Japan 408
Interview: Masaaki Yuasa
By Andrew Osmond. Masaaki Yuasa has made a cute kids’ movie – Lu Over the Wall, released in British cinemas on 6th December (and is coming to home video in 2018). However, that won’t stop us asking about metaphorical cartoon penises. If you’ve seen Yuasa’s more adult work, you may have encountered a certain cowboy […]
Erased and Re:Rewind
By Tom Smith. Nostalgia can be a beautiful thing. A blast of Tears for Fears, Backstreet Boys or The Undertones can instantly bring back memories of another time and its fashions or pop culture. It can be a big part of setting the scene and drawing in an audience for time travel stories or shows […]
Momotaro, Sacred Sailors
By Jasper Sharp. Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, a bizarre piece of wartime propaganda targeted at children, coming to UK Blu-ray over 70 years since its original theatrical release in April 1945. Sacred Sailors is a monumental work in the evolution of Japanese animation, and a testament to the dark days of modern history, funded by the […]
Wolf’s Rain
By Andrew Osmond. “There’s no such place as Paradise… but why am I so driven to find it?” asks one of four wolves, struggling to survive in a doomed, wintry human world. Despite their suspicions of each other, the four (later five) find themselves travelling together on a journey to open the gates of Paradise.
Maquia
By Jonathan Clements. Maquia doesn’t have any real problems. She weaves at her loom; she dyes the Hibiol cloth; she hangs the sheets to dry in the tall halls of her people, the elfin Iolf race. She’s not as assertive or brave as Leilia, the girl she idolises, but that probably explains why Leilia, not […]