Recent Posts
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Episode 32 – Unforgiven (許されざる者)
Derrick Ferguson of Perry's other podcast, Superhero Cinephiles, returns to Japan On Film. With his knowledge of westerns and Perry's knowledge of Japanese history, they team up to discuss Sang-il Lee's Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood's revisionist western, Unforgiven! As Derrick put it best, this is less a remake and more a translation, with Lee seamlessly melding the classic story in Meiji-era Japan.
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Episode 31 – Message From Space (宇宙からのメッセージ)
John Atom of VCinema returns to discuss the 1978 Message From Space. While on the surface it seems like a Star Wars rip-off, it’s directed by the legendary Kinji Fukasaku, so there’s a bit more going on under the surface. Plus, there’s a certain campy charm about it that can’t be denied. So strap in and listen to our discussion on Message From Space!
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Episode 30 – Karate-Robo Zaborgar (電人ザボーガー)
Perry welcomes back returning guest Aaron Shelton of the Kame House Party and Thinking Too Much About Anime podcasts. In this episode, they discuss Karate-Robo Zaborgar. A remake of a short-lived 70s tokusatsu series, director Noboru Iguchi not only pays homage to the tokusatsu genre, but also puts some of his own trademarked weirdness on display.
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Episode 29 – Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ)
This Godzilla reboot from the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion takes inspiration from the government’s handling of the Fukushima disaster and feels especially appropriate given the COVID19 pandemic. Author, film critic, and Godzilla fan Mark Bousquet joins this episode to discuss the movie’s political themes and its place in the Godzilla pantheon.
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Episode 28 – The Twilight Samurai (黄昏清兵衛)
Perry is joined by Konner and Michael from The KMP Podcast to discuss the first film in Yoji Yamada’s samurai trilogy. Get ready for a more realistic look at the end of the samurai era as they talk about some of the history of the samurai at that time and how some of the ideas and themes are reflected in contemporary Japan.
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Episode 27 – Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城)
Japanese-style Shakespeare takes the stage in this episode. Perry is joined by Aaron Shelton of the Kame House Party podcast to talk about Throne of Blood, Akira Kurosawa’s 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. While not our favorite Kurosawa film, this conversation definitely goes into some interesting and unexpected areas!
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Episode 26 – One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな！)
JOF is back with a new season! Join Perry and VCinema’s John Atom as they discuss Shinichiro Ueda’s smash 2018 comedy, One Cut of the Dead! What starts as a B-grade zombie movie turns into something far more meta.
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Episode 25 – Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー)
This episode, I’m joined by guest-host Jenn to discuss Satoshi Kon’s 1997 psychological thriller anime, Perfect Blue. We especially focus on the film’s commentary of the treatment of women in Japan’s entertainment industry, particularly J-Pop idols, and why the potential American remake would never have worked.
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Episode 24 – 13 Assassins (十三人の刺客)
Takashi Miike’s 2010 remake of Eichi Kudo’s 13 Assassins was a worldwide hit and featured some of Japan’s finest young actors. Bob Serrano of The Aging Hipster Podcast joins me this episode to discuss some of the parallels with Japanese society and war, as well as to figure out just what the hell Koyata was.
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Episode 23 – The Ring (リング)
Hideo Nakata’s Ring became an international sensation and Gore Verbinski’s American remake kicked off a whole slew of American remakes of Japanese horror. Special guest host Sam LeGassick of A New Winter: Cults & Culture podcast joins Perry to discuss both the original and the remake. Find out just how much effort and care was put into translating this very Japanese story into an American context and some of the different aspects of their respective societies both movies choose to highlight.
