Rewatch This Space collects all the international (non-Hollywood) films. Also excluded are UK based productions because that's where I live and thus isn't international to me.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: July 28th 2026
#rewatchthisspace #compilation #films #tv #television #tvshow #mononoke #starwarsvisions #shadowstrays
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: July 28th 2026
#rewatchthisspace #compilation #films #tv #television #tvshow #mononoke #starwarsvisions #shadowstrays
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FunTranscript
00:34Hello, I'm Jonathan, and welcome to the first speaker of Indonesia, or the first speaker of Math and Jika, and
00:48the name I'm going to be in the room for this lesson.
01:08From Timur Chihanto, a big name in action and international film circles, I'm looking for delving into the action genre
01:14of films like Night Come For Us and Big Four, and it's horror films, like the main The Devil Take
01:19You series, all his segments in the VHS movies.
01:27And then next year, he's going to be directing the next Nobody film with Bob Olmenkirk, comes The Shadow Strays,
01:32an action film about a group of clandestine assassins called The Shadows.
01:35When a member of the sit team, Keldnade 13, messes up during a mission, she is put on the bench,
01:40but gets involved in a conspiracy involved in local Jakartan criminals, and things spiral out from there.
01:46I wasn't familiar with Chihanto's action films, I've seen most of his horror movies, and they're good, and the only
01:52action film I've seen of his is his comedy The Big Four, which is also good, and I can happily
01:57report this film is great.
01:58Right from the get-go, this film showcases the type of action you're going to see, visceral, intense, and bloody.
02:04I can't show you any clips from the film, mostly because I could get content ID'd, but also this film
02:09is very, very violent.
02:11Chihanto's skill as a horror movie director works well here in the action, as it is gory, but not over
02:16the top, and that doesn't create a tonal imbalance with the film, and there's a motion felt with every punch
02:22and kick, and each character deals out.
02:24It's really good.
02:26On the performance side of things, Aurora Ribeiro gives a damn good performance here.
02:30She gives an intense and raw element in the action moments, but combines it with an element of innocence, more
02:35in the lost sense, but barely holding onto it.
02:37Opposite her is Hanam Malassan, as a superhero, who isn't in the film as much, and if there is anything
02:43to criticise in this film, it's that there isn't a lot of the shadow strays in the film,
02:47and they only make spark appearances throughout the film, but those moments are important as it ties into the film's
02:52speed,
02:52and is a good bit of characterisation from Malassan's character.
02:56The film Malassan has a lot of themes, and they have also shown up in Chihanto's other works,
03:00stuff like Found Family and Been on Margins, that characterises previous works, shows up here, and is played to good
03:06effect here.
03:07The film is a dark story, but how it shows how connecting with people can come together and help each
03:12other stops it from going totally bleak,
03:14and giving the film moments of calm before things get brutal.
03:17The Shadow Strays is a solid action film, one of the best of the year, with many of the set
03:20pieces and performances throughout.
03:21The film is currently streaming on Netflix, you should do yourself a service and check it out.
03:53The
04:01Mononoke, not to be confused with the Hayao Miyazaki film, was an anime series that was
04:05a spin-off of Ayakashi Samurai Tales. The main premise of the show was about a mysterious
04:10medicine seller who gets himself into various supernatural encounters with Mononoke, a type
04:15of Ayakashi that linger in the human world. I love the series for its dark and eerie atmosphere,
04:19and the beautiful and complimentary animation. But I was excited for the movie and I can proudly
04:25say that Mononoke the movie Phantom in the Rain is well worth the wait. This time the film sees the
04:30medicine seller having to deal with the goings on at Oku. For those of you who don't know your
04:36Japanese history and have to do a quick google halfway through for the movie, an Oku was an
04:40area in the Edo castle where one related to the shogun lived. In the film there's something serious
04:45going on but may or may not have connections to the disappearance of the concubine. Now if you know
04:49the inner workings of an Oku, then you know that it didn't allow male adults in, so most of this
04:54film is actually focused on two new characters, Asa and Kame, as they deal with the inner workings
04:59of the Oku. Now this would seem like a cop-out not having the medicine seller be the main focus,
05:03but I liked it, because some of the best stories from the show mainly had other characters be the
05:08main focus and the medicine seller be an observer who was to sell the supernatural issue. Think of the
05:14Shashiki or Warashari or Nobbera Borg arcs and you can see how this film goes. Asa and Kame here are
05:20compelling and seeing them deal both with the essential office politics and the supernatural
05:25in its works well reminded me of stuff like Black Narcissus or that Sydney Sweeney nun movie Immaculate
05:30that came out earlier this year. As I mentioned those arcs on the show, the film does bore those arcs
05:35themes and observations about women in society as well. Sure, Asa and Kame are free to fulfil their roles and
05:40the Elku, but they're still contained within one building and have to make sacrifices to a Shogun
05:45who we don't see much in the film. It's a fascinating theme that connects the film to the show. The
05:49whole eminence here are strongly used effectively, the film carries the series' eerie and creepy
05:52atmosphere, but with a bit more fast-paced on the show, lots of rapid editing, while it would be a
05:57bit disoriented, it still works to keep moving the film forward, but still making it very deliberately
06:02odd and unnerving. Now this is an anime film, how's the animation? It's great. Like a lot of film
06:08continuation of shells, the animation looks a bit up grey, while the animation of the shell was
06:12grey and the film has a more wider scale. The colour of the film is a bit more
06:15brighter and vibrant, which creates a great contrast to the horror aspect of the film.
06:19That also makes it a little bit darker, but there's an unnatural element to it. The film
06:24character designs are also good, making them strike a fine line between what you'd call a
06:27recognisable anime style with a P.R.E. painting look. Praise the director Kenji Nakamura, who also
06:32directed the anime series, and here brings the full style of the shells to the film with a bigger,
06:36grander style. More like a movie, Phantom in the Rain, is a vibrantly creepy film. The film brings
06:42the shell's iconic style and animation back in goals, all in the grander scope that a film would
06:47allow, but a TV show would not. No, even though there are some elements I kind of feel like are
06:52left hanging, probably because this is the first part of a film trilogy, so that obviously will be
06:58followed up in two sequels. You can watch the film if you want to be a fan, because it's a
07:03standalone film,
07:03and the show as well. Both are currently streaming on Netflix at the time of recording,
07:07and I full-heartedly recommend you watch it.
07:40Happy New Year! When you're watching this, because I wrote and made this episode well in advance,
07:46and also it may not be New Year's when you watch this, considering how much lists I made. Anyway,
07:512024 was a midly premix in general, but as we enter a new year it's good to look forward, mostly
07:57to the
07:58films, because yeesh, and 2025 seems to have a pretty interesting slate ahead of us, so let's get into it.
08:05Honourable Mentions! So a little house clean in this section is for films I'm interested in seeing,
08:10but either didn't make it into the final 10, or I just found more interesting, but I don't know if
08:17it's getting a release this year, especially if it might be released at a festival where it sometimes
08:21takes years for it to be seen by the general public. So here are the Honourable Mentions.
08:28Aztec Batman. Now, on the surface, this may seem like another animated Batman movie,
08:33those usually are a dime a dozen on the DCV market, but this one is something you should
08:39check out, mostly for the premix. What if Batman, but instead of Gotham City, it's Aztec Mexico?
08:44This looks interesting, blending real history with comic book superheroics, with Hernan Cortez being a
08:50version of Two-Face, and it's cool to see an interpretation of a hero from a different country
08:54than we're used to, so there's something to look forward to in that.
08:56And now, onto the 10 films I'm excited for this year.
09:02Number 10. Battle of Thorn High. Jokot Anwar is a filmmaker from Indonesia I'm interested in,
09:09but I haven't watched most of his films. I've seen his Satan's Slaves remake slash prequel,
09:12and I'm interested in what he's made, which ranges from horror films, dramas,
09:16to even Indonesia's very own superhero franchise. And his next film, Battle of Thorn High,
09:20sets it to be the first collaboration between a Hollywood studio and Indonesia,
09:24and that seems pretty neat.
09:26Number 6. The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnoll. Another animated film,
09:31this time from director Sylvain Chomet. Director behind films like Triplets of Bellevue,
09:36and Illusionist. Yeah, so if you know your animated movies, or your French movies, you know.
09:51Well, it's the end of the year, and despite everything else, the movies were good. It was
09:55a year about the horrors of pregnancy, clowns, films about TV, prequels, unconventional music
10:01biopics, and multi-part films. So here's a list of my favourite films of the year. Now,
10:07before we get into this list, I know that I'm going to get asked in the comments section about
10:11why I left out certain films in this list. Well, certain Oscar movies, The Complete Unknown,
10:16The Brutalist, etc. don't get released in the UK until January, so that's why they're not on the
10:22list. I haven't seen the film that you might mention, because I mostly do this channel more
10:27as a hobby, but I can probably monetise if I can reach a certain number of subscribers.
10:31So I'm not a professional film critic in that sense, so I don't often watch as many films as
10:36most professional film critics do, and I just didn't get to see certain films.
10:40Draw number 2? Didn't see it. Queer? Didn't see it. I saw the TV glow?
10:44Well, regrettably, I didn't get to see it. Why is this 2023 film here? Certain films and questions
10:50would have had a festival run in the year before, but have been given a general release this year,
10:54which is fair game. I watched it, liked it, I didn't put it on the list because I saw something
10:58I thought was better, but don't worry, that's why we have Honourable Mentions.
11:04Fury Elsa, another prequel, this time playing like the slower and observant opposite to Fury Road's
11:10high energetic chase. Rita, a dark fantasy that is sometimes harrowing, but still helpful in some
11:17spots. Not an easy watch, but still good. If that was out of the way, in alphabetical order,
11:21it's time for my favourite films of 2024. In a Violent Nature, inverting a slasher movie
11:27archetype has been done before in films like the remake of Maniac for Elijah Wood or Behind the Mask,
11:32but what In a Violent Nature does is take a more slower atmospheric approach to it, often feeling like
11:37slow cinema, and when I can tell what horror movie franchise it's riffing on, the film stands on
11:41its own as a damn good slasher with some great kills.
11:50Look back. One thing that made 2024 noticeable was that there was a noticeable lack of comic book
11:54films. Well, there was one MCU film in Dead One World, which is more of a Fox X-Men film,
11:59we had all the Spider-Man-less spin-off films that didn't take off a long job too, and oh
12:03yeah,
12:03they made another Chrome movie. But not every comic book has capes and cows, and Look Back is
12:07probably one of the best comic book films of the year, one of the best animated films of the year,
12:11and one of the best films about comic books. Based on the one-shot manga by Chainsaw Man creator
12:15Tatsuki Fujimoto, Look Back is a great film about collaborative creativity and the friendships
12:19that can be born out of it, being a sweet and heartfelt film. While this film has a short run
12:23time,
12:24and some moments might feel fleeting, but it tells the story how it wants to and does so in the
12:28right
12:29way, the animation is pretty good as well.
12:31The Shadow Strays. I've already reviewed this in depth, but to repeat myself,
12:35Team of Jahangels' Shadow Strays is a brutal and abissable and intense action film,
12:39for actual scenes that are as tense as they are bloody, he doesn't pull any punches,
12:42and that doesn't make it hard not to look away, and still adds the human element that makes the
12:46film all the more engaging. So those were my favourite films of the year, what were yours?
12:49Please comment below and like and share.
13:01So we're halfway through the year, and I thought why not do a midpoint best films of the year list?
13:06Mostly to show what I've enjoyed throughout the year so far, inform you the audience of films you
13:12might have missed during the year, and give you time to catch up on them if you missed them. My
13:17rules are
13:18still the same as the best of 2024 list, must have been released to an audience in 2025. Films that
13:23had a
13:24festival release count, films that had a run in theatres the year before getting released in the UK
13:28do not count. Anyway, let's start this list with...
13:33Number 2, Bullet Train Explosion. While I haven't seen the original that this film is a sequel to,
13:38I found it a good time. Like most disaster movies like this, it has all the same hallmarks of the
13:43genre. People in suits figuring out how to solve the problem, casting different character archetypes
13:48all stuck in one location, and tense situations to go into. The film is a sequel to a Japanese film
13:52from
13:531975, and you don't have to watch that film to get the full picture for this film, but towards the
13:58end it does connect itself with the original film where the uninitiated might get lost. The film is
14:02available on Netflix. Number 5, Revelations. From Train to Busan director Yuyong Sang-ho comes Revelations,
14:12a mystery film from South Korea about a priest who gets interested in one of his parishioners who might
14:17be involved in a police investigation, and that's all I'm going to say from here on in. It's a good
14:22film. There's a lot of moving parts, some don't get as much attention as they should, but I was
14:27entertained by it, especially with the performances. If you have seen Yuyong Sang-ho's other films,
14:32you can see the attention he pays to themes like Family and Guilt. This film is, yet again, on Netflix.
14:38So these are my favourite films of the year so far. Will this change at the end of the year?
14:42Maybe,
14:42maybe not. Will I be reusing clips of these in my end of year video this year to save time?
14:48Probably. But I might have other things to say about these films down the line, so who knows.
14:53Now what's the best film of the year you've seen so far? Please comment below and don't forget to
14:57like, share and subscribe. Hey, do you like movies? Do you like movie reviews? Then this channel is
15:02stuff like that. There's Watch This Space, my film review show where I view recent films, and I also
15:06make short films like Correspondence, which is very unique. If you'd like to see stuff like this,
15:10then please subscribe to stay updated on my work. I also follow my social media channels as well,
15:15so please subscribe to my channel.
15:34Mononoke, good TV show, very spooky. It's about a medicine seller who deals with some spooky stuff.
15:39Last year I did a movie where he rescates Go and Zona Onoku, aka the Haram of the Chogun. I
15:43reviewed the
15:44previous movie, and I'm going to show you my previous review here quickly.
15:58And if you want to watch that in slow motion, check it out here, but also other videos I have
16:03on my
16:03channel. Be subscribed to get more like it. Anyway, in Mononoke, the movie, chapter 2, Ashes of Rage,
16:10the medicine seller is back at the old coup again to deal with some spooky stuff, but this time the
16:14focus is on the upper chambers where the higher class of concubine vie for the attention of the
16:19shogun, where things get testy, as one lady, the lower in social class fuku, is pregnant, and this
16:25has caused much distress in the court, and might be related to a possibly unrelated, but obviously not
16:31fiery death of another concubine, which the medicine seller has to solve. I like this film. While its run
16:36time is a bit shorter, so it doesn't have the slow burn or phantom in the rain, nor does it
16:40have the
16:41rising creepiness as well. I don't mind it, as the film makes up for it in other ways. We get
16:45more
16:45insight of the inner workings of the yoku, mainly in the upper class areas. Secondary characters who
16:50showed up in the previous film get more bigger roles, like Sachiko the God or Lady Boltan.
16:55But again, Asa, the main character from the first film, shows up briefly, which is kind of odd,
16:59considering that she was kind of the main character in the last one, and I was kind of thinking she'd
17:02be like the main throughline character, but surprisingly not, which is a shame because I
17:06liked her character in the last one. The Shogun is also briefly seen, but he's still not that big of
17:11a presence. It's clear when all three films will be released that they're going to play well together,
17:15and that's where you can also see little story beats set up and will be played off, especially in
17:20regards to how things are set up in each film. This film also carries the previous film's themes of
17:25what women give up to work in a patriarchal society. The last film was about identity, with most of the
17:30concubines throwing away personal belongings to start working at the Elku. This one is about
17:34bodily autonomy, so that's fun. If the first film felt like it was expanding on the themes of the
17:38Nopapara Boa arc, this one taps into the themes of the Zashiki Roroshari arc, but unlike that one,
17:45it doesn't feel muddled. If you've seen the show, you understand what I'm talking about, because I've
17:49not given up a lot of details here, because they might give the film's game away. Here we see most
17:53of
17:53the Shogun's counselors in the film, whose daughters are all concubines, and we see them trying to
17:57jostle for power, we're using our own daughters as pawns in the game. And helping us nail that
18:01theme down is that most of the scenes, they're all seen playing a game of Shogi, subtle. In my last
18:06film, I compared the theme to Immaculate, the assuming none movie, but that comparison is more
18:11appropriate here, along with last year's first omens, as they also deal with bodily autonomy and
18:15how the patriarchy seeks to control women. There seems to be a bigger theme across these films emerging,
18:19like permission, the medicine isn't allowed into the Elku unless he has permission and still uses the
18:24policy earned from the last film, and certain characters are asked to do things if they consent
18:27to it, but often that is given under duress. It's a small thing, but I sense it will become a
18:31bit
18:31clearer when the third film comes out next year. On the animation side, it's as good as the previous
18:35film, still has the psychedelic, ukiya-air look, and the situational mononoke just turning around
18:40looks cool, and makes a good companion to the previous film's one. Obviously, the editing in this
18:44movie is a bit less hyperactive than the last film, but editor Shigeru Nishiyama does some
18:50interesting tricks, like how he uses jump cuts to make a close-up on Lady Boltan, or how it cuts
18:55to
18:55a different character to correct juxtaposition, who is often in the same place. Mononoke, the movie,
19:00Asher of Rage, is a good and consistent follow-up to Phantom in the Rain, tackling some interesting
19:04themes and painting a clear through-line between these films with good animation to boot. I'm excited
19:08for the final part that comes out next year. This film, along with its previous entry and the TV
19:12show it's based on, are all available on Netflix at the time of recording.
19:21Hello, I'm an internet reviewer slash commentator who is talking about Star Wars. I like Star Wars.
19:26If there is an entry I don't particularly like, I move on from it and do not make it my
19:29entire online
19:30persona for the rest of my life. Also, if there's an entry I do like, I also don't make it
19:34a new
19:34yard so to judge all previous and future entries with. Anyway, we've got another Star Wars Vision
19:39anthology.
19:45With Volume 3, we see the animated Star Wars anthology return to its anime theme this year,
19:50which I do admit, I do kind of wish we had more of the international animation studios like we got
19:55in Volume 2, but Volume 3 has a solid and interesting set of stories to tell, starting with...
20:02The Jewel, Payback, from Kamikaze Dogga and Anima. This story is a sequel to one from Volume 1,
20:09one of the three in this collection. Set in a reimagined version of the Star Wars universe,
20:12we see our Sith, Ronin, having to deal with a Jedi crusader who he maimed previously. This short has a
20:18lot of fun playing around in the Kurosawa-inspired sandbox with a mishmash of aesthetics from different
20:24trilogies. It has a lot of fun characters and some interesting ideas with regards to the Jedi,
20:29where they come off as religious fanatics, with the crusader calling out our Ronin as a sinner.
20:33Put a pin in that, because there's a theme here. The animation is great here,
20:37as it was in the original story with some great action scenes.
20:42The Song of the Four Wings from Project Studio Q. This is the first CGI animated
20:47story of the volume. This was a fun story about a princess in the Rebel Alliance,
20:51not that one, who helps rescue a cute alien baby and stop an imperial mine operation.
20:56This was a fun short. The cel-shaded animation looks appealing and there's a fun,
21:00over-the-top, cartini feel to it. From the designs, to the action beats,
21:03to a Starz-esque magical girl transformation sequence, this was a fun one.
21:10The Ninth Jedi, Child of Hope. The second sequel,
21:14this one follows up from Studio IG's Ninth Jedi Straw. Before this volume was released,
21:18it was announced that the Ninth Jedi Short is getting its own spin-off series, and with that
21:22in mind, this short feels like a teaser for the series, but I don't mind that because it's pretty
21:26good. It's a bit of a refresher course, reminding you of who the characters are,
21:30and what their respective deals are. This one deals with Larkara, a Jedi in a train,
21:34helping a droid in a derelict starship. It's a good story, gives out more details of the setting,
21:38and has a fun droid character called Tito, who is a cool CGI design that meshes well with the 2D
21:42elements.
21:45The Bounty Hunters. This one, from Wit Studio, feels like a backdoor pilot to another show,
21:51which I totally would watch. This one details the adventures of Sven, a fugitive assassin turned
21:55bounty hunter, and her droid assistant IV-A4, doing a job for a rich guy who, surprise surprise,
22:00turns out to be not on the up-and-up. As I mentioned before, this one felt like a backdoor
22:04pilot, especially as some elements like Sven's quest to find and kill the Jedi who saved her, and
22:09there's some characters mentioned who feel like they might possibly be important down the line.
22:13Not that I wouldn't mind. In fact, I would love to see more of the characters in this.
22:16I also like the character of Sven, and her view on the Jedi. As while she did save her from
22:21slavery
22:21as a child, she ended up with a target on her back by the organization, and now wants to kill
22:25her savior. Which, to me, is an interesting aspect, as we don't see a lot of characters,
22:29especially those on the good, essentially, have a not-particular kind view of the Jedi.
22:33There's some good action scenes, especially one with droid mech, which was something I didn't
22:37know I needed. Overall, the show itself was good, and I'd definitely sign up for more if they do
22:41continue the story.
22:45Yukel's treasure. Oh, this was a sweet one. This story, from Cinema Citrus, is a nice revert.
22:49It's about an orphan and his caretaker, who's the robot teddy bear, sure, why not,
22:52who live on Tatooine, but their idyllic life on the dust ball is put under threat when a gang of
22:56pirates come to steal something from them. It's a cute little adventure with a lot of heart and
22:59comedy. It feels a bit like Skeleton Crew. If you liked that show, you'd definitely like this one.
23:06The last one. Another one from Cinema Citrus and another sequel. This one's my personal
23:10favourite of Volume 1 shorts, The Village Bride. This details the manic Jedi F having to save a
23:14group of refugees from the Empire, but also having to deal with her former master, who now works in
23:18the Empire. This is a great flop. We get a lot more about F. For instance, we learn she's got
23:22a
23:22robotic leg, and we get some interesting side characters. The animation, like its prequel,
23:26is also good. It also has a good colour palette with bright and stark colours being put to good use.
23:33The Smuggler. From Studio Trigger comes The Smuggler. This one is a fun little escapade
23:38dealing with a smuggler trying to help a fugitive prince escape the Empire's crackdown on his world.
23:42There's a lot of excitement to be had with a great chase scene, some interesting characters,
23:45and some good world building. It's also here where I noticed one of the big themes of this volume,
23:49survival. Each story in this volume have a lot of characters who've survived some horrible
23:53experiences, like Rupas, a cute baby whose village was massacred, the numerous Jedi who survived all
23:57the Order 66, the Sith being hunted by the Grand Master's Crusade, and the prince in this story
24:01who lost his royal family. It's a thing that's always been in the Star Wars when we get to see
24:05all the survivors in this story try and move on in some way or another, be it the Ronin trying
24:09to
24:09make amends, F trying to keep their traditions going, and the prince in this story trying to
24:13help free his world from the Empire along with another Order 66 survivor who pledges her alliance to
24:18him, reinforcing this theme.
24:22The Bird of Paradise from Polygon Pictures. The second CGI short of the volume comes The Bird of
24:28Paradise. In this short it details a young Jedi Paderon called Nakimi having to deal with losing
24:32her sight after a battle with Sith. The animation in this one is great and gets craven how it depicts
24:36the Paderons in a turmoil and accompanying Force visions and its overall message of acceptance is
24:42appreciated. It's also here where two of the volume's themes crop up. The depiction of Jedi,
24:47and disability. Throughout the volume we see the Jedi in an interesting light. For some,
24:53like in Payback and Bounty Hunters, they're not seen in a good light with the Grand Master and the
24:56Jewel as mentioned before being portrayed as a crusading knight who vanquishes enemies regardless
25:01who gets in his way, and Sven in her short seeks vengeance against the Jedi who rescued her but left
25:05to defend for herself. In this short we see Nakimi having to come to terms with not just her
25:09disability but also her arrogance that led her to the situation. It feels in line with The Last Jedi
25:13or the Acoly, instruments that tackled the less admirable aspects of the Jedi Order that we've
25:18seen in this film, but the short kind of does it in a more lighter approach.
25:25Another theme I noticed was disability. While Souls has always had characters who have a disability,
25:30it's probably the oldest film franchise with a main character who is an NPC if you think about it.
25:34Throughout the volume we see characters who lost limbs and he lost her arm in the Payback and the
25:38Grand Master has various injuries requiring a Darth Vader-like procedure to keep him alive.
25:42Lino and F have cybernetic prosthetics. It ties itself into this volume's general
25:47theme of survival and how to overcome it, which is Nakimi's arc in this short, how to accept what was
25:51lost.
25:55Black. Okay so this one is both the best short of this volume but also a bit hard to review.
26:00From David Productions and veteran animator Shinya Ohira, a man who's worked on a lot of anime
26:05productions. Like name anyone you're thinking of, he's probably worked on them in some capacity.
26:10Anyway, this short details the experience of a stormtrooper who's losing the battle.
26:13That's what I can gather from it as this one goes in an experimental direction, detailing a
26:18psychedelic vision, get it, of a typical Star Wars space battle with great music by Fujiwara
26:22Sakura. Its animation is fluid and sketchy, reminiscent of Ohira's previous works like
26:26the animated sequence in Kill Bill Volume 1. It just doesn't let up, everything's changing constantly
26:30with Star Wars iconography constantly being swapped out. But it doesn't feel too hollow as there's some
26:35details to grab on to. In short, it's Star Wars as you've never seen it before. Star Wars Vision's
26:40third volume still continues as one of the most craven fun entries in the Star Wars saga with a
26:44bunch of stories that run the gamut from funny to action-packed to just plain weird. It's a great
26:49part of the saga that I always like coming back to.
27:01As 2025 draws to a close, it's usually a time to look back. But for this episode, I want to
27:06look
27:06forward at what 2026 offers us on the film front. Now a small disclaimer, this list will be films that
27:12have a sort of release date. So no independent films that have not found a distributor yet will not appear
27:16on this list. And I should also acknowledge that film's release dates are subject to change. My
27:20previous anticipation list had films that got pushed back. So there's a good chance that some
27:25films on this list might be pushed back to 2027. So be cautious of that. Now before we get into
27:29the
27:30main event, let's get to the honorable mentions. These are films that might come out next year,
27:34but don't have release dates that I'm interested in. So let's start with...
27:40Daisy's Life. Masaki Rasa, Mind Game, Night is Short,
27:43Walk On Girl, Lou Over The Wall and Inuo, has another film coming out from his new studio,
27:48Ame Pippin. This film is an adaptation of Banana Yoshimoto's Daisy's Life. I'm excited to see what
27:54Yuasa has to offer this time.
27:58Palangi di Mars. One of the things I tend to do is try and watch a variety of different films
28:02from
28:03around the world. One film I have on my radar is Palangi di Mars, a science fiction film from
28:06Indonesia and, to my knowledge, the country's first. It looks good and I hope to see it next year,
28:11depending on how it's distributed outside of the country. Now let's look at the films with
28:15solid, at the time of recording, release dates. At number one, it's All You Need Is Kill.
28:20Edge of Tomorrow, or Live Die Repeat depending on how you call it, is getting another go. Or just
28:23that light novel it's based on is getting adapted again, this time as an anime movie detailing a
28:28different perspective from the novel and the film. The animation looks good. It has a good
28:31cel-shaded CGI look that I mistook for 2D until further inspection. I'm excited to see what this film has
28:36to offer.
28:40Number 6, Mononoke the Movie, Chapter 3, The Curse of the Serpent. I feel like the Mononoke movies are
28:45pretty underrated. Some of the best animated films I've seen recently and 2026 offers us the conclusion
28:49to the Medicine Cellar's escapades in the Yoku. This one seems to finally involve the Shogun who's
28:53made sporadic appearances in the films and could possibly type other mysteries that have popped up
28:57about the Yoku in the films. Well, I'm probably going to have to watch the films by now if they'll
29:01answer my questions.
29:12Happy New Year! To bring in 2026, let's talk about last year's movies. The criteria for this list is as
29:17follows. Films must have been released in 2025. Awards films that had their wide release in the UK
29:22in January and February will not be on this list as they had their limited releases in 2024 and are
29:27not 2025 films. Nor will international films that were released in their country of origin in 2024 will be on
29:33this list as well. But festival films that premiered in 2024 during the festival circuit but got released
29:38to the general public this year have a place on this list. This is my list and those were my
29:42rules
29:42so let's start this with the honourable mentions.
29:54With those films out of the way, let's move on to the main list in alphabetical order starting with
30:01left-handed girl. Shi Qing So's intimate kitchen sink drama is a beautiful piece of filmmaking. The use
30:06of an iPhone camera to film the movie gives the film an up-close and personal feel to it but
30:11it's
30:11performances from Janelle Tsai, Xing Yuan Ma and Nina Yi who makes this film with each having their own
30:16distinct little tableau that all weaved together seamlessly.
30:24Nihongo o hanasu, sicho o sano, minasama kutoba o me, mashi keiti, shimeto koto o raibi, moshi agamashu.
30:45So I've reviewed both Mononoke movies but I've never reviewed the TV show on the channel. So let's
30:50do that. Mostly for completionist sake and also it adds a bit to the upcoming compilation video
30:55that I'm going to make when the third film comes out. Anyway, back to the show. Spinning off from
30:58the anthology series Ayakashi Samurai Tales and released in 2007, Mononoke sees a mysterious
31:03medicine seller traveling to various places that usually become beset with supernatural
31:07spirits called Mononoke. To exercise these spirits, the medicine seller needs to find out for Mononoke's
31:13shape, truth and reason but usually in doing so he finds out a lot more about the places he visits
31:18and the people he initially sets out to help. The show had 12 episodes and within those episodes were
31:23serialized story arcs often ranging from two to three episodes. The arcs are pretty quick and
31:28don't draw things out and let the mystery play out. It also manages to let the themes that underlie
31:33the horror play out. As I mentioned in my Mononoke movie reviews, the commodification of women is a
31:37persistent theme in the show as it was in the movies and the show also delves into other themes
31:41like the darker side of humanity, people's vices and less savory details are also examined in the
31:46show. Arcs like the Nure arc about how people will prize something that has some inherent worth or the
31:51Zashiki-Rarashi arc which is also about how you have to sacrifice your own choices in order to work.
31:56I could go into more depth about this but these are mystery stories and I feel if I give out
31:59more
32:00details it would spoil the show so do check out the series if you want to have a better understanding
32:04of what I'm talking about and you should really check out the show it's well worth it. My favorite
32:08arcs of the series were the Nopperbera Bo and Bakaniko. Nopperbera Bo had a great story behind it
32:13detail why a woman killed her husband. It's two episodes long but as I mentioned before the show
32:17managed to make those two episodes compelling. Bakaniko is actually a remake or setting update of
32:21the original three episodes that are in the Ayakashi Samurai Tales series which the medicine
32:25seller first appeared in moving the timeline to the 1920s and has medicine seller having to solve
32:30a murder mystery on the subway train. It's a great mystery and a good bookend for the series to end
32:34on both on a story and thematic front. While it's not essential to watch before the show watching
32:38whatever order you want honestly I do recommend you check out the Ayakashi Samurai Tales episodes as
32:43it's a good pilot for the show in a way and some characters show up in the series proper so
32:48there's
32:48good connective tissue there. Check it out if you want to be a completionist. Another aspect I should
32:52mention is the show's animation. It utilizes a bright colorful and cartoony art style which evokes
32:57wood painting. A type of painting that was popular in the show's possible time period. It also serves
33:01as a good offset for the show's horror aspect. The show doesn't revel in the scariness it gets
33:05its scare to the uncomfortableness and the unease that plays out during the episodes. It's aided by
33:10the editing there are effective jump cuts and transitions which adds to the odd and uneasiness of
33:15the show. If you want something scary and visually different from your typical anime then Mononoke is the
33:19show for you. The show is at the time of recording available on Netflix so do check it out if
33:25you
33:25want to. Like what you see here? Then please subscribe to my youtube channel so you can get
33:28more Watch This Space but also other things such as my short films. Please remember to like and
33:33subscribe the videos you just watched and also please check out The Orange Bin my blog where
33:38I have write ups of my episodes here which with links to sources that I mention on the show. It
33:44also
33:44contains some of my old blog posts if you want to see what else I used to do back in
33:49the olden days.
33:50So please remember to check out my blog and like and subscribe to my youtube channel.
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