Tag: Japan

Why Suzuki=Bakudan Delivers an Unforgettable Psychic Villain

There’s a bad moon rising in Suzuki=Bakudan, a crime thriller that’s more than a slow burn than anything else. You’re here to watch Jirō Satō’s performance’s performance more than anything else!

Suzuki=Bakudan movie posterAlthough I didn’t find the time to check out Suzuki=Bakudan (retitled Bomb for North America) during Japan Cuts, I’m glad to have caught it at Fantasia Film Festival 2026. Usually, crime thrillers aren’t my thing, but with Jirō Satō getting a lot of buzz, I had to see what the fuss was about. He plays psychic manipulator Tagosaku Suzuki, and he knows how to get under anyone’s skin.

Yes, those comparisons to the Joker from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight are justified. Though he doesn’t sport a grin, what he presents is closer to Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining, before madness took its toll on that poor soul’s mind. Because of the way he taunts the police, nobody’s sure if his psychic predictions are real. Unfortunately, those moments claim lives, and while the tragic scenes play out quickly enough to get the point across, the gruesome truth concerns what else he knows.

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Travelling to Japan? Ultraman’s 60th Anniversary is Ongoing! Here’s Where to Get Your Tokusatsu On!

It’s not too late to enjoy the celebrations! Ultraman’s 60th Anniversary has plenty of attractions being celebrated around South Asia. Here’s an #events listing of what’s happening till the end of the year!

Ultraman's 60th AnniversaryUltraman’s 60th anniversary celebrations are far from over. Although there was a Shōwa-era appearance during G-FEST in Chicago from July 10–12, fans have to travel to Japan to truly get a feel for how beloved this hero is. There are events taking place all over the country, as well as in other parts of East Asia. While Tokyo remains one of the easiest places to find Nebula M78’s greatest hero hiding in the mix, here’s a selection of some of the best shows to attend.

Some focus on the franchise’s history, while others spotlight the newest Ultra Heroes and current television productions.

August 2026

Ultra Heroes EXPO 2026
Summer Festival in Tokyo

Ultra Heroes EXPO 2026 Umeda Summer FestivalThis event continues at Ikebukuro Sunshine City in Tokyo from August 5 to 24 and at each stop, will introduce a different live-stage story. With appearances connected to Ultraman Teo, this show looks big! It also h as historical displays, live performances, Ultra Shot photography sessions and the Ultraman Department Store.

As one of the largest annual Ultraman gatherings in Japan, it remains the most complete option for fans who want stage entertainment, displays and exclusive merchandise in one place.

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The Origin of Ultraman and Celebrating 60 Glorious Years!

The party isn’t over yet! Though Fantasia Film Fest is officially over, we got lots more films to review, and for The Origin of Ultraman, this anniversary year has a few more events to run its course for fans worldwide. In part two, we’ll list where to find them!

The Origin of Ultraman
Played at Fantasia Film Festival on July 17, 2026 at the Cinéma du Musée

When asked which character from Japan is the most iconic, I personally believe that’s tough to answer. It’s either Gojira or Ultraman. While everyone knows who the former is and why he came to be, a sense of mystery still surrounds The Origin of Ultraman. A quick look online reveals a deceptively simple narrative: he is an alien who came to Earth to protect humanity. And, to be fair, Gamera is niche.

Yet, when debating which of the two franchises is truly recognized as an institution, I would argue it is Ultraman, hands down. Yu Nakamura and Kazuki Yoshida’s excellent documentary not only provides terrific insights from filmmakers, artists and historians around the world about how Tohl Narita shaped the iconic face and costume design, but also reveals what went on in his mind behind all the creature designs he sketched out too. This work also firmly shows why this hero is so beloved from the perspective of many individuals.

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See No Evil, Hear No Evil… Where’s The Wisdom The Mouths Have To Speak Anyway?

Takashi Shimizu’s The Mouths transforms a cemetery legend into a nightmare involving a cursed tree, cicadas, and a ghoul? Spoiler Alert. You have been warned:

The Mouths Movie Poster
Played on July 26, 2026 at Fantasia Film Festival at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU

If you’re a fan of Ju-on or any of Takashi Shimizu‘s works, The Mouths (口に関するアンケート) will certainly scare you! That’s because once the synopsis revealed there’s a suicide tree, I half expected this film to be about Aokigahara Forest rather than a random hunk of wood located in a dilapidated cemetery. When the legend of the said park overshadows any other urban legend, what’s presented feels like a partial set of short stories, each tied to why four young adults have come here to find the spirit reputed to haunt this tree!

In what begins as a simple truth or dare, it ends up being a challenge of the human spirit against nature. In this case, it’s to see if the curse attached to the said tree is true! And when none of the individuals invited it home, there’s cause for concern! Should this entity not follow its victim(s), it would never feed.

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At Fantasia 2026, Let’s Dance! Or Should That Break Free From the Everyday?

Actually, the title of this film is Kunio’s online identity. He yearns to Break Free from his roots, and this gangster comedy shows how he does it!

Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, movie poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2026 on July 18 at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)

The Japanese movie Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, has style and nearly everything I want from a film featuring rhythmic music, yakuza fighting one another, and J-pop on top. It’s the perfect movie to begin my coverage of Fantasia Fest 2026 too! In this world, an anti-organized crime law enacted by the government has forced many gangs to either pack up or shut up. Whether that’s meant to mirror real Japanese law or simply serve the plot, I honestly can’t say.

The film is wildly gorgeous under Yu Nakamoto‘s direction. He delivers pathos and ethos in droves, while his focus on Kunio (Akito Fujii) shows just how deep a rut the character is in. He’s fiercely loyal to his crew, but they’re struggling to remain who they are rather than getting real jobs. That’s where the commentary comes in. Since Kunio can’t smack people around without getting tossed in jail, his protégé, Kuzunari (Atomu Mizuishi), comes up with the idea of recording him “dancing.” Goto (Kenta Kiritani), their boss, approves!

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Junk World Trades Junk Head’s Mystery for a Cybertech Nightmare

Takahide Hori’s Junk Head trades solo obsession for a bigger crew and a wilder, messier mythology — worms, cults, time loops, and all. As a prequel, some viewers will appreciate how it sedges into Junk World, but perhaps its best to see the two back to back.

Junk World Movie PosterFor those new to Takahide Hori‘s surreal stop-motion science fiction masterpiece, Junk World is the prequel to Junk Head. Even if you haven’t seen the middle film of the trilogy, thankfully there isn’t much you need to know going in. What gets explained about the Mulligans, robots made by humans to serve as slave labour droids who eventually rebelled, covers the basics, and as for why one droid has declared himself god at the start of the film, well, that’s the mystery.

It seems one of them didn’t fully evolve beyond its programming. His name is Robin (Souko Matsuoka) and he’s loyal to Captain Torys (Atsuko Miyake), who leads a team of humans to a summit to negotiate new terms. That’s how the moment felt to me, anyway. The rest of the film goes through the motions of showing just how fragile that peace is, while introducing new threats along the way. And the timeline gets muddled fast, with time-travel jumps back and forth that had me feeling lost more than once.
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