Author Archives: philipbrasor

Media Mix, Sept. 6, 2020

Posted on September 6, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about TV Asahi’s recent departure from the Japan Federation of Commercial Broadcast Workers Unions. In the column, I distinguish the federation, known as Minpororen, from MIC Union, an umbrella union that represents workers in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review: Forbidden Dream

Posted on September 3, 2020 by philipbrasor

Given the enormous output of the South Korean film industry, even during its occasionally fallow times, it’s not surprising that certain genres and subjects get covered to death. One is the storied Joseon Dynasty, when a good deal of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Leave a comment

Media Mix, Aug. 30, 2020

Posted on August 30, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the popular TBS drama series, Hanzawa Naoki 2. As pointed out in the column, the dramatic elements of the production are purposely exaggerated, especially the acting, which is at least partially based … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review: In Syria

Posted on August 22, 2020 by philipbrasor

Narrative films that take as their subject current affairs face a dilemma in terms of execution. How much of the story will be irrelevant or even incorrect in years to come? What sort of viewpoint should the direction take, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review: Booksmart

Posted on August 21, 2020 by philipbrasor

This American teen comedy, focusing almost exclusively on the girls’ experience, is blessed with one of the best titles of recent memory. “Booksmart” implies a brain full of stuff derived from reading materials and outside sources rather than from experience. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media Mix, Aug. 16, 2020

Posted on August 16, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about recent cases of child molestation by school teachers and childcare professionals. As pointed out in the column, the crime of sexual abuse generally becomes more difficult to prove and prosecute when the victim is … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Review: The Divine Fury

Posted on August 14, 2020 by philipbrasor

Though Korean movies still find wider distribution in Japan than do movies from other countries outside of the U.S., some Korean movies have an easier time of it than others. The fact that this occult actioner features Park Seo-jun, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media Mix, Aug. 2, 2020

Posted on August 2, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about the fall of the Japanese apparel industry as a result of the coronavirus crisis. As I mentioned, the industry was already failing even before the pandemic. The Big Three—Renown, Onward, and Sanyo Shokai—were struggling … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review: Dead Souls

Posted on July 31, 2020 by philipbrasor

Like Joseph Heller and the Notorious B.I.G., Chinese director Wang Bing debuted with a work that was so overwhelming in its originality, scope, and message that anything he would produce subsequently was bound to be anticlimactic; but like those two … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media Mix, July 26, 2020

Posted on July 26, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the Tokyo gubernatorial election earlier this month. Near the end, I mention a discussion between activist-writer Yasumichi Noma and journalist Koichi Yasuda on the web channel No Hate TV. The title of … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Leave a comment