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May 05, 2026
 

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Matt Schley
"WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3" is set in the "Patlabor" universe, but familiar characters of Special Vehicles Division 2 hardly appear.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2026
¡®WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3¡¯: The franchise¡¯s melancholy, noir outlier
The black sheep of the "Patlabor" mecha franchise sidelines its robots for a 1970s-style paranoid thriller.
The ¡°Detective Conan¡± franchise is based on Gosho Aoyama¡¯s manga, which was first serialized in 1994 in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday. Over the course of three decades, the film adaptations have become an annual box-office phenomenon.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2026
The curious case of a pint-sized sleuth¡¯s box-office phenomenon
A Golden Week tradition for many, the "Detective Conan" blockbuster franchise has built a cycle of anticipation that keeps fans engaged year after year.
A young chimney sweep named Lubicchi (voiced by Yuzuna Nagase) is transported to a world that is stuck in time in ¡°Chimney Town: Frozen in Time.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2026
¡®Chimney Town: Frozen in Time¡¯: A visually rich sequel with a thematic wobble
The "Poupelle of Chimney Town" team is back with a more expansive sequel that trades industrial gloom for Ghibli-esque beauty.
Enamored with Western-style painting, Fujiko¡¯s (voiced by Ami Toma) dream of becoming an artist leads her to Paris in ¡°Samurai Ballerina: L¡¯etoile de Paris en fleur.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 19, 2026
¡®Samurai Ballerina¡¯ pirouettes through Belle Epoque Paris with uneven grace
Known for franchise hits and sci-fi anime, Goro Taniguchi takes a very different turn, sending two young artists from Japan to chase their dreams in early 20th-century Paris.
Directed by Michael Arias at Studio 4¡ãC, ¡°Tekkonkinkreet¡± will be screened in Japanese cinemas for two weeks to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2026
Anime revival screenings are having a moment
With anime fans flocking to theaters to revisit classics like ¡°Tekkonkinkreet,¡± ¡°Jin-roh¡± and ¡°Macross Plus,¡± nostalgia is proving good business.
South Korean director Sasha Lee¡¯s surreal film ¡°The Popstar Water Deer and I¡± received the mid-length grand prize at this year¡¯s Niigata International Animation Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 5, 2026
Reeling from loss, Niigata¡¯s animation festival refuses to fold
After losing key organizers and the death of its founder, the festival wasn¡¯t sure it could go on. Instead of going dark, however, NIAFF rebuilt from scratch.
"Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe" doubles down on the complex universe of the ¡°Gundam¡± franchise.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 5, 2026
¡®Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway¡¯ follow-up is a treat for fans who know their lore
Packed with politics, callbacks and deep-cut franchise history, the latest ¡°Gundam¡± film trusts its audience to keep up.
The room that opens the exhibition, features a bank of computers and large curved monitors on which you can look up any scene from any of the "Ghost in the Shell" anime.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 4, 2026
'Ghost and the Shell' exhibition aims for maximum visual impact
A new, sprawling exhibition about the seminal cyberpunk franchise ¡°Ghost in the Shell¡± celebrates 30 years of cultural influence.
A young man living on the edge of society is taken in by his newfound aunt in the supernatural coming-of-age tale ¡°The Keeper of the Camphor Tree.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2026
¡®The Keeper of the Camphor Tree¡¯: Healing takes root one wish at a time
In Tomohiko Ito¡¯s visually dynamic coming-of-age tale, sometimes the greatest wish isn¡¯t for success or escape but for somewhere to belong.
"Mars Express" centers on a private detective and her partner, who are drawn into a conspiracy that has serious implications for modern society.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2026
¡®Mars Express¡¯ shows anime¡¯s influence has no borders
Inspired by Japanese classics such as ¡°Ghost in the Shell¡± and ¡°Akira,¡± Jeremie Perin¡¯s French animated film blends noir, humor and sci-fi into a thrilling cyberpunk ride.
Mothra, a giant multicolored moth, is one of Toho Studios' movie monsters alongside Godzilla and King Ghidorah.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 11, 2026
¡®The Luminous Fairies and Mothra¡¯: This monster is not like the others
The Luminous Fairies and Mothra," translated to English for the first time, provides deeper insight into the political context in Japan in the 1950s.
In ¡°Labyrinth,¡± a sensitive high school girl named Shiori (voiced by Suzuka of girl group Atarashii Gakko!) is transported to an alternate world where she meets her doppelganger, who uses Shiori¡¯s identity to become Japan¡¯s No. 1 streaming personality.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2026
'Macross' creator Shoji Kawamori breaks free with new film 'Labyrinth'
After 40 years of anime franchises, Shoji Kawamori¡¯s first fully original film takes on the smartphone age.
A cel animation from the first episode of ¡°Neon Genesis Evangelion¡± is among the many original materials exhibited in ¡°All of Evangelion,¡± a show to mark the 30th anniversary of the cult anime franchise created by Hideaki Anno.
CULTURE / Art / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 27, 2025
From trash to treasure: How anime became a museum staple
Anime- and manga-related art exhibitions are now one of the pillars propping up the industry.
While new installments in franchises like ¡°Gundam¡± and ¡°Detective Conan¡± and manga adaptations like ¡°100 Meters¡± did well at the box office in 2025, risk-taking films like ¡°Scarlet¡± struggled to find the same love.
CULTURE / Film / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 26, 2025
In 2025, anime tightened its grip abroad ¡ª and played it safe at home
As anime conquered overseas markets, the industry doubled down on known IP and left innovation on shakier ground.
While overseeing her family¡¯s vast private library, a high school student (voiced by Rin Kataoka) is forced into action when a book thief unleashes a curse on her town in ¡°Whoever Steals This Book.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Dec 25, 2025
¡®Whoever Steals This Book¡¯: A genre-hopping odyssey through literature
Sometimes visually dazzling, sometimes dense with exposition, Kagokan¡¯s first full-length feature shows what fewer cooks in the anime kitchen can achieve.
CineMalice is set to open Dec. 19 in Jimbocho, the bookstore-laden enclave recently dubbed the world's coolest neighborhood by Time Out.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
A movie buff in Jimbocho bets on independent cinema in a big way
In the book-filled Tokyo neighborhood, a new mini-theater hopes to introduce you to films you never knew you¡¯d love.
An aspiring manga artist (voiced by Rihito Itagaki) is drafted and sent away to an island where he endures the brutality of war in ¡°Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
¡®Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise¡¯: Cute designs, harrowing truths about the horrors of war
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII¡¯s end, ¡°Peleliu¡± stands out among recent war films for using animation to portray the brutal realities faced by soldiers abroad.
Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival director Shinichiro Inoue (left) and artistic director Tadashi Sudo (right) started the new event in Nagoya in part due to local government support and Aichi Prefecture¡¯s ongoing investment in arts and culture.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2025
A new animation festival lands in Nagoya with big plans
The Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival will feature screenings, chat shows and storytelling.
A Danish princess (voiced by Mana Ashida) journeys through the afterlife in search of her undead uncle, determined to avenge her father¡¯s death in "Scarlet."
CULTURE / Film
Nov 20, 2025
Mamoru Hosoda¡¯s ¡®Scarlet¡¯ takes on ¡®Hamlet¡¯ with bold visual departure
The Oscar-nominated director re-imagines the Shakespearean tale as an animated quest through the afterlife.
A happy-go-lucky guy with many obsessions (voiced by Masaya Sano) becomes intensely interested in a young woman named Pechka (Moka Kamishiraishi) in ¡°The Obsessed.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2025
¡®The Obsessed¡¯: Charming anime dances to its own tune
"Crayon Shin-chan" director turns a 2001 novel into a quirky, rough-edged musical anime.
Water shortages hit tourist spots in Japan during Golden Week
A hot spring facility in the city of Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, has suspended the operation of its open-air baths since March.
What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?
The cruise ship MV Hondius floats off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
China's rare defiance of U.S. sanctions sparks showdown over banks
A Chinese flag flutters in front of the Shanghai Gaoqiao Company Refinery in Shanghai.
Article 9 in focus as Takaichi pushes for revision of Constitution
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives a speech in Hanoi on Saturday.
As Iran war sends oil prices soaring, some see fresh potential for solar in Japan
An agrivoltaic crop, in which solar panels are raised about 3 meters off the ground so that agricultural machinery can freely operate on the crops underneath, in Sosa, Chiba Prefecture.
Fujisawa flashpoint: A mosque project stokes nativist fears
Muslims pray at Tokyo Camii in the Yoyogi-Uehara neighborhood. Though Muslims account for only 0.3% of Japan¡¯s population, rhetoric in online spaces and by conservative politicians has fomented social tensions.
No longer shushed: Japan¡¯s cultural venues make room for children
In 2019, Saitama Arts Theater started permitting children under 3 to some of its shows. Previously, children under 4 were not permitted.
New head chef at Maz explores Peruvian food through a Japanese lens
Since taking over Maz last month, chef Yuya Nakamura has been gradually introducing more Japanese influences to the restaurant's innovative Peruvian cuisine.
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan's famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country's outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about 'the stories behind the stitching'
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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