Category Archives: Anime

Feb 24 2010

Princess Mononoke

Viewed – 24 February 2010  DVD

I’ve always been an admirer of Japanese animation, first getting an appetite for it with the classic sci-fi masterpiece Akira, then further more growing my appreciation with Ghost In The Shell and Perfect Blue.  Yet the movies of famed artist Hayao Miyazaki offer a different spin on Jap anime, namely fantastical dream-like worlds, wierd characters and compelling storylines.  With a maturity to them not often found in the medium.

This tells the tale of a young Prince who after saving his village from a demonic boar, is cursed during the battle and forced to leave.  He soon stumbles upon the plight of mining colony who seem  hell-bent on destroying the local forest, regardless of the spirits and animals present, due to a power-hungry governess.  At the same time the Prince spots a young girl who is living amongst the wolves, and the villagers refer to her as Princess Mononoke, the wolf-girl.  Before long the Prince is torn between his loyalty to a village that take him in and the survival of a sacred forest, as war breaks out.

This grand spectacle is full of quirky characters, some decent voice acting from the American cast shoe-horned in to replace the original Japanese (Claire Danes especially giving Princess Mononoke plenty of attitude), but its Miyazaki’s magical world and that charming Japanese art style that wins through, with a good story where you are soon routing for Princess Mononoke and the Prince and booing the villains.  At two and a quarter hours, it’s certainly epic, both in imagination and emotion, and it’s not hard to see why this is so regarded among movie fans; yet it also remains somewhat lacking in mainstream appeal, with plenty of time given to bland dialogue and mundane moments like eating and working, that may alienate some viewers.  I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the other Miyazaki movie I’ve seen, Spirited Away, and some of the animation seems in need of restoration, but regardless – this was still time well spent.

Verdict:  3 /5

Feb 6 2010

New PVC statue

As an on/off collector of Japanese anime statues, this one caught my eye recently.  I love the art-style of Japanese anime, inspired by television series, comic books and video games like Street Fighter & King Of Fighters.  This one combines my appreciation of Japanese anime and fantasy art work.

Fantasy Figure Gallery collection

GOLDEN LOVER

 

Also see:

This is so cool … it hurts!

Another one’s caught my eye

Mar 31 2009

Perfect Blue

Viewed – 30 March 2009  DVD

Japanese animation has had a bit of a renaissance lately with the popularity of films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli.  Yet lets not forget some of the films that came out of Japan before that studio’s admittedly deserved success, the more hard hitting likes of Akira, Ghost In The Shell and also this, one of the most striking & daring anime’s ever made.

perfectblue1

This tells the story of pop idol Mima Kirigoe, who at the start of the film leaves her band to pursue a career in acting.  Soon she gets a part in a seedy TV drama series, but its not long before an obsessive fan, unable to handle Mima’s change of image starts stalking her and soon the bodies are piling up.  As Mima becomes more paranoid she begins to loose her grip on reality, and this is where the real fun starts, as the film plays with your perceptions of reality and dreams, creating an uneasy, unpredictable narrative that is both confusing and startlingly original.  Then throw in murder set pieces, atmosphere and tension to rival the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Dario Argento, and this is one of the most mature and sophisticated animated movies you are likely to see.

The animation by today’s standards is a rather basic, but it does its job admirably, and the art style throughout is excellent.  The music is also first class from the immediately memorable tunes of the band ‘Cham’ in the movie and the heavy rock played during some of the more striking moments.

If you are into Japanese animation or just good thrillers, then this should be seen at your earliest opportunity.

Verdict:  5 /5

Jul 3 2007

This is so cool…it hurts!

Now this doesn’t have anything particularly related to movies, apart from perhaps obscure Japanese Anime (and we all love that!), but I have a fascination with collecting Japanese figurines…statues of Jap comic book / video-game characters that just ooze style.  In a recent trip to Liverpool, I managed to pick up this lovely beauty from a comic book store (the name of which escapes me), but I love it – it’s so cool.  Would love to know what any viewers here think of these highly-collectable statues!! 

mereisan.jpg

(Source: DannyChoo.com)