japan

The animations of Japan's Studio Ghibli are amongst the highest regarded in the movie industry. This book examines all their major works and explores the cultural and thematic threads that bind these films together.

"Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, often featuring children navigating unfamiliar and challenging worlds, offer timeless explorations of youth and what it means to grow up. Admired around the globe for his artistic vision, craftsmanship and . . . humanistic values, Miyazaki has influenced generations of artists. The universal appeal of his . . . natural settings and complex characters, many among them strong girls and young women, cuts across cultural boundaries. This book is published on the occasion of the 2021 inaugural exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Studio Ghibli in Tokyo. It accompanies the first ever retrospective dedicated to the . . . filmmaker in North America and introduces hundreds of original production materials, including artworks never before seen outside of Studio Ghibli's archives. Concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds and production cels from his early career through all 11 of his feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004), offer insight into Miyazaki's creative process and . . . animation techniques"--Provided by publisher.

"What nerd wouldn't enjoy exploring an RPG-style world? Not Mika Kamiya! She was just about to enjoy her post-Comic Market haul when fate whisked her away to a fantasy land. All Mika wants is to find a way home, so she's hunting for spells-but rather than search all over, they'll be coming to her to attend her magical-book-selling event, Magic Market! With a very 'animated' catalog of guests, eccentric attendees, and out-of-control lines, what could possibly go wrong?!" -- Back cover.

"Mika has been trying to get home to Japan for a long time. But how did she first learn to wield the copy magic at the heart of Protagonist Press, and how did she meet Kiriko and Lio? As the group reminisces, new challenges keep their focus on the present--including a rival printing press, an assassin, as well as an ancient and powerful threat!"--OCLC.

" . . . assembles a collection of supernatural creatures in all shapes and sizes, each with their own unique back story. Some are well-known, others obscure. The one thing they all have in common is that they are creepiest and weirdest of the bunch!"--Back cover.

"They have waited 75 years for an acknowledgment that what was done to them was a war crime. They are still waiting. Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers is a beautifully and sensitively rendered narrative of the ongoing crusade of WWII's most courageous survivors: the "Comfort Women"--sex slaves--of the Japanese Imperial Army. This offering in graphic novel format is both a moving tribute and a call to awareness that, though addressing young adults, speaks to all of us"--Provided by publisher.

Provides step-by-step instructions for drawing anime- and manga-inspired mythical creatures including unicorns, mermaids, and dragons. Includes black-and-white illustrations.

". . . sheds light on the cultural significance of cherry blossom season in Japan, and an insight into the unique mindset of its people"--Provided by publisher.

"Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin'uchi exam--the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. Akane Osaki, his daughter and biggest fan, spies on him while he practices and learns his routines for herself. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire is lit inside Akane. From that day forth, she has had one goal--to avenge her father and prove his art was worthy of the title of shin'uchi. Akane unintentionally stirs up a scandal when she's discovered taking informal lessons from her father's former teacher, Shiguma Arakawa. And she's about to make even bigger waves because she is about to begin her first steps in climbing the ranks of a rakugo performer from zenza opening act to shin'uchi headliner by exchanging her secret lessons for formal training. But she'll still have to finish high school and navigate her relationship with Shiguma's existing apprentices, all while learning that becoming a stellar rakugoka takes much more than just being good at performing!"--Back cover.

"Nakamura has fallen in love-at-first-sight with one of his classmates, Hirose--but there's a problem: they haven't actually met yet . . . and Nakamura is a total klutz who might bungle things before they even begin!"--Back cover.