The Bookshelf

Welcome to my bookshelf, where you can find all of the weekly music, books, movies, and miscellaneous links I’ve recommended collected into one place!

If anything catches your fancy, click on it and you’ll be taken right to my short impressions. (jk jk, the links are broken until I figure out how to pull that off with the new site, forgive me 🙇)

Have fun perusing my loverly digital aisles; I hope you find something you love!

(ps please enjoy my top of the line non-symmetrical microsoft paint work)

• Kusunoki Gekijou by AQ! Ishii & Hiroko Taniyama (darkwave/art pop)
• Re-Face by MENU (new wave)
• Dream of Embryo by Funeral Party (coldwave)
• Eutopia by HikkieP (vocaloid/glitch)
• Super Ball EP by Super Ball (accidental free improvisation)
• IT’S NOT FOOD!! by pandagolff (noise rock)
• The French Operation by GIRLS BE (shibuya-kei)
• Jaki Matsuri ‘89 Live by Kengo Iuchi (avant folk)
• Old Age Systematic by NYAI (indie rock)
• 6 Roads by Utena Kobayashi (art pop)
• Marine Crystal by K. Yoshimatsu (minimal wave)
• Houses of Fire by Ignition Block M (post punk)
• Amputasion by situasion (glitch pop)
• Shisha by Ill Bone (post punk)
• Like a Fable by Shintaro Sakamoto (soft rock)
• Hou-Kai-Kei by Napalm Death Is Dead (noisecore)
• Phant Solo II by Taishi (drum and bass)
• E.P by AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN (no-wave/synth pop)
• Amu Onna by Mari Hamada (art pop)
• Hana Furu Hi by Babi (art pop)
• A Boy by Doji Morita (psychedelic folk)
• The Picture Show of Chronic Deja Vu by Cinema and Boy CQ (shibuya-kei idol pop)
• Kazemachi Roman by Happy End (folk rock)
• Osharaka by Oni no Migiude (prog rock)
• room share EP by Car10 / The Guays (pop punk)
• We Are Uchu no Ko by Afrirampo (psychedelic noise rock)
• Machiawase no Toshokan by Neochi (math pop)
• PAYKAR by Kapiw&Apappo (ainu folk)
• Osorezan/Doh No Kembai by Geinoh Yamashirogumi (avant-prog folk)
• Gorge Bricolage by Hanali (gorge electronic)
• The Moon, Its Recollections Abstracted by Kei Matsumaru (jazz)
• City Lights by a0n0 (glitch ambient)
• Kakkoi Koto wa Nante Kakkowaruindaro by Yoshio Hayakawa (folk)
• Communication by Junko Yagami (city pop)
• Oshare Quest by Lover Callots (jazz fusion tinged shibuya-kei)
• AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN REPUBLIC by AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN (art pop (but actually every genre))
• turn back the cRock! by Shima26 (breakcore)
• While You Were Out by Kazumoto Endo (noise)
• Hotatsunami by Nami Hotatsu (new age art pop)
• Heisei by Yuta Orisaka (jazzy folk pop)
• Beach by Ging Nang Boyz (noise pop punk)
• Bunretsu Denkai by The Futures (hardcore punk)
• Hojoya by Sheena Ringo (jazzy art pop)
• Night Food by Ego-Wrappin’ (jazz pop)
• Vib-Ribbon Original Soundtrack by Laugh & Peace (pop)
• Kedamono no Arashi by Unicorn (new wavy art rock)
• Hawaii Champroo by Makoto Kubota & The Sunset Gang (tropical new music)

• Yokai Hunter by Daijirou Morohoshi (manga)
• Moon Child by Reiko Shimizu (manga)
• Kimagure Robot by Shinichi Hoshi (short story collection)
• #DRCL midnight children by Shinichi Sakamoto (manga)
• Boogiepop and Others by Kouhei Kadono (novel)
• Sazan and Comet Girl by Yuriko Akase (manga)
• Pure Trance by Junko Mizuno (manga)
• The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji (novel)
• Shijinsou no Satsujin by Masahiro Imamura (novel)
• Getter Robo by Ken Ishikawa (manga)
• Zoo by Otsuichi (short story collection)
• From Eroica with Love by Yasuko Aoike (manga)
• Happiness Comes From Eating, Sleeping and Waiting by Tori Mizugani (manga)
• The Fire Hunter by Rieko Hinata (novel)
• MW by Osamu Tezuka (manga)
• Hikou Bungaku by Xian Ozn (manga)
• The Rows of Cherry Trees by Macoto Takahashi (manga)
• Devils in Daylight by Junichiro Tanizaki (novel)
• Tower Dungeon by Tsutomu Nihei (manga)
• Last and First Idol by Gengen Kusano (short story collection)
• Discommunication by Riichi Ueshiba (manga)
• Basara by Yumi Tamura (manga)
• Idol, Burning by Rin Usami
• A Ship to the Stars by Mokoto Arai (novel)
• The Moon by George Akiyama (manga)
• The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura (novel)
• Mao by Rumiko Takahashi (manga)
• Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara (novel)
• Shoutaro's Fantasy World Jun by Shotaro Ishinomori (manga)
• I Are You, You Am Me by Hisashi Yamanaka (novel)
• Gun Dragon Sigma by Buichi Terasawa (manga)
• The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio (manga)

• Honto ni Atta! Noroi no Video Vol. 1 (dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura, Kenichi Suzuki, 1999)
• Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars (dir. Akio Jissoji, 1990)
• Labyrinth Romanesque (dir. Shunya Ito, 1988)
• Eternal Heart (dir. Hiroshi Shimizu, 1929)
• Twilights (dir. Tengai Amano, 1994)
• The Tale of Genji (dir. Gisaburo Sugii, 1987)
• Vibrator (dir. Ryuichi Hiroki, 2003)
• The Ghost of Yotsuya (dir. Nobuo Nakagawa, 1959)
• Mondays (dir. Ryo Takebayashi, 2022)
• A Page of Madness (dir. Teinosuke kinugasa, 1926)
• Toward the Terra (dir. Hideo Onchi, 1980)
• Typhoon Club (dir. Shinji Somai, 1985)
• One Day, You Will Reach the Sea (dir. Ryutaro Nakagawa, 2022)
• For My Crushed Right Eye (dir. Toshio Matsumoto, 1969)
• Grass Labyrinth (dir. Shuji Terayama, 1979)
• Small, Slow But Steady (dir. Sho Miyake, 2022)
• Alien Artist (dir. Seiyo Hotani, 2022)
• The Moon (dir. Takashi Ito, 1994)
• Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast (dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1986)
• Luminous Woman (dir. Shinji Somai, 1987)
• Gonin (dir. Takashi Ishii, 1995)
• When Twilight Draws Near (dir. Akio Jissoji, 1969)
• Peach Baby Oil (dir. Junko Wada, 1995)
• Escaflowne: The Movie (dir. Kazuki Akane, 2000)
• Gerorisuto (dir. Shozin Fukui, 1986)
• Kamikaze Taxi (dir. Masato Harada, 1995)
• The Fish Tale (dir. Shuichi Okita, 2022)
• The Beast to Die (dir. Toru Murakawa, 1980)
• Laura (dir. Shuji Terayama, 1974)
• Death at an Old Mansion (dir. Yoichi Takabayashi, 1975)
• Night River (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura, 1956)
• Children of the Beehive (dir. Hiroshi Shimizu, 1948)
• Blue Giant (dir. Yuzuru Tachikawa, 2023)
• Pale Flower (dir. Masahiro Shinoda, 1964)
• The Mad Fox (dir. Tomu Uchida, 1962)
• Gate of Hell (dir. Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953)
• Maple Leaf Viewing (dir. Tsunekichi Shibata, 1899)
• Sweet Home (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1989)
• Evil Does Not Exist (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2023)
• Chime (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024)
• The Cherry Tree with Gray Blossoms (dir. Sumiko Haneda, 1977)
• Koji Shiraishi’s Never Send Me, Please (dir. Koji Shiraishi, 2023)
• Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 2004)
• Evil Dead Trap 2 (dir. Izo Hashimoto, 1992)
• Impressions of a Sunset (dir. Suzuki Shiroyasu, 1975)
• A Forest with No Name (dir. Shinji Aoyama, 2002)

• a great vid about Rei Ayanami-like characters
• a very good essay about military propaganda in media (esp w/r/t Ace Combat)
• a wildly deep dive into Final Fantasy X's fashion
• an interview with one of Japan’s greatest living writers
• aesthetic 80s vid of touge racing (aka mountain drifting, aka real-life Initial D)
• the most interesting (aka good) Best Anime Movie list I’ve seen
• a great discussion about BL (boys love) history in Asia
• a killer in-depth vid on my beloved Gridman
• an extremely detailed history of a legendary anime studio (Mushi Pro)
• a deep dive into the genre history of Mr. Fate/Stay Night himself, Kinoko Nasu
• the ultimate guide to good yuri media (with enough recs to keep y
• ou busy for life)
• a super fun vid about 2D PS1 games
• the first ep of my friend’s very fun book podcast, the Bog Frog Book Pod
• a thematic exploration of the ever-evolving Castlevania series
• an awesome post about Japanese landscape critical theory
• Anne Watanabe and Hikaru Utada cooking some grub together and chatting
• an essay about Mamoru Oshii’s singular Gozenso-sama Banbanzai!
• the incredible history of the very first eroge (erotic game) ever made.
• a video about Tengai Makyou ZIRIA, a foundational (and absolutely banging) RPG
• a huge interview with legendary animator Toshiyuki Inoue about The Boy and the Heron
• a monumental video about Gundam, dress, and the body
• an awesome (and free!) zine covering some recent Japanese indie games
• the first in an amazing (and official) deep in the weeds lecture series about the history of Sega hardware
• an interview with four essential anime directors who got their start in Tatsunoko Pro
• an English tokusatsu fanzine from 1996
• an article I wrote for PC Gamer about a new Vampire Survivors-like
• a video of Nocchi from Perfume learning how to play the Pokemon TCG
• translation of a behind-the-scenes deep dive of the original Donkey Kong’s development
• a mini-doc about one of 2023's best underplayed games, Humanity
• a breakdown of the current state of Japanese phone game preservation
• a free (and legal!) translation of an essential book on weirdo manga from the 70s.
• an illuminating history of emonogatari
• an interview with the translators for the recently released Linda Cube patch (!)
• a whole bunch of archived Japanese type-in programs
• an intro guide to otome
• the story of Sanrio (you know, like Hello Kitty) films
• BFI's list of best Japanese movie from each year, which bangs
• an article connecting ero-guro manga god Suehiro Maruo and guys-in-rubber-suits tokusatsu
• video about one of Japan's great directors, Masaki Kobayashi
• a dive into Japanese acid folk music
• an awesome collection of old Japanese film posters, magazines, promo material, etc
• a dive into the vast world of English webfiction
• the movie pamphlet for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
• a look at a forgotten game from the developers of Vib-Ribbon and the artist of PaRappa the Rapper
• an excellent and personal video essay about embracing the "problematic" in queer anime
• an article digging into Moto Hagio's work

(images from, in descending order, Ongaku, Whisper of the Heart, End of Evangelion, and Roujin Z)