Coming Of Age Archives | Otaku No Culture

Aria’s 20th Anniversary Album is a Best Hits!

This year marks Aria’s 20th Anniversary, and this anime franchise has various projects planned for release, including a Best Hits, and we got the track listing!

ARIA The BEST 2005-2025 ARIA’s is celebrating 20th glorious years, and this anime’s producers have more than a best hits album planned to acknowledge the fact. This 3-disc album will feature the best songs performed ever since this IP made its way to television and cinema!

This coming of age series focuses Akari Mizunashi as she trains as an apprentice gondolier (known as Undines). Along with Aika and Alice, they face various dangers on a terraformed planet now known as Aqua (formerly Mars). The manga written by Kozue Amano debuted in 2001, and since then, creators have regularly released new material.

From the Press Release:

The five main theme songs featured in the trilogy, ARIA the AVVENIRE, ARIA the CREPUSCOLO, and ARIA the BENEDIZIONE, have been recorded on albums by their respective artists before, but never on an ARIA album until now. The first disc will be a collection of 14 opening and ending themes from the anime, the second disc a compilation of 13 insert songs, and the third disc will feature an original collection of songs on piano by pianist and producer Mina Kubota.

Continue reading “Aria’s 20th Anniversary Album is a Best Hits!”

When Nobody’s Boy Remi Is Heading “Home” In The Warm Month of May!

When 19th-century life was harsh, what options were available? In Nobody’s Boy Remi, this French country boy learns what the true meaning of family is after getting sold off by his mean spirited father…

Nobody's Boy Remi Slipcover Box Art Back in the 70s, I often tuned into CBC’s French channel to get my daily anime fix. They often featured films and series more often than the other channels, and two such works included Sherlock Hound and Nobody’s Boy Remi. As for The Mysterious Cities of Gold, that did not arrive until the early 80s, and together they defined a part of my childhood. ‘

Flash forward to the present, I’m thrilled to see that anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced the home media Blu-ray release of Nobody’s Boy Remi. This series will become available for purchase on May 11th.

Before advances in technology reinvented the three-dimensional effect for modern day televisions, some production houses used a built-in illusion without having to change anything. The Pulfrich Effect (more information below) created the sense that objects appear closer than they are. This technique preserves the visual image, allowing viewers to see both flat and pronounced images with or without glasses.

Continue reading “When Nobody’s Boy Remi Is Heading “Home” In The Warm Month of May!”

In the Movie Trapezium, Not Every Idol Singer Will Have Another’s Back

Although Trapezium is not a true look at the Japanese idol industry, what’s presented certainly scratches the surface.

Available to view on Crunchyroll

Another star is born and whether the anime movie Trapezium truly explores what goes on in creating an idol singer depends. This tale is allegedly based on a story by Kazumi Takayama, a former member of Nogizaka 46. If true, the insights are not that many. I believe this film is more of a satire than anything else.

When this character drama is atypical, there’s none of that hyper intensity from Pompo the Cinephile (movie review) here. Here, the much slower story focuses on Azuma Yuu (Asaki Yuikawa), whose desire to be famous requires her to be something worse. While she’s almost like Ally Campana from the aforementioned film, her charming attitude isn’t immediate. Ranko (Reina Ueda), Kurumi (Hina Yomiya) and Mika (Haruka Aikawa) are her friends. Together, they are training to be Japan’s next top talent.

Continue reading “In the Movie Trapezium, Not Every Idol Singer Will Have Another’s Back”

Thoughts, Concerns and Praise for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

After giving Star Wars: Skeleton Crew a full watch, I have new hope for what may be offered going forward. Not every series has to be unique. It just has to honour what fans love about this franchise back when George Lucas was in charge.

The latest entry to Disney’s Star Wars, curiously titled Skeleton Crew is boldly offering a concept that has been done before. It’s too similar to Star Trek Prodigy. In the world of literature, some fans have compared it to Treasure Island and I agree. Although the circumstances are different, Wym (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) is a kid who likes to dream big and wants to explore the galaxy. After discovering a spaceship buried underground, the group he brought together to investigate goes in, and it blasts off into outer space! Pretty soon, this lad, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) are lost in space.

Afterwards, they encounter space pirates. Although they figure out they’re at least not jettsoned to the opposite side of the galaxy, all is not well. They want to go home, but nobody knows where the planet of At Attin is located. All viewers know is that it’s hidden in a sector known as the Unknown Regions. Everyone from this world seems to be involved in some grande experiment, and I have to wonder if the scientists are working on deconstructing the atom? It’d be a terrible pun should that be the case, but there’s a meme to be made with the name of this planet.

Continue reading “Thoughts, Concerns and Praise for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.”

How Does Inside Out: Dream Productions Work? Quick Thoughts and A Review

The best part of Inside Out Dream Productions concerns looking at how they get manufactured. Sometimes it’s not just based on processing what is currently bugging Riley as she navigates her tween life!

Inside Out Dream Productions Streaming on Disney Plus

The big question I have about the Inside Out spinoff, Dream Productions, is where in Riley’s brain is this action taking place? When episode two revealed Rainbow Unicorn can appear in other people’s dreams, I’ve come up with the idea that some of these entities exist in a collective unconsciousness! Although I do not know if that was showrunner Mike Jones‘ idea too, the evidence is quite clear.

Plato calls this a Theory of Forms. In computer jargon, it’s called The Cloud. Officially, the word is “Universal Cloud Platform,” and that’s too long a word phrase to use. In this series, what’s suggested is that when people fall asleep, they enter this realm and experience dreams. This theory helps explain why this miniseries exist, and I hope more will be made because I’m enjoying this exploration into what makes each individual unique.

Continue reading “How Does Inside Out: Dream Productions Work? Quick Thoughts and A Review”

Is It Spellbound or Excitement that Skydance’s Latest is on Netflix?

One dream from a young teen is never enough in Spellbound. What she wants, she may not get, and when she has a lot on her shoulder, what’s taught will have most parents nodding.

Spellbound 2024 Movie Poster Now Playing on Netflix

Skydance Animation must be taking lessons from Disney with their latest film Spellbound. That’s because the heroine is a princess, and after seeing her parents argue, the argument transformed them into giant furry beasts. Ellian (Rachel Zegler) has to break the curse. This task will be difficult and as much of this backstory is told in song, what comes next is her trying to maintain the kingdom while questing at the same time. This teen is as adventurous as Merida from Brave, but as for who is in the know, only Minister Bolinar (John Lithgow) and Nazara (Jenifer Lewis), do.

As for the rest of the kingdom, they are blissfully unaware. The young lady has managed everything, and I believe this film is great showing teens they should learn how to be responsible, and take charge when needed. The message is important to note, and although she’s close to getting her parents back, she has to understand what she’s become and also the new boundaries, as the film implies the king and queen are no longer in love.

Continue reading “Is It Spellbound or Excitement that Skydance’s Latest is on Netflix?”