Renowned filmmaker Yonfan’s No. 7 Cherry Lane is an epic, beautiful and emotional romantic drama. It’s also Oscar qualified for this year’s Best Animated Feature prize. In this Email Q&A, Yonfan explains how the first animated film of his career came to life. YONFAN: I am not an art dealer but I was gifted with […]
Archive for the ‘Anime’ Category
INTERVIEW: Yonfan Welcomes You To Unforgettable “No. 7 Cherry Lane”
February 19th, 2021 
Jackson Murphy 
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ANIME REVIEW: Satoshi Kon’s “Paranoia Agent”
December 15th, 2020 Charles Solomon This first—and long overdue—release on Blu-ray of Satoshi Kon’s one television series, Paranoia Agent (2004), reminds viewers of the exceptional talent animation lost when he died a decade ago at 46. As he did in Millennium Actress and Paprika, Kon deftly blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy: Neither the characters nor the viewer can […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Demon Slayer”
October 13th, 2020 Charles Solomon One of the big hits of 2020, the supernatural adventure Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba began as a manga by Koyohara Gotouge. It’s sold over 100 million books worldwide and been adapted to three light novels and a stage play, as well as this 2019 broadcast series. The story is set during the Taisho era […]
Shout Factory Celebrates “Bartender” With A 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
October 13th, 2020 Jerry Beck Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of this highly sought-after pop culture series, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Anime Limited, is releasing Bartender 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on national home entertainment shelves and digital on January 19th, 2021. Debuting for the first time on Blu-ray in North America, Bartender 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition comes housed in special […]
INTERVIEW: Actor Joshua Seth on Tai’s Last Digivolution – Or Is It?
October 7th, 2020 W.R. Miller Growing up can be painful, especially if it means losing your friends, perhaps forever. That’s the dilemma facing Taichi “Tai” Kamiya, his human friends, and their digital monster pets, the Digimon. From elementary school to college, the “Digi-Destined” kids and their Digimon have battled various threats from the digital world. Now the kids have learned […]
Netflix Announces Original Anime Series “Godzilla Singular Point”
October 6th, 2020 Jerry Beck Netflix has announced an all new original anime series Godzilla Singular Point featuring a brand new cast and original story set to premiere globally on Netflix in 2021. Following the success of Godzilla anime films, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater comes an all […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna”
October 6th, 2020 Charles Solomon The theatrical feature Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna premiered in Japan in February, marking the 20th anniversary of the franchise. (A subtitled version of Last Evolution was slated for US theatrical release in late March, but the run was postponed due to COVID 19, then cancelled.) Takeru “Tai” Takaishi (Joshua Seth) and Yamato “Matt” Ishida […]
TRAILER: Gkids CGI Anime “Lupin III: The First”
September 24th, 2020 Jerry Beck 40 years from the masterpiece that is The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin III returns in an all new theatrical feature from TMS. Under the directon of one of the leading VFX artists in Japan, Takashi Yamazaki (STAND BY ME Doraemon, Dragon Quest Your Story), it will be the first Lupin film in 23 years, and […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Dr. Stone”
September 23rd, 2020 Charles Solomon In 2017, Writer Riichiro Inagaki and illustrator Boichi scored a hit with their adventure-comedy manga Dr. Stone in “Weekly Shonen Jump.” Both a popular and critical success, Dr. Stone went on to win a Shogakukan Manga Award in 2019. (Viz has published 15 volumes of Dr. Stone in English.) For the 2019 animated adaptation, director […]
INTERVIEW: Director Ayumu Watanabe on Bold “Children Of The Sea”
September 17th, 2020 Jackson Murphy Ayumu Watanabe is the director of the striking new anime film Children of the Sea. It’s available now on Blu-ray and DVD via GKIDS and Shout Factory, and you can also stream the English-language version on Netflix. The story is about a special girl who makes some just-as-special friends. Over the course of the summer, […]
Shout Factory Releasing “B: The Beginning” October 6th
September 17th, 2020 Jerry Beck As you may already know, B: The Beginning, the gripping and edgy crime procedural series, is Shout Factory’s top priority home entertainment release this fall. The series is recognized for its distinctive genre-bending storytelling, B: The Beginning, packed with bonus content, arrives on national home entertainment shelves at Walmart and digital download to own on […]
ANIME REVIEW: “Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?”
September 16th, 2020 Charles Solomon The hit broadcast series Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (2015) blends elements of two popular anime genres, the fantasy adventure and the harem comedy, into an appealing mix. Long ago, the gods who dwelled above the city of Orario descended, looking for entertainment: They limited their powers and began interacting […]
ANIME REVIEW: Rumiko Takahashi’s “InuYasha”
September 4th, 2020 Charles Solomon Rumiko Takahashi’s “feudal fairy tale” InuYasha (2000) was one of the big hits of the early 21st century in Japan and the US. Kagome Higurashi (Moneca Stori), a normal 15-year-old high school girl, falls down the dry “Bone Eater’s Well” in her family’s Shinto shrine–and emerges during the “Warring States“ period (1467-1615). At the shrine, […]
MANGA REVIEW: “Blue Flag”
August 19th, 2020 Charles Solomon High school is a miserable time, when kids battle raging hormones, crushing insecurities and never-ending drama. In Kaito’s new manga Blue Flag (Ao no Flag), the students at Aohama High experience all the usual problems–plus some unusual ones. Alienated senior Taichi Ichinose has never forgiven himself for failing to prevent a cat from getting run […]
ANIME REVIEW: “How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?”
August 3rd, 2020 Charles Solomon The 2019 broadcast series How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Danberu Nan-Kiro Moteru?, literally “How Many Kilograms of Dumbbell Can You Lift?”) could have been animated with ultra body-conscious Southern California in mind. Koyo Women’s Academy student Hibiki Sakura (Madeleine Morris) loves to eat. As she walks home with her friend Ayaka, she consumes […]
