Features 538
Books: Toshio Suzuki
By Andrew Osmond. Toshio Suzuki is the most famous producer in anime, and the third most important figure in Studio Ghibli’s history, behind only Miyazaki and Takahata. Now, with absolutely no fanfare, an English translation of Suzuki’s memoir Mixing Work With Pleasure has been published by the Japan Library imprint, translated by Roger Speares. At […]
Persona 3.3: Classic Inspirations
By Mitchell Lineham. Persona 3 Movie #3: Falling Down is the penultimate chapter to the Persona 3 movies, and it focuses on different character arcs as the story ramps up to its climax. Makoto Yuki, Ryoji Mochizuki, Mitsuru Kirijo and Yukari Takeba share deep ties that link deeply with their classics-inspired Persona, and it’s reflected […]
Books: From Truant to Anime
By Jonathan Clements. Mari Okada’s memoir of two decades in the anime business begins and ends with the disastrous premiere screening of Anthem of the Heart in her hometown of Chichibu – a huge event in the middle of nowhere, inconvenient for all attendees, with a film that stops playing halfway. As the screenwriter, she […]
Mary & the Witch’s Flower
By Andrew Osmond. Two years ago, the British film magazine Little White Lies interviewed director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, then best known for directing Ghibli’s Arrietty and When Marnie was There. Yonebayashi was asked about the first Ghibli films he saw. Nausicaa and Totoro, he answered. “I’ve been watching all of them since I was a child… […]
Music: Brian the Sun
By Tom Smith. Quirky superhero romp My Hero Academia follows schoolboy Izuku Midoriya as he goes about his daily life in a world populated by people with special abilities. Unfortunately for our hero (if you can call him that) he doesn’t possess any extra powers. He’s just a typical human. But he won’t let that […]