About

About the site

Conception

iSugoi.com was started in 2008 as an outlet for the exploration of Asian cinema and animation. iSugoi was brought to fruition to look more intently into both Asian cinema and animation through a variety of measures such as reviews and essays. Its founder and editor is Miguel Douglas. Our site prides itself on being 100% ad free for your viewing/reading pleasure.

If you wish to contact the site, please do so through the “Contact” link. Thank You.

Editor-in-chief

Miguel Douglas: As an avid viewer of both Japanese animation and cinema for more than a decade now, Miguel is primarily concerned with establishing a critical look into both mediums as legitimate forms of artistic, cultural, and societal understanding. Never one to simply look at a film or series based solely on superficiality, Miguel has dedicated himself towards bringing awareness to Asian entertainment and its various facets. Miguel has written for Midnight Eye, PopMatters, Manga Life, Directory of World Cinema: Japan, Shadowland Magazine and JapanCinema.net. He has also hosted panels at anime conventions, in particular on the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Staff Writers

Olivia Saperstein: Olivia Saperstein is a freelance writer and hardcore cinephile residing in Brooklyn, New York. As a young girl she spent many a night home alone on her couch watching films like The Exorcist and Ringu. Now she feels lucky to spend most of her time writing about the very same vehicle she used to escape the sagas of pre-teen angst. Road films, horror, and comedies seem to get her attention, and she is certainly unafraid to indulge in the low-brow while assiduously critiquing art-house masterpieces (note hinted sarcasm). Most importantly, Olivia must always have a snack with her movie.

Josh DuShane: Josh is a self-taught cinehphile and writer that initially fell in love with the samurai epics of Kurosawa. However, Ozu became the bigger filmmaker for him, and he still remembers that first viewing of Tokyo Story. He has consciously attempted to view as much from Japan as possible, and keep these viewings as varied as possible. Japan and east Asia have become both his favorite places for cinema and where he’s most knowledgeable.

Danielle Sullivan: Danielle is a resident of Boston working on a degree in East Asian studies at the University of Massachusetts. Her attraction to Japan began with film and has since spiraled out of control, sucking her into a vortex that she hopes will lead to fluency in the language and a doctorate in Japanese studies.

Robin Kallemeyn: Robin is a student of University of California, Santa Barbara working on his Japanese language and culture and physics degree.  His favorite childhood film was Kiki’s Delivery Service, but he was not compelled to explore the world of Japanese cinema much beyond anime until a revelatory viewing of Kobayashi’s Seppuku in his early teens.  Having lived in Japan for three years from age four to seven, Robin loves to visit his family and friends in Japan every summer and hopes to study abroad in Japan in the future.

Dane Benko: Dane is an independent filmmaker and freelancer in Albuquerque, NM. Japanese cinema is a particular fascination of his.

Riyoko Iwamoto: Riyoko is currently working on a degree in Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts. She was born in the United States, but both her parents are from Japan so she grew up very fascinated by the japanese culture and films.

Contributors

Blake Zahari

Jon Turner

Esosa Osamwonyi

Ellen Pilot

Branko Burcksen

John Howe Marshall

Justin Stroman

Site Information

iSugoi is an entirely non-commercial, non-profit initiative created and maintained by: Miguel Douglas

All film reviews, articles, and essays are copyright of iSugoi.com