Tag: Takashi Miike

The Animated Selections of Fantasia 2025 Guide

When this year’s slate of animated films is terrific, perhaps it’s time to travel to Quebec for Fantasia 2025!

Fantasia 2025 Movie PosterFantasia 2025 will soon be here, and this year looks very promising because of its animation slate. I always gravitate to this section since the films are often quick to continue playing at other events and head to distribution faster than the live-action works. Plus, when instant fans of the first entry in this list can see it even without attending, the presence is more than feline.

That’s because I’m a cat enthusiast. And when Takashi Miike is involved, just what’s offered may well top what last year’s Night of the Zoopocalypse did! This particular film (movie review link) did not screen at Fantasia, but I’m sure it would have been a contender had it finished post-production. Without further ramblings, I offer a list of feature length animated works to look forward to at this event at Montreal, Quebec.

Once when the event releases its full guide, I’ll also offer a top ten picks on what to see too.

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Is The Mole Song FINAL Reiji Kikukawa’s Swan Song at Fantasia 2022?

In The Mole Song FINAL, we see everything this filmmaker is famous for–off the wall action, a kinetic performance by his performers and tons of dirty jokes that’d make City Hunter blush.

Mole Song FINALPlaying at Fantasia 2022, July 25 6:35 PM at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)
(Buy Tickets here)

Anybody not familiar with Takashi Miike’s The Mole Song trilogy might want to get all caught up before seeing The Mole Song FINAL (土竜の唄 FINAL). That’s because the last movie was made in 2016. Trying to remember why Reiji Kikukawa (Toma Ikuta) is undercover won’t be tough. He was kicked out of the police force because of the way he conducts himself, but secretly this disgrace was to give him a means in to infiltrate the Sukiya-kai, a ruthless yakuza organisation in the first film, and the Chinese Demon Skulls gang in the second.

One thing in common between movies is that we will see a nude Ikuta in the production. Usually, that’s at the start, and he has something to mask those bits, so not everyone has to avert their eyes.

With that warning out of the way, what’s presented is a high octane romp and adventure where Reiji attempts to climb up the ranks was not only difficult but also nearly life ending! After he’s earned Shuho Todoroki’s respect, he can subsequently try to get that one piece of evidence that will lock this ringleader up for good.

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Livin’ on a Prayer with Takashi Miike’s First Love

First Love has the feel of a madcap chase with all the glory of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World tossed in. It’s the wrong analogy, but that’s what I felt.

Takashi Miike's First Love Movie Poster
Available to purchase or stream on Amazon USA

Release Date: Feb 11, 2020
Well GO USA

Spoiler Alert

Takashi Miike is a filmmaker best known for his wry, dark humour. Some of his best films include the crime-exposition with Ichi the Killer and a live action adaptation of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure which I can only describe as gloriously over the top. When these movies have a manga (cartoon) grindhouse style approach, I’m usually hooked! In his exploration into the criminal underbelly of Tokyo in First Love has a lot going on, and plenty of craziness to pack in!

If processing the subtitles is too hard, this region one home video release comes with a dubbed version. I do wonder if the region 2 version comes with Miike’s Japanese commentary though…

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