For the son of a world-famous animator who has faced opposition from even his father, Goro Miyazaki has been remarkably cool about tackling a major project of Studio Ghibli, the animated fantasy feature Gedo Senki – his film debut, writes TOKIKO OBA
Sunday August 20, 2006
GORO Miyazaki has some good reasons to feel under pressure. He’s director of Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea), the latest feature from Studio Ghibli, one of the world’s most important animation studios, despite being a complete novice: The movie, based on a best-selling book by Ursula K. Le Guin, marks his film production and directorial debuts. If that isn’t pressure enough, he also has the towering reputation of his father and Ghibli head, Hayao Miyazaki, hanging over him.
To make matters tougher still, the 65-year-old Miyazaki senior initially voiced strong opposition to his son’s involvement in the project. So how has he been dealing with the pressure?
Full article is available here.
It is difficult to have a brillant dad moreso in the same field that you trying to make a living. I have yet to watch Gedo Senki, but so I heard it is pretty faithful to the material.....however no conclusions can be make since the movie is not seen by me so far.
Will comment more on this if I got to watch it.
Wednesday, August 30
Tuesday, August 29
Japan's secret epidemic
By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
Monday 31 May 2004, 0:33 Makka Time, 21:33 GMT
"Hikikomori" is not a word that crops up too often in polite society in Japan.
It is a problem that someone else has to deal with; a situation that families think - hope - will not affect them.
The bad news is that an affliction that translates as "social withdrawal", which has only really begun to be recognised in the last decade, is now reaching epidemic proportions.
According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as many as 1.2 million people have fallen victim to an illness that few people, if any, know how to handle.
The outward manifestation that a family is suffering, however, fits a pattern.
Al Jazeera article on hikkimori
Interesting article on hikkimori from one of world most dynamic news group.
Monday 31 May 2004, 0:33 Makka Time, 21:33 GMT
"Hikikomori" is not a word that crops up too often in polite society in Japan.
It is a problem that someone else has to deal with; a situation that families think - hope - will not affect them.
The bad news is that an affliction that translates as "social withdrawal", which has only really begun to be recognised in the last decade, is now reaching epidemic proportions.
According to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as many as 1.2 million people have fallen victim to an illness that few people, if any, know how to handle.
The outward manifestation that a family is suffering, however, fits a pattern.
Al Jazeera article on hikkimori
Interesting article on hikkimori from one of world most dynamic news group.
Monday, August 28
Anime conquers the world
A book by Philip Brophy taps the peculiar charm of Japanese animation, writes Cefn Ridout
August 16, 2006
ANIME (animated films) and manga comics have long displaced tea ceremonies and Zen as Japan's foremost cultural exports. In 2003, anime accounted for 60 per cent of all broadcast animation worldwide and the industry is projected to become a global entertainment behemoth worth more than 10 trillion yen ($115 billion).
Not bad for what was, barely 15 years ago, primarily a direct-to-video niche market.
What went right? Breakthrough successes such as the television series Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh and feature films such as Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away tell only part of the story.
Full Article is here
August 16, 2006
ANIME (animated films) and manga comics have long displaced tea ceremonies and Zen as Japan's foremost cultural exports. In 2003, anime accounted for 60 per cent of all broadcast animation worldwide and the industry is projected to become a global entertainment behemoth worth more than 10 trillion yen ($115 billion).
Not bad for what was, barely 15 years ago, primarily a direct-to-video niche market.
What went right? Breakthrough successes such as the television series Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh and feature films such as Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away tell only part of the story.
Full Article is here
American fiction franchises adopt manga influences
By Wilma Jandoc
It seems like everything's going for that Japanese look these days.
Three well-known series of American fiction get this treatment with Harlequin Romance's Ginger Blossom manga line; graphic novels drawn in Japanese-manga style that bring to life teen detective Nancy Drew, celebrating 75 years of the 18-year-old's exploits; and a "Star Trek" series by various artists and writers that follows the crew of the original USS Enterprise.
All three translate well into manga form, though not without a few flaws.
Full Article is here
I have to admit, Star Trek manga idea did not jive very well with me. It is just strange to combine these 2 concepts together. Really, really strange.
It seems like everything's going for that Japanese look these days.
Three well-known series of American fiction get this treatment with Harlequin Romance's Ginger Blossom manga line; graphic novels drawn in Japanese-manga style that bring to life teen detective Nancy Drew, celebrating 75 years of the 18-year-old's exploits; and a "Star Trek" series by various artists and writers that follows the crew of the original USS Enterprise.
All three translate well into manga form, though not without a few flaws.
Full Article is here
I have to admit, Star Trek manga idea did not jive very well with me. It is just strange to combine these 2 concepts together. Really, really strange.
Anime and manga fans get no respect, writes Jen Gerson
Aug. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
JEN GERSON
Say what you will about Stephen Harper, Canada will be spared the indignity of an anime-loving head of state.
The people of Taiwan were not so lucky. In 2004, former president Lee Teng-hui dressed up as the stubborn kendo master Heihachi Edajima from a popular Japanese comic book series Sakigake!! Otokojuku. With flowing martial arts robes, bamboo sword and sidekicks in tow, Lee strutted his stuff for publicity pictures.
At this year's Fan Expo Canada lovers of anime and manga, Japanese cartoons and comics respectively, will be out in force. And they'll be eliciting groans from the more established echelons of sci-fi and fantasy geekdom.
"To a lot of people, (anime fans) are on the lower rungs of the nerd ladder," says Dave Alexander, from Rue Morgue, a magazine that showcases the horrific and macabre and also hosts the Expo's Festival of Fear wing. "Closed quarters do not make a good arena for giant props ... when you're walking around in a crowded convention centre and you see a guy with a sword made out of papier-mâché twice the size of his body, it can be pretty annoying."
Full article is here.
Even in Malaysia, anime fans were tend to be viewed with derision and laughter from general public. You can say it is geek discrimination.
JEN GERSON
Say what you will about Stephen Harper, Canada will be spared the indignity of an anime-loving head of state.
The people of Taiwan were not so lucky. In 2004, former president Lee Teng-hui dressed up as the stubborn kendo master Heihachi Edajima from a popular Japanese comic book series Sakigake!! Otokojuku. With flowing martial arts robes, bamboo sword and sidekicks in tow, Lee strutted his stuff for publicity pictures.
At this year's Fan Expo Canada lovers of anime and manga, Japanese cartoons and comics respectively, will be out in force. And they'll be eliciting groans from the more established echelons of sci-fi and fantasy geekdom.
"To a lot of people, (anime fans) are on the lower rungs of the nerd ladder," says Dave Alexander, from Rue Morgue, a magazine that showcases the horrific and macabre and also hosts the Expo's Festival of Fear wing. "Closed quarters do not make a good arena for giant props ... when you're walking around in a crowded convention centre and you see a guy with a sword made out of papier-mâché twice the size of his body, it can be pretty annoying."
Full article is here.
Even in Malaysia, anime fans were tend to be viewed with derision and laughter from general public. You can say it is geek discrimination.
Saturday, August 26
Bob Leddy: Japanese culture for Americans
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, August 19, 2006
Economic power is self-explanatory. So-called soft power applies to a nation's cultural influence beyond its borders. Japan has the world's second-largest economy, behind the United States; its products are part of Americans' daily lives. But its soft power is another matter. Except in some academic circles, Japanese literature, music, and theater (kabuki) are little known in this country.
Apart from karaoke, Japanese cinema has the strongest foothold here. Indeed, Japanese animation (anime) enjoys a near-exalted status in American pop culture. It's been thus since the 1970s, when Astro Boy appeared on our Saturday-morning televisions. The anime director Hayao Miyazaki (sometimes called the Japanese Walt Disney) is a U.S. household name; his 2001 film, Spirited Away, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Full article is here.
Economic power is self-explanatory. So-called soft power applies to a nation's cultural influence beyond its borders. Japan has the world's second-largest economy, behind the United States; its products are part of Americans' daily lives. But its soft power is another matter. Except in some academic circles, Japanese literature, music, and theater (kabuki) are little known in this country.
Apart from karaoke, Japanese cinema has the strongest foothold here. Indeed, Japanese animation (anime) enjoys a near-exalted status in American pop culture. It's been thus since the 1970s, when Astro Boy appeared on our Saturday-morning televisions. The anime director Hayao Miyazaki (sometimes called the Japanese Walt Disney) is a U.S. household name; his 2001 film, Spirited Away, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Full article is here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)