Reviews of Recent Japanese Films by Aaron Gerow
This is a collection of reviews and articles on recent Japanese films written by Aaron Gerow for The Daily Yomiuri, a national daily that is published in English by one of Japan’s largest newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun. They are reproduced on the Kinema Club site with the permission of The Daily Yomiuri and appear largely as they were originally published. Kinema Club would like to thank The Daily Yomiuri its cooperation. Films can be sorted by title, director, or release date by clicking on the column heading. An asterisk (*) following a title denotes particularly important works.
| Title | Japanese Title |
Director |
Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Focus] | [Focus] | Isaka Satoshi | 10/12/1996 |
| The Fire Within | Onibi | Mochizuki Rokuro | 04/19/1997 |
| Wild Life* | Wild Life | Aoyama Shinji | 04/05/1997 |
| An Obsession | Tsumetai chi | Aoyama Shinji | 12/20/1997 |
| Shady Grove* | Sheidi gurov | Aoyama Shinji | 07/03/1999 |
| Chinpira/Two Punks* | Chinpira | Aoyama Shinji | 12/21/1996 |
| Embalming | EM/Enbamingu | Aoyama Shinji | 07/31/1999 |
| Black Jack | Burakku Jakku | Dezaki Osamu | 11/30/1996 |
| Innocent Hearts | Kawaki no machi | Enokido Koji | 01/18/1997 |
| Jubaku (Spellbound) | Kinyu fushoku retto: Jubaku | Harada Masato | 09/18/1999 |
| Koi wa maiorita | Koi wa maiorita | Hasegawa Yasuo | 05/17/1997 |
| Night Without Angels | Tenshi ni misuterareta yoru | Hiroki Ryuichi | 07/10/1999 |
| Tokyo yakyoku | Tokyo yakyoku | Ichikawa Jun | 06/21/1997 |
| Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment* | Tokiwaso no seishun | Ichikawa Jun | 03/23/1996 |
| The Eel | Unagi | Imamura Shohei | 05/24/1997 |
| Labyrinth of Dreams | Yume no ginga (or Yumeno ginga) | Ishii Sogo | 02/15/1997 |
| Jesus in Nirvana* | Hyakunen no zessho | Izuchi Kishu | 05/16/1998 |
| Suzaku* | Moe no Suzaku | Kawase Naomi | 11/01/1997 |
| Kids Return* | Kids Return | Kitano Takeshi | 07/27/1996 |
| Kikujiro | Kikujiro no natsu | Kitano Takeshi | 06/05/1999 |
| Hana-Bi (Fireworks)* | HANA-BI | Kitano Takeshi | 01/24/1998 |
| After Life* | Wandafuru raifu | Koreeda Hirokazu | 04/17/1999 |
| To Love | Aisuru | Kumai Kei | 10/04/1997 |
| Charisma* | Karisuma | Kurosawa Kiyoshi | 07/27/1999 |
| Cure* | Kyua | Kurosawa Kiyoshi | 12/27/1997 |
| Dead or Alive* | Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha | Miike Takashi | 02/26/2000 |
| Audition | Odishon | Miike Takashi | 03/04/2000 |
| The Princess Mononoke* | Mononoke Hime | Miyazaki Hayao | 07/12/1997 |
| Mobsters' Confessions* | Gokudo zangeroku | Mochizuki Rokuro | 02/21/1998 |
| Summer Tale* | Natsujikan no otonatachi | Nakashima Tetsuya | 03/15/1997 |
| Parasite Eve | Parasaito Ivu | Ochiai Masayuki | 02/01/1997 |
| Sleeping Man* | Nemuru otoko | Oguri Kohei | 02/03/1996 |
| East Meets West | East Meets West | Okamoto Kihachi | 08/12/1995 |
| Emergency Call | Kinkyu yobidashi--Emajenshi koru | Omori Kazuki | 11/18/1995 |
| Gama-Getto no hana | Gama-Getto no hana | Osawa Yutaka | 07/06/1996 |
| Postman Blues* | Posutoman burusu | Sabu | 08/16/1997 |
| DANGAN Runner* | Dangan ranna | Sabu | 11/09/1996 |
| Billiken | Biriken | Sakamoto Junji | 08/03/1996 |
| One More Time, One More Chance | Tsuki to kyabetsu | Shinohara Tetsuo | 12/21/1996 |
| Blister | Burisuta | Suga Taigan | 07/01/2000 |
| M* | M/Other | Suwa Nobuhiro | 10/23/1999 |
| 2 Duo* | 2 Dyuo | Suwa Nobuhiro | 08/02/1997 |
| Gemini* | Soseiji | Tsukamoto Shinya | 09/15/1999 |
| My Secret Cache* | Himitsu no hanazono | Yaguchi Shinobu | 02/15/1997 |
| Adrenaline Drive* | Adorenarin doraibu | Yaguchi Shinobu | 06/12/1999 |
| Niji o tsukamu otoko | Niji o tsukamu otoko | Yamada Yoji | 12/28/1996 |
| Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro, kurenai no hana | Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro, kurenai no hana | Yamada Yoji | 12/23/1995 |
| A Class to Remember II | Gakko II | Yamada Yoji | 10/19/1996 |
| Junk Food* | Janku fudo | Yamamoto Masashi | 04/18/1998 |
| Atlanta Boogie | Atolanta bugi | Yamamoto Masashi | 11/09/1996 |
| Juvenile | Jubunairu | Yamazaki Taka | 07/15/2000 |