Nakama Britannica

This week’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’: What’s inside the Shell critiques one of my favourite scenes from the film. This week we going diving with Kusanagi both in the computerised sense as well as to the bottom of the sea. The scene is a perfect scene and is a representation of the heights that can be [...]

First off, my apologies. I’m a day late but alas it’s better late than never. I’m taking a step away from the world of anime and manga for a few articles (partly because i haven’t watched any in a few months) and i’m going to try and offer you some good, practicle advice if you’re [...]

When an iconic anime series comes along, we all tend to sit up and pay attention, whether it be ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’, ‘ Cowboy Bebop’, or ‘Gurren Lagann’ , to name but three on whose superior qualities critics and fans alike seem to agree. But I’m certain that everyone has their own secret favourite series [...]

This week’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’: What’s inside the Shell? will examine scene three, the scene in which The Republic of Gavel is introduced as a side plot operating as a shroud to distract the viewer from the real story. We also explore scenes four, five and six which are about the hunt for the Puppet Master and its various puppets. The scenes are linked [...]

One of the more poignant news items I’ve read recently is that the London Anime Club (LAC) intends to “close doors” by the end of 2008. The cited reason is plain and simple: low attendances, with the popularity of “the London Expo”, “fansubs” and the accessibility of popular anime and manga in “mainstream shops” all [...]

Silly as it may seem posting an article like this on an anime related blog but the internet does the wonderful service of giving the user whichever degree anonymity they so choose. Well thank heavens for that because if the people I know found out I watched cartoons then I would have to carry that [...]

“In the near future- corporate networks reach out to the stars, electrons and light flow throughout the universe.The advance of computerisation, however, has not yet wiped out nations and ethnic groups.”
Oshii and Shirow have a lot to say in their masterpiece(s). This introductory paragraph is no exception. Setting the scene it illustrates the rate at [...]

I’ve found that often being a fan of anime and manga goes hand-in-hand with an interest in Japanese culture and tradition. The influence Western media has had on them is well-known of course, but to my mind it had more of a bearing on the superficial, aesthetic side of things; from a thematic and character-driven [...]

‘Ghost in the Shell’ is one of the classic anime. It is certainly, and will be in the future, regarded as one of the greatest films of the genre. In many ways Oshii created a philosophically and aesthetically beautiful film. However, just what is inside that beautifully crafted, yet Byzantine, shell? Well, this article is [...]

Weirdness is often utilised as a derogatory term to describe a person or object. However weirdness is, in a way, a very big part of being human as what one human thinks is just plain weird another thinks is plain genius. Japanimation is a great example of how being weird is somewhat better than being [...]