One of the biggest draws to anime conventions is always the chance to meet American voice actors, whose panels and events draw huge crowds and whose adoring fans come in droves to be regaled with insights, behind-the-scenes stories and voice acting tips. But despite their …Read more »
Hello, America! Are you enjoying the special otaku holiday season? Today I have a special message from popular model/actress turned singer Risa Yoshiki from Japan. Risa Yoshiki loves anime and manga, just as much as you Otaku USA readers! She appears in the latest super …Read more »
Dear reader, before we venture into today's review, a movie with this many conjunctions and colons (which we will refer to as simply Ultimatum here) demands a more detailed introduction. Kamen Rider is one of the longest-running and beloved tokusatsu superhero franchises in Japanese history. …Read more »
For the past 25 years, filmmakers, reporters, critics and film fanatics in Tokyo have been setting aside a week in late October for the Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan’s biggest cinematic event. Though not quite as significant as festivals like Cannes or Sundance, Tokyo nonetheless …Read more »
It’s been a rather Mamoru Oshii-influenced week, with the premiere of 009 Re:Cyborg , directed by Oshii protege Kenji Kamiyama, and the successful backing of Kick-Heart , the short on which Oshii is consulting. The veteran director of classics like Ghost in the Shell and …Read more »
Tokusatsu is, if anything, a genre of extremes. At its best, it's basically live-action anime as the 12-year-old boy in us remembers it, full of cool vehicles, explosions, and gratuitously convoluted storylines full of cool-sounding buzzwords that boil down to a simple framework. At its …Read more »
Just how much can a film hope to accomplish in two hours? Some hone in like a laser on one thing, seeking to make us laugh or cry, to make a point or defend a point of view, to create an atmosphere, or to thrill …Read more »
For the last ten years, Studio Ghibli (who really need no introduction, but just in case: Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro ) have been holding exhibitions at Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art. This year, the studio invited famed anime director Hideaki Anno ( …Read more »
Of all the manga and anime properties out there, Hikaru Nakamura's madcap Arakawa Under the Bridge seemed like the least likely candidate to be a made into a live-action movie, let alone a live-action show. The slick anime adaptation by Akiyuki Shinbo aside, Japanese live-action, …Read more »
“This ain't a laughing matter, guys! You're gonna die!” Filming had just started. Action director Eiji Kamikura's first shot of the day would be the obligatory crowd running from monster shot – a crowd just shy of a dozen people in casual wear, but a …Read more »
We've had a look at stills for the live-action adaptation of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin , but nothing beats a good old fashioned teaser trailer. Set to hit Japanese theaters in August 2012, the following video offers a quick but intriguing glimpse at the manga/anime …Read more »
Here's something to wind down with on Friday afternoon. Some dedicated fans put together a Sailor Moon: The Movie fan film, and now you can watch the whole thing for free on YouTube. It does say "To Be Continued" at the end, but the 20+ …Read more »
With a release date set for August 25, 2012, we still have a while before the live-action Rurouni Kenshin film even hits Japanese theaters. In the meantime, we've got our first look at lead actor Takeru Sato ( Kamen Rider Den-O , Beck ) in …Read more »
Those wondering just what to expect from NTV's upcoming live-action Ranma ½ TV special should have at least some questions answered now, thanks to the very first commercial for the adaptation. Does it do the manga justice? See what they've done with Rumiko Takahashi's gender-swapping …Read more »
The live-action Tekken will go down in my book as a firm reminder of how filmmakers, if not people in general, aren’t taking chances any more. The much-hyped big screen take on the popular Namco fighting game franchise had the opportunity to do something to …Read more »
Matt Schley
Yunmao Ayakawa
Fernando Ramos
Joseph Luster
Otaku Magazine
Mike Dent