1989 saw the release of yet another whimsical Hayao Miyazaki-directed adventure, Kiki’s Delivery Service. I can vividly remember the ads for this movie’s American home video release when I was a kid; I can practically hear the cheesy, upbeat, “inspiring” song they played over it. However, th...
Read MoreStudio Ghibli released two movies in 1988. After Isao Takahata’s first film with the studio, Grave of the Fireflies, explored the aftermath of WWII in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s next was a decidedly more light-hearted venture. Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky were a mixture of fantasy and steampunk, ...
Read MoreBased on a 1967 autobiographical short story of the same name, 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies would be Isao Takahata’s first film at Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki’s work often overshadows that of his late, lifelong collaborator. However, I think Takahata’s filmography is equally as impressive...
Read MoreWhen I watched and reviewed Earwig and the Witch last week, it got me thinking about Studio Ghibli as a whole. This was their first film in six years (seven for us here in the United States), and it was disappointing to most fans, to say the least. However, it’s worthy of note that a …
It’s time for another tumble through the history of the anime medium. Last time, we counted off what the most iconic anime from the 90s were. Now we go back even further to the decade where anime seriously started taking shape: the 80s! A time of funky music, crazy hairstyles, and ridiculous amoun...
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