Like it or not, Hollywood's "Akira" is finally happening. The live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary manga and anime had been in development limbo since the rights were picked up by Warner Bros. in 2002. Now, after years of speculation, it's been given the release ...

One does not tune into an anime directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi for subtlety. For over a decade, Imaishi has been known as one of anime's most raucous storytellers. In series like "Gurren Lagann" (2007), "Kill la Kill" (2013) and "Space Patrol Luluco" (2016), goofy super-robots, ...

"Children of the Sea" has achieved the impossible. The new animated film from Studio 4°C adapts the manga of the same name by Daisuke Igarashi — whose idiosyncratic, wispy illustrations, with their huge numbers of flowing lines, always seemed impractical, if not downright impossible to ...

Last month, Japan lost a cultural giant. April 11 saw the passing of Kazuhiko Kato — better known by the pen name Monkey Punch — the creator of "Lupin the Third." The manga, about a playboy thief descended from fictional French gentleman thief Arsene ...

Ever been so angry you felt like you were going to explode? In "Promare," the new anime film from studios Trigger and Xflag, that's no metaphor. The story goes that when the members of a certain segment of the population get mad enough, flames ...

By all outward appearances, Japan's animation industry is thriving. A recent report by The Association for Japanese Animations indicates the industry's worth as a whole topped over ¥2 trillion in 2017 — a new record. International streaming services like Netflix and Crunchyroll have begun ...

"The Wonderland," the new film from director Keiichi Hara ("Miss Hokusai"), certainly has the building blocks of something wondrous: a skilled director, top production values, and a story by beloved children's author Sachiko Kashiwaba. One of Kashiwaba's admirers is Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki, whose Academy ...

Animators and live-action filmmakers around the world acknowledge his influence. His talents have even been described by fans as “godlike.”

Spend enough time on the streets of Shinjuku, and you'll eventually spot a flamboyantly dressed figure in a tiger mask carrying fake flowers, stuffed animals and a boombox. This is Shinjuku Tiger, the subject of a documentary of the same name out this week. Tiger-san, ...

It was the groan heard 'round the internet. Back in September 2017, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions announced it had picked up the live-action rights to 2016 anime megahit "Your Name." Reaction from anime fans online was not exactly positive. To be fair, they had ...