MetaFilter posts tagged with anime and animation

Captain Harlock: "The sea of space is my sea"

filthy light thief — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:30:26 -0800

"Few characters are as memorable as he: tall, black-cloaked, face scarred, eyepatch over his right eye, and ever-ready with his saber-rifle. He is the epitome of Leiji (Reiji) Matsumoto's male hero, an SF version of the wild-West lone gunslinger." The Space Pirate Captain Harlock is coming back in a new CG movie, a decade since his escapades were last animated, and back with Toei Animation, who first brought his one-eyed scowl to the small screen 35 years ago. If this is all news to you, read on for more of the mysterious man who fight's for no one's sake. Who is this Captain Harlock? The name may sound German, but in an interview, Akira "Leiji" Matsumoto outlined the origin of the character: the character was originally an English pirate who called himself "Captain Kingston," yet he received secret orders from the Queen of Spain to search for Napoleon's treasure. Mind you, Matsumoto was a kid at this time, and the later name "Harlock" came from "hārokku," a little made-up word that he would chant while he walked home from school. This rough creation first showed up in Matsumoto's first paid job creating manga, which followed from a contest he entered. At age 15, Mitsubachi no bôken (the adventures of a bee) was published by Manga Shônen, and somewhere in that publication, Harlock appeared in 1953. But it would be another 24 years until he was the star of his own universe. In 1977, Space Pirate Captain Harlock was first published as a manga, and would run for five volumes. The next year, the story was released as an animated series by Toei, and had a run of 42 episodes, setting Harlock, "a man of passion and activity" against "a corrupt and complacent government." This series is now available on Hulu and Crunchy Roll, but this is relatively recent. Before that, there were various distribution schemes, including a Robotech-like Frankenstein's monster of a show, creating a 65-episode show from Space Pirate Captain Harlock and another Matsumoto creation, Queen Millennia, which had its own 42 episodes, plus a full movie. [See: fansubbed Episode 1] Next came the movie Arcadia of My Youth, which told of the origins of Harlock, in a time where aliens have invade Earth and Harlock's crew battle against the oppression of the Illumidus. [In parts on DailyMotion: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4] Later in 1982, the movie was followed up with a 22 episode series, Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX, with Harlock and his crew exiled from Earth. The series somewhat segues into Galaxy Express 999 and the original Harlock series, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, except that there are some significant contradictions between the series. [YT: English fansubs of ep 1 part 1, part 2; ep 2 part 1, part 2] There was a US comic adaptation of Captain Harlock that tried to connect these series, but is considered by some to be non-canonical. It wasn't until the late 1990s that Harlock returned, in an as-of-yet incomplete adaptation of Das Rheingold, titled Harlock Saga. In manga form, there will eventually be 9 volumes, though only 8 are available in Japanese and translated to French, and fewer available in English. Bandai Visual produced 6 episodes in 1999, and US Manga Corps did a less than stellar job translating the series that wasn't even that interesting to begin with. With that, you might not suffer that much by seeing the episodes dubbed in French. [On DailyMotion: episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5, and episode 6] (Space Pirate) Captain Herlock - The Endless Odyssey (yes, Herlock, the spelling of the captain's name changes a bit from translation to translation) finds Earth in a pretty good place, until an ancient civilization that used to rule the universe wants to regain its control. Enter Harlock/Herlock, for 13 episodes of adventures. [Fansubs on Rutube: ep 1, ep 2, ep 3, ep 4, ep 5, ep 6, ep7, ep 8, ep 9, ep 10, ep 11, ep 12, and ep 13] This was the last we saw of the true Harlock, until the teasers and trailers for the forth-coming CG music, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.... In the nebulous world(s) of Captain Harlock, there were a few spin-offs, some with tenuous relationships to the original space pirate. Gun Frontier wasn't a dramatic space opera, but rather a series of comedic western stories, with Harlock and Tochiro Oyama swapping roles of lead and side-kick (or maybe it's a western version of the Space Pirate. The manga came out in the early 1970s, and was turned into a 13 episode anime series in 2002. [The series is on Hulu] There was also the Galaxy Express 999, a rather epic 21 volume manga, and later 113 episode series [on Crunchy Roll, and a few on Hulu] and three subsequent movies (Bonjour Galaxy Express 999 [YT playlist, English subs], Adieu Galaxy Express 999 [review part 1, part 2], and Eternal Fantasy [unsubbed]). Then there was the relatively short manga and series [YT, English subbed, split in parts], Queen Emeraldas, focusing on the privateer Emeraldas, and her ship, Queen Emeraldas. So, you're generally up to speed with Captain Harlock, and you might realize there were a few ... conflicts. You're looking for continuity in the Harlock Universe. Here's the short version: forget it.

There shall be no schizophrenic doubling back here. I'm here to tell you that any exercise in trying to fit all the Harlock stories under one umbrella is rather like trying to fit all the penguins in Antarctica under one umbrella, which is to say 1. futile, and 2. pointless.

Or, it's all part of Matsumoto's plan.

Matsumoto stated in an interview that he thinks of the universe as a sphere, or a ball, where time overlaps. He regards the past as the distant future — which is to say that if you keep going forward eventually you'll come back to the beginning again, meeting your deceased friends along the way. It's a lovely concept, and it goes a long way towards explaining the worlds he has created, and the world that Harlock lives in.

However it runs, all roads lead to Harlock (source: Animerica Magazine July 1996 Volume 4, Issue 7). Even Danzig was a fan, telling Narduar that his look is not based on Captain Harlock, but he did make his own Space Pirate shirt, as seen on the cover of Walk Among Us, and later Rob Zombie was seen sporting Harlock's skull and crossed bones. Not much is known about the forthcoming Captain Harlock movie, except budgeted at $30 million, the most expensive ever in Toei Animation, a vague Fall 2013 release date for Japan, and a few of the people slated to be involved. The 45 second teaser trailer is the first official public clip, though clips from a 2010 pilot were shown first at Tokyo's International Anime Fair in 2010, which has a strict no photo policy. A 3:22 long camera recorded trailer clip was posted online in 2010, which might have been (one of) the clip(s) shown at early previews. Leiji Matsumoto's official Japanese website is dated, and the most recent Harlock press release from Toei Animation is from 2010, so the future of Harlock is fairly vague at the moment. Until then, there are volumes of manga and hours of anime, plus the TV Tropes page for Captain Harlock

The stuff of fairy tales

jbickers — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:35:50 -0800

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the first major video game to be developed by the legendary animation house Studio Ghibli (previously). Reviews are mostly ecstatic, with praise for its music and graphics. And Brainy Gamer speculates that, like Zelda and The Elder Scrolls before it, the game will be remembered because of its connection to the "perilous realm" that J.R.R. Tolkien described.

The Twelve Months, Lolo the Penguin, and other Soviet winter animation.

Nomyte — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:25:50 -0800

Today is, of course, December 31st, the new year's eve. And tomorrow will be December 32nd, the day after — December 33rd, and so on, until someone brings me a basket of blooming snowdrops. The Twelve Months (Soyuzmultfilm, 1956) is a classic of Soviet animation that is often televised around the turn of the year. Based on a play by Samuil Marshak (doodle), a founding figure in Soviet children's literature, it tells the tale of a meek peasant girl, her cruel stepmother, a brave old soldier, a fickle and lazy child queen, her schoolmaster, an impossible demand, and the twelve months themselves personified.

Двенадцать месяцев (~55 min.) — Here it is, in all its Soviet glory. Without subtitles.

What, you don't understand Russian? Never fear, because in 1980 Toei Animation^(TVT) released a remake. Called 『森は生きている』 (The Woods Are Alive!), it remains largely faithful to the original material, although Toei's trademark filler (junk food for low income earners) stretches it out to 90 minutes.

『森は生きている』 (English dub) — 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Actually, that's not entirely correct. You can watch the Soviet original capably dubbed into German with parallel Russian text. And, apparently, it's been presented as a stage play in Japanese. And you can listen to the "tale of the twelve months" (『十二月物語』) in Japanese on a 45 RPM record from 1956. (There's also a Russian live-action film, but I'm not sure you'd be interested.) But let's talk about Lolo. The penguin. In the mid-80s, Soyuzmultfilm partnered with Lifework Corporation (JP) and several other production companies to tell the story of a young Adélie penguin's life in Antarctica, his struggle for survival, and escape from captivity on a poacher's boat. The film debuted on January 1st, 1986, in the USSR, and appeared as a three-part OVA in Japan in 1988.

Приключения пингвиненка Лоло (78 min.) — "The Adventures of Little Penguin Lolo," Russian, no subtitles.

The film was localized for American family audiences by Utah-based Feature Films for Families, which changed all the names, removed all scenes of violence, completely rewrote the narration, and added a new synthesizer score with several song numbers. The result can be seen on YouTube:

The Adventures of Scamper the Penguin (76 min.) — edited for an all-ages audience. Music and songs by Bullets.

Luckily, there is a version of the original on YouTube with subtitles in hilarious broken English: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 In Japan, the cartoon was reasonably titled 『小さなペンギンロロの冒険』, but no clips seem to be available. I guess it's not very well-known. But if you still want more Soviet winter holiday animation, here are in no particular order:

«Ну, погоди!» short #8 (the New Year's Eve one) — No subtitles necessary, but it might help to know who Ded Moroz and Snegurochka are.
«Дед Мороз и серый волк» (1978, 17 min.) — Subtitled in English. The big bad wolf steals Ded Moroz's toys. Swift retribution follows. The same actor provides the voice of this wolf and the one in Nu, Pogodi!
«Снеговик-почтовик» (1955, 18 min.) — No subtitles. Some children make a snowman and send him on a quest to find Ded Moroz and obtain a suitable tree. The snowman overcomes dangers untold and hardships unnumbered.
«Новогодняя ночь» (1948, 10 min.) — No subtitles, and it's all in verse. The young and enthusiastic New Year demands that Ded Moroz provide young Muscovites with a tree with golden pine cones. Ded Moroz must bargain with the Leshy, a woodland spirit, for the festive tree. The Leshy's magical wonders pale in the light of the wonders of Soviet technology.
«Когда зажигаются елки» (1950, 20 min.) — No subtitles. A brother and sister are rehearsing their musical number, but the boy can't get over his stage fright without a present from Ded Moroz. Alas, Ded Moroz loses their presents, and Bunny and Teddy have to find their way to the children with Snegurochka's help. Scored by Khachaturian's nephew.
«Дед Мороз и лето» (1969, 19 min.) — No subtitles. Ded Moroz is kind of old and doddering and has to hitchhike to deliver toys. He is driven to distraction by hearing about this "summer" thing and sets out to experience it for himself with the help of some screaming children.
«Серебряное копытце» (1977, 10 min.) — Subtitled in English. Not strictly speaking a story about the New Year, but I wanted you to see and hear it anyway. Based on a well-known tale by folklorist Pavel Bazhov (some pretty illustrations).

Enjoy, and best of luck in the new year.

TETSUUUOOOO!!!....'s creator returns

sendai sleep master — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:35:26 -0800

In 1982 the manga, Akira (previously) , began its run. It would ultimately spawn a film that would lead the way for the growth of the anime medium outside of Japan. An attempted Americanized remake (previouslyer) was in production before being ultimately canceled. The manga’s creator, Katsuhiro Otomo, in the meantime, had taken a 20 year break from long-form manga. It was recently announced that this break was coming to an end and that Otomo would be working on a new long-form shonen series.

In which a young girl creates a giant radish spaceship, becomes its captain, then returns two years later in a bunny outfit with super powers.

JHarris — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:18:24 -0800

Here is the opening anime from the 20th Japan Science Fiction Convention, Daicon III (1981). And here is the follow-up anime for the 22nd convention, Daicon IV (1983). Both are loaded with pop culture references, and are (I hear) famous among Japanese anime fans. Here's some more information on them. The student animators of these shorts went on to found the anime studio GAINAX, which you may have heard of. GAINAX previously: one two

Gauche the Cellist, a Japanese short story and animated movie

filthy light thief — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:12:36 -0800

Gauche the Cellist [Google video, 63 minutes] is based on a story [Japanese; English translation #1, #2] by Kenji Miyazawa, one of the most-loved poet/storytellers in Japan (Miyazaki and Takahata love his works, and have been influenced by him). The movie was made as an independent project by a Japanese animation studio, OH Production (wiki), and took 6 years to complete. It is rather difficult to make a Kenji story into a movie because there are many Japanese just waiting to rip you apart if you screw up, but Gauche has been highly acclaimed, and is considered one of the best Miyazawa movies (IMDb). The story is about a cellist, Gauche, who becomes a better cellist by interacting with animals who visit his home every night. *

Short films by Osamu Tezuka

Kattullus — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:32:05 -0800

10 short, experimental, animated films by Osamu Tezuka, godfather of anime: Jumping, Memory, Push, Broken Down Film, Mermaid, Drop, Story of a Street Corner, Genesis, Muramasa, Self Portrait. Tezuka is best known in the West for creating Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and the mangas Buddha, Phoenix and Black Jack. Here is an interview where Tezuka talks about his shorter, experimental films.

Thus did Man become the Architect of his own demise...

Rhaomi — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:40:43 -0800

"Welcome to the Zion Archive. You have selected Historical File #12-1: The Second Renaissance." So begins the short film of the same name by Mahiro Maeda [Flash: 1 2 - QuickTime: 1 2] -- a devastating yet beautiful work of animation. Originally produced to explain the backstory behind the Matrix trilogy, Maeda's project ended up telling a story far darker and more affecting than any blockbuster. Using a blend of faux documentary footage and visual metaphor, his serene Instructor relates in biblical tones the saga of Man and Machine, how age-old cruelty and hatred birthed a horrifying, apocalyptic struggle that consumed the world. Packed with striking imagery and historical allusions galore, this dark allegory easily transcends the films it was made for. But while "The Second Renaissance" is arguably the best work to come from the Matrix franchise, it's hardly alone -- it's just one of the projects made for The Animatrix, a collection of nine superb anime films in a wide variety of styles designed to explore the universe and broaden its scope beyond the usual sci-fi action of the movies. Click inside for a guide to these films with links to where they can be watched online, along with a look at The Matrix Comics, a free series of comics, art, and short fiction created for the same purpose by some of the best talent in the business. THE ANIMATRIX [Viewing note: While all nine Animatrix films are available in high quality on the WB's official site, the videos are ad-heavy (especially at the beginning), sluggish to load, and may not be available outside the United States. Links to alternate versions are used below, including in a few cases decent quality QuickTime versions from the old official site. Also, note that the Clipmass.com videos aren't broken -- they just wait a few moments to start after pressing play, while leaving a big play button image to bait you into opening an ad. Resist!]

1+2 | The Second Renaissance (Parts I and II) (9:15 and 9:25) by Mahiro Maeda The story was discussed above, but there's also a lot of bonus material: a behind-the-scenes short, transcripts of Maeda's director's commentary, and Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E., a pitch-perfect parody of the film from the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door by Patrick Warburton, which replaces the man vs. machine narrative with one of children vs. adults. There are also four pieces from the soundtrack available: "Big Wednesday" by Free*Land, "Ren 2" by Photek, "Martenot Waves" by Meat Beat Manifesto, and "Supermoves" by Overseer. 3 | Kid's Story (9:28) by Shinichiro Watanabe A troubled high schooler has his world shattered when he begins to suspect not all is right with his life. (Behind the scenes; Soundtrack: "Who Am I?" by Peace Orchestra) 4 | Program (7:16) by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (QT version) A virtual sparring match turns deadly when one partner reveals his twisted plan. (Behind the scenes) 5 | World Record (8:36) by Takeshi Koike A scandalized athlete has an epiphany while pushing himself far beyond his limits. (Behind the scenes) 6 | Beyond (13:03) by Koji Morimoto A young woman looking for her cat runs into a group of kids exploring a "haunted house" full of bizarre glitches in the fabric of reality. (Soundtrack: "Hands Around My Throat" by Death in Vegas) 7 | A Detective Story (11:43) by Shinichiro Watanabe (QT version) Told in gritty black-and-white film noir style, an old-school gumshoe takes "a case to end all cases" dealing with forces he can't quite understand. (Behind the scenes; Soundtrack: "Blind Tiger" by Layo & Bushwacka! and "Under the Gun" by Supreme Beings of Leisure) 8 | Matriculated (16:18) by Peter Chung A trippy story about a group of rebels who attempt to reprogram a hostile AI from inside an abstract virtual environment. (Behind the scenes) 9 | Final Flight of the Osiris (11:27) by Andy Jones In this CGI-animated tale, the crew of the Osiris volunteer to undertake one last, desperate mission. (Behind the scenes; Soundtrack: "Conga Fury" by Juno Reactor and the orchestral score by Don Davis)

You can also see the entire series of films on Vimeo (runtime: 1:33:29), watch the making-of video, or read some interviews with the creators. If you found the format and style of The Animatrix appealing, you might also appreciate Batman: Gotham Knight (guide) and Halo Legends (guide), similar compilations of diverse anime shorts focused on the Batman and Halo universes, respectively. THE MATRIX COMICS The Matrix Comics were a series of 26 short comics released for free on the Matrix website. Though later removed, they live on in Archive.org's cache and in this .RAR file, which can be opened using a free program like WinRAR (for Windows) or UnRarX (for Mac). The Archive.org coverage can be a little spotty; if any given page turns up broken, just replace the long number string in the URL after "/web/" with an asterisk (*) and navigate to that URL. You'll see a list of other versions of that page in the Archive cache, most of which should work. There are way too many comics to summarize here, but if you want to know what a story is about before diving in, check out the story listings on the Matrix Wiki: Series 1 - Series 2 - Series 3. All the authors are listed, and almost every title links to its own article giving a brief overview of the plot.

Meet the Beat-Alls

Rhaomi — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:45:46 -0800

Ten years ago today, Cartoon Network aired a very special episode of The Powerpuff Girls. Though nominally a harmless kids series about three adorable kindergarten superheroes, creator Craig McCracken attracted an unexpectedly diverse audience (50% male, 25% adult) by sneaking in a surprising amount of violence and adult in-jokes -- and on that last point, this particular episode was king. Broadcast on the 37th anniversary of their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, "Meet the Beat-Alls" was an extended and sophisticated metaphor for the rise and fall of The Beatles, cramming more than forty song references and dozens of visual jokes into only ten minutes of animated allegory. Catch the original episode here or read the transcript, but for the full effect, watch this remarkable YouTube mash-up that splices the referenced song clips directly into the audio track and plasters the screen with helpful annotations. Want more PPG goodness? You can start with the special "Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!" (part 2), a sly, hyperkinetic celebration of the show's tenth anniversary directed by McCracken himself that features every character (and totally subverts an important one). But as far as weirdness goes, it's hard to top Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi, a long-running fan-made webcomic which stars the trio alongside Dexter, Samurai Jack, Invader Zim, and tons of other network icons in an unusually dark manga adventure. Oh, and don't forget your plate of beans.

"Dedicated to all beloved cities"

dmit — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:04:56 -0800

I Love You is an animated short by Rinat Timerkaev that is reminiscent in style of the works of anime director Makoto Shinkai. Russian audio, no subtitles. Timerkaev just announced that for his next project he joined the team working on an animated adaptation of Bulgakov's classic The Master and Margarita. The teaser was met with a mostly negative response, although the animator acknowledged the rushed nature of the video and assured that the movie will feature much improved visuals and animation when it's finished. Meanwhile, Makoto Shinkai himself is getting ready to release his latest movie, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below. The premiere is scheduled for May 2011 and the trailer hints at a departure from the gentle pace of the director's previous works. Longtime collaborator Tenmon will return to provide the score.

Otakupocalypse

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:04:17 -0800

Localfilter: Today in Tokyo, legislation passed that will further restrict manga and animation "glorifying or exaggerating illegal sexual acts." Ten of the biggest comics companies are protesting the Tokyo International Anime Fair, sponsored by the city, responding that a focus on their mode of expression is unfair. Blogger Dan Kanemitsu reports.

Firebreather

zarq — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:56:37 -0800

Peter Chung, the animator who gave us Aeon Flux, The Maxx, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury, The Animatrix: Matriculated and Reign: The Conquerer, has a new comic-to-film adaptation aimed at more mainstream audiences premiering Wednesday on Cartoon Network (US): Firebreather. Official Site. Trailer. (Caution: Some links in this post autoplay video) Wired: "Based on Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn's short-lived comic of the same name, Firebreather's teen protagonist, Duncan, is the offspring of a mild-mannered human mother, Margaret, and the beastly Belloc, a 60,000-pound dragon better known to a shocked and awed Earth as the King of Monsters."
Review. 2003 Onion AV Club interview with Chung.

Roger Ebert on Anime, with a focus on Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

filthy light thief — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:46:06 -0800

"In Japan, animation is not seen as the exclusive realm of children's and family films, but is often used for adult, science fiction and action stories, where it allows a kind of freedom impossible in real life. Some Hollywood films strain so desperately against the constraints of the possible that you wish they'd just caved in and gone with animation." -- Roger Ebert on anime, with this excerpt being related to Tokyo Godfathers. Ebert has been a fan of anime for a while, especially the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Ebert has reviewed 6 of the 18 Studio Ghibli films released to date, and even interviewed Miyazaki with a bit of fanboy glee. More reviews and videos inside. Roger Ebert could be considered something of a closet "otaku" (Japanese for "fan" or "fanatic", though the term is often applied to anime fans in the US), and he even added a small comment on the dub vs subtitle otaku war ("I know. The best is subtitled DVDs."). Ebert has reviewed anime movies since they first were screened on US theaters at large, with Ghost in the Shell (1995) being positively reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT) and in print by Ebert in 1996. The year before, Ebert reviewed another anime movie, The Wings Of Honneamise, which got an honorable mention in Ebert's top 10 for 1995, though it wasn't reviewed by Siskel & Ebert. In 1996 the Walt Disney Corporation and Tokuma Publishing first formed a deal in which Disney was granted the rights to distribute many of Tokuma's works, including most of the Studio Ghibli films, throughout much of the world. The first Studio Ghibli film to get "the Disney treatment" under the new arrangement was Kiki's Delivery Service, which was released in the US on September 1, 1998, eight years after the Japanese release. Ebert has since reviewed all major Ghibli releases, both in print and as part of At The Movies, even covering some of the earlier Ghibli-related titles. Feature-length Studio Ghibli films + Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, Miyazaki) - reviewed by Michael Mirasol, the Flipcritic, as part of the Foreign Correspondents feature that is edited by Roger Ebert. The movie, based on the manga by Miyazaki, was produced before Studio Ghibli but is often considered the starting point for the studio. First released as a heavily edited and awkwardly re-dubbed work entitled Warriors of the Wind (YT trailer), later re-dubbed by Disney and kept true to the original form. Videos: English subtitled Japanese trailer collection (YT), full English dubbed movie (Google video) + Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986, Miyazaki) - refered to as a point of comparison for some design features in Pixar's Up, but not reviewed by Ebert. Videos: subtitled Japanese trailer 1 and subbed Japanese trailer 2 (YT), English dub trailer (YT), full English dub (Gv) * Grave of the Fireflies (1988, Isao Takahata) - review by Ebert (YT clip, edited and extended by a fan) from the Ebert & Roeper era, in print, where he said the film was "an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation," and included in Ebert's list of great movies. Videos: subbed Japanese trailer (YT), full English dub (MySpace video) * My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Miyazaki) - reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT), in print, where Ebert said "Here is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy.... Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile." Ebert also included it on his list of great movies. Videos: Japanese trailer, short clip of English voice actors on the movie, original Japanese movie unsubbed, Fox Home Video/Troma dub (MySpace vid / Troma presskit) * Kiki's Delivery Service (1989, Miyazaki) - transcript of Siskel and Ebert At The Movies review, not reviewed in print by Ebert, but included in his Best Movies of 1998 (when the US dub was released) in The Chuck Jones Award category for 'feature-length cartoons are breaking away from the "children and family" category and growing up into full-bodied entertainments.' Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2, Japanese trailer 3, 1998 Disney edition trailer, updated Disney trailer (YT), Japanese video with Chinese subtitles (56.com), first 11 minutes of the English dub (Gv), and the full US dub (MSv) + Only Yesterday (1991, Takahata) - not reviewed by Ebert, and is the only theatrical Studio Ghibli release not available in the US, though Turner Classic Movies aired it in January 2006 as part of tribute to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. "No matter what your preconceptions about anime might be, Only Yesterday probably confounds them." Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), Chinese dub (Youku) + Porco Rosso (1992, Miyazaki) - not reviewed by Ebert, this movie grew from what was intended to be an in-flight short, "a movie which tired businessmen on international flights can enjoy even with their minds dulled due to lack of oxygen." Miyazaki expanded the idea into a story of a pig of a man, along with his friends and enemies, in the Adriatic in 1929, during the early days of the Great Depression and the rise of Italian fascism. Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2, Making of the English dub (YT), Japanese version with English subs (Veoh, req. Windows-only player plugin) + Ocean Waves (1993, Tomomi Mochizuki) - also known as I Can Hear the Sea (literal translation), this was Studio Ghibli's first made-for-TV movie, and only one to date. It was also the first Ghibli movie directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Takahata, though Mochizuki had directed other works before. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), full movie with Chinese subs (Youku) + Pom Poko (1994, Takahata) - briefly discussed in a Movie Answer Man column, insofar that Ebert thought that a movie featuring mythical abilities of the tanuki, or racoon dog, would not mesh with cultural and moral understandings elsewhere. In short, their ability to transform their testicles into many forms (YT, SFW if your work is OK with animated expanding animal testicles). Videos: collection of Japanese trailers, Japanese trailer with English subs, and French trailer (YT), full movie, US dub (MSv), full US dub (Vodpod) + Whisper of the Heart (1995, Yoshifumi Kondō) - not reviewed by Ebert, roughly based on manga of the same name, and the first appearance of the Baron character. Kondō had worked with Miyazaki and Takahata before the formation of Studio Ghibli back in the mid-1970s, and seen as the natural successor to Miyazaki and Takahata. Kondo passed away from an aneurysm at age 47, in January 1998. Videos: long Japanese trailer, short Japanese trailer with English subs, and "Behind the Microphone" English dub clip (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Princess Mononoke (1997) - discussed by guest reviewer Harry Knowles (YT) of Ain't It Cool News, print review by Ebert, in which he said: "Hayao Miyazaki is a great animator, and his 'Princess Mononoke' is a great film. Do not allow conventional thoughts about animation to prevent you from seeing it." The movie also ranked as #6 on Ebert's top 10 films for 1999. Videos: Japanese trailer 1, Japanese trailer 2 with English subs, US trailer, and Behind the Microphone (YT), Full US dub (MSv) + My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999, Takahata) - not reviewed by Ebert, this movie is the based on a serialized comic strip, and is the first Studio Ghibli film completely made digitally, to achieve the appearance of being made with watercolors, instead of the cel-painted form of other Ghibli films. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and Behind the Microphone (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Youku) * Spirited Away (2001) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print ("I feel like I'm giving a pitch on an infomercial, but I make these points because I come bearing news: This is a wonderful film. Don't avoid it because of what you think you know about animation from Japan. And if you only go to Disney animation--well, this is being released by Disney."), and #8 in Ebert's top 10 movies of 2002. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs, US trailer, Behind the Microphone, making of Spirited Away (Japanese language with English subs) part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6 (YT), full US dub (MSv) + The Cat Returns (2002, Hiroyuki Morita) - not reviewed by Ebert, the film features the return of some elements found in Whisper of the Heart, and is based on the manga Baron: The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi, who created the manga behind Whisper. She was commissioned to create the short manga by Studio Ghibli, who were asked to make a short film starring cats. The theme park canceled the project, but the manga was created, and the short film expanded into a movie. Videos: Japanese teaser with English subs and Japanese trailer with English subs (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print, where Ebert said the movie was "a disappointment, compared to [Miyazaki's] recent work." Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and US trailer (YT), full US dub (Gv), full US dub (MSv) + Tales from Earthsea (2006, Gorō Miyazaki) - not reviewed by Ebert, this film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, who had initially not wanted to follow his father, yet returned to prove his capabilities, though the resulting movie faced mixed review of an odd sort. The movie is loosely based on first four Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. The younger Miyazaki turned from animation and instead became a construction consultant of parks and gardens, but was invited to work on the Studio Ghibli Museum, and he was the museum's director from 2001 to 2005, when he turned his attention to directing his first film. Gorō wrote about the process, how his father was against his son directing "Tales from Earthsea", and Gorō gave Hayao Miyazaki gets zero marks as a father, but full marks as a director of animated films (though another story slipped out in a supplementary entry while the director was busy). Hayao Miyazaki attended the launch party without telling his son, and passed along a few positive words at the end -- "It was made honestly, so it was good," which greatly lifted Gorō's spirits. -- review by Ursula K. Le Guin, and drama reaches the English-speaking 'net. Videos: Japanese trailer with English subs and English trailer (YT), full US dub (MSv) * Ponyo (2008) - reviewed by Lyons and Mankiewicz (YT) in their continuation of At the Movies, print review by Ebert ("This cannot help sounding like standard animated fare. But I have failed to evoke the wonder of Hayao Miyazaki’s artistry. This 68-year-old Japanese master continues to create animation drawn by hand, just as “Snow White” and “Pinocchio” were. There is a fluid, organic quality to his work that exposes the facile efficiency of CGI. And, my God! — his imagination!"). Videos: Japanese trailer with English YT pop-up subs and US trailer (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Tudou), full English dub (Veoh, plugin req.) + The Borrower Arrietty (2010, Hiromasa Yonebayashi) - Released to theaters in Japan on July 17, 2010, this movie is based on the 1952 children's fantasy novel, The Borrowers. This is Yonebayashi's directorial debut, and Miyazaki sounds pleased with the results (time-sensitive link, pointing to GhibliWiki's Latest News, with translations of a YouTube clip that is already removed. A bit of translation, copied for posterity from GhibliWiki: Miyazaki says to Yonebayashi, "You did it really well. It was three times better than I thought. You had better take a rest for awhile. It is not a shameful work even if we show it to anyone. I felt a director appeared at last. I was relieved. It was really good. I cried." (laughs) ) Videos: Japanese teaser and Japanese trailer (YT) Other anime films reviewed by Ebert (and friends) * Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987, Hiroyuki Yamaga) - reviewed in print only, listed with an honorable mention in Ebert's top 10 for 1995 when it was released in the US. Videos: Japanese trailer and Manga Ent. US trailer (YT). * Roujin Z (1991, Hiroyuki Kitakubo) - reviewed by Ebert in print. Videos: US trailer (YT) * Ghost in the Shell (1995, Mamoru Oshii) - reviewed by Siskel & Ebert (YT) and in print by Ebert. Videos: Japanese trailer (YT login required), US trailer (NSFW - animated nudity), US dub in 6 parts (YT), full movie with original Japanese soundtrack and Chinese subtitles (Tudou), and Conan O'Brien & Andy Richter dubbing the movie (Vimeo). * Metropolis (2001, Rintaro) - reviewed by Ebert & Roeper (YT), in print. Videos: Japanese trailer, Japanese teaser and US trailer (YT), full Japanese movie with Chinese subs (Tudou) * Tokyo Godfathers (2003, Satoshi Kon, previous [obit]) - reviewed in print. Videos: US trailer and full Japanese movie with English subs (YT) * Steamboy (2004, Katsuhiro Otomo) - reviewed by Ebert in print. Videos: Japanese trailer, US trailer, and US dub in 13 parts (YT)

低燃費って何？ (What's fuel efficiency?)

CardinalRichelieuHandPuppet — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:17:57 -0800

Nissan has been running an ad campaign in Japan based on the 1974 anime Heidi, girl of the alps. The ads are sort of ~~bizarre~~ awesome and were put together by the same crew that did The world of golden eggs. The full episodes feature Heidi trying unsuccessfully to find the answer to her question '低燃費って何？' (What's teinenpi?). (the last set of links are all Japanese, but are hopefully interesting enough without subtitles)

The future is not a straight line. There are many different pathways.

Artw — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:51:15 -0800

Carl Macek, who created Robotech, brought Akira to America and was a co-founder of Spumco, passed away this Saturday.

The art of Akira

shakespeherian — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:15:19 -0800

Announcing: The Art of Akira Exhibit Its stunningly fluid and detailed animation often required as many as nine separate cel layers. The 125 minute feature was comprised of over 160,000 cels and almost as many backgrounds, each one completely hand–drawn and hand-painted. Purists recognize Akira as the last completely hand-created animated feature.

Joe the Peacock, in collaboration with Toonseum, presents a project to 'expose as many people as possible to the brilliance' of Akira.

Akira previously: 1 2 3

Fumiko's Confession

flatluigi — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:18:22 -0800

Fumiko's Confession - a short film animated completely by one person. (via)

You're a seminal character, Charlie Brown.

GrammarMoses — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 08:10:40 -0800

A few years ago, we had "Peanuts Meets Marvel." In another thread, someone name-checked Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown. The Web currently brings us Peanuts characters anime-style, a la Jack Kirby, by way of Family Guy and as seen on The Simpsons. (See also this pessimistic vision of a grown-up relationship between Charlie Brown and the Red-Haired Girl.)

Major League Couch Potato

netbros — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:34:24 -0800

Animated Divots ― comprehensive resource on the history of animation including important events such as new techniques, studio history, and pioneers in the field. Also includes a bibliography of books and journals and filmographies of significant animators, directors, and studios.

MTV for emotaku

anthill — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:32:28 -0800

Anime Music Videos. Yet another remixing web subculture, they're usually a source of amateurishly produced angst. From the competitive perfectionists, though, come well lipsynched, action packed, meta-mashuped, and occasionally just filthy stuff for cartoon nerds. Besides the usual metal, ballads, and pop rock, there's some Daft Punk, club, and downtempo accompaniment. Or you can just go to hell. Wear headphones and no-one will know.

Through A Child's Eyes

sluglicker — Thu, 03 May 2007 08:51:31 -0800

Reality, Imagination and Fear. Three short animated films by young students and artists. [more inside]

Ugokie-ko-ri-no-tatehiki

a louis wain cat — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:28:30 -0800

Japanese animation from 1933. A bizarre Max Fleischer-inspired 11-minute cartoon about some critters from traditional Japanese folklore, complete with a soundtrack of traditional Japanese music. [youtubefilter]

Adult Swim Fix: Something You Don't Need a TV to Understand.

ND¢ — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 07:16:38 -0800

Adult Swim Fix. Streaming full-length Adult Swim episodes twenty-four hours a day online. Seven archival episodes will be available at all times, while premieres will continue to debut on Fridays, two days before they appear on-air.

Anime Popeye

kenaman — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 00:55:16 -0800

Anime Popeye Quicktime.

You never see him reading, where does he get this stuff?

drezdn — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 08:27:33 -0800

Go Team Venture! The official Venture Bros. website is now up (though slightly incomplete). While you're waiting, download Brock's workout song, read interviews with the creators or make your own Super Secret Agent license.