Like many anime fans, interest in the form came from science-fiction fandom. In a survey book entitled The Rough Guide to Scifi Movies, by acclaimed author John Scalzi, the centerpiece chapter discusses 50 canonical works. Among the usual suspects of 2001, Blade Runner, Metropolis, and Star Wars, there’s also space for Akira and Ghost in the Shell, two animated films from Japan. … More Why I Like Anime
On April 7, Production I.G and Kodansha announced yet another big Ghost in the Shell project, an anime to be co-directed by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki. No release date, no further details, so for now, we wait. And in this moment, we can’t in our minds help but connect it narratively to the American remake’s failure, not unlike Toho’s restart of Godzilla in the wake of Godzilla (1998), or even Oshii’s production of Avalon as ‘response’ to that other Ghost in the Shell remake. … More Ghost in the Shell, Old and New
Through all the blood and mayhem, at the heart of the show is Rock and Revy, who become two points in a central philosophical conversation. One that led me to a question: is this show ultimately nihilistic or idealistic? Despite all the mayhem and splatter, the series is provocative and oftentimes moving. Indeed, Black Lagoon answers the problem of cinema violence in a new age, and does so by making use of the subject’s very imagery and language. … More Black Lagoon: The Last Action Movie
In all likelihood, an episode like “Blood Flow of the Dead” is the best Berserk (2016) will be. This is when things come together – characters, scenarios, and they’ve had eight episodes of being slowly brought to the center. I would almost say it’s clever how things have been brought to this point, where everyone in the tower has their own skin in the game, but I still remember what show I’m watching. … More Berserk (2016): “Blood Flow of the Dead”
This is what we’ve been waiting for. Some payoff. Now, let’s fight. For the glory of… Oh, excuse me. *Clears throat.* I SEE THERE’S SOME WOMEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD. PLEASE, ESCORT THE WOMEN FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, SO THAT THEY MAY BE MENACED BY SOMETHING ELSE. THANK YOU. … More Berserk (2016): “Reunion in the Den of Evil”
I’ve known about Berserk for years, that it was a violent, violent work of anime/manga, and that it had Casca. The intrigue of the former had always been crowded by the latter, and so I put it off for an extended period I now look back on with some melancholic nostalgia. … More Berserk (2016): “The Black Witch”
For an episode with a title like “Burning at the Stake,” you wouldn’t be crazy for imagining such an event might actually occur. No, not crazy at all. And yet, Berserk (2016) simply looks back at you, with its bleach-blonde hair and colored sunglasses, cocks its head and says, “What’s wrong with YOU, bro?” … More Berserk (2016): “A Nighttime Feast: Burning at the Stake”
We’re inching ever closer to the shiny object, to Guts squaring off against the new bad guy, rescuing Casca, and finally forming his party. But this inching is made difficult when still we stumble. You’d imagine that this Slowbro pace would leave the appropriate breathing room for the creative team to ensure quality, now that we aren’t zooming through events as if they have no meaning. But the reason this episode goes nowhere is because we’re starting out on a journey, the way we were in Episode 1, and that means introducing more characters. … More Berserk (2016): “Tower of Conviction”
The credits roll, and I think, “Wow. Two scenes, huh?” But in truth, we’ve gotten a lot accomplished with such little material. It’s a breather episode, likely sandwiched between two more action-packed episodes, including the dismal “Night of Miracles” from last week. Guts is on track to St. Albion to find Casca, we’re introduced to a heavy and his fighting tournament roster of torturers, and we catch up with our old friend Lady Farnese. … More Berserk (2016): “Epiphany”
On occasion, Berserk asks too much of me. I’m looking for a show that depicts a badass hero and a Plucky sidekick, tearing through demons with blistering, well-documented rage. In the prior two episodes, we’re getting our bearings, beginning to build the supporting cast after the last one was obliterated all at once. … More Berserk (2016): “The Night of Miracles”
