Episode three hit the air this weekend, and it did not disappoint. Space Dandy delivered more of the strange spectacle that was introduced to us in episode one, only this time, there are boobies.  Alright, I know, there were boobies in the last two episodes too. Lots of them. And there will probably be boobies in the next episode too. After all, its Dandy’s mission in life to visit every Boobies in the galaxy, remember? But there probably won’t be anything in Boobies like these boobies. Oh, and there are giant monster aliens too. And maybe a super robot.

Broke and out of food, yet again, Dandy sets out on a quest for a free lunch. How, you ask, will he acquire said meal? Well, with his hologram Boobies point card of course, a reward for his leal patronage. The only problem is the card expires at the end of the day, and according to QT, that fount of lovable robot wisdom, they have two hours to reach their destination. Forced into a corner, Dandy does what Dandy has to do. He activates the broken warp drive.

GIF byZimfan/ Reddit

Next thing you know, the Aloha Oe crashes into a mysterious planet, with no life forms to be found. At least, according to QT’s scanners and unreadable paper print out. Not one to be deterred, Dandy sets out to find his Boobies, and ends up saving some mysterious space babe by the name of Mamitas (slang for hot women in Spanish, but literally translating to small mothers) from a swarm of some pretty nasty nasties. The Gogol Empire makes an appearance too, but who cares about those guys, am I right?

Then, all hell breaks loose. The nasty nasties, called Rageians, end up being not so nasty,  trying to warn Dandy of his impending doom. Then Mamitas turns out to be a giant boobie monster that devours everything, and ends up eating Meow. That’s right. A giant boobie monster eats Meow. But lucky for him, “Space Dandy doesn’t abandon his friends!” Enter, Hawaii Yankee, Space Dandy’s pompadour sporting, Hawaiian shirt wearing super robot.  And as it turns out, Dandy is a pretty ace pilot, managing to actually land a shot and hold his own against the Deathgarian (boobie monster), and eventually, with the help of some luck, defeating it.

So, what started out as a quest for a free lunch ends up turning into Dandy’s first time successfully registering a new alien, and earning some cold hard cash. “But what happened to Meow?” you might be asking yourselves. I have no effing clue. But hey! They all survived a supernova, and flying through space without a helmet, so I’m pretty sure we have nothing to worry about (I mean, they just added Meow to the title sequence!).

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Now there is one thing that has been bugging me as of late, but allow me to elaborate.

I’ve read in a few episode discussions for “Occasionally Even the Deceiver is Deceived, Baby” and apparently people are feeling very put off by the shows overabundance of “fanservice” and its general lack of plot. Sentiments like “I have to make sure all of my roommates are asleep before I watch each episode,” and “Ok, we get it there is a restaurant called Boobies, enough with the boobies,” seem to be pretty frequent among anime fans. Along with “This show is not serious enough, it’s not Cowboy Bebop,” and “Still waiting for the plot to kick in.” Well, let’s talk about that.

Yes, the show is loaded to the brim with ginormous chesticles - this episode in particular - and scantily clad waitresses. Oh yeah, and freaking breastaurants. Obviously, Bones studio is just full of perverted mofos who have no shame in their over the top booby filled animations, right? Or maybe, just maybe, there is something else going on here. Brace yourself, baby. Mammoth sized mamos and revealing outfits are par for the course when it comes to anime, and I get the gripe so many people seem to have with that. Believe it or not, I find the overabundance of breasts and teenage level eroticism in anime off putting. A tired, lazy and overused attempt to make female characters sexy, so all the little boys and grown ass men around the world will watch your show. The kicker here is that there is no façade hiding the outrageous fanservice, Dandy’s animation crew don’t give two shits about “subtlety."  And quite frankly, I applaud them for it.

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Space Dandy is a satire. It is a comedy that at no point in its three episodes (so far) wanted to be taken seriously (asides from its animation quality, that shit is the bee’s knees). It’s not trying to be the next Cowboy Bebop, I mean, why the hell would it? Shinichirô Watanabe already played that noise, spectacularly I might add, and now he wants to bust out something with a little more funk to it.

I get it; it’s hard to consider something satire when it just does more of the same, and Dandy definitely lays down a heavy dose of typical fanservice. But notice, how the girls who fit the typical anime mold usually work at Boobies, you know, kind of like Hooter’s girls? Meanwhile, the only female character that I consider sexy is Scarlet, the no nonsense, ass kicking, glasses wearing, agent who checks all of Dandy’s alien finds. I think the crew at Bones studio is just having fun with this series, paying homage to animes of old, while poking a whole lot of fun at them and the people who obsess over them.

Maybe, now I know this is a long shot, but just maybe, Space Dandy isn’t about the typical anime srs business "les sayv the world guis" storyline. Maybe, now stay with me, it’s more about the fantastic animation quality, the brilliant voice acting, the music, and the actual craft of making a damn good piece of animation. Oh, and knowing how to laugh at yourself and not taking yourself, or what you do, too seriously.

The love behind this series really shows, in each and every episode, boobstorm and all. Sure, things get a little awkward at times, and there is not a shred of sense in the twenty two minutes and thirty six seconds of each episode. But when the music starts pumping, and the animation gets going, the boobies are soon forgotten, and the real show begins. Yes, there are a lot of boobies, an embarrassing amount of boobies, but there is also a lot of other stuff. Some really freaking good stuff. That’s why I’ll keep on watching. After all, when you love something, you have to take the good with the bad, right?

Then again, that’s just my take. If you disagree, then that’s cool. Let’s talk; there is a comment section below. 

Dreamworks has recruited Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders to helm the live-action movie adaptation of the much beloved Ghost In The Shell manga/anime. The film has been a personal passion for legendary director Steven Spielberg, who convinced Dreamworks to acquire the movie rights in 2008.

If the name Rupert Sanders sound familiar, it’s because he made gossip headlines in 2012 for his affair with Snow White and the Huntsman star Kristen Stewart.

That being said, the actual film was widely praised for its impressive visuals, an important factor for Ghost In The Shell, which takes place in a futuristic Japan. The original Ghost In The Shellanimated film was released in 1995.

[via Deadline]

Anime crosses over to the auto world in this new Subaru commercial, featuring the giant nude antagonists from Attack on Titan. After seeing just a few commercials out of Japan lately, this one should not surprise you.

The 30-second ad features live-action Titans going up against the new Subaru Forester.  Director Shinji Higuchi, who helmed the 2006 disaster flick Sinking of Japan, worked on the Subaru collaboration and may be showing us how the Titans will look in the movie adaptation slated for release next year.

In a nod to the series'"3D maneuver gear," the Forester is being promoted as an “omnidirectional SUV against attacks”.  I do love the idea of a vehicle that can go anywhere and handle any condition, but will there ever be a time that we face a Titan attack?  I think not, but let us not think about that. It is still a great way to promote a vehicle that is known for its all-wheel drive capabilities.

Watch below and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Viz Media and Eleven Arts have announced that Tiger & Bunny The Movie: The Rising will get a theatrical release in March. Viz Media and Eleven Arts have announced that Tiger & Bunny The Movie: The Rising will get a theatrical release in March. 

The film, the second in the series, will premiere in Japan later this month. Its US debut has been scheduled for March 15 for 20 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and more.

Tickets will be priced at $15 each, and will include a free 12" x 18" cardstock movie poster and exclusive movie clear file.

You can find a full list of screening and theatre locations here: http://www.elevenarts.net/th_gallery/tigerandbunny-therising/

In TIGER & BUNNY THE MOVIE: THE RISING, the heroes are back in an all-new feature-length film! Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, a.k.a. Wild Tiger, and Barnaby Brooks Jr.'s partnership comes to a sudden end when Apollon Media's new owner Mark Schneider fires Kotetsu and moves Barnaby back into the First League, pairing him up with Golden Ryan, a new hero with awesome powers and a huge ego to match. When the heroes are sent to investigate a string of strange incidents tied closely to the city's Goddess Legend, they discover three superpowered NEXTs plotting to bring terror and destruction to Stern Bild.

Apologies for the delay my readers (all two of you), but after little ado, my recaps for Episode 4 and 5 are finally here. I know, I know, your lives have been leading up to this moment, but please, do try and contain your excitement.

Episode four, “Sometimes You Can’t Live with Dying, Baby” has cemented a pattern for the series, one that seems to give some viewers cause for alarm, or just fails to tickle their fancy. It was a pattern that was boldly introduced to us in episode 1, and has been with us since we embarked on this funkalicious space adventure in early January. What is this pattern, you may be asking yourself. Well, the pattern of pure and utter chaos that throws logic and reason straight out the window, and holds hands with the universe around the bonfire of great music, superb animation, and the propensity to kill our crew. Sprinkle in some outrageous amounts of fanservice, a heaping mess of aliens and robots, and some fine-tuned jokes, and you got Space Dandy. Well, sort of.

Each episode seems to be a standalone adventure. Death and danger are no threat to our heroes, for we’ve seen them all get blown to smithereens, and Meow was eaten by a giant boobie alien in episode three. So, I am pretty damn sure that it is safe to say we don’t have to worry about where an episode ends, or even worry about where the series is going to go. Take episode four for example, which definitely brought its A game.

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It starts off as per usual, our crew is trying to secure another alien registration bounty, and before we know it, things start to get a little weird. The alien they have captured seems a little off, with lifeless gaze, cold coloring, and slow movement; even the crew manages to notice. While they inspect their odd capture, Meow gets bit, and it’s not long before he too shows signs of zombification, infection, disease. Of course, we all know from the get-go that this is the start of a zombie infestation, but our heroes haven’t a clue.

Cue anime nurses, and the Reckless Mercenaries.  

After having Meow confirmed as dead, and Dandy has his share of booty shaking and nurse pestering, they leave their feline companion at the hospital for further inspection. When we return to the scene, red is splattered throughout the halls, and the entire hospital staff looks a lot less lively, and a lot hungrier. Enter the Reckless Mercenaries.

These guys were great, smashing through the window, busting out the lightning sword, and blasting zombies with extreme prejudice. Totally dug their red berets, also. But, after one undead fails to die despite being made to look like Swiss cheese, Dandy and QT finally realize what is going on, and one of the best damn scenes (I know, it seems like every episode has the best damn scene in it) of the series cuts loose.

Try as they might, however, our heroes do not manage to escape the fetid clutches of the undead. But that’s not where the credits role, baby.

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Having all been turned into zombies (even QT, despite his being a robot) our heroes must try and make sense of their new form of existence, and so they turn to their capturer from earlier in the episode, and he guides them to zombie moksha. But the infection does not stop with our heroes, and before you know it, every single life form, and robot, is part of the zombified genus. Even the flippin narrator. There is a poignant message in the end, and even a nifty little surprise before the credits roll, making for one sweet episode. Oh right, and the Gogol Empire were the ones who hired the Reckless Mercenaries, in case you were wondering what those guys were up to. You probably weren’t.

As you could have guessed, episode 5 “A Merry Companion is a Wagon in Space, Baby” does not seem to recall that the entire universe was turned into zombies. No, much like the death of Meow in episode three, or the planet destroying bomb that consumed our heroes in episode one, there is no mention of the undead plague. Funny as it was. Which is totally fine. I am not going to lie though, there is a part of me that wants to see more zombie Dandy, and his adventures fermenting. Imagine how exciting that would be.

Episode 5 starts with our hero, once again, hot on the trail of a new space alien. However, there is a twist: this time he is flying solo, and on the hunt for a notorious species that has bested all previous hunters. They call it the gentuine. I probably spelled that wrong. But, whatever, point is, Dandy is after a scary alien.

Gif by Asatoe/Tumblr

As it turns out, this gen-two-in… yeah let's go with that, has the power to zap people’s consciousness into stuffed animals. And it looks like a little human girl. But what was supposed to be an easy gig ends up getting complicated. The Aloha Oe gets impounded, and this forces Dandy, with gen-two-in in tow, to travel across the cosmos in public transportation to bring her to the registration station. So, while Dandy is stuck in what is essentially a space train, we get treated to a smooth, sentimental tune, beautiful shots of the galaxy-scape, and some interesting character progression between Dandy and the kid.

Through the power of song and montage, what had once started as an icy relationship soon feels more like the bond between a father and his daughter. Considering how irresponsible, lecherous, and downright stupid Dandy usually is, it is actually refreshing to see him in a different light. Now don’t get me wrong, Dandy’s shameless flash and glamorous stupidity are great, it makes the show what it is. But seeing that our hero isn’t such a one trick pony is nice too. It provides some much needed slow down to a show that has been running at full tilt from the get-go. Balance, as they say.

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The story goes on, but I’ll end the recap here. This episode is one you just need to watch, it’s definitely a treat, and I’ve already given you the gist. Oh, but one more thing. This is the only episode so far where the Gogol Empire doesn’t make an appearance. Not that that matters really, but you know. I kind of missed those guys, and their ineptitude. Oh, and fanservice. There was very minimal fanservice. So yeah, good episodes.

I know this is a little late to be jumping into a recap for a show, but with how classy Kill la Kill is getting, I couldn’t resist the need to talk about how ingenious this show is.

So if you’ve been watching Kill la Kill, you probably know how subtle the show is.  Filled with magical girl-esque transformations, nudists, and guns firing cold hard cash, the show is definitely one of the more laid-back shows this season.  Yep, it’s definitely not over-the-top, out of this world, and totally insane at all.

All jokes aside, last week Trigger studios slapped us in the face with probably the greatest flashback episode in anime history (by basically not having one), rewarding us with a seriously awesome fight at the end that resulted in the destruction of a nudist army. 

This week’s episode, “Tell Me Why,” may not have had an awesome fight, but it ended in such spectacular fashion that it didn’t need one.  Since the start of the show, Kiryuuin Satsuki, successor to the clothes company RIVOC (and secret clothes driven world domination group), has been portrayed as a leader who stands below no one.  So when her mother was introduced, I couldn’t help but feel that she wouldn’t stand for serving under her for long.  Sure enough, Satsuki finally starts her rebellion against her mother and her literally alien clothing woven from “life fibers.”  However, rather than just a declaration of war, we get a bloody, back-stabbing assassination by Satsuki in the middle of a grand stadium during the Grand School Cultural and Sports Festival.  While I expected her declaration to be epic, I was not expecting it to be this epic.

^{Clearly there was not enough blood.}

Probably my favorite thing about this episode (and show in general) is that, despite how bizarre the show is, it still manages to make you take it seriously.  We learn why high school students were chosen as test subject for the Goku uniforms made from life fibers, and get to see why Nudist Beach member Tsumugu Kingase despises clothes so much (no, it’s not because he’s a nudist).  That’s not to say we didn’t get our fair share of light-hearted humor and Aikuro Mikisugi’s glorious, shining, nudist nipples this episode either.

^{Apparently his crotch glows too.}

As far as animation goes, it’s always hard to say whether Kill la Kill has fantastic or terrible animation.  While the show is mostly animated amazingly, it sometimes has such blatant motion tweens that it hurts an animator’s soul.  However, even these scenes are so totally obvious that you know it’s on purpose and doesn’t take away from your enjoyment of the show.

After seventeen episodes, Kill la Kill still manages to surprise me every week.  I don’t know about you, but I’m still eagerly riding the crazy, overly-sexualized, hilarious, and absolutely awesome train that is Kill la Kill.

Aloha Dandyites, (that’s what I’m calling you, but probably never again), and apologies for another delay. But hey, that just means another double dish of Space Dandy, and who can say no to those levels of righteo-tude? You don’t have to actually answer that. Spoilers ahead.

Episode 6, “The War of the Undies and Vests, Baby,” starts with our crew aboard the Oe, Dandy lounging like a lizard while QT tries to spiffy up the joint, much to his chagrin. Soon enough Meow is thrown into the mix, and the space feline notes one of Dandy’s killer boards. Surf boards, to be precise. The pair of sidekicks proceed to bringing the big guy low, slapping a tag on him reserved for the lamest of the lame. Shoobie. A wounded pride sparks one of those stupidly profound Dandy monologues, and before you know it, the crew is touching down on a new space local.

As it turns out, the Undieans and the Vestians, who live on Eden’s moon (Eden being a planet that was apparently blown up a very long time ago) have been locked in a bitter war for the past 10,000 years. With this war comes a no fly zone around the planet, and the Aloha Oe gets shot down, crashing onto the moon’s surface. Meow and Dandy head out to investigate the planet’s surface, and before you know it, they each get captured by a pair of bug eyed, half naked gangly aliens who sport some goofy duds. These guys are the Undiean, a red alien who only wears underwear, and the Vestian, a blue alien who only wears a vest. It is this difference in wardrobes that is the reason for the millennia of blood shed that has reduced each side to just a sole survivor. As illustrated by a delightful fresco.

Gif by LesSean Thomas/Tumblr

This is one of the things that Space Dandy does so well, hiding a meaningful message beneath a heap of madness and nonsense. There is nothing but pride and stupidity behind the war of these two alien species, which have battled to the point of their own extinction. Dandy and Meow even get caught up in the ridiculous conflict, a stripped down Dandy fighting for the Undieans, while the vest sporting and pantless Meow fights for the Vestians.

As often is the case with war, no one really knows what they are fighting for, certainly not the soldiers. After pointing out the flaws in their conflict, our crew brokers a peace between the warring parties, but this quickly falls through, and the two aliens proceed to their final, and hilarious bout.

Guns pop out of their chests, and a wicked beat pumps as they blast away trying to kill one another. When that fails, they start throwing rocks at each other. With no side able to defeat the other, both aliens decide to blow the moon to smithereens, leaving our beloved heroes in quite the bind. Cue cheesy 80’s inspired J-pop theme and space surfing, giving way to a spectacular animation sequence, where Dandy rides the waves of planetary annihilation through the stars. It was pretty friggin cool.

Gif by LesSean Thomas/Tumblr

Episode 7, “A Race in Space is Dangerous, Baby,” is quite the ride. We start off at our favorite breastaraunt, Boobies. The girls of Boobies seem to be particularly excited for our Hero’s arrival, but we soon find out that Dandy isn’t the cause for their immediate fanfare. Enter Prince, the space racing ace with lustrous locks, and the power to sparkle, endlessly. Of course, being the dandy dude that Dandy is, he isn’t about to take things lying down, and so he declares himself an out of this world speedster. What follows is an episode of Wacky Racers meets classic Japanese space operas, tossed in a bowl of Outlaw Star, with Honey playing the part of Penelope Pit Stop. It was wonderful.

We are introduced to a few key racers, each sporting their own stylish space whip, and cartoony crew. There is a pair of monster twins, BDSM twi’lek Crusher Girl, and the enigmatic Masked Racer. And then there is Prince and his crew, Squeek the mouse lawyer, and Zed, his high tech robot ally.

You already know the set up. Dandy and crew are the mysterious rookies, who, through shear grit and determination, will eventually end up winning. This is, Space Dandy after all. Using a myriad of last resorts and special attacks, Dandy slowly claws his way to the lead. Each step getting wilder and wilder as the other ace pilots bust out their secret weapons. All to the beat and eerie whines of a funky race tune that puts you on the edge of your seat, as the cosmic chaos that is Dandy continuously puts him back in the race.

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Even the Hawaii Yankee makes a wicked appearance. But it is not only the ridiculous action that keeps revving things up, it is also the cartoony antics of Squeek and Meow, clear throwbacks to Tom and Jerry, and the other Hannah Barbera inspiration that seeps through this episode. I mean, Squeek is like the evil mix between Mickey Mouse and Jerry, with a splash of Scratchy, spicing the bubbling broth of animation that is the show. And right when you think things can’t get any crazier, that the animators and directors have reached the limits of their imaginative minds, the people at Bones studio go one further.

There is no sense or reason to the show, when it wants to cut lose; it takes a sword to that thread of reason holding everything together, and things suddenly get cosmic, and most certainly funky. The more you try to understand what’s going on in the scene, the harder it pushes against you. You can’t stop to think about what’s happening on the screen, I mean, there is a crazy bird plant alien thing with boobs announcing the space race. A giant squid busts out of the depths of some distant planet, while one racer’s special move ends with them smashing into oblivion. Not to mention they break the sixth space velocity and split a planet in half,  all of it adding up to one pretty heavy ending. The instant you go against the current, you end up drowning in the sea of its indifference. But damn, it makes for one fine ride.

Oh yeah, and the Gogol Empire is back too.

The crew finds a dog, and the whole shebang starts out with an in depth look at our two favorite ne’er-do-wells, Dr. Gel and Bea, or is it Bee? Its Bea. You know, the evil space gorilla and his weird edamame looking crony, the two dudes who ride around in the ballgagged statue of liberty head space ship. I think they are part of the Gogol Empire. Also, there is one hell of a cameo. Things go from upbeat, to sad, to frantic. What is this madness? Oh right, it’s Space Dandy.

Things start out on a different note for this jam, instead of getting another look at Dandy and crew’s day to day aboard the Aloha Oe’, things get a bit more intimate on the Gogol side. The episode  opens up, with our bdsmed lady liberty drifting through the endless nothing of space. Then the scene moves into the confines of the kinky spaceship, where Dr. Gel (giant wig wearing space monkey) sits upon his golden throne, his green skinned sidekick telling him about their ships latest upgrades. A sick, intergalactic, beat playing, missile launching, turntable. Now, the turntable itself doesn’t fire the explosive projectiles, but instead launches the ship’s own salvo.

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So, when Bea scratches one of his sick beats, the face of liberty splits open, revealing a set of highly explosive chompers that are sent streaking through the abyss. They explode, of course, in spectacular fashion. Dr. Gel starts freaking out, worrying about the collateral damage they may have caused, and the money it will cost the empire to pay the claims for said damages. Apparently, Admiral Perry is not a fan of frivolous spending. I must say, I found the interaction that followed, between Gel and the fiery floating skull of Admiral Perry to be quite delightful. Who would have thought that an overlord so seemingly evil, and powerful (He manages to spontaneously explode Gel’s ship on more than one occasion after all) would turn out to be so painfully frugal?  Not wanting to suffer the wrath of their master, Gel and Bea hit the warp drive, under the pretext of hunting Dandy and are quickly sucked through space time.

Enter the heroes, who are scouring the planet Machinia, which seems to be nothing more than a cosmic scrapheap. There seems to be little signs of alien life, registered or not, amidst the planet’s rusty terrain. But Meow can’t believe this result, quickly claiming that it was one of his free unregistered alien apps that lead him there. Despite the lack of extraterrestrial quarry, QT is overjoyed by their visit. Our lovably obsolete friend dives into the mountainous piles of junk that surround him, overjoyed by his finds. Meanwhile, Meow goes off on the hunt for food, only to find a lonely refrigerator amongst the piles of metallic waste.

Now, the show has already alluded to Space Dandy sharing the same universe as Shinichirō Watanabe's previous work, the much adored, Cowboy Bebop. Whether this is true or not, if the two series inhabit the same universe, means as much as a fart in the wind in the grand scheme of both animes. But hey, its fun to catch little easter eggs and possible connections between a director's works. And that fridge looks awfully familiar. Better yet is when our hungry feline freeloader opens the mysterious fridge and a crazy purple goo monster pops out and attacks him. Say whaaaat? That’s right. Purple. Goo. Monster.

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For those of you who have not had the pleasure of watching Cowboy Bebop, or just have not cared to, the purple goo monster thing makes an appearance in Bebop’s episode “Toys in The Attic”. It is the spawn of some leftover lobster that was cooked to shit and then forgotten for years inside a lonely refrigerator. Here is the breakdown. Spike cooks lobster with blowtorch. The lobster tastes like shit. Spike stuffs bad tasting lobster into the fridge. He forgets about the lobster. The lobster then spoils, and continued to spoil over years of space travel until it created some crazy alien hive thing inside the refrigerator. That hive spawned the purple goo monster, which then proceeds to terrorize the crew of the Bebop.  The purple goo goes around biting people, and poisoning them, until Spike, hero that he is, manages to roast it with his flamethrower and then  tosses the fridge out of an airlock and into the cold indiference of space. The episode then ends with Edward, crazy hacker child freeloader, eating one of, or the, not exactly sure how many there were, purple goo monster.

So yeah, Meow finds that fridge that Spike tossed out of an airlock, and is attacked by the purple goo monster. Then he eats it, to no ill effect.

The episode then turns to Dandy, who finds a dog. Not a space dog, like Meow being a beetlejuician but really a space cat, but a regular ass dog. He plays with the dog for a while, and just as he starts to warm up to the pooch, even giving it a name, Precious Upsidedown CoconutPie (Pup for short) the dog lays down. To DIE. That’s right, we are introduced to Pup only to have her die. But, before she buys the farm, Pup tells us the story of her sad existence. The loveable pooch was apparently banished from an entire world of humans, leaving her adrift in space to ponder the meaning of her lonely existence, and very much feeling like all of humanity hated her. However, she is happy she got to spend time with Dandy. Then she dies.

Our heroes are reduced to tears, and Dandy, being the dandy guy that he is, decides to build the beloved Pup a rocket coffin. That’s right. A rocket coffin. When the job is complete, they send Pup’s remains into space, paying their respects as they watch the makeshift sarcophagus ascend into the starry sky. As fitting as an end as that would have been, the episode goes on.

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You see, while all of this Pup drama was unfolding, there were two characters, making seemingly unrelated appearances in the episode. Two, flubber-ish looking dudes who kind of talk like generic native americans. At least, in the English Dub they do.

When we first meet the sickly green and translucent pair (we can see their bones and their heart), they are laying upon a grassy field, staring at the sun and talking about their land dying. Well, as it turns out, these dudes are space fleas. But not really. But yes really because they live on the dog. In the moment of Pup’s death, both space fleas make a jump onto Meow, and in this way, steal their way on board the Aloha Oe'. It’s not until they are aboard the Oe' that Meow manages to scratch them off. QT then catches a glimpse of them, and his alien scanner notices that they are a rare species of aliens called a graviton and gravitino, but they are known as the Le Flea brothers. Both of them end up dying, and as a result of their death, they cause the collapse of the planet Machinia.

This planetary collapse is of such great magnitude that it creates a black hole, which our heroes then try to escape. But trying gives way to simply doing, and by hitting the warp drive, our heroes manage to escape their once eminent doom.  

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Oh, and remember how the Gogol guys hit their warp drive earlier? Well, they finally show up, only to get sucked straight into the black hole. Talk about the crushing indifference of space. See you next week, baby. 

Easily one of the strangest and amazing cross-overs I've ever seen, Sega announced that in the Spring update the Attack on Titan universe would leak into Phatansy Star Online 2.  Prepare for some new costumes, weapon skins, and a peek at the Colossal Titan.

In the above image, you can take a look at the outfits available to players.  The military outfits come with or without the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, and the Twin Dagger and Wired Lance weapons in PSO2 can be replaced with the blades of the AoT world.  Below is of course the 60 meter titan from the beginning of the anime and manga.  It will be appearing in the lobby, so be sure to check it out.

The instant transporter gets an upgrade, you know, the teleporter that took thirty minutes to load up and beam our heroes to their destination? Yeah, QT fixes that and ends up beaming Meow and Dandy onto the weirdest destination thus far. Well, ok, maybe the planet with the giant boob monster was weirder, but this new locale is definitely a contender. Giant sentient space plants, a landscape straight out of an acid trip, and a mysterious purple gas are all part of this episode of Space Dandy.  

Being a show that has pushed the boundaries of animation further and further with each new episode, I guess I should not have been surprised when episode 9 took us to one of the most colorful and surreal locations I have seen in any show.  Planet Planta, and its inhabitants left me feeling like I was watching a for T.V. version of a Hayao Miyazaki film, like Princess Mononoke, but set in the far reaches of space. The Funkalicious tunes and delightfully strange sounds which bubbled about each scene only further improved the spectacle.

We start aboard the Aloha Oe’ where apparently Meow has unearthed the location of a new alien species, Code D. Dandy eventually buys the space cat’s talk, and gives the order to be beamed down to the planet’s surface to QT. But, due to a recent upgrade, the transporter has lost some of its accuracy, and so Dandy and Meow end up in completely different spots. Soon enough, Dandy gets abducted by some weird plant people, and taken to a bizarre lab of sorts, where a mysterious plant person stands over him, observing the strange creature that has stumbled into his possession. And, while Dandy is being experimented on by the plant-man, Meow wakes up to a tribe of pygmy plants, who do nothing but feed the fastidious feline.

Gif by LeSean Thomas/Tumblr

Most of the episode is spent trekking across Planta’s surface, showcasing the bizarre and beautiful scenery that make up the plant planet, as well as the menagerie of plant beings. One plant in particular takes an interest in our hero, Dr H’s daughter, 033H. She takes Dandy on a veg-tastic voyage across Planta, riding a dandelion across a sea of green and flowers. But, when Dandy finally asks if 033H can help him find the mysterious Code D, Federal Microbes (weird pink flying saucer things) give chase. But, due to an invisible membrane, Dandy can’t run away. Instead he gets sucked up by a huge plant alien thing and carried back to the safety of Dr. H’s lair.

While back at the lair, Dr. H dishes out all he knows about Code D, and reveals that the mysterious alien causes plant life to grow at an accelerated rate, and is even dangerous to them. Because of this, only Dandy would be able to further investigate. What follows is a wondrous trek across Planta, until a giant caterpillar threatens to devour our heroes and a new plant person, Cocamuka, arrives to halt their expedition.

It turns out that Cocamuka is the leader of Planta, and has actively thwarted Dr. H’s attempts to further investigate Code D in the past. Being the bad dude that he is, Cocamuka tosses our heroes into jail. But it is not long before 033H shows up to bust Dandy and Dr. H out of their vegi-prison. With our heroes freed, they continue their journey to Code D, which results in even more colorful scenes of Planta until they finally arrive at the ominous hive of Code D.

Gif by LeSean Thomas/Tumblr

Unable to follow, Dr. H is left behind, but 033H decides to brave the danger with Dandy, and so the two press into the unknown. Why 033H followed our hero in Code D’s lair is a mystery, probably more of the same nonsensical magic that makes this show the gem that it is. That being said, the scene in which 033H starts violently growing to the point of busting open was quite powerful. It was not a deep scene by any means, or one that really said anything, but there was something about watching that little seed pod, who did nothing but happily follow our hero, rapidly growing to the point of her own destruction that struck a chord in my emotional strings. Maybe it was the strange similarity between that scene and the ending sequence of the animated classic, Akira, that got me. Or maybe it was just hearing the pain in the little plant thing’s voice. Who knows? But our hero presses on, and eventually manages to destroy Code D.

As it turns out, Code D is nothing more than a strange meteorite, but it was that meteorite that created the new found complexity of life on Planta. Soon after its destruction, all of the plants on the planet return to their simple origins. They lose any semblance of intelligence and are reduced to nothing more than shrubs and vegetation, no longer capable of thought or emotion. Gotta say, this episode made me feels. 

Gif by LeSean Thomas/Tumblr

The idea of being trapped inside a video game is nothing new; it's a concept popularized by series like Sword Art Online, and while many would say that Log Horizon is a rip-off of Sword Art Online, it's clear that this is untrue. The only thing they have in common is the premise--past that, Log Horizon takes a very drastic turn from the norm with this kind of story, focusing on the human side of things instead of the action.

The story of Log Horizon takes place in Elder Tale, a very popular MMORPG which mirrors its maps and settings after the real world. On a certain day, known as The Apocalypse, anyone who had an account with Elder Tale were sucked into this game, unable to escape. Amongst them is Shiroe, an Enchanter and a strategist. With the help of his allies Akatsuki and Naotsugu, they try to figure out this new world that was once Akihabara.

The animation quality is very well done for the series. Character designs are distinct from one another, and have very clean and clear movements. However, aside from the first episode, there isn’t too much action in this series, which can be disappointing for some. There are battles throughout the story, but the animation can feel limited at times, and not all that detailed.

Again, Log Horizon isn’t really an action-based show; from early on, the story is about the strategy, creating a society, and what it means to be human. It talks more about the ethics of war than actually showing any kind of war. This can be confusing with that opening sequence, which looks well-done and gets you pumped to watch, but just doesn't feel right with most of the content that follows. The final arc of the show doesn’t feel very climactic, but some will forgive the fact because of the context of the plot in the final episodes.

Much of the cast start out very simply, almost stereotypically, but they quickly grow into well-fleshed out characters. Shiroe, at first, comes off as someone very closed-off, only opening himself to a limited number of people. As the story goes on though, you discover that it’s his experience inside Elder Tale that made him that way, making him more sympathetic over time. You watch him grow as he becomes a strategist and the leader of his own guild.

If Shiroe is the mind of the group, then Akatsuki represents the soul and Naotsugu the body. His two companions start out almost as simply as Shiroe, but they grow alongside him as well. While one may be shown more prominently than the other, that doesn’t mean that one is superior to the other. Throughout the show, you see that the three of them need each other not only to survive in Elder Tale, but to keep their sanity intact.

What’s really surprising about Log Horizon is that the supporting cast is just as colorful as the main cast. Whether it's a swashbuckler who happens to be of a race of cats, or a guild leader who isn’t quite as grown up as she thinks, they all bring something special to the show. Even characters that just seem like bait to get hardcore otakus into the show end up breaking that mold, and are fleshed out into unique personalities. When the show comes to its end, there are very few characters who feel unnecessary or undeveloped.

Another strength of Log Horizon was that it actually felt like these people were stuck in an MMORPG. Each episode clarifies the kind of world they are in, and it never breaks stride. They also use mechanics often seen in these kinds of games that may be hard to translate into an anime, and use it very creatively.

Though Log Horizon may not be the action-packed sort of show, it’s a clear stand-out from the others with regards to what it attempts to do. It breaks a lot of tropes associated with this kind of story, and the tropes that they do keep, they play with them and eventually make them feel real. It's got a colorful and unique supporting cast that drives the story, and it's a plot that stands well without additional seasons.

The trailer for the new Sailor Moon reboot (revolutionarily called Sailor Moon Crystal) is finally out, and the eye-popping 90 seconds have only polarized fan reactions further--the criticisms range from petty, to valid, to bizarre, to people sounding like they just watched their first anime yesterday. Check it out and see for yourself!

What do you think? In terms of criticism, I've heard people say it's just too different from the original, that the girls look too thin, the poses are physically impossible, the colors are "weird," that she's wearing lipstick now . . .

Now I'm as used to fan freakouts as the next guy, I know the lengths to which it can go, but nonetheless ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO. Yeah the girls look thin and the poses look weird, it's freaking anime--they also have eyes that would render them blind in a week given earth's light intensity, hair colors you only see in Crayola 80s throwback editions, and the cats are also rabbits are also frequently robots, are almost always also humans. This isn't Grave of the Fireflies, you're in Magical Girl territory. Also, have you seen the manga?? It actually looks pretty faithful to the comics, as was the stated intent. 

The more reasonable complaints involve the level of detail and attempts to 'modernize' - the remake does look a bit clunkier and unelegant. The hair-wing thingamadings look tacked on, and the ribbon ornaments, collar, and earrings all have twice as much metal and shapes as before, which is a bit surprising. I thought modern meant, you know, Apple-y--sleek, minimal, easy on the eyes, but I suppose the extravagance is also tied to manga-faithfulness. All in all, nothing to cry over, girls and boys.

Let's focus on the good to look forward to: more attention to the source manga means more gore, less "monster of the week" pacing, more attacks, more genderbending fun, and mature themes (incest, sexual assault, self-harm, the heavy stuff). Sparkle sparkle, baby.

The series debuts on July 5th at 7 pm, with a new episode every other week. It'll be available to stream via Niconico Douga, a Japanese streaming site, and American distributor Viz Video will likely stream the episodes on their site as well. 

[via Kotaku]

The first Dragon Ball Z flick in 16 years saw its Japanese release last year, but American fans will finally feast their eyes on the next installment in the series: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. A new threat has aligned itself against Earth and the Z-Fighters--Beerus, the God of Destruction, and Goku must ascend to the level of legendary Super Saiyan God to face him. 

There must be actual Dragon Balls somewhere in the world, because DBZ has never failed to wish itself back into existence, even after a few ill-fated, live action, American blasphemies along the way (or just one, thankfully). This all-new feature film, you'll be happy to hear, is helmed and drawn by the famed series creator, Akira Toriyama himself.

It picks up after the television series ended in 1996 with the defeat of Majin Buu, when across the universe, Beerus, the God of Destruction, catches rumors of a saiyan warrior who managed to defeat the mighty Frieza, all the way back when. Determined to test his mettle against this upstart, Beerus journeys to Earth, and the Z-Fighters must band together again to intercept him . . . but c'mon, we all know who's going to be the real ace in the hole. If Super Saiyan just didn't seem colorful, extreme, mullet-y, and muscular enough for you, prepare your body for the next stage in Goku's evolution - LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN GOD. I expect you'll need 3-D glasses to witness the hyperchromatic hues in this transformation's new hair color. 

Check out the trailer below--what do you think of the CG spliced in there? I would've preferred they stick to the traditional hand-drawn style completely, but as long as it's got action faster than human eyes can follow, I'll be there, squatting in the theater with my fists clenched, and pupils darting left and right. 

The first episode of the Sailor Moon remake, Sailor Moon Crystal, has premiered both at AX and on Hulu, to all the expected fanfare and roomfuls of white-gloved and weeping fans. Whatever criticisms have been leveled against the remake have mostly aimed at the revamped art style, but my complaint? Usagi Tsukino isn't stupid or graceless enough, and that disturbs me.

To summarize my complaints, there's just not enough moments like these^

I'm a latecomer to the Sailor Moon franchise, coming to the original series only a few weeks ago as part of a "hey you know what I never got around to watching?" sort of thing. Consequently, I'm in the best and worst position to judge Sailor Moon Crystal; I'm not blinded by years of devoted fandom and can see what the redux looks like to a complete neophyte, but at the same time, I've only seen a miniscule slice of the original series. But that doesn't mean I've got no love for it--I ended up liking it way more than I thought and I'll continue to watch the original. And probably not at all the remake.

What the original did spectacularly was simple: Usagi was hilarious. Much to my amazement, it wasn't a show about a pre-teen who receives powers and can suddenly kick ass, it's about a pre-teen moron with powers that manages to kick ass despite herself, and that made her completely lovable. It was a combination of things that made Sailor Moon pop: the gags were well-animated, with abrupt and cartoonishly over-the-top reactions, sometimes approaching Ren and Stimpy-like freneticness. Usagi's voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi pulled out all the stops to make Usagi a whiny, lazy, sometimes conniving, and constantly hungry lout that I find (disturbingly) relatable. The clash between the more austere sailors and their every-girl leader made me understand what there is to love about a good character-driven show like My Little Pony (I'm still not a brony however, despite constant exposure).

See, when I was a kid I thought I knew what Sailor Moon was--a self-described 'pretty guardian' whose power was directly proportional to her makeup, and with about as much character and depth as your average on-stage Miss America So imagine my delight when I realized she's basically a teenaged, Japanese Homer Simpson, sort of. I loved it--instantly the original series clicked for me, I mean what could be better? An irresponsible good-for-nothing-but-good-intentions blessed with massive destructive power and a killer transformation sequence. My reasons for liking it are only half-ironic. I legitimately tip my hat to the creators for making this glorious mash-up of grace and gracelessness, maybe because it describes so well that gulf between the self and self-expectations, and I'm seriously looking forward to seeing Usagi grow into the more mature guardian that I've read about it in overviews.

Consequently, what I disliked about Sailor Moon Crystal's first episode (and just the first episode, so far) is that makes Sailor Moon seem more like my ill-founded preconceptions of the series. It seems to put all of its weight into the grace while skimping on the gracelessness, which means it's that much closer to being just a Sailor Moon knock-off. Undoubtedly they tried to goofy Usagi up, you know, having her trip down the stairs and hit her butt, fail exams, bonk Tuxedo Mask on the street with paper balls, but it just didn't have the pop: the gigantor reaction eyes, exaggerated flair, the WTF moments that made me confused, then embarrassed for having watched it, then grin sheepishly. Oh, and the new voice actress isn't stacking up well against Kotono Mitsuishi, whose rendition of Usagi went beyond annoying into this virtuoso space, one where sounding like an entitled crybaby was an art comparable to opera. Strip out all of that delicious humor and human silliness to balance out the glitz, and the remake seems altogether too serious, full of itself, even.

What happened to juicy bits like these?

Now that's a crying attack.

All these factors combined make it seem as though the creators of the remake are banking too much on viewers having seen or read the original material--if you're coming into Sailor Moon cold, there is very, very little to love. Really, in all honesty, if you'd never been exposed to the series in the past, would watching this first episode change your mind? I very much doubt it--the jokes would fall flat (did you see her fall on her butt??), the dialogue would be hammy as hell (ISN'T JEWELRY SHINY?), and the action would be painfully predictable, since it's just a paint-by-numbers exercise, a facsimile of a formula done first and best by . . . well, Sailor Moon. See the problem?

It's well and good to have a series that pleases the series' insanely loyal fanbase, but I just thought they'd aim higher than a mere tribute. But again, it's just the first episode! What I do like is that it seems we'll be meeting Sailor Mercury in the very next episode, without having to go through ten monsters-of-the-week too! The faster pace signals less filler and a tighter storyline. Who knows, maybe I'll give the next episode a chance.

“I will fear no evil,” were my first thoughts upon hearing that Sword Art Online was renewed for a second season.  While I was okay with the first season, and found the recap movie to have a bit more focused, I just never got swept up into what was the big deal with the series. However, hearing that this new season is skipping many storylines to move  onto the Phantom Arc of the original light novels (originally written by Reki Kawahara), which is said to be the best of the SAO arcs, and keeping the same director (Tomohiko Itō; Anohana, Fractale), composer (Yuki Kajiura; Fate/Zero, Puella Magi Madoka Magica), and animation studio (A-1 Pictures), it’s time to give Sword Art Online II a fair shot.

The first episode of season two, Gun World, starts in, well, the gun world, Gun Gale Online. Our main setting is inside a bar, where players are watching a program known as the MMO Stream where the hosts are interviewing a top ranked player known as Zexceed. He calls out people who only upgrade their agility in the game, saying that time as well as MMO strategies change constantly.

The bar patrons are pissed, and rightly so. There is complaining amongst them until a person in a black cloak gets up into the middle of the room, proclaiming that Zexceed must face judgement.

He fires at the television, which shocks everyone. Seconds later, Zexceed goes into a spasm, and suddenly his avatar is disconnected.

The cloaked person reveals his mask, proclaiming that he owns the most powerful weapon of judgment: the Death Gun (which is also his name to save further confusion). Is that anything like the Death Note? I mean, we can presume at this point that Zexceed is death, and the masked man doesn’t have to be at that actual location to kill him. And if he’s going off about passing judgment, does this mean that the masked man is really Light Yagami? These are my questions SAO!

^{Or, alternatively, the Anti-Black Coat from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance}

Moving forward, we are giving a start date for our story: December 2025. Asuna is meeting Kirito (yes, I know his name is Kazuto, but everyone in this series, even in the real world, refers to him as Kirito) for a date. On their date at a park, Kirito comments about how this place is cut off from both the real world (since there are no roads or subways crossing through) and the virtual world (there being only one security camera for that park).

It’s here where I must comment that the chemistry between Kirito and Asuna. Just in this first episode of season two, their relationship feels a lot more genuine than it ever did in season one. They obviously click together very well and have an invisible connection with each other that actually feels grounded. Even in moments where there is no dialogue, the natural body language between the two just sync perfectly. This must be how Kirito must know that Asuna gets totally turned on with all this talk about “information” and “virtual reality” because why else would he be talking about this on a date?

Later on that day, Kirito tells Asuna that he wants to be a creator of games, not just a player. Specifically, he wants to create something that rivals the new technology out there, the Amusphere, which was the technology that replaced the Nerve gear. He wants to create something that goes well beyond the illusion of sensory, but having actual sensory.

There is then a flashback to four hours prior, where Kirito has lunch with Kikuoka Seijirou, a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Virtual-Division. This isn’t just a casual meeting between the two of them, Seijirou needs to discuss some business (because everything involving the internet is serious business).

He tells Kirito about the death of a man named Shigemaru Tamotsu, who died on November 14 and was found days later by his land-lady. He had died with the amusphere on his head, showing that he was playing Gun Gale Online for nearly two days straight. An autopsy showed that he died of acute heart failure. The man was a pro-player, who went by Zexceed in the game. At the same time, a blogger wrote about the events that happened at the bar in the episode’s prologue. A similar event happened with another player on November 28 who went by Lightly Salted Tarako (yes, you read that right). The shooter at both incidents went by the username “Death Gun”.

They discuss that the amusphere made it impossible to give anyone brain damage (to probably avoid a repeat of SAO), but there was no way to explain how the Death Gun and the heart failures were linked, a conclusion that both Kirito and Seijirou agree on. Seijirou asks Kirito if he could enter the world of Gun Gale Online and "make contact with this Death Gun."

Kirito then explains that Gun Gale Online is a game for pro-players, meaning that it’s the only VMMO game in Japan that allow players to convert the coins they earn into cash that can be used in the real world. “Pros” are those that can actual make a profit playing the game. Seijirou then explains that his bosses are really worried that these incidents may cause harsh regulation on the technology, and that it was impossible for them to reach the game administrators in the United States because of The Seed that was planted at the end of the first season caused many shady worlds were created (translation: the writer really wanted to make it so that they had to force Kirito into the plot). All Seijirou wants is for Kirito is to find the admins and get his impressions on them, guaranteeing as much safety as possible.

The flashback ends, and we return to Kirito and Asuna staring at the sunset together. Asuna comments on the sunset, talking about the one they saw when the original Sword Art Online exploded (because that’s the definition of romance)..

^{"And I-E-I Will Always Love You!"}

They decide to leave, to go back into ALO and name drop some old characters that we may see in future episodes.

The episode then conclude in Gun Gale Online, where a blue-haired girl known as Shinon is laying on top of a mountain with her rifle, taking orders from a man unknown to the audience.

Quality animation as always, A-1 Pictures.

Her target is a shrouded man who is surrounded by bodyguards, and she is ordered to take the shot. Her shot is fired, hitting her target, and then simply saying “next”.

Gun World brought a lot of promising stuff to Sword Art Online II. It definitely has an interesting premise, and raises the stakes in a different manor than what is normally seen in this genre of anime. However, there was a definite lack of the action sequences that got fans excited for the series in the first place. It doesn’t have to be Attack on Titan quality, but this is A-1 Pictures, a studio that know how to use their budget.

However, one aspect that really peaked my interest was during the credit song that played at the end. It heavily featured Shinon and a black haired girl who could use what is basically a purple lightsaber. This definitely interests me because it’s obviously taking place in a game that heavily uses guns, but she somehow has the ability to use another weapon. It may seem like that Kirito may finally have someone that can truly out do him.

And while I learned my lesson in trusting Sword Art Online in terms of story, I can’t help but find this arc’s storyline interesting. It was like that when the series originally began as well, but the execution just fell flat. I know I’m going to be in a world of pain when reality comes crashing down upon me, but I’d be lying if my hype levels weren’t raised by a margin with this first episode.

There's a new 5-minute promo out for the live-action Rurouni Kenshin sequels Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. The footage shows everyone's favorite backwards-swordsman in all three of his moods: business-meeting Battousai, lady-killing Battousai, and everyone's personal favorite: army-slaying Battousai.

Teaser images were released as far back as March of this year, along with a 30 second trailer, neither of which told you much, aside from the fact that the producers might be a tad too faithful to the character designs of the anime/manga. I mean, The Dark Knight's Bane no longer looked like a juggalo, Shishio Makoto doesn't haaaaave to look like Darkman, but what the film lacks in imagination, it makes up for with musket-on-katana-on-ships-sometimes action.

The films will follow the Kyoto Arc of the manga, commonly referred to as the 'proper' finish to the series. Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends will see respective Japanese releases on August 1st and barely a month later on September 13th. Check it out below, along with the movie poster.

[via ComicBook Movie]

Violinist Taylor Davis is back with another amazing fantastic cover. This time she's taking on Attack on Titan's iconic (and crazy awesome) theme song. You know the one.

If you liked that, Davis also has remixes of The Last of Us, Duel of Fates, Let It Go, and a whole lot more at her channel.

It has now been confirmed that Studio Ghibli, probably the most internationally prominent animation studio aside from Disney, will be closing its doors, though perhaps not permanently. Whil the company will continue to maintain its back catalog of works, no new productions will be made unless by freelance. The studio’s last feature film was When Marnie Was There, which released in Japan July 19th but with no current plans for a US distribution. If and when it does premiere stateside, it may be the final work of an illustrious company beloved worldwide.

It was previously believed that the studio would be shutting its doors for good, but a new translation of general studio manager Toshio Suzuki's words reads instead: "we will take a brief pause to consider where to go from here."

The hiatus seems to be motivated primarily by struggling sales: When Marnie Was There has so far grossed approximately $3.5 million, while their previous film The Tale of Princess Kaguya earned only $48 million. Critics have cited a changing aesthetic as the main cause of the film’s poor performance: a greater emphasis on digital composition, more subdued color palettes, and on the marketing side, possible oversaturation (The Tale of Princess Kaguya was released one year after Miyazaki’s final work, The Wind Rises). The studio has also made past comments regarding the rising costs of animation, a fact further exacerbated by their refusal to outsource animation duties.

Another possible factor is, of course, Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement last year, which may have been a strong signal for the already floundering company to enter the final stages of its lifespan. Miyazaki has become practically synonymous with the studio, having directed the lion’s share of the studio’s most iconic works, including Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro.

The studio was founded by fellow directors-in-arms Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, both of whom had considerable experience before the studio’s inception: they’d cut their teeth on projects such as the Lupin III television series and the epic Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind, an anime adaptation of Miyazaki's own serialized manga. Their first feature as an organization was 1986's Laputa: Castle in the Sky, which won the Animage Anime Grand Prix that year, and continued Miyazaki's unique blend of Western themes and story tropes with a Japanese style. Their second film, Grave of the Fireflies, only contributed to the studio's prestige, as it is recognized even today as one of the most emotionally gripping animated features of all time, and one of the grimmest depictions of war-time tragedy in any format. My Neighbor Totoro followed suit as a smash children's hit, and gave birth to one of the studio's most enduring images: Totoro's own rice-ball shaped body. The studio's success continued strong into the late 2000s with such internationally acclaimed films as Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, and Spirited Away. 

As an avid fan of the studio and animation in general, I sincerely hope the studio hasn't halted its productions for good. A breadth of creative minds is vital for the development of any artistic medium, and the loss of Studio Ghibli would prove a tremendous blow to the animated world.

With such edifices of imagination like Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky under his belt, Hayao Miyazaki must seem like some modern-day Willy Wonka. And you know what? He basically is. 

The Old Man Absolutely Loves Planes
In fact, the very word ‘Ghibli’ is taken from the Italian warplane Caproni Ca.309 used in WWII. See, Miyazaki had an enduring love of all machines that can soar; his father owned the company Miyazaki Airplane, which produced tailfins for Japan’s own WWII fighter planes, and which is presumably where the animator’s fascination with mechanized flight began. His obsession clearly carried over into his work; Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind is about, among other themes, the final prototype of a mythical line of flying machines; Castle in the Sky is a similar story of a previous age in which flight and stratospheric civilizations were common; Porco Rosso is the adventure of an ace WWI pilot turned bounty hunter (and is also cursed with a pig’s face); and his final work The Wind Rises is the animated biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, a renowned fighter-plane designer during WWII.

He Isn’t Pro- or Anti- War, He’s Pro-Passion
Miyazaki’s final film The Wind Rises drew criticisms from all across the political board in Japan for what they call a glorification of a man who created machines of death. In an interview with Animation World Network, he deftly sidestepped all such discussion to say, simply, that he loved passion in a human being: “I am against the use of nuclear power. But when I saw the press conference with the engineers working on the [Fukushima] power plants, answering questions, I saw the same type of purity of their soul that I portrayed in Jiro Horikoshi in the film. The problems of our civilization are so difficult that we can’t only put an “X” in a circle and say “Yes” or “No.”

Also, there is a scene from The Wind Rises in which the protagonist Jiro dreams of Giovanni Bautista Caproni, an Italian warplane designer, who tells him “Aeroplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.”

He Hand-Draws Because He Must

From the same interview: "I can only create animation in 2D. There is no other choice for me. I don’t even know how to use a Smartphone."

He's Predicted An End to Worldwide Peacetime . . . 

In an interview with The Telegraph he was asked if The Wind Rises were a reflection of his own personal life and ambitions, to which he replied: “I’ve been very blessed to make animation for 50 years in peaceful times, while they lived in very volatile, violent times. But I think the peaceful time that we are living in is coming to an end.”

. . . And He’s Basically Okay With That
There’s an image set making its rounds on Tumblr these days—it’s taken from the documentary Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, and in the scene, Miyazaki is asked for his feelings regarding the end of Studio Ghibli and his own retirement. His response is pure magic, and has this 'things come and go' attitude, this sense of perspective that can only come from a lofty mind, afloat far above the mundane.

If you're a diehard Neon Genesis Evangelion fan in Japan with a lot of disposable income to burn, you're going to want to take a look at this six-and-a-half foot tall, $18,000 statue of Unit-01. It's a limited edition piece, with just 25 being produced, and you can get one for yourself at... 7-Eleven?

That's not exactly a brand I'd normally associate with Evangelion, but hey, it's Japan.

The statue is priced at 1.836 million yen (US$17,892), and is available in the normal Unit-01 colors, or in a "special" 7-Eleven color-scheme. I guess that one is for hardcore fans of both Evangelion and convenience stores.

You can purchase one at any 7-Eleven in Japan by filling out a form and bringing it to the register. This will be followed by a phone call from the company to begin a bank transfer (I'm guessing briefcases of unmarked bills are not acceptable forms of payment), and four months after that, your statue will be delivered and assembled for you.

If you don't exactly have $18k lying around, 7-Eleven will also be running a giveaway for one of each of the two color variants.