Anime

Film Jan 21, 2021

Race back to anime’s halcyon days with 'Redline'

by Matt Schley

The action-packed film about adrenaline-chasing racers in a distant galaxy draws fervent fans for its 10th anniversary.

Art Jan 6, 2021

Country flags reimagined as samurai ahead of the Olympics

by Toma Mochizuki

World Flags, a Tokyo-based project, transforms flags into anime characters to familiarize people with other nations and their cultures.

Film | 2020 in review Dec 31, 2020

Virtual and victorious: Anime came out on top in 2020

by Roland Kelts

In a year marred by industry-wide delays and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anime still managed to become more popular than ever thanks in part to streaming platforms.

Entertainment News Dec 28, 2020

'Demon Slayer' becomes Japan's highest-grossing film

The film, which has amassed ¥32.47 billion since its Oct. 16 opening, surpassed the earnings of Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away."

Film Dec 28, 2020

How ‘Demon Slayer’ came to be Japan’s biggest box-office hit of all time

by Mark Schilling

The anime film beat out former record holder “Spirited Away,” due in part to fortuitous timing and word-of-mouth popularity.

Culture Dec 24, 2020

Collapse, isolate, adjust and rebuild: How Japanese pop culture fared in the pandemic of 2020

by Patrick St. Michel

Japan began 2020 with Olympic glory in its sights, with artists and musicians ready to take the spotlight. Then, the pandemic hit and pushed things in a much-needed direction.

Film Dec 18, 2020

Long-awaited final 'Evangelion' film underlines the strength of its legacy

by Donican Lam

It's been over 25 years since the hit anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” first aired on Japanese television, but fervor among fans is once again on the rise.

Film / Reviews Dec 16, 2020

‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’: An impressive debut full of empathy

by Matt Schley

Kotaro Tamura’s feature delivers some of the best animation this year and has a well-rounded character with a disability as the protagonist.

Business / Tech Dec 10, 2020

Sony to buy anime streaming service Crunchyroll for ¥120 billion

The deal will give Sony access to Crunchyroll's 3 million paying subscribers across more than 200 countries and regions.

National Dec 4, 2020

Japan bookstore market likely to expand for first time in four years

The size of Japan's physical bookstore market in 2019 shrank for the third straight year to stand at ¥1.219 trillion.

Entertainment News Dec 2, 2020

Netflix plans to double spending on original content in Asia

By stepping up its investment, the California-based company is gearing to tackle its main rivals Disney+ and Prime Video, as well as local competitors.