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
Appleseed (2004)	A popcorn film, but a good one	2012-05-22	Simon
Avalon (2001)	Unique aesthetic experience	2002-03-17	Simon
Baby Assassins 2 (2023)	Another adorable slice of assassination	2024-03-02	Simon
Bitter Honey (2016)	A very literary film	2022-06-15	Simon
Black Cat's Revenge (1970)	Intriguing mix of styles and moods	2006-08-13	Simon
Cold Fish (2011)	Life is Pain	2021-02-01	Simon
Dangan Runner (1996)	Absurdity becomes transcendence	2021-03-11	Simon
Female Yakuza Tale (1973)	...read review...	2012-05-21	Simon
Fudoh (1996)	Hilariously transgressive	2002-03-17	Simon
Full Metal Yakuza (1997)	Super-cheap but gleefully twisted and inventive	2002-12-03	Simon
Funky Forest - The First Contact (2005)	Maybe the strangest film I've seen	2006-02-09	Simon
Go, Go Second Time Virgin (1969)	Amazingly bleak film, and quite shocking to watch	2001-11-26	Simon
Happiness (2016)	Happiness is just sadness you haven't reached yet	2021-08-22	Simon
Helldriver (2010)	Epic and deranged	2021-11-21	Simon
Jam (2018)	A bit of a Sabu throwback	2021-09-29	Simon
Karate Bear Fighter (1975)	Chiba is on peak form	2012-05-22	Simon
Karate Kiba (1973)	Grimy and stylish	2023-12-16	Simon
Legend Of The Eight Samurai (1983)	Splendidly cheesy swords & sorcery epic	2021-08-20	Simon
Like A Dragon (2007)	Miike finds another fresh way to take on the Yakuza genre	2012-12-05	Simon
Meatball Machine (2005)	Budget constrained but imaginative	2020-05-10	Simon
Mr. Long (2017)	Act cool and don't say anything	2021-02-21	Simon
Noriko's Dinner Table (2006)	We All Just Wanna Avoid Pain	2020-10-26	Simon
Nuigulumar Z (2014)	Love is a teddy bear!	2022-02-12	Simon
Postman Blues (1997)	Very creative and charming work	2004-06-11	Simon
R100 (2013)	Only in Japan	2014-10-05	Simon
Red Blade (2018)	It all starts when the book sucks your blood	2021-02-14	Simon
Red Post On Escher Street (2020)	My face isn't a crowd	2021-05-15	Simon
Roaring Fire (1981)	Tons of fun	2024-02-27	Simon
Roningai (1990)	Gently paced but ultimately satisfying samurai film	2005-08-18	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)	A strange film to end the series on	2021-07-30	Simon