Despite being renowned for his psychological tricks, Satoshi Kon also is famous for his portrayal of women. While in Perfect Blue we are shown the dark side of idol industry which Menma is forced to comply to the pressure, Millenium Actress completes the puzzle by giving us an example of how simple things can turn a shy and timid girl into a great actress who exerts her own aura and persona, retaining her personality. Millenium Actress takes us to experience the full power of Satoshi Kon's forte through space and time.

When Marnie Was There was an adaptation of a children novel written by Joan G. Robinson. Being included as one of Hayao Miyazaki's recommended children books, it lives up to its name. While directed not by Miyazaki but his protege and alleged successor, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the film itself emanates aura that shrouds the whole work in mystery and doesn't immediately tell us its secrets. From the first time I saw the trailer, I was drawn to it because of its visual narrative. Let's take a thorough look into the mystical apparition of When Marnie Was There.

Ocean Waves is an attempt by Ghibli to create low-budget films for training their younger employees. Assembled solely for the purpose to be delivered through television, it ultimately went over-budget and over-schedule. Simple can be the word to describe this particular piece of work.

Ah, Totoro. It seems weird that only this year Totoro comes to my country, almost 30 years after its release even though it has become he mascot of Studio Ghibli for many years. Watching it alone at night in the day where I also watched A Silent Voice with my friends seems very disorienting. Taking us back to the time where imagination is the reality, Totoro has been dubbed to be one of the greatest animations ever. Even if it's the second time I'm watching, Totoro once again swept my expectations and brought my imagination to a whole new level.

Drawn by the names behind its production like a moth to the flame, I stumbled upon Memories which is technically three discrete films. This time I'll talk about its first "part" which is Magnetic Rose. It has quite a pull that gravitates towards me. Let's just say it's different than the other parts because of the dream team consists of Satoshi Kon, Yoko Kanno, and last but not least Koji Morimoto.

Tekkonkinkreet. A rather unusual movie about a rather unusual story. Being directed by the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film, it has a lot to prove. While the cover can be misleading, the content is even more disguised and covered with many shadows. What is going on with the film? I hope I can answer that by the end of this review.

Finally, I've started to delve into the mind of one genius called Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away was the first foreign animation that won Academy Award because its critically acclaimed performance. While Spirited Away was shown to the world in 2001, it was only last month I was able to watch it here in the homeland. Thanks to its all age rating, I was able to see it along with my brother and mother. So, to put things in perspective, Spirited Away enjoys a wide range of audience, that's why it was and still so popular after all those years.

While A Silent Voice had been shown in Japan for a long time, it was only yesterday that I was able to watch in my country. Back in its air time, A Silent Voice clashes against Your Name in a competition to entice audiences, which ultimately was won by Shinkai's latest work. Consequently, Your Name was able to shine here in my homeland long before A Silent Voice arrived.

I saw A Silent Voice with my friends in the morning in the day when I also watched Totoro for the second time in the evening alone. Compared to Your Name, the promotion for A Silent Voice was arguably more traditional, depending on mouth to mouth rather than obsessive aggressive messages in social media. In turn, the viewers were also considerably fewer than I expected.

A slight nuisance for me is watching with dual subtitle and the fact that the one in my native language has slight mistranslation of anime jargon, honorific, and pronoun. But, all of those don't deter me from watching what I thought a refreshing anime at that time.

I still remember the day where I first saw Shangri-La, the first Gonzo animation series I have ever watched. The sheer depth of their visual and technical prowess amaze me. Gonzo up to this day still lived up to its reputation, inciting both praises and critics. This time I look at one the few movies that Gonzo made outside of its usual series routine, Origin: Spirits of the Past.

Sword of the Stranger is quite a peculiar anime to watch. While the covert art depicts a cool looking guy with a boy and a dog, the story is not really that complicated. There are things in the film which make it interesting enough to watch.

Perfect Blue is the first film that Satoshi Kon had directed. Even in his earliest attempt, Kon had displayed his prowess in distorting the reality. This is one of the most gripping psychological thriller animations I've ever seen. What exactly makes this film became inspiration for other films such as Black Swan?

After the announcement of Kimi no Na Wa possibly shown in my home country, I decided to finally watch it. First of all, I was a bit reluctant because of the hype surrounding it and my bad experience of watching cheesy romance animes (they do still exist these days, although not as abundant as they were). So after a lot of persuasion by my friends, I finally swallowed my gut to watch it. They described it as a science fiction animation combined with a fantasy element.

It has been hailed as one of the greatest animation in the century. Its ratings are as high as the sky, while most people will say this is the best anime they've ever seen. The hype is very high with this one. All of my friends will readily say that this is a masterpiece. But, does it really live up to my expectations?

*UPDATE*: While my initial reaction towards this film has since then calmed down a bit, I still can't bring myself to give the film a green light. However, I found parts of the movie itself that are quite interesting and might be its redeeming qualities. I have updated sections of the review that strike me as lamentable and obsolete.

It is hard to believe that The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was originally written by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the same guy that created Paprika. They have different themes and atmosphere, connected only by their genre

I initially discovered The Girl Who Leapt Through Time many years ago but not until recently got the chance to actually watch it. By the time I watched it, it has passed its 10th birthday. Because it is not the first of Honda's works that I watched, which is Wolf Children, I was really struck by its familiarity.

Jin-Roh is one of those forgotten relics of the past that I discovered on a completely unrelated forum thread. I was drawn by its promise of conspiracy-filled story. After watching it, I found great things about the film itself. I can say that this is indeed a hidden gem.

It's refreshing to see Shinkai working on a mundane project. After all, most of his works have an element of inexplicable, a problem that can't be fathomed within the mind of a realist. However, in this movie Makoto really shows us his true power of fabricating reality using only animation. I have to say, you will be surprised to watch this film.

I was overwhelmed by a different kind of aura upon discovering the film for the first time. Of course, it is because the fact that this is an adventure film, let alone an epic fantasy one, different than what Shinkai has offered in the past. I naturally decided to try it and my friends also wanted to watch it. This is quite a bold move from Shinkai who by the time of its release was regarded as a strictly romance director. But, can Shikai prove himself to be an adept director outside his comfort zone?

Long before Your Name, and after The Place Promised in Our Early Days, comes an infamous Shinkai's work: 5 Centimeters Per Second. It was the first of his that I watched about two years ago, back when I was quite disinterested in animation. In this film, Makoto has clearly defined his directing style, unlike in Voices of a Distant Star & The Place Promised in Our Early Days where he was still struggling to find his identity. I admit that this is the first animation that made me ponder about how the wheel of life goes on. Sheer amount of imagery and deep philosophical thoughts exist and lurk beneath the shadow of this work. Just like a critic once said about this animation: "It's for adults even though it's an anime."

The Place Promised in Our Early Days was the second of Shinkai's works that I watched after initially discovering 5 Centimeters Per Second. It is also coincidentally the second animation that Shinkai created, after his first Voices of a Distant Star. It is also a sci-fi film, but this time with military and parallel universe themes. The scope is also a larger and this reflects on the more ambitious take on the world.

The first Shinkai's major body of works. Apparently, he pretty much created the whole thing by himself. He is the writer, co-producer, director, and even he draws the serialization afterwards! Oh, have I mentioned that he is also the original voice actor? This is where it all began, the chronicles of Makoto Shinkai, who redefines and breaks down the limit of what animation can achieve.

Ghost in the Shell was hailed as one of the best animated features in the century. Even now, its legacy can still be found amidst all the animes that are constantly being released worldwide. Exactly what makes it so famous and has a everlasting impact?

Bizarre and surreal imagery greeted me upon watching the first scene of Paprika, a movie that intrigued me for its themes: collective and lucid dream. It had been one hell of a ride to watch this movie from start to finish, and it was trippy as hell to see all of blurred reality, thanks to the power of Satoshi Kon.

A musical-themed not a pure musical animation that is very uncommon in the medium, let alone a Japanese one. I discovered it while getting some files from my friend. The Anthem of the Heart was recommended to me by said friend and my other friend. Given its nature, I was very curious upon seeing the premise.

Akira was the movie that I had been hoping to watch but didn't have time until I had finished my final school exams. It is regarded as one of the most important animations that helps to revolutionize the industry. At first glance, I thought it would be a sub-standard old anime with flashy effects and complicated story. But, I believe there are reasons why this is called one of the best science fiction animated films ever created.