Drama
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Episode #114 (S14E05) – Porco Rosso (1992) [紅の豚]
"Better a pig than a fascist" is the famous line from Studio Ghibli's Porco Rosso. Film critic Alexander Scott joins the show to dive into this pulpy adventure.
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Episode #111 (S14E02) – The Blind Menace (1960) [不知火検校]
Before Zatoichi, Shintaro Katsu played another blind masseur, but a much more sinister one! Japanese film scholar Jonathan Wroot makes his debut on the show to discuss The Blind Menace!
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Episode #109 (S13E10) – Sonatine (1993) [ソナチネ]
We close out Season 13 with returning guest Ian Buckley! This time, we're discussing Takeshi Kitano's classic yakuza film, Sonatine. Thank you for listening! We'll be taking a hiatus, but will return shortly for Season 14!
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Episode #105 (S13E06) – Happy Flight (2008) [ハッピーフライト]
Christopher Hood, an academic and author specializing in Japanese society and transportation, joins the show to discuss Happy Flight, a movie all about air travel in Japan.
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Episode #104 (S13E05) – Tokyo Godfathers (2004) [東京ゴッドファーザーズ]
Christmas comes early as Matthew Trecek of the Deskwarmers podcast joins Perry for a discussion of Satoshi Kon's beloved anime, Tokyo Godfathers.
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Episode #103 (S13E04) – Vital (2004) [ヴィタール]
Writer and Japanese film scholar Jennifer Upton returns again, and this time we're discussing Shinya Tsukamoto's Vital.
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Episode #102 (S13E03) – High and Low (1963) [天国と地獄]
YouTuber and fellow Japan resident Amanda Hartsell joins Perry in this episode to discuss capitalism and Japanese society as depicted in Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.
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Episode #99 (S12E09) – Ikiru [生きる] (1952)
Returning guest and fellow podcaster Derick McDuff is back on the show for a discussion of one of Akira Kurosawa's most well-known and well-regarded films—1952's Ikiru. We chart Waranabe's growth over the movie, the type of environment he's in, and how little Japanese bureaucracy has changed.
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Episode #98 (S12E08) – Monster [怪物] (2023)
It's another film by Hirokazu Kore-eda! This time, Perry is joined by podcaster Sam Stokes to discuss the director's latest film, Monster. With different perspectives, it's an enlightening film about the concept of bullying.
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Episode #96 (S12E06) – Nobody Knows [誰も知らない] (2004)
Japanese film scholar Lindsay Nelson is back on the show to discuss Hirokazu Kore-eda's heartbreaking drama, Nobody Knows. Based on a true story about a family of children abandoned by their single mother, there's a lot to talk about in this.
