The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s “fever-dream”, a symbolism-driven animated tour de force full of adventure, wonder and insight.
Tag: Japanese Animation
“Tekkonkinkreet” (“Treasure Town”) Review: Wondrous & Hard-Hitting
Tekkonkinkreet [2006] – ★★★★1/2 🛒Grim realism collides with childhood innocence in a striking, kaleidoscopic artwork. Based on a manga Tekkon kinkurito (1993) by Taiyo Matsumoto, Treasure Town is a well-made animation about two orphaned boys: street-wise and brave Kuro (Black), and lovable and innocent Shiro (White). Street-raised “Yin and Yang” of the cruel world around…
“Millennium Actress” Review: Transcendental & Beautiful
Millennium Actress [2001] – ★★★★1/2 A cinematic journey to stardom and to finding answers as to the identity, history and inexplicability of love, while “playing” with time, and fusing reality and make-believe. “All the world’s a stage, [and] all the men and women [are] merely players”, famously stated William Shakespeare. It appears that this quote…
“Tokyo Godfathers” Review: Socially Astute & Uplifting
👶 A fun and heart-warming Christmas tale about homeless “misfits” that sheds light on many of Japan’s social problems, including alcoholism, poverty and discrimination.
“Miss Hokusai” Review: Idiosyncratic, Poetic & Inspiring
Miss Hokusai [2015] – ★★★1/2 🎨A gentle anime-biography, unveiling the character of Katsushika Ōi and the mysteries of art-making. Based on a manga series by Hinako Sugiura, Miss Hokusai is a Japanese animation about the daughter of the famous real-life Japanese painter Hokusai. Her name was Katsushika Ōi. A great artist herself, Ōi helped her…
“The Red Turtle” Review: Simple, Yet Profound
The Red Turtle [2016] – ★★★★1/2 🐢 A simple story of survival morphs into a poetic, symbolism-driven tale of the man’s connection with nature and the meaning of life. The Red Turtle is the 2017 best animation Oscar nominee that surprised people in a way it masterfully combined visual simplicity and metaphoric depth. The film…
“Wolf Children” Review: Heart-Warming & Relatable
A touching, beautifully-presented story that makes a stance against discrimination, encouraging learning to live with one’s differences.
Makoto Shinkai: “Your Name” & “5 Centimetres per Second”
Your Name [2016] – ★★★★★ 📆 An emotionally intense, unforgettable viewing experience, filled with “coming-of-age” fun and spiritual longings. Showcasing Makoto Shinkai’s talent for presenting emotional connections, fully-fledged characters and breathtakingly beautiful, detailed animation, Your Name is a romantic story of an accidental body-swap between country girl Mitsuha and city boy Taki, who, in reality,…
Is Aronofsky’s Black Swan Perfectly Blue?: Kon’s “Perfect Blue” vs. “Black Swan”
In this piece, I will compare the two films closely, arguing that the two share substantial similarities in terms of their stories, characters, styles, designs, & execution, concluding that Aronofsky’s film Black Swan can easily pass for a “remake” of Kon’s anime Perfect Blue.
Spotlight on Film 