Japan 492
Studio Khara’s Japan Animator Expo
By Andy Hanley I’m sure we all have moments when we cast a cynical eye over the ceaseless light novel adaptations, sequels and the like which dominate every new season of TV anime, sigh wistfully and ask “where has all the creativity gone?” Thankfully, there are still places where an animator or director can turn […]
Giovanni’s Island and the Galactic Railroad
By Andrew Osmond Giovanni’s Island is a blend of history, fiction and fantasy. The main story is about two young brothers, and what happens to them when their home, an island to the north of mainland Japan, is occupied by Russians at the end of World War II. But mixed into the drama are the […]
Space Dandy’s Names to Watch
By Andrew Osmond What’s it like to be a commercial animator? Take a furious, crazy-seeming animation like Space Dandy – can the experience of making it ever resemble that of watching it? Most times, probably not. Don’t trust those jolly ‘making-ofs.’ We know commercial animation can be a soul-destroying production-line, as in the “Banksy” opening […]
The Making of Giovanni’s Island
By Andrew Osmond Giovanni’s Island is a story of cultures meeting, a meeting caused by war, accompanied by hardship, and yet also a source of new friendships, communities and love. It starts in 1945, as the inhabitants of a small Japanese island hear a radio broadcast of Emperor Hirohito, announcing their nation’s surrender. Soon Soviet […]
Durarara!! Music: OKAMOTO’S
By Anthony Thomas Durarara!! series one followed the crazy misadventures that can be found in the back streets of Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district (from kidnapping gangs to headless bikers!). Series two, entitled Durarara!! x 2 Shou, takes place six months after all that madness, and sees things return to relative normality. But things can only remain […]