Blog
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Why This Blog Exists If you have attended one of Joe Hisaishi’s concerts in Europe over the past few years, you already know something is happening. The venues are getting bigger. The audiences are getting louder. And the programmes, depending on which evening you chose, may have surprised you in ways you did not expect.…
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Yoji Yamada’s “What a Wonderful Family! 3” (2018) represents the third installment in the beloved comedy-drama series that captures the warmth and occasional chaos of multigenerational Japanese household life. The film follows the Hirata family as they navigate an unexpected crisis when housewife Fumie awakens from an afternoon nap to discover that a thief has…
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Myriam Constantin’s 2024 film ‘Opus Carré’ represents a fascinating collaboration between cinema and music that has captured the imagination of audiences across Europe. The film, a contemplative exploration of artistic creation and human connection, arrives as a thoughtful meditation on the creative process itself. Constantin’s directorial vision emphasizes visual poetry and introspective narrative, creating an…
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Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 2012 film ‘Casting Blossoms to the Sky’ stands as a poignant meditation on disaster, memory, and human resilience. Following the catastrophic 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan’s northeast coast, the film traces a journalist’s journey to Nagaoka, a city bearing its own scars from historical tragedy. Already ravaged by American bombing…
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Director Junya Satō’s 2005 epic film Yamato stands as one of the most ambitious military dramas ever committed to screen. Based on Jun Henmi’s novel, the film employs a dual narrative structure, weaving together a present-day framing story with extensive flashbacks that chronicle the final voyage of the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato during World War…
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Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai’s 2005 fantasy film “A Chinese Tall Story” presents a whimsical journey through a magical realm where the young monk Taka embarks on an epic quest to rescue his three captured disciples from the clutches of a demonic tree. Armed with the legendary magic stick of the Monkey King, Taka encounters Meiyan, a…
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Jiang Wen’s ambitious 2007 film ‘The Sun Also Rises’ presents a complex tapestry of interconnected narratives that weave across vastly different landscapes and timeframes. The polyptych structure moves fluidly between a remote Yunnan village, a vibrant university campus, and the desolate expanses of the Gobi Desert, creating a meditation on human connection, loss, and the…
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Released in 2007, ‘A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies’ stands as a remarkable testament to the power of storytelling through film. Directed by Ryuichi Inomata, this deeply moving drama explores the unbreakable bond between a Japanese family and their beloved dog Mari, who gives birth to three puppies just as a devastating earthquake strikes…
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Hayao Miyazaki’s 2008 film Ponyo tells the delightful story of an unlikely friendship between Sosuke, a young boy living in a clifftop house overlooking the sea, and Ponyo, a magical goldfish with an extraordinary desire to become human. When Sosuke rescues the curious and energetic creature from the ocean, he sets in motion a series…
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Joe Hisaishi’s Haunting Score for ‘I Want to Be a Shellfish’: A Masterwork of War’s Moral Complexity
Katsuo Fukuzawa’s 2008 film “I Want to Be a Shellfish” stands as a profound meditation on the injustices of war and the fragility of human morality. The narrative follows Toyomatsu Shimizu, an ordinary barber conscripted during the final year of World War II, whose life takes an irreversible turn when he is ordered to execute…
