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Nowadays, it starts to feel like every anime is gunning for a remake or a reboot. There are plenty of valid reasons fans might want some series to get a remake, like cleaning up the filler or sticking more faithfully to its source material's plot. Reboots and remakes offer the chance for a fresh take on a familiar franchise, and they also offer a second go for a series whose first adaptation maybe didn't do it justice.

What about series that don't need a remake, though? It might come as a surprise to hear that there are many series that not only don't need a remake, but which would probably be hurt by a remake. Sometimes the first go at a series is just exceptional on its own—so good that a reboot would threaten to ruin something that's already fantastic. Other times, it's because the things that bring a...

Any anime series, aside from episodic and intentionally aimless slice-of-life series, will benefit greatly from excellent pacing to keep the story moving along smoothly. Series in the slice-of-life genre are at times the exception since they're about the journey rather than the destination, so they lack major story beats to hit. However, most other genres rely a great deal on solid pacing to remain entertaining. If the story is rushed, the results are unsatisfying, and if the story is drawn out, audiences might get restless.

The sweet spot is when a well-paced anime series delivers plot twists and character development often enough to keep things moving, while also taking time to let those developments sink in before the next one arrives. Good pacing also means an anime will spend quality time on important scenes or phases of someone's life, while skimming over unimportant passages of time to get to the meat of the matter.

While every film aficionado and their mother seem to know about major film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and New York, some of the year’s most interesting films make their first real splash at festivals and series with a much smaller reach. In New York alone various series like New Directors/New Films, The Art Of The Real and the recent New York Asian Film Festival have become home to some of any given year’s most interesting, thought provoking and genuinely exciting pieces of work. And now we have the 10th edition of the much lauded Japan Cuts series.

Marking this special anniversary with a lineup of roughly 30 features and 20 shorts, the festival is currently running from July 14-24 at Japan Society in New York City, and with a blend of new and repertory screenings, this lineup is one of the most dense and diverse in recent memory.