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New York, NY (8/24/24) – At Anime NYC 2024, Yen Press, LLC revealed 22 new title acquisitions that covered a vast range of genres and included adaptations of previously released series as well as new works from fan-favorite authors.

Releasing in February and March of 2025, this lineup includes fourteen manga and eight novels (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Minor Myths and Legends; Miri Lives in the Cat’s Eyes; The Only Thing I’d Do in a No-Boys-Allowed Gaming World; Whoever Steals This Book; I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History; Did You Think My Yuri Was a Sales Pitch?; Recommendations for Bad Children; Maboroshi).

Whether readers are looking for sweet romance series like The Failure at God School (from the author of The Apothecary Diaries) or horror comedies like Super Ball Girls (from the author of Blue Lock and the creator of Prison School...

The 2024 edition of Bisff was as indicative as a festival could be, both for the short film industry and cinema in the region overall. For starters, and as we mentioned many times before, the Korean short films nowadays seems to have made significant progress, to the point that it can be more interesting searching among them than in the feature ones. Titles like “Eyes”, “Hunted Owl Family” and “I'm Here to See The House” highlight the fact in the most eloquent fashion. At the same time, and as we move further in Asian, the rather interesting mixture of documentary and fiction comes to the fore, occasionally finding its apogee in some of the titles featured here, with reality proving, once more, that provides better scripts that people's imagination.

Without further ado, here is a rundown of all the titles we reviewed for the 2024 edition of Busan International Short Film Festival Reviews,...

Relationships, particularly in this day-and-age with mobile phones and social media, can cause the mind to go to all sorts of places. Kim In-hye's short shows how thoughts of the past raise questions about the present and impact on the future.

Shadowy screened at Busan International Short Film Festival

In-young (Lee Young-ah) is engaged to Sang-jun (Byun Sang-moon), though his mobile phone activity and constant delaying of raising their engagement with his mother makes her suspicious of his fidelity. Working as a horticulturalist for endangered species of plants, her ex, Soo-hyung (Shin Jeong-woong) arrives at her place of work, asking about her engagement, and reminding her about the nature of their break-up. As such, In-young's behaviour becomes obsessive, sitting alone in the dark, checking Sang-jun's phone and showing-up at his work. Her fears are answered, but driven by whom?

Kim maintains this atmosphere with the use of dark lighting,...

When Adam Changes, a Canadian animated film about an awkward teenager in suburban Quebec, won the Grand Prix at the Niigata International Animation Film Festival (Niaff).

The festival, now in its second year, ran from March 15-20 in Niigata, a port city two hours north of Tokyo.

Written and directed by Joël Vaudreuil, When Adam Changes premiered at last year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. “Coming here and meeting so many people, and being able to meet and talk with the other competition directors was a gift in itself,” said Vaudreuil, acceping the award at Niaff’s closing ceremony.

On the final day of the Niigata International Animated Film Festival, an award and closing ceremony was held to celebrate the films entered into competition over the past week, with the judges making their selection and announcing the winners on Wednesday night in Japan. Mari Okada's latest film Maboroshi was awarded the festival's Kabuku Award , which the festival committee describes below: The Kabuku Award is given to a work that is not constrained by conventional values, but challenges and creates something novel and innovative. Kabuku is an old Japanese verb, from which the word Kabuki is derived. The award derives from the term ‘kabuki-mono’, which was used around the 16th century (the Samurai period) to refer to those who dressed or acted in flamboyant ways that deviated from the norm. Director Mari Okada after accepting the award (Image via Comic Natalie ) This award marks the second for the film...

By Ben Warnock

In only their fourth theatrical film production, anime juggernauts Studio Mappa team up with legendary screenwriter Mari Okada of “Toradora!” fame to create a haunting allegory for the indecision of adolescence in “Maboroshi”. The feature won the award for Best Animation Film at the Mainichi Film Awards and was picked up for global distribution by Netflix.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

When a mysterious explosion occurs in a small factory town, time becomes frozen as its residents find themselves trapped and unable to age within its confines. Masamune Kikuiri is a high-school student who witnesses the explosion alongside a group of his friends and soon finds himself at the centre of the mysterious events happening in the town. Approached by classmate Atsumi Sagai, he is tasked with helping to look after a feral girl who is not a part of their world...

Going to another world can be dangerous but it’ll be nothing for the likes of the Suicide Squad. Warner Bros. Japan announced the latest cast members for the upcoming Suicide Squad Isekai anime series, revealing the voice actors behind popular characters Rick Flag, Katana and Amanda Waller alongside a trio of new original characters for the series. Joining the cast of Suicide Squad Isekai is: Rick Flag voiced by Taku Yashiro (Daisuke Sasakura in Maboroshi ) Comment: “I’m Taku Yashiro, and I voice Rick Flag. “The Suicide Squad is sent to Isekai!?” was my first reaction, and I was happy to join this ambitious project as I learned more about it. Rick Flag is perhaps the only one who respects order while working closely with the uncontrollable members of the Suicide Squad. He is someone who tries to complete his mission while facing unforeseen obstacles. I hope this action-packed...

Salaar Is #3 On Netflix’s Top 10 Films (Non-English)(Photo Credit –Facebook)

Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire marked the first collaboration between Prabhas and Kgf director Prashanth Neel. The buzz was sky-high, and the film grossed massive 600 crores gross at the worldwide box office. After a wonderful run at the ticket windows, the epic action film made its debut on Netflix and is amongst the Top 3 most-viewed films. Scroll below for all the details!

Netflix has released its data for the period of January 15-January 21, 2024. There is only one Indian film in the Top 10 Non-English films, but luckily, it found its spot in the Top 3 in its debut week.

Salaar ranks #3 in debut week on Netflix

With an average of 4,700 hours viewed, Salaar, with a runtime of 2 hours and 54 minutes, has received 1.6 million views. Prabhas led film is on the third spot on the list of Netflix’s Top 10 Films (Non-English)after...

Sunrise Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Crystal Yu, William Gao, Kurt Yaeger, Olwen Fouéré, Guy Pearce

Director: Andrew Baird

Sunrise Movie Review Out ( Photo Credit – Lionsgate Movies / YouTube )

What’s Good: Guy Pearce’s sharp performance as the detestable Joe Reynolds stands out, capturing the essence of a villain with racist ideologies and a sense of entitlement. The film occasionally succeeds in capturing the gritty essence reminiscent of top-tier vampire films, exploring the terrifying aspects of racism and violence.

What’s Bad: “Sunrise” grapples with generic dialogue, a lack of character depth, and an inconsistent exploration of its intriguing concepts. The film’s attempt to fuse a vampire story with themes of American racism feels awkward and lacks nuance. The narrative meanders through various genres, resulting in a slow and disorganized amalgamation of ideas.

Loo Break: Around 48 Minutes into “Sunrise,” Crystal Yu and Alex Pettyfer’s Conversation Offers...

Maboroshi Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Junya Enoki, Reina Ueda, Misaki Kuno, Koji Seto, and Kento Hayashi.

Director: Mari Okada

Maboroshi Movie Review ( Photo Credit – Netflix Anime / YouTube )

What’s Good: The quality of the animation is quite impressive and proves that Mappa is just working at the peak of its abilities.

What’s Bad: The story never manages to set up characters and stakes in the proper way. Thus, when the climax arrives, it feels hollow.

Loo Break: The second act is a perfect loo break as the plot meanders between different characters and struggles to get to the point.

Watch or Not?: Watch only if you’re a Mappa fan.

Language: Japanese (with English subtitles).

Available On: Netflix

Runtime: 112 Minutes.

User Rating:

It is without question that Mappa is the most famous and most important studio in the anime medium, thanks to their many popular adaptations of famous manga,...

Netflix's Maboroshi has left fans stunned thanks to a gripping and emotional ending. 

After first streaming in Japan in 2023, the anime arrived on Netflix across the globe, telling a poignant story about what it means to be alive and doing what one can in life with the precious time they have. 

Written and directed by prolific anime writer Mari Okada, Maboroshi centers on a town taken out of reality after a shocking industrial accident and the emergence of a mysterious girl who may be the key to this reality-breaking circumstance.

Read full article on The Direct.

It’s a quiet month on Netflix in January, but the streamer still has some good stuff lined up for the new year, including an interesting documentary about the Centra Tech cryptocurrency scam. Bitconned arrives on the first of the month alongside Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, Fool Me Once, which sees an ex-soldier called Maya witness her husband’s murder on a nanny cam. The crime then leads her down a deadly path where she uncovers a deadly conspiracy.

Schitt’s Creek star Daniel Levy will also debut his first film as writer and director with Good Grief on Netflix this month. The movie follows Levy’s character Marc as he does some soul-searching after the death of his husband.

Kevin Hart has a new movie called Lift hitting the platform this month, too. He plays the leader of a heist crew looking to rob $500 million in gold from...

This is the story of those armed with an unstoppable urge to fall in love who struggle for a future in a world where change is forbidden.

The urge to fall in love will destroy the world.

Fourteen-year-old Masamune lives in a town where the flow of time has stopped after an explosion at a steel factory seals off all avenues of escape. In hopes that everything will someday return to normal, the town makes a rule that nothing must be changed, and Masamune spends his days in depression. One day, his intriguing and enigmatic classmate Mutsumi leads him into a blast furnace at the steel factory. There, he finds Itsumi, a girl who cannot speak and acts like a wild wolf. Masamune's encounter with these two girls begins eroding the balance of the world. What future awaits the unstoppable urge to fall in love?

“maboroshi” starts streaming on Monday,...