Anime is the cartoon version of Japanese Manga, or graphic novels. Whilst the artwork is extremely appealing it can be a bit daunting knowing what anime is a good place to start for a novice. Therefore an anime reviewer may be just the ticket.
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.
Tokyo based, Studio Ghibli is a great starting point for anime, as they produce Japanese style animation but catered for the Western audience. There are so many cute movies from this studio, including My Neighbour Totoro (1988), a personal favourite, which tells the story of two sisters Satsuki and Mei who move to a new house and are entertained by wood spirits, one of which, Totoro is a large, bear-type creature who you will wish was real.
More recently SG released Ponyo, (2008), a story about a cute goldfish, who desperately want to be a little girl. Her new friend, the young boy Sosuke, care for her and helps her on her quest. It is super-cute story with endearing animation.
However, never fear, it's not all cute and girly. A classic supernatural anime is the 37 episode series, Death Note. This was available on TV in 2006-7 and is now on DVD. We follow the adventures of over achieving student Light Yagami who discovers a supernatural notebook dropped by a Shinigami, a god of death. By writing a name in the book and a method of death in the book, Light is able to execute criminals as well as anyone else who gets in his way of creating a utopian world. This series inspired by manga book series, and has even resulted in a live-action movie.
Another on-going series is Ghost in the Shell, with a new instalment of GS Arise due in the Spring 2015. A complex franchise, Ghost in the Shell started as a Manga and was made into a movie in 1995, and then a television series, with the subtitle, Stand Alone Complex, in 2002, followed in 2013 with the Arise series which is ongoing. A further movie is to be released in 2015.
There is therefore a lot of catching up with this franchise. In one form or another the story-lines follow the work of Public Security Section 9, a specialised task force of police and military men. Each series or movie has a different crime to solve including corruption and cyber crime, and the inevitable complications.
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.
Tokyo based, Studio Ghibli is a great starting point for anime, as they produce Japanese style animation but catered for the Western audience. There are so many cute movies from this studio, including My Neighbour Totoro (1988), a personal favourite, which tells the story of two sisters Satsuki and Mei who move to a new house and are entertained by wood spirits, one of which, Totoro is a large, bear-type creature who you will wish was real.
More recently SG released Ponyo, (2008), a story about a cute goldfish, who desperately want to be a little girl. Her new friend, the young boy Sosuke, care for her and helps her on her quest. It is super-cute story with endearing animation.
However, never fear, it's not all cute and girly. A classic supernatural anime is the 37 episode series, Death Note. This was available on TV in 2006-7 and is now on DVD. We follow the adventures of over achieving student Light Yagami who discovers a supernatural notebook dropped by a Shinigami, a god of death. By writing a name in the book and a method of death in the book, Light is able to execute criminals as well as anyone else who gets in his way of creating a utopian world. This series inspired by manga book series, and has even resulted in a live-action movie.
Another on-going series is Ghost in the Shell, with a new instalment of GS Arise due in the Spring 2015. A complex franchise, Ghost in the Shell started as a Manga and was made into a movie in 1995, and then a television series, with the subtitle, Stand Alone Complex, in 2002, followed in 2013 with the Arise series which is ongoing. A further movie is to be released in 2015.
There is therefore a lot of catching up with this franchise. In one form or another the story-lines follow the work of Public Security Section 9, a specialised task force of police and military men. Each series or movie has a different crime to solve including corruption and cyber crime, and the inevitable complications.
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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