Viz Cinema

When it comes to entertainment regarding big robots, Japan is the place to go. Transformers, an extremely popular show regarding giant robots, is one of the most famous to make it to the United States, but you will fin that it is far from the only ones. The anime industry’s love of mecha paired with teen pilots has given us some fantastic classics.

For example, you cannot get far when talking about mecha without running into Gundam Wing. Gundam Wing is only one storyline in Read more…

When it comes giants in the world of Japanese animation, you will find that you cannot go bigger than Satoshi Kon. Kon was a man who had a vision for every piece of art he put together, whether it was a manga or an anime, and whether he was working on it as a writer or a director.

One of his earlier works is still his most impressive. Perfect Blue relates the story of a popular singer who wishes to become an actress. The story starts when Read more…

Ever wonder why a lot of anime looks the same? The reason is simply because it’s supposed to. That’s done by design and if you get Funimation or any other anime channel through www.satellitetv.net it’s pretty plain to see.

So how does it happen?

It’s pretty crazy when you think about it. Lots of American cartoons look quite different so is it something akin to a lack of imagination that just makes all of these Japanese cartoons look so similar.

No.

It’s something far more sinister.

You see, the Japanese, if nothing else, are quite proficient at being efficient. They found out a long time ago what sells big on the Japanese market. The reason a lot of Japanese cartoons look so similar in design, color, etc. is because they know what’s going to get them their money back!

It’s really no different from the way the movie industry operates in America. Rather than put down some money on a completely original concept or idea, Americans like to have their marketing done for them by basing movies on books and TV shows – or, worse, making a remake.

It’s not an unconscious decision to make Japanese cartoons similar in their look. It’s a business decision – one that serves them well.

Every great genre has pioneers, in the world of anime movies, Hayao Miyazaki is considered to be a genius pioneer who established one of the greatest studios that the world has ever seen. Studio Ghibli was once a small movie studio that existed to help Miyazaki bring his images to life, but with their first few movies, they quickly gained popularity.

Though released before the official conception of the studio, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is often regarded as the first movie the studio released. It was the first in a long line of award Read more…

In Japan, the word “Shonen” originally meant a young boy, then became a reference to young people in general. It now has an international meaning referring to comics and shows aimed at pre-teen and teenage boys. They contain very fanciful elements, often concerning magical or supernatural powers and martial arts that boldly defy the laws of psychics.

The star character is often a young man, often a teenager, who is incredibly brave (sometimes to the point of being suicidal), very naive or just plain Read more…

For anyone who reads manga or watches anime you may find that there are times when you are confused by what they are saying. Other times you read it and have to read it again before you see what they meant. To help you with that you will have to look at the different cultural references and understand how they relate to our culture. When you are reading manga, you will find that they say baka often and for those who do not know what it means it is their word for calling someone stupid.

Other things you Read more…

Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of anime is that it has universal appeal, regardless of age or gender. There are anime for young and old, male and female – and today, we’re going to going to explore anime that is targeted toward a younger female audience. Shojo anime is generally aimed at girls ages 10 to 18, although it is also watched by some of the male gender in addition to people of different age categories.

Shojo anime is usually focused on relationships between friends and family members and more in-depth character development as the plotline of Read more…

The worst of Japanese animation is pretty bad. With such a fast turn around in the anime world, many shows are conceived, created, and shown all within a short time span. This has lead to some of the greatest breakthroughs in story telling of all time. But is also lead to many cliched, generic , anime shows about the same thing.

You’ve already watched one form or another all your life. This is because the common trope of a nice young Read more…