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Episode 2 is available now on the official AnimEigo YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/@AnimEigo/videos

In the latest installment, Robert Napton recalls his days at U.S. Renditions, which was the Special Projects Division of Books Nippan (the American branch of Nippon Shuppan Hanbai) and one of the pioneers of anime home video distribution in North America. Napton reminiscences about titles such as Gunbuster, Eureka Seven, Appleseed, Black Magic M-66, Dangaio The Complete Series, and Outlanders as well as his tenure at Bandai Entertainment and releases such as Lucky Star and more.

The Anime Business Episode 1 is also now available to stream on the AnimEigo YouTube channel and features an interview with John O’Donnell, former Managing Director of Central Park Media.

All episodes will be available in English. Japanese subtitles will also be available via a special grant from the Kleckner Foundation. Additional episodes and interviews are in production now.

Space-oriented media allows audiences to explore the cosmos through scenarios that offer audiences a sense of escape and satisfy their curiosity. Anime is an especially captivating media for diving into space-related topics, as the limits are endless. Space is vastly unknown and people are drawn to its mysteries.

There are several different galaxies and planets that make humans wonder about the possibilities of different life forms, with the most notable being aliens. Luckily, anime fans who also adore space have a wealth of series to choose from. From titles such as Cowboy Bebop to Gundam, there is an abundance of anime set in space streaming on Crunchyroll.

GunBuster Is a Hyperrealistic Mecha Anime Filled With High-Octane Clashes Stream GunBuster on CrunchyrollImage via Gainax

GunBuster is a hidden gem from anime’s golden age, and a series that fans of the works of Hideaki Anno will love. GunBuster unfolds in a...

Synduality Echo of Ada puts players inside customizable mechs called Cradlecoffins. The third-person view creates accessibility, with controls that blend complexity and user-friendliness. Unlike standard Fps games, mech movement introduces strategic depth.

Learning process feels smoother compared to other mech-based games like MechWarrior 5. Players receive gentle introductions to combat and exploration mechanics, helping them become comfortable without feeling overwhelmed.

Synduality Echo of Ada simplifies control schemes relative to MechWarrior 5, prioritizing agile, responsive movement over detailed mechanical simulations.

Combat includes a varied weapons selection: SMGs, shotguns, and rifles. Each weapon type supports different player strategies and approaches.

Special abilities like multi-targeting missile barrages exist, though their impact gets constrained by extended cooldown periods. Effective combat requires careful positioning and tactical movement.

Battles center on circle-strafing techniques, where players guide mechs to maximize attack potential while reducing vulnerability. Typical fights involve encounters with Enders and bandits.

Exploration includes Sorties focused on resource gathering and task completion.

It is official, Gundam fans. The sci-fi franchise is one of the biggest in anime, and we have seen the Sunrise title undergo all sorts of iterations. Now, the IP is gearing up for a new adventure with help from Neon Genesis Evangelion's team. Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX has been announced, and the reveal has fans geeking out.

For those curious, Sunrise announced the new anime in tandem with Studio Khara, the team that oversees Evangelion. The duo revealed the info as part of Gundam Conference Winter 2024. A trailer was released for the new Gundam project as you can see below, and it teases the anime's global release.

Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX Marks the Anime's Latest Series The Sci-Fi Anime Will Take Fans Deep Into Outer Space

For those curious about this new anime, no worries! Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX has posted a synopsis. The show will tell the story of Amate Yuzuriha,...

The iconic anime studios Sunrise and Khara, the latter known for the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, reveal their first collaboration for the new Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX series and film.

Via Animate Times, an all-new TV series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, was announced on Dec. 4 at Gundam Conference Winter 2024. Rebuild of Evangelion director Kazuya Tsurumaki will direct the series, with Yoji Enokido handling the series composition alongside Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno. Ikuto Yamashita is handling the anime's mechanical design. The new anime marks a seismic collaboration between Sunrise and Evangelion studio Khara. With big expectations attached, it's perhaps unsurprising that the series will first premiere as a reconstructed film version in 373 theaters nationwide in Japan starting on Jan. 17, 2025. Readers can check out the first Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX character visuals and official announcement trailer below.

Related Gundam Roars to Life in New Worldwide CASETiFY Tech Accessory Release

The iconic...

Anime series from the past have greatly influenced and shaped the medium, providing context for the traditions seen in today's shows. Exploring older anime reveals excellent material that may have been overlooked during the major boom of the '90s, offering a treasure trove for those willing to delve into the past. Old anime classics like Space Battleship Yamato, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Gunbuster are still worth watching today, as they showcase timeless designs and are an integral part of the medium's history.

Modern writing and technology have done a lot to help anime evolve into a mainstream medium. The combination of gorgeous visuals and less clichd writing has given anime more universal appeal than it's ever had before, and it's easily gotten to the point of being at the center of general pop culture all around the world.

The current landscape of anime has done wonders for its popularity,...

Anime distributor AnimEigo returns to anime's golden age in the 1980s as it announces the Blu-ray home media release on October 8th of Otaku No Video. The anime Ova spoofs the life and culture of otaku as well as the history of Studio Gainax and its creators.

The Inside Story of Anime's Late, Great Anime Studio!

Director Takeshi Mori (Gunsmith Cats) and the anime madmen of Studio Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion) gather with their friends for the most explosive club meeting ever! Bolstered by Kenichi Sonoda's (Bubblegum Crisis) charming character designs and the great Kohei Tanaka's (Gunbuster) rousing soundtrack, Otaku no Video bursts onto Blu-ray in stunning 1080p high definition! Featuring the original Japanese language with English subtitles!

The original anime club is back in session!

The year is 1982 – one year into the glorious New Anime Century! Unfortunately, college freshman Ken Kubo has yet to bask in the...

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,...

Anime studio Gainax announced on its official website on June 7 that the business officially filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on May 29, with the court accepting the application. Gainax is best known as the studio that produced Neon Genesis Evangelion , Flcl , Gunbuster , Gurren Lagann and many more classic anime. The statement, penned by representative director Yasuhiro Kamimura, apologized to creditors, those who were working with Gainax to help alleviate the situation prior to the bankruptcy and fans. Kamimura wrote, “We had no choice but to choose bankruptcy because we were unable to fully achieve our goals.” Kamimura states that since 2012 Gainax’s “financial situation worsened" in relation to managing a restaurant, starting a CG company and sizeable unsecured loans to then-executives, all of which caused debt to accrue. This even led to situations where Gainax was removed from production committees they were a part of. The studio also...

Gainax, the studio behind "Neon Genesis Evangelion," has officially filed for bankruptcy after years of financial struggles. The iconic studio faced poor management, lawsuits, and controversies, leading to its downfall despite its once revered status. Gainax's legacy includes groundbreaking works like "Evangelion" and "Gurren Lagann," but its financial woes ultimately led to its demise.

In an unfortunate but expected turn of events, Studio Gainax has announced that they will be filing for bankruptcy. Although the studio has been active for almost 40 years making incredible anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and asserting itself as one of Japan's powerhouse anime studios, mismanagement and massive debt have brought the studio to its knees.

Gainax released a press statement informing shareholders and fans of the studio's works about the successful petition for bankruptcy and the reasons that led to this circumstance. The news was broken online by Manga Mogura and other anime news accounts.

One of Japan’s most celebrated creatives, Mahiro Maeda, will be releasing his first-ever collection of works later this year, tentatively titled “Maeda Mahiro Zatsu Gashu (Masahiro Maeda’s Miscellaneous Art Collection).” Maeda is best known as a concept artist and director on multiple iterations of Evangelion , concepts on Mad Max: Fury Road , Kill Bill , Shin Godzilla , Shin Ultraman , and monster designs on Ssss.Gridman and Kaiju No. 8 . He is currently affiliated with Khara after starting Gonzo and being part of early Gainax. The book will cover over 100 previously released and unreleased materials from Maeda’s storied production history including the aforementioned works as well as Gunbuster , Gankutsuou and many more. Alongside the materials, which include large-scale drawings, concept art and more, will be historical anime commentary, background information and interviews with the people who worked alongside Maeda on these productions. Related: Photos: Evangelion Crossing Expo Uncovers Series' Merch History The...

We are currently in the midst of an international Kaiju renaissance of sorts. Godzilla Minus One won an Academy Award for its visual effects and was a hit across the globe. Meanwhile, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was number one in the American box office for a second week in a row. And though he’s certainly “King of the Monsters,” Godzilla isn’t the only giant creature to get the spotlight. With the release of the Kaiju No. 8 anime, based off the wonderful manga by Naoya Matsumoto, the audience for stories of mysterious gargantuan creatures will grow even wider. But even if they don’t necessarily fit into the Kaiju Eiga (monster movie) subgenre of science fiction, the potency of the Kaiju has been explored in anime over and over again. There is a power to the idea of a mammoth monster with god-like strength, one that often...

Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim" remains one of the very best live-action films inspired by anime that wasn't actually based on anime (though it eventually became one). The 2013 movie is essentially about giant robots fighting kaiju. Its influences are many, from kaiju movies like "Godzilla" and the work of Ray Harryhausen, but also clearly tokusatsu like del Toro's beloved "Ultraman" and even mecha anime like "Gunbuster," "Getter Robo," and "Mazinger Z."

"Pacific Rim," arguably more so than "The Matrix," feels like the biggest American movie inspired by anime, a movie made by someone who loves the medium, at a time when anime was starting to enter the mainstream. But if you asked Guillermo del Toro that question shortly before the release of the film, it seems he would have been a nervous wreck.

David S. Cohen's book "Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters — The Inner Workings of an Epic...

The iconic sci-fi anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes announced a sequel to Die Neue These on Nov. 5, 2023.

The fifth-anniversary event for Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These, which first debuted in Japan on April 3, 2018, saw the announcement of the upcoming sequel series with notable voice actors in attendance. These included Mamoru Miyano, who voices Reinhard bon Lohengramm, Yuki Kaji (Julian Mintz) and Junichi Suwabe (Paul von Oberstein). The accompanying teaser trailer was posted to the official Shochiku YouTube channel.

Crunchyroll Boosting Retro Anime Catalog With Gunbuster, Angel Cop & More

The revival of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes anime series began in 2018 with Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - Encounter. Under the Die Neue These name, the series has drawn critical acclaim for surpassing the original video animation (Ova) series that first aired in 1988 in some aspects. All of Encounter's successive seasons -- Stellar War,...

An iconic mecha anime is flying back into the spotlight with new merchandise for its 35th anniversary.

Gunbuster -- also known as Aim for the Top! in Japan -- was a landmark anime Ova, especially for the then-nascent studio Gainax. As revealed via Crunchyroll, it's receiving new merch over 30 years later to celebrate the still-acclaimed animated feature. This includes a towel with the logo for Aim for the Top!, acrylic stands depicting the Ova's mecha units, and earrings featuring super deformed versions of the main characters Jung Freud, Kazumi Amano and Noriko Takaya. An acrylic block keyring, a print of the aforementioned protagonists from artist Haruhiko Mikimoto and the iconic music box from the series' finale are the other products that will be available.

Anime Auction Featuring Dragon Ball, Cowboy Bebop and Akira Art Rakes in Millions

Fans can also get a photographic bromide by purchasing orders of at least...

Crunchyroll has announced its acquisition of the hotly-anticipated Kaiju No. 8 anime, expected to premiere in Spring 2024.

Via a press release, Crunchyroll confirmed that the series will be available in both English subbed and dubbed and exclusively simulcast after its premiere in Japan. The news follows Crunchyroll's recent acquisitions of popular Fall 2023 anime such as Spy x Family and Jujutsu Kaisen. Most recently, Crunchyroll revealed plans to take anime even further into the mainstream with the announcement of the 24/7 TV service, the Crunchyroll Channel.

Related: Crunchyroll Boosting Retro Anime Catalog With Gunbuster, Angel Cop & More

During Crunchyroll's panel at New York Comic Con, the author of Kaiju No. 8 Naoya Matsumoto introduced himself and outlined his series for new viewers. "It's a story about someone struggling in a harsh world without ever giving up," Matsumoto said, "in the hopes of leading people into an even slightly brighter future. To anyone...

The beginning nine minutes of the fourth Girls und Panzer das Finale anime movie have been officially uploaded online.

Emotion Label's official YouTube channel uploaded the early minutes of the latest Girls und Panzer movie in celebration of its recent release in Japan. As with the previous Girls und Panzer das Finale movies, the opening anime theme is "Never Say Goodbye" by Japanese singer ChouCho. The fourth anime movie continues the storyline of Ōarai Girls High School competing against Continuation High School, following the shocking elimination of the Anglerfish Team in the Winter Continuous Track Cup.

Related: Crunchyroll Boosting Retro Anime Catalog With Gunbuster, Angel Cop & More

Girls und Panzer das Finale is a six-part film series based on the 2012 anime TV series. Four of the released anime films have been directed by series director Tsutomu Mizushima. Girls und Panzer's script supervisor Reiko Yoshida is credited as the writer of the recent films.

The upcoming anime series Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included has now revealed its first official teaser image and video.

According to Anime News Network, Studio Okuruto Noboru has announced its upcoming slice-of-life fantasy series with a key visual and promotional video. Nikkatsu Animation spotlighted the latter on its official YouTube Channel. This teaser introduces Taro Tokumitsu, a lonely high schooler who moves into a new apartment by himself. There, he discovers a beautiful winged girl named Towa. While Okuruto Noboru has revealed cast and staff details for the upcoming series, the studio has not yet confirmed a release window.

Related: New Spice and Wolf Anime Reveals Halloween-Themed Visual

Okuruto Noboru's anime is an adaptation of matoba's manga series of the same name. A romantic comedy, the series chronicles Tokumitsu's daily life with Towa, who claims to be an angel sent down to Earth to study humans. Kenta Onishi, who...

Crunchyroll has updated its ever-growing library of animated programming with retro anime series from the 1980s, '90s and more.

Per distributor Discotek's official X account and Anime News Network, Crunchyroll has added seven new anime titles from Discotek Media for its United States and Canadian catalog. Five of these titles are famous anime series from the 1980s and 1990s: Angel Cop (1989), Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990), Gunbuster (1988), The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar (1997) and its sequel The King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final (2000). The remaining two series are Mononoke (2007) and Black Rock Shooter (2010).

Related: Original Ash Ketchum Voice Actor Launching Pokémon Rewatch Podcast

As noted by Discotek Media, the new retro anime series like Gunbuster or The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar are available in their entirety with both English subs and in English dubbed. The only exception is King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final, which only has English subs available. A Crunchyroll Premium...

Shangri-La Frontier is one of the newest anime to air in Fall 2023 on Crunchyroll, and it’s already off to an amazing start. The anime stars Rakuro Hizutome, a boy who makes a hobby out of playing notoriously terrible Vrmmo games so he can master them despite their various flaws and glitches. One day, Rakuro decides to play an actual good game for the first time in ages, the world-renowned Shangri-La Frontier, and through the avatar Sunraku, he finds himself ecstatic over getting to play a game without any flaws, especially since his experience with “trash games” allows him to play on a different level than the average player.

There’s only one episode of Shangri-La Frontier out so far, but just from that, it’s shaping up to be a great addition to the Fall 2023 lineup. The basic premise of a Vrmmo game might not be that unique after all this time,...

Groundbreaking anime comes around every decade, and it’s interesting to examine the different changes that accompany these contrasting time periods. There are still plenty of modern anime that subvert expectations and redefine the medium, like Wonder Egg Priority, Lycoris Recoil, or Jujutsu Kaisen, but it’s also important to not overlook the past and the important series that have helped anime get where it is today.

The 1980s were an important transition period for anime where the medium started to take greater risks and experiment with genre and form. Some of these old-fashioned anime may seem retro or lost in nostalgia, but there is still an abundance of ‘80s anime that can hold their own against any current hit.

Related: 10 80s Anime That Are Better Than They Have Any Right To Be

Gunbuster 6 Ova

Gunbuster is one of the first anime productions by the acclaimed animation studio Gainax, as...

Anime fans have endless options when it comes to what they consume and there’s still lots of debate on the benefits of classic, nostalgic anime series and the current modern crop. Some of anime’s most beloved series like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Serial Experiments Lain are all older programs that manage to tell full, complete stories in a concise number of episodes.

Anime that run for extended periods are not inherently inferior to shorter series, but there’s something to be said for brevity and not overstaying one’s welcome. There are some exceptional anime series from the past that could have even better reputations if they cut themselves short and didn’t give into the temptation of second seasons and beyond. Sometimes a single season is all that’s needed.

Related: 10 Classic Anime That Disappointed Modern Fans

Rurouni Kenshin 3 Seasons, 95 Episodes

Rurouni Kenshin still stands out as the signature samurai anime.

Even fans who have never watched or even heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion would likely recognize the most famous shots, lines, and especially memes the show spawned. As such, there are many anime influenced by Evangelion's striking images, thrilling action, and philosophical themes. From the mecha battles of Code Geass to the nightmarishness of Perfect Blue, fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion have plenty more shows to sink their teeth into.

Perfect Blue (1998)

An anime movie that’s more than Oscar-worthy, Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue is a master class in surreal horror. Idol singer Mima Kirigoe leaves her group to pursue a career as an actress and craft a more mature image for herself. But an obsessed fan cannot let his own image of her go: believing the new Mima is an impostor, he goes on a murder spree to correct this wrong.

Evangelion fans will enjoy it for...

Looking at anime genres is often the best way for fans to manage their expectations of a certain show. Anime is outstandingly good at narrowing down the series' target audience by categorizing it within well-defined genres. So, action lovers always know to be on the lookout for the newest battle shonen, fans of heartfelt love stories turn to shojo rom-coms, and viewers searching for something more gritty and mature favor seinen series.

However, anime also has a number of niche, underappreciated genres that exist unbeknownst to countless fans. Someone's new all-time favorite might be hiding within one of the best shows in these underrated anime genres.

Related: 10 Best Anime Series That Raised The Bar For Seinen

Super Robot Mecha: Gunbuster

Despite reigning supreme during the '80s and '90s, the mecha genre declined rapidly in the 21st century. Unfortunately, this is the truest about the Super Robot subcategory of mecha — a fantastical,...

Giant mechs are a staple of anime, with the largest mechs in anime history often leaving a proportional impact on the medium. More so than most other mediums, mechs are an important part of anime history. With foundational series like Tetsujin 28-go (or Gigantor as it's known in the U.S.) and Gundam establishing some of the medium's most important tropes and elements, it's left a great deal of room for series like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Eureka 7 to redefine what's possible in mech anime.

Part of redefining what's possible in mech anime also comes with redefining what it truly means to be a giant robot. Once upon a time, Tetsujin 28-go's 50-foot mech was considered an absolute behemoth, but as the years went on, that stature got less and less impressive. Though the size of a mech doesn't necessarily correlate to the quality of the anime it's in,...

(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-where, a regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime.)

We have covered many anime in this series, hopefully providing plenty of choices for your first anime, and shows to watch after that to learn more about the possibilities of this wonderful medium. From new shows that have made a splash, to older classics that marked the medium forever, there truly is enough to watch at anytime, anywhere. This is to say if you have followed this column for the past couple of years, you should have a pretty good understanding of anime and enough points of reference for "Flcl."

Pretty much like all other anime I've covered here before, it is not imperative to have watched anything before experiencing "Flcl," but the experience is improved if you understand some of the many, many references in this short 6-episode Ova. And...

Everyone remembers falling in love with Studio Ghibli. The music swells, the bright blue sky surfaces, packed with cotton candy clouds. And our young heroines wander in, taken with smiles and wonder. Director of many iconic titles, including “Spirited Away”, “Kiki's Delivery Service” and “Howl's Moving Castle”, Hayao Miyazaki needs no introduction. His magical tales, sublime and unforgettable, all speak for themselves. As co-founder of the Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki's filmography has been characterized by its childlike affinity for fantasy, alongside its complex, coming-of-age protagonists. Despite this, Miyazaki's works have attracted audiences of all ages and walks of life, and continue to even now.

In this list, we take a look at 6 lesser known films and anime from Hayao Miyazaki. Some of these align with the familiar titles we know and love, while some reveal a different side to the auteur's voice.

1. Mei and the Kittenbus (2002)

A de...

(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-where, a regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime.) It’s impossible not to think of studio Gainax and Hideaki Anno when considering the most influential or popular mecha anime of the past two decades. Between Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, Flcl, and the creation of Studio […]

The post ‘Gunbuster’ is a Short But Impactful Mecha Anime That Mixes ‘Interstellar’ With ‘Top Gun’ appeared first on /Film.

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...

Once in a great while a groundbreaking work of art reveals itself, each often revolutionizing the way art is interpreted.

It can come in a variety of different forms, such as Di Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Van Gogh’s Starry Night, to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby or Orwell’s 1984, to even Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion. We can easily agree that all of these are very unique to one another in their own right, yet all are great pieces of art expressing ideas and emotions beyond belief. Artists aren’t afraid to cross lines or push boundaries for the sake of their work, and they must throw larger stones to make bigger splashes. Sometimes brilliance comes from very unexpected places. In 2010, a new masterpiece was unveiled in the form of a gag anime by the name of Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt.

If I were to try to sum up Psg,...

I don't do much anime series and Oav reviews, but once in a while I'd like to hint at some of the missed out modern "classics". Diebuster fits that description rather well.

Diebuster is the Oav sequel based on Hideaki Anno's original Gunbuster series. Considering the impact of the original it's hard to image how incredibly overlooked this 6-part Oav follow-up series is. Tsurumaki is the one bringing the 15-year old original back to modern standards, completely in the spirit of Gainax, and doing a pretty great job at that.

Gunbuster is the series that kick-started Anno's career. An important event in the history of anime, as he would later go on to direct Evangelion. At the same time, it marks the rise of legendary anime studio Gainax. The original is a series that still stands its ground today, but is somewhat unknown among younger anime fans.

Tsurumaki's sequel...