Live Action Anime

Today’s review takes a look at the Studio Ghibli fantasy adventure Tales From Earthsea, adapted from the novels by Ursula K. Le Guin and controversially directed by Goro – son of Hayao – Miyazaki. The film was the subject of a mixed response, finding both strong proponents and detractors among critics and audiences. Does it [...]

Christmas and New Year are sadly behind us now, and so too concludes the post-Christmas review special. Nevertheless, in part 3 comes the Thrasher’s take on the much-beloved bombastic blockbuster, Code Geass. After taking Japan and the US by storm, its first season has finally arrived on DVD in the UK in 2009. How does [...]

A happy new year from the Thrasher’s Word to Liveactionanime.org! The post-Christmas special continues, with the Thrasher giving his two cents on Studio BONES’ most recent 26-episode blockbuster, the mature, yet remarkably self-deprecating Darker Than Black. With a second season having just finished its run in Japan, the story is going to be a long [...]

Well, it’s that time again, everyone, when that benevolent, obese spirit of jollity (Santa, if that was unnecessarily abstract for anyone) has been and gone. Many of you, this December 25th, may have been blessed either with anime, or with vouchers or cash to obtain anime. But before you go rushing off to the inevitable [...]

It’s that time again, ladies and gents! Today’s review is of Studio BONES’ Jyu-Oh-Sei: Planet of the Beast King. A relatively inoccuous production when weighed against this year’s more major releases like Claymore, Darker Than Black and Gurren Lagann, Jyu-Oh-Sei’s take on classically pulpy sci-fi nevertheless has more to offer than you might realise at [...]

The bad news: I didn’t get the opportunity to see Astro Boy during its brief theatrical run.
The good news: I found someone to do my job for me instead! So credit for today’s review of Astro Boy goes to friend and follower of liveactionanime.org and The Thrasher’s Word, Tasunara, also known as ZeroKyohaku. Without further [...]

Wait… No, not that Metropolis, this Metropolis:

Yes, today’s review is of Rintaro’s visually amazing 2001 anime film Metropolis, adapted from the manga of the same name. It’s as prolific a production as anyone’s ever seen in anime, featuring Rintaro directing, Katsuhiro Otomo writing, adapted from a manga by Osamu Tezuka and endorsed by James Cameron. [...]

Millennium Actress, Satoshi Kon’s sophomore directorial project, is one of the most critically lauded anime films ever made, as its 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes will attest. Why so well thought of? In this review, the Thrasher adds his voice to the fray proclaiming Millennium Actress to be a bona fide anime masterpiece. Watch it [...]

Masahiro Ando’s anime chambara epic Sword of the Stranger has won riotous acclaim from anime fans and the film festival circuit alike. Now an eager Thrasher, unwilling to wait for the October 26th UK release, has witnessed it in its full glory. In a genre that’s already swamped, does Sword of the Stranger have what [...]

Ninja Scroll
Format: Movie (91 minutes)
Genre: Action, Historical, Samurai, Drama
Studio: Madhouse
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
If one were to try to encapsulate in one word the regard in which 1993’s ultraviolent cult classic Ninja Scroll is held among anime fans, “famous” doesn’t quite hit the mark. “Notorious” comes closer; “infamous”, perhaps nearer still. This is, after all, the movie [...]