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: McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong (DVD+AVCD Edition) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Anthony Wong | Sandra Ng | the pancakes | Brian Tse (Director, Producer)
That lovable little pig with the low IQ, McDull returns in the long-awaited McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong. Formerly known as McDull Wudang among other names, this long-in-production sequel supplies the same stuff that the previous animated McDull movies did - a love of Hong Kong culture, abundant local satire, identifiable emotions, and simply the resigned feeling that it's okay to live an average life. That last message sounds like a total downer, and in some ways the previous McDull movies were. However, both My Life as McDull and McDull, Prince de la Bun gave that message a strange and affectionate nobility, making an average or below-average life seem sad, pathetic and yet worthy and... [read more]

: The Sky Crawlers (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Kuriyama Chiaki | Oshii Mamoru (Director) | Yahara Shosuke | Kase Ryo
"Somewhere, in a country similar to ours there are children who do not become adults. They are very similar to us" goes the tagline of Mamoru Oshii's latest film. One that carried the promise (during its production cycle) of a more linear form of story telling after the convoluted Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and the strange Tachigui. I am overjoyed to report that while the story is linear, it is anything but straightforward or simple, and not the least bit diluted or dumbed down in regards to his philosophical and social musings - basically the essence of what makes Oshii stand out from his generation of masters of the Japanese animated feature. Using a pastiche of elements from... [read more]

: Robot Taekwon V (DVD) (2-Disc) (Special Edition) (Limited Edition) (Korea Version) Animation
In July of 1976 well regarded Korean producer Yu Hyun-Mok released the first ever Korean animated science fiction feature film, Robot Taekwon V. With the Japanese occupation of Korea still fresh in many people's minds, the film was a curious beast, on one level a glaringly obvious knock off of Japan's Mazinger Z, while on another level it actually represents a sort of fierce Korean nationalism. With the Japanese characters in the film portrayed as buck-toothed buffoons and the Japanese-inspired robot battling villains with tae kwon do moves while wearing a replica of the helmet Admiral Yi Sunsin wore in the actual historical battles against Japanese annexation, you can actually argue that... [read more]

: Storm Rider - Clash of Evils (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Nicholas Tse | Richie Jen | Raymond Lam | Hins Cheung
If you can't wait for the live-action sequel to Storm Riders, you can satiate your Wind and Cloud lust with Storm Rider - Clash of Evils. Directed by Dante Lam (Beast Cops), this animated feature functions as almost a de-facto sequel to the 1998 Andrew Lau blockbuster. Clash of Evils basically starts where the live-action Storm Riders left off, with orphaned martial artists Wind and Cloud taking on Conquer, the man who murdered their parents in order to make them his disciples and secure his rule of the martial arts world. Wind and Cloud defeat Conquer, but afterwards Wind is possessed by the Kylin Blood, which he obtained when he previously slew the Fire Kylin, a fierce fire beast. The... [read more]

: Evangelion: 1.01 You Are (Not) Alone (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Anno Hideaki
It just won't go away. Neon Genesis Evangelion may not win the award for most prolific or long-winded anime, but few anime properties have seen the sustained popularity that Evangelion has. Originally airing in 26 episodes back in the mid-nineties, this combination of giant robots, shonen action, existential angst and manic-depressive self-flagellation has been over for a decade now. Creator Hideaki Anno did return for two films reworking the original series' famously dense and unsatisfactory ending, but for a good long while, Evangelion has been done. However, massive ancillary sales and fan interest say otherwise, with Evangelion living on in everything but animated form. Books, manga,... [read more]

: Vexille (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Sori Fumihiko (Director)
One of the most - if not the most - hotly anticipated anime titles of the year, Vexille is nothing short of a visual feast. The production team behind the hugely successful Appleseed film reunite here for a high concept, high action sci-fi thriller that asks difficult questions about the nature of humanity and is remarkably willing to criticize the current state of Japan, particularly for a big, mainstream Japanese blockbuster. Appleseed producer Sori makes his return to the director's chair for the first time since the live action cult hit Ping Pong and, under his eye, the film makes two very significant improvements over its predecessor though there are also areas where Appleseed is... [read more]

: 5 Centimeters Per Second (DVD) (Special Limited Edition) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Shinkai Makoto
For quite some time now, those in the know have been declaring Makoto Shinkai the next Hayao Miyazaki. Starting with short films animated purely by himself on his home computer, Shinkai has steadily built a fiercely loyal following around the globe, his fans drawn by his clean lines, attention to detail and willingness to let his character's breathe. Shinkai, like Miyazaki, is one of those very rare film makers - even more rare in the animation world - who understands that less can often be more, that the quiet moments often tell us more than any amount of action or dialog ever could, and he has an uncanny knack for capturing the pregnant pauses that open the souls of his characters. While... [read more]

: Tekkon Kinkreet (DVD) (2-Disc Limited Edition) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Michael Arias (Director)
Produced by renowned animation studio Studio 4° C in 2006 and recently released on DVD in several versions worldwide, Tekkon Kinkreet got very different reviews provided who you were listening to. People have professed disappointment at the treatment of its source material, have praised the technical craftsmanship on display in every scene, have awarded it higher than anticipated at festivals, and made it lose to Aachi & Ssipak at another festival... So is this misunderstood art, a flawed masterpiece, an emotionally empty tech-demo or just a mess? As always it's for each viewer to decide for himself. And unfortunately there are two different versions as well, one more than ten minutes longer... [read more]

: Paprika (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Kon Satoshi
Perhaps more than any other filmmaker working today, Japan's Satoshi Kon is an explorer of the subconscious mind. While Tokyo Godfathers stands as an exception to the rule, Kon's work is overwhelmingly concerned with questions of memory, perception and identity. It is territory that Kon works better than anyone else working today and he is in fine form with Paprika, which may very well be his finest work to date. Adapted from a popular novel of the same name, Paprika revolves around a group of experimental scientists who have developed a new psychiatric tool. Known as the DC Mini, the device allows a treating doctor to enter directly into their patient's dream, interacting with them to... [read more]

: Tales From Earthsea (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Miyazaki Goro
There aren't a great many offspring who have surpassed their fathers as film directors. Most who have followed dad into the business have suffered by comparison and failed to have their work recognised as anything other than a pale shadow of their parents. A recent example that springs to mind is Kenta Fukasaku who finished off Battle Royale 2 when his father fell ill and died; the resulting movie isn't all that bad but it seems poor when it is compared to his father's work and particularly the original Battle Royale. Kenta would have been justified in pointing out his father's misfires when comparisons were made, but just imagine the situation Goro Miyazaki finds himself in following a... [read more]

: Tales From Earthsea (VCD) (Hong Kong Version) Miyazaki Goro
Check your Miyazakis. It's not Hayao Miyazaki who directs the new Ghibli film Tales from Earthsea, but Goro Miyazaki, the legendary director's son who takes the directorial reins. Based on the long-running fantasy novel series from author Ursula K. Le Guin, the film takes place in a fantasy world that thrives off an unseen force called "the Balance". The film kicks off with the sighting of feuding dragons in the eastern sea - an unheard of occurrence as dragons are known to dwell in the west, and don't usually hang out in man's world. What this tells the local populace is that things are not so well with the Balance. You see, as Earthsea lore tells us, the Balance is upset when necromancy is... [read more]

: The Cat Returns / Ghiblies Episode 2 (Japan Version - English Subtitles) Suzuki Kyoka | Ikewaki Chizuru | Kobayashi Kaoru | Tamba Tetsuro
Let me just say up front that The Cat Returns is a delight. I don't mean that in some hippy, old growth forest way. I mean I was so filled with such pure joy on leaving the cinema that I thought my chest would burst. How many films can you say that about? The Cat Returns is everything Disney animation used to be. While the Disney corporate vulture picks at the bones of its former greatness producing corpses that imitate life without the humanity that comes from the soul of imagination, Ghibli gives us a simple, fantastic tale that is suitable for any age. Haru is the beautifully drawn teenage heroine. She is lankier and slightly clumsy which sets her apart from her Studio Ghibli sisters.... [read more]

: Robot Taekwon V: 30th Anniversary Restored Edition (DVD) (DTS) (Korea Version) Animation
In July of 1976 well regarded Korean producer Yu Hyun-Mok released the first ever Korean animated science fiction feature film, Robot Taekwon V. With the Japanese occupation of Korea still fresh in many people's minds, the film was a curious beast, on one level a glaringly obvious knock off of Japan's Mazinger Z, while on another level it actually represents a sort of fierce Korean nationalism. With the Japanese characters in the film portrayed as buck-toothed buffoons and the Japanese-inspired robot battling villains with tae kwon do moves while wearing a replica of the helmet Admiral Yi Sunsin wore in the actual historical battles against Japanese annexation, you can actually argue that... [read more]

: Hokuro Brothers Full Throttle!!!! (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) Morishita Yoshiyuki | Miki Shunichiro | Ishii Katsuhito (Director) | Tatsuya Gashuin
I hesitate to refer to this as a review for the simple reason that this latest effort by Japanese cult director and animator Katsuhito Ishii - The of Taste of Tea and Funky Forest fame - is incredibly resistant to any attempts at analysis. There is no story, per se, no linear thread tying anything together. It's not a film but a series of animated shorts that exist purely to extend the life of The Mole Brothers, the stand up comedy duo Ishii created for Funky Forest. It is as though Ishii has simply gone and indulged a personal whim and created a very extended in-joke, one which he is now sharing with the public. Happily, though this particular joke will simply baffle most and is by no means... [read more]

: Yobi, The Five Tailed Fox (DVD) (DTS) (Limited Edition) (Korea Version) Son Ye Jin | Gong Hyung Jin | Lee Seong Kang | Ryu Deok Hwan
In 2002 director Lee Sung-Gang's first animated feature, Love Fantasy: My Beautiful Girl Mari, was released. Soppy English title notwithstanding, this was a surprisingly mature children's story where all the characters behaved realistically, which had a very distinct and abstract look to it. That look was maybe too distinct for some people. It resembled a well-made Flash-animation rather than something which was supposed to be shown in cinema's. In fact some people tell me this actually IS a Flash-animation. Be that as it may, it really marked Lee Sung-Gang as someone to watch and if he keeps making movies of that level of quality, well, he just might earn that title of "next Miyazaki" some... [read more]

: Innocence - Ghost in the Shell 2 International Version (Japan Version - English Subtitles) Takenaka Naoto | Oshii Mamoru (Director) | Yamadera Koichi | Otsuka Akio
Innocence - Ghost in the Shell 2 is unlike anything you have seen before. The viewer is lost in a sea of lush visuals that seamlessly blend a Blade Runner noir future with traditional Japanese iconography. The level of texture detail is astounding with even the wood grain of a door frame revealing varnished depths. CG is integrated seamlessly. A set piece in a convenience store simply has to be seen to be believed – then confirmed by a friend. Anime has never looked so beautiful. Innocence is such a visual feast that afterwards, I felt like I needed to go on an anime diet. With the disappearance of Major Kusanagi, the story centers around two of her colleagues, the cyborg-enhanced Batou and... [read more]

: Tales from Earthsea (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) Okada Junichi | Miyazaki Goro (Director) | Tanaka Yuko | Sugawara Bunta
In many ways Goro Miyazaki's Tales From Earthsea was a film destined to fail, crushed under the weight of massive expectations. Not only is it a second attempt to adapt a beloved literary franchise, a franchise whose first adaptation was a critical failure publicly torn to shreds by its author, but it is the debut piece of animation directed by a topiary gardener whose father just so happens to be the production company's co-founder and a living legend in the animation world, a legend who publicly criticized his son's selection as director of this project. Put it all together and you had speculation that the younger Miyazaki was in charge of the film in name only, a publicity stunt selection... [read more]

: Aachi & Ssipak Yim Chang Jung | Shin Hae Chul | Ryoo Seung Bum | Hyun Young
A highly anticipated animated feature from Korea, Aachi & Ssipak is a frantic, dynamic, and very rude action comedy told with great passion and honesty, though it lacks a little clarity and originality in some respects. Very much an experience that demands to be repeated, and some of the nicest animation I can imagine being turned out these days. It blends clever CGI environments with 2D character animation better than any film I've seen to date. I would recommend this one highly to those who loved the trailer. There's a series of fundamental issues with the storytelling in Aachi & Ssipak. This is either because there's a presumption about our prior knowledge of the characters or because... [read more]

: Brave Story (DVD) (Limited Edition) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) Matsu Takako | Tokiwa Takako | Oizumi Yo | Imai Miki
In the fourteen years Gonzo Digimation has been around, they've become one of the most commercially prominent production houses in the animation industry, licensing their franchises the world over, many of them serving as the public face of Japanese pop culture broadcast by the Cartoon Network or released on DVD by companies such as ADV, Geneon or Funimation. Since their first major projects almost a decade ago - working on animated sequences for videogames on the Sega Saturn - one criticism levelled at them time and time again is they lack the narrative skill to match their technical ability; that their series are more concerned with the violence, blockbuster atmospherics and/or melodrama... [read more]

: Laputa: Castle in The Sky (Taiwan Version) Miyazaki Hayao
Hayao Miyazaki's follow up to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a distinct change of pace. Perhaps as a reaction to Nausicaa's overly dense plot and general grimness, Miyazaki creates a film that lets its elements breathe. Laputa can almost be viewed as the base clay of Miyazaki's career: it features a surprising number of themes and elements that recur throughout his work. The danger inherent in the abuse of technology is at the core of Nausicaa. There is a fantastic and idealised European setting (actually based on a Miyazaki trip to Wales) that also gets a workout in Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. The hugely entertaining and bumbling sky pirates reappear in Porco Rosso. The... [read more]

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