Osugi Sakae was arguably Japan's most prominent anarchist before his extrajudicial assassination in 1923, and to gift the young character with his name is a daring narrative move, placing him squarely in the crosshairs of an imperialistic nationalism at odds with the historical figure's radical individualism. The man who murdered Osugi Sakae, along with Ito Noe--another prominent anarcho-feminist--and Osugi's 6 year old nephew later became head of Manchukuo Film Association, a political arm of the Kwantun Army that was one…

The length of the viewfinder, the distance of sight. Nestled within the arms of people we love there's always the sense of impermanence of things passing on, and I personally struggle with the inclination to fall deeper into despair knowing that what I have now can and will disappear.
But of course it will. It all disappears, for as long as I live and let the years pass I pass as well. My friends and family too. The people and…

I'm a little sad to say the pink R18+ version is significantly better. The added sequences and characters make the whole feel more imbalanced and less focused. In stripping away the opening dream sequence from the alternate version, Hiromi loses a bit of her definition and the story progresses from the outset in an unwieldy direction. The subsequent narration here attempts to reclaim some of the deeply-laid sensual themes that are so concisely elaborated and built upon in the other.…

This is the 67 min Pink version of Hamano's Body Trouble. Unfortunately this is currently the only version easily accessible, but it's still an incredible cut.

This is one of the great depictions of body dysmorphia and the complex, unstable, and perpetually transformative condition of womanhood depicted in Japanese cinema. Integrating Hamano's trademark emphasis on female subjectivity and the capacious pleasures of womanhood, the film confronts ugly realities of definition. It seems to spit in the face of those who…

By the end of 1945, over 400,000 American soldiers were stationed throughout Japan. Through the occupation this number increased, amounting to close to one million Allied soldiers. The Military Tribunal for the Far East began in 1946 and lasted until the end of 1948, designating a total of twenty-eight war criminals. The historical footing in which these former soldiers of the film and the Japanese public in general were living in was driven largely by the influence of Allied forces.…

One thing to note about this film's articulation of affluent domesticity in 1980s Japan is its roots in 1960s economic growth. Prime Minister Ikeda proposed his "double the national income plan"; there was an increase in western-styled condo/apt complex (団地） development; and the ideological slogan of "my-home-ism" (マイホーム主義）that defined national affluence around that time ultimately led to the proliferation of this new domestic milieu.

The private, nuclear-family became a kind of postwar inheritance that engendered not only the supposed notions…