Monday November 9, 2009
Wondering if you should go see the new Astro Boy movie?
Apparently, so were a lot of anime fans.
Although Astro Boy didn't fare well against some of the other releases hitting the box office, it hung tight about midway on the box office top 10. Read the many reviews and you'd find a mixed bag of comments, some from those who said the flick was fine while others gave it a big thumbs down.
So why the mixed reviews?
For some long-time anime fans, Astro Boy didn't live up to expectations. Not because the CGI isn't good... it's actually great. And not because the story is too dark or too scary for younger kids. Quite the contrary, Astro Boy is a perfect solution for a family-friendly movie.
So, why all the fuss?
If you're familiar with the original Astro Boy anime series, then you'd understand. The movie is based "loosely" on Osamu Tezuka's 1963 anime series but the new adaptation takes quite a few liberties with the storyline. Dr. Tenma for example, has a change of heart in the movie and tries to help and protect his new robot boy creation. This didn't happen in the original series -- in fact, Dr. Tenma sold Astro to a circus when he realized that Astro would never fill the shoes of his real son.
There's also the addition of President Stone, ruler of Metro City who has a serious political agenda that revolves around harnessing the power of the "blue core energy" -- the energy that powers Astro -- and using it to power a military robot and start a war.
But before you listen to all that fuss, I'm going to ask you to give this one a chance. Astro Boy is a beautiful work of CGI brilliance. The storyline, although different from the original series, is still really well done and makes for a happier movie, an important feature if you're taking young ones to see it.
Find out why I think Astro Boy is the perfect family-friendly anime flick here.
Monday November 9, 2009
Do you like edge-of-your-seat excitement? Heart-pumping chases, bad-to-the-bone fist fights and in-your-face action that makes you gasp for breath?
Then you're an action anime fan!
But just what makes a good action anime?
The truth is, there are number of things that make a good action flick... from down-in-the-dirt fisticuffs to chasing the bad guy across the Universe. There's also action anime titles that make your skin crawl, your heart beat faster and leave you sleeping with the light on at night, "just in case".
The reason that the action anime genre is so varied is that it crosses over so well with so many other exciting genres. Want to learn more about these themes and subcategories? Click here to take a look at all the sub-genres and themes that make action anime so great.
So, now you tell me...What's your favorite action anime theme?
Monday November 9, 2009
If you didn't make it to the theaters to see Miyazaki's newest work, Ponyo, take heart -- this amazing anime feature film will hit the DVD shelves on March 2, 2010.
Coming from Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertaiment, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea will release in three editions: standard, a 2-disc Special Edition, complete with plus Ponyo and a Blu-Ray edition that has all the DVD extras included in the Special Edition but not the plush figure.
Ponyo is the story of Sosuke, a young boy who rescues a fish that is stranded on the shore and names her Ponyo. Ponyo's father, Fujimoto thinks the humans have kidnapped his daughter and calls on the water spirits to bring her home. This causes a confrontation between father and daughter fish and Ponyo uses her father's magic to wish herself into a human so she can be with Sosuke.
The transformation works but unbalances the Universe and all sorts of awful catastrophic events begin to happen.
Ponyo is the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, KiKi's Delivery Service, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) and Studio Ghibli. It is Miyazaki's biggest grossing film to date in the U.S., bringing in over $15 million at the box office.
Source: ICv2.com
Monday November 2, 2009
There's just something about a good action anime that gets your blood pumping, isn't there?
In fact, action anime continues to be one of the most popular genres, producing blockbuster after blockbuster as anime series go.
Action anime encompasses a wide variety of sub-genres and themes, including martial arts, ninja, adventure stories, thrillers and even a few comedies.
The key to a good action anime is that it has to have some "oomph" to it. You want it to leave you breathless, to get you excited and to be intense... at least part of the time. Will they escape? Will our hero win the battle? Will they find the secret key and save the Universe?
This is the stuff action anime series are made of and to show my appreciation of this genre, I thought it would be fun to share some of my top picks with you.
So, here they are... some of my favorite action anime titles.
