Anime

Too often, media like manga, television, and film aren’t on a predetermined trajectory. Instead, storylines are drawn out as long as there’s money to made, with writers striving to offset the inevitability of stagnation. Anyone ...

Much like his 2009 film, Summer Wars, director Mamoru Hosoda’s latest effort offers an intriguing contrast between the real and virtual worlds. Seventeen-year-old protagonist Suzu Naito and her father live in the verdant spaces of ...

Not only does Shirobako: The Movie depict the tensions of anime production, but several of the film’s creative choices reflect the customary victors of these divergences. Anime isn’t just entertaining, it’s often a surprisingly insightful ...

Earwig and the Witch’s legacy is both a curse and blessing. The 82-minute feature film was directed by Gorô Miyazaki, son of famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. The senior Miyazaki helped shape the medium of animation ...

On-Gaku has long embodied the underdog spirit. After rejections from most of the major manga houses, Hiroyuki Ôhashi self-published Ongaku and Manga in 2005. A dramatized retelling of his experiences of playing at a musical ...

For devoted animation fans, Studio Trigger is undoubtedly one of medium’s dominant powerhouses. Founded by director Hiroyuki Imaishi, who broke off from Gainax, Trigger has delivered a succession of prodigious works. Efforts like Kill la ...

2001’s Millennium Actress opens with shots of a determined female astronaut breaking free of Earth’s gravitational possession. Reminiscent of several popular science fiction films, she’s the resolute hero, determined on exploring the cosmos alone, on ...

On the surface, Sound! Euphonium explores the myriad of tribulations faces during teenage life. The novel, manga, and anime center around members of the Kitauji High School Concert Band Club. Once a prestigious competitor for ...

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (affectionately known as DanMachi in Japan) success stems from several remarkable traits. Fujino Ōmori’s light novel, as well as the property’s adaptations in ...

Quite a few films, live-action or animated, take a while to reach their eponymous highlight. That’s not the case with the recent stateside release of director Hiroyasu Ishida’s Penguin Highway. Working from Tomihiko Morimi’s (Eccentric ...