Finds content in product pages and liner notes

Liner Notes for Other Titles

Battle of Okinawa Liner Notes --
Okinawa Island is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea. The islands have a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers, and a lot of rain throughout, especially during the rainy season of Spring. Okinawa is home to the coastal capital city of Naha, and has a total area of 464 square miles.
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A Liner Notes --
A highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker, Takashi MIIKE was born on August 24, 1960 in Yao, Osaka, Japan. Under the guidance of renowned filmmaker Shohei IMAMURA (a two-time Palme d'Or winner at Cannes), Miike graduated from the Yokohama Vocational School of Broadcast and Film.
Black Rain Liner Notes --
During the night of August 5th, there were a lot of signs that an attack on Hiroshima was imminent. Waves of bombers were attacking nearby cities to the west, in the Yamaguchi Prefecture: Ube, Hikari, and Kudamatsu. After Fukuyama (on the other side of Hiroshima from Ube) was firebombed, the air-raid alarms began to sound in Hiroshima, just after midnight, and continued for the next couple hours, disrupting the sleep of anyone living in the city center.
Father of the Kamikaze Liner Notes --
Kamikaze is the name given to the Japanese suicide attacks that occurred near the end of the Pacific campaign of WWII. Although there were other similar attacks throughout the war, the “suicide attack” became synonymous with the time period during Japan's imminent defeat, near the beginning of 1944, a time when the Allied forces were advancing toward the Japanese islands.
Graveyard of Honor Liner Notes --
Takashi Miike's Graveyard of Honor (“Shin jingi no hakaba,” literally translated as New Graveyard of Honor) is a remake of the 1975 Kinji FUKASAKU-helmed Graveyard of Honor. Based on a real-life yakuza from Fukasaku's own home district of Mito, the 1975 version stars Tetsuya WATARI as the alternately monstrous and bewildered Rikio ISHIKAWA.
Japan's Longest Day Liner Notes --
As Japan's fortunes in World War II took a turn for the worse, the Japanese government and military leaders formulated the strategy to win a “decisive battle” with the United States, after which they would negotiate a settlement of the war - just as they had done in the Russo-Japanese War forty years before. However, after their defeat at Okinawa, the Emperor lost confidence in ever attaining this victory, and he wished for an immediate end to the war. The Japanese hoped that the Soviet Union, their nominal ally via a neutrality pact, would negotiate with the Western Allies.
New Love in Tokyo Liner Notes --
New Love in Tokyo takes place in and around the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Known for its shopping districts and entertainment, the area has a bustling nightlife that is popular with young adults. Shibuya Station is the third-busiest railway station in Tokyo. The familiar intersection in front of Shibuya Station (Hachiko Exit), which features a four-way stop to allow pedestrians to cross in any direction, can be seen in dozens of films, including 2003's “Lost in Translation.”
Onimasa Liner Notes --
“‘Oni’ with ‘ryu,’ as in ‘ryu-gu-jo’; ‘in’ is the ‘in’ that is used in monastic names. And, as for ‘hana’… as for ‘hana’… it’s the ‘hana’ that means flowers.” There is no real English counterpart here per se, as the name of the main character is being “spelled out” in Chinese logograms. Each logogram corresponds to each phoneme of her name.
The Ballad of Narayama Liner Notes --
A pioneer of Japan's New Wave movement, Shohei's films are notable for focusing on characters from lower-class society, such as farmers, pimps and prostitutes. Born into an upper-middle class family, Shohei enrolled at Waseda University to study history, but spent most of his time in the theater department. Just after WWII, while Shohei was still in school, he worked in Japan's black market, buying cigarettes and liquor from American soldiers and selling them to his professors and classmates.
The Geisha Liner Notes --
A geisha, geiko, or geigi is a traditional female Japanese entertainer, whose skills may include performance of various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance, and playing instruments such as the shamisen (three stringed guitar).
The Wolves Liner Notes --
The term “Yakuza” comes from a Japanese card game, Oicho-Kabu (similar to baccarat), and means “good for nothing” -- it comes from the worst hand in the game, a set of eight (or “Ya” in the traditional Japanese form of counting), nine (“Ku”), and three (“Sa”). The Ya-Ku-Sa hand requires the most skill at judging opponents and the least luck to win. The name was also used because it signified bad fortune, presumably for anyone who went up against the group.
Tora-san Liner Notes --
A dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour (“mochiko”) and which are related to mochi. Often served with green tea, dango are eaten year-round, but usually vary according to season. Three to five dango are usually served on a skewer, and sweet red bean paste (“anko”) dango is the most popular flavor in Japan.
Wakeful Nights Liner Notes --
The Japanese title “Nezu no Ban” literally means “sleepless night,” and shares the same title as the original story upon which the film was based, written by Ramo Nakajima (1952-2004). The original English title of this film was “A Hardest Night!!”, but AnimEigo decided to use a new English title, “Wakeful Nights,” which is a more direct translation of the original Japanese title, and more aptly fits the film since there is more than one wake in the film. Also, one more pun in a movie like this won't be noticed.