Japan's pop culture and literature drive soft power
Anime, manga and Haruki Murakami may form an unlikely trinity, but outside of Japan they're responsible for filling Japanese Studies departments and sprawling convention halls with generations of the devoted.
Netflix is animated about anime
Netflix's director of anime, Taito Okiura, tells me he feels like a local baseball player who got drafted into the ...
Documentarian imparts a healthy fascination with Japanese school lunches
Although Alexis Sanborn was a self-professed Japanese-culture geek as a teenager, she never had much of an appetite for washoku ...
Will 2018 herald a return to the 1990s?
Prognosticating something as unpredictable as the domestic music industry might appear to be a fool's errand. But what's the fun in playing it safe? Here are some predictions for 2018. YouTubers will wield more power: TV and movie theme songs remain the best way for ...
Foreign anime artists still face a long haul
In an interview with Buzzfeed two years ago, American animator Henry Thurlow, who had moved to Tokyo from New York six years earlier, summed up his dilemma. "When I was working as an animator in New York, I could afford an apartment, buy stuff ...
Anime didn't see any massive hits in 2017, but there was a lot to watch
It takes only two words to sum up why 2016 was always going to be a hard act to follow: "Your Name." To call Makoto Shinkai's body-switching romance a hit is a little like calling Tokyo Skytree "pretty tall." The film made up nearly half ...
A long night in Kyoto and androgynous beings made of gems make up some of the best anime of 2017
The world of anime in 2017 didn't give us any obvious breakout hits like last year's "Your Name.," but the past 12 months still had its share of winners: 'Night is Short, Walk on Girl' ('Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome') Director: Masaaki Yuasa One of two films ...
Diana Garnet sings the praises of anime
It has become one of the most common questions I'm asked after talks at anime conventions in the United States: How can I get a job in the Japanese pop culture industry — not here, but in Japan? I wish the answer was easier. Seven years ...
Japan's geisha battle to protect their future
A handful of traditional female entertainers across the country are experimenting with innovative ways of preserving their culture.
Bollywood studio delays release of film about Rajput queen following protests
The producers of "Padmavati" — a Bollywood movie based on an epic poem about a Rajput queen — said Sunday they have indefinitely delayed the release of the film, which has been accused of distorting history and has sparked protests. The movie, which was due ...
Anime tourism invites overseas fans to join festivities
Yuwaku Onsen is a 1,300-year-old hot-springs resort tucked between mountains along the Asano River south of Kanazawa. Ten mid-size traditional inns line its slim main street, leading to a small hillside shrine and a man-made pond. Earlier this month, I shuffled behind a procession of ...
IOEA: The grass-roots gospel of otaku culture
The International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA) could be the title of one of those self-referential, po-mo anime shows that is as much about fandom as it is made for fans (think "Genshiken," an entire series about a college otaku fan club). But it's the ...
Written or rapped, Seiko Ito has a way with words
It's hard to describe Seiko Ito with one handy label. When I ask my friends to do it, they struggle. "He's a TV comedian on a show for kids," says one. "He's an award-winning novelist," says another, before adding — "And he's one of Japan's ...
Japan's YouTube stars beginning to cultivate overseas followings
YouTubers around the world have found fame on the online video platform, with a select number achieving mainstream success as their millions of fans propel them to brand endorsements, best-selling books and cameos in major films. While still far behind the likes of Sweden's PewDiePie, ...
