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.
Mar 16, 2021 • Subscribe
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Yasuo Otsuka (1931-2021)
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…
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Okazu is not a globally influential news site, so we’re not in the habit of reporting deaths. We’ve lost a few friends over the years. Today we’re joining…
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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…
Brief Thoughts On: Night Raid 1931
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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…
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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 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…
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Baccano! remains a very entertaining series, albeit one that asks you remember a lot. TheOASG reviews Volume 14 of the light novel series.
Memoriam-o-rama: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for April 2023
April is cherry blossoms in Japan, and their fleeting nature is associated with an aesthetic valuing of the ephemeral in Japanese culture. I normally don’t get all poetic…
Prison Boss (獄中の顔役, Yasuo Furuhata, 1968)
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A stoic middle-aged man is confronted by his youthful disappointment when his childhood sweetheart resurfaces in Yasuo Furuhata’s manly melodrama
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Fall 2021 Check-in
We're at the point with anime where a lack of big surprises is itself unsurprising. Read more
Spring 2021 Check-in
Both anime and I have changed a lot since we last had a season like this. Read more
Watching Anime in 2021
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 2021’s one of the strongest recent years for anime I can think of. We saw some…
Winter 2021 Check-in
I haven't had occasion to say it for a long time, but Winter 2021 is starting to resemble a pretty good anime season. Read more
Summer 2021 Check-in
I've gotten about what I expected out of the season so far, but I wasn't expecting much. Read more
Spring 2021 in Review
This past anime season, counting holdovers from the Winter 2021 season, I watched 26 anime. Of those, I completed 22. Normally, we at the Backloggers would do an…
Year in review 2021
As I sit at my desk typing up this long overdue post, I’m reflecting on all that has changed over these last 6 months. Normally this post would…
2021 in retrospect: introduction
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Summer in Japan 2021
Last year in the summer I went on a good road trip with a few friends through Nagano Prefecture. This year, I didn’t get up to as much,…
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We all love seeing two super cute characters finally getting together after going through trials and tribulations but who are the cutest and best anime couples from 2021?…
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Fall 2021 Anime in Review
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Beartown and Us Against You, Fruits Basket, Blue Period, Gris, Solanin, Arcane, What Remains of Edith Finch, Attack on Titan, Critical Role BOOKS:I found a new favorite author…
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Hi everyone I’ve returned with my regular yearly round-up! For those who are new every year, I go through all the anime and manga I consumed and discuss…
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An enjoyable indie romance narrative that elegantly plays with the fact that lie and truth are fundamentality interwoven within a subject’s speech.