Minoru Takanashi Movies
Created by Keiko Nobumoto (Cowboy Bebop), the half-hour Wolf's Rain was, like many another Japanese anime series, set in a post-apocalyptic future. This time around, the human characters lived in domed cities, surrounded by a devastated world. Meanwhile, the Earth's surviving wolves, presumed extinct for two centuries, had managed to disguise themselves as humans to survive. The plotline focused on four young humanized wolves, each named for a part of the wolf "makeup": Kiba (Fang), Tsume (Claw), Hige (Whisker) and Toboe (Howl). Inspired by the vision of Flower Maiden Cheza and spurred on by the scent of the Lunar Flowers, the quartet set out to find the legendary "wolf paradise" of Rakunan. There was only one hitch -- if and when the wolves finally located Rakunan, the world would come to an end! First telecast in Japan on January 6, 2003, Wolf's Rain consisted of 26 episodes, plus four OAV episodes -- produced exclusively for home video -- which wrapped up the story. The entire series made its American debut courtesy of Cartoon Network on April 24, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, (more)
The popular animé series Cowboy Bebop gets its own feature-length film with the aptly named Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Set in the late 21st century, it jumps into the series' story line just prior to its conclusion, with the bounty hunting crew of the interstellar craft Bebop chasing a hacker aboard a tanker into a major city on Mars. As crew member Faye Valentine closes in on the tanker, she witnesses its catastrophic explosion, which soon appears to be a viral terrorist attack as the death toll continues to mount in the days following. Furthermore, Faye caught a glimpse of the person responsible for the blast and is thus the only surviving witness of the crime. After the government puts out a large bounty for the perpetrator's capture, the Bebop gang -- slacker Spike Spiegel, former policeman Jet Black, and hacker girl genius Edward -- begin their own hunt for the mass murderer, who is eventually revealed to be one Vincent Volaju. Vincent, it turns out, was the lone survivor of a governmental medical test and now seeks revenge by unleashing the same microscopic robotic virus used in the tanker explosion on the unsuspecting city. The Bebop crew must scramble to prevent Vincent from carrying out his plan, as well as try to locate an anti-virus to counterattack the effects of Vincent's virus. Released in both dubbed and subtitled cuts in the United States in 2003, Cowboy Bebop - The Movie premiered in Japan in 2001. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Lucas, Beau Billingslea, (more)
In this animé feature based on the popular Japanese television series, Hitomi is a high school student who is trying to come to terms with a severe case of depression. When her spirits are at their lowest, Hitomi makes a psychic connection with Van, the young king of the nation of Gaia, located on another planet visible in the night sky of Earth. Gaia has been brought to the brink of war by the evil Black Dragon Clan, and, while the nearby nation of Abaharaki wishes to form an alliance with Gaia for their mutual protection, Van is a leader who prefers to act on his own. Hitomi finds herself transported to Gaia, where she becomes a valuable if unlikely ally to Van; as the Black Dragon Clan advances, Van discovers that Hitomi may hold the key to the magical dragon armor of Escaflowne, the weapon that would make Gaia invincible. Escaflowne (also advertised as Escaflowne the Movie: A Girl in Gaia) features Kelly Sheridan as the voice of Hitomi; the voice cast for the American release version also includes Kirby Morrow, Brian Drummond, and Paul Dobson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Sheridan, Kirby Morrow, (more)
- 2000
This Japanese anime series tells the story of Pai, the sole survivor of a race of immortal three-eyed beings known as the Sanjiyan Unkara who temporarily assumes the form of a human girl in a quest to recover an ancient artifact which will make her human attributes permanent. She eventually befriends young Yakumo Fuji, the son of an archaeologist who has become an expert on Sanjiyan lore. Together they set out to recover the mystical object, embarking on an adventure beyond the boundaries of life and death. The journey takes on a whole new meaning for Yakumo when he is killed in a supernatural battle and resurrected as Pai's spiritual sidekick. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
In this continuation of the Japanese animated sci-fi adventure Macross Plus I, pilots Guld Goa Bowman and Isamu Dyson continue their intense rivalry over the same woman, Myung. Myung is a former singer who has since created Sharon Apple, a "virtual idol" -- a pop star who was created by a computer. However, Sharon's success merely reminds Myung of the career she left behind, and she finds her electronic creation (who isn't aware of her "virtual" status) is becoming increasingly difficult to handle. Adapted from a popular Japanese television series, this was followed by Macross Plus III. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
