Anime is bigger than ever. With dedicated streaming services such as Crunchyroll enjoying a meteoric rise, rivals Netflix and Prime Video getting in on the action with their own dedicated selection, and even Disney – the arbiter of western animation – now boasting a growing number of exclusive anime series on Disney+, the availability and popularity of Japanese animation has never been greater.
Yet it's in film where anime has enjoyed the biggest boom, with the likes of Your Name and Miss Hokusai heralding a new era of excellence in animation, adding to a canon of definitive works such as Akira and My Neighbour Totoro. But with decades of brilliance to choose from, getting started on anime – or just choosing what to watch for movie night – can be daunting.
We've plucked out the best of the best to get you started, with a selection that highlights the medium's rich diversity of genres and styles,...
Yet it's in film where anime has enjoyed the biggest boom, with the likes of Your Name and Miss Hokusai heralding a new era of excellence in animation, adding to a canon of definitive works such as Akira and My Neighbour Totoro. But with decades of brilliance to choose from, getting started on anime – or just choosing what to watch for movie night – can be daunting.
We've plucked out the best of the best to get you started, with a selection that highlights the medium's rich diversity of genres and styles,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Matt Kamen
- Empire - Movies
A recent teaser trailer release for the upcoming anime series Zenshu, produced by Mappa studios, has sparked both anticipation and controversy within the anime community. The teaser for Zenshu, which is currently under production, offers a glimpse into the life of protagonist Natsuko Hirose, who embarks on a career as an animator.
While the premise of Zenshu has piqued the interest of many anime enthusiasts, Mappa studio being in charge of this original anime was pointed out as a huge irony.
The anime’s teaser reignited discussions about the working conditions within the anime industry, especially at Mappa, which faced scrutiny in recent months due to allegations of poor working conditions during the production of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2.
Many fans and industry observers have expressed skepticism and ridiculed Mappa’s decision to produce an anime centered around the animation industry, given the studio’s reputation for overworking its staff.
Some...
While the premise of Zenshu has piqued the interest of many anime enthusiasts, Mappa studio being in charge of this original anime was pointed out as a huge irony.
The anime’s teaser reignited discussions about the working conditions within the anime industry, especially at Mappa, which faced scrutiny in recent months due to allegations of poor working conditions during the production of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2.
Many fans and industry observers have expressed skepticism and ridiculed Mappa’s decision to produce an anime centered around the animation industry, given the studio’s reputation for overworking its staff.
Some...
- 3/25/2024
- by A.R. Madillo
- AnimeHunch
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron flies onto Max as the streamer extends its Studio Ghibli pact
Hayao Miyazaki’s cerebral fantasy film The Boy and the Heron is flying onto Max in the United States after winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar at this year’s awards ceremony. In addition to bringing Miyazaki’s latest breath-taking animated feature to the streaming platform, Warner Bros. Discovery is entering a multiyear pact with GKids to extend Max’s exclusive U.S. film streaming rights for Studio Ghibli.
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
- 3/12/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Howl's Moving Castle.I returned to the films of Hayao Miyazaki last year because the kids I nanny in Brooklyn—A, eight, and J, six—happened upon Studio Ghibli Fest while they were away over the summer in Upstate New York, visiting their grandparents in a town where they had spent the early pandemic. Of the two, J’s infatuation with Miyazki is least surprising: his interests include black holes, rare crystals, and mushrooms, especially the poisonous varieties. Through his eyes, I rediscovered Miyazaki, rewatching once-familiar films with a new attunement to their strangeness. In the process I was reminded of first meeting J, when he was four years old and still reeling from his family’s relocation from a house Upstate to their apartment in Brooklyn. He was particularly incensed about having to wear shoes, which I imagine crystallized the totality of the transformation: in that passage from grass to concrete,...
- 3/11/2024
- MUBI
After Hayao Miyazaki took three years to finish the initial storyboard for “The Boy and the Heron”, it became obvious that he needed help. With diminished stamina and failing eyesight, the legendary anime auteur was no longer able to control everything. So he invited Takeshi Honda (“Neon Genesis Evangelion”), the supervising animator on his hybrid CG/2D short “Boro the Caterpillar,” to join his upcoming feature.
Honda was flattered and told Miyazaki that he would think about it because he was already committed to “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” the franchise film finale. “But at that time, Miyazaki san said, ‘I don’t have time — there is no one in the Miyazaki family who is over 80 years old.’ I thought it was a big deal,” Honda told IndieWire over Zoom through an interpreter.
Honda couldn’t refuse Miyazaki (now 82) and proceeded to spend the next seven years on a journey of a lifetime,...
Honda was flattered and told Miyazaki that he would think about it because he was already committed to “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” the franchise film finale. “But at that time, Miyazaki san said, ‘I don’t have time — there is no one in the Miyazaki family who is over 80 years old.’ I thought it was a big deal,” Honda told IndieWire over Zoom through an interpreter.
Honda couldn’t refuse Miyazaki (now 82) and proceeded to spend the next seven years on a journey of a lifetime,...
- 12/28/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Hayao Miyazaki's first feature in 10 years crept into theaters with a bang. After many years of a wish-washy retirement, the 83-year old director of beloved Studio Ghibli titles like “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke” returned with his beautifully animated “The Boy and the Heron.” Notably, though the film appeared in Japanese theaters sans PR (a deliberate choice on Miyazaki's end), the movie has taken the world by storm. I personally have been hearing about it since the day of its premiere: first, friends reporting back on their summer Japan travels; then other journalists at TIFF; and finally, within vicinity, from neighbors and colleagues near me, as the film scoops the coveted No. 1 spot in the North American box office. With Gkids' North American release hitting the high of the holidays, it is almost no wonder that film critics have been tittering about “The Boy and the Heron's” potential...
- 12/21/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Plot: After his mother dies during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Traumatized by the death of his mother and struggling to accept his circumstances, Mahito finds himself lured into a fantasy world out of time and space by an antagonistic grey Heron (Masaki Suda). As Mahito struggles to make sense of the new macrocosm, he ends a vicious cycle of generational trauma, ultimately making peace with his new surroundings by accepting the winds of change.
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Following the arrival of Godzilla Minus One in theaters, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli‘s latest masterstroke, The Boy and the Heron, is already flying high at the December box office! Analysts say The Boy and the Heron could soar to the number one spot this weekend after earning $2.39M in Thursday previews, with a chance to collect $10M+ over the next few days.
This trend is an excellent look for films stomping out of Japan and into domestic theaters. Godzilla Minus One roared last weekend with $2.1M in previews before going nuclear with $4.7M on Friday and a 3-day total of $11.4M across 2,308 theaters. Meanwhile, The Boy and the Heron opened on 1,774 screens across the United States and Canada, expanding to 2,205 markets this weekend.
Here’s a plot synopsis for The Boy and the Heron. If you want to go into the film blind, do not read it!
After...
This trend is an excellent look for films stomping out of Japan and into domestic theaters. Godzilla Minus One roared last weekend with $2.1M in previews before going nuclear with $4.7M on Friday and a 3-day total of $11.4M across 2,308 theaters. Meanwhile, The Boy and the Heron opened on 1,774 screens across the United States and Canada, expanding to 2,205 markets this weekend.
Here’s a plot synopsis for The Boy and the Heron. If you want to go into the film blind, do not read it!
After...
- 12/8/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
This article contains major spoilers for "The Boy and the Heron."
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest animation auteurs of all time. He is the man who helped revolutionize anime in Japan and made the only Japanese anime that has won an Oscar. He is arguably the best-known name in animation outside of Walt Disney himself. Miyazaki is also a man who loves to threaten audiences with retirement. He first announced his retirement in 1997 after "Princess Mononoke." He did it again after "Spirited Away" in 2003. Then again in 2013 after "The Wind Rises." Yet here we are, in 2023, with Miyazaki saying that he is actually not retiring with his latest movie.
That latest (but not last) movie is "The Boy and the Heron," a movie that has undergone some changes (more on that later) in its story and also a big change in title for its international release. The film...
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest animation auteurs of all time. He is the man who helped revolutionize anime in Japan and made the only Japanese anime that has won an Oscar. He is arguably the best-known name in animation outside of Walt Disney himself. Miyazaki is also a man who loves to threaten audiences with retirement. He first announced his retirement in 1997 after "Princess Mononoke." He did it again after "Spirited Away" in 2003. Then again in 2013 after "The Wind Rises." Yet here we are, in 2023, with Miyazaki saying that he is actually not retiring with his latest movie.
That latest (but not last) movie is "The Boy and the Heron," a movie that has undergone some changes (more on that later) in its story and also a big change in title for its international release. The film...
- 12/8/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The work of animation master Hayao Miyazaki is lined with many recognizable themes across decades. His pacifism as derived from the horrors of World War II, his fierce defense of the natural world against the onslaught of man-made structures, and his tight balance between the grotesque and the whimsical are all familiar to fans of Studio Ghibli as a whole as well as films such as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Princess Mononoke," "Spirited Away," and "The Wind Rises." That latter film, released for Oscars consideration in 2013 by Walt Disney Pictures, was once intended to be Miyazaki's final film before retirement. But you can't keep a god-level filmmaker down, thankfully, and so a decade later, we have Miyazaki's latest film, "The Boy and the Heron." If you know Miyazaki's work even on a surface level, you'll see how "The Boy and the Heron" plays with familiar tropes. But just as unsurprising, you'll be met with a wonderful,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Josh Spiegel
- Slash Film
“The Boy and the Heron” marks the 14th collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi. But even after almost four decades of working together, the animator and the composer are finding new ways to create new sounds. “The Boy and The Heron” is the story of Mahito (Soma Santoki), a young man who leaves the firebombing of Tokyo for the Japanese countryside in World War II, and then ends up guided by the titular Heron (Masaki Suda) to a completely different place in order to rescue his stepmother Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) from the clutches of otherworldly forces. And also a lot of birds.
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
When Hayao Miyazaki pitched “The Boy and the Heron” to Studio Ghibli co-founder/producer Toshio Suzuki in 2016, he asked permission to make the story about himself. This took Suzuki — his friend of nearly 40 years at the time — by surprise; the legendary anime director isn’t known for getting so personal. And yet this aligned perfectly with the notion that Ghibli films are devoted to reliving memories.
“I agree that it is Miyazaki’s most personal film because he actually told me,” Suzuki told IndieWire over Zoom through an interpreter. Not only is “The Boy and the Heron” inspired by Miyazaki’s childhood (he endured the firebombing of Japan during World War II and his father was director of the family’s aircraft manufacturing factory), but also his career at Ghibli with his two closest friends: the late studio co-founder/director Isao Takahata (“Grave of the Fireflies”) and Suzuki.
“Miyazaki is...
“I agree that it is Miyazaki’s most personal film because he actually told me,” Suzuki told IndieWire over Zoom through an interpreter. Not only is “The Boy and the Heron” inspired by Miyazaki’s childhood (he endured the firebombing of Japan during World War II and his father was director of the family’s aircraft manufacturing factory), but also his career at Ghibli with his two closest friends: the late studio co-founder/director Isao Takahata (“Grave of the Fireflies”) and Suzuki.
“Miyazaki is...
- 11/22/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
If you ever want to stir up a heated debate among anime lovers, then there’s no quicker way than a very simple three-word question: “Subs or dubs?” Purists tend to swear by subtitles, whilst mainstream moviegoers often appreciate the convenience and accessibility of a solid English-language dub. Anything that gets more people watching Japanese animation can surely only be a good thing – and frankly, when you see the star-studded English-language voice cast assembled for :a[Studio Ghibli]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/studio-ghibli-every-movie-ranked/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}’s upcoming :a[The Boy And The Heron]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/the-boy-and-the-heron-first-trailer-for-hayao-miyazakis-new-studio-ghibli-film/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}, you’ll want to check the dub out, whichever side of the fence you sit on.
Announced by North American distributor Gkids yesterday, the occasion of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest – :a[and potentially last]{href='https://www.empireonline.com...
Announced by North American distributor Gkids yesterday, the occasion of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest – :a[and potentially last]{href='https://www.empireonline.com...
- 10/18/2023
- by Jordan King
- Empire - Movies
Indie producer and distributor Gkids has revealed the English voice cast for Hayao Miyazaki’s anticipated hand-drawn animated feature The Boy and the Heron.
The cast includes Christian Bale (Shoichi Maki), Dave Bautista (the Parakeet King), Gemma Chan (Natsuko), Willem Dafoe (Noble Pelican), Karen Fukuhara (Lady Himi), Mark Hamill (Grand Uncle), Robert Pattinson (The Grey Heron) and Florence Pugh (Kiriko). Luca Padovan joins the cast as protagonist Mahito Maki, with Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori and Dan Stevens featured as the Parakeets.
Gkids handled casting and produced the English version in close consultation with Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. Slated for a North American release Dec. 8 in both the original Japanese and English-language versions, the film is an original semi-autobiographical story and Oscar winner Miyazaki’s first feature film in a decade.
The Boy and the Heron was a hit when it opened July 14 in Japan. It made its international premiere as...
The cast includes Christian Bale (Shoichi Maki), Dave Bautista (the Parakeet King), Gemma Chan (Natsuko), Willem Dafoe (Noble Pelican), Karen Fukuhara (Lady Himi), Mark Hamill (Grand Uncle), Robert Pattinson (The Grey Heron) and Florence Pugh (Kiriko). Luca Padovan joins the cast as protagonist Mahito Maki, with Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori and Dan Stevens featured as the Parakeets.
Gkids handled casting and produced the English version in close consultation with Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. Slated for a North American release Dec. 8 in both the original Japanese and English-language versions, the film is an original semi-autobiographical story and Oscar winner Miyazaki’s first feature film in a decade.
The Boy and the Heron was a hit when it opened July 14 in Japan. It made its international premiere as...
- 10/17/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” is getting an A-list cast for the English release.
After premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the Studio Ghibli animated film opens in the U.S. December 8. The English-language dubbed version of the film will feature the voices of Willem Dafoe, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, and Robert Pattinson, among other stars.
The film follows a young boy (Luca Padovan) who struggles with the loss of his mother while his father (Bale) remarries. A mystical Gray Heron (Pattinson) gives the boy spiritual guidance with his grief.
The official cast list has Bale voicing Shoichi Maki; Gemma Chan as stepmother Natsuko; Willem Dafoe as the Noble Pelican; Mark Hamill as Granduncle; Florence Pugh as Kiriko; Karen Fukuara as Lady Himi; and Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King.
Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens are also featured as the Parakeets.
“The Boy and the Heron...
After premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the Studio Ghibli animated film opens in the U.S. December 8. The English-language dubbed version of the film will feature the voices of Willem Dafoe, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, and Robert Pattinson, among other stars.
The film follows a young boy (Luca Padovan) who struggles with the loss of his mother while his father (Bale) remarries. A mystical Gray Heron (Pattinson) gives the boy spiritual guidance with his grief.
The official cast list has Bale voicing Shoichi Maki; Gemma Chan as stepmother Natsuko; Willem Dafoe as the Noble Pelican; Mark Hamill as Granduncle; Florence Pugh as Kiriko; Karen Fukuara as Lady Himi; and Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King.
Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens are also featured as the Parakeets.
“The Boy and the Heron...
- 10/17/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Plot: After his mother is killed during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to go live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Deeply scarred by the death of his mother and unable to accept his aunt, he finds himself distracted by a trouble-making grey Heron (Masaki Suda) who eventually whisks him into an alternate world of fantasy and danger that is tied to his ancestors.
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
There are those who were confused upon reading the announcement that the Toronto International Film Festival would kick off its 48th edition with The Boy and the Heron, from the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. And then there are those who heard that this latest — and possibly the last — movie made by this 82-year-old artist would be TIFF’s opening-night selection, and understood exactly why this was the correct choice. While animation is still viewed as inferior to live-action in many quarters, by people who should know better — or dismissed as...
- 9/8/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Late in the freewheeling action of The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka), the director’s young stand-in returns to the realm of the living after encountering an ancestor who gives him a handful of stones, instructing him to build a tower with them every three days to create a world of beauty and balance, free from malice. That’s as apt a summation as any of what 82-year-old anime master Hayao Miyazaki has been doing throughout his celebrated six-decade career as a consummate artist and a storyteller of unfettered imagination.
Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years follows 2013’s The Wind Rises, a project that was announced at the time as the legendary animator’s farewell. That film’s elegiac tone and inspiring themes of molding dreams into reality and choosing creation over violence and destruction made it a fitting swan song.
But Miyazaki clearly was not done weaving his phantasmagorical worlds.
Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years follows 2013’s The Wind Rises, a project that was announced at the time as the legendary animator’s farewell. That film’s elegiac tone and inspiring themes of molding dreams into reality and choosing creation over violence and destruction made it a fitting swan song.
But Miyazaki clearly was not done weaving his phantasmagorical worlds.
- 9/8/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
More often than not, Hayao Miyazaki’s heroes have been young women — from Ponyo to Princess Mononoke, mischief-seeking Kiki to the two sisters spirited away by furry forest guardians in “My Neighbor Totoro.” That’s the most obvious departure the anime maestro’s fans will notice in “The Boy and the Heron”: It’s about a boy, Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki), grieving the loss of his mother during wartime. He’s surrounded by women, but this quest falls on the shoulders of a character who’s reportedly closer to Miyazaki than any of his previous protagonists.
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
- 9/8/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
When Guillermo de Toro reminded the world that animation isn’t merely “a genre for kids but a medium for art” in his Oscars and BAFTA acceptance speeches as he won awards for his “Pinocchio” last year, he probably wasn’t thinking only of his own animated movie, or that of a specific filmmaker. But it’s a spot-on assertion for any Hayao Miyazaki picture — most recently, his beautiful, mournful and ultimately hope-filled “The Boy and The Heron.”
This is the Japanese master’s first feature film in 10 years — his last was 2013’s elegiac “The Wind Rises,” a title that was supposed to be Miyazaki’s official retirement from filmmaking. But you can’t stop an artist’s natural craving for making art any more than you can halt your instinctual need for air.
Thus, we’re graced with the existence of “The Boy and The Heron,” a kaleidoscopic and reflective rumination on life,...
This is the Japanese master’s first feature film in 10 years — his last was 2013’s elegiac “The Wind Rises,” a title that was supposed to be Miyazaki’s official retirement from filmmaking. But you can’t stop an artist’s natural craving for making art any more than you can halt your instinctual need for air.
Thus, we’re graced with the existence of “The Boy and The Heron,” a kaleidoscopic and reflective rumination on life,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
In cinema, few names are as iconic as Hayao Miyazaki, and his latest adventure carries the weight of expectation. Drawing inspiration from the mysticism of Japanese folklore and grounded in the pain of personal loss, The Boy and the Heron, which opened the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, is a visual spectacle that rekindles the art of 2D animation in an era dominated by the digital.
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
- 9/8/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Fans of animation (and cinema as a whole) were delighted in 2016 when Hayao Miyazaki announced that he was delaying his long-planned retirement yet again to work on another feature film, “The Boy and the Heron.” Seven years later, the wait to see the legendary auteur’s latest work is almost over — the film is already playing in theaters in Japan, and it’s set to open the Toronto International Film Festival before launching an American theatrical run later this year. But American audiences have had few opportunities to learn about the film, as Studio Ghibli took the unorthodox step of rolling it out in Japan without releasing trailers, images, or synopses.
The strategy is a testament to Miyazaki’s pedigree and ability to attract an audience regardless of his film’s subject matter. It also demonstrates Studio Ghibli’s commitment to offering audiences a pure theatrical experience by allowing Miyazaki...
The strategy is a testament to Miyazaki’s pedigree and ability to attract an audience regardless of his film’s subject matter. It also demonstrates Studio Ghibli’s commitment to offering audiences a pure theatrical experience by allowing Miyazaki...
- 8/19/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
by Siria Fallleroni
After his first feature film “Afternoon Breezes” (1980), Hitoshi Yazaki directed “March Comes in Like a Lion” (1991), a cruel but visually stunning fable regarding the visceral relationship between siblings. Although the title is the same as the award-winning manga “March comes in like a lion”, written and illustrated by Chika Umino, the two works are poles apart. “Afternoon Breezes” depicted the main character's repressed homosexuality, showing how her crush on roommate Mitsu slowly evolves into an obsession, while his second feature revolves around the sensitive theme of incest.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The preamble of the story is extremely straightforward as well as puzzling: “There was a boy and his sister. The girl adored her brother and hoped to one day be his lover. One day, the boy lost his memory, the girl decided to be his lover until he regained...
After his first feature film “Afternoon Breezes” (1980), Hitoshi Yazaki directed “March Comes in Like a Lion” (1991), a cruel but visually stunning fable regarding the visceral relationship between siblings. Although the title is the same as the award-winning manga “March comes in like a lion”, written and illustrated by Chika Umino, the two works are poles apart. “Afternoon Breezes” depicted the main character's repressed homosexuality, showing how her crush on roommate Mitsu slowly evolves into an obsession, while his second feature revolves around the sensitive theme of incest.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The preamble of the story is extremely straightforward as well as puzzling: “There was a boy and his sister. The girl adored her brother and hoped to one day be his lover. One day, the boy lost his memory, the girl decided to be his lover until he regained...
- 3/30/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The original practice of the 88 Temples pilgrimage (henro) was established in the Heinan period of Japanese history (on the border of the Early and the Developed Middle Ages in European terms) and it takes places on the island of Shikoku. However, the tradition has been passed to the different Japanese regions which have their own pilgrimage routes, and some of them are direct, scaled-down (distance-wise) imitations of the original route. One of them, in and near the town of Kojima, is the setting of Koichi Kawata’s drama film “Stonesteps” (“Ishidan” in the original language) that enjoys an international and festival premiere at Japan Film Fest Hamburg.
Stonesteps is screening at Japan Filmfest Hamburg
The film is set around two characters and their unlikely friendship. Natsuki is a troublesome teenage girl who has a dream of becoming a famous pop singer, but has fallen in with a wrong crowd at school,...
Stonesteps is screening at Japan Filmfest Hamburg
The film is set around two characters and their unlikely friendship. Natsuki is a troublesome teenage girl who has a dream of becoming a famous pop singer, but has fallen in with a wrong crowd at school,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
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