Reviews from Japan

Superlative - everyone should see this

Great, a must-see if you like the genre

Good, a decent example of the genre

Watchable, but only for serious genre fans

Unwatchable

Half stars could have gone either way depending on mood.

Movie Name / Release Year	Summary	Date	Reviewer
Ichi The Killer (2001)	Raised the bar for on-screen depravity	2024-09-15	Simon
Baby Assassins 2 (2023)	Another adorable slice of assassination	2024-03-02	Simon
Roaring Fire (1981)	Tons of fun	2024-02-27	Simon
Karate Kiba (1973)	Grimy and stylish	2023-12-16	Simon
The Ninja War of Torakage (2015)	Fun and stylish ninja silliness	2023-03-25	Simon
Nuigulumar Z (2014)	Love is a teddy bear!	2022-02-12	Simon
Wandering Ginza Butterfly (1972)	The Meiko Kaji reboot	2022-01-25	Simon
Jam (2018)	A bit of a Sabu throwback	2021-09-29	Simon
Shinjuku Triad Society (1995)	A distinctive early Miike outing	2021-08-03	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021)	The legend returns	2021-06-19	Simon
Dangan Runner (1996)	Absurdity becomes transcendence	2021-03-11	Simon
Red Blade (2018)	It all starts when the book sucks your blood	2021-02-14	Simon
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (2009)	Trashy but demented fun	2020-09-19	Simon
Shinjuku Swan (2015)	It's about demand and supply	2020-08-23	Simon
Meatball Machine (2005)	Budget constrained but imaginative	2020-05-10	Simon
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)	Perhaps the strangest thing you will ever see	2013-06-10	Simon
Like A Dragon (2007)	Miike finds another fresh way to take on the Yakuza genre	2012-12-05	Simon
Appleseed (2004)	A popcorn film, but a good one	2012-05-22	Simon
Karate Bear Fighter (1975)	Chiba is on peak form	2012-05-22	Simon
Female Yakuza Tale (1973)	...read review...	2012-05-21	Simon
Black Cat's Revenge (1970)	Intriguing mix of styles and moods	2006-08-13	Simon
The Executioner (1974)	Remember it's a ninja film and enjoy it!	2006-03-05	Simon
Sukeban Deka (1987)	Cheesy, violent fun	2005-07-15	Simon
The Way To Fight (1996)	Enjoyable low-key drama	2005-06-12	Simon
Full Metal Yakuza (1997)	Super-cheap but gleefully twisted and inventive	2002-12-03	Simon
Fudoh (1996)	Hilariously transgressive	2002-03-17	Simon
Avalon (2001)	Unique aesthetic experience	2002-03-17	Simon
Tokyo Raiders (2000)	The future of action films?	2001-06-02	Simon