Charles Solomon

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Anime

Director Masaki Watanabe Discusses Bringing the Retired Hitman Manga, ‘Sakamoto Days,’ to Animated Life

Charles Solomon - December 30, 2024

By Charles Solomon Japan may well be the safest country in the world. Tokyo, the largest city on Earth with a population of over 37...

Anime

‘Ranma 1/2’ Reboot Delivers a Martial Arts Comedy with a Big Twist

Charles Solomon - November 27, 2024

***This article was written for the January '25 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 346)*** ‘More than 35 years after Ranma Saotome first transformed from “boy-type” to “girl-type,”...

Anime

Visual Empathy: ‘The Colors Within’ Director Naoko Yamada Illustrates the Aura of Her Acclaimed Movie

Charles Solomon - October 29, 2024

The nuns at the Catholic girls’ school in Nagasaki, Japan that Totsuko Higurashi attends in Naoko Yamada’s feature The Colors Within might well sing,...

Anime

‘The Concierge’ Director Yoshimi Itazu Welcomes Us to His Creature Consumers’ Paradise

Charles Solomon - October 3, 2024

Yoshimi Itazu’s The Concierge (2023) blends seemingly incompatible elements into a gentle, touching story. It’s a light comedy about a young woman growing into...

Anime

How ‘Dan Da Dan’ Director Fuga Yamashiro Conjured a Rom-Com/Horror Anime Hybrid

Charles Solomon - August 28, 2024

Dan Da Dan, a quirky new series from the Science SARU studio, crosses so many genres, it’s actually quite difficult to categorize. Based on...

Anime

The ‘Kaiju No. 8’ Team Discuss Their Monster-Sized Hit

Charles Solomon - July 17, 2024

Production I.G’s riveting Kaiju No. 8 was one of the most anticipated anime series of 2024 —and is now a hit on both sides...

Features

‘The Imaginary’ Producer Yoshiaki Nishimura & Director Yoshiyuki Momose Introduce Ponoc’s Magical Childhood Friends

Charles Solomon - June 20, 2024

“In today’s increasingly disconnected world, we must pay attention to what we are ignoring, what we are not seeing — always with moderation, respect...

Anime

Lessons in Love: Crunchyroll’s New ‘Cherry Magic!’ Series Preserves the Manga’s Charms

Charles Solomon - March 1, 2024

The new anime series Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2024, streaming on Crunchyroll) offers insights into the curious...

Features

Our Critic Picks His Favorite Animated Movies of 2023

Charles Solomon - December 28, 2023

For animators and animation lovers, 2023 was a year of surprises that ranged from record-breaking successes in the U.S. and Japan to disappointments and...

Anime

Time Passages: Tomohisa Taguchi Guides Us Through ‘The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes’

Charles Solomon - December 11, 2023

Writer-director Tomohisa Taguchi’s The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, which won the Paul Grimault Award this year at Annecy, is a striking...

Anime

‘Fullmetal Alchemist 20th Anniversary Book’: Steampunk Brothers Save the Day!

Charles Solomon - November 9, 2023

Hiromu Arakawa’s fantasy-adventure Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) remains one of the best-loved manga/anime properties of the first decade of the 21st century. The manga has...

Features

The Return of the Master: Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’

Charles Solomon - October 24, 2023

In his 2016 proposal for the film that became The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki wrote, “There’s nothing more pathetic than telling the...

Features

How ‘Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia’ Directors Julien Chheng and Jean-Christophe Roger Orchestrated the Charming Duo’s Return

Charles Solomon - August 29, 2023

They’re back! The plucky little mouse and the slovenly, musical bear who charmed audiences in the feature Ernest & Celestine (2012) have returned to the...

Features

The First Slam Dunk: Big Screen Hoop Dreams for the Underdogs

Charles Solomon - July 24, 2023

“We didn’t decide what 'First' meant in the title,” says The First Slam Dunk producer Toshiyuki Matsui. “We wanted each audience member to decide...

Anime

Keiichi Hara’s ‘Lonely Castle in the Mirror’ Takes Audiences Through the Looking Glass

Charles Solomon - June 1, 2023

Bullying is a serious problem children face, especially in Japanese schools. According to the Mainichi newspaper, more than 600,000 incidents of bullying were reported...

Anime

The Perfect Snap of a Bowstring: KyoAni’s ‘Tsurune’ Is Right on Target

Charles Solomon - May 5, 2023

Tsurune is an onomatopoeic rendering of the hum of a bowstring. Based on Kotoko Ayano’s book, the animated TV series titled Tsurune was produced...

Features

How Director John Caird Took ‘Spirited Away’ from Cel to Stage

Charles Solomon - April 18, 2023

In April and May, U.S. audiences are treated to the filmed version of John Caird’s acclaimed theatrical adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Caird,...

Anime

‘Sasaki and Miyano’: A Wistful Romance with a Twist

Charles Solomon - March 6, 2023

BL (Boys’ Love) is a curious genre of anime and manga that has no real American counterpart. These wistful romantic fantasies involving beautiful young...

Features

Gateways to Wonder: The Making of Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Suzume’

Charles Solomon - March 1, 2023

Makoto Shinkai’s latest movie, Suzume no Tojimari (Suzume: The Closing of the Doors, shortened to Suzume for the English-language release) is one of the...

Anime

‘Evangelion’ Creator Hideaki Anno Offers Insights into Its Audacious Conclusion

Charles Solomon - November 30, 2022

***This article originally appeared in the January '23 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 326)*** “When I choose what to work on next, I decide based...

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