Released 1988. Watched January 21th, 2026.
It's kind of a funny story, actually. Several years ago, Steam recommended me a game, Hashihime of the Old Book Town. I put it on my wishlist because it sounded like my kind of thing. Several weeks ago, while it was on sale, I finally bought it and started playing it. It constantly references the 1935 novel Dogra Magra by Yumeno Kyūsaku, so constantly that I thought, I should probably read this book so I understand these references. So, I sought out an English translation of Dogra Magra. Turns out there's really only one, Colton R. Auxier's 2023 Japanese-to-French-to-English translation. (The French translation is from the early 2000's and is translated by Patrick Honnoré.) My local library didn't have a copy when I checked, so I looked to see how much a copy of my own would cost. The answer is about fourty dollars, too much for me. So, I requested my library buy a copy. I made my case, that Dogra Magra is considered Kyūsaku's masterpiece, that though I could request a copy through inter-library loan, it's a notoriously difficult book and I'd want the freedom to renew and re-check out a copy, that other people interested in 20th-century Japanese literature would likely also appreciate it. And then I made peace with the likelyhood that the library would never buy a copy and resolved to watch this film adaptation instead --- also from the library, digitally through Hoopla.
This is one of those films where you will know within the first few minutes if it's your kind of thing. It's weird, it's uncomfortable, it's surreal. If I was more confident in my understanding of post-modernism, I might call it post-modernist. I'm a sucker for any movie that slices reality into little pieces and hides it from the viewer, (that's why Paprika is my favorite Satoshi Kon film) and that's what Dogra Magra is all about. I could make some complaints about Yoji Matsuda's performance as Ichio Kure, which I found a little wooden, or Shijaku Katsura's overuse of Dr. Masaki grating laugh, or the slight drag of the pacing in the first hour. In some ways, the film feels directed more like an action movie than the emotional/psychological drama that it is. I could complain about that. But, really, I don't want to. I enjoyed myself! Usually I love critisizing things I enjoyed, but I don't feel that desire here. I'm too swayed by the film's charm, I suppose.
When I finished the movie and closed Hoopla, I went back to the library website to remove it from my "For Later" shelf. Then, remembering that I'd placed a hold on a different movie, went to check my place in line. What was waiting for me among my holds? Auxier's translation of Dogra Magra, marked as "in transit" and placing me as #1 in line to receive it when it arrives.
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