Japanese Animation Film Events in London

Anime fans in London, England are in for a treat later this month, as The Barbican Centre, occasional home to animation series/film screenings over the months, prepares local showings of long-awaited anime features. Meanwhile, Sci-Fi London's Oktoberfest Anime All-Nighter is gearing up for quite a selection later this month as well. For UK-based otaku, little could be sweeter than the chance to see films from directors such as Mamoru Oshii, Hayao Miyazaki, and Masahiro Andou all in about one month's time.

A component of anime scholar and author Helen McCarthy's continuing profile of Japanese animation, both creatively and critically, Barbican's showing of Andou's The Sword of the Stranger (2007), a vibrant, violent, samurai tale, is highly anticipated. Part historical-fantasy and partly vicious-drama as well, The Sword of the Stranger is sprinkled with traditionally fluid, ultra-violent fight sequences finding a nameless samurai with a troubled past. Guilty past and all, the nameless one takes on the task of protecting a mysterious young boy who is pursued by the royal army.

Directed by Masahiro Andou and with animation production by Studio BONES (Soul Eater, Darker than Black, Jyu-Oh-Sei), the animated film The Sword of the Stranger will screen on October 26th, 2009. The London, adults-only showing will be followed by an interview with the director and producer, Masahiko Minami, conducted by McCarthy. Tickets are still available: Non-Member Standard (GBP 7.50), online (GBP 9.50 full price). The film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles.

Also sponsored by the London Barbican organization is the regional premiere of Miyazaki's charming theatrical presentation Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008). Ponyo is the hand-draw adventure many anime fans recall being the most entreating of Miyazaki film style. When a little boy named Sosuke finds a goldfish in the harbor nears his home, he raises the goldfish as his own, and the entire balance between mankind's urbanized world and the world of nature is turned upside-down.

Helen McCarthy again introduces the film, planned to show in late November (26th) as part of the London Children's Film Festival. Ponyo will actually screen as a double-bill, back-to-back with MADHOUSE Studios' animated film Mai Mai Miracle (2009), directed by Sunao Katabuchi. MADHOUSE has produced epic film titles such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Paprika, and Metropolis. Katabuchi's Mai Mai Miracle film is set in 1955 Japan, tracking the thoughts of two children who share a love of history and imagination. Tickets are still available: Non-Member Standard (GBP 7.50), online (GBP 9.50 full price); fans can earn a discount when purchasing tickets for both films. The two films will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles.

Elsewhere in the London anime community, Sci-Fi London, is preparing its own autumn offerings. The organization put together theatrical showings of Origin: Spirits of the Past (2006) and Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) earlier this year. Now, another Anime All-Nighter is on tap, because as event organizers exuberantly assert, "We can't wait for a whole year to pass, just to have another festival." An on-into-the-evening sequence of films that contribute to their Oktoberfest event (October 23-24, 2009), Sci-Fi London plans to show quite a few showstoppers this time around.

Beginning the evening of October 24th, this season's Anime All-Nighter will include showings of Mamoru Oshii's phenomenal war-for-peace dog-fighting epic The Sky Crawlers (2008), the much-hyped next-generation adaptation Evangelion 1.0 (2007), and Japanese animations Time of Eve (2008), King of Thorn (2008), and recently added, the Eureka 7 (2009) movie. All showings will be in Japanese with English subtitling. Indeed, it will be hard for local otaku to fall asleep with this much sci-fi drama and suspense lurking in the shadows.