Tag Archives: anime

Susan J. Napier’s Anime: From Akira To Howl’s Moving Castle

Napier, a professor of Japanese literature and culture, originally wrote this intriguing analysis of anime in 2001. Following the worldwide critical and commercial success of Miyazaki Hayao’s Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle movies, she decided to revisit and revise … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Susan J. Napier’s Anime: From Akira To Howl’s Moving Castle

Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away

Rachel Manija Brown wrote this review. I saw this movie at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood. A Democratic fundraiser was going on across the street, and there were about six people protesting. A young man with a pink Mohawk, … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke

Maria Nutick wrote this review. Many Americans perceive Japanese animated films, or anime, as either graphically violent, sexually explicit material aimed at teenage boys, or as loud garish cartoons designed to sell collectibles to small children (think Pokemon or Digimon). … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke

Yuhki Kamatani and Kunihisa Sugishima’s Nabari

The anime series Nabari is based on the manga series Nabari no Ou by Yuhki Kamatani. It’s one of those series with a lot of comedy and very serious undertones. In broad outline, the story is rather simple: Rokujo Miharu … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Yuhki Kamatani and Kunihisa Sugishima’s Nabari

Toshifumi Takizawa: Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai 7, The Complete Series

In spite of the title, this is not exactly Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. It is, rather, an anime adaptation of the classic film, set in a dystopian future that contrasts the rural simplicity of the peasantry with a steampunk version of … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Toshifumi Takizawa: Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai 7, The Complete Series

Yuhki Kamatani and Kunihisa Sugishima’s Nabari

The anime series Nabari is based on the manga series Nabari no Ou by Yuhki Kamatani. It’s one of those series with a lot of comedy and very serious undertones. In broad outline, the story is rather simple: Rokujo Miharu … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Yuhki Kamatani and Kunihisa Sugishima’s Nabari

Mizuna Kuwabara and Susumu Kodo’s The World of Mirage of Blaze

Mirage of Blaze began as a series of boys’ love novels by Mizuna Kuwabara, later adapted to manga with art by Shoko Hamada, finally becoming an anime television series. Rebels of the River’s Edge, also included in this set, came … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mizuna Kuwabara and Susumu Kodo’s The World of Mirage of Blaze

Spray/Visual Arts, You Higuri and Yukina Hiro, Gakuen Heaven: Boy’s Love Hyper

Gakuen Heaven started off as a computer game called Gakuen Heaven Boy’s Love Scramble. The franchise also includes three PlayStation 2 games, drama CDs, a manga series, and this anime. It’s a delightful bit of BL fluff, and everyone I … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Spray/Visual Arts, You Higuri and Yukina Hiro, Gakuen Heaven: Boy’s Love Hyper

Tite Kubo and Noriyuki Abe’s Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Tite Kubo’s Bleach, an action-packed supernatural adventure, has been a phenomenally successful manga series (approaching 40 volumes in English) and anime TV series (275 episodes). (The irony here is that when Kubo first offered it to a publisher, it was … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged | Comments Off on Tite Kubo and Noriyuki Abe’s Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Hotaru Odagiri and Katsushi Sakurabi: Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn that Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru is commonly referred to by fans as UraBoku. In spite of some major flaws, it’s one of the most engaging anime series … Continue reading

Posted in Film | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Hotaru Odagiri and Katsushi Sakurabi: Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru