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Anime is becoming an incredibly mainstream medium. Series like One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto and Demon Slayer haved now reached immense heights, especially among the younger generation. Of course, anime fandom goes back several decades, so only the most hardcore fans are even aware of certain, now-forgotten anime.

The most obscure anime won't be recognized by most modern fans, especially when it comes to retro series. Some of these anime even fell under the radar when they came out, while others have simply been forgotten by time, despite their initial popularity. While they aren't mainstream hits nowadays, newer anime fans will want to check them out to go beyond the mainstream and feel the full history of the medium.

Votoms Was One of the Most Realistic Mecha Anime of Its Time Streaming On: N/A

Armored Trooper Votoms was one of many Real Robot mecha anime made in the 1980s,...

For thirty years, the kingdom of Pride Rock has entertained and amazed audiences young and old with tales of growth, courage, responsibility, and, of course, family. What began as a small idea has become one of Disney’s most recognizable properties worldwide, with multiple films, television shows, video games, and even stage musicals.

The story famously borrows heavily from Shakespeare, specifically from the tragedy Hamlet, but other biblical stories, such as Joseph and Moses, were also very influential.

The story focuses on Simba (Johnathan Taylor Thomas), a lion cub meant to be the next king of the Pride Lands after his father Mufasa’s (James Earl Jones) reign. Mufasa’s brother Scar (Jeremy Irons) wants the throne for himself and stages Mufasa’s death, making Simba believe he was responsible.

Simba runs away and meets Timon (Nathan Jones) and Pummba (Ernie Sabella), a meerkat and warthog who decide to raise...

Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno's studio, Khara, has released an official statement regarding Gainax filing for bankruptcy. The statement provides some extra context to the recent news, including Khara's perspective on previously-ignored but deep-rooted Gainax issues.

Following Gainax's bankruptcy, Khara released its statement on June 7 documenting the events from its own perspective. Anno had shared several concerns about Gainax's debt and poor management that were ignored for years, with Khara even propping up the studio with loans. The statement goes on to read, "However, Gainax's situation did not change, and the situation continued to worsen, culminating in the arrest of the then-presidential director in 2019 on a criminal offense unrelated to the operation of the company."

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Gainax, the iconic but latterly tarnished, Japanese animation producer behind anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” has filed for bankruptcy. It had been in operation for nearly 40 years.

The company made the announcement on Friday, via its own website, and said that it had filed its petition with the courts on May 29. The problem of the heavy debt burden that it had been carrying for several years had been made worse by the tangles of mismanagement.

The news emerged at a moment when the Japanese government, sensing growing international interest in Japanese pop culture, has pledged to help manga (comic) and anime (animated series and films) exporters. It also comes just a day before the beginning of the world’s biggest annual animation festival, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (June 9-15).

The company, then called Daicon Film, was founded in 1984 by a team including Anno Hideaki, Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, Yamaga Hiroyuki,...

Gainax, the Japanese animation studio behind such classics as Evangelion and Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy.

The studio behind some of the most successful anime movies and TV shows of all time has reportedly gone bust

Gainax, founded in 1984 and responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret Of Blue Water and more besides, filed for bankruptcy in a Tokyo court in late May according to Japanese outlet Automaton Media.

Per its report (translated by Google), the company’s struggles were due to a string of bad business decisions and investments made since 2012.

Gainax’s co-founder Hideaki Anno – and creator of those above anime works – founded a separate animation studio called Khara in 2006. That company has issued its own statement that confirms Gainax’s bankruptcy, published on the 7th June.

“Our company had been aware of Gainax’s poor management and debt for some time,...

Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of the best animators of all time, and his work with Studio Ghibli includes some of the most beloved and acclaimed animated films in the history of the medium. The animator has helped change anime and animation so much that he refuses to permanently retire, choosing instead to deliver masterpiece after masterpiece and exploring different genres and tones, all while remaining true to his trademark themes and characters — determined heroines, magical realism, and anti-war messages. Miyazaki seems determined to continue working even if it means threatening the future of his studio after he's gone because he's yet to pick a successor.

While many people are familiar with Miyazaki's output with Studio Ghibli, not many know about his work prior to co-founding the studio with Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. And yet, it is in that pre-Ghibli era that we find hints of the maestro that Miyazaki would become,...

The official Twitter for voice actor Hekiru Shiina, best known as Hikaru Shidou in Magic Knight Rayearth , has posted a performance clip of the anime's opening theme song, "Yuzurenai Negai," for her first self-cover album "Harmony Star." To celebrate her voice acting debut's 30th anniversary, the album released in Japan on May 8, 2024, and ranked ninth in Oricon's daily album sales charts on its first day. "Yuzurenai Negai" is one of the three bonus songs for the album. She wrote on the post, "I covered it for this album. I will be singing it at my summer concerts, so let's all get excited together!" Related : Voice Actor Hekiru Shiina to Release Her 1st Self-Cover Album in May Heikiru Shiina made her voice acting debut in 1993. She became the first female anime voice actor who held a solo concert at Nippon Budokan in 1997 and achieved great success in the 1990s.

Who Was Adv Films? Get to Know Ghost Stories’ Dub Producer - Main Image

Ghost Stories, also known as Ghosts at School, had a fascinating shift that defied convention before finding a voice with Adv Films. It is now regarded as a cult classic, but who exactly was Adv Films, Ghost Stories' English dub producer?

Who Was Adv Films? Ghost Stories’ Dub Producer

Adv Films, frequently abbreviated as A.D. Vision Films, was once a prominent American anime distribution company that held a significant position in bringing Japanese animation to Western audiences during the late 20 and early 21 centuries.

It was based in Houston, Texas, and was founded by John Ledford in 1992. Since then, it has evolved into a multidimensional company that creates dubs, acquires licenses, and distributes many anime titles across multiple genres, catering to the diverse tastes of Western audiences.

Through savvy licensing arrangements with Japanese studios, Adv Films...

To celebrate her voice acting debut's 30th anniversary, voice actor Hekiru Shiina, best known as Hikaru Shidou in Magic Knight Rayearth , will release her first self-cover album titled "Harmony Star" on May 8, 2024. Shiina made her voice acting debut in 1993. She became the first female anime voice actor who held a solo concert at Nippon Budokan in 1997 and achieved great success in the 1990s. She has released 44 singles and 16 original albums in her solo singer career. "Harmony Star" contains a total of 15 tracks, including 12 carefully selected representative songs of hers. The three bonus tracks are covers of anime theme songs, such as "Yuzurenai Negai" ( Magic Knight Rayearth opening theme) and "Blue Water" ( Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water opening theme). Her self-cover song titles: "Kusou Metro" " Me wo Samase, Otoko nara" "Sora wo Akiramenai" "Dameyo! Dameyo! Dameyo!" "One" "Kaze ga Fuku Oka" "Graduater" "Gambare" " -Akai Hana - You're gonna change to...

Gkids announced on Wednesday that it will soon be bringing The End of Evangelion, the feature follow-up to Hideaki Anno’s influential anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, to North American theaters for the first time. The film will be screened in its original Japanese language with English subtitles, bowing in select theaters nationwide on March 17th and 20th.

Premiering in Japan in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion follows the story of Shinji Ikari, a reluctant teenager who is recruited by the shadowy organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-mechanical robot called an Evangelion to defend Tokyo-3 from monstrous beings known as Angels. As Shinji grapples with his complex relationships with his distant father, Gendo, and his enigmatic fellow pilots, Rei and Asuka, he is forced to confront his own fears, insecurities, and the existential questions raised by the apocalyptic battles he faces.

The End of Evangelion was originally released in 1997, as...

Famous artists are often highly associated with a single title or franchise. Usually, the one they are associated with is their most successful project or their original breakout hit. However, this means that a lot of their other, equally good work, can get overlooked, as it's rare for an artist to do just one thing for their entire career.

And this is especially true in anime, where many of the medium's most famous creators have worked on many amazing shows and movies that, while fantastic in their own right, don't get the attention they deserve because they're overshadowed by the more famous works made by the creator.

Related: 10 Biggest Anime Letdowns Of 2023 That Can Still Redeem Themselves

His and Her Circumstances (Hideaki Anno) Known For: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, and others

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Masami Tsuda, Kare Kano (often localized...

While anime studio Gainax doesn't exist anymore, it put out a great many anime series in its active years, from 1984 to 2018. These works span a variety of genres and styles, and several of them have been regarded as major works within the anime industry. Almost any anime fan has likely seen at least one Gainax series, and that's something that not a lot of studios can say. This list compiles 10 of the very best series that Gainax put out over the years, and some of them belong to the greatest anime of all time.

Although Gainax did also produce various films and other smaller projects over the years, this list is looking specifically at series, so those films won't be considered. Still, many of them are worth a watch, especially if one enjoys other Gainax anime.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is almost a parody of isekai,...

Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.

In the world of Japanese pop auteurs, there are few rising stars as unpredictably eclectic, temperamental, and consistently fascinating as Hideaki Anno. Anno began his professional life in the early 1980s as a young animator working literally...

The King of the Monsters will stomp back into Japan’s theaters on July 29th with the release of Toho’s Godzilla: Resurgence, but before moviegoers hear his roar, a new trailer shows how much firepower the radioactive reptile can withstand.

Directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, Godzilla: Resurgence stars Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, and Satomi Ishihara.

Godzilla: Resurgence marks the first Japanese film to feature the rage-filled reptile since 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. Encouraged by the international success of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s 2014 Godzilla movie, Toho brings the iconic creature back to its home turf for Resurgence, which will be released in Japan on July 29th.

Co-directors Anno and Higuchi have worked together before, having collaborated on the 2012 animated short, Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Additionally, Higuchi is no stranger to the King of the Monsters. He worked behind-the-scenes...

Ahead of its July 29th debut, Toho’s Godzilla: Resurgence is teased in two new trailers that feature footage of the radioactive reptile wreaking havoc in Japan.

Directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, Godzilla: Resurgence stars Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, and Satomi Ishihara.

Godzilla: Resurgence marks the first Japanese film to feature the rage-filled reptile since 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. Encouraged by the international success of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s 2014 Godzilla movie, Toho brings the iconic creature back to its home turf for Resurgence.

This version of Godzilla looks like it will crunch its way into viewers’ nightmares. The King of the Monsters towers above the skyline in the trailer, its flesh glowing red beneath its scaly surface as its tail whips menacingly in its wake. It might take a lot more than an army of helicopters and tanks to take down this Godzilla. Fans can see the...

Since the radioactive reptile made his debut in Ishiro Honda's 1954 film, Godzilla, Japan's Toho has distributed nearly 30 films featuring the gargantuan creature, but they haven't released one in the last decade. Spurred on by the international success of Warner Bros. and Legendary's 2014 Godzilla movie, Toho late last year announced a new Godzilla movie and now they've attached two directors to the film.

The Good, The Bad, and Godzilla reports that Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi will co-helm Toho's new Godzilla film, the first franchise entry from the company since 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. In addition to co-directing, Anno will pen the screenplay, while Higuchi will supervise the film's VFX.

Plot details for the new Godzilla movie are unknown at this time, but the project is expected to begin filming this fall with an eye on a summer 2016 release in Japan.

Anno and Higuchi have worked together before, having collaborated on the 2012 animated short,...

Japanese filmmakers Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi are teaming to co-direct "Godzilla 2016," the new Japanese reboot of the iconic "Godzilla" franchise at Toho.

Anno will also be responsible for the screenplay while Higuchi will oversee the picture’s VFX. The two directors previously collaborated on "God Warrior Appears in Tokyo."

Anno worked on the animation of Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaa in the Valley of Wind," helmed the anime "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" and created the legendary "Neon Genesis Evangelion" franchise. Higuchi made his feature directing debut on 2005's "Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean".

In a statement, Toho says: "Ever since Hollywood announced that 'Godzilla' was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew. And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla".

Toho licensed remake...

The only filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki would ever acknowledge as his apprentice to be celebrated at Tiff.

The Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 23-31) is to host the first-ever major showcase of prominent Japanese filmmaker Hideaki Anno.

The World of Hideaki Anno will include screenings of around 50 of of his works, including TV and theatrical animation, short films he created when he was at school, commercial films, and promotional videos.

Ritual, which won the Tiff Best Artistic Contribution Award in 2000, and Love & Pop, which featured in the special screening section at Tiff in 2007, will be part of the collection. Further details will be announced at the launch of the Tiff line-up in late August.

Japanese animation will receive major focus at this year’s Tiff, with the Anno showcase at the centre.

At an early stage of his career, Anno impressed legendary Studio Ghibli filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, who subsequently hired him as an animator on his film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind...