Orikasa, George Nakata, Yoshiko Sakakibara
DVD in japanese audio with subs, region 2

Swedish Escapi DVD edition

 

3 poetiska och lågmält finstämda berättelser
som länkas ihop. Från hyllade Makoto och
titeln skall vara hastigheten på ett fallande
körsbärs-blomsblad

5 Centimeters Per Second

Direction: Shinkai Makoto, production: 2007

DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong Asia Video DVD edition



Great teenage anime drama about girl Makoto
who can leap through time. Based on a very
popular novel from Tsutsui Yasutaka, filmed
at least once earlier in 1983

Original title: Toki o kakeru shojo

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Direction: Mamoru Hosoda, production: 2006

DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong DVD edition

 


Miyazaki's and Studio Ghibli's Big Hit all
over the world. Chihiro travels with her
parents by car, takes a side-road and finds
themselves in a world of spirits and magic

Spirited Away

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 2001

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
Blu-ray in japanese audio with swedish subtitles, region B
Swedish Sony Pictures 2019 bluray edition

 


After the catastrophe there's pollution and
wars among the small kingdoms/states. The
princess Nausicaa tries to make things better

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Kazenotani no Nausicaa)

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1984

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition

 


One of many Miyazaki favourites, a Sci-Fi
action-fantasy adventure about a floating
castle in the sky, created by an ancient
civilization.

Laputa, Castle in the Sky (Tenku no shiro Laputa)

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1986

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition

 

Absolutely a masterpiece when 2 small girls
find a huge furry creature in an even more
huge tree. Gorgeous and peaceful from a
lush japanese countryside. Magic!

My Neighbor Totoro

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1988

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition

 

Kiki teenage witch gets a job in a bakery, in
a town that slightly resembles swedish capital
Stockholm. She delivers bread on her flying
broomstick. Resourceful Kiki calms my soul

Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no takyubin)

Direction, script & production: Hayao Miyazaki 1989

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition

 

Ha, ha, love this. May be the least liked one
from the master? Very unusual about italian
anti-fascist battle-pilot Marco's, Flying Pig's
adventures with femme fatale's and sky
pirates in the 1920's. Very unusual and great

Porco-Rosso (Kurenai no buta)

Direction: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1992

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition




A mighty fantasy adventure from japanese
mythic times, when man and Gods lived in co-
existence. Darkly critical of man's destructive
powers over nature. A great film!

Princess Mononoke (Mononoke hime)

Direction and script: Hayao Miyazaki, production: 1997

Animated movie from Studio Ghibli
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong IVL 2 disc DVD edition

 

Six 3-D animated shorts with the beauty and
then animated celebrity Fei Fei. I think she
participated at inauguration of the soccer
world cup Japan 2002, if i remember correctly

Fei Fei Cybervenus

Studio: Takatoshi Oki/Blue Moon, production: 2001-2002

Cast: Fei Fei
DVD in japanese audio with english or swedish subs, region 2
SVE Escapi Media DVD edition

 

Some short features with heroine Yuki Terai.
She's on a spaceship about to explode, she's
a nightclub singer in a cool jazzy number and
in a short but athmospheric thing from WW2

Yuki Terai - Secrets

Kenichi Kutsugi/Frog Entertainment, production: 2000-2002

Cast: Yuki Terai
DVD in japanese audio with english or swedish subs, region 2
SVE Escapi Media DVD edition

 

Virtuella kvinnliga hjältar som Supersonic Jet
Girl, Hikary, Yukari m.fl i exempel på tidig
japansk 3D animering i utgåva från det
fina insomnade bolaget Escapi media

Virtual Stars

Diverse anime studios, produktion: 1999

Cast: Hikary, Yukari, Super Sonic Jet Girl m.fl.
DVD in japanese audio with english or swedish subs, region 2
SVE Escapi Media DVD edition

     

 

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3. Some fun and some weird films - Maybe somewhat trashier than the films on my other japanese pages



picture links
  Some short reviews below are written in swedish

 

Trashy, wild and violent EDT is a glorious
unhinged Japanese slasher masterpiece,
and very entertaining. Meet Hideki, the
telekinetic siamese twin monster. Inspired
by US slashers, gialli and Frank Henenlotter

Evil Dead Trap (Shiryo no wana)

Direction: Toshiharu Ikeda, script: Takashi Ishii, production: 1988

Cast: Miyuki Ono, Aya Katsragi, Hitomi Kobayashi, Masahiko Abe
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region A stated
US Unearthed Films 2021 bluray edition

 

Interesting art splatter horror but nothing to
do with EDT except the name Hideki popping
up and a TV team being involved.
Aki a movie theatre projectionist is troubled
by a possible demon child following her

Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (Shiryo no wana 2: Hideki)

Direction and co-script: Izo Hashimoto, production: 1991

Cast: Shoko Nakayima, Rie Kondoh, Shiro Sano, Shino Ikenami
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region A stated
US Unearthed Films 2022 bluray edition

 

Sci-Fi Action and a non-comedy sequel to the
2004 Kyuti Hani (Cutie Honey). Apocalyptic
action where the android Hitomi is fighting
the evil android Lady Jill who runs a futuristic
city for the elites

Cutie Honey: Tears

Direction: A.T. Asai Takeshi, production: 2016

Cast: Mariya Nishiuchi, Nicole Ishida, Takahiro Miura
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Fighting crime action where a restaurant chef
has to re-live his past as a professional killer
when a girl he's sworn to protect is abducted
by a killer who wants to challenge him

Hydra (Hi-Yah!)

Direction: Kensuke Sonomura, production: 2019

Cast: Masanori Mimoto, Miu, Hironobu Nomura
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region all
US Well Go USA Entertainment bluray edition

 

Enjoyable Ski Comedy action thriller where a
research scientist has to go skiing to find a
hidden dangerous Anthrax biological weapon
somewhere in the Nozawa Ski Resort.
A Ski Patrol man and a snowboarder can help

Shippu Rondo

Direction: Teruyuki Yoshiida, production: 2016

Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Tadayoshi Okura, Yuko Oshima, Akira Emoto
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Comedy-melodrama about the power struggle
between a mother and her teenage daughter
and with the mother making very elaborate
Bento boxes with lunch for her daughter to
eat and to annoy her into submission

Bento Harassment

Direction and script: Tsukamoto Renpei, production: 2019

Cast: Ryoko Shinohara, Kyoko Yoshine, Rena Matsui
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Nasty, dark, disgusting crime-horror where
torturers and devils are the Heroes. Violent
Nihilistic Crap where human Turd Tatsuo
becomes a "Collector" who tortures and
disfigures victims ... and he's the films Hero!

Shimauma: The Movie (Zebra)

Director: Hajime Hashimoto, production: 2016

Cast: Ryo Ryusei, Kenta Suga, Maiko Amano, Kenji Matsuda
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Female Fighting action sleaze drama or
something like that, but more of a Neo-Pinky
maybe. 4 girls fights fake or for real in the
underground MMA gala, "Girl's Blood".
Almost arty but still with lots of nudity

Girl's Blood

Direction: Koichi Sakamoto, production: 2014

Cast: Yuria Haga, Asami Tada, Ayame Misaki, Rina Koike
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Fun horror comedy with a russian doll or
chinese box construction. A film about a
film about a film when a director is hired to
make a zombie movie to be sent live and
filmed in one cut

One Cut of the Dead

Direction & script: Shinichiro Ueda, production: 2017

Cast: Takayuki Hamatso,Yusuki Akiyama, Harumi Shuhama
DVD in japanese audio with swedish subtitles, region 2
Swedish Njuta Films DVD edition

 

Violent and stylish homage to the japanese
Zatoichi and Baby Cart films made in cut
paper stop motion. About the wandering
samurai Kazuo and his blood-drenched
adventures in Japan anno 1614

Path of Blood

Direction & Animation: Eric Power, production: USA 2011-2016

Voice Cast: Kenji Kiuchi, Yoshi Okai, Shinya Wakao
Blu-ray in japanese audio with english subtitles, region all
US Synapse Films 2018 bluray edition

 

Whimsical but enjoyable comedy crime action
with undead yakuza zombie-vampyres, vampire
hunters and the Kaiju Monster Frog.
Delightfully bizarre in the style of the classic
Miike era 1995-2005. Total nonsense, but fun

Yakuza Apocalypse (Gokudo Daisenso)

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2015

Cast: Hayato Ichihara, Lily Franky, Reiko Takashima
VOD - streaming video
Swedish Njuta Films DVD edition

 


Trashy and sick action, bloody, bizarre and
violent. Great stupid fun it is. Very B, but with
grisly effects and an enthusiastic performance
from Asami. A revenge crime movie

Gun Woman

Direction & co-script: Kurando Mitsutake, prod: US-Japan 2014

Cast: Asami, Kairi Narita, Tatsuya Nakadai, Noriaki R. Kamata
DVD in japanese audio with swedish subtitles, region 2
Swedish Njuta Films DVD edition

 

Enjoyable comedy about the hardships of
finding a job after finishing school. But not
all worry that much. Ohara is an easy-going
guy and has 2 beautiful girls chasing him

Shusho Kusensen Ijonashi

Direction & co-script: Shusuke Kaneko, production: 1991

Cast: Yuji Oda, Emi Makui, Koji Matoba, Nobuko Sendo
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Universal DVD edition

 


Takashi Miike blends a super-
natural ghost story with art drama
when a Theatre Company rehearse
the old Kabuki Play Yotsuya Kaidan

Over Your Dead Body

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2014

Cast: Ebizo Ichikawa, Ko Shibasaki
DVD in japanese audio with english subs, region 3
Hong Kong Deltamac DVD edition

 

Paper light romantic melodrama about
a romance between a teacher and a student.
Gorgeous Komatsu's good and quite another
role than the nasty girl she played in the
ultra-violent The World of Kanako

Close Range Love (Kin Kyori Renai)

Direction: Naoto Kumazawa, production: 2014

Cast: Nana Komatsu, Tomohisa Yamashita

Streaming video

 

Fluffy light action entertainment based
on a manga (what else) with romance
and humour, but an enjoyable watch.
Elite soldiers in future Japan is protecting
libraries aginst Book Burners

Library Wars

Direction: Shinsuke Sato, production: 2013

Cast: Nana Eikura, Junichi Okada, Chiaki Kuriyama
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Panorama DVD edition

 

Another enjoyable but fluffy nonsense
Crime Mystery about a murder on a Cruise
ship on it's way to Singapore. The servant
detective Kageyama assists his boss, the
rich heiress Reiko to solve the mystery

The After-Dinner Mysteries (Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de)

Direction: Masato Hijikata & Junichi Ishikawa, production: 2013

Cast: Sho Sakurai, Keiko Kitagawa, Rie Miyazawa
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Vicol DVD edition

 

Comedy on a manga by Fujio Akatsuka
where 10 year old Akko with a magic mirror
transforms herself to a grown woman, but
with the mind of a child. OK, this concept
would make it into a Porno soon. Yuki Isoya
from Judy and Mary sings in the end credits

Akko-Chan: The Movie (Himitsu no Akko-chan)

Direction: Yasuhiro Kawamura, production: 2012

Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masaki Okada, Shosuke Tanihara
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong RAM PMP Entertainment DVD edition

 

Surrealistic experimental Crime Comedy
that manages to be both absurd, funny
and poetic. Fascinating with vibes of
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Toyoda and Ishii
that somehow went below the Radar

Survive Style 5 +

Direction: Gen Sukiguchi, production: 2004

Cast: Asano Tadanobu, Reika Hashimoto, Vinnie Jones

Streaming video

 

A Psychotic male teacher uses the 2nd
part of the movie to slaughter the school
children with a Shotgun. Very bloody and
violent .... but, soon repetive and boring.
Looks more of like a Sono film than a Miike

Lessons of the Evil

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2012

Cast: Hideako Ito, Fumi Nikaido, Kento Hayashi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

Delightfully childish and nostalgic in a
charming and colorful attempt to make a
kids movie for grown-ups. Based on the
animated japanese 1970's TV series with
Super heroes, Mecha machines and a great
Super Criminal. You just have to love Miike

Yatterman

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2009

Cast: Sho Sakurai, Kyoko Fukada, Saki Fukuda
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region all
Thai Big Warner DVD edition

 


Slick looking Romantic Sci-Fi where a
lonesame guy is visited by a cute female
Cyborg sent back in time by himself in
the future

Cyborg She (Boku no kanojo wa saibogu/My Girlfriend is a Cyborg)

Direction & script: Kwak Jae-yong, production: 2008

Cast: Haruka Ayase, Keisuke Koide, Kenta Kiritani
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 2
UK 4 Digital Media DVD edition

 

Fun Comedy about a hopeful Game Show
employee who's assigned the task of
finding people with real ESP abilities.
From the director of Bayside Shakedown
and with Yuki Isoya from Judy and Mary
singing "Cosmic Box" in the end credits

Go Find a Psychic (Magare! Spoon)

Direction: Katsuyuki Motohiro, production: 2009

Cast: Masami Nagasawa, Hideto Iwai, Junya Kawashima
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Panorama DVD edition

 

The Hunt for Nikola Tesla's Electro-Magnet
weapon in an alternative retro futuristic
looking Japan. Slick looking and snappy
matinee adventure action about the Super
Villain K-20

K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces (K-20: Legend of the Mask)

Direction and script: Shimako Sato, production: 2008

Cast: Takesho kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamura
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Viz Pictures unrated DVD edition

 


T
rashy Sci Fi Cyber Punk Splatter action
moving in a delightfully snappy pace from
start to end. The Hyper kinetic sequel to
Machine Girl ?

Tokyo Gore Police

Direction: Yoshihiro Nishimura, production: 2008

Cast: Eihi Shiina, Benny Yukihide, Tak Sakaguchi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Media Blasters Tokyo Shock unrated DVD edition

 


Very funny and unhinged Splatter Action
about a Highschool Murder Machine on a
revenge odyssey to punish a really odious
Yakuza family

The Machine Girl - One Armed Ballistic Assault Heroine

Direction: Noburo Iguchi, production: 2007

Cast: Minase Yashiro, Asami, Kentaro Shimazu
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Media Blasters Tokyo Shock unrated DVD edition

 


The Immortal Reiko Ike in a really slick and
very fine looking Yakuza Swordplay Sleaze
action, and with our legendary 1970's Pin Up
Goddess Christina Lindberg in a big part

Sex & Fury

Direction: Norifumi Suzuki, production: 1973

Cast: Reiko Ike, Christina Lindberg
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Panik House unrated DVD edition

 


Reiko Ike is an expert of Swordplay in
this in this wild and funny Yakuza
Martial Arts Sleaze action from legendary
Teruo Ishii. A sequel to Sex & Fury

Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture
(Yasagure anego den - sokatsu rinchi)

Direction: Teruo Ishii, production: 1973
Cast: Reiko Ike, Ryohei Uchida, Makato Aikawa
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Panik House unrated DVD edition - transparent cover

 

Delirious fun, sleazy and violent Samurai
trash from the Pre-Miike loose cannon of
japanese film - Teruo Ishii. Based on a
manga by Kazuo Koike

Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten 8

Direction: Teruo Ishii, production: 1973

Cast: Tetsuro Tanba, Yuriko Hishimi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Discotek Media unrated DVD edition

 

Girls Gone Bad pinky violence from the
Maestro Suzuki. Fine looking exploitation
with sensational Catfights, Sex, Torture
and plenty of Black humour

Terrifying Girls Highschool: Lynch Law Classroom
(Kyofu joshikoko: Boko rinchi kyoshits)

Direction: Norifumi Suzuki, production: 1973
Cast: Reiko Ike, Miki Sugimoto, Tsunehiko Watase
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Panik House unrated DVD edition

 


More entertaining Pinky Violence from
Norifumi Suzuki about a female MC gang
and Reiko Ike vs. The Yakuza


Girl Boss Guerilla (Sukeban gerira)

Direction: Norifumi Suzuki, production: 1972

Cast: Reiko Ike, Miki Sugimoto, Toru Abe
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Panik House unrated DVD edition

 

Ultra Crappy sequel Flop to Avalon.
Has trash director Uwe Boll directed this
mess ? Visually nice but empty images
when boring models roams around in a
computer game.

Assault Girls (Azaruto Garuzo)

Direction: Mamoru Oshii (& Uwe Boll ?), production: 2009

Cast: Hinako Saeki, Rinko Kikuchi, Meisa Kuroki
DVD in english & japanese audio with english subtitles, region ?
Thai Big Warner DVD edition

 

Apocalyptic Fantasy Action with a lot
of Swordplay based on a Zombie Massacre
Computer game. Is it Good? No, but somewhat
entertaining in a trashy lowbudget way

Onechanbara Bikini Samurai Squad - The Movie

Direction, script,, photo: Yohei Fukuda, production: 2008

Cast: Eri Otoguro, Chise Nakamura, Manami Hashimoto
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Media Blasters Tokyo Shock unrated DVD edition

 

Re-make of the spaghetti western classic
Django, that looks like a Turd and moves
slowly like a typical QT snail snorefest
Zzzzzz. A turd with a Metal sleeve.
Could well be the worst film of Miike

Sukiyaki Western Django

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2007

Cast: Hideaki Ito, Kaori Momoi, Quentin Tarantino
DVD in broken spoken english audio, region 1
US First Look Studios DVD edition

 


Slick looking Fantasy Action where a
with swords as his arms is on a hunt
after 48 Demons. Pretty enjoyable watch


Dororo

Direction: Akihiko Shiota, production: 2007

Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kou Shibasaki, Yoshio Harada
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong CN Entertainment DVD edition

 

A warm-hearted Drama from a Japanese
mining village in the 1960's. A group of
girls sets their mind to learn dancing the
Hawaiian Hula, but have to fight against
the not so enthusiastic locals

Hula Girls

Direction: Lee Sang-il, production: 2006

Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yu Aoi
DVD in japanese audio without english subtitles, region all
Thai EVS Entertainment DVD edition

 

Funny Comedy and satire and entertaining
by the otherwise often too trashy director
Minoru Kawasaki. The title of this film
explains the quirky story

The World Sinks Except Japan

Direction: Minoru Kawasaki, production: 2006

Cast: Kenji Kohashi, Shuji Kashiwabara, Takenori Murano
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Synapse unrated DVD edition

 

Superhero Action Comedy about the
TV series hero Zebraman in a homage
with nostalgia by Takashi Miike to his
old beloved Japanese TV series as i.a.
Ultraman


Zebraman

Direction: Takashi Miike, production: 2004

Cast: Sho Aikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Atsuro Watabe, Ren Osugi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Media Blasters Tokyo Shock unrated DVD edition

 


Odd Crime Drama where an incorrect
reading of sensory signals enables
the receiving of clues to solve a case
of serial killings

Synesthesia (Gimme Heaven)

Direction: Toru Matsuura, produktion: 2004

Cast: Yousuke Eguchi, Masanobu Ando, Aoi Miyazaki
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US ADV Films 2 disc DVD edition

 

Intelligent svart hämnd-komedi och
samhällssatir där 2 gäng, ungdomar
och medelålders damer mördar
varandra. making of, häfte. Strange

Karaoke Terror: The Complete Japanese Showa Songbook

Direction: Tetsuo Shinohara, production: 2002

Cast: Ryuhei Matsuda, Masanobu Ando, Kayoko Kishimoto
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Synapse unrated DVD edition

 


The Robot MechaGodzilla is constructed
to defend Japan, but when the real Gonzilla
turns up he/she is in a really bad mood

Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla

Direction: Tezuka Masaaki, production: 2002

Cast: Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Ko Takasugi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Universe DVD edition

 

Komplex and somewhat arty Crime Drama
where two nihilistic murderers are challenging
the Police and the media. An oddity but
also quite interesting and seemingly totally
unknown here in the West (?)

Moho Han (Mohouhan/Copycat Killer)

Direction: Yoshimitsu Morita, production: 2002

Cast: Masahiro Nakai, Kanji Tsuda, Tsutomu Yamazaki
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Hong Kong Time Smart Media DVD edition

 

A surprisingly good and nasty horror based on a
Clive Barker story. Some poor CGI, some good gore.
Also some sort of a crime mystery and for once an
OK film from an asian director working in the US.
I totally missed this film as it was buried by the
film company, but better late than never

The Midnight Meat Train

Direction: Ryuhei Kitamura, production: 2008

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, Leslie Bibb
Blu-ray in english with english subtitles, region B
UK Lion's Gate 2012 bluray edition

 


Minimalistic but visually beautiful about
a Samurai drama and the battle between
a Demon and a human warrior

Aragami

Direction: Ryuhei Kitamura, production: 2002

Cast: Takao Osawa, Masaya Kato, Kanae Uotani
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Media Blasters unrated DVD edition

 

A cool and experimentally filmed take
in black & white and color based on
the classic Samurai film genre, and with
some odd and humourous stuff too.
Nice soundtrack by Tomoyasu Hotei


Samurai Fiction

Direction: Hiroyuki Nakano, production: 1998

Cast: Morio Kazama, Mitsuro Fukikoshi, Tomoyasu Hotei
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 2
Japanese Pony Canyon DVD edition

 

Girls are confusing the sensory signals
and mistakes feelings of pain with the
feeling of lust, and are cutting themselves
in a shocking Art Gore Horror.
Well made and disgusting effects

Naked Blood (Megayaku: Naked Blood/Splatter: Naked Blood)

Direction: Hisayasu Sato, production: 1996

Cast: Misa Aika, Yumika Hayashi, Tadao Abe
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Discotek Media unrated DVD edition

 

The Rocket launched giant turtle were
once made in Atlantis, and now has to
battle the human-eating flying lizards.
The first Gamera movie made in 30 years

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Direction: Shusuke Kaneko, production: 1995

Cast: Shinobu Nakayama, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ayako Fujitani
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 3
Korean Bitwin DVD edition

 

Funny Sex Comedy about the scandalous
weather girl that takes over the TV station
and meets an adversary in a duel.
Stupid light-hearted fun that that became
a Hit and also made some buzz in the West

Weather Woman

Direction: Tomoaki Hosoyama, production: 1995

Cast: Kei Mizutani, Takashi Sumida, Saori Taida
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region all
US Pulp Cinema DVD edition

 


Part 5 in Nikkatsus infamous Angel Guts
series, and based on the manga by Takashi
Ishii. The direction debut of talented Ishii

Angel Guts Red Vertigo (Tenshino no harawata: Akai memai)

Direction & script: Takashi Ishii, production: 1988

Cast: Mayako Katsuragu, Naoto Takenaka, Jun Izumi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region 1
US Artsmagic unrated DVD edition

 

Nasty Grindhouse Women in Prison exploitation
where the poor Masayo finds herself locked up
in a hellish woman prison with brutal butch
guards. Yes, one of the key ingredients in a
proper WIP movie

Female Prisoner: Caged! (Joshuu ori/The Prison Heat)

Direction: Masaru Konuma, production: 1983

Cast: Mina Asami, Shigeru Muroi
DVD in japanese audio with english subtitles, region all
US Mondo Macabro unrated DVD edition

   
2001-2024 Gunnar Strange Things
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