Gakuryu Ishii, or Sogo as he was known during this production, is one of Japan’s most exciting voices to come out of the ‘80s. His vibrant and manic punk aesthetic helped shape the counter-capitalist culture of artists that worked against the growingly homogeneous world of consumerism. The aggressive male teen angst portrayed in his work highlighted the disconnect between youth and Japan in a loud and bold form, but as the ‘90s approached, Ishii would move his style away from the formative films that helped define him. He would begin to create more nuanced works, pieces that reflected a different director and a different Japan, and one of those is the beautiful 1997 piece, “Labyrinth of Dreams”.
Ishii thoroughly explored masculinity in his early career, but the ’90s saw female protagonists taking center stage in his cinema. It acts as a refreshing change of perspective to such a male-centric body of work.
Ishii thoroughly explored masculinity in his early career, but the ’90s saw female protagonists taking center stage in his cinema. It acts as a refreshing change of perspective to such a male-centric body of work.
- 11/11/2020
- by Robert Edwards
- AsianMoviePulse
By Robert Edwards
Gakuryu Ishii, once known as Sogo Ishii, is a prolific punk filmmaker, and radical auteur for his outsider narratives and fiercely original techniques. Pioneering the formal language that would become a staple of the Japanese cyberpunk genre while still in college, put Ishii into a league of his own. His sense of kinetic camerawork and fast editing created a style that would dominate the indie scene during the ‘80s, but this style was not his only contribution to cinema. As his career developed into the ‘90s, he moved away from the aggressive masculine punk narratives that formulated his early identity as an auteur and began creating female centred stories that felt more mature in execution. “August in the Water” is one of those films.
The story revolves around a young girl named Isuku, played by Rena Komine, who moves to a new school. Her...
Gakuryu Ishii, once known as Sogo Ishii, is a prolific punk filmmaker, and radical auteur for his outsider narratives and fiercely original techniques. Pioneering the formal language that would become a staple of the Japanese cyberpunk genre while still in college, put Ishii into a league of his own. His sense of kinetic camerawork and fast editing created a style that would dominate the indie scene during the ‘80s, but this style was not his only contribution to cinema. As his career developed into the ‘90s, he moved away from the aggressive masculine punk narratives that formulated his early identity as an auteur and began creating female centred stories that felt more mature in execution. “August in the Water” is one of those films.
The story revolves around a young girl named Isuku, played by Rena Komine, who moves to a new school. Her...
- 5/9/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The official website for the upcoming pinky violence-inspired “Sukeban Hunters” films has been completely overhauled with links to two brand new trailers. Judging from the website, the English title is apparently “Yakuza Busting Girls”.
It probably goes without saying, but neither of these trailers are work safe.
Yakuza Busting Girls: Duel in Hell (Sukeban Hunters: Jigoku no Kettou) was written and directed by Shinichi Okuda. The intro line translates to something like “Intense gun action and gore effects by Yoshihiro Nishimura lead to the creation of an incomparable macaroni western!”
Plot: Asami returns exausted after three years of intense training to become a yakuza hunter. She decides to visit her old master, Inokuma (Sakichi Sato), who runs a bar. However, she finds his place in ruins and nothing is as it was when she left. As it turns out, the local yakuza had turned it into a gambling house and...
It probably goes without saying, but neither of these trailers are work safe.
Yakuza Busting Girls: Duel in Hell (Sukeban Hunters: Jigoku no Kettou) was written and directed by Shinichi Okuda. The intro line translates to something like “Intense gun action and gore effects by Yoshihiro Nishimura lead to the creation of an incomparable macaroni western!”
Plot: Asami returns exausted after three years of intense training to become a yakuza hunter. She decides to visit her old master, Inokuma (Sakichi Sato), who runs a bar. However, she finds his place in ruins and nothing is as it was when she left. As it turns out, the local yakuza had turned it into a gambling house and...
- 4/10/2010
- Nippon Cinema
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