Japanese cinema

The complicated history of Godzilla’s gender

By Chris Edwards

Is the default assumption of the giant lizard’s maleness just plain sexism?

Discover the punkish energy of manga-inspired coming of ager

By Anton Bitel

Toshiaki Toyoda’s Blue Spring perfectly captures the fleeting excitement of youth.

Of Love and Law

By David Jenkins

Married gay lawyers in Osaka fight everyday injustice in this delightful, deadpan documentary.

review

Why Takashi Miike’s Audition is a piercing feminist film in disguise

By Daisy Phillipson

There’s so much more to this J-horror hit than meets the punctured eye.

Hideo Nakata’s Ring is returning to cinemas for its 20th anniversary

By Adam Woodward

Don’t miss the opportunity to relive this nightmarish J-Horror courtesy of a new restoration.

One Cut of the Dead

By Michael Leader

This madcap meta-horror from Japan’s Shin’ichirô Ueda breathes new life into the zombie genre.

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Why Netflix’s live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop is destined to fail

By Kambole Campbell

Shinichiro Watanabe’s singular ’90s show is yet another classic anime that should be left well alone.

Shoplifters

By Beth Webb

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes storming drama paints a richly humanistic portrait of an unconventional family unit.

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Hirokazu Koreeda: ‘I want to make visible the people the government ignores’

By Sophie Monks Kaufman

The Japanese writer/director discusses the political implications of his Palme d’Or-winning drama Shoplifters.

Discover the erotic grotesquery of this Japanese triptych

By Anton Bitel

The prolific filmmaker Teruo Ishii invented a whole new subgenrre with 1969’s bizarre Orgies of Edo.

Mirai

By Michael Leader

Mamoru Hosoda returns with a charming time-bending tale about two siblings.

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MFKZ

By Gus Edgar-Chan

This French-Japanese anime from directors Guillaume Renard and Shoujirou Nishimi is a twisted joyride.

review

Discover the ferocious insanity of this cult Japanese horror

By Anton Bitel

Teruo Ishii’s Horrors of Malformed Men contains one of cinema’s most straightforwardly stark raving villains.

Discover the ethical outrage of this erotic Japanese drama

By Anton Bitel

Akio Jissôji’s celebrated – and controversial – This Transient Life boldly challenges social convention.

Discover the time-skipping eroticism of these classic Japanese animes

By Anton Bitel

Third Window Films are releasing two Animerama series films from Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka.

Mirai – first look review

By Michael Leader

This delightful Japanese anime is one of the highlights of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight programme.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

By Trevor Johnston

There’s shades of Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service in this charming animation from Studio Ponoc.

review

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Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

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