Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
By Andrew Osmond.
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters is the thirtieth Japanese film to feature the country’s (unquestionably) biggest film star. But amazingly, it’s only the first Godzilla film to be made in animation. It’s written by a star scribe of anime, Gen Urobuchi, who was the twisted genius behind PSYCHO-PASS and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The film is animated by Polygon, the trailblazing CG studio responsible for titles from Ajin to the Ghibli-produced Ronja.
But Polygon’s Godzilla is more in the vein of Polygon’s SF fare, like the BLAME! movie and the Knights of Sidonia space-opera. As in those sagas, Planet of the Monsters imagines humanity in retreat. Godzilla, quite simply, has won. The big G and his fellow monsters literally drive puny humans from the face of the Earth, with the last survivors fleeing in a huge spaceship, helped by two alien races. But exile is hell, and the humans decide to return to Earth for a rematch. The film’s title is a spoiler for what they’ll find. Continue Reading
Books: Armchair Tokyo
By Helen McCarthy.
When you think of Tokyo, you probably think of the Tokyo of the Sunday supplement ads, with a geisha gazing wistfully over a sea of cherry blossom towards distant Fuji. If you’re of a fannish persuasion, you may envision a neon metropolis packed with frenetic activity and shopping opportunities. You’re unlikely to conjure up a vista of mudflats running into a wide bay, dotted with tiny figures digging for shellfish, or of an American geologist sneaking into a railway cutting on an illicit archaeological dig. Then again, you’re not Jonathan Clements. We all have our own Tokyo, and this is his.
Clements’ skillset – Asian specialist, linguist, historian and foodie – might have been designed specifically for his newly published Armchair Traveller’s History of Tokyo, combining as it does a history of the city from a time of myth, conjecture and hazy record to the current year 2018 with a gazetteer containing a selection of the sights and attractions of the city. Continue Reading
[UNBOXING] Amanchu!. Available now on Ltd. Collector's Edition Blu-ray.
It's been a busy few months here at AllTheAnime HQ but with us fast approaching Christmas we want to take a few moments to put some attention on a title which we're very excited to have brought to the UK - in fact, we are the first English speaking territory to give it a home video release of any kind! That being the series Amanchu!
We've released the entire first season as a Ltd Collector's Edition Blu-ray set and it's available to add to your collection right now! Today we're going to be showing you what to expect when you get your copy of this release. And if you're not familiar with the show, don't worry we'll introduce you to it too!
Read on below for all the details.
ABOUT AMANCHU!
© 2016 Kozue Amano / MAG Garden・Yumegaoka High Diving Club
“After moving from Tokyo to a small seaside town, 15-year-old Futaba is captivated by the ocean views and the vast expanse of water which she finds laid out before her. Unbeknownst to her, Futaba’s fascination is shared by Hikari, who has lived in the town her entire life, and the two girl’s lives intermingle unexpectedly when the introverted Futaba meets the outgoing and exuberant Hikari as one of her new classmates.
Before she knows it, a whole new world is opened up to Futaba – a sparkling, shimmering world that exists under the sea, as her new-found friend helps her confront her fears and anxieties through the form of scuba diving.
As her circle of friends grows, and with her confidence burgeoning, so Futaba finds the strength and self-assuredness to grow and develop with the support of those around her in this quietly touching and charming tale of friendship and finding yourself, lovingly animated by J.C. Staff”
Check out the official trailer and a clip from the series below
Additional Notes:
-- Want to read more about the series? Have a read of the piece at our blog by Andrew Osmond HERE.
WHAT'S INSIDE? WHAT'S ON THE DISCS?
Our release of the series comes packed in a rigid case and inside that you'll find a digipack to store the two Blu-ray discs. In addition to that you'll find a 52-page hardback artbook that is divided into three sections: Characters, Settings and Artworks. If that wasn't enough, because we love the unique faces that regularly appear in the series, we've also got two sticker sheets included as well!
On the disc themselves you find the following -
- The entire first season (12 episodes) plus OVA episode 13 in Japanese with English subtitles, (There's no English dub for the series, so this is a subtitle only release.)
- On-disc extras are Amanchu short films (7 episodes) along with Clean versions of the Opening and Ending title sequences.
WHERE CAN I ORDER THIS?
This is available now so you can purchase from retailers including the following:
Order at Amazon
Order at Zavvi
order at Base
order at HMV Online
order at Anime-on-Line
Order at All The Anime
PHOTOS OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT
And now it's time for photos of the finished product. As a note you can click on the images to enlarge them if you want. Continue Reading
[UNBOXING] March Comes in Like a Lion: Season 1 Part 2. Available on Ltd Collector's Ed. Blu-ray from 26th November 2018.
Can you believe we've nearly reached the end of November already?! Where has this year gone. But the end of the month brings you the release of March Comes in Like a Lion: Part 2 - it's out this coming Monday (26th Nov. 2018). So now is the perfect time to bring you a full unboxing of what to expect from this release.
Read on below for all the details on our release of Part 2.
ABOUT MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION
Synopsis for Season 1, Part 2:
“With his life as a teenage shōgi player developing rapidly, Rei Kiriyama finds himself facing a whole host of new challenges – not just on the shōgi board itself, but also in his own personal life.
As his fractured and difficult family life come into focus, so too do the root causes of many of the anxieties that plague Kiriyama. He isn’t alone in his struggles however, as a major tournament reveals that even more experienced players have their own deep-seated problems to face in the name of success.
With new friendships forged and important life lessons learned, for the first time Kiriyama might just be equipped with the knowledge he needs to proceed down the path to a successful life and career…”
You can watch dubbed and subtitled trailers for the series below
WHAT'S INSIDE? WHAT'S ON THE DISCS?
Keeping in theme with our release of Part 1 (sold separately), Part 2 comes packed in a rigid case and inside that you'll find a fold out digipack that houses the three Blu-ray discs. And in addition to that there's also a 40-page booklet that also continues the theme from our Part 1 release. This booklet has character profiles, Production Art, and End Card Gallery and a section showing the art used for the ending title sequence.
On the disc themselves you find the following -
- Episodes 12-22 (the remainder of season 1) with both English and original Japanese audio with English subtitles language options.
- On-disc extras are Textless Opening and Ending Title Sequences, Meow Meow Shogi shorts #2-10, a Second Season announcement trailer and a season 1 trailer.
WHERE CAN I ORDER THIS?
You can order you copy from retailers including the following:
Order at Amazon
Order at Zavvi
Order at Base
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-on-Line
~ AllTheAnime.com Special Offer ~
But until tomorrow (Thursday 22nd November 2018) we're having a special offer at our AllTheAnime.com online shop for ordering Part 2! (And we've even got a special offer on ordering Part 1 as well.) Don't miss out; details in the link below.
PHOTOS OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT
And now it's time for photos of the finished product. As a note you can click on the images to enlarge them if you want. Continue Reading
Books: Interpreting Anime
By Andrew Osmond.
Interpreting Anime’s author is Christopher Bolton, Professor of Comparative and Japanese Literature at Williams College in Massachusetts, and an Associate Editor of the anime academic journal Mechademia. In his book, Bolton recalls teaching students about Ghost in the Shell. He was making connections between the 1995 film and an essay from ten years earlier, A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway. Haraway’s “cyborg” is, among other things, “an abstract metaphor… for rethinking the concept of the individual subject, particularly in the context of feminist theory.”
One of Bolton’s students protested that the teacher was reading far too much into the film. Days later, the class gathered to watch Innocence, Oshii’s sequel to Ghost in the Shell. Early on, Section 9 investigators Batou and Togusa interview a languid woman scientist about the natures of dolls and cyborgs. Her name? Haraway.
For Bolton, it was “...a gotcha moment I’ve never managed to surpass in the classroom.” He tucks the anecdote in a footnote and stresses that whether Oshii had Haraway in mind when he made the first Ghost isn’t the point. Bolton: “I think what matters is not what a director deliberately put into a film but whether a critic can extract an interesting and convincing interpretation that will then resonate for other viewers.” Continue Reading