The animator Yasuo Otsuka’s death today at the age of 89 was announced by Toshio Suzuki, the former president of Studio Ghibli. That felt only fitting, for while Otsuka had no credits on Studio Ghibli’s films, he was fundamental to the anime leading up to them over more than two decades, from Lupin to Chie […]
Mar 15, 2021 • Subscribe
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In Memoriam – Yasuo Otsuka (1931-2021)
Yasuo Otsuka is, without doubt, the most important and influential animator in anime history. We retrace his career and legacy to pay respects to the man.
Yasuo Otsuka Special Interview – Lupin III Perfect Book (2003)
Translation of an interview with Yasuo Otsuka published in the 2003 Lupin III Perfect Book as a celebration of the show’s 30th anniversary.
Between Us (藍に響け, Yasuo Okuaki, 2021)
A sullen young woman learns how to connect through the power of taiko in Yasuo Okuaki’s intense manga adaptation
Yasuo Otsuka’s Pioneering Realism
The more I dig into the history of anime the more I’m coming to understand the impact that one man had in turning it into what it is…
[Interview] Media Blasters – Yasuo Uragami
This time, Yasuo Uragami, the Sound Director of Rayearth anime and OVA, tells us about the work of a sound director and how was working on Rayearth anime.
Yasuo Otsuka’s Joy of Motion
Hey folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’ll be exploring a film that falls a touch outside our usual wheelhouse, but which nonetheless seems like…
Brief Thoughts On: Night Raid 1931
Mediocrity perfected
Baccano!: 1931 Another Junk Railroad: Special Express
By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel. It’s nice to see Baccano!…
Stonewalling (石门, Huang Ji & Ryuji Otsuka, 2022)
A young woman finds herself caught between one generation and the next while dealing with an unexpected pregnancy in Huang Ji & Ryuji Otsuka’s pressing examination of contemporary…
[Interview] Yasuo Uragami (Rayearth OVA – Sound Director)
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Baccano!: 1931 Winter The Time of The Oasis
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Baccano! Volume 14: 1931 Another Junk Railroad: Special Express Review
Baccano! remains a very entertaining series, albeit one that asks you remember a lot. TheOASG reviews Volume 14 of the light novel series.
Prison Boss (獄中の顔役, Yasuo Furuhata, 1968)
A noble-hearted gangster finds himself at odds with an increasingly corrupt society in Furuhata’s manly yakuza drama
Choji Snack Bar (居酒屋兆治, Yasuo Furuhata, 1983)
A stoic middle-aged man is confronted by his youthful disappointment when his childhood sweetheart resurfaces in Yasuo Furuhata’s manly melodrama
Making Things That Others Wouldn't: An Interview with Studio TRIGGER President Masahiko Otsuka
Coop Bicknell talks shop with TRIGGER president Masahiko Otsuka about returning to the world of Panty & Stocking over a decade later.
Trigger Fukuoka’s New Generation: Shunpei Gunyasu, Takuya Saitou, and President Masahiko Otsuka at Otakon 2023
Studio Trigger president Masahiko Otsuka has "big plans" for the all-digital Trigger Fukuoka branch, now hard at work on Dungeon Meshi. Artist Unknown covers their presence at Otakon…
Ep. 71: Moonlight Mile S3 by Yasuo Otagaki and Knights of Sidonia v1 by Tsutomu Nihei
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Ito (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Satoko Yokohama's comedy-drama Ito.
POP! (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Masashi Komura's surreal coming-of-age tale POP!
Junk Head (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
John Atom reviews Takahide Hori's stop motion animation Junk Head.
Drifting (Hong Kong, 2021) [CVF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Jun Li’s socially conscious drama Drifting.
Barbarian Invasion [NYAFF 2021] (Malaysia, 2021)
Epoy Deyto reviews Tan Chui Mui's meta-film Barbarian Invasion.
Ninja Girl (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino reviews Yu Irie's subversive comedy Ninja Girl.
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the…
Spring 2021.
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Fall 2021.
Sweater season is upon us! Not really because it’s Spring in Melbourne but somehow still feels like it’s the middle of Winter. I’ve had hail in my area…
The Vampire Dies in No Time, Musashi, Platinum End, VISUAL PRISON, Blue Period
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Summer 2021
Another 3 months gone and I don’t even know where it’s gone TBH. I had a Moot Court this past Monday and it left me emotionally drained and…
The Dungeon of Black Company, Battle Game in 5 Seconds, Scarlet Nexus, Sonny Boy, The aquatope on white sand
2021 Retrospective
Here's to another good one, friends. 3:02 - 2021 Recommendations 3:13 - Golden Kamuy 4:15 - Hina Change 5:21 - Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6:57 - Curtains Up, I'm Off 8:01 - The Bones…
Winter 2021
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Farewell, 2021…
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Spring 2021!
It’s been about a year now since we’ve all been experiencing (in one way or another) the effects of the global pandemic. I hope that you and yours…
January 2021
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Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
The Asian Angel (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Rowena Santos Aquino review Yuya Ishii's road movie The Asian Angel.
Drive All Night (USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Berra reviews Peter Hsieh's neo-noir Drive All Night.
Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
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Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
Mari and Mari (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“A beautiful narrative that seems to bear no relation to our romantic life at first, but ultimately hits close to home.”
Spaghetti Code Love (2021) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Maruyama’s narrative speaks powerfully to the spectator’s subjectivity – his fears and hopes – and enables his evocation of a glimmer of hope that remains present in this…
Last of the Wolves (Japan, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Kazuya Shiraishi's sequel Last of the Wolves.
Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…
Mari and Mari (Japan, 2021) [JAPAN CUTS 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Tatsuya Yamanishi's romantic mystery Mari and Mari.
A New Wind Blows (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
A great film that shows that the madness of the male subject is often function of a woman, of a woman that unknowingly puts the by a man…
Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul
Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
South Korean cinema is no longer the producer of small and idiosyncratic films that have to seep through the cracks of international cinema. It hasn’t been for years.…