Blog Archives

Yasuhiro Yoshiura and Yutaka Izubuchi On Rebooting the Essence of Patlabor

(Originally written for Anime-now! in 2016)

Sequels, reboots, remakes and side stories are everywhere today. But many times, the key to success—and longevity—is in the assurance that no matter how many incarnations an intellectual property goes through, the core ideas remain constant and relevant, if perhaps in a different guise.

Sometimes, the people who understand this best are the people who have been impassioned by those very elements. The story behind 2016’s Patlabor Reboot is just such a tale. Behind the scenes, the production itself is almost an allegorical narrative about a master bequeathing an heirloom to a young successor who has proven his worth.

Pondering the Role of Present-Day Tokyo in Patlabor Reboot

A version of this article previously appeared on Anime-Now! in 2016.

Early in 2016, news of an animated Mobile Police Patlabor remake in the fall had anime fans excited for the return of the Special Vehicles Section 2, a ragtag band of crime-fighters saving Tokyo from bad guys who misuse technology for their own evil means. While that description is accurate, the charm, depth and complexity of the characters, storylines and settings is what has granted Patlabor an enduring decades-long appreciation around the world, since the series’ debut as a 6-part OVA in 1988.

Evangelion Creator Talks the Future of the Franchise

This article originally appeared in Anime Now! on December 3, 2016.

This past week, Khara, the studio behind the Rebuild of Evangelion films, celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a special exhibition in Tokyo. Visitors to the exhibit received a special gift an 88-page booklet filled with interviews–including one by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno himself where he talks about his ...

Shoji Kawamori on What is, and What is NOT, “Canon”

Originally Written by Renato on February 25, 2009

Fans all around the world tear their hair out over which version of which story in the Macross franchise is the “real” one, and which is the “dramatization” or “parallel world” version of events…. In Japan, most fans are rather chill. Why not just relax, everybody? Just over 20 years ago, Shoji Kawamori was kind enough to sit down and answer some fan questions, and among them, he gave us some insight into his philosophy of media-based storytelling. The takeaway from all this, is… You’re thinking about it too hard.

The following is part of a transcript from an interview with Shoji Kawamori on “Macross 7 Fun Net” from September 24th, 1998.
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~pn7m-szk/macro…aku/5000hit.HTM

Click the “Read More” link to read the words of wisdom from Kawamori himself, which I have translated for your pleasure.

“Why are Arcadia’s Macross Products so Expensive?” by Mr. K

Originally written by Renato on September 2, 2015

We’ve all thought about it, some of us more vocally than others, and on Thursday last week, the mysterious Mr. K from Arcadia — previously Yamato — took some time to publish a long blog post on the topic of why Arcadia’s products are so highly priced.
The really high quality transforming Macross toys have never been cheap. No, not even the Takatoku 1/55. But Arcadia’s recent offerings have finally broken the 30,000 yen barrier. Some of us in the forums felt that Arcadia had gone insane. Well, this here is a unique opportunity to peek at what actually goes into producing a Valkyrie toy and give a bit more context to the figures.
The original article by Mr. K is here:
http://ameblo.jp/arcadiaac/entry-12066413053.html

What follows is a translation of the entire text, which you can read after the jump.

(All photos are official Arcadia promo images, except for the Lupin III toy photo which is just the normal state of Renato’s living room table 😛 )