Review: ‘Manga マンガ’at the British Museum 23 May – 26 August 2019

Dedicated to the victims of the Kyoto Animation fire in Uji City!

Belonging to Kōzan-ji temple in Kyōto the Japanese National Treasures the eight ‘Scrolls of Frolicking Animals’ and the ‘Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans’ called ‘Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga’ (animal-person caricatures) were painted between the 12^th and 13^th centuries by, it is thought, the artist-monk Toba Sōjō. They are credited by many as the earliest form of manga.

Fast forward nearly a thousand years and the Citi Exhibition ‘Manga マンガ’ at the British Museum (supported by CITI with logistics partner IAGCargo) is touted as the biggest

Film Review: Never Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki

“I’ve always done my best so I have no regrets” – Hayao Miyazaki

A fascinating, albeit somewhat melancholy, insight into Hayao Miyazaki in later life. The documentary begins with a brief review of Miyazaki’s main oeuvre – clips in rapid succession from his feature length animations, the foundation on which his well-deserved reputation is founded after which is his public announcement of his retirement in 2013 at the age of 72. These two elements set the scene against which his later actions are

Film Review: Your Name Directed by Makoto Shinkai

Visually stunning, the film is both uplifting and full of pathos!

Your Name, directed by Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimetres per Second, 2007, and Kotonoha Niwa – The Garden of Words, 2013), produced by Genki Kawamura (‘Kokuhako’, 2010, and ‘Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki’, 2012) with character design by
Masayoshi Tanaka (‘Toradora’, 2009, ‘Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day’, 2011, and ‘The Anthem of the Heart’, 2015) and animation by

Ghost In The Shell: Can DreamWorks Crack It?

“We needed a launch that was as unique and original as the property itself.” – Paramount Pictures

Since the announcement that Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Avengers, Lucy) is to play the lead character, Major, in the up and coming live action adaptation of the hugely popular manga/anime franchise, GHOST IN THE SHELL, in which Johansson was reportedly offered $10m to take the role, DreamWorks has come under fire from many quarters for whitewashing and potentially

Interview: Sebastian Masuda – Art Director and J-Pop Culture Pioneer

Internationally-renowned artist Sebastian Masuda brings global participatory art project to London with NHK WORLD TV for Hyper Japan!

In the run up to Hyper Japan, which took place on July 15 – 17 July, internationally-renowned artist and Japanese pop culture expert Sebastian Masuda – who is art director for Kawaii International  – brought his global art project to London with NHK WORLD TV.

Time After Time Capsule is a five-year participatory artwork in which Masuda, invites people to share their love of kawaii. It has been created in collaboration with NHK WORLD TV to

DVD Review: Ben-To Complete Series Collection

It’s not just dinner, it’s a matter of victory!

Ben-to is originally a Japanese light novel series written by Asaura, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. Shueisha published 15 novels from February 2008 to February 2014. Shibano also illustrates three manga adaptations, and a fourth manga is drawn by Sankaku Head. The name literally is to mirror the word Bento box but adding that ‘-‘ makes it a lot more easier to Google against all those tasty packed lunch photos online.

After the success from the light novel it was adapted into a 12-episode anime TV series  You follow protagonist Sato Yo who is a

Interview: Michael Booth Author Sushi and Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking

“I can’t walk down the streets of Japan without finding something unusual or peculiar. It’s just so stimulating.” – Michael Booth

Award winning food writer and traveller Michael Booth (author of the bestselling Sushi & Beyond: What the Japanese Know About Cooking) attended the popular three-day J-Culture festival Hyper Japan 2015 (photo report here), which was held at London’s O2 on 10-12 June, to participate in his first talk show with Japanese celebrity chef Rika Yukimasa, co-host of

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

DVD Review: Good Luck Girl Complete Series

Breasts, ghosts and growing a conscience!

Good Luck girl also known as Binbogami ga! translated as “This Damn God of Poverty!” based on the comedy manga series by Yoshiaki Sukeno, originally published in Jump Square magazine between July 2008 and August 2013. The anime adaptation aired in Japan from September 26, 2012 showing its popularity before the manga ended.

The first five minutes sets the scene in a land of gods who watch earth and its inhabitants. An imbalance of luck has over flowed in an area where popular, pretty, wealthy girl Ichigo Sakura is sucking the luck from

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Professor Layton And The Eternal Diva

The Professor’s first movie and his toughest puzzle yet!

‘First it started with a Game’ as the intro goes it was the vast popularity of the game series following the gentleman Professor Layton on his quests to solve puzzles with his apprentice Luke. What made the game stand out against competitor titles was the slick animation between puzzles. People were so charmed by the character designs it shortly after became a movie.

The movie begins with an introduction about the series for new watchers and I know quite few people who indeed picked up this title from conventions for the art alone, not surprising as it was produced by

Giovanni’s Island On Blu-ray Competition Now Closed And The Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Giovanni’s Island on Blu-ray !

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

Win A Copy Of Giovanni’s Island On Blu-ray NOW CLOSED!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

Giovanni’s Island is coming to DVD, Blu-ray and Ultimate Edition on Monday 12th January (available from Amazon.co.uk ) and thanks to Anime Ltd, we have a copy on Blu-ray to give away.

True to their reputation of masterful storytelling and quality animation, Production I.G achieve effortless elegance in this never before been told story. Exploring the theme of the toll of human conflict, and done so with stunning visuals, Giovanni’s Island succeeds in bringing a feeling of hope and positivity despite the heart wrenching and moving subject. Indeed, it is hard not to fall in love with the striking hand drawn

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist Competition Now Closed And The Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!.

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

Press Release: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014

Get ready for a pop culture explosion at the UK’s largest J-culture event!

Date: 14-16 November 
Venue; National Hall, Olympia, London

Music, street fashion and cosplay – 3 pillars of Japanese pop culture which have captivated audiences and amassed devoted fans across the globe. At our HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we bring together the best of this trendy crowd and offer visitors the rare chance to experience a range of Japanese musical acts (both real and virtual), and to enjoy our HYPER J-style fashion show and

WIN Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist On DVD & Blu-Ray Plus 2 Randomly Selected Manga UK DVD And/Or Blu-Ray Titles!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

To celebrate the release of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray on Monday 27th October we have a Blu-Ray copy to give away, plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist tells the origin story of Street Fighter’s most famous duo, Ryu and Ken. Learning the way of the warrior at the secluded dojo of martial arts master Gouken, the pair are the last practitioners of an ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken – ‘The Assassin’s Fist’. But the Ansatsuken style hides a dark and tragic secret; a legacy that is about to catch up with

Japan Film Society Announces Film Lineup For LA EigaFest 2014

September 12^th – 14^th, 2014 at the Egyptian Theater

International Premiere of LUPIN THE THIRD to Open LA EigaFest and welcome director Ryuhei Kitamura and actress Meisa Kuroki (Crows Zero 1 & 2, Space Battle Yamato), US Premiere of RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO to Close Film Festival

Godzilla: The Japanese Original (1954) and Godzilla (2014) to be screened back-to-back in celebration of 60^th anniversary

Tom Cruise, Doug Liman, and Legendary Pictures to Receive

Event: Japan Matsuri 2014 London Trafalgar Square

The spectacular annual Japan festival returns for more fun and excitement!

Date: Saturday, 27th September 2014

Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

Time: 11 am – 9 pm

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Fairy Tail The Movie: Phoenix Priestess

The first movie from the critically acclaimed Fairy Tail anime franchise!

For a series that has been long running, this is the first time there has ever been a full length movie made of it. So for the fans this has been a long time coming. The many adventures and different characters are what make this series a success as well as the other lands with different guilds which are covered in the series. In Phoenix Priestess the Fairy Tail Guild have to deal with a threat to the entire world due to one man, a cruel prince who wants to get his hand on the other half of the

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Jormungand – The Complete First Series

One of the most highly anticipated anime series of 2014!

The story follows the escapades of Jonah, Lehm, Valmet and Lutz who all work for Koko Hekmatyar, an arms dealer who needs someone like Jonah on her team. Koko works with the HCLI an international shipping corporation who secretly deals in the arms trade. As she works with them, she sells weapons in secret in several countries while trying to avoid the local police as her work is regarded as illegal. Her team she is always seen with are bodyguards who were found in the military, but her newest colleague has another motive for joining them. He wants to find where the