Displaying items by tag: Production IG

One of the hottest anime series this season has been Production I.G,'s Attack on Titan, and for good reason. The tale of humans versus giants is so chalk full of plot twists and brutality that I've actually dubbed it as the anime industry's equivalent of Game of Thrones; as anyone who's seen up to episode five at the very least can attest to. The series' stunning and serious opening credits have been parodied countless times on YouTube and Nico Nico, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Production I.G. has teamed up with some of the most well-respected video game companies in Japan to expand the universe aside from the usual anime collectibles, manga and anime series.

At first glance, Production I.G.'s first 3D production, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, is easy to dismiss as a wannabe Studio Ghibli film that tries to be the next Spirited Away and Laputa. Using an almost paint-by-numbers approach to family films, all of your basic ingredients are present including a spunky teenage female lead named Haruka, cute dancing critters, and fantastical hullabaloo that might have some anime and cinema fans rejecting it right out of the box. However, to do so would discredit what makes Japanese storytelling so great: somewhere in the midst of the film's exotic setting, predictable plot, and dancing dolls is a film filled with a lot of heart.