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If you happened to catch Misery Signals on their farewell tour, first of all I am extremely jealous. Not just because you got to see one of the most influential metalcore bands of all time, but you also got to see one of the best up and coming metalcore bands around, Trench. Trench brings the heavy and dark, and it may not be a surprise to learn how much of that is influenced, whether directly or indirectly, by the anime they watched growing up and still watch to this day. I chatted with vocalist Jay Breen about anime and how they were able to bring their influences to life in the video for “Divided Between New Skin.” Can you tell me a little about your anime journey? How it started and where you are now? Are there genres you gravitate toward? What is your favorite anime series or movie of all time?...

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Blue Eye Samurai is an adult animation action-adventure drama series created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi. The Netflix animated series is set in Japan’s Edo period, and it revolves around a mixed-race swordmaster, Mizu, in her quest for revenge. Blue Eye Samurai’s voice cast includes Maya Erskine, George Takei, Masi Oka, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Song, Darren Barnet, Randall Park, and Kenneth Branagh. So, if you loved the intense personal drama, brutal action, and compelling characters in Blue Eye Samurai, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Samurai Champloo (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video)

Samurai Champloo is a Japanese historical action-adventure series written by Masaru Gotsubo. The Adult Swim series revolves around two warriors with completely different personalities who hate each others’ guts. They are brought together by a young woman named Fuu,...

Since the first Vampire Hunter D novel was released in 1983, writer Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrator Kevin Leahy have crafted over 40 novels in the series. The story follows the titular Dhampir – half-human and half-vampire – as he hunts vampires across a far-future after a nuclear war. Despite the series’ popularity, 2000’s Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is only the second (and most recent) feature adaptation.

The film opens with the arrival of Baron Meier Link, a vampire nobleman whose ascending carriage brings a foreboding air that freezes running water and makes roses wither away. He departs into the night with Charlotte Elbourne, a young woman whose family believe that she was abducted. This leaves her family to hire D with the intention of rescuing Charlotte from the vampire’s clutches, even if it means killing her if she has been turned. Also on Baron Link’s trail are a family of bounty hunters,...

An influence on the likes of Takashi Miike and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, director Hideo Gosha has often gone overlooked in the pantheon of Japanese directors, despite his samurai features Sword of the Beast and Three Outlaw Samurai getting the Criterion treatment. Now is a great time to discover his filmography as his 1966 crime drama Cash Calls Hell has been restored and is arriving at the end of the month. Led by legendary actor Tatsuya Nakadai, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the new trailer ahead of Film Movement’s digital release beginning November 29.

Here’s the synopsis: “Facing the final days of his prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, Oida (Tatsuya Nakadai) dreads reentering society as a ruined man with no future prospects. Sensing his street smarts, Oida’s cellmate promises him a pile of loot if he tracks down and kills three men whose names are on a list. Reluctantly accepting the task,...

Studio Madhouse might be known for animating Death Note, Frieren, One Punch Man and several other popular franchises, but in 2000, the studio produced the most iconic gothic film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. It has been more than two decades since the film was released, but the recognition it received never died down.

Bloodlust is the second anime adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s light novel series and it presents a powerful visual style to its audience. Taking place 10,000 years after a nuclear war, the anime shows vampire survivors called Nobles who begin to enslave humanity. As a countermeasure, humans take the help of Vampire Hunters, and our protagonist is a vampire-human hybrid who travels the world to kill vampires as well as other monsters.

Why is Madhouse’s Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) the Pinnacle of Gothic Anime? Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust | Credits: Studio Madhouse

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust belongs to the gothic horror genre.

Alongside “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira”, “Ninja Scroll” is considered one of the most influential anime movies of all time, particularly for highlighting that the category is not only addressed to children, as was the popular opinion before, especially outside of Japan.

Iconic Events Releasing’s 2024-2025 Ax Cinema Nights series will screen Ninja Scroll in over 500 U.S. theaters on September 11, 12 & 15 and be presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub

A team of ninjas arrives at a village to investigate an epidemic that killed all of its inhabitants. However, they find themselves ambushed by a monster and end up dead except for a female kunoichi, Kagero, that the monster takes captive. Jubei, a masterless samurai, saves her but ends up in the middle of a larger case, which results in him having to fight the Eight Demons of Kimon, a team of ninjas with supernatural...

The Animatrix proved that anime series and movies can enhance Hollywood franchises like The Matrix, suggesting Terminator Zero will do the same. The animation medium allows stories to go beyond live-action limitations, making it perfect for sci-fi franchises like Terminator. Terminator Zero, helmed by Production I.G, is set to release on August 29, 2024.

Terminator Zero is an upcoming Netflix anime based on the Terminator franchise, and while this is a first for the saga that began in 1984, there is a sci-fi anime based on a different American franchise that proves it will work. Terminator Zero is more exciting than Terminator 7 for many reasons, starting from the fact that the Terminator franchise has only had one TV show since its inception, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The anime series will be set in 1997, which is the year Judgment Day happened in Terminator 2s original timeline.

Timothy Olyphant has been cast in Terminator Zero,...

Prepare to Be Spoiled: Megan Tremethick Teases Debut Feature Asmr Horror ‘Spoiling You’

Taking inspiration from the cultural phenomenon of anime cosplay and Asmr YouTube performers, Megan Tremethick (The Slave and the Sorcerer) is producing a startling psychological horror that follows the clandestine activities of a lonely girl who discovers a liberating second life through her invention of ‘Miss Mutter’, an alluring anime cosplay character she uses to perform Asmr on YouTube. She soon acquires a legion of devoted fans, but as her popularity grows so too do the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur. As the world begins to learn more and more about Miss Mutter, we soon realise that the woman underneath all the makeup and costume remains a mysterious figure… one with a spine-tingling secret.

A secret that is revealed when Miss Mutter invites her number one fan to spend the night with her for an intimate in-person session.

Prepare to Be Spoiled: Megan Tremethick Teases Debut Feature Asmr Horror 'Spoiling You': "Taking inspiration from the cultural phenomenon of anime cosplay and Asmr YouTube performers, Megan Tremethick (The Slave and the Sorcerer) is producing a startling psychological horror that follows the clandestine activities of a lonely girl who discovers a liberating second life through her invention of 'Miss Mutter', an alluring anime cosplay character she uses to perform Asmr on YouTube. She soon acquires a legion of devoted fans, but as her popularity grows so too do the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur. As the world begins to learn more and more about Miss Mutter, we soon realise that the woman underneath all the makeup and costume remains a mysterious figure... one with a spine-tingling secret.

A secret that is revealed when Miss Mutter invites her number one fan to spend the night with her for an intimate in-person session.

Launched in 2012, Kontravoid is the solo project of Cameron Findlay. Born in Canada and based now in LA, Findlay has perfected his own brand of dark pop that cruises freely through electronic music genres. With the release of the video for his latest single “Reckoning,” Findlay also showcased his love for anime. Tapping into his love of the works of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the video provides a window into this overall influence anime has on his artistic endeavors. When an artist is so clear about their love of anime, naturally we have to talk to them! Keep reading to learn more about Findlay’s influences and see his top 10 favorite anime. Can you tell me a little about your anime journey? How it started and where you are now? Are there genres you gravitate toward? Findlay : I grew up in Toronto, and in the late ’90s/early 2000s there used...

In 1987, Yoshiaki Kawajiri released one of the most seminal anime ever in “Wicked City,” a celebrated tale of the fragile existence between humans and demons, featuring a series of imaginative concepts to enhance a spectacular storyline. In 1992, Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark brought about a live-action version of the film with the same general story but several key differences to make for a wholly intriguing remake.

Both “Wicked City” Titles are screening at Hong Kong Arts Centre, as part of the Late Night Series-Art X program

Working in a futuristic version of Hong Kong, agents Ken (Jacky Cheung) and Taki (Leon Lai) are among a team tasked with trying to keep order between humans and Rapters. The Rapters are a race of superpowered beings that live in harmony despite some outliers like Shudo (Roy Cheung) and Orchid (Carmen Lee) playing both sides against each other. After a series of incidents...

The Matrix sequels have been disappointing compared to the original, although each film has memorable action sequences or added intriguing elements to the mythology. Animated spinoff The Animatrix has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than The Matrix, with 89% compared to the original's 83%. The Animatrix expands the franchise's world and explores new concepts, making it a potential blueprint for the franchise's future.

The Matrix movie with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score somehow isn't the 1999 original. It's almost easy to forget what an epoch-defining moment the original Matrix was when it hit theaters in 1999. The movie's mix of action, cyberpunk and philosophy blew the collective minds of audiences and critics, and while some elements have aged badly, it's still a classic. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the subsequent Matrix movie franchise, with each of the three sequels proving disappointing in different ways.

Anticipation for Reloaded and Revolutions was sky high...

Deciding whether an anime is fitting for Heavy Metal music fans or not is a tricky proposition, but this selection ought to give a good sense of what it entails. A "metal" anime needs more than just a soundtrack full of screaming and guitars, though it does help. Rather, the following selection of shows has an edge to them that pushes audiences out of their comfort zone.

There are many ways to be metal enough for genre enthusiasts to take an interest. Besides getting the right band on board, this selection also has suitably gritty tales, extreme visuals, or just simply has characters putting in the right guitar work. Either way, metal fans have a breadth and variety of hard-edged shows they can appreciate when they want both a visual and an audio experience to get their adrenaline pumping.

Related: 10 Best Anime EDs of the 2010s

Berserk

This seminal dark...

Playing in competition in Annecy after premiering in Cannes, Jérémie Périn’s sci-fi thriller “Mars Express” offers an uncommon spin on modern anxieties — particularly when it comes to AI.

“We so often imagine that if robots became sentient, they’ll kill us,” Périn tells Variety. “Or we see many sci-fi films where robots want to become human. In short, humans are always the point of reference – so mysterious and strange and interesting, such an amazing species. We’re a bit pretentious, and I didn’t want to play on that.”

Written by Périn and Laurent Sarfati, “Mars Express” serves a heady pop-culture cocktail, mixing hard-boiled fiction with science-fantasy comix, riffing on Philip Marlow and Philip K. Dick (with winks to “Watchmen” and “Robocop” and oh so many more) with a mystery yarn that places humans and cyborgs on equal footing.

“The film says robots and human are different, so we have to accept those differences.

It's officially been 20 years since The Animatrix first released as part of The Matrix franchise, but does it still hold up today? 2003 was the height of The Matrix franchise's popularity. The Matrix Reloaded had just been released in theaters in May and the conclusion to the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, was due out that same November. While these films weren't met very well by fans, the series was undoubtedly at the height of the cultural zeitgeist that had everyone talking about it. However, to tide over fans' anticipation for the final chapter of the trilogy, a supplemental anthology film was released in June 2003 called The Animatrix.

Directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski worked with some of the biggest animators in the anime industry including Mahiro Maeda and Yoshiaki Kawajiri to bring The Animatrix to life. Some of the directors' most notable works have included Studio Ghibli projects and Neon Genesis: Evangelion.

In the third edition of our tribute to anime, we focused more on retro titles, in an effort to fill the catalogue of our reviews with titles from the 80s also. This does not mean, however, that we did not include newer series, with the relaunching of Legend of the Galactic Heroes being presented in all its 3-seasons glory. Here is a list with all the titles we wrote about this August.

1. 86 (2021) by Toshimasa Ishii

The series is split in two parts, with the aforementioned mission being the dichotomy. The first part features much action, but the focus is actually on context, with Toshimasa Ishii presenting a number of sociopolitical comments through a dialogue-heavy approach. Lena’s gradual disillusionment about what is happening with the 86 is quite shattering in that regard, with the exploitation of kids that are sent in the front lines being a direct accusation on fundamentalists, to say the least.

Japan Society is pleased to announce the launch of Monthly Anime

The rarely-screened Matrixanthology film The Animatrix—featuring works by Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe, Vampire Hunter D’s Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Akira animator Koji Morimoto—screens in 35mm on May 27, 2022. Masaaki Yuasa’s The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, a Japan Cuts 2018 selection and Tomihiko Morimi adaptation, screens on June 17, 2022. Finally, to commemorate 25 years since its 1997 release, Hayao Miyazaki’s mystical epic Princess Mononoke screens in 35mm on July 22, 2022.

Tickets: 15/12 students and seniors /5 Japan Society members. Lineup and other details are subject to change.For complete information visit japansociety.org.

Screening Schedule

The Animatrix – Friday, May 27, 2022 at 7:00 Pm

Dir. Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe; 2003, 102 min., 35mm, color, in English. With Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Clayton Watson.

A straight-to-dvd classic, the anime companion to The Matrix series received a...

Japan Society is pleased to announce the launch of Monthly Anime on April 15, 2022, which will kick-off with a screening of Mamoru Oshii’s seminal cyberpunk classic, Ghost in the Shell. Offering an eclectic range of classic, underseen, and contemporary visions from Japanese animation, Monthly Anime explores the widely influential legacy of anime. Tracing the lineage of anime from modern-day digital animation back to the days of hand-drawn cel animation, this program aims to uncover the multifaceted and remarkable variety of stylistic, technological, and generic possibilities that have kept the medium at the forefront of popularity not just in Japan, but worldwide.

Following Ghost in the Shell in April, the rarely-screened Matrix anthology film The Animatrix – featuring works by Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe, Vampire Hunter D’s Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Akira animator Koji Morimoto – screens in 35mm on May 27, 2022. Masaaki Yuasa’s The Night is Short, Walk on Girl, a...

by Fred Barrett

Yoshiaki Kawajiri is well known for his ultra-violent and hyper-sexual anime like “Ninja Scroll” or “Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” and his solo directorial debut, “Wicked City”, is the animator’s sleazy take on the well-worn humans versus demons subgenre, which offers more than enough problematic thrills to be entertaining, although its penchant for sexually degrading its female characters might prove too much for some.

After a period of fierce battles and conflict, humans and the demonic inhabitants of the so-called “Black World”, managed to reach a peace agreement which has brought centuries-long stability to the two worlds. This peace is protected by the Black Guard, an organization of secret agents recruited from both dimensions. Renzaburo Taki (Yusaku Yara) is an elite human member of the Black Guard, working as a salaryman by day. When the hard-won harmony between humans and demons is threatened by...

Alongside “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira”, “Ninja Scroll” is considered one of the most influential anime movies of all time, particularly for highlighting that the category is not only addressed to children, as was the popular opinion before, especially outside of Japan.

A team of ninjas arrives at a village to investigate an epidemic that killed all of its inhabitants. However, they find themselves ambushed by a monster and end up dead except for a female kunoichi, Kagero, that the monster takes captive. Jubei, a masterless samurai, saves her but ends up in the middle of a larger case, which results in him having to fight the Eight Demons of Kimon, a team of ninjas with supernatural powers who are intent on overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate. During his quest, he is aided by Dakuan, an elderly but crafty government spy, and Kagero, whose body is soon...

Long before What If…? or Star Wars: Visions, there was The Animatrix, a collection of nine animated short films set in the world of The Matrix. Released in 2003, between The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, The Animatrix told nine (mostly) distinct stories only tangentially related to the ongoing plot of the Matrix series proper, and Lana and Lilly Wachowski did it by collaborating with some of the best directors working in Japanese animation at the time. I would say that The Animatrix walked so What If…? and Star Wars: Visions could run… except for the fact that The Animatrix fucking soared.

What is The Animatrix?

The Animatrix is comprised of nine short films, with stories ranging from a “historical file” of how the Matrix was created out of the war between humanity and machines in two-parter “The Second Renaissance” to the minimalist black-and-white noir of “A Detective Story” to...

Madhouse Inc. was founded in 1972 by Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, all of whom earlier served as animators for Mushi Productions. Along with studios like Bones and Mappa, Madhouse has emerged as one of the leading anime studios in modern-day Japan, with productions like Hunter X Hunter, One-Punch Man, and Death Note acquiring worldwide popularity.

Related: 10 Must-Watch Single Season Anime

Others, like Black Lagoon, Parasyte, and Monster might not have achieved the same amount of attention, but they are still regarded as cult classics. Hence, Madhouse has established its reputation not just for mainstream anime, but more unconventional ones too.

Ryan Lambie Mar 15, 2019

Released in 1985, the anime Megazone 23 makes for an ideal companion piece to the Wachowskis’ 1999 hit, The Matrix...

When the Wachowskis were laying out their vision for what would become The Matrix in the late '90s, they sat down producer Joel Silver and showed him a VHS tape of Ghost in the Shell - Mamoru Oshii’s classic anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s manga.

With The Matrix, the Wachowskis wanted to mix up a heady cocktail of Hong Kong action, cyberpunk, philosophy, eastern and western myth, as well as the bold stylings of Japanese and American comic books. But they also wanted to draw on the cool design, camera angles, and sense of dynamism seen in the best Japanese anime. Ghost in the Shell has certain story elements in common with The Matrix - most obviously the cyberpunk idea of physically jacking into a virtual space...

Crunchyroll caught wind of a”coming soon” listing over at Tiger Lab Vinyl that promises we’re getting a Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust soundtrack release! The site explains that Tiger Lab is working directly with the film studio and production team for the first official vinyl release of Yoshiaki Kawajiri: 2000 anime film! Tiger Lab fulfills a unique, anime-centric niche in the world […]...

Neo Tokyo (or "Labyrinth Tales") is a classic anime science fiction anthology adapted from the short stories written by Taku Mayumura.

The hour long film features three stories, each written and directed by different creators. The include:

1. Rintaro's "Labyrinth Labyrinthos," an exploration into the maze of a little girl's mind.

2. Yoshiaki Kawajiri's "Running Man," focusing on a deadly auto race.

3. Katsuhiro ?tomo's "Construction Cancellation Order," a cautionary tale about man's dependency on technology.

Enjoy!

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