The origin and core of this piece is my personal interest in Daikuhara, but it will not be another biographical piece like my previous one. I will rather explore the area which I wrote the least a…
Nov 11, 2022 • Subscribe
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Notes on Animation Quality in Anime
I had a rare chance in 2017 to meet Hiromi Matsushita, one of Minky Momo’s most prominent animators. Matsushita is still active in the industry, and when I…
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Death on the Nile (1937)
A blog focused on gaining experience about art. Writing in particular.
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More Than A Coincidence: Notes on Xardion and Gunbuster
Stephen revisits Xardion to talk a bit about its similarities with an earlier Gainax project, Aim for the Top! Gunbuster.
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Kizumonogatari Part 1: Key Animation Notes
Relive the first Kizumonogatari film through the eyes of its all-star animation team.
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PODCAST + SHOW NOTES: Ep. 83- AKIRA vol. 4
Here's our episode about AKIRA vol. 4 with actual pages and additional note about what we discussed. Enjoy!
On Animation
These are mostly some personal views and experiences, you are welcome to read but don’t hold high expectations. In the last 2 years or so I didn’t watch…
Hiroshi Hirata (1937-2021)
The manga artist Hiroshi Hirata, who died last week, spent his formative years struggling to make ends meet in a poverty-stricken Japan. He was born in Tokyo, where…
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Notes on Takahata & Miyazaki
The previous article on this blog, dedicated to Anne of Green Gables, contains a detailed discussion of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki’s respective artistic evolutions between 1976 and…
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The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人, Akira Kurosawa, 1958)
A fugitive princess offers a new hope for a peaceful and prosperous socitey in Akira Kurosawa’s Sengoku-era epic.
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Conflagration (1958) review
A narrative that serenely depicts the possible outcome of a subject’s failure to find, in a post-war landscape, someone to carry the Name-Of-The-Father.
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Weekly Post #2- Akira & The Principles Of Animation
Post #2 in a 5 part blog series, uploaded every week (previously every 2 days), where I: Share 3 Songs Write a short article about animation or the…
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Reading list: independent Japanese animation
This is a work in progress (and probably always will be), but here’s a list of resources on indie animation in Japan. I will use a generous definition…
Notes on Tomonori Kogawa’s Influence
I’m not an expert on Kogawa and this post isn’t intended to specify exactly how he influenced the anime industry, but seeing that many people don’t even know…
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2020 Details
While many events have had to be cancelled this year due to the current COVID-19 crisis a lot of events have been able to shift online. As a...
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2021 Details
The good folks from the Kotatsu Festival have just sent us details for their upcoming 2021 event. Set to run in Cardiff - Chapter from Satur...
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Japanese Folklore in Studio Ghibli Animation
Traditional creatures, classic fairy tales and so much more inspire the iconic studio’s films. Here are seven examples of influences from Japanese culture and folklore.
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When Japanese Animation Cracked the Oscars
Plus: Akira Toriyama, animation newsbits.
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2023 Details
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival will return this autumn 2023. Wale's premier event for Japanese anime is set to run 30th September - 1 O...
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Limited Animation 'On Ones'
How the Zagreb School invented 'reduced animation.'
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FEATURE: Shuji Terayama's Notes from the Japanese Underground
The revolutionary cinema of 'Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets' and 'Pastoral: To Die in the Country'
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More Scary Japanese Urban Legends
Discover chilling Japanese urban legends. From the haunting Cow Head to eerie phantoms, delve into these modern scary tales.
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Anime On the Big Screen: “Akira”
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Giants and Toys (1958) review
A classic that, as a critique of capitalism and materialism, has not lost any of its relevance.
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●BOOK● OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS 22: Animation AKIRA Storyboards 2
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Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival Presents Free Animation Workshops this April 2022
Anime fans looking for something to do virtually will be pleased to hear that the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival will be hosting free A...
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Death Notes on Camp: Repurposing a classic
New layers and new ways to appreciate the series emerge when it’s considered as a campy melodrama rather than the brooding thriller that writer Ohba Tsugumi intended it…
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2021 Reading List (Japanese Literature & More…)
After my challenge to read 20 books of Japanese literature in 2020 – and absolutely smashing it – I took a short break over the winter holidays to…
On Grieving for Kyoto Animation
Grief is an emotion I know too well — and yet, it shocks me every time. When I saw tweets about Kyoto Animation’s studio burning, I was planning…
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More thoughts on villains
While there’s no way to empirically prove it, there seems to be an unspoken agreement that villains are the most fun and memorable parts of most stories, with…
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Animating Halloween | Mickey Mouse: Lonesome Ghosts (1937) Review
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Akira
Akira is an Action Science Fiction Adventure anime film by legendary Japanese animation studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha. Even if many people consider something a masterpiece, that does not…
Perfect Blue: A Masterfully Layered Japanese Animation Movie
Perfect Blue is the perfect psychological thriller that follows a former pop idol's dark and disturbing ride into the world of acting.
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The Japanese Animation Studios that Defined 90s Anime
Anime wouldn't be what it is today without the studios that helped set the benchmark for the quality trademark of Japanese animation in the 90s.
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Anime Before Astro Boy (Japanese Animation 1946 - 1962)
Iconic anime movies and TV shows released before the original Astro Boy in 1963. These include TOEI's first movies like Panda and the Magic Serpent and Alakazam the…
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Notes on Solo Leveling: Episodes 5 through 7
Solo Leveling is one of the more popular new anime series for Winter 2024. While I don’t find it unpleasant at all, I’m slightly aggravated about this anime’s…
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More Rambling About Yotsuba&! and Learning Japanese
This is a follow up video to my video on how Yotsuba&! teaches you Japanese. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching it beforehand: https://youtu.be/917yWGrUNJU In that…
Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, Nichijou - My Ordinary Life: Episode 0
●BOOK● OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS 23: Animation AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames 1
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
●BOOK● OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS 24: Animation AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames 2
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Doki Doki News: Haikyuu (More or Less), Idolmaster 15, and More Nier
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In English or Japanese? (Shoujo sings Zoetrope?)
Reblogged on WordPress.com
Akira Toriyama Commented on His Health Before Death
Akira Toriyama stated in a written award ceremony message that he was not confident about his health prior to his death. Read the details and my analysis. On…
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TheOASG Podcast Episode 191: Reflecting on Akira Toriyama
The two Anti-Social Geniuses reflect on Akira Toriyama and his impact on anime, manga, and video games in TheOASG Podcast.
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More light on Turn A
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More Shonen On The Horizon
Have there been any popular videos calling shonen out the same way isekai has been called out in the past for being everywhere?
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More or Less Complete: Entry Grade Strike Gundam
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Ride or Die on ANN
Thanks very much to Lynzee for giving me a chance to talk about Ride or Die on Anime News Network. I’m not in the habit of hitting them…
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Ride or Die on Netflix
If you are a regular reader here at Okazu, you know that I have loved the darkly violent Yuri manga GUNJO from the day I received a message…