Books
- Running, Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Athletics, Life and style, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Sport, Film, Film adaptations
100 Meters review – mesmerising anime of young athletes in search of physical and spiritual high
Dazzling rotoscoped running sequences make up for a lack of narrative subtlety in Kenji Iwaisawa’s filmMuch ha…
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review – gore-soaked demonic anime squats in the manopshere
Tatsuki Fujimoto’s coming-of-age saga continues with a surreal encounter with a chainsaw-wielding demon living…
- 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…
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Author Rie Qudan: Why I used ChatGPT to write my prize-winning novel
Sympathy Tower Tokyo attracted controversy for being partly written using AI. Does its author think the techno…
- History books, Japan, Nuclear weapons, Asia Pacific, Second world war, Books, Weapons technology, Culture, US military, Science
‘You don’t brag about wiping out 60‑70,000 people’: the men who dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This summer will mark 80 years since the attacks stunned the world. Today, every one of the crew members who c…
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Holiday bookings to Japan are down – could a 90s manga comic’s earthquake prediction be to blame?
The Future I Saw, a Japanese graphic novel by Ryo Tatsuki, declared a major disaster would occur on 5 July 202…
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‘I had a chance to pass my mum’s story on’: Kazuo Ishiguro on growing up in shadow of the Nagasaki bomb
The film version of A Pale View of Hills, the Nobel-winner’s tale of loss, exile and a pregnant radioactive br…
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Ancient example of printed text to be displayed in Melbourne: ‘It unites us all’
A Japanese prayer scroll dating back more than 1,250 years has been acquired by the State Library of Victoria …
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‘Marriage feels like a hostage situation, and motherhood a curse’: Japanese author Sayaka Murata
The Convenience Store Woman author is renowned for challenging social norms in darkly weird near-future fictio…
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‘Am I a Cyclopian monster?’ How masked writer Uketsu went from asparagus videos to literary sensation
He gained fame in Japan posting surreal videos of meat, veg and even ears. Then he tried writing – and soon ha…
- Hobbies, Linguistics, Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Life and style, Australian lifestyle, Books, Languages, Education
Learning to read in a foreign language has taught me to embrace ambiguity – one sentence at a time | Patrick Lum
In striving to understand Japanese books and comics, I’ve adopted the habits of a weightlifter: I find my comf…
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Shuntaro Tanikawa, giant of Japanese poetry, dies aged 92
The poet also wrote the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song and translated Peanuts into JapaneseShuntaro Tanik…
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What a carve up! Playful, intricate Japanese leaf art – in pictures
Almost every day for the past five years, the Kanagawa-born artist Lito has drawn an image on to a leaf – usua…
- 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, Comics and graphic novels, Crime films, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram review – cult anime goes on wild treasure hunt
The latest outing for the high school sleuth sees him join forces with his arch enemy, a master thief. Despite…
- Hayley Atwell, Japan, Studio Ghibli, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Culture, Animation in film, Film, Film adaptations
The Imaginary review – charming anime about made-up best friends from former Ghibli protege
Spirited Away animator Yoshiyuki Momose takes the reins in this dreamy and dark family fable, adapted from AF …
- 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, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Sport, Film, Film adaptations
Haikyuu!!: The Dumpster Battle review – huge anime hit goes deep into high school volleyball
Obsessively detailed clash between two rival high school teams has done massive box office in Japan, but it wo…
- Japan, MANGA, Comics and graphic novels, Science fiction and fantasy films, Action and adventure films, World news, Asia Pacific, Television & radio, Books, Television, Anime, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Spy x Family Code: White review – ingenious espionage antics with special-power family
Popular manga characters receive their first film adaptation as they seek out a villainous colonel and an elus…