Books: Leiji Matsumoto. The creator of Harlock, Space Cruiser Yamato and Galaxy Express 999.
By Jonathan Clements.
For all the passion and excitement that the contributors bring to the new collection Leiji Matsumoto: Essays on the Anime and Manga Legend, their subject can be a tough sell. That’s not to say that he isn’t one of the top creators in the anime and manga world, and a hugely influential figure in the 1960s and 1970s. An English-language book on his life and work is, as editors Helen McCarthy and Darren-Jon Ashmore note, long overdue, and several of the essays in this volume make clear just how big a deal he really is.
Japan Foundation Film Tour 2021. Lockdown luxury: this year's Japan Foundation film tour is online, and free..
By Jasper Sharp.
The ongoing Coronavirus crisis may have disrupted many aspects of the cultural calendar, but it is heartening to report that one the Japan Foundation UK Touring Film Programme is still pushing ahead. Its 18-film line-up for 2021 is organised under the theme “This is My Place: Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.”
Violet Evergarden Home Video Release Update
(This was published on 22nd January 2021)
This is a brief update on the status of our Violet Evergarden release - which has been delayed while we looked into video quality issues that were brought our attention late last year; just before Christmas.
WHAT'S THE LATEST UPDATE?
Ghost Memories. Satoshi Kon on Millennium Actress.
By Andrew Osmond.
“The story of a legendary actress talking about her life. Confusion clouds her memory and her old roles come into play to create an eventful tale.”
According to the official Japanese tie-in book to Millennium Actress, Chiyoko Millennial Actress, from which much of the information below is taken, this was the original idea, in a short memo, for a possible Satoshi Kon project called Ghost Memory. It was not meant to be Kon’s next anime after Perfect Blue. Working with Madhouse studio producer Masao Maruyama and the co-producer Taro Maki from Genco, Kon developed a different project along similar lines to Perfect Blue, fusing reality and fantasy.
The Gundam Timeline Tangle. Making sense of mobile suits....
By Andrew Osmond.
The beginning of 2021 sees Anime Limited release the film Gundam NT and the second half of the series Turn A Gundam. These anime were made nearly two decades apart, but they have similar agendas. Both set out to consolidate the complex Gundam franchise, but in drastically different ways. So, it’s a good time to dive into the gnarly issues of how the Gundam franchise fits together: its multiple calendars, its recurring stories, its conflicting timelines and timescales.