Animation

You awake on a bed in an unusual room. As soon as you gain consciousness you realise something is wrong. You start to fall apart. Your limbs split into a dozen pieces, your whole body splinters and you can’t even remember your own name. It’s not a dream, but...

Tales From Earthsea & From Up On Poppy Hill   This is part 6 of a series of reviews, looking at Studio Ghibli’s films, you can find Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 which look at Hayao Miyazaki’s and Yoshifumi Kondō’s directed films, by clicking on the hyperlinks....

Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo & The Wind Rises   This is Part 5 of Adam’s series reviewing the films of Studio Ghibli. You can find Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4 by using the hyperlinks.   Hayao Miyazaki’s films for Studio Ghibli are each so different...

Princess Mononoke & Spirited Away   This is Part 4 of Adam’s series reviewing the films of Studio Ghibli. You can find Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 by using the hyperlinks.   For Part 4 we return to Hayao Miyazaki for writing and direction while Joe Hisaishi...

Whisper of the Heart   This is Part 3 of Adam’s series reviewing the films of Studio Ghibli. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 by using the hyperlinks.   Whisper of the Heart (1995) is the only Ghibli film to be directed by Yoshifumi Kondõ. Written by...

My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service & Porco Rosso.   When watching the first two Studio Ghibli films helmed by Hayao Miyazaki, they left a distinct and vivid impression on me. However, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with presenting my opinion on this until I had watched a few more...

Nausicaä of the Valley of The Wind & Castle In The Sky.   The first two films from the iconic team of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki – released in 1984 and 1986 respectively – lived up to the billing. In popular culture both Ghibli and Miyazaki have a...

Following on from my earlier article, The Dark Side of Alchemy, I’m now in a position to share some thoughts on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as a whole. I wrote the earlier article after I had finished “Part 1” which is the first 13 episodes; this time I’m writing having...

Kaiju are giant. Enormous. They are impossible to miss. You’d know if you saw one, you would just know. Yet in SSSS.GRIDMAN a lot of them manage to fade into the background. Standing like mountains in full view yet seemingly almost invisible. After a few episodes I realised that...