Anime
Keanu Reeves Thanks His Mom for “Life, for Storytelling, for Love” at Comic-Con
Not that people needed another reason to love Keanu Reeves, but the actor once again endeared himself to fans with a moving tribute to his mom in a San Diego Comic-Con appearance. During a panel discussion in the iconic Hall H, he promoted his original comic book series BRZRKR, which is being expanded by Netflix […]
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Berlin: Toei Animation’s Yoshi Ikezawa on Ambitious New CGI Feature ‘Hypergalactic’
Instrumental in bringing anime to the world through properties such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and One Piece, Toei Animation is now on a mission to reach even wider audiences by combining Japanese aesthetics with storytelling and themes from around the globe. The storied studio, where Hayao Miyazaki began his career, landed a huge hit […]
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Anime Giant Toei Teams With ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Designer, ‘Shrek 2’ Writer on ‘Hypergalactic’
Japanese anime giant Toei Animation (One Piece Film: Red, The First Slam Dunk) is teaming with Sonic the Hedgehog game designer Naoto Oshima, Shrek 2 and The Smurfs writer David N. Weiss and acclaimed animation producer Joseph Chou (Ghost in the Shell, Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim) on the English-language animated […]
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Anime and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Push Japan’s Box Office Higher in 2023
Japan’s box office climbed 4 percent to a post-pandemic high of $1.5 billion (221.5 billion yen) in 2023, driven again by a strong slate of anime and a steady return to theaters. Hollywood films maintained the same market share of around 31 percent as the previous year, though a very weak yen reduced earnings in […]
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Tokyo: ‘Komada — A Whisky Family’ Director Talks Making an Original Anime, Challenges Facing Industry
It’s been a long time coming, but anime veteran Masayuki Yoshihara finally helmed his first feature-length film with the 2023 release Komada — A Whisky Family. Yoshihara is best known for his anime projects on television, with credits including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East and Dragon Ball Z. In […]
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Tokyo: TIFFCOM Content Market Returns With Renewed Momentum, Bigger Venue
Opening its doors on Wednesday for its first in-person event since 2019, the TIFFCOM content market in Tokyo is celebrating its 20th-anniversary edition in a new venue and with an even more international flavor to its exhibitors. ��In terms of the exhibition area, it is now almost 50-50, compared to 60 percent domestic and 40 […]
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‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Trailer Promises a Bloody Trail of Revenge for Netflix Series Featuring Randall Park, George Takei
The first trailer for Michael Green and Amber Noizumi’s new anime Blue Eye Samurai promises an epic and bloody trail of action at the hands of a mixed-race master of the sword. The latest look at the upcoming animated series, which was first teased during the streamer’s inaugural Drop 01 event last month, offers a […]
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Crunchyroll Anime Awards: ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ Wins Top Prize, ‘Demon Slayer’ Also Scores Big
Japan’s anime industry gathered in Tokyo over the weekend for the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which select leading achievements in Japanese animation across a broad range of categories and pick the winners via a global popular vote. Netflix’s standalone series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners took the event’s top anime of the year award, while Demon Slayer: […]
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Makoto Shinkai on How Anime Blockbuster ‘Suzume’ Reflects the Current State of Japan: “The Most Honest Expression I Could Put on Screen”
The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival is screening its first Japanese anime film in competition in over two decades. The previous occasion was the international premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in 2002, so it’s perhaps fitting that the latest selection is Suzume, the newest release from Makoto Shinkai, the director most often hailed as […]
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Anime, Hollywood Films Help Japan’s Box Office to Rebound in 2022
Japan’s box office sales in 2022 grew 32 percent to $1.64 billion (213 billion yen) over the previous year, with admissions rising to 152 million, driven by anime and a rebound in market share for Hollywood. Revenues are still well below the pre-pandemic 2019 box office of ¥261 billion ($2 billion at current exchange rates), […]
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‘One Piece Film: Red’ Director on Turning the Cult Manga Into a Global Media Phenomenon and How Anime Can “Overcome National Borders”
It’s hard to say just when One Piece crossed the line from cult manga comic to global media phenomenon. But with 15 feature films, more than a dozen television specials and multiple video game spin-offs, not to mention Eiichirō Oda’s original comic, which has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, the adventures of Monkey […]
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Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures and Wowow Ink Anime Co-Production Partnership
Anime specialty service Crunchyroll is joining forces with Sony Pictures and Japanese pay TV broadcaster Wowow to boost its original anime series output. The three partners unveiled a pact Thursday to work together on new content. The partners said the series produced under the pact will broadcast and stream on WOWOW in Japan, while launching […]
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