Tag - anime

 
 

ANIME

People visit the "Dragon Ball Daimatsuri" event, to mark the 40th anniversary of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise, at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 20, 2024
Japan's manga powerhouse 'Dragon Ball' turns 40
The anniversary comes months after the death of series creator Akira Toriyama.
Sony already has a 2% stake in Kadokawa and a stake in Kadokawa subsidiary FromSoftware, the developer of Elden Ring.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 19, 2024
Sony in talks to buy media powerhouse behind Elden Ring, sources say
The talks between the two sides are ongoing and, if successful, a deal could be signed in the coming weeks.
An AI robot is cast into a wild environment and forced to adapt to her surroundings in “The Wild Robot.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 8, 2024
TIFF’s animation entries rediscovered the art of the fable at this year's festival
This year’s animated lineup championed nature, connection and simplicity through stories that revel in the beauty of coexistence.
Studio Ghibli’s “Kiki’s Delivery Service” draws inspiration from Sweden’s medieval town of Visby as well as Stockholm for its vibrant setting of Koriko, a fictional city where the film’s titular character decides to use her powers as a witch to benefit the inhabitants of her new home.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 27, 2024
The Swedish heart of Hayao Miyazaki's ‘Kiki's Delivery Service’
Inspiration for the 1989 Studio Ghibli classic is still very evident in Visby, a picturesque town that captivated the animator on his first trip abroad in 1971.
The RX-78F00/E Gundam model, standing approximately 17 meters tall and weighing about 49 tons, will be exhibited at the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2024
Full-size Gundam unveiled at Osaka Expo venue
Bandai Namco will launch related products including plastic models and action figures in conjunction with the display.
Toho's acquisition of GKIDS is a fresh push by Toho to strengthen its resources in animation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 16, 2024
Toho buys Ghibli animation distributor GKIDS to further overseas growth
The acquisition comes amid a surge in global popularity for Japanese entertainment and fits with Toho's multiyear growth strategy.
Nobuyo Oyama
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 11, 2024
Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
Oyama voiced the nation's beloved blue cat-robot in her own inimitable way from the time the show debuted in 1979 until 2005.
“Patlabor: The Movie” keeps the fun and irreverence of the small-screen series while adding a more contemplative touch.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 20, 2024
At 35, ‘Patlabor’ now looks awfully prescient
The robot-centric film is back in theaters across Japan in celebration of its 35th anniversary, and the future it paints looks mighty familiar.
U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles mimics a "Kamehameha,” an energy-blast attack from the anime "Dragon Ball Z,” after winning the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 10, 2024
Athletes go Super Saiyan for anime
Although outsiders often consider anime a niche interest, it is a touchstone for younger generations, including athletes.
The Tokyo leg of Magical Mirai 2024, a gathering centered on a concert starring the aqua-haired Hatsune Miku and other avatars created by Sapporo-based company Crypton Future Media, kicked off on Aug. 30.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 9, 2024
Magical Mirai 2024 shows that the future is bright for Hatsune Miku
Thousands of visitors helped kick off the Tokyo leg of the gathering, which offers an immersive dive into every part of the aqua-haired anime avatar's world.
Hayao Miyazaki at an award ceremony in Los Angeles in November 2014
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2024
Hayao Miyazaki wins prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award
The award, often called Asia's Nobel Prize, is given to people and groups who have made major contributions to the region.
The protagonist of “The Colors Within” is Totsuko (voiced by Sayu Suzukawa), a cheerful young woman who views the world in a unique way: Everyone she sees gives off their own distinct color that represents their personality.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 30, 2024
'The Colors Within' tunes into everyday moments of love
Director Naoko Yamada's new anime film, which explores themes of acceptance and communication without words, was born from a creative relationship of complete trust.
Produced by Toei Animation, “Girls Band Cry” follows five young women who form a band and navigate the Japanese rock landscape.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 17, 2024
Prepare for a new wave of anime-born bands
'Girls Band Cry' and its in-real-life band Togenashi Togeari offer the latest evolution of mixed-media music projects.
An ambitious high school student (Gordon Maeda) devotes all his waking hours to making art in “Blue Period,” Kentaro Hagiwara’s live-action adaptation of an ongoing manga series of the same title.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 15, 2024
‘Blue Period’: Gordon Maeda paints a subtle picture of internal struggle
The actor’s performance as an ambitious student pursuing his dreams of being an artist is a highlight in this live-action adaptation of an ongoing manga series.
“Ghost Cat Anzu” centers on an 11-year-old girl who travels to hell and back with a walking, talking, moped-driving, human-sized cat.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Aug 11, 2024
Two hidden gems hint at a path to more diversity in anime
“Ghost Cat Anzu" and “A Few Moments of Cheers” stand out from blockbuster hits by finding creative partners abroad and embracing techniques old and new.
A Goku balloon from the “Dragon Ball” anime series takes part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan in November 2018. Japan’s creative industries are under threat as AI tools make it easy to mimic anime, manga and other forms of the nation’s artistic output.
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2024
Japan’s soft AI stance is betraying its anime artists
From Studio Ghibli to Pokemon, the country’s creatives have driven its influence and must be protected.
The judge and last year's winner, Lettie Shiels, sits in the dressing room during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on Saturday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 4, 2024
Transformative hobby: Going for gold at Japan's World Cosplay Summit
The three-day event in Nagoya drew thousands of fans — many keen to show off their own costumes.
Japan's Yuki Kawamura goes to the basket in the men's preliminary round group B basketball match between Japan and Brazil during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on Friday.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Aug 3, 2024
Japan's 'Slam Dunk' fans upstaged by 'Brazilian chapulines'
The Brazilians crushed Japan 102-84 in men's Group B to end the Asian side's Olympic dreams.
A vengeful spirit threatens the residents of Edo Castle’s maze-like women’s quarters in “Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 26, 2024
‘Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain’: A fast and furious visual spectacle
Kenji Nakamura’s cinematic sequel to his “Mononoke” anime series is an overwhelming onslaught of sights and sounds.
Noriko Ohara, best known for providing the voice of Nobita Nobi in the popular anime series "Doraemon," died on July 12 at 88.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2024
Doraemon's Nobita voice actress dies at 88
Noriko Ohara served as the voice actor for Nobita, the lazy but optimistic boy looked after by robotic earless cat Doraemon, for 26 years from 1979.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?