Anime is animated Japanese movies, which is often inspired by Manga, Japanese comic books enjoyed by adults and children. Anime and manga artwork is particularly appealing and draws many Westerners to the genre, but it is a little daunting as there is a lot to choose from. Therefore an anime reviewer may be the best place to stop first.
Anime is very popular at the moment as in the 2015 Oscar nominations, the Tokyo based Studio Ghibli's production of The Tale of Princess Kaguya has been put forward for best animation feature. Kaguya will be released in British cinemas in March 2015 and could be a great introduction to the genre. However, this studio is a little mainstream to the point where celebrities James Marsden and Lucy Liu are providing the voices for the characters.
Studio Ghibli is a good spring board for the anime novice, as producers of Japanese-style animation catered for a Western market. They have produced a number of movies which are all charming in their own way. A personal highpoint has to be My Neighbour Totoro released in 1988, which tells the post-war adventures of sisters Mei and Satsuki who after moving to their new home discover there are wood-sprites in their garden the leader of which is Totoro; a loveable creature we all wish was real. The theme tune is super-catchy as well, although this may not be seen as a plus.
In 2008 SG released the movie Ponyo; a tale about a cute goldfish, who wants to be a little girl. With the help of her young friend Sosuke, she has lots of adventures which are cute and highly amusing.
For those who want to avoid the super-cute may want to turn to a classic anime series; Death Note. This was a TV series in 2006-7 which follows Light Yagami, who when he encounters a Death Notebook belonging to a God of Death is able to kill people by simply writing their name. He starts a one man campaign to eliminate the world's criminals. Based on 12 manga books the series ran to 37 episodes.
Ghost in the Shell, is another hard-hitting crime series, which started as a graphic novel series. In 1995 a movie of the same name was produced, and then like Star Trek, a number of spin offs arose including Stand Alone Complex (2002) and Arise (2013). In 2015 there is another instalment of this latter spin-off.
If you are interested in this Ghost in the Shell franchise you have a backlog, so put a weekend by to get up to speed. In short, the story follows the police special unit, called the Public Security Section Nine, who are beset by cyber-criminals, corrupt officials and of course the complications all this brings.
For the British anime fan it can be tricky to be up to date with new releases, as only Ghibli movies end up on general release. There are of course websites such as www.wnimenewsnetwork.com which give the low-down of new films or series, but these are not always available in the UK until they are on DVD. However, even watching 2 or 3 year old anime is entertaining so don't fret too much.
Anime is very popular at the moment as in the 2015 Oscar nominations, the Tokyo based Studio Ghibli's production of The Tale of Princess Kaguya has been put forward for best animation feature. Kaguya will be released in British cinemas in March 2015 and could be a great introduction to the genre. However, this studio is a little mainstream to the point where celebrities James Marsden and Lucy Liu are providing the voices for the characters.
Studio Ghibli is a good spring board for the anime novice, as producers of Japanese-style animation catered for a Western market. They have produced a number of movies which are all charming in their own way. A personal highpoint has to be My Neighbour Totoro released in 1988, which tells the post-war adventures of sisters Mei and Satsuki who after moving to their new home discover there are wood-sprites in their garden the leader of which is Totoro; a loveable creature we all wish was real. The theme tune is super-catchy as well, although this may not be seen as a plus.
In 2008 SG released the movie Ponyo; a tale about a cute goldfish, who wants to be a little girl. With the help of her young friend Sosuke, she has lots of adventures which are cute and highly amusing.
For those who want to avoid the super-cute may want to turn to a classic anime series; Death Note. This was a TV series in 2006-7 which follows Light Yagami, who when he encounters a Death Notebook belonging to a God of Death is able to kill people by simply writing their name. He starts a one man campaign to eliminate the world's criminals. Based on 12 manga books the series ran to 37 episodes.
Ghost in the Shell, is another hard-hitting crime series, which started as a graphic novel series. In 1995 a movie of the same name was produced, and then like Star Trek, a number of spin offs arose including Stand Alone Complex (2002) and Arise (2013). In 2015 there is another instalment of this latter spin-off.
If you are interested in this Ghost in the Shell franchise you have a backlog, so put a weekend by to get up to speed. In short, the story follows the police special unit, called the Public Security Section Nine, who are beset by cyber-criminals, corrupt officials and of course the complications all this brings.
For the British anime fan it can be tricky to be up to date with new releases, as only Ghibli movies end up on general release. There are of course websites such as www.wnimenewsnetwork.com which give the low-down of new films or series, but these are not always available in the UK until they are on DVD. However, even watching 2 or 3 year old anime is entertaining so don't fret too much.
About the Author:
The Animerica website is a well respected anime reviewer site. To find out the latest happenings in anime, visit us on the Web today at http://www.animericashow.com.
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