With more than 220 million books of the manga in print—about half the total of the “Harry Potter” series, sales of tens of millions of DVD and Blu-ray discs, as well as countless consumer products, Naruto has become a global phenomenon. In Japanese folklore, some evil spirits grow multiple tails as they age and their […]
Archive for the ‘Anime’ Category
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ANIME TRAILER: “Godzilla: Monster Planet”
October 24th, 2017 
Jerry Beck A new trailer for the upcoming anime feature Godzilla: Monster Planet has been released – and it looks pretty spectacular. The film, a combination of hand drawn and CG, was directed by Kōbun Shizuno (Detective Conan) and Hiroyuki Seshita (Ajin) and animated at Polygon Pictures (Transformers Prime). It is considered the 32nd film in the […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Studio Ghibli Collection” on blu-ray
October 19th, 2017 Charles Solomon Hayao Miyazaki’s brilliant animated features have already been released on disc several times, but this new series from GKids includes additional extras about the making of the films. Each two-disc set comes with a small booklet of statements by Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and/or producer/director Isao Takahata. The sets of Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle and […]
Fathon Events to Screen “Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!” Nov. 5th and 6th
October 4th, 2017 Jerry Beck The prelude story of Ash and Pikachu’s iconic friendship topped the box office charts in its opening weekend where the Pokémon franchise first began – in Japan last summer. Now, The Pokémon Company International and Fathom Events are bringing the new animated feature film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! to US movie theaters on […]
John Lasseter to Introduce “Castle Of Cagliostro” at Fathom Events Screenings September 14th & 19th
September 11th, 2017 Jerry Beck TMS Entertainment USA and ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio announced the first ever theatrical release of Lupin The Third: The Castle Of Cagliostro, that will be screened nationwide this week on September 14th & 19th through Fathom Events. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting FathomEvents.com, or at participating theater box offices. The film’s long-time fan, […]
Anime Review: “Hyouka: Part 1”
September 5th, 2017 Charles Solomon Hotaro Oreki (voice by Adam Gibbs) might hold the record for teen-age angst. He talks about living a life that “conserves energy” by following the motto, “If I don’t have to do something, I won’t; but if I have to, I’ll do it quickly.” His cheerful best friend Takeo Katsuta (Aaron Dismuke) comments that Oreki […]
ANIME REVIEW: “And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online?”
August 30th, 2017 Charles Solomon Hideki Nishimura (Dallas Reid), the hero of the adventure-comedy And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online? (2016), is a typically nerdy student at Maegasaki High. He’s not a math wizard or an unshowered programming genius. He’s just an insecure, slightly out of it guy with few real friends. Nishimura finds the companionship he […]
Manga Review: “My Brother’s Husband”
August 19th, 2017 Charles Solomon Although millions of Americans, especially Americans udner 30, buy and read manga, they’re only seeing the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Manga culture remains far more complex and diverse than readers in the US realize, as Gengoroh Tagame’s singular My Brother’s Husband demonstrates. Tagame is a celebrated manga-ka, or manga artist, best known for his […]
Book Review: Hirohiko Araki’s “Manga in Theory and Practice”
July 24th, 2017 Charles Solomon Manga have become so popular in Japan and throughout the world, that an increasing number of young people aspire to become mangaka, or manga artists. As its title suggests, Hirohiko Araki’s Manga in Theory and Practice is a how-to guide, designed to help young artists find their way. Araki says, “I want this book to […]
ANIME EXPO: Dragon Ball Goes Super at AX 2017
July 17th, 2017 W.R. Miller Anime Expo (AX) has become North America’s largest anime convention, with 115,726 attendees jamming the Los Angeles Convention Center and J.W. Marriott this year. For the first time, AX live-streamed thirty hours of programming to over 360,000 views from 67 countries. A perfect venue for a studio to promote their work. Toei Animation, Inc. displayed […]
ANIME EXPO: When Dancing Becomes a Battle “Welcome to the Ballroom”
July 12th, 2017 W.R. Miller Poor Tatara Fujita. He’s a junior high kid with no idea what he wants to do with his life. He’s smitten by Shizuku Hanaoka, a smart and attractive girl in his class but he’s too shy to approach her. He has no job and he’s flat broke. What’s the solution to his problem? Ballroom dancing. […]
ANIME EXPO: 50 Years of Thievery – A Celebration of Lupin the 3rd with the U.S. Premiere of “Italian Game”
July 10th, 2017 W.R. Miller A master thief. A hit man. A Samurai warrior. A femme fatale. Add a Japanese detective as tenacious as Wile E. Coyote. Mix them all together with clever plots, over-the-top action, slapstick humor and snazzy theme music, and you have the ingredients for Lupin the 3rd, a formula that has generated a 14-volume manga series, […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Outlaw Star”
July 10th, 2017 Charles Solomon The rollicking comedy-adventure Outlaw Star began as manga by Takehiko Ito and the artists at Morningstar Studios, who also made the animated series. In the distant future, interstellar space is divided between Pirates and the Space Forces. The self-proclaimed Outlaws scratch out a living in the odd spaces unoccupied by the two powers. Like a […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Dimension W”
July 5th, 2017 Charles Solomon Based on the manga by Yuji Iwahara, Dimension W is an oddly uneven series, alternately intriguing and muddled. The story takes place in 2036, after the discovery of a fourth Euclidean dimension solved all of Earth’s energy problems. Power flows from this little understood dimension through a series of huge stations to individual battery-receivers called […]
ANIME REVIEW: “The Big O”
June 28th, 2017 Charles Solomon The simplified, Art Deco-influenced designs in the mecha adventure The Big O give the series a look that’s closer to Warner Bros.’ old animated Batman than Gundam. Originally concieved as 26-episode adventure, The Big O premiered in October, 1999, in Japan, but was cancelled after only 13 episodes due to poor ratings. The English language […]
