About denpa diary

Denpa is a genre of Japanese cinema and anime released in the 1990s-2000s. At the time of release these films and series belonged to different genres and production cycles yet retrospectively one can identify a fascinating pattern of imagery, themes, characters and even locations that recur to form an enigmatic genre called denpa.

There is very little written about denpa: it’s a nebulous, expansive concept and admittedly hard to explain.

denpa diary is a research project seeking to define and celebrate the genre with writing, content and screenings.

About the author

Ellisha Izumi is a film historian based in London. She has written for Cinema Year Zero and curated films for Cinema Rediscovered, Double Wonderful and The Place Bedford. Born in the UK to a Japanese mother and English father, Ellisha was raised in Brighton and studied in Bristol (UWE). Find them on letterboxd, instagram, twitter.

Selected writing beyond denpa:

She Wrote, He Directed: The Films of Eleanor and Frank Perry for Cinema Rediscovered read

Ghost in the Shell 2017 | Viscera for Cinema Year Zero read / listen for free

Breathless ’83 | Horny on Main for Cinema Year Zero read / listen for free

Support

denpa diary is run in my spare time. Subscribe to support my research or consider donating to my ko-fi.