Author Archives: philipbrasor

September 2013 movies

Posted on August 27, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the Sept. issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on Sunday. Elysium It says something about Neill Blomkamp’s big budget studio followup to his excellent science fiction thriller District 9 … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Aug. 18, 2013

Posted on August 18, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about discussions surrounding Japan’s collective self-defense capabilities. At the end of the column I express doubt that the Japanese public really agrees with the government’s plan to join such collective military activities, but … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Aug. 4, 2013

Posted on August 4, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the LDP’s lack of a popular mandate despite its overwhelming victory in the recent Upper House election. Regardless of the numbers—whether we’re talking ballots counted or voter turnout—the tone of the campaigns … Continue reading →

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August 2013 albums

Posted on August 1, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the August issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on July 25. Born Sinner -J. Cole (Roc Nation/Sony) Yeezus -Kanye West (Def Jam/Universal) All rappers release mix tapes, but former … Continue reading →

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August 2013 movies

Posted on July 31, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the August issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on July 25. Emperor Though most scholars think that Hirohito was more responsible for the Pacific War than is traditionally believed, … Continue reading →

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Paul McCartney, Tokyo Dome 2002

Posted on July 18, 2013 by philipbrasor

Paul McCartney just announced that he will play five concerts in Japan this November, three of them at Tokyo Dome. The last time he was here for a concert was 2002, and I wrote about it for The Japan Times. … Continue reading →

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The family register, ca. 1996

Posted on July 16, 2013 by philipbrasor

While researching this week’s Media Mix about figure skater Miki Ando and the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the Inheritance Law as it applies to children born out of wedlock, we tried to find out if writer … Continue reading →

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The “placard” video

Posted on July 14, 2013 by philipbrasor

 I heard about this video last week, when it had only received about 400 hits. Then Tokyo Shimbun ran an article about it and the number of views went up considerably. At the time of this writing the number of … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 7, 2013

Posted on July 7, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about TV personality Rola. When the story of her father’s alleged crimes broke I noticed at least one person on Facebook question the Japanese media’s obsession with Rola’s mixed-blood heritage. For the record, … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, June 30, 2013

Posted on June 30, 2013 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, about the documentary Tous Cobayes? and the twin controversies of nuclear power and genetically modified organisms, though mostly the latter since it hasn’t received much attention in the Japanese media. Last winter I wrote a … Continue reading →

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