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.
Studio Ghibli is a great foundation for a novice in anime, as they produce Japanese inspired animation but catered for a specifically Western market. Over the years SG have produced numerous movies, all of which are charming in different. My personal favourite, and a uber-feel-good movie is My Neighbour Totoro which was released in 1988. It is set in post-war Japan and we learn of two young girls who in their new home discover there are strange soot mites in the house and wood sprites in the garden. The sprite in charge is Totoro; a loveable, cuddly creature which I for one would like to meet. The Totoru theme music is ridiculously catchy and you will be humming it for ages after the movie has finished.
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.
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.
Studio Ghibli is a great foundation for a novice in anime, as they produce Japanese inspired animation but catered for a specifically Western market. Over the years SG have produced numerous movies, all of which are charming in different. My personal favourite, and a uber-feel-good movie is My Neighbour Totoro which was released in 1988. It is set in post-war Japan and we learn of two young girls who in their new home discover there are strange soot mites in the house and wood sprites in the garden. The sprite in charge is Totoro; a loveable, cuddly creature which I for one would like to meet. The Totoru theme music is ridiculously catchy and you will be humming it for ages after the movie has finished.
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.
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:
You can visit www.animericashow.com for more helpful information about Anyone Can Be An Anime Reviewer.
No comments:
Post a Comment