Slaughterhouse-Five

The overall impression: The main character seems to have a faint smile all the time, like a tourist on a group tour.

 In a way, he is extremely lucky, surviving the war, the bombing, and a plane crash. It seems the people around him, such as his wife, his colleagues, and his father-in-law, are killed instead.  While he is in a coma, things are sorted out without his knowledge. 

The plot is tragic, but each scene feels filled with euphoria. I don't know why, but I felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction after finishing the film.

By the way, Billy's son, Robert, looked a lot like Japanese professional baseball player Kotaro Kiyomiya.  

(Watched on amazon prime video, Sep 14, 2026)

Teito Monogatari #3

Continued from this post...

Then, I moved on to the original novel and have finished Volume 3 by now.

While the novel shares the same general setting as the films, the characters are strikingly different, retaining little more than their names and titles.

Here are my thoughts (spoilers ahead):

In Vol. 1:

- Kato has a rather attractive appearance rather than being a grotesque monster.

- There are subtle boys' -love elements.

- Mr. Shibusawa is depicted as quite talkative and easygoing, a very likeable person. 

- Tatsumiya is nothing like Junichi Ishida, who played him in the film.

In Vol. 2:

- Narutaki plays an active role with a clear stance, but his described appearance is far from Shiro Sano, who portrayed him.

- Kato begins to exhibit "chuunibyou" (eighth-grader syndrome)—talking big, yet surprisingly underwhelming.

- Yukari could have died at a much earlier stage, considering what she had been through.

- Keiko could have been portrayed as stronger—or at least disciplined enough not to be mesmerized so easily by Kato.

And in Vol. 3:

- Yukiko's job is completely different from what she did in the movie ("Teito Taisen”). Her overall image was so distant from Kaho Minami's portrayal that I found myself picturing Suzu Hirose instead while reading.

- Kato is no longer a grand villain; he devolves into a generic henchman, practically grunting like a Shocker Combatman from Kamen Rider.

- Again, there are slight homoerotic undertones.

- Tatsumiya dies unconvincingly fast and easily.

(End of spoilers)

On the whole, it might be better to view the films (especially the second one) as spin-offs centered around Kyusaku Shimada. That said, having watched the films beforehand helped me picture the characters and scenes vividy while reading.

By the way, I feel that Japanese society in the 1980s was much more open-minded—anything went as long as it was entertaining. If the film were made today, it would spark total chaos: the original author might sue the production company over the mangled adaptation, while netizens would greedily consume the surrounding scandal rather than the work itself, only to forget about it shortly after

Onna no Sono no Hoshi

 

820 yen, Shodensha

The title can be translated as Hoshi in a Girls' Land.

This manga depicts a male high-school teacher, Mr. Hoshi (surname), and his working place: a girls' high school. 

What charms me about this manga is the relationships among the characters. The conversations and settings feel very realistic, yet in a way, idealistic. There is no bullying, fighting, romance, or even competition. Each character is related loosely and peacefully, and no one speaks ill of anyone else.  I wish I had gone to a school like this.

And I love the fact that most of the characters have sanpaku eyes, with smaller irises visibly surrounded by the white, which are relatively rare for female characters in manga. They are usually supposed to be doe-eyed, with big, sparkling pupils filling almost the whole eye. 

This volume features Torii-san, depicted as a fireball girl. Everyone in her class cheers her on (and sometimes warmly teases her), but without being over the top, which is the whole point.  I am completely knocked down by her heroism. Go, go! Torii-san!

Definitely worth its price, or even more! 

UTA-CON on NHK: 01 Sep 2026

 

I reckon this is one of the greatest and most unforgettable shows broadcast so far this year. I was really lucky to catch this program!

Among the 80's singers featured on the show was Miki Asakura, who was simply outstanding.

Her voice sounded stronger, sharper and deeper than her twenties. Her looks were still, or even more, brilliant. And what impressed me the most was her physique. Her figure may not look perfect to younger eyes, but for me, her body is admirable: Does anyone in her (my) generation sing and step like her in these killer stilettos? It is simply impossible for me even to stand still on them.

Speaking of figure, this guy, Takanori Nishikawa demonstrated his professionalism by squeezing himself into this ridiculous bold costume, the same design as the one he used to wear in the end of the 20th century when he was as skinny as a rake.

His voice was also still powerful of course. He sang Akina Nakamori's "Kita-Wing," which was truly impressive. Not only his voice but his humor and cheerfulness charmed me. He looked delighted and enjoying himself when singing, which I love!

I almost forgot to tell you, Recently Ms. Asakura has released her new song called "My Soul. " Although I found the lyrics rather insensitive, if not outright insulting to the singer who is a breast cancer survivor, her voice is simply magnificent. The music video is here.

Film ”Kobikicho no Adauchi”

(A short break from the Teito-Monogatari rabbit hole.)

This title could probably be translated as "Revenge in Kobiki Town (where the playhouse is)".

Set in the mid-Edo period, the film is a rich assortment of everything you’d expect from a period drama: Kabuki, Edo lifestyles and gourmet, humanity, camaraderie, violence, brotherhood, and mystery. 

The storyline beautifully pays off every bit of foreshadowing.  It felt designed to offer great value for money. Had I watched it in a cinema, I’m sure I would have been deeply moved and left completely satisfied. 

On my 24-inch display at home, however, the production looked strangely flat—lacking depth and energy, almost like a well-made AI video on YouTube, which turned me off a bit. Plus, the actors' perfectly white, straight teeth and the snow that didn't even look slippery made the whole thing feel pretty fake and cheap.

Meanwhile, the cast was gorgeous, featuring Ken Watanabe (as usual, taking control of the drama) and Kazuki Kitamura (the Neko-Samurai!), among others. Tasuku Emoto was solid, but Kazuya Takahashi, who played Hotaru—a former onnagata—really caught my attention. I only knew him as a cute young idol aspiring to be a rock star. Seeing him in such a peculiar role, with blackened teeth and makeup that highlighted his wrinkles and sagging, was a pleasant surprise. That youngster has truly grown into this fine, mature actor!  

(Watched on amazon prime video, Sep 5, 2026)

Teito Monogatari #2

 ...Continued from my previous post.

Following Gemini's suggestion, I tried "Teito Taisen,"the sequel to the film Teito Monogatari, which is also based on the epic novel by Aramata Hiroshi.

This time, the story was set in the final stages of a war, possibly WWII, around 1945- (SPOILER AHEAD) when Japan tried to curse the heads of opposing nations as a game-changing move. Don't laugh at the idea, but I hope it was only a story the novelist created. 

As the premise indicates, the story was even more absurd, ahem, fantastical. Since the production budget seems to have been drastically reduced, the whole thing turned out to be more like a campy Kaiju movie, rather than a piece of cinema art. In this case, the "Kaiju" was Kato. Even though over 20 years had passed since the previous film, he hadn't aged a bit and was still wearing the exact same military uniform. You haven't gotten promoted at all despite your ultra-magical powers?!

And Nakamura, who is supposed to be the hero of justice, is ridiculously weak. He shouldn't have even dreamed of fighting Kato. 

Meanwhile, I couldn't help thinking: wouldn't Kato have been better off turning American if he really wanted to destroy Tokyo? With his magic, transforming himself into an American should have been easy. Although, I can't quite imagine Kato chewing gum and casually saying, "Oh my God!"

Another thought crossed my mind: How did he join the army in the first place? What did he write on his CV? "Having harbored my resentment for centuries, I am prepared to destroy the capital with a massive curse"?

Also, Yukiko—supposedly Kato's daughter—calls him only by his surname, never "Dad" or "Father." Yet Kato calls her "Yukiko, my daughter" in a surprisingly affectionate manner.

 ...But at this point, I still had no idea what I was about to face next...

 To be continued...

Teito Monogatari #1

My summer 2026 was hijacked by this 80's movie and its original novel.  

I'm not sure what this title should be translated in English. Some call it "Doomed Megalopolis," and some call it "Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis." In direct translation, however, it should be "Imperial City (Teito:帝都） Saga（Monogatari:物語）" or ”Story of Imperial Capital.”

Ｉ first watched the film when I was young and innocent. I was completely blown away then by the lavishness of the costumes and casts. The featured actor, Shimada Kyusaku had a really unforgettable, impactful looks. So impressive in many ways that he might appear in your dream and assault you like Freddy Krueger, but in this case, the culprit would use his chin instead of claws. 

After 40 years, this summer I revisited the film, having been tired of the recent films with "safe" and uninpressive plots and boring visuals, or based on popular manga-the safest bets. I wanted to get some kick.

The film was still brilliant. The character designs, the film sets and the costumes were absolutely extraordinary and extravagant, an embodiment of the Japanese golden age. And the details were beautifully produced. I almost burst into tears when young Tamasaburo, now a living national treasure, performed a sequence of movements in which he almost fell, but caught himself, like choreography of Japanese traditional dance or Kabuki.

Meanwhile, the plot was hopelessly incoherent. While watching the film, I was filled with ??? For example (SPOILERS AHEAD):

• Why did Kato the demon wear military outfit, or sometimes snakeskin clothes?
• Why did Ishida Junichi play the leading role in such a solemn (in terms of the visual) film despite his then somewhat frivolous image？
• Does Koda Rohan look too stylish in comparison to his real looks? 
• What’s Narutaki's role in the story? He was just running around and attacked by Kato but recovered unbelievably quickly. 
• The story was about the city planning of Tokyo, but there seem to be no legislature...and so on. 

I asked these kinds of questions to Gemini, and the AI suggested, probably tired of answering me, that I should read the original text and that the follow-up film "Teito Taisen" was even more chaotic.  

to be continued...