Author: Jonathan Clements

April 1, 2017 · 0 comments

In a hastily-convened ceremony at LA’s Japanese consulate this morning, Manhattan-born celebrity Scarlett Johansson accepted a Japanese passport, and the citizenship that comes along with it. According to a consular press release, she is “hopefully the first of many migrant workers” to participate in a new fast-track programme that awards Japanese passports to anyone who […]

March 31, 2017 · 0 comments

By Jeremy Clarke. The Lone Wolf and Cub franchise began life as a manga in 1970 by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It proved hugely popular in Japan, where in 1972 the first four of six films appeared. Two more followed in 1973 and 1974. Criterion’s new three-disc Blu-ray release collects together all […]

March 29, 2017 · 0 comments

by Jeremy Clarke. Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the first of her kind – rescued from a refugee boat many years ago and cyber-enhanced to be the perfect soldier. Only her mind remains; the rest of her is artificial, putting her in a unique position as society faces a new threat. Cyber warfare has evolved to […]

March 28, 2017 · 0 comments

By Andrew Osmond. The first thing to clear up about this romantic anime released by Funimation is that it’s not a fairy-tale, and isn’t really a version of Snow White. The only brief nods to that story are in the opening episode, where there’s a poisoned apple – but the heroine doesn’t eat it – […]

March 25, 2017 · 0 comments

Andrew Osmond pits Ghost in the Shell: Arise against PSYCHO-PASS. A wise man once said: “We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.” Anime is especially interested in the future, more than any other kind of animation. The tradition goes […]