We don’t really have a word in English that corresponds to the Japanese yokai. They aren’t ghosts as we think of them; nor do they correspond to Western demons or ogres. Their appearance is often monstrous, but they’re not all huge or ugly. Yokai can be grotesque, hideous, funny-looking or even attractive. There doesn’t seem […]

This Thursday January 18th, Fathom Events is screening both the foreign and English-language versions of the new anime film, Mary and The Witch’s Flower, in select theaters nationwide – the night before its regular theatrical release. “Mary” is one of the 26 films eligible for an Oscar nomination in this year’s Best Animated Feature category. […]

Although it’s technically a feature, Isao Takahata’s droll My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999), which is receiving its first release on Blu-ray, plays like a collection of comic sketches. It’s based on Hisaichi Ishii’s “Nono-chan,” a popular manga that may remind Americans of “Hi and Lois” or “Baby Blues.” Blandly middle income and middle class, Takashi […]

GKIDS announced today that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for a slate of films from internationally acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa. The deal includes the cult classic Mind Game as well as Yuasa’s two new feature films, Lu Over The Wall and Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. GKIDS will release all three […]

Rumiko Takahashi’s gender-bending martial arts comedy Ranma ½ debuted as a manga in “Shonen Sunday Comics” in 1988 and in animation soon after. Three decades later, it remains hugely popular in both Japan and the United States. Although Takahashi has said she wasn’t commenting on gender roles in Japan, its absurd premise suggests otherwise. Wiry, […]

You can’t really tell how good a movie is by the trailer – but this teaser for Batman Ninja looks amazing. Warner Bros. Japan is releasing, Jumpei Mizusaki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s) is directing from a script by Kazuki Nakashima (Kamen Rider Fourze). Character designer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) and animator Kamaikaze Douga take Batman (and […]