Amanchu!
By Andrew Osmond.
Amanchu! is a portrait of female friendship; or, if you prefer, it’s one of the sub-genre of anime depicting “cute girls doing cute things.” It should be said that the first category of anime doesn’t collapse into the second, even if anime fans sometimes speak as if it does. You can like Amanchu! for its portrait of friendship, irrespective of how you feel about anime girls or cuteness. In recent years, we’ve had films like When Marnie was There and The Case of Hana and Alice, both fond portraits of girls bonding, which play down the cute – dare we say moe – factor. Continue Reading
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
By Jonathan Clements.
Mars is under siege! Just before Halloween 2071, a terrorist bomb destroys a tanker truck on Highway One, close to a densely-populated crater city. There are casualties up to half a mile from the blast – 500 killed or injured by what appears to be a biochemical weapon. The reward for the bomber’s capture is a massive 300,000,000 woolongs… and there are four humans and a dog that really need the money. Down on their luck as usual, the crew of the Bebop freighter get on the case.
Set in a universe that is partly inspired by 1970s blaxploitation, and partly inspired by Bruce Lee movies, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie takes place in a future solar system crisscrossed by teleporter freeways. Its look is deliberately designed to recall the pulpy quick-fixes of hack science fiction, with rockets stuck on big-rig trucks, and religious cults stuck in orbit to give them a sci-fi tweak. Continue Reading
[UNBOXING] Sound! Euphonium Season 1
It's a wet and windy Glasgow day here, so you know what would cheer us (and hopefully you) up? A good ol'-fashioned unboxing, that's what! In fact, this is one unboxing we're particularly excited about, as after a long and storied history with the title we're finally, finally releasing the first season of Kyoto Animation's magnificent Sound! Euphonium in Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray form.
Now, you'd be forgiven for not believing us until you see the finished product for yourself, but that's exactly why we're here, so let's give you a quick recap to remind you of what the show is all about, before we dig right in to take a look at our Collector's Edition offering prior to its official release on Monday, 24th September!
ABOUT "SOUND! EUPHONIUM"
Synopsis: "After the disappointment of defeat in a major competition during her final year in middle school, brass band music has lost its lustre for Kumiko as she enters high school. Despite vowing to leave music behind and make a fresh start, peer pressure from her new-found friends sees Kumiko once again taking up the Euphonium for Kitauji High School’s band club.
With an ambitious new club advisor at their helm the pressure is on for the club to qualify for the national tournament, but this lofty goal only serves to highlight the fractured relationships between cliques within the group’s existing members. As Kumiko struggles to make sense of this unrest, her attention is inexorably drawn towards former classmate and current club mate, the enigmatic Reina.
Love, friendship and rivalry collide against a musical backdrop as Kumiko searches for a passion or purpose to define her, in this stunning series from Kyoto Animation."
Check out a trailer for the series below:
WHAT’S INSIDE? WHAT’S ON THE DISCS?
Our Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray set comes with an O-card sleeve, within which you'll find a rigid case sporting a spot UV finish throughout to make the characters adorning it really stand out. Inside that case you'll find a two-tray Digipak pack to hold the pair of Blu-ray discs housing the series, and a 52-page book featuring a host of characters, designs, settings and artwork from the series - more on that later!
On the discs themselves you get -
- The complete first series of Sound! Euphonium, plus the additional bonus OVA episode (aka Episode 14). The series is presented in Japanese with English subtitles only.
- On-disc extras consist of Clean Opening and Closing Title Sequences, and also a full set of seven bonus shorts to accompany the series.
WHERE CAN I ORDER IT?
If you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet, then fear not! You can still order your copy right now from the following retailers:
Order at Amazon
Order at Zavvi
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-on-Line
Order at AllTheAnime
As noted, our Collector's Edition is officially released on Monday, September 24th, so there isn't long to go until it reaches retail shelves.
WHAT DOES THE FINISHED PRODUCT LOOK LIKE?
Now that we're all in tune and singing from the same song sheet, let's purse our lips and get ready to dig into this beautiful Sound! Euphonium Collector's Edition.
Continue Reading
“The Works of Mamoru Hosoda” comes to London this October. Exhibition runs for one week only from 13th-20th October.
This post was updated on 11th October 2018 to add the following information:
- What to expect at the exhibition
- Details of the Special 'Works of Mamoru Hosoda' Gift Shop
A couple of weeks ago, we revealed the exciting news that Mamoru Hosoda's forthcoming film Mirai would be receiving its UK premiere at the London Film Festival, where it would head up the prestigious Family Gala for the festival with screenings on Saturday 13th (which has now sold out) and Sunday 14th of October - you can read more details regarding that on this page of our blog.
As part of that announcement, we also promised more exciting news relating to Mamoru Hosoda, and so today we're thrilled to announce something very special indeed - the first of its kind in the UK, no less!
From Saturday 13th October through to Saturday 20th October 2018, we'll be bringing an exhibition of The Works of Mamoru Hosoda to London, showcasing this incredibly talented auteur's work across all of his well-known films - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast and, of course, Mirai. From artwork and storyboards through to fun interactive elements, there's something for everyone at the exhibition whether you're an anime fan interested in the production process or a family looking to explore the imaginative, enchanting worlds crafted by this renowned director.
Entry to the event, located just a very short walk from Oxford Circus tube station, is absolutely free, and the exhibition will of course include a gift shop offering up exclusive merchandise covering all of the director's major films - whether it's something for yourself or a loved one, we'll have you covered.
For all of the specific details, read on below:
"THE WORKS OF MAMORU HOSODA" EXHIBITION
Anime Limited and Noho Studios are partnering to bring an immersive and interactive visual event experience of the beautiful hit films of iconic Japanese anime director Mamoru Hosoda to the West End of London.
The first such exhibition dedicated to an anime director to ever come to the UK, for one week only, from Saturday 13th October until Saturday 20th October, walk through the creative wonders that made the beloved worlds and characters of Mamoru Hosoda’s films from “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, up until the present day with “Mirai”, which made history as the first Japanese anime film to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The exhibition will also feature a shop, where visitors can purchase merchandise that is to be made available for the first time in the UK. Entry to the event is free.
When? The exhibition runs from Saturday 13th October 2018 to Saturday 20th October 2018. Daily opening hours for the event are 10AM until 6PM.
Where? You'll be able to find the exhibition at the following address: Noho Studios, 46 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7PZ. The venue is located just two minutes walk from Oxford Circus London Underground station.
“Mamoru Hosoda has had a huge impact in the UK ever since The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - we’re very honoured to be hosting the first exhibition of this kind to showcase his work to date. There's no better time to explore the works of this incredibly talented director, when Mirai has been welcomed as the Gala film for Family at the BFI London Film Festival.” said Andrew Partridge, President of Anime Limited.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE EXHIBITION!
We don't want to give everything away on what you can expect, but at the same time we want to give a teaser of what you can look forward to. At the exhibition itself you are going to have the opportunity to see a variety of exhibits and experiences relating to Mamoru Hosoda's works that have never been on display outside of Japan before and there's something for people of all ages to enjoy! So here's a little preview of a few things that will be inside the exhibition:
If you're a fan of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, you'll have the chance to have a photo with a life size statue of Chiaki from the film. Hot off the heel of the UK Premiere of the film at the London Film Festival, you'll be able to see storyboards from his latest film, Mirai, in the form of a chandelier. Nope, not even joking when I write that. You'll have to come along and see for yourself.
Did you love the virtual avatar filled world of Oz in Summer Wars? You can become part of that world through special augmented reality technology and you'll even be able to have something to share with friends and family members to show off after the fact! If you enjoyed the antics of young Ame and Yuki in Wolf Children you'll even be able to become part of the film itself with a special photo opportunity where you become part of a scene from the film.
But that's not all as we'll even have a special gift shop too!
SPECIAL 'WORKS OF MAMORU HOSODA' GIFT SHOP
We're delighted to say that we're going to have a selection of official merchandise directly from Japan based on a variety of works by Mamoru Hosoda available in a gift shop that you will find within the exhibition. You'll be able to get your hands on framed posters, mugs and glasses, stamps, notebooks, towels, stickers, pouches, pass holders, folder files, phone charms, even a set of Mamoru Hosoda Animation Works Playing Cards!
Products on display in this image, from left to right: Summer Wars mug (top left), Wolf Children Clear File, Girl Who Leapt Through Time ink stamp, Summer Wars pencil case, Summer Wars rubber strap charms. | Boy and the Beast notebook, set of playing cards, Wolf Children glass, Mirai clear file, Wolf Children towel.
The pictures you see here is of just some of the items we will have available; there's a variety of designs based on different films for various types of items. You'll need to come to the exhibition itself to see what else is available! And all items in the gift are only available while stock lasts. So once an item is gone, they are gone!
The gift shop will be open during opening hours of the exhibition itself - from Saturday 13th October 2018 to Saturday 20th October 2018. Daily opening hours for the event are 10AM until 6PM.
We hope you're as enthused as we are to see Mamoru Hosoda's work made available to explore in this new and exciting way, and we look forward to seeing you in London next month to wander through The Works of Mamoru Hosoda with your friends and family. It's an incredible opportunity never before seen in the UK, so make sure you don't miss it!
Finally, don't forget that you can still book tickets to Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Mirai, at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14th, or you can find it screening across the UK from Friday, 2nd November with tickets available on the official web site. The film also receives its Scottish premiere at Scotland Loves Anime 2018.
Until next time, take care!
~Andy H
©2006 TOKIKAKE Film Partners
©2009 SUMMERWARS FILM PARTNERS
©2012 ”WOLF CHILDREN” FILM PARTNERS
©2015 THE BOY AND THE BEAST FILM PARTNERS
©2018 STUDIO CHIZU
K: Missing Kings
By Meghan Ellis.
You might remember K Project as the best skateboarding anime that’s not actually about skateboarding. Or for its gratuitous use of stained glass backgrounds and chromatic phenomena. But since the series and its associated projects are an exploration of how to tell a story in colour, this indulgence is something we can forgive. K: Missing Kings is the next stage in the narrative, and it takes the animation quality that drove people to laud the power of sixty frames per second and gives it the movie budget treatment. Right from the start we’re treated to an explosion (literally) of lights, colours, and prismatic effects: this is what a studio flexing their muscles can do, and creators GoHands aren’t afraid to show it. Continue Reading