Ghost Cat Anzu is an intriguing conceptualization for an animated film, existing in a realm similar to Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away yet also standing as its antithesis.
This French-Japanese co-production from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro is one of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time — in both good and bad ways. It’s good because of the innovative techniques and methods employed by directors Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, who take bold experimental leaps. However, it’s also bad because Shinji Imaoka’s script meanders for nearly an hour before reaching the film’s true core, demanding a lot of patience from the viewer without providing much substance in return.
The story begins with Karin (voiced by Noa Goto) and her father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) arriving at the Sousei-Ji temple, where her widowed grandfather resides.
This French-Japanese co-production from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro is one of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time — in both good and bad ways. It’s good because of the innovative techniques and methods employed by directors Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, who take bold experimental leaps. However, it’s also bad because Shinji Imaoka’s script meanders for nearly an hour before reaching the film’s true core, demanding a lot of patience from the viewer without providing much substance in return.
The story begins with Karin (voiced by Noa Goto) and her father Tetsuya (Munetaka Aoki) arriving at the Sousei-Ji temple, where her widowed grandfather resides.
- 5/21/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Thai production and sales company Gdh 559 has lined up a Cannes slate that includes a trio of directorial feature debuts ready for release this year, following the smash hit box office success of How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.
Boss Kuno’s The Paradise of Thorns is set in Thailand’s mountainous north and revolves around a gay couple who have built a life together on a durian orchard. When one of them dies suddenly, the other must fight to reclaim the fruits of his love and labour as they are not legally married.
The cast is headed...
Boss Kuno’s The Paradise of Thorns is set in Thailand’s mountainous north and revolves around a gay couple who have built a life together on a durian orchard. When one of them dies suddenly, the other must fight to reclaim the fruits of his love and labour as they are not legally married.
The cast is headed...
- 5/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Ghost Cat Anzu (known in Japan as Bakeneko Anzu-chan ), an upcoming Japanese and French theatrical anime film co-production, released a new trailer today alongside information on new cast, the official movie poster, and the official theme song performer. The film releases in Japanese theaters on July 19, 2024. Gkids, who executive produced the film, will also distribute the film in North America this year. The film will also host its world premiere at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival this month. The new cast members for Ghost Cat Anzu include: Tetsuya, Karin's Father voiced / motion-captured by Munetaka Aoki Yuzuki, Karin's Mother voiced / motion-captured by Miwako Ichikawa Osho-san, Anzu's Foster Parent voiced / motion-captured by Keiichi Suzuki (of Moonriders) The God of Poverty voiced / motion-captured by Shingo Mizusawa Tanuki voiced / motion-captured by Wataru Sawabe (of Skirt) Actors Mutsuo Yoshioka and Shohei Uno also appear in the film. Actor and musician Chiaki Sato...
- 5/7/2024
- by Paul Chapman
- Crunchyroll
Jessica Hausner with Anne-Katrin Titze on Sylvie Testud’s Christine, Léa Seydoux’s Maria, Bruno Todeschini’s Kuno, and Gilette Barbier’s Frau Hartl in Lourdes: “I was thinking about the story of Heidi [by Johanna Spyri].”
In the first installment with Jessica Hausner on three of her feature films before her latest, the bewitching Club Zero (European Film Award Best Original Score to Markus Binder), we start the conversation with Lourdes, costumes, as always, designed by Tanja Hausner, cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, sound design by Erik Mischijew, and production design by Katharina Wöppermann (Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari’s Women Without Men).
Kuno (Bruno Todeschini) with Christine (Sylvie Testud), Frau Hartl (Gilette Barbier) and Cécile (Elina Löwensohn)
Maria (Léa Seydoux), a newcomer to the...
In the first installment with Jessica Hausner on three of her feature films before her latest, the bewitching Club Zero (European Film Award Best Original Score to Markus Binder), we start the conversation with Lourdes, costumes, as always, designed by Tanja Hausner, cinematography by Martin Gschlacht, sound design by Erik Mischijew, and production design by Katharina Wöppermann (Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari’s Women Without Men).
Kuno (Bruno Todeschini) with Christine (Sylvie Testud), Frau Hartl (Gilette Barbier) and Cécile (Elina Löwensohn)
Maria (Léa Seydoux), a newcomer to the...
- 4/26/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The official website for the upcoming anime feature film adaptation of Takashi Imashiro's Ghost Cat Anzu ( Bakeneko Anzu-chan in Japan) manga confirmed today that the film will screen at the Directors’ Fortnight program in the 77th Cannes International Film Festival , set to be held from May 14 to 25, 2024. The "Directors' Fortnight" is a high-profile competition in which films that emphasize auteurism are selected, and is known as a gateway to success for world-class filmmakers, and it will be the film's world premiere screening ahead of its theatrical release in Japan on July 19, 2024. The film is co-produced by Japanese animation studio Shin-Ei Animation ( Doraemon ) and French studio Miyu Production, and is co-directed by Atsuhiro Yamashita — whose recent work is a live-action film adaptation of Yama Wayama's Karaoke Iko! comedy manga — and Yoko Kuno — who worked on the 2015 film The Case of Hana & Alice as rotoscope director. Yamashita posted his...
- 4/17/2024
- by Mikikazu Komatsu
- Crunchyroll
Maboroshi Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Junya Enoki, Reina Ueda, Misaki Kuno, Koji Seto, and Kento Hayashi.
Director: Mari Okada
Maboroshi Movie Review ( Photo Credit – Netflix Anime / YouTube )
What’s Good: The quality of the animation is quite impressive and proves that Mappa is just working at the peak of its abilities.
What’s Bad: The story never manages to set up characters and stakes in the proper way. Thus, when the climax arrives, it feels hollow.
Loo Break: The second act is a perfect loo break as the plot meanders between different characters and struggles to get to the point.
Watch or Not?: Watch only if you’re a Mappa fan.
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles).
Available On: Netflix
Runtime: 112 Minutes.
User Rating:
It is without question that Mappa is the most famous and most important studio in the anime medium, thanks to their many popular adaptations of famous manga,...
Star Cast: Junya Enoki, Reina Ueda, Misaki Kuno, Koji Seto, and Kento Hayashi.
Director: Mari Okada
Maboroshi Movie Review ( Photo Credit – Netflix Anime / YouTube )
What’s Good: The quality of the animation is quite impressive and proves that Mappa is just working at the peak of its abilities.
What’s Bad: The story never manages to set up characters and stakes in the proper way. Thus, when the climax arrives, it feels hollow.
Loo Break: The second act is a perfect loo break as the plot meanders between different characters and struggles to get to the point.
Watch or Not?: Watch only if you’re a Mappa fan.
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles).
Available On: Netflix
Runtime: 112 Minutes.
User Rating:
It is without question that Mappa is the most famous and most important studio in the anime medium, thanks to their many popular adaptations of famous manga,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Nelson Acosta
- KoiMoi
Specialty distributor Gkids has picked up North American rights to directors Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s upcoming animated feature “Ghost Cat Anzu,” while Paris-based Charades has boarded the project for international sales.
Spearheaded by Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, and adapted from a manga by Takashi Imashiro, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
The project will screen as a work-in-progress presentation at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival, and is slated for release in 2024.
“From the moment we saw the first drawings and read the script, we knew we needed to be attached and help get this film into the world,” says Gkids director Eric Beckman. “We are huge fans of Yoku Kuno’s animation, of Shin-Ei, and...
Spearheaded by Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, and adapted from a manga by Takashi Imashiro, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
The project will screen as a work-in-progress presentation at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival, and is slated for release in 2024.
“From the moment we saw the first drawings and read the script, we knew we needed to be attached and help get this film into the world,” says Gkids director Eric Beckman. “We are huge fans of Yoku Kuno’s animation, of Shin-Ei, and...
- 6/12/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Previously in A Small Light, episode 7, Gestapo officers stormed the office building of Opekta, holding Miep and the others at gunpoint. One of the Gestapo officers suspected the bookshelf was a door to a secret annex, leading to the Franks’ capture. Opekta’s manager, Mr. Kuglar, and another employee named Kleiman were detained, but they begged Miep to be released. Miep attempted to bribe a Viennese Gestapo officer but failed to secure the release of the Jews. The Franks and others were captured and taken away by the Nazis. Jan worried for Miep’s safety, and Kuno left their house. Miep and Jan devised a plan to bribe the Nazis with money to secure the release of the Franks, Pels, and Pfeffer.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was There No Food In Amsterdam?
The final episode of A Small Light begins with Miep going to the Nazi council to negotiate for the...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was There No Food In Amsterdam?
The final episode of A Small Light begins with Miep going to the Nazi council to negotiate for the...
- 5/23/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
Previously in A Small Light, Jan’s secret involvement with the resistance was exposed to Miep by her brother, Cas. Miep’s fears grew when she learned that Jan was supposed to participate in a dangerous bombing mission. However, Jan decided not to go through with it, to Miep’s relief. Meanwhile, the attack was successfully carried out, but Willem Arondeus along with the attackers were captured and given a death sentence. However, Miep and Jan started to feel that the Franks and the other families in the annex were no longer safe there. With lists of Jewish hideouts in the hands of the Nazis and increased surveillance, they realized it was necessary to move them. As news of the Allies’ landing reached the annex, bringing hope for liberation, Miep faced a terrifying encounter. A Nazi officer held her at gunpoint, creating a sense of impending danger.
Spoilers Ahead
How...
Spoilers Ahead
How...
- 5/23/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
In A Small Light Episode 5, Jan’s secret involvement in the resistance was no longer hidden from Miep. Miep’s brother, Cas, happened to be at a homosexual bar where the Resistance fighters gathered. He informed Miep that he had seen Jan there, talking to members of the resistance party. Miep was filled with fear upon learning that her husband would be participating in the upcoming bombing plan at the civil registry office, which would undoubtedly lead to the deaths of these fighters. However, Jan chose to back off from participating in the attack at the request of Willem Arondeus. This decision brought great relief to Miep, who eventually found her husband alive and well. Despite Jan’s absence, the attack on the civil registry office was successfully orchestrated. Unfortunately, Arondeus and the other attackers were apprehended and subsequently sentenced to death.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened To Kuno?
A Small...
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened To Kuno?
A Small...
- 5/17/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
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