Tag Archives: japanese
Shodo Girls!! Watashitachi no koshien – Review
Satoko is the granddaughter of a calligraphy master living in an old factory town. A talented calligrapher, she’s only interested in getting the individual prize in the annual inter-school calligraphy tournament rather than getting the glory for her school with the fellow members of the school club. Her philosophy changes with the arrival of the club’s new advisor Ikezawa, who comes up with the idea of turning calligraphy into extravagant performance in order to gather popularity. Finding this suggestion rather informal considering the craft, Satoko is slowly inspired by Ikezawa and her club mates, especially Kiyomi who wants to utilize this new approach towards calligraphy to rejuvenate her family’s stationary shop. READ MORE
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac – Review
Based on the novel by author Gabrielle Zevin, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac tells the story of Naomi Sukuse, an ordinary high school student who goes to an international school in Tokyo, Japan. One day, she falls down a staircase and ends up losing her memory concerning the past 4 years. The only thing she can remember during that period is one boy kissing her, but can’t put her finger on the exact individual. Gradually she begins to search for her own identity, and even when her memory returns, she keeps on looking for her real self, and what she truly loves in life. READ MORE
Ghost in the Shell – Review
In the year 2029, a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life has interconnected the world. That same network also becomes a battlefield for Tokyo’s Section Nine security force, which has been charged with apprehending the master hacker known only as the Puppet Master. Spearheading the investigation is Major Motoko Kusanagi, who — like many in her department — is a cyborg officer, far more powerful than her human appearance would suggest. And yet as the Puppet Master, who is even capable of hacking human minds, leaves a trail of victims robbed of their memories, Kusanagi ponders the very nature of her existence. READ MORE
Castle in the Sky – Review
Having scored a box office success with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki was on his way to becoming a respected animator in his native country of Japan. Yet this was only the beginning; with the help of Isao Takahata, Miyazaki enlisted the backing of their financial distributor, Tokuma Shoten, to establish their own animation company, known today as Studio Ghibli. Under this new facility, Miyazaki directed his third feature—and the first to be produced under the “Ghibli” banner – a rollicking, fast-paced action-adventure tale called Laputa: The Castle in the Sky. READ MORE
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water – Review
In the mid 1970′s, prior to obtaining his well-deserved status as Japan’s greatest animator ever, a young Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Japanese movie giant Toho to develop ideas for TV series. One of these concepts was “Around the World Under the Sea’, based on Jules Verne’s literary classic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Although it was never produced, Toho nonetheless kept the rights to the story outline. Miyazaki would reuse elements from his original concept in later projects of his, notably the Sci-Fi series Future Boy Conan and the action-adventure feature Castle in the Sky (this explains why Anime fans often find similarities between the show I’m about to review and the latter film). Ten years later, Japanese animation studio GAINAX was commissioned to produce this very scenario. READ MORE
Cowboy Bebop – Review
The year is 2071 AD. The future is now. Driven out of their terrestrial eden, humanity chose the stars as the final frontier. With the section-by-section collapse of the former nations, a mixed jumble of races and people came. They spread to the stars, taking with them the now confused concepts of freedom, violence, illegality and love, where new rules and a new generation of outlaws came into being. People referred to them as Cowboy Bebops. Spike Spiegel is bounty hunter looking for such people, and together with his partner Jet Black, traverse the known galaxy in search of the next bounty. READ MORE
Love on Sunday 2: Last Words – Review
Nagisa is a high school girl who has been given three months to live. Without telling her widowed father where she is going, she sets out from the city to the small town of Chiba where she was born—as well as had her first love. She recalls her youthful memories as well as her rekindled love for childhood friend Satoshi. However, she is shocked to discover that Satoshi is having an affair with Eriko, a married woman. With the limited time Nagisa has left, she contemplates whether to tell Satoshi her true feelings concerning her longstanding love for him. READ MORE
Perfect Blue – Review
Pop singer Mima Kirigoe looks forward to a bright new career when she quits her chart-topping trio to become an actress. When she lands a role in a sexually charged murder mystery television series titled Double Bind, Mima’s life begins to fall apart. Reality and hallucinations merge into a terrifying netherworld where innocence is lost and dreams become nightmares. Quickly descending into a dangerous state of paranoid delusions, Mima discover Internet sites describing every intimate detail of her life. Helpless and afraid, she watches as her associates are threatened and by a mysterious stalker. READ MORE
The Death of Satoshi Kon (1963 – 2010)
As an avid fan of Satoshi Kon’s work, I’m deeply saddened by his recent passing. He was one of my favorite directors from the Japan and I truly enjoyed the creative attitude he always integrated within his works. To state that Kon was a great artist is quite an understatement–he embodied every facet of what I felt an animation director should be. READ MORE
Bashing – Review
Yuko volunteered to be an aid worker in Iraq and was taken hostage there. When freed she returned to Japan, but after being home six months she is still the ongoing object of harassment from her own countrymen. READ MORE
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