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Tatsuya Nakadai obituary
One of the greatest actors of Japanese cinema best known for Ran, the 1985 film adaptation of King LearThough …
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Crime films, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback review – anime sleuth wades through a bamboozling bureaucratic maze
A labyrinthine but lively 28th instalment of the hit manga series juggles byzantine intrigue, spies and cop ri…
- Music, Pop and rock, Japan, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Games, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing review – candy-haired popsters put on a show
A garbled story of metaverse musicians based on a mobile game leaves its audience little to grasp hold ofEven …
- Japan, Science fiction and fantasy films, Family, Life and style, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Wolf Children review – Mamoru Hosoda’s tender werewolf fable is a minor masterpiece
Childhood, single motherhood and the call of the wild converge in Hosoda’s most emotionally resonant film – a …
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Summer Wars review – Mamoru Hosoda’s birthday party anime puts the world at risk from AI baddie
This thriller-cum-family drama is a cut above genre anime with narrative complexity, bravura imagery and a met…
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Vampire Hunter D review – head-popping visuals offset very pre-MeToo erotic anime
Regarded as pioneering on its release in 1985, this sleazy tale’s sexual politics are long past-it, but the vi…
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Kaiju No 8: Mission Recon review – the fury and rawness of battle as monsters keep coming
A high school-style training academy is the setting for Tomomi Kamiya and Shigeyuki Miya’s punky anime tale of…
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The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru review – British wartime tragedy told with potent empathy
This enthralling Chinese documentary about the torpedoing of a Japanese freighter carrying 1,816 British PoWs …
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Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods review – classic anime has cosmic charm
An anniversary edition of the 2013 martial arts animation is light on bombast, funny and mischievousHere is a …
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom review – intriguing fantasy franchise is far from your average anime
Its Game of Thronesian intrigue, benevolent Skeletor protagonist and surprising lack of gratuitous violence se…
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
My Hero Academia: You’re Next review – old-style superhero battle anime with hint of the surreal
The fourth film spin-off from the daffy Japanese X-Men knock-off beams its dream-like action into a flying for…
- Japan, MANGA, Football, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Sport, Film
Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi review – football anime gets the battle royale-treatment
From Terminator-eyed strikers to flame-wreathed shots on goal, no bombast is too much in this feature-length e…
- Japan, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time review – surreal visual brilliance
Hideaki Anno’s four-part reworking of his philosophical 90s anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion reaches its …
- Edinburgh film festival, Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Festivals, Culture, Sport, Film, Basketball
The First Slam Dunk review – basketball is the universe in resplendent hit anime
Takehiko Inoue’s classic manga spinoff has magnificent on-court scenes, but doesn’t quite sink the backstoryAt…
- Japan, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film, Thrillers
Psycho-Pass: Providence review – anime thriller investigates dark side of technology
Japanese studio Production IG’s conspiracy noir is a fabulous-looking tale influenced by Blade RunnerWith the …
- Japan, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Romance films, Culture, Animation in film, Film
The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes review – metaphysical anime tale of first love
Two classmates navigate their relationship – along with a magical tunnel where time gets dilated – in Tomohisa…
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Re:cycle of the Penguindrum review – ravishing anime with magic hat and dominatrix
There’s a lot to like in this two-part teen flick, but at four-and-a-half hours long there’s also just a lot o…
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Dreaming an Island review – an eerie tour of planet Earth’s depopulated future
This documentary about a small Japanese island, a once thriving mining outpost that now has only 100 residents…
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Games, Culture, Film
Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night review – dungeon-crawler drama
The latest outing from the multimedia franchise finds its heroes still trapped inside an RPG, where they learn…
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Film, Film adaptations
That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond review – high-spirited anime
This playful tale about an ogre samurai, a poisoned queen and a demonic pool of talking slime has a lot of con…