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Macross Goes Worldwide: An Interview with Shoji Kawamori and Hidetaka Tenjin at Otakon 2023
There's been nothing but buzz around the Macross series since the announcement of the historic licensing agreement in 2021. We talked to Kawamori and Tenjin about Macross 7, English subtitles, and “thinking without boundaries.”
― There's been nothing but buzz around the Macross series since the announcement of the historic licensing agreement made between BIGWEST and Harmony Gold in 2021. That buzz ...
Friends Remember Hiroe Tsukamoto, Aniplex USA Producer and Dub Advocate
With a production career spanning over three decades, Hiroe Tsukamoto ushered in fan-favorite series to the home video market and held the door open for aspiring talent and anime enthusiasts.
― On June 13, the anime dubbing studio Bang Zoom! Studios announced the death of a beloved member of the anime community. Hiroe Tsukamoto was a fixture in the production of stateside anime releases and an enthu...
What Mamoru Oshii Wants to Tell the Next Generation of Anime and Film Creators
Mamoru Oshii is participating in an online video course about what it means to be a director. He spoke exclusively to ANN about what he wants viewers to take away from his lessons.
― The acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii, best known for the cult anime film Ghost in the Shell, is participating in an online video course on Narō about what it means to be a director. The 4.5+ hour course is filled with ins...
MAN WITH A MISSION Talks New Demon Slayer Season, Upcoming International Tour
MAN WITH A MISSION's Jean-Ken Johnny gushes to ANN about the theme songs in the newest Demon Slayer season, plus the band's upcoming international tour.
― You can always count on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba theme songs to grab your attention. The opening and theme songs of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc feature a team-up between two top artists in Japan: rock band Man With a...
ANN's Most Read News and Interest Articles of 2022
We bid one last goodbye to 2022 with our top stories from the year.
― 2022 was a very different year compared to 2021 and 2020. The pandemic continued, but it no longer dominated the headlines, and its effects were much less apparent in most of our readers' countries. Although it didn't make the top ANN news itself, one of the biggest stories worldwide was, of course, the return to “life as usual,” o...
Otakon 2022 - Interview with Toshio Furukawa & Shino Kakinuma
Toshio Furukawa and Shino Kakinuma are seiyū royalty as the voices of Piccolo and Videl. ANN caught up with the pair at Otakon to discuss their legacy and current work.
― Despite its age, Urusei Yatsura continues to define the anime landscape with its rich legacy and unforgettable characters. With the upcoming series reboot in mind, ANN sat down to speak with Ataru's own Toshio Furukawa and his wife ...
The Indian Anime Community: A Future I Didn't Expect to Be a Part Of
Living in India and being a longtime anime fan has given me front row seats to an amazing journey of growth, one that I feel very lucky to have been—and continue to be—a part of.
― Living in India and being a longtime anime fan has given me front row seats to an amazing journey of growth, one that I feel very lucky to have been—and continue to be—a part of. I hope that this article can convey the mag...
ANN's Most Read News and Interest Articles of 2021
The most read stories on ANN, from VTubers to Mushoku Tensei controversy.
― 2021 was a strange year as we all continue to navigate the changing landscape of the pandemic. Cons were back, albeit briefly, before the Omicron surge changed expectations once again. In the anime world, not all the surprises were negative. Somehow, against all odds, a deal was brokered to get Macross into the western world ...
The Humanist Legacy Of Keiko Nobumoto
Cherished by all who worked with her, Nobumoto's reputation as a delicate humanist with radical ideas about the intersection of gender, politics, and environmentalism put her behind the wheel of series that we're still talking about decades later.
― It's difficult to trace each root of influence that leads back to Keiko Nobumoto. Over her three-decade-plus writing career, Nobumoto blazed trails in an...
A Philosophical Talk with Legendary Director Mamoru Oshii
“Part of what artists do has to withstand the test of time. I suppose you could call it 'universality.' People who live by entertainment generally live in the moment.”
― Note: ANN is excited to publish a recently discovered interview between Mamoru Oshii and our reporter, Richard Eisenbeis, from 2017. A while back, I was able to sit down with Mamoru Oshii, director of groundbreaking anime films such ...
Hideaki Anno: A Career Retrospective
Hideaki Anno has long been considered to be one of the forerunners of modern anime and otakudom. Matthew Roe (@TheCriticlysm) takes another look at the career and impact of the maverick creator.
― Update:
It has been brought to our attention that some details presented in this documentary have come under dispute, and we wanted to apologize and clear up any misconceptions that may have arisen as a re...
Eternally 23: Remembering the Creative Works of Osamu Kobayashi
In a tweet seemingly written by him before his passing, he laments that he “still had work he wanted to make,” but that someday maybe he'll be “reborn” to make good work once again.
― On April 17th, 2021, acclaimed anime director Osamu Kobayashi passed away from kidney cancer at the age of 57. An extraordinary voice in the world of anime, fans and industry folks alike took to social media to lament ...
Capturing the Merch: Interview with the Cardcaptor Sakura Memorabilia World Record Holder
Matthew Emblidge lives in Maryland with his collection of 4,873 items (and growing!) Cardcaptor Sakura items.
― Cardcaptor Sakura is no doubt one of the most popular magical girl franchises to date. In fact, a lot of people I know grew up with the franchise aside from another mahou shoujo series, Sailor Moon. Its immense popularity has also spawned a huge amount of merch releases over the years. I wa...
Mini-Interview with Master of Horror Junji Ito
Now, with an Eisner award under his belt, Anime News Network caught up with Ito to discuss pets, fashion, and the spine-tingling inspiration behind some of his most haunting tales.
― Junji Ito was a guest at this year's Virtual Crunchyroll Expo to talk about his manga Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, one of the acclaimed horror artist's many licensed manga. Ito is horror manga mainstay in both Japan...
Traveling Whimsical Roads with Izumi Matsumoto
Kat Callahan reflects on her time as the Kimagure Orange Road creator's guest liaison and how his work forever shaped her life.
― Earlier this week we learned Izumi Matsumoto, creator of the iconic manga and hit anime series Kimagure Orange Road, passed away. Matsumoto's work profoundly influenced the person I became and the life path I chose. Although the natural inclination is to lay the blame on t...
Creating the Sci-Fi Sounds of Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege with Composer Alexander Bornstein
The musical mind behind sci-fi works such as Love, Death & Robots, Stephen Hopkins' Lost in Space, and Agent Carter talks about his love for synth and challenging himself.
― The next installment in Hasbro's decades-spanning sci-fi franchise Transformers finds its home on Netflix on Thursday as Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege. The six-episode 3DCG-animated series by Polygon Pictures tak...
Interview with Rising Star Sunghoo Park, Director of The God of High School
Following acclaim for his directorial work on the technically impressive Garo -Vanishing Line- anime series, Sunghoo Park has continued to be the man to watch at studio MAPPA.
― Following acclaim for his directorial work on the technically impressive Garo -Vanishing Line- anime series, Sunghoo Park has continued to be the man to watch at studio MAPPA. Most recently he's brought his attention to detai...
Interview: Deca-dence Director Yuzuru Tachikawa and Producer Takuya Tsunoki
Creative staff behind the upcoming original series discuss their choice to go big, the mystery behind the title, and how long it took to get Deca-dence off the ground.
― Deca-Dence is an ambitious original anime produced at NUT, the studio behind the Saga of Tanya the Evil anime. It's directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, who is well known for directing Death Parade and Mob Psycho 100. With many members of t...
Interview: Steve Alpert, The Westerner at Ghibli
Steve Alpert talks about recording his lines for Miyazaki, the truth behind the samurai sword sent to Weinstein, and Ghibli's ' live or die' business structure.
― Studio Ghibli fans will be devouring Steve Alpert's book Sharing a House With the Never-Ending Man, written by the American who was a member of Ghibli in its greatest years. Alpert discloses a fantastic number of secrets about the turbulent...
Interview: LISTENERS Series Composition Writer Dai Sato
As LISTENERS draws to a close, Anime News Network was able to interview esteemed writer Dai Sato to discuss music, mecha, and themes.
― As LISTENERS draws to a close, Anime News Network was able to interview esteemed writer Dai Sato to discuss music, mecha, and themes. The original anime premiered in April and follows Echo, a boy who thinks he's destined for a quiet life recycling trash, and Mu, the ...
Amplifying Black Voice Actors in Anime
It's time to spotlight some of the Black voices behind your favorite characters. You know Jet Black, Hawks, Chise, Char Aznable, and Boruto, now get to know the VAs bringing them to life.
― The art of localization is one that often goes underappreciated, and a lot of the talent behind it tends to go unnoticed. Anime dubbing is unfortunately, no real exception. While dubs themselves have a much better...
Interview: BEASTARS Director Shinichi Matsumi
In the last of our three-part BEASTARS features, director Shinichi Matsumi discusses the techniques behind the anime's success.
― BEASTARS took the anime world by storm when it released on Netflix worldwide in March. The high-quality 3D animation and compelling relationship drama have particularly stood out to the viewers. Anime News Network sat down with the anime's director Shinichi Matsumi to disc...
Interview: BEASTARS CG Chief Director and Orange President Eiji Inomoto
Kim Morrissy sits down with renown CG animation creator and Orange studio founder Eiji Inomoto to learn more about Inomoto's animation philosophy and what in particular makes his studio special.
― There are few CG animation creators more renowned than Eiji Inomoto. He has always worked towards emulating the appeal of 2D works in 3D. Even as an animator on Zoids: Chaotic Century, he was dropping frame...
Anime News Network's Top Headlines of 2019
Vic Mignogna court case, KyoAni arson, Demon Slayer among most viewed
― The business of anime continues to be huge and 2019 was no exception. Anime News Network's team published over 6,000 articles this year whether it was about new anime licenses, the latest trailers, or up-to-the-minute coverage of industry's highs and lows. What headlines best represent what fans were wanted to know in 2019? Pleas...
Interview: MIYAVI, The Responsible Rockstar
The guitarist and actor MIYAVI discusses his career, his newest album, and his upcoming role alongside Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2.
― The artist presently known as MIYAVI just may be the most responsible rockstar of our age. He's been active on the international music scene since 1999 and solo since 2002, MIYAVI has catapulted to global success and notoriety pretty much on his own terms, always ev...
ANN's Most Read News Articles of 2018
The top 25 anime, manga, and video game headlines of 2018!
― The sheer output of anime each season in 2018 means more news articles for our team to tackle to keep our readers in the know. This year, Anime News Network's News team published 8,159 articles. This feature went dormant for a few years, but 2017 had a total of 7,711 news articles. Our output has continued to grow year after year thanks to ...
ANN's Most Read Interest Articles of 2018
― 2018 brought a lot of change-ups to Interest as our small time spent more time creating in-depth articles from the industry, breaking news about controversy on social media, and still including all the fun "most anticipated" and strange developments you expect from us. I got to close out the year writing about how a bot seized control of Rokka: Brave of Six Flower's website and posted a bunch of g...
Interview: Studio Eallin Japan and Director Kenji Kawasaki
One of Japan's burgeoning short-project anime directors discusses his process and the growing trend of 3D with interviewer Callum May.
― Although the anime industry is open to new forms of creativity, there's always space for creative animation outside of a TV series. Eallin Japan is one such company that offers avenues for creative animated projects within advertisements, music videos and short film...
Interview: International Otaku Expo Association
These three guys are attempting to create a global otaku community by encouraging communication and collaboration between otaku events (like, say Comiket and Otakon). Let's find out what they're all about!
― We had the pleasure of chatting with three representatives from the International Otaku Expo Association, an organization established this year to "encourage new developments within the wider ota...
Satoshi Kon 1963-2010
On the fifth anniversary of the day the world lost Satoshi Kon, we're reprinting our original retrospective of his ouvre for fans who may be reminiscing today about this great artist and his incredible work.
― Editor's Note: this retrospective was produced by Anime News Network shortly after Kon's death in 2010. We're reposting it today on the anniversary - some of the information may be a little ou...
Hidetaka Tenjin
We interview master mecha artist Hidetaka Tenjin, who recently appeared at MCM London Comic Con.
― This May, visitors to the MCM London Comic Con had a chance to see a master mecha artist at work; Hidetaka Tenjin, who creates extraordinarily lush digital paintings based on Macross, Space Battleship Yamato and many other titles. He also has 'mecha' credits on such anime as Macross Frontier and Hellsin...
Fan Q&A: Sumi Shimamoto
The voice of Nausicaa, Maison Ikkoku's Kyoko, and dozens of other iconic roles takes fan questions about her legendary career.
― This panel was conducted at Sakuracon 2015. PANEL MODERATOR: Let's welcome our guest of honor, Shimamoto Sumi-san. She is an extremely talented and famous voice actress who has been in the industry for a long, long time. One of her most famous roles, her breakout role, was ...
Sakuracon 2015: Kana Ueda Interview + Fan Q&A
Sakuracon 2015 played host to veteran voice actress Kana Ueda, who currently stars as Tohsaka Rin in Fate/stay night. We had the chance to ask a few questions, and transcribed her entire fan Q&A panel for you!
― Veteran voice actor Kana Ueda has brought a vast menagerie of characters to life over the years, most notably as Rin Tohsaka in the mega-popular Fate/stay night franchise. She's currently als...
Interview: Diana Garnet
A new ending theme song debuts on Naruto Shippuden this week, "Spinning World", performed by American singer Diana Garnet. ANN had the chance to ask her a few questions.
― On a cold day in Tokyo, ANN got the chance to sit down with Diana Garnet, a singer from the United States living in Tokyo. As a professional singer under the Sony Music Records label, she will be performing the next ending theme so...
Interview: Takeshi Obata
A few questions for illustrator extraordinaire Takeshi Obata, the man behind the incredible art of Death Note, Hikaru no Go, All You Need is Kill and more.
― If you haven't heard of Takeshi Obata, chances are you have seen his work: he is an illustrator and mangaka, usually working with writers to help tell stories. He has worked on Hikaru no Go, as well as Death Note, Bakuman, and most recently the ...
Interview: Akihiro Kanayama
Veteran animator and industry legend Akihiro Kanayama talks about his life and career working on shows like Ashita no Joe and tells some tales of working with Osamu Tezuka himself.
― Akihiro Kanayama is a true veteran of anime. In his seventy-five years of life, he's seen the manga and anime industries rise and transform into the cultural forces they are today. In fact, as an animator and designer at...
Interview: May'n
The Macross Frontier sensation and closing act of the 2014 JPOP Summit shares some insights about her career, singing for international audiences and more.
― There are some very recognizable names of singers and musicians in the world of “anison” - the genre of songs made especially for anime production. Many well-loved acts have contributed their music to the anison world, and conversely, the anison...
The Space Dandy Interview: Part II - Bahi JD
In our second Space Dandy interview, Mike talks to Bahi JD, an animator who started with animated GIFs and wound up working on Kids on the Slope!
― When we think of animators, we might picture men and women in a dimly-lit, overcrowded studio, squinting at a light board, hunched over an LCD screen, or fingering a drawing tablet, doggedly honing their craft surrounded by their peers. But Bahi JD's path...
The Space Dandy Interview: Part I - Thomas Romain
In the first of two interviews, Mike Toole sits down with Space Dandy mechanical designer and animator extraordinaire Thomas Romain.
― At Anime Boston 2013, scriptwriter Dai Sato revealed that, from the beginning, Space Dandy was planned to be broadcast around the world, simultaneously, right from the first episode. But global appeal requires global talent, and the show's general director Shinichiro ...
Interview: Bryce Papenbrook
The voice of Eren Jaeger talks about the recording process, screaming until his voice broke, what it was like to be picked, and facing the pressure.
― We had the pleasure of chatting with Bryce Papenbrook, who was recently announced as the English voice of Eren Jaeger from the heavily anticipated anime series, Attack on Titan. Previous roles for Papenbrook include Kirito from Sword Art Online, and Ri...
Interview: Tomohiko Ito
A few questions for the director of Occult Academy, Silver Spoon and of course, the smash hit series Sword Art Online.
― We had a chance to sit down with Tomohiko Ito, director of Occult Academy, Sword Art Online, and Silver Spoon. Ito discussed with us the differences between directing an original anime and an anime based on an existing work, what he enjoys about storyboarding a project, and why he ...
Interview: Masahiro Ando
Masahiro Ando, the director of Sword of the Stranger, currently working on Sekai Seifuku, sits down with us for a few questions. We talk future projects, working with Mari Okada and more.
― ANN: Sword of the Stranger was very well received by anime fans in America, and it was compared to many other chanbara films in terms of appeal. These kinds of samurai movies have their own fanbase too, they're fa...
Interview: Atsushi Ootsuki
Wagnaria!! Season 2 director Atsushi Ootsuki answers your questions, and talks about what it's like to take over a popular series.
― Last fall, we asked readers to send in questions for Atsushi Ootsuki, the director of Wagnaria!! Season 2. Wagnaria!! Season 2 is currently available in North America from NIS America. The two-disc Blu-ray boxset was released on February 4, 2014 and includes a hardcover...
Interview: Mizuho Nishikubo
The director of Production I.G's upcoming animated World War II drama Giovanni's Island sits down for a few questions. PLUS: We have an exclusive new English-language trailer for the film!
― Director Mizuho Nishikubo is a veteran of the anime industry; he's directed classic OVAs from Zillion to Video Girl Ai to California Crisis and has worked closely with auteur filmmaker Mamoru Oshii for years. His...
Interview: Jonathan Clements
Author Jonathan Clements tells us about writing the first book-length history of anime in English.
― Anime: A History by Jonathan Clements is the first in-depth history of Japanese animation in English. It sweeps over nearly a century of the medium, from its shadowy origins as a tiny cottage industry, through a dizzying series of changes; a wartime tool for instruction and propaganda, a kids' medium ...
Interview: BONES Studio President Masahiko Minami
BONES animation studio president Masahiko Minami sat down with Anime News Network to discuss the studio's history, approach to the animation industry, and the anime series Space Dandy.
― BONES animation studio president Masahiko Minami sat down with Anime News Network to discuss the studio's history, approach to the animation industry, and the anime series Space Dandy premiering in January. Minami ha...
Interview: Evangelion Character Designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Prolific character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto sits down with ANN to discuss the end of the Evangelion manga and future plans
― Prolific character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto has worked closely on studio Gainax's animation projects since The Wings of Honnêamise premiered in 1987, but he might be best known as the artist behind the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga adaptation. Since then, he's also worke...
Interview: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Sword Art Online's Kirito
The Japanese voice of Asuna's other half from Sword Art Online sits down with us for a few questions.
― ANN: You play Kirito, a swordsman, in Sword Art Online. If you played Sword Art Online, how would you customize your character? MATSUOKA: Well, the most important factor about Sword Art Online is that there's no “continue” option. Thinking about that, I think I would never join the offense team (no...
Interview: Masahiko Otsuka and Yoh Yoshinari of Studio Trigger
Little Witch Academia script writer Masahiko Otsuka, and director Yoh Yoshinari talk about their experience working on the project.
― Earlier this year, in celebration of the upcoming Little Witch Academia Blu-ray, ANN and the folks at Studio Trigger and Good Smile Company asked fans to come up with questions for script writer Masahiko Otsuka. We're pleased that in addition to Mr. Otsuka's insight, w...
Interview: Shinji Takamatsu
Director Shinji Takamatsu talks about his experience working on the Daily Lives of High School Boys.
― To celebrate the release of the Daily Lives of High School Boys anime boxset, NIS America and Anime News Network asked readers to help come up with questions to ask director Shinji Takamatsu. Here, he talks about what it was like adapting a comedy manga, pacing the series, working with voice actors,...
Interview: Mamoru Hosoda, Director of Wolf Children
A few questions for Mamoru Hosoda during a press tour for his new film, Wolf Children, in Taiwan.
―
Q: Wolf Children uses both 2D and 3D animation. Which parts of the movie were more suitable for either 2D or 3D animation, and how do you make that choice? How does 3D technology make Japanese animation – of which 2D is still the mainstream – better? Mamoru Hosoda: Most animation nowadays produced out...
Interview: Megumi Han
Anime Expo 2013 guest of honor Megumi Han shares her thoughts on voice acting in this exclusive interview.
― Voice actress Megumi Han is best known for her role as Gon in 2011's Hunter x Hunter, but she's also played many other roles that have made her a rising star in anime. From magical battles in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II to slice-of-school-life in Chihayafuru, Han has proven herself adept at various cha...
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