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…
Terrytoons “Club Sandwich” (1931)
The cartoon seems to be set in France, but why? I have no idea.
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[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…
Scrappy in “Yelp Wanted” (1931)
Anyone that reads the weekly Thunderbean Thursdays with any regularity knows that I especially love Scrappy. The first released of the series, Yelp Wanted, really is essential viewing…
Skip Craig (1931-2025): A Tribute
Today we pay tribute to animation editor Extraordinaire Skip Craig - who passed away last Monday.
Brief Thoughts On: Night Raid 1931
Mediocrity perfected
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…
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[Interview] Yasuo Uragami (Rayearth OVA – Sound Director)
Yasuo Uragami, the genius behind the casting of Rayearth, directing the voice actors, and selecting the music for the right moment; it was a challenge for him to…
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!…
HOLIDAY ENCORE: Toby the Pup in “Hallowe’en” (1931)
An annual tradition here -- finally ON Halloween! (You don’t ever have to be properly dressed to enjoy a Toby cartoon!)
Pepper the Pup in “Toodle-oo-o” (1931)
One of the oddities produced by John Burton and other members of the former ‘Kinex’ studios, an interesting and ambitious little film.
Baccano!: 1931 Winter The Time of The Oasis
By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel. This was fun! Possibly as…
The Almost-First Warner Bros. Cartoon: “Buster Bear” (1931)
Since scans were done December 4th, 2016, I think it’s time to get poor Buster more officially out of the bag!
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
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.
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
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
This week the Mangasplaining crew reads Moonlight Mile, an untranslated manga, and Knights of Sidonia! A sci-fi SF space manga double-header!
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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…
Time (Hong Kong, 2021) [NYAFF 2021]
Wilson Kwong reviews Ricky Ko's comedy-drama Time.
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…
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
Summer 2021!
Summer 2021 is officially here! So, y’all know the drill.
Winter 2021
Hello! How many of us are looking forward to the new year?? I know I am! Winter 2021 feels like a brand new start, granted all our problems…
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…
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
Spring 2021.
Wanna hear something embarrassing? This post has been sitting, complete and ready to post, in my drafts for over a month now. I just lacked the energy to…
Farewell, 2021…
Just a quick post about my next plans as 2021 is gonna end soon. Yes, we’re still under the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I’m hoping that…
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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.”
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Junho (South Korea/USA, 2021) [CAAMFest 2021]
John Atom reviews David Boo's topical drama Junho.
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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…
Winter 2021 to Fall 2021 Anime Power Rankings
It's been 2 years since the last one, let's get right into it. Winter 2021 1) Wonder Egg Priority Worth watching for the animation alone. However the ending is chotto... 2) Re:Zero…
Attack on Titan, Lycoris Recoil, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Super Cub, Encouragement of Climb
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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.”
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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
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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…
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.…
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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
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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…
Special - NYAFF 2021
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss the 2021 edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). For the second year in…
Underdog (2021) review
“Take’s film powerfully shows that the heroism of the art of boxing lies in the very subjective meaning that power the jabs, the hooks, and the uppercuts.”
Best of 2021
Hello everyone, As we move steadily through the new year, John and Jason take a look back at 2021 and talk about their favorite movies.Timestamps:2:23 - Media Consumption15:04 -…
Frantic (2021) review
“Fuji delivers his best movie yet and, quite possibly, the cult-film of the year.”
Summer 2021 Anime...
My thoughts on Anime in the season of Summer 2021.
IDOLiSH7, IDOLiSH7 Third BEAT!, Peach Boy Riverside, Sasuke, Tokyo Revengers
Winter 2021 2
One of those openings where you fly over and swoop down to the town. Let’s start with Ore Dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon, where Noir Stadia, merely the third…
