New York, NY (4/26/24) – Along with the news of two upcoming audiobook adaptations, Yen Press, LLC, announced the release of fifteen new titles, including nine manga, five novels, and a box set (Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall). These fifteen titles are set to release in October 2024.
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall
By AidaIro
A new deluxe collection of Volumes 11 through 20 of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun wrapped in one frightful package! Pick up where the first box set left off and follow Hanako, Nene, Kou, and company on their adventures, all the way until the beginning of the school festival. Don't “stall” any longer and make room on your shelf for this supernatural selection!
Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories
Story by Hero, Art by Daisuke Hagiwara
School may have finished, but there is no end to the sweet “awww”-inspiring tale of Hori and Miyamura! Snapshots of Hori, Miyamura, and the gang's lives; a...
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall
By AidaIro
A new deluxe collection of Volumes 11 through 20 of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun wrapped in one frightful package! Pick up where the first box set left off and follow Hanako, Nene, Kou, and company on their adventures, all the way until the beginning of the school festival. Don't “stall” any longer and make room on your shelf for this supernatural selection!
Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories
Story by Hero, Art by Daisuke Hagiwara
School may have finished, but there is no end to the sweet “awww”-inspiring tale of Hori and Miyamura! Snapshots of Hori, Miyamura, and the gang's lives; a...
- 4/29/2024
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
As the final fight in My Hero Academia is coming to an end, Kohei Horikoshi’s magnum opus is on the way to its conclusion after entertaining fans for ten years. The recent chapter of the series revealed that the students of UA, along with some other major characters, are trying their best to take down All for One.
My Hero Academia
Chapter 421 was released on April 28, 2024, where Izuku revealed to Aizawa that after trying to rescue Shigaraki Tomura, the antagonist of My Hero Academia, he lost One for All. This means that the quirk that was given to him by All Might is no longer within him, making him quirkless once again. But after seeing his classmates, he still wants to fight him.
Although the previous chapters already revealed that Izuku has lost his quirks, his official confirmation has startled fans. My Hero Academia fans have been waiting too...
My Hero Academia
Chapter 421 was released on April 28, 2024, where Izuku revealed to Aizawa that after trying to rescue Shigaraki Tomura, the antagonist of My Hero Academia, he lost One for All. This means that the quirk that was given to him by All Might is no longer within him, making him quirkless once again. But after seeing his classmates, he still wants to fight him.
Although the previous chapters already revealed that Izuku has lost his quirks, his official confirmation has startled fans. My Hero Academia fans have been waiting too...
- 4/29/2024
- by Tarun Kohli
- FandomWire
Known for his exploration of universal themes including family, happiness and memories, Japanese director, producer, screenwriter and editor Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s newest feature Monster (2023) has received acclaim from critics and fans alike. Monster follows mother Saori whose son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) starts behaving strangely, leading her to think that something must be wrong. Soon discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school and demands to know what’s been happening to her son. However, as the story unfolds and the truth gradually emerges, it may not be anything close to what Saori imagined. Using clever storytelling methods to keep us intrigued, fantastic performances from the young leads and beautifully explored complex themes, Monster fits tidily into Kore-eda’s filmography as a heartbreaking study of childhood, growing up, and the harrowing idea that we may not know our children as deeply as we think we do.
The storytelling...
The storytelling...
- 2/19/2024
- by Becca Johnson
- Talking Films
In the first act of Monster, the sharp-witted mother, Saori Mugino, observes strange behaviors in her son, Minato, in a series of instances, starting with weird questions about pig brains, which he claims he got to know from his teacher, Mr. Hori, or Hori sensei. The second instance takes place when Saori finds that Minato has chopped off his hair after returning from school, following which he loses a sneaker. On one particular evening, Minato doesn’t even return home, which compels Saori to look for him. She rushes to the old railroad as soon as she receives information about her son’s whereabouts, only to find him alone in the dark, yelling gibberish. On their way back home, Minato makes an unusual conversation about his father and suddenly jumps out of the car, causing her to crash her car as well. While walking back from the hospital, Saori suspects...
- 2/2/2024
- by Shrey Ashley Philip
- Film Fugitives
It is not every day that we come across a cinematic masterpiece like Monster, or 怪物 (Kai-butsu) by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Pursuing a triptych arrangement previously seen in Nolan’s Dunkirk, the movie unfolds its central plot through the narratives of three different characters, conveying the utter disparity in their perspectives and the backgrounds that lead to their conclusions about each other. Within this beautifully complex structure, Monster conceals a deceptively simple yet endearing and poignant story, compelling enough to sweep us into this emotional rollercoaster while we find ourselves demonizing and empathizing with the characters at the same time. This movie also presents itself as a spectacle of the socio-political bureaucracy in Japan, heteronormative conservatism in modern Japanese society, neurodiversity, and the innate curiosity and queer identity in children. Using subtle motifs, Kore-eda’s commentary on Japanese society provokes a sense of bitter-sweet nostalgia in the viewer.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Michitoshi Hori?...
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Michitoshi Hori?...
- 2/1/2024
- by Shrey Ashley Philip
- Film Fugitives
The film Monster shows the tender connection between Yori Hoshikawa and Minato and becomes a poignant reflection of the harsh realities of society. In this coming-of-age narrative, the story is told through multiple perspectives, laying bare the cruelty of a world that is reluctant to accept love in its diverse forms. The film dives into the harsh reality that love isn’t always accepted as it should be. It’s like they’re forcing these messed-up ideas on us, making us feel like we’re “diseased” for just being ourselves, and this weight of judgment tears at the very core of our well-being. Yori’s character and his developing feelings towards Minato are a tale of forbidden love in a world that won’t accept them. It feels very gut-wrenching and becomes the embodiment of Yori’s struggle. At home and outside, he catches all kinds of hell. It’s...
- 1/26/2024
- by Sutanuka Banerjee
- Film Fugitives
Monster is a lot to take in. But it’s a relief to have Hirokazu Kore-eda back on his home turf, unabashed with melodrama that feels nothing but sincere. Kore-eda’s decision to relinquish the pen to Yuji Sakamoto not only got the film the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes but also gave him the space to do what he does best—exploring the reassurances of kinship in both conventional and unusual circumstances.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
The range of emotions and headspaces, defying and conforming to societal codes and rules, are spread out between the three acts that come together and make up Monster. Kore-eda is known for his earnest understanding of love in familial and social dynamics. And the same gets more and more evident the more we see Saori’s relationship with her son, Minato. Little Minato isn’t entirely aloof from his mother,...
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
The range of emotions and headspaces, defying and conforming to societal codes and rules, are spread out between the three acts that come together and make up Monster. Kore-eda is known for his earnest understanding of love in familial and social dynamics. And the same gets more and more evident the more we see Saori’s relationship with her son, Minato. Little Minato isn’t entirely aloof from his mother,...
- 1/13/2024
- by Lopamudra Mukherjee
- Film Fugitives
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"Monster", directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is one of the most acclaimed movies of 2023 that you probably haven't heard of yet.
Set in Japan, the film follows three people: the single mother Saori Mugino (Sakura Andō), her young son Minato (Sōya Kurokawa), and Minato's teacher Michitoshi Hori (Eita Nagayama). Saori begins to suspect that Hori is abusing her son, while Hori suspects that there's something sinister in the boy's head. The truth, which I'll leave unspoiled, is a lot sadder. The film is told from their three perspectives. Seeing the same sequence of events three times highlights how hard it is to truly understand someone by looking at them from the outside.
"Monster" enjoyed a film festival run, taking home the Queer Palm (bestowed to Kore-eda) and Best Screenplay (to Yuji Sakamoto) awards at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May...
"Monster", directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is one of the most acclaimed movies of 2023 that you probably haven't heard of yet.
Set in Japan, the film follows three people: the single mother Saori Mugino (Sakura Andō), her young son Minato (Sōya Kurokawa), and Minato's teacher Michitoshi Hori (Eita Nagayama). Saori begins to suspect that Hori is abusing her son, while Hori suspects that there's something sinister in the boy's head. The truth, which I'll leave unspoiled, is a lot sadder. The film is told from their three perspectives. Seeing the same sequence of events three times highlights how hard it is to truly understand someone by looking at them from the outside.
"Monster" enjoyed a film festival run, taking home the Queer Palm (bestowed to Kore-eda) and Best Screenplay (to Yuji Sakamoto) awards at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May...
- 1/1/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Watching some lighthearted anime romance is one way to get some relaxation and unwind. Some people prefer watching anime that don’t have too much of a complex plot or characters, yet they still hold a fascination for them in a simple and comedic way. Low-stake anime romances have some silliness involved, keeping you hooked on their drama.
If you are one of those who are looking to watch some light-hearted anime, we have compiled a list of 5 you can watch! Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection to stream them on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, etc. If you don’t have one, we recommend getting Xfinity internet for super-fast speed and seamless connectivity while watching anime.
Moving on, here are the 5 anime that are low-stakes and include a little romance as well:
5. Maid-Sama (2010-2011)
This light comedy follows the adventures of three high-school girls and their romantic endeavors.
If you are one of those who are looking to watch some light-hearted anime, we have compiled a list of 5 you can watch! Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection to stream them on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, etc. If you don’t have one, we recommend getting Xfinity internet for super-fast speed and seamless connectivity while watching anime.
Moving on, here are the 5 anime that are low-stakes and include a little romance as well:
5. Maid-Sama (2010-2011)
This light comedy follows the adventures of three high-school girls and their romantic endeavors.
- 12/5/2023
- by John Berty
- Anime Alert
Early in director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Monster, single mother Saori (Andô Sakura) and her son, Minato (Kurokawa Sôya), watch from their apartment’s balcony as a fire engulfs a building across the way, the plumes of smoke rising up and up and up. Minato balances his arms on the ledge, his feet stuck in the gaps between the vertical rods of the balcony. From behind, we see him lean out, trying to get nearer to the flames from so far away, but his mother grabs him from behind and tells him to be careful to not go over the edge.
That’s not unlike what watching Monster feels like, as it constantly veers precariously between the realms of gentle humanism and contrived sentimentality. Monster is Kore-eda’s third film after his 2018 Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters, which found a perfect calibration between his humane and tender sensibility and a kind of crowd-pleasing earnestness.
That’s not unlike what watching Monster feels like, as it constantly veers precariously between the realms of gentle humanism and contrived sentimentality. Monster is Kore-eda’s third film after his 2018 Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters, which found a perfect calibration between his humane and tender sensibility and a kind of crowd-pleasing earnestness.
- 11/17/2023
- by Kyle Turner
- Slant Magazine
Few stories are as gratifying as the narrative jigsaw. How to fool the viewer into believing one thing without lying about what happened? It’s difficult enough to execute on the page, but much more can be hidden in writing. With film it’s a matter of obscuring the context of what we both see and hear, which requires some trickery. Like any sound cinematic tool, it can be misused and abused (see: the MCU), but with tasteful restraint it can be the backbone of a masterclass in mystery. See: Monster.
Writer, editor, and director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 17th feature––his fourth in five years, the third of those to debut in competition at Cannes, with Shoplifters taking the Palme d’Or in 2018––is exactly that: a masterclass in mystery. Or, perhaps, context. What starts as a relatively clear story about sinister pyros, “pig-brained” kids, and abusive teachers transforms, through labyrinthine story mechanics,...
Writer, editor, and director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 17th feature––his fourth in five years, the third of those to debut in competition at Cannes, with Shoplifters taking the Palme d’Or in 2018––is exactly that: a masterclass in mystery. Or, perhaps, context. What starts as a relatively clear story about sinister pyros, “pig-brained” kids, and abusive teachers transforms, through labyrinthine story mechanics,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
In the throes of Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s latest narrative Cannes competition film Monster are two boys learning about their feelings for one another.
“There haven’t been many Japanese films that address these topics,” acknowledged the 2018 Shoplifters Palme d’Or winner, speaking at a Thursday press conference for the film, about the LGBTQ themes among the young boys in Monster.
“When I discovered the screenplay, I thought to myself, this story should not be viewed from that angle. It’s an inner struggle,” he added.
Monster follows Saori (Ando Sakura), a take-no-prisoners widowed mother bringing up her son Minato (Kurokawa Soya), who is weathering tough times in his elementary school. Mom learns that son’s odd behavior may have to do with his teacher, who Minato says hit him. The pic is told from several different points of view, including that of the teacher, Hori (Nagayama Eita), Minato, and the friend he adores,...
“There haven’t been many Japanese films that address these topics,” acknowledged the 2018 Shoplifters Palme d’Or winner, speaking at a Thursday press conference for the film, about the LGBTQ themes among the young boys in Monster.
“When I discovered the screenplay, I thought to myself, this story should not be viewed from that angle. It’s an inner struggle,” he added.
Monster follows Saori (Ando Sakura), a take-no-prisoners widowed mother bringing up her son Minato (Kurokawa Soya), who is weathering tough times in his elementary school. Mom learns that son’s odd behavior may have to do with his teacher, who Minato says hit him. The pic is told from several different points of view, including that of the teacher, Hori (Nagayama Eita), Minato, and the friend he adores,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s seventh go-round in Cannes competition, Monster, received a six-minute standing ovation Wednesday in the Grand Theatre Lumiere. He won the Palme d’Or back in 2018 for Shoplifters. Can he do it again?
Kore-Eda spoke in Japanese: “Thank you. Some people couldn’t be here. Can’t wait to go back to Japan and show them the film…tell them about this absolutely wonderful premiere. It will stay in my heart.”
It’s the filmmaker’s ninth movie overall at the fest (counting two that appeared in Un Certain Regard). Monster is his first movie since his 1995 debut feature Maborosi that the director has not had a screenplay credit on.
Monster follows Saori (Ando Sakura), a take-no-prisoners widowed mother, who is now bringing up her son Minato (Kurokawa Soya) who is weathering tough times in his elementary school. Mom learns that son’s odd behavior may...
Kore-Eda spoke in Japanese: “Thank you. Some people couldn’t be here. Can’t wait to go back to Japan and show them the film…tell them about this absolutely wonderful premiere. It will stay in my heart.”
It’s the filmmaker’s ninth movie overall at the fest (counting two that appeared in Un Certain Regard). Monster is his first movie since his 1995 debut feature Maborosi that the director has not had a screenplay credit on.
Monster follows Saori (Ando Sakura), a take-no-prisoners widowed mother, who is now bringing up her son Minato (Kurokawa Soya) who is weathering tough times in his elementary school. Mom learns that son’s odd behavior may...
- 5/17/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Japanese director Kore-eda offers a deliberately dense but ultimately hopeful examination of how to negotiate family dysfunction with intelligence and humanity
Hirokazu Kore-eda challenges us with intricacy and complexity in this family drama about bullying, homophobia, family dysfunction, uncritical respect for flawed authority, and social media rumour-mongering; all working together to create a monster of wrongness. Kore-eda is collaborating with screenwriter Yûji Sakamoto and the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose score creates a layer of nuance and meaning. Its plangent, sad piano chords will often counterintuitively be added to a scene of apparent drama or tension, implying that the meaning of this scene has not yet been disclosed. Monster is a movie that does not render up its meanings easily in general, and its repeated motif is to replay the same events from a different viewpoint; in another type of film this might deliver the smooth and gratifying narrative click...
Hirokazu Kore-eda challenges us with intricacy and complexity in this family drama about bullying, homophobia, family dysfunction, uncritical respect for flawed authority, and social media rumour-mongering; all working together to create a monster of wrongness. Kore-eda is collaborating with screenwriter Yûji Sakamoto and the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose score creates a layer of nuance and meaning. Its plangent, sad piano chords will often counterintuitively be added to a scene of apparent drama or tension, implying that the meaning of this scene has not yet been disclosed. Monster is a movie that does not render up its meanings easily in general, and its repeated motif is to replay the same events from a different viewpoint; in another type of film this might deliver the smooth and gratifying narrative click...
- 5/17/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
After making The Truth in France and Broker in South Korea, Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to a Japanese-language project for the first time since his justly lauded Shoplifters five years ago, working with another writer’s script for the first time since his head-turning 1995 debut, Maborosi. Many of the peerless humanist’s frequent themes figure in Monster (Kaibutsu) — loss, isolation, the elusive nature of happiness and the struggles of imperfect families — viewed through a somewhat imposing multi-perspective Rashomon-esque prism. The director’s customary delicacy, compassion and sensitivity ripple through the drama, though its affecting moments of illumination are more intermittent than cumulative.
With its fragmented exploration of childhood bullying, stigma, peer pressure and homophobia, as well as the age of its young protagonists, Monster vaguely recalls Belgian director Lukas Dhont’s Close from last year, albeit with more restraint and less sentiment, for better or worse. It’s a frustrating film in many ways,...
With its fragmented exploration of childhood bullying, stigma, peer pressure and homophobia, as well as the age of its young protagonists, Monster vaguely recalls Belgian director Lukas Dhont’s Close from last year, albeit with more restraint and less sentiment, for better or worse. It’s a frustrating film in many ways,...
- 5/17/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda is a perceptive observer of families, keenly detecting the quirks that make an individual unique and the whole stronger and more complicated. 2018’s masterful Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters” was perhaps the finest display of Kore-eda’s skills and preoccupations as a minimalist artist of mysterious domestic rhythms, informed by social and financial realities.
His make-shift family in last year’s arguably more populist “Broker” didn’t hit a note as high, but “Monster,” the director’s return to this year’s Cannes competition, feels closer to the subtly multilayered tales we came to expect from him.
A sweet, unknowable and often purposely misleading red herring of a whodunit that morphs into an unexpected tale of friendship, “Monster” feels like a departure for Kore-eda, mostly because of its intricate structure that recounts the same event from three different viewpoints. An obvious (and quite accurate) association point...
His make-shift family in last year’s arguably more populist “Broker” didn’t hit a note as high, but “Monster,” the director’s return to this year’s Cannes competition, feels closer to the subtly multilayered tales we came to expect from him.
A sweet, unknowable and often purposely misleading red herring of a whodunit that morphs into an unexpected tale of friendship, “Monster” feels like a departure for Kore-eda, mostly because of its intricate structure that recounts the same event from three different viewpoints. An obvious (and quite accurate) association point...
- 5/17/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
Japan’s most prolific and successful contemporary filmmaker, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, is back in a favorite place, Cannes, for the unveiling of his latest effort, a return to his Japanese storytelling roots and a good one at that. For his seventh film in the main Cannes competition and his ninth overall (counting two that appeared in Un Certain Regard), Monster represents the first movie since his 1995 debut feature Maborosi that the director has not had a screenplay credit on — this film being written by Sakamoto Yuji — but clearly with its humanist family-centered themes is right in this master craftsman’s wheelhouse.
After last year’s lighter Cannes entry Broker, which was his first Korean film, Monster is more in line with his touching 2013 Jury Prize winner Like Father, Like Son and his 2018 Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters, which also earned him a foreign-language Oscar nomination. In fact, he is teaming...
After last year’s lighter Cannes entry Broker, which was his first Korean film, Monster is more in line with his touching 2013 Jury Prize winner Like Father, Like Son and his 2018 Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters, which also earned him a foreign-language Oscar nomination. In fact, he is teaming...
- 5/17/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Existential quandaries meet expressionist monsters in Takahide Hori’s dystopian world
Envisioning a dystopian future where humans inch closer to immortality while losing the ability to procreate, Takahide Hori’s stop-motion adventure journeys through a gloomy, dilapidated universe filled with exquisitely strange creatures. Considering that the film is mostly a one-man operation – Hori pores over nearly every technical aspect himself – the worldbuilding details are simply extraordinary, bringing to mind the nightmarish virtuosity of Phil Tippett’s Mad God.
Seeking a solution to a diminishing population, a human scientist plunges into the subterranean domains inhabited by the Magarins, mutants whose labour powers the running of the city above. After an accident obliterates his physical form, the mind of our wandering protagonist is transferred into a succession of mechanical guises, blurring the difference between his humanity and the clone workers.
Envisioning a dystopian future where humans inch closer to immortality while losing the ability to procreate, Takahide Hori’s stop-motion adventure journeys through a gloomy, dilapidated universe filled with exquisitely strange creatures. Considering that the film is mostly a one-man operation – Hori pores over nearly every technical aspect himself – the worldbuilding details are simply extraordinary, bringing to mind the nightmarish virtuosity of Phil Tippett’s Mad God.
Seeking a solution to a diminishing population, a human scientist plunges into the subterranean domains inhabited by the Magarins, mutants whose labour powers the running of the city above. After an accident obliterates his physical form, the mind of our wandering protagonist is transferred into a succession of mechanical guises, blurring the difference between his humanity and the clone workers.
- 4/19/2023
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
New Delhi, Feb 22 (Ians) “Sadly, studying music or arts for a lifetime is not considered important enough. Success means winning a talent show and not otherwise. I fail to understand how one puts artistic urges in these parameters?” questions Padma Shri awardee Shubha Mudgal, adding parents and guardians and schools need to expose children to all kinds of music and arts, and the splendid diversity this country offers in it.
The singer, along with co-artistes Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (Harmonium) was recently in Chandigarh to perform ‘Rang Hori’ on the invitation of ‘Elsewhere’, conceived in the memory of Sangeet Natak Akademi award-winning playwright and author Swadesh Deepak, added: “I was a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education constituted by the Government of India, a focus group discussing the need for introducing an arts education programme in mainstream school education during the National Curriculum Framework 2005. It was eons ago,...
The singer, along with co-artistes Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (Harmonium) was recently in Chandigarh to perform ‘Rang Hori’ on the invitation of ‘Elsewhere’, conceived in the memory of Sangeet Natak Akademi award-winning playwright and author Swadesh Deepak, added: “I was a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education constituted by the Government of India, a focus group discussing the need for introducing an arts education programme in mainstream school education during the National Curriculum Framework 2005. It was eons ago,...
- 2/21/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
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