There is less daffy humour in this sequel than in the 2023 original, but some sublime animationBy the demented standards of fantasy anime, this is fairly straight; the weirdest thing on show here is probably a unicorn-wolf who scoffs pink frosted dough…
The normally great director misses the mark with a wonderfully animated but narratively clunky retelling of the Shakespearean stapleFilm versions of Hamlet are the new buses; you wait for ages for one, then three come along all at once: first Hamnet, t…
Those not up to speed on the Miss Kobayashi manga may struggle with the full nuance of this dimension hopping anime, but the visuals are stunningly to look atYou know fantasy has a different constituency these days when, at a pivotal point in this cand…
New version of the sci-fi day-on-repeat sees a perplexed duo repeatedly battle monstrous plants but leaves you feeling as bored as the protagonist appearsThe second film adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 eponymous novel, this new one is considera…
One of the greatest actors of Japanese cinema best known for Ran, the 1985 film adaptation of King LearThough he had the well-appointed bone structure of the 1950s matinee idol, it was Tatsuya Nakadai’s eyes that seized film audiences. Using these huge…
A labyrinthine but lively 28th instalment of the hit manga series juggles byzantine intrigue, spies and cop rivalries with stylish flairBy the time a suave law enforcer from the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center turns up near the end to join collea…
A garbled story of metaverse musicians based on a mobile game leaves its audience little to grasp hold ofEven by the standards of franchise anime that caters to the faithful and drops newcomers in blind, this is particularly incomprehensible. Based on …
Childhood, single motherhood and the call of the wild converge in Hosoda’s most emotionally resonant film – a beautifully drawn tale of love, loss and letting goThe latest in the set of 4K Mamoru Hosoda rereleases might be his strongest work, a gracefu…
This thriller-cum-family drama is a cut above genre anime with narrative complexity, bravura imagery and a meta-commentary on the unfolding online catastropheThis virtual reality thriller-cum-family drama from 2009 was an early solo success for Mamoru …
Regarded as pioneering on its release in 1985, this sleazy tale’s sexual politics are long past-it, but the visual invention remains magneticRegarded as one of the first erotic anime and on rerelease for its 40th anniversary, this 1985 film doesn’t rea…
A high school-style training academy is the setting for Tomomi Kamiya and Shigeyuki Miya’s punky anime tale of a volunteer army’s battle against the Godzilla-like kaijuKaiju, as Japanophiles will know, are Godzilla-style giant monsters that double up a…
This enthralling Chinese documentary about the torpedoing of a Japanese freighter carrying 1,816 British PoWs in the second world war excavates the emotional wreckage on all sidesThis enthralling and shattering Chinese documentary benefits from superb …
An anniversary edition of the 2013 martial arts animation is light on bombast, funny and mischievousHere is a 10th-anniversary extended edition, with 20 added minutes, of the 18th theatrical outing for Dragon Ball, which was credited with revitalising …
Its Game of Thronesian intrigue, benevolent Skeletor protagonist and surprising lack of gratuitous violence sets this series apartStarting with the customary lore-hosing and predicated on the usual tumescent brawls and characters declaiming their power…
The fourth film spin-off from the daffy Japanese X-Men knock-off beams its dream-like action into a flying fortress where victims are turned into superfolk‘People are attracted to strength. Power is entertainment,” proclaims wannabe world saviour Dark …
From Terminator-eyed strikers to flame-wreathed shots on goal, no bombast is too much in this feature-length extrapolation of Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s popular seriesLike Squid Game meets Shaolin Soccer, this feature-length extrapolation of Muneyuki Kaneshi…
Hideaki Anno’s four-part reworking of his philosophical 90s anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion reaches its conclusion with an emotional father-son confrontationAs far as grandiose projections of one man’s psyche go, Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evang…
Takehiko Inoue’s classic manga spinoff has magnificent on-court scenes, but doesn’t quite sink the backstoryAt the climax of this basketball-worshipping anime that was a huge hit across Asia earlier this year, the whole of space-time apparently comes t…
Japanese studio Production IG’s conspiracy noir is a fabulous-looking tale influenced by Blade RunnerWith the iconic 1995 Ghost in the Shell in their locker, Japan’s Production IG studio has been a long way ahead of the curve on the now-inescapable AI …
Two classmates navigate their relationship – along with a magical tunnel where time gets dilated – in Tomohisa Taguchi’s elegant animationThe Planet of the Apes and the waterworld in Interstellar aren’t the only places in cinema where the time dilation…