Author: Jonathan Clements

April 7, 2015 · 1 comment

By Andrew Osmond The Wings of Honneamise, Studio Gainax’s debut film, opened in Japanese cinemas in March 1987, just over a year before Akira. While the films are very different, they share common ground; they’re both anti-establishment SF movies which could be made in lavish style, thanks to Japan’s national prosperity in the 1980s. Those […]

April 1, 2015 · 3 comments

By Andy Hanley Ask the average viewer what makes a good anime series into something truly great, and they’d probably cite animation quality, visual style or something along those lines. As a result, one aspect of such productions which is often overlooked is the role that the soundtrack and incidental music which accompanies a series […]

March 28, 2015 · 0 comments

By Andrew Osmond Like all true legends, Arslan’s story has been told before – several times, in prose novels, manga strips and anime, involving a succession of top creators and artists. It’s a medieval-style saga about a young (fourteen year-old!) prince in exile, Arslan, gathering allies in a bid to drum up an army and […]

March 25, 2015 · 0 comments

By Anthony Thomas I can still remember the first time I saw UNISON SQUARE GARDEN live – they made me miss lunch. It was Rock in Japan festival, a three-day extravaganza that took place in a 470-acre public park about an hour-and-a-half north-east of Tokyo. There were six stages, over 150 acts, and unlike Japan’s […]

March 22, 2015 · 0 comments

By Andrew Osmond Garden of Words reminded us that a small anime can be beautiful in all ways; visually gorgeous, emotionally intimate, celebrating the real scenery of Japan. HAL has the same blend, though with an SF element. Like Garden, it’s a self-contained short story, only an hour long, but full of exquisitely-detailed images. Once […]