Particular likes: quiet, deadpan, mysterious, wistful, surreal. Atmosphere over plot. Distinctive art styles. Indie productions. Yuri. Meiji-Taisho period settings. Female characters who don't suffer fools gladly. Stories that do their own thing and ignore genres and conventions.
Particular dislikes: action, sports, idols, isekai, video games, political intrigue, melodrama.
Great to hear that! Also, if you haven't checked this out already, I think you might like this series! It's called Hirayasumi and though quite light hearted, it has very poignant moments!
Hi! Thank you for your kind words! I highly recommend Mizu wa Umi ni Mukatte Nagareru which balances its humour and drama very well while still being light and nuanced. Only caveat is that I think its romance could have been developed a little longer. And if you haven't read it yet, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a classic of its genre! Its a slow burn, but it eventually twists into something quite profound. I also really like River End Cafe! It's a little more eccentric than your typical slice of life dramas as its a commentary on human trauma after natural disasters but I think it handles its pacing and characters very well! Hope this helps!
Heloo o/ Yes, YKK is something I will never experience again. About Sketchbook: Full Color's, it's great. If you like calm and relaxing animes, you might like it :D
No, I haven't seen anything from him previous to Happy Hour. It is interesting how in all the three movies I have seen from him he is trying to figure out women, who are dissatisfied with their marriage and depicts that how, because of that, they are being driven by emotions in a way that even they themselves can't figure out what is beneath the surface of their actions until they put those emotions into words and in a few times even after that eludes them the source of their inner turmoil. In almost all his stories those women are cheating on their other half or are being cheated. I am curious whether in Drive my car he will be dissecting the same theme from an other perspective. His writing skill when it comes to conversation is far above average that is for sure, I love how natural the dialogue feels in his films even if the situation turns in an unusual direction. My other favourite contemporary japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda is more into family dynamics. I recommend you his movies if you haven't seen them already.
I also have The Wind Cat as my profile pic but on Twitter, so I'm just dropping by to say Fuujin Monogatari is one of the most underrated and criminally underwatched shows of all time.
I am glad I could be of some help. I loved Happy Hour - a very long movie but in the end it's a rewarding experience, one of those that I would think about even months after I had watched them. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is on my "plant to watch list" and I am looking forward to his last movie Drive my car as well, the winner of best screenplay in Cannes. It is a fun fact that the leading actress in that movie is the same person who sang a few songs in the soundtrack of Makoto Shinkai's last anime movie Weathering with you.
ohhh I thought of two more for you! Both centered around food, so I hope you're into that.
Midnight Diner is about a small diner in Tokyo that serves whatever low-key dish you want. Using the food to tell the stories of the eclectic patrons. Lovely art. The live action adaptations are excellent as well (one from Netflix).
Solitary Gourmet is some type of businessman who gets hungry while conducting his business around Tokyo. Discovers interesting out of the way restaurants and eats. No plot, just a man eating and interacting with people while eating. Might be hard to find, but the live action is great. All the restaurants are real. It's the Yuru Camp for hungry adults.
Welcome to the N.H.K. is the closest I think. Bottom of society characters. A shut in (?) NEET who is a prime candidate to be isekai-ed. This is a show that is just pure depression, and I didn't like it at all. It's quite famous though.
After the Rain, highschool girl falls in love with middle-aged man divorced with child who is the manager of the family restaurant she works at. The manager is a very interesting portrait of a man in his 40s. Quite sympathetic and touching.
The Great Passage is different from the previous two. From the creator of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. A salaryman working and following his passion at an unglamorous job (kind of). None of the deep life doubts of the other shows, though.
This might also be what you are looking for, but I haven't watched it.
I think 'grown-up slice-of-life with less than glamorous characters' are much more common in manga, where my knowledge of is not as deep.
Hey I'm glad to see I piqued your interest in Chiisakobee! Your manga list is inspiring. Although I would not recommend reading Nami yo Kiitekure. I liked the anime, but the drawing in the manga was just so poor it's too hard to read.
All Comments (13) Comments
Midnight Diner is about a small diner in Tokyo that serves whatever low-key dish you want. Using the food to tell the stories of the eclectic patrons. Lovely art. The live action adaptations are excellent as well (one from Netflix).
Solitary Gourmet is some type of businessman who gets hungry while conducting his business around Tokyo. Discovers interesting out of the way restaurants and eats. No plot, just a man eating and interacting with people while eating. Might be hard to find, but the live action is great. All the restaurants are real. It's the Yuru Camp for hungry adults.
After the Rain, highschool girl falls in love with middle-aged man divorced with child who is the manager of the family restaurant she works at. The manager is a very interesting portrait of a man in his 40s. Quite sympathetic and touching.
The Great Passage is different from the previous two. From the creator of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. A salaryman working and following his passion at an unglamorous job (kind of). None of the deep life doubts of the other shows, though.
This might also be what you are looking for, but I haven't watched it.
I think 'grown-up slice-of-life with less than glamorous characters' are much more common in manga, where my knowledge of is not as deep.