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An ebullient, inimitable pop surrealist whose irreverent, off-the-wall humor in no way disguised his very serious commitment to pacifism and the importance of maintaining human dignity, Obayashi is perhaps best known for his 1977 comic horror romp House, but upon his death in 2020 left behind a vast, rich body of work still awaiting further rediscovery. Accompanying our run of the new restoration of 1989’s Beijing Watermelon, Obayashi’s tender and spirited story of cross-cultural fellowship, we review some highlights from this one-of-a-kind artist, including his cult film par excellence, House, and his sprawling final cinematic will and testament, 2019’s Labyrinth of Cinema.