Halcyon Realms - anime|photography|film » Anime

The Art of Hosoda Mamoru’s “Summer Wars”

yonghow — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:16:09 +0000

This art book has been sitting on top of my desk for quite some time now and I have been planning to post some pictures of it, but I figured it would be a good idea to actually watch the film first, which I finally did a couple of weeks ago.
I like Summer Wars – its an enjoyable film with an austere storyline, colorful, engaging characters, sleek animation ( I guess we can expect no less from Madhouse ), and some interesting visuals from renowned Japanese artist Murakami Takashi. Personally, the film also bought back some very good memories of my summer vacations in Gunma.

(above) The unmistakable artwork of Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, who was also the character design on Hosoda’s previous outing Tokikake, and of course the Evangelion series. (below) Character sheets for the main protaganists in the film, featuring vital information like key and “hero” poses, notes on costumes and props, etc.

(below) The clean and stylized look of the Avatar world was conceptualized by Murakami Takashi, providing a visually distinct feel from the much more detailed look of the real world.

(below) Avatars in the cyber realm of Oz, I especially like how “Love Machine” pays visual tribute to the original meaning and definition of “Avatar”, which is actually based on Hindu mythology.

(above) Layout boards, an indispensable asset in any anime production. Check out my previous posts on the amazing Ghibli Layout Designs Exhibition held in 2008. (below) Background art plates, yet another vital element in anime films. Some of these artwork ( and the film in general ) remind me so much of the amazing time I had in the summer of 2005-2007, staying over at my friend Takeshi’s hometown in Gunma prefecture.

Any thoughts on Summer Wars ?

You can purchase a copy of the artbook here.

Kamen Cider – The preferred drink for Masked Rider

yonghow — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:22:34 +0000

Hot on the heels of “Ultraman Cider“, Japanese beverage maker Dydo is quick to release “Kamen Cider”, an obvious play on the words “Kamen Rider”, more commonly known as the Mask Riders to fans outside of Japan.

Each can comes with a colorful, extravagant design of the respective rider’s front costume and power belt, as well as bite-sized Masked Rider/Shocker trivia, guaranteed to send fans into a morbid collection frenzy. What are you waiting for ??

My all time favourite Rider has always been Super One, but Black’s design isn’t looking too bad either.

Also check out this elaborate and tastefully executed advertising campaign for the most recent Kamen Rider film.

Thoughts on Evangelion : 2.0

yonghow — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:28:12 +0000

Midway through a screening of Anno Hideaki’s hypnotic “Evangelion : 2.0 You Can(not) Advance” last weekend a steady and reaffirming wave of realization came over me – that while American animation studios like Pixar, Blue Sky and Dreamworks dominate the 3D animation market, marrying high production values with technical achievement and superb artistry, no one in the world can even touch the Japanese when it comes to traditional 2D animation films. And rightfully so, because boy, these chaps are good. Really good.

Having established the basic premise in the first film, Evangelion : 2.0 picks up a rapid pace and plunges headlong into explosive, visceral action as the EVs operated by the various protagonists slug it out with Angels, and it is in these tense battle sequences that one can truly appreciate and admire the prowess of the artists behind the film.

(above) Product endorsement by UCC Coffee continues in 2.0, though several other brands seemed to have received less screen time as compared to the first film. (below) Evangelion 2.0 screening at a theatre in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Its been almost half a year since the film’s theatrical release in Japan, but news of the dvd/Blu-ray have yet to be announced. We’ll be waiting.

Thoughts on Evangelion : 2.0, anyone ? :]

IMAGI’s Astroboy

yonghow — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:47:15 +0000

Just returned from a screening of Astroboy, and I have to say it was a very commendable, honest effort from the folks at IMAGI, with marked improvement from their previous film TMNT. While it was by no means perfect, I did enjoy Astroboy for the most part, and both me and my friends agree what could have been a truly great animation piece was only a good one, marred by somewhat weak pacing in parts, and *spoiler ahead* a random and incredulous plot element at the end of the movie. Pity.

That said, , Hong Kong based IMAGI Studios still pulled off an impressive feat with Astroboy, ( well, more than any studio in Singapore can say at least ) and I look forward to more pleasant surprises from their upcoming “Gatchaman”. Make it good !

(below) No fan of Miyazaki Hayao’s “Castle in the Sky” can miss the resemblence here – a tribute, perhaps ?

So what do you guys think of Astroboy ? :]

Happy Birthday, Doraemon.

yonghow — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:01:03 +0000

Er…make that a full hundred years in the future, because Doraemon was born on the 3rd of September, 2112. (Doraemon’s from the future, remember ? )

I’m sure we’ve all seen more than a dozen unique renditions of the Google search page on special occasions but this one certainly made my day. Its also available only on Google Japan today, so head down now if you want a screen cap.