Children of the Sea, the theatrical adaptation of the Daisuke Igarashi manga and one of the year’s most ambitious anime films, was screened November 2 at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Following the screening came a talk by the film’s director Ayumu Watanabe plus character …Read more »
Japanese mythology is filled with all kinds of supernatural creatures and monsters, ranging from mischievous kitsune, which take the appearance of foxes, to demonic oni that live in the mountains and look like trolls. In anime, manga and video games, it’s common for characters to …Read more »
Mona Marshall has recorded hundreds of voices for anime since the early 1980s. She studied classical theatre and planned to do very serious, classical acting. But it turned out that voice over work was what she loved. “I was going on auditions and never quite …Read more »
Two hundred thousand. That’s roughly how many people crowded into the Tokyo Big Sight each day for three days late last year for the largest fan convention in the world, Comic Market, a.k.a. Comiket. It’s a number that’s hard to really visualize. By comparison, the …Read more »
Let’s be clear: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 isn’t a very good show in a lot of ways. At the same time, it’s also a wonderful show in ways that are intimately tied together with its flaws. Like a lot of anime series from the late-1990s—like …Read more »
Fighting games in the 90s were often joked about for the gratuitous proportions of their female cast members, but SNK’s Mai Shiranui was arguably THE most notorious. Her hand-drawn bouncing cleavage in the King Of Fighters games and anime outings like Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture …Read more »
From now until the end of the year, Otaku USA e-News presents 98 Degrees: a deep dive straight into the anime of 1998. Which greats of ’98 would you like to see covered? Comment below or drop our editor a line. Adapted from a long-running …Read more »
Well, this one’s pretty straightforward! Ranking site Goo recently asked its readers to list the coolest heroes in the history of manga, especially “ones with special moves and poses.” Let’s see who they chose! 10. Kenshin Himura Rurouni Kenshin 9. Monkey D. Luffy One Piece …Read more »
Can a normal person get famous in Japan? Big in Japan, a documentary released online last month, chronicles one man’s attempt to get famous through any means necessary. As the title suggests, the film’s premise follows the classic assumption that it’s easier for a foreigner …Read more »
It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here! Ever since the release of the movie Free! Take Your Marks and the announcement of the new season last October, fans have been on the edge of their starting blocks waiting for the upcoming Free!-Dive to the Future-, set …Read more »
There may be readers of Otaku USA younger than Cowboy Bebop, the 26-episode series that originally aired in 1998. Thankfully, there are multiple essays on this very site about the allure of Bebop, alleviating me of the burden of describing just what was so great about …Read more »
Garakowa -Restore the World- is a new anime film from A-1 Pictures and director Masashi Ishihama ( From the New World ) set to open in January. The film has an interesting production history: it started “D.Backup,” a story concept by independent game creators Physics …Read more »
You may recall that last year the Tokyo International Film Festival hosted a retrospective of works by Evangelion director Hideaki Anno (check out our coverage here ). The program was a hit, apparently, because this year the festival is doubling down on the anime thing. …Read more »
The torch of animation is being subtly passed at Studio Ghibli, at least for one of their upcoming projects. According to Yoko Ihira's Toho Publicity Caravan Report, a "young director" will helm the next major work following Karigurashi no Arrietty ( The Borrower Arrietty ), …Read more »
That's not a direct order, but anyone familiar with Satoshi Kon's work—from Perfect Blue to Paprika —would be hard-pressed not to show at least a little excitement over these screens for The Dreaming Machine ( Yume Miru Kikai ). Even without much in the way …Read more »
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Annie Zhong![Cowboy Bebop Cafe Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Food, Tunes [Photo Report]](https://www.otakuusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/bebopcafe-202x202.jpg)
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Joseph Luster
