Film Review: Boys For Sale – Bai Bai Bōizu

Premiered in the UK as one of the official selection at the 25^th Anniversary of the Raindance Film Festival 2017.

What might at first seem like a potentially titillating documentary on male prostitution in the Shinjuku 2-chome area of Tōkyō, reportedly the largest urban gay area in Asia, becomes something fascinating and shocking in equal parts. One wonders as the documentary progresses at what point the historical Japanese openness and acceptance of male-male sex as a necessary part of human life became something to be frowned upon and kept hidden. Adrian ‘Uchujin’ Storey, who

DVD Review: Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings Complete Season 2

Features all 13 episodes of the show’s second series on 2 discs!

While it is no secret amongst anime fans, that anime which have built their foundations on successful gaming empires don’t always create their own success removed from the world of fandom, those few that develop their own relatable characters and complex, gripping plots can see themselves become accomplished in their own right. As someone with no previous experience of the Sengoku Basara series of games, I was interested to see if this series could carve its own place as a

DVD Review: Hara-kiri: Death Of A Samurai – A Film By Takashi Miike

An epically beautiful film!

Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer) follows up his martial-arts-heavy 13 Assassins with a more thoughtful, contemplative film that considers the role of ritual suicide in the ranks of the Samurai in 17^th Century Japan. Hara-Kiri: Death of A Samurai, a remake of the Yasuhiko Takiguchi 1963 classic,  is told in most part by two long flashbacks, the movie tells the tale of a young unemployed samurai, Motome Chijiiwa (Eita), who is forced to commit ritual suicide by cutting open his stomach (seppuku) as punishment for

DVD Review: Samurai Warrior – A Film By Kenichiro Nishiumi

A coming-of-age story about a boys journey into manhood!

Learning his trade from Takashi Mike as assistant director, Kenichiro Nishiumi directs this 65 minute martial arts action saga about brotherhood, masculinity and self-discovery during Japan’s Warring States Period.

Three young men, Ryu, Yonesuke and Gon, known collectively as ‘The Devils’, set out to have feudal battles with other like-minded gangs from surrounding villages to see who is the toughest. This they do to create a fearsome reputation for pride and honour, and to win the