Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Jun 27, 2022

Facing redevelopment, Koenji rises up

Koenji residents claim the government's proposed Auxiliary Road 227 would spell the beginning of the end for their bohemian neighborhood.

Film / Reviews Jun 9, 2022

'Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island' returns with an upgraded look

Director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko rights past wrongs with this new interpretation of an infamous episode of the original “Mobile Suit Gundam” series that aired in 1979.

Film / Reviews May 19, 2022

‘Shin Ultraman’: No deeper messages, just a lot of fun

Otaku "dream team" duo Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi join forces once again to revive another special-effects classic that’s fun and camp but lacks some punch.

Film / Reviews Apr 7, 2022

‘Odd Taxi: In the Woods’: Tokyo joyride runs out of steam

Baku Kinoshita’s theatrical version of an anime series about animal urbanites is leaner than the original but loses much of its charm.

Film / Reviews Feb 3, 2022

‘The Deer King’: No crown for Masashi Ando’s directorial debut

Despite an impressive roster of talent working on the film, “The Deer King” shares too many similarities with Masashi Ando’s previous work and comes up short in comparison.

DEEP DIVE Jan 26, 2022

From 'Spirited Away' to 'Demon Slayer': The meteoric rise of anime

Since 2002, Japan’s anime industry has doubled in size to become worth over ¥2.4 trillion annually. At the start of the year, AMC Networks — the U.S. company behind shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Breaking Bad” — acquired anime distributor Sentai, and with it ...

Film Jan 20, 2022

The push to go digital opens new doors for anime

Digitization and remote work will be a mixed blessing for studios and animators in 2022.

Film | 2021 in review Dec 17, 2021

Streaming heavyweights made big moves into the world of anime in 2021

Anime became even more accessible worldwide as streaming platforms such as Netflix, Crunchyroll and Disney+ made aggressive moves in 2021.

Film | Wide Angle Oct 23, 2021

Tokyo International Film Festival’s animation section aims beyond hardcore fans

The 34th iteration of TIFF will feature a retrospective, recent and upcoming films, and a look at a live-action tokusatsu special effects franchise.

Film | Wide Angle Sep 16, 2021

'Ghost in the Shell' goes big with Imax release

It has been 26 years since Mamoru Oshii’s futuristic animated thriller “Ghost in the Shell” came into our lives and it still offers new surprises on renewed viewings.