T.V.: Anime: Drawing a Revolution

[DAN_D]

By: Holly Ellingwood

The monthly Starz Inside series hosted by film critic and author Richard Roeper will see a very special in-depth look at anime in the upcoming December 17th presentation of Anime: Drawing a Revolution. This well paced and evocative look at the world of anime takes a look both national and global at the background, influences, and impact of the medium which has swept the US and the world with its provocative subject matter and stunning visuals.

The upcoming premiere is a well organized and encompassing introspective into the world of anime. The feature takes viewers through a tour of the history of anime and Hollywood while defining the medium and its origins in manga. It looks at the socio-economic circumstances that influenced its emergence in Japanese culture and how it evolved into an international phenomenon. In doing so, many people from both Japan and America are interviewed, giving their thoughts on anime. Many are actors, some directors, some from upcoming projects. They include Michelle Rodriquez (Lost, Resident Evil), Michael Madsen (Sin City, Kill Bill), Lauren Holly (Spirited Away), Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk, Tak & the Power of Juju), Colin Brady (upcoming Astro Boy live action movie), Peter Fernandez (Speed Racer), David Silverman (The Simpsons), Wendee Lee (Ghost in the Shell SAC), Veronica Taylor (Pokemon), Crispin Freeman (Ghost in the Shell SAC), Stan Lee of Marvel Comics, Rob Zombie (musician), esteemed director and writer Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), and many more.

The show is done with great energy and a slick look that will delight viewers, especially science fiction and anime fans. Featured in clips are several groundbreaking anime titles including Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ninja Scroll the Movie, Bleach, Astro Boy, Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets, Speed Racer, Afro Samurai, Blood+, Pokemon, Robotech, La Blue Girl, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell, Animatrix, Eureka Seven, Akira, Miyazaki’s works such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke, Naruto, Transformers and Battle Angel. And that’s just naming some of them. Due to the nature of some of these clips, the content is at times graphic, including nudity and violence. The feature itself does a solid progression of showing how Japanese animation first came into America and the full circle of its origins to where it stands now, taking on American comics such as Witchblade and series like Highlander where writers from the US work with animation studios in Japan to bring to life the animated versions of those US titles. It also looks at how it influenced big Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix, Kill Bill, Sin City, and 300. Viewers are given a special look and heads up about upcoming anime-to-live-action films, sparked by the mega-hit Transformers. These titles include James Cameron’s (Terminator, The Abyss) upcoming rendition of a live action Battle Angel movie, the Wachowski’s (The Matrix trilogy) live-action Speed Racer starring Matthew Fox, Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon, the critically acclaimed Astro Boy will be seeing live-action theatrical release, and the highly anticipated Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman live action film.

The pace of the show is exciting, the information given in such a way that newcomers will find it fascinating and longtime fans can still discover something new. It has a great look and is definitely a feature anime fans cannot afford to miss. Starz Inside is a monthly series and Anime: Drawing a Revolution premieres Monday December 17th at 9pm (ET/PT).



Credit: www.activeanime.com

[lordsmurf]

I don't have Starz. Aw, poo. Anybody here going to record it?

[debwalsh]

I plan to.

[DAN_D]

I just finished watching this documentary, and all I can say is that it's definately a "must have" addition to any Anime fans' collection.

[wayshway]

ooops. missed it.

[cp32]

WHAT!!!!! ??????
(@)-(@)......

I 'll be needing this.