I came across this trailer for a Japanese puzzle-based adventure game series that will be debuting in the U.S. on February 10th. It seems to be 1 part “Phoenix Wright”, 1 part “Howl’s Moving Castle”, and 1 part “Brain Age”. Either way, I am a big fan of the point-and-click adventure genre, and between the Miyazaki-inspired art-style and use of logic puzzles it seems like a winner to and for me. Check out the trailer below.

I never turn down the chance to see anime on the big screen. Luckily, as an L.A. resident, the opportunity does occasionally present itself, usually through midnight showings or special premieres tied to cultural centers. Next weekend, the American Cinematheque will be presenting three of Hayao Miyazaki’s phenomenal films in a Studio Ghibli showcase at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica:

Friday, February 1
7:30pm – “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”

Saturday, February 2
3:00pm – “My Neighbor Totoro”

Saturday, February 2
7:30pm – “Spirited Away”

This is a rare opportunity to sample Miyazaki’s craft in a theater setting, and you owe it to yourself to experience his storytelling. If you don’t consider yourself an “anime” fan or simply have never seen a Miyazaki film, I assure you that you will find these films captivating, your imagination sated, and leave with a smile on your face. I have already bought my tickets to all three at fandango.com, and let me know in the comments if you are planning on attending.

- news courtesy of Anime News Network

Greetings everyone. Since I have reached a point in both expected maturity and practical storage space where it is no longer feasible to be buying collectibles (or what some would call “toys,” including me) I have moved on to cels. Today, the second of my two recent purchases arrived.

For the uninitiated, cels are the original drawings made on celluloid (hence the name) that were used in traditional animation in the pre-computer era. Most recently I have purchased two cels to round out my collection. “Porco Rosso” is a phenomenal film by Hayao Miyazaki, who has continued to make classics like “Spirited Away”. The second cel is from an anime that not only changed anime, but showed me the power of anime and pushed me to think about it in a whole new way. From the brilliant mind of Hideaki Anno came “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, a 26-episode series that my roommates and I watched in a single marathon sitting.

Please join me in welcoming these two new members to the fold.

Porco Rosso

Neon Genesis Evangelion