Japan 449
Sound! Euphonium
By Andrew Osmond. Sound! Euphonium might be subtitled This is not K-On!, and not just as a joke. This series really isn’t another K-On!, though the parallels are obvious. Both shows focus on schoolgirls in music clubs; both were animated by the feted Kyoto Animation with the same broad “look” and palette, and they share […]
Once Upon a Time… Life
By Raz Greenberg. Based on Akane Shimizu’s original manga, David Production’s Cells at Work! quickly became one of the highlights of the current anime season, especially due to its innovative concept: portraying the cells within the human body as anthropomorphised characters, with a particular emphasis given to the daring deliveries of oxygen by the red […]
Twin Star Exorcists
By Andrew Osmond. As anime fans have probably guessed, the “real” world is a thin veneer over a realm of horrid demon monsters ready to gobble us up. Our only protectors are exorcists who go into daily battle on our behalf, wielding spells and charms as their armour. Twin Star Exorcists focuses on a young […]
Books: Pencil Wars
By Motoko Tamamuro. “I could not marry because of Hayao Miyazaki.” That is the provocative opening sentence picked out for Hitomi Tateno for her column in Neppu, Studio Ghibli’s in-house magazine. As ever, producer Toshio Suzuki was behind the scenes, suggesting things that would make the impact of her 27-year career memoir substantially punchier. But […]
Eureka Seven
By Andrew Osmond. In April 2005, Japanese viewers turning on their TVs on Sunday morning were greeted by a boy on a flying board, soaring above clouds and leaving a trail of green fire, set to exuberant music. Viewers of different generations could make a range of connections. Youngsters might have linked the image to […]