Books Nov 26, 2020
'Anime Architecture' brings out the beauty in the details
by Chris Russell
Stefan Riekeles’ book puts a spotlight on the background work that informs the ambience of anime's intricate worlds.
Film Aug 8, 2019
Shoji Kawamori: 40 years spent designing an anime future
by Matt Schley
If you've watched any robot anime in the past 40 years, there's a decent chance Shoji Kawamori had a hand in it. Kawamori, whose four decades in the anime industry were celebrated with a recent exhibition titled the Shoji Kawamori Expo, is best known as ...
Film | Wide Angle Jul 4, 2019
Anime's aging but active artists: Mamoru Oshii on his latest project, 'Vladlove'
by Roland Kelts
Writer and director Mamoru Oshii is best known for creating sci-fi thrillers that challenge orthodoxy with their philosophical musings and provocative, often nutty, imagery. His most famous film, the 1995 anime epic "Ghost in the Shell," features a stone-cold cyborg heroine who dives nude ...
Culture | CULTURE SMASH Feb 3, 2019
The story behind anime localization
by Roland Kelts
"The structure of Japanese storytelling does not adhere to a strict three acts. At times, the story meanders and takes the viewer on a seemingly unrelated path. ... Characterizations are richer, deeper, darker. Plots are often complex and convoluted, serving primarily as vessels to ...
Digital | ON: TECH Apr 16, 2017
Technological fun for the home
by Chiho Komoriya
Gadget maker Cerevo has taken advantage of the hype surrounding this month's release of the Hollywood version of "Ghost in the Shell" by producing a 1/8 scale robot model of the original anime's AI combat-vehicle Tachikoma.
National / Science & Health | NATURAL SELECTIONS Apr 15, 2017
Creating a real ghost in the shell
by Rowan Hooper
Yasuo Kuniyoshi is a man with an extraordinary plan. Kuniyoshi, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, has been attempting to produce an utterly convincing artificial being for the past 30 years. "A robot," he says, "that has ...
Film / Reviews Apr 12, 2017
Hollywood's 'Ghost in the Shell' remake misses the mark
by James Hadfield
After the online petitions, the countless think pieces and Twitter tirades, Hollywood's "Ghost in the Shell" was never going to have an easy passage. Rupert Sanders' film — a $110 million live-action movie based on a beloved manga and anime property — was ill-fated ...
Books Oct 1, 2016
Global ghosts in the shell of Japanese manga
by Haniya Rae
Earlier this year, a major Hollywood studio announced that it was planning to produce a live-action remake of the Japanese manga and anime "Ghost in the Shell." The backlash from cultural critics in the United States and Europe was swift. They deemed that casting ...
Books / Reviews Nov 14, 2015
But is it art? Anime in the 'post-cinematic' age
by Jason Thompson
The past 15 years have seen a boom in academic studies of anime, ranging from thematic and cultural analysis such as Susan J. Napier's "Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle" to formal theory based on technical processes and the nature of two-dimensional images ...
Film Jun 25, 2015
'Ghost in the Shell' prequel fleshes out characters' origins
by Daisuke Kikuchi
Internationally renowned sci-fi anime series "Ghost in the Shell" is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a new prequel, "Ghost in the Shell: The Movie." Originally written by Masamune Shirow as a comic, the series had a strong impact on the cyberpunk subgenre of sci-fi, even ...