Description
Title: Black Jack: The Visitor in the Eye (1977)
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery
Plot Synopsis:
Chiaki Komori, a promising tennis player, suffers an eye injury leading to vision loss in one eye. Desperate to regain her sight, she seeks the help of the enigmatic surgeon, Black Jack, who performs a corneal transplant. Post-surgery, Chiaki begins to see a mysterious figure that no one else can perceive, unraveling a series of uncanny events.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Writer: James Miki
- Original Story: Osamu Tezuka
- Cast:
- Nagisa Katahira as Chiaki Komori
- Jō Shishido as Black Jack
- Etsuko Shihomi as Kyoko Nanbu
- Shingo Yamamoto as Hiroshi Imaoka
- Kōji Wada as Masahiko Tate
IMDb Link:
Black Jack: The Visitor in the Eye (1977)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
-
Jake Cole – ★★★★
“This baffling, gorgeous, unexpectedly tender mash-up of anime adaptation, bumbling detective story, and Vertigo-esque bad romance suggests that even when operating in a slower gear, Obayashi was always On One.” -
esther – ★★★★
“Fits neatly into his films fixated on memory—here a memory can be imprinted on you and literally superimposed over your vision; alternately, it can be so twisted by obsession as to become unrecognizable from reality.” -
Emma Chantiri – ★★★★½
“Man is on some whole other level I don’t know what to tell you. The fact that is seen as a ‘minor’ work in his filmography and the best has yet to come makes me excited beyond belief.” -
Pips – ★★★
“I was really enjoying this until the protagonist meets the titular Visitor (who is rather messily written), after that the movie slows to a crawl as you wait for the inevitable conclusion and the charismatic Black Jack kinda becomes irrelevant.” -
Christian – ★★★½
“Always an aesthetic delight though obviously, and the last third that finally welds those two aforementioned modes together is aces, with the tortured romantic murderer making a perverse Vertigo-esque attempt to remold the lead into his victim’s last moments.”
Meta Description:
Black Jack: The Visitor in the Eye (1977) is a Japanese science fiction mystery directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film follows Chiaki Komori, a tennis player who, after a corneal transplant by the mysterious surgeon Black Jack, begins to see an enigmatic figure invisible to others, leading her into a web of mystery and intrigue.
Title: I Are You, You Am Me (1982)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Plot Synopsis:
Ninth-graders Kazuo and Kazumi, while visiting a temple in a small coastal town in Japan, accidentally tumble down a staircase. Through supernatural intervention, their minds and bodies are switched. The result is a touching and hilarious coming-of-age comedy as they attempt to survive the pressures of junior high school life in each other’s bodies.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Writer: Hisashi Yamanaka (story)
- Cast:
- Satomi Kobayashi as Kazumi Saitoh
- Toshinori Omi as Kazuo Saitoh
- Makoto Satō as Akio Saitoh
- Kirin Kiki as Naoko Saitoh
- Jō Shishido as Kouzou Saitoh
YouTube Trailer:
I Are You, You Am Me | Trailer
IMDb Link:
I Are You, You Am Me (1982)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
-
Filipe Furtado – ★★★½
“I’m very fond of those Obayashi films that have very recognizable genre entry points—on this case a body swap comedy—because he knows how to play with familiar motifs while keeping it deeply grounded in character.” -
Jon Hillman – ★★★★
“The idea of two people switching bodies is not unique to this film, nor is it even the first time it’s been done, but it may be my favorite version of this story ever told.” -
Dave Jackson – ★★★★★
“I Are You, You Am Me blew me away with its quiet charms. In terms of visuals, it’s far more restrained than any Ōbayashi film I’ve seen—though it still features some of his signature flourishes.” -
esther – ★★★★
“Madcap antics galore (and understandably retrograde gender politics), but what really impressed me is how the film’s depiction of dysphoria is both tender and wry.” -
Daxtreme – ★★★★★
“Well, pack it up folks. Took some time, but I finally did it—I found the quintessential body swap movie.”
Meta Description:
A supernatural comedy-drama, I Are You, You Am Me (1982) follows two ninth-graders who swap bodies after an accident at a temple. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, this heartfelt coming-of-age film blends humor and introspection as the characters navigate life from an unexpected perspective.
Title: The Drifting Classroom (1987)
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Plot Synopsis:
An international school in Kobe, Japan, is suddenly transported to a barren wasteland through a mysterious time-slip. As the students and faculty struggle to understand their situation, they face psychological breakdowns, terrifying creatures, and the harsh reality of survival. With no clear way back, they must work together to endure the horrors of their new, desolate world.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
- Writers: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi, Mitsutoshi Ishigami, Izô Hashimoto, Yoji Ogura
- Cast:
- Yasufumi Hayashi as Sho Takamatsu
- Aiko Asano as Ayumi
- Vajra Barzaghi as Bernard
- Leana D’Aloisio as Debbie
- Troy Donahue as Taggart
YouTube Trailer:
The Drifting Classroom | Trailer
IMDb Link:
The Drifting Classroom (1987)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
-
Branson Reese
“The children are so excited to hear about their teacher’s engagement that they break into a synchronized song and dance number set to the Bridal Chorus. One kid pulls out a violin. I’m not done watching this, I just paused it to write about that moment because it was so funny it made me need to get up and walk around.” -
Ziglet_mir – ★★
“Ôbayashi #3. This is a sprawling mess of absurdity from start to finish, so chaotic at times that Ôbayashi’s freneticism and unique style become overwhelming. The Drifting Classroom has a top-notch creative premise and plays with a mother-son dynamic, but the drama and characters fall into silly, one-dimensional arcs. The mature themes lack his usual poignant execution.”
Meta Description:
A surreal blend of horror and science fiction, The Drifting Classroom (1987) follows an international school mysteriously transported to a wasteland, forcing students and faculty to fight for survival. Directed by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi and based on Kazuo Umezu’s manga, the film delivers a mix of psychological tension, supernatural mystery, and eerie atmosphere.
