Movies
It's far edgier than I imagined it to be. They left Nihei's appeal and style intact, the action sequences are brutal and the mega structure looks as cool as it does in the manga.
If you're an anime and/or sci-fi fan and you're up for a little Gojira action mixed with hardcore sci-fi, this is by far the best entry in the franchise so far. Bring on the sequels.
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle
Middle part in the animated trilogy. There's quite a lot of downtime before the actual battle with Gojira starts, but Seshita and Shizuno know how to build up the a sprawling finale. The animation is amazing, the scifi elements thorough and Gojira is absolutely menacing. Can't wait for part 3.
A worthy finale to the trilogy. Low on action, but that shouldn't come as a surprise to those who've seen the previous films (a must). Instead Planet Eater takes a more philosophical route, while still delivering some monumental visuals. It's a most welcome addition to the Gojira franchise, though true fans will beg to differ.
Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars
I'm a huge Tsutomu Nihei fan, but his Knights of Sidonia never quite pulled me in. I skipped the series even when I had easy access, and never really bothered with the manga. Maybe it's because it's one of his lighter/more commercial works, but when I heard Seshita was doing a film, I was willing to give it a go. The setup reminded me of Gunbuster, though a bit more intricate and not as focused on the school part. The film revolves around a group of trained clones, who pilot heavy mechas against a race of space aliens. Humankind is aiming to colonize a planet, but the aliens aren't having it. The animation quality is not up there with Seshita's more recent films, and the film's TV roots are a bit too apparent. There are still some very cool designs (the aliens in particular), and the plot won't disappoint sci-fi fans, it's just that I was hoping for more, after the Godzilla and Blame! films.Read all
A franchise crossover between Lupin III and Cat's Eye. It's an easy way to introduce new people to unfamiliar franchises, and so I was the perfect target audience for this film. Except that based on this, I probably won't make a big effort to seek out Cat's Eye. Not that this was a bad film, but it's the Lupin cast that makes it fun. Lupin is eyeing three paintings, created by the father of the Cat's Eye ladies. He is a crafty thief and manages to steal them right from under their noses. The Cat's Eye women chase down Lupin, but of course, there's more to the theft than meets the eye. A big art organization also wants their hands on the paintings, for less lofty reasons. I'm not sure if Seshita's 3D treatment was the best style to bring these two worlds together, but it does make for some rather dynamic action scenes. The plot is decent enough and it's a nice touch that they end up in Paris (Asian art heist films often do), it's just that I found the Cat's Eye cast a bit too dull and generic. Not bad, just not all that remarkable either.Read all