Feb 11

Feb 11 Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE

Action, Aircraft, Animated, Japanese, Robots, Science Fiction, War, Anime

This movie has plot holes galore, the graphic concepts and technologies are derivative, and the characters are oddly un-engaging. Still, it moves along at a very fast clip, the story itself is unusual, and some of the action sequences are spectacular.

Oct 29

Oct 29 Mamoru Hosoda's “THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Drama, Fantasy, Japanese, Science Fiction, Teens, Time Travel, Anime

At first I thought, “Uh-oh, this is another one of those interminable animes about Japanese high school kids dealing with adolescent angst.” Boy, was I wrong.

Jun 24

Jun 24 Keiichi Sugiyama's ORIGIN: SPIRITS OF THE PAST

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Another Time & Place, Disappointing, Japanese, Science Fiction, Anime

The visuals and artwork are impressive but the characters and story are a letdown.

Oct 18

Oct 18 Makoto Shinkai's “THE PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Drama, Fantasy, History, Japanese, Science Fiction, Space Travel, War, Anime, Makoto Shinkai

The creator of Voices of a Distant Star returns to adolescence but with a serious twist.

Oct 18

Oct 18 Makoto Shinkai's “VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Drama, Fantasy, Japanese, Science Fiction, War, Anime, Makoto Shinkai

It is a fantastic achievement. The art work is better than most of what you see on ADULT SWIM (by a very wide margin), the design of the spaceships and alien vessels is beautiful, the combination of simulation and electronic display inside the power suits looks quite original, and the story, while short at 28 minutes, packs an astonishing amount of information and story elements in while not swerving from the relentless focus on these two emotional lovers, communicating (one way) over a gulf of light years.

Jun 22

Jun 22 Satoshi Kon’s “PAPRIKA”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Cops, Japanese, Satoshi Kon, Science Fiction, Anime, Heist

As we walked out of the theater after seeing Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, I told Number One Son, “Now I know it’s possible to really film a Philip K. Dick novel!”

Feb 25

Feb 25 Satoshi Kon's “PERFECT BLUE”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Mystery, Satoshi Kon, Anime

Why is this psychological terror/murder mystery/serial killer story a cartoon?

Feb 25

Feb 25 Satoshi Kon’s MILLENNIUM ACTRESS

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Emotional, Intelligent, Japanese, Satoshi Kon, Anime

One of the most mature, evocative, creative, and melodramatic movies I’ve seen all year is an animated film, directed by the same director (Satoshi Kon) as the realistic yet disappointing (to me) potboiler Perfect Blue and of the excellent Tokyo Godfathers.

Feb 25

Feb 25 Satoshi Kon’s "TOKYO GODFATHERS"

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Comedy, Emotional, Japanese, Anime, Satoshi Kon

Satoshi Kon’s TOKYO GODFATHERS, like his MILLENIUM ACTRESS, proves again animation’s spectacular dramatic and artistic potential. From an unlikely story Satoshi weaves a dramatic and humorous tale that soars above cliché and treacly melodrama.

Feb 3

Feb 3 Hayao Miyazaki's SPIRITED AWAY

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime, Dragons, Magic

Back when I first heard the story of Spirited Away I thought that this would never go over big in the U.S. (young girl gets lost in an abandoned amusement park populated by vacationing spirits and seeks a way to turn her parents back into humans from pigs?) I thought it would make an excellent candidate as a simultaneous theatrical/DVD release, given its probable small target audience.

Feb 3

Feb 3 Hayao Miyazaki's PRINCESS MONONOKE

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime, Magic

This is an epic adventure interspersed with elements of Japanese folklore, magic, feral teenagers, giant wolves, strong and aggressive women, warfare, politics, terrific music, and enough related plot lines to kill a horse.

Nov 19

Nov 19 Hayao Miyazaki's “PORCO ROSSO”

Dennis D. McDonald

Aircraft, Animated, Fantasy, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime

This is an astonishing, moving, and intelligent animated film about a post WWI Mediterranean air pirate who is half man and half pig.

Nov 5

Nov 5 Lain

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Science Fiction, Anime, Cyberpunk

I originally published this review in 2002. I thought about it again aftre seeing The Last Exile, a more recent Japanese animated science fiction TV series.

Aug 5

Aug 5 Katsuhiro Ôtomo's “STEAMBOY”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Quirky, Robots, Anime, Steampunk

At the end of Steamboy the credits roll over a series of detailed pictures that project the main characters of the movie into the future. We see Ray Steam’s inventions unfold even further, and they include flight and airplanes. And we see Scarlett defiantly staring into the camera as well as she shares Ray’s future.

Jun 12

Jun 12 Hayao Miyazaki's “HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE”

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Fantasy, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime

What did I like least about this film? The answer: the ending. It is too pat, too rushed, too abrupt. What do I like most? Just about everything else. In fact, I found myself smiling at what I was seeing on the screen more often than in any movie I’ve seen since The Incredibles — and that is saying a lot.

Jun 3

Jun 3 Appleseed

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Anime

This anime epic now available on DVD successfully presents a convoluted story and a creative approach to the integration of 2D characters (shaded to look 3D) and 3D graphics.

Mar 9

Mar 9 Hayao Miyazaki's “NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WINDS”

Dennis D. McDonald

Aircraft, Animated, Japanese, Miyazaki, Anime, Dragons

What is it about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli that are so consistently impressive? Seeing 1984’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds for the first time reminded me of some of the answers to this question.

Jan 18

Jan 18 Mamoru Oshii's GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE

Dennis D. McDonald

Animated, Japanese, Oshii, Robots, Science Fiction, Anime

Mamoru Oshii (Avalon) does it again, this time with a sequel to Ghost in the Shell. Some of the same characters continue. The world of the future is even more detailed and incredible than in the original. There are more philosophical musings about the nature of humanity and technology. Plus, this may be the most incredible piece of animation I have ever seen. But it is not a favorite film of mine, for a couple of reasons.