The Ōkī Okie Show

こんにちは！And Happy New Year! We're kicking 2023 off with a relatively recent anime film, "A Silent Voice," directed by Naoko Yamada. It's an emotional ride that had us both crying so be warned. But we're not just talking about this powerful movie! Brandon talks about Director Yamada. Donna talks about Japanese Sign Language.

こんにちは！This holiday season we're looking for miracles in Satoshi Kon's 2003 animated movie, "Tokyo Godfathers." Donna learns about homelessness in Japan, and Brandon shares a delicious Japanese Christmas tradition.

こんにちは！It's November. The weather's getting chilly. The sky is... Perfect Blue. 

This month we watched Satoshi Kon's 1997 animated film "Perfect Blue." We talk about the people and pop culture surrounding the movie, and take a deep dive into what it all means, as well as our favorite theories for what really happened.

こんにちは！This spooky season we're getting ghosty with 2002's "Ju-On: The Grudge," directed by Takashi Shimizu. Brandon subjected himself to all the Grudge movies he could get his hands on to provide you a ranked list from best to worst. Donna delved into Shinto ritual purification to help you exorcise your demons. 

こんにちは！Do you wanna fight? Because we're rolling up our sleeves this month with "ROAD TO HiGH&LOW" (2016), the prequel-style first film in the HiGH&LOW series of TV, movies and anime. Don't worry, we'll walk you through the five gangs that make up S.W.O.R.D. and even take a look at the yakuza.

こんにちは！OK, so we watched "Belle" (2021) this month instead of "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" (2018) like we originally planned. But we think you'll like this movie a lot. It has a great soundtrack and fostered a lot of discussion about the internet, casting decisions, and more!

Remember to email us at okiokieshow @ gmail.com with your questions, comments and movie suggestions.

こんにちは！This month is both a celebration of art and a dip into the supernatural with the 2015 animated film "Miss Hokusai." We talk about Japanese ghosts and the importance of dragons, along with their interesting role in the creation of humankind.

こんにちは！If you've just awoken and aren't sure how you got here of all places, rest assured it's simply a podcast. And this episode happens to be about "Battle Royale," a 2000 movie directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Don't worry, we'll explain everything. Or, at least: the plot, what we made of the film, what's the deal with "Battle Royale 2: Requiem," and Japan's movie classification system. And we can finally put to rest the idea that writer Suzanne Collins copied "Battle Royale" for the YA series "The Hunger Games."

こんにちは！We're going back to the Heian period with Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film "Rashomon." Join us for a discussion on the story's meaning, the director's life, a glimpse into Kurosawa's famed style (and obsessiveness), and a brief history lesson.

*WARNING* This episode talks about suicide. 

こんにちは！Something seems a little fishy here... It's a family-friendly episode all about the endearing animated film "Ponyo," released in 2008 from Stuido Ghibli. Dive in to our salty symposium covering goldfish, ocean cleanup, Japanese legends, and Morse code. 

こんにちは！　What's this? This isn't the 2018 film... This is the book it's based on! Welcome to a weird month, where our book-club style podcast about films actually reads a book instead. For February we're celebrating cats with "Tabineko Ripoto" (2012) by Hiro Arikawa, or "The Traveling Cat Chronicles" translated by Philip Gabriel. Instead of bringing research topics, we talk about our own experience traveling across the world with our two cats. We hope you find our discussion helpful!

こんにちは！ We're starting 2022 with the 1954 classic "Gojira," AKA "Godzilla," directed by Ishirō Honda. Strap in for a history lesson on atomic bombs in World War II, a vocab lesson on denialism, fun facts about the movie and a behind-the-scenes look at Godzilla's iconic roar. 

こんにちは！ We're ending 2021 with "Kamikaze Girls," a sweet, funny story about a Lolita and a Yanki living in rural Japan. This 2004 film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima brings a lot to the table for discussion, from the directorial style to the movie's origins as a light novel. We also dig in to gender roles and genderbending, Anna Tsuchiya and how she's connected to NANA, and Lolita fashion. (Any fans of BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT out there??) 

こんにちは！ This month we dive into Hikari's 2019 film "37 Seconds." We discuss symbolism, learn more about Cerebral Palsy, take a look at the cinematography, and explore LGBTQ+ culture in Japan!

こんにちは！ This month we explore the world and art of BEAT Takeshi, AKA Takeshi Kitano. He wrote, directed, edited, and starred in 1997's HANA-BI (Fireworks). We hope you enjoy this discussion on the movie's themes of art and disability, connections to other movies like Drive (2011), the Lost Generation, and more!

こんにちは! We're back with another animated film, filled with art appreciation, resilience, and love. Join us for our discussion on "In This Corner of the World," directed by Sunao Katabuchi!

こんにちは! Thanks for joining us to talk about the comedy ramen western "Tampopo" directed by Jūzō Itami! Get ready for food, cinema, and... more food. Lots and lots of food. 

***warning: this episode contains discussions of death***

こんにちは! Just in time for the Academy Awards, we're discussing the only Japanese movie to win the Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film award to date! Watch Yōjirō Takita's 2008 film "Departures" and join us in a discussion on death and beauty in cinema.

こんにちは! Join us in a discussion of one of the most famous Japanese directors, Yasujirō Ozu. Though we reference it a lot, this month is not about "Tokyo Story"; we're going back to the days of silent films with "Dragnet Girl" (1933). This movie packs a punch! 

Konnichiwa! We're kicking things off with Nobuhiko Ōbayashi's debut full-length film, "House" (1977).