Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi review – football anime gets the battle royale treatment
From Terminator-eyed strikers to flame-wreathed shots on goal, no bombast is too much in this feature-length extrapolation of Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s popular series
June 2024
The Imaginary review – beguiling fantasy from Japan’s Studio Ponoc
Ultraman: Rising review – endearing kaiju animation battles the monster that is parenting
May 2024
Haikyuu!!: The Dumpster Battle review – huge anime hit goes deep into high school volleyball
‘Quitting is the devil’s fruit!’: why anime is firing up sports stars
April 2024
Spy x Family Code: White review – ingenious espionage antics with special-power family
The seven best shows to stream this week
Fallout to Baby Reindeer: the seven best shows to stream on TV this week
January 2024
Blue Giant review – electrifying animation captures the ecstasy of live music
Clumsy kittens, pigs in costumes and glittery unicorns: how the cult of cute took hold
December 2023
The Boy and the Heron review – Miyazaki’s mysterious, magical fantasy on grief and meaning
TV tonight
TV tonight: Dynamo escapes being buried alive during a live broadcast
Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘final’ film The Boy and the Heron hits No 1 at North American box office
No country for old men? Why Miyazaki, Loach and Scott can’t stop making movies
November 2023
TV review
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off review – as intense as falling in love in your teens
The entire original cast – including Michael Cera, Brie Larson, Jason Schwartzman and Chris Evans – are back for a dazzling animated reboot of the 2010 movie. It shifts gears and rockets away!
October 2023
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time review – surreal visual brilliance
Hideaki Anno’s four-part reworking of his philosophical 90s anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion reaches its conclusion with an emotional father-son confrontation
September 2023
The First Slam Dunk review – dynamic basketball anime
Takehiko Inoue’s affecting account of a high school match between an elite team and the underdogs breathes new life into the sports movie genre
August 2023
The First Slam Dunk review – basketball is the universe in resplendent hit anime
Takehiko Inoue’s classic manga spinoff has magnificent on-court scenes, but doesn’t quite sink the backstory
July 2023
Psycho-Pass: Providence review – anime thriller investigates dark side of technology
Japanese studio Production IG’s conspiracy noir is a fabulous-looking tale influenced by Blade Runner
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes review – sumptuously romantic YA anime
Tomohisa Taguchi’s elegant love story anchors the far-fetched plot points of Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 hit Your Name
Latest Studio Ghibli mystery film release ends months of guesswork for Japanese fans
Details of plot for veteran director Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature for 10 years had been kept largely secret
