Kenichiro Akimoto’s directorial debut is nothing if not ballsy, taking on Hollywood action film royalty and effectively rebooting one of the most highly rated sci-fi films of all time. And it absolutely holds its own, and then some. All You Need Is Kill adapts the same source material—the light novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka—as Doug Liman’s… Read More Film Review: All You Need Is Kill
The 100-meter dash may be the most prestigious competition in modern athletics, but can such a short, straight race really make for engaging animation? This was the question driving director Kenji Iwaisawa as he approached this ambitious adaptation of the popular five-volume web manga by Uoto, Hyakuemu. Iwaisawa’s solution, he explained at the film’s world… Read More Film Review: 100 Meters (Hyakuemu)
There’s something satisfying about an old-fashioned revenge story—seeing justice served and the bad guys getting their just deserts. But what is the price of vengeance? And what sort of culture does it breed? These are some of the questions Mamoru Hosoda explores in his latest film, Scarlet, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Scarlet retains the… Read More Film Review: Scarlet
Original video animation is a phrase that evokes nostalgia from the bygone era of the 80s and 90s, when direct-to-video original anime ruled the industry. One of the rising stars of that era was Yasuomi Umetsu, who found his niche directing OVAs in the early 90s. Now, with studio Shaft, he’s back to bring us… Read More Film Review: Virgin Punk, Clockwork Girl
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…” From the very first moments of Naoko Yamada’s latest film, it is clear that Kimi no Iro/The Colors Within is something special—particularly for our community here at BtT. If The Heike Story was her exploration of Buddhism, The Colors Within is Yamada’s Christian… Read More Film Review: The Colors Within
Look Back reorients the coming-of-age anime in a subtle, yet profound way, redefining what it is that propels the human heart from childishness to maturity. While it hits all the usual notes of the genre, from forging life-changing friendships to discovering talent and passion and working hard to make dreams come true, Look Back does… Read More Film Review: Look Back
Blue Giant has been the toast of the animation festival circuit this past year and it’s easy to see why. It takes what can at times feel like an intimidating subject—jazz performance—and explores it in a dynamic, yet accessible way that will have both diehard aficionados and complete newcomers to the music genre tapping their… Read More Blue Giant and Yuzuru Tachikawa’s Jazz
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