Ghibli anime not available in the U.S.

I have just added three releases of Studio Ghibli anime that are not available in the U.S. to my Recommended Anime list.

These are:

Ghibli ga Ippai Special Short Short
- a collection of shorts by the studio and a subsidiary.

Ocean Waves (Umi ga Kikoeru, a.k.a. I Can Hear the Sea)
- a wonderful slow paced film that is one of my favorites.

Only Yesterday (Omohide Poro Poro)
- The Disney corporation acquired this title back in the mid 1990s and still has no plans for a U.S. release.

Only Yesterday is the only one out on both Blu-ray and DVD. Given how more of the Ghibli works are coming out on Blu-ray it may only be a mater of time before they are all on tha format.

Soon I plan to add more of the Ghibli documentaries to the recommended lists. For a list of Studio Ghibli titles I have on the recommended list check the listing on the Creators - Those Behind the Works I Recommend page.

Fukasaku and Katsu fun

I am adding several new additions to my list.

The first part are all directed by Fukasaku Kinji, one of my favorite directors.

These are:

- Battle Royale

- Battle Royale II: Requiem

- Swords of Vengeance: Fall of Ako Castle

- Yakuza Papers: Battles Without Honor and Humanity

Then a famous series staring Katsu Shintaro

- Zatoichi

High School and College, Three Views

I have added some new titles to my recommended lists. In this case anime, manga and live action.

All of them take place in a school setting, either High school or college.

These are:

From Up On Poppy Hill (anime feature)

Genshiken (anime TV series and manga series).

The Way to Fight (Live action movie)

All of these are excellent works with The Way to Fight having been a very pleasant surprise.

Navigating Tokyo

My Navigating Tokyo page is now public.

I hope folks find it useful.

Deserved thanks go to those who made suggestions.

This page was promised some months ago when I did my Navigating Tokyo presentation at FanimeCon2013.

Additional suggestions corrections etc are most welcome.

One more by Kikuchi Hideyuki

I recently finished reading and have added another title by Vampire Hunter D author Kikuchi Hideyuki. Noble V: Greylancer is the latest addition to my recommended prose list. If you like the Vampire Hunter D series this one should also be enjoyable.

Another by McLelland

I have added another book by Mark McLelland to my recommended prose listings.  In fact I have now decided that when a new title by him is announced I'll just buy it, his books have been that informative.

Here is what I wrote on the recommended page:


McLelland, Mark J.

Love, Sex, and Democracy in Japan during the American Occupation

The post WWII Allied Occupation of Japan is often blamed for modern censorship in Japan. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the publications of that time would have been illegal in the US until the later 1960s and even 1970s. McLelland provides us with a great study of how the Japanese redefined gender relations and sex in the post war period after over 15 years of increasing censorship and suppression under the wartime government.

(Watanabe x 2) + Kanno

I now am adding two more anime to the recommended titles listings. Both directed by Watanabe Shinichiro, one with arrangements and original music by Kanno Yoko.


    - Kids on the Slope
When I sat down to watch Kids on the Slope last week I had my dinner and planned to only view the first episode. After the eighth episode I decided it was time to get to bed. This is an interesting drama about three high school students and set in Kyushu. You really don't know when as the show starts but there are clues set throughout the series, things that are there and things that are not there. For Japanese some of these would be obvious but for non-Japanese they are not, eventually you see a calendar. Don't worry too much about the time period, just enjoy the series and the great music.

    - Samurai Champloo
When I first heard of Samurai Champloo being a samurai story mixed with hip hop my first thought was "What a stupid idea." However presentation and story quality are separate from that basic idea. An associate dropped by at one of my potlucks with the first DVD and insisted we watch it. After the first episode I said "I'M BUYING THIS SERIES."
OK that does it. From now on if Watanabe Shinichiro is directing something I am buying it.