Japanese anime is the name for animated movies, often based on Manga the Japanese graphic novel. The artwork for both animation and books is terribly appealing but it can be daunting when approaching anime for the first time. Therefore it is not surprising you have turned to an anime reviewer.
There is no better time to get into this movie genre as Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya has just been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This movie is due for general release in the cinemas on March 20th 2015 in the United Kingdom. As a reflection of the popularity of anime in the West, Lucy Liu and James Marsden are amongst some of the actors doing the voices for the animation.
Studio Ghibli is a great foundation for a novice in anime, as they produce Japanese inspired animation but catered for a specifically Western market. Over the years SG have produced numerous movies, all of which are charming in different. My personal favourite, and a uber-feel-good movie is My Neighbour Totoro which was released in 1988. It is set in post-war Japan and we learn of two young girls who in their new home discover there are strange soot mites in the house and wood sprites in the garden. The sprite in charge is Totoro; a loveable, cuddly creature which I for one would like to meet. The Totoru theme music is ridiculously catchy and you will be humming it for ages after the movie has finished.
A more recent SG contribution is Ponyo, released in 2008, which follows the adventures of a little gold fish who wants to become a human girl. She befriends a little boy, Sosuke, who takes care of her. It is a truly heart-warming tale, with some super-cute animation.
Not all animation is cute, and a real classic supernatural series is Death Note. This series was televised in 2006-7 and is now available on DVD, and narrates the tale of college student, Light Yagami. He discovers a notebook which belongs to a Shinigami, god of death, which enables him to kill by writing the name down. He sets himself as a vigilante executing criminals. The series was completed in 37 episodes which was inspired by a 12-book manga series.
Another crime fighting series is Ghost in the Shell, which is in itself a major franchise which a manga books, a movie with the same title in 1996 and two spin off series'. The spin-offs started with Stand Alone Complex in 2002 and then Arise in 2013. This year Arise will have another instalment released.
There is therefore a lot of catching up with this franchise. In one form or another the story-lines follow the work of Public Security Section 9, a specialised task force of police and military men. Each series or movie has a different crime to solve including corruption and cyber crime, and the inevitable complications.
For the British anime fan it can be tricky to be up to date with new releases, as only Ghibli movies end up on general release. There are of course websites such as www.wnimenewsnetwork.com which give the low-down of new films or series, but these are not always available in the UK until they are on DVD. However, even watching 2 or 3 year old anime is entertaining so don't fret too much.
There is no better time to get into this movie genre as Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya has just been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This movie is due for general release in the cinemas on March 20th 2015 in the United Kingdom. As a reflection of the popularity of anime in the West, Lucy Liu and James Marsden are amongst some of the actors doing the voices for the animation.
Studio Ghibli is a great foundation for a novice in anime, as they produce Japanese inspired animation but catered for a specifically Western market. Over the years SG have produced numerous movies, all of which are charming in different. My personal favourite, and a uber-feel-good movie is My Neighbour Totoro which was released in 1988. It is set in post-war Japan and we learn of two young girls who in their new home discover there are strange soot mites in the house and wood sprites in the garden. The sprite in charge is Totoro; a loveable, cuddly creature which I for one would like to meet. The Totoru theme music is ridiculously catchy and you will be humming it for ages after the movie has finished.
A more recent SG contribution is Ponyo, released in 2008, which follows the adventures of a little gold fish who wants to become a human girl. She befriends a little boy, Sosuke, who takes care of her. It is a truly heart-warming tale, with some super-cute animation.
Not all animation is cute, and a real classic supernatural series is Death Note. This series was televised in 2006-7 and is now available on DVD, and narrates the tale of college student, Light Yagami. He discovers a notebook which belongs to a Shinigami, god of death, which enables him to kill by writing the name down. He sets himself as a vigilante executing criminals. The series was completed in 37 episodes which was inspired by a 12-book manga series.
Another crime fighting series is Ghost in the Shell, which is in itself a major franchise which a manga books, a movie with the same title in 1996 and two spin off series'. The spin-offs started with Stand Alone Complex in 2002 and then Arise in 2013. This year Arise will have another instalment released.
There is therefore a lot of catching up with this franchise. In one form or another the story-lines follow the work of Public Security Section 9, a specialised task force of police and military men. Each series or movie has a different crime to solve including corruption and cyber crime, and the inevitable complications.
For the British anime fan it can be tricky to be up to date with new releases, as only Ghibli movies end up on general release. There are of course websites such as www.wnimenewsnetwork.com which give the low-down of new films or series, but these are not always available in the UK until they are on DVD. However, even watching 2 or 3 year old anime is entertaining so don't fret too much.
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