This two-hour documentary follows Miyazaki as he makes The Boy and the Heron. Besides behind-the-scenes material from his latest film production, we see a lot of older footage of Miyazaki, as well as short clips from his movies. These clips are edited together thematically, based on whatever Miyazaki is pondering at a given moment, which… Read More First Impression: Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
Welcome to the Ooku, the harem of the Tenno, the Emperor of Japan. In this colorful, luxurious space, forbidden to men under the penalty of immediate beheading, an all-female service takes care of the eight concubines of the one sitting on the Chrysanthemum Throne. They also perform various sacred ceremonies, and the first among them… Read More First Impression: Mononoke. The Phantom in the Rain
My Happy Marriage is back, though briefly, with the series’ first OVA. Opening with Miyo putting future sister-in-law Hazuki’s etiquette training to use at a party, this episode is a more in-depth take on the finale of season 1. This time, rather than using the party to focus on Miyo’s growth as in the finale,… Read More First Impression: My Happy Marriage (OVA)
Japan, 1968. The story opens with a young man trudging along a dirt track across a windswept meadow that is otherwise empty except for the scattered heaps of illegally dumped garbage, all while a lonely tune whistles through the overcast sky. Tokyo Tower can be seen illuminated in the distance behind our yet-unnamed main character,… Read More First Impression: Tomorrow’s Joe/Ashita no Joe
On a bright summer day, a bunch of kids runs to Nagakura-sensei, asking him for stories about the shinsengumi, the elite warriors of the last sword era, the troubled warring period of mid-18th Century Japan called the Bakumatsu. Every kid has heard of Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, and Okita the Prodigy, and each has a… Read More First Impression: Blue Miburo
The hero and the demon lord are facing off in the final battle to decide the war between good and evil, humanity and immortals gifted with magic. The outcome may be surprising to the demon lord, but not to the hero. You see, humanity’s weakness—their mortality—is also their greatest strength: they will never stop fighting… Read More First Impression: Demon Lord 2099
Demon King Gomah and his pal Degesu watch Dragon Ball Z, specifically the Majin Buu arc. Afterward, they decide to go to Earth to use its Dragon Balls to, I kid you not, wish that the heroes who defeated Buu be turned into first-graders. For reasons? Seriously, I wasn’t clear on what the point of… Read More First Impression: Dragon Ball DAIMA
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