Anime Review – To Me, The One Who Loved You

To Me, The One Who Loved You (Kimi wo Aishita Hitori no Boku e) Japan (2022) Dir. Kenichi Kasai In my review for To Every You I've Loved Before I was hesitant to go too deeply into the plot discussion for fear of spoiling some of the twists. But there was also another reason for …

Anime Review – To Every You I’ve Loved Before

To Every You I've Loved Before (Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e) Japan (2022) Dir. Jun Matsumoto “Let’s say there were 100 worlds with 100 of me and 100 of you. I’m sure the 100 me’s would love the 100 you’s” With the concept of the multi-verse becoming something of a staple in Hollywood …

VOD Anime Review – Lupin III vs. Cat’s Eye

Lupin III vs. Cat's Eye (Rupan sansei vs Kyattsu ai) Japan (2023) Dirs. Hiroyuki Seshita, Kôbun Shizuno & Keisuke Ide Here’s a rare two-for-the-price-of-one anime film in which two different properties are brought together for a singular adventure. This isn’t like The Avengers or Justice League where the individual characters are part of the one …

Anime Review – Violet Evergarden: The Movie

Violet Evergarden: The Movie Japan (2020) Dir. Taichi Ishidate One of the more interesting anime series of recent years comes to an end in this epic - by which I mean bum-numbing - film, in the first theatrical outing for Kyoto Animation following the tragic fire at their studios in 2019. Unlike most linear franchise …

Anime Review – Fruits Basket: Prelude

Fruits Basket: Prelude Japan (2022) Dir. Yoshihide Ibata One of the most beloved manga series, Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket revolves around schoolgirl Tohru Honda and the men of the cursed Soma family, who turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac when touched by members of the opposite gender. It has been adapted into an anime …

Anime Review – The Stranger By The Shore

The Stranger By The Shore (Umibe no Étranger) Japan (2020) Dir. Akiyo Ohashi Often referred to as “the love that dare not speak its name”, same sex relationships are still a taboo in Japan, home of the BL (boy’s love) genre of anime and manga. However, this is aimed at largely girls who get excited …

Anime Review – Harmony

Harmony (Hâmonî) Japan (2015) Dir. Michael Arias & Takashi Nakamura Governments want to control everything within their purview - if they could synchronize the minds, feelings of every person under their auspices, you know they would take it. In some ways, many succeed with political ideology drawing in the weak minded and easily led - …

Anime Review – Grandma And Her Ghosts

Grandma And Her Ghosts (Mo fa a ma) Taiwan (1998) Dir. Wang Shaudi Depending on the age they were born, many children tend to grow up with grandparents who are past middle age - in other words, they are grey haired or fast approaching it, making them almost mystical in our eyes. I doubt many …

Anime Review – One Piece Film: Gold

One Piece Film: Gold Japan (2016) Dir. Hiroaki Miyamoto The Straw Hats set sail for another theatrical adventure - their 13th - which is either a testament to the prolificacy of their creator Eiichiro Oda, or insatiability runs deep in One Piece fans. More likely, the bean counters at Toei Studios feel the company needs …

Anime Review – Over The Sky

Over The Sky (Kimi wa kanata) Japan (2020) Dir. Yoshinobu Sena Regrets can be worth having in order to make us strive to be better people - in theory at least - so locking these experiences away from our memories could potentially prove to be counterproductive. For example, imagine dying then realising you could have …