Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime (2003) (V)

Director:

Josh Oreck

Release Date:

3 June 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Cast

Peter Chung	...	Himself
Joel Silver	...	Himself
Hiroaki Takeuchi	...	Himself
Shinichirô Watanabe	...	Himself
Yoshiaki Kawajiri	...	Himself
Takeshi Koike	...	Himself
Michael Arias	...	Himself
Eiko Tanaka	...	Himself
Frederik L. Schodt	...	Himself
Susan Napier	...	Herself (as Susan J. Napier)
Carlo McCormick	...	Himself
Gilles Poitras	...	Himself
Todd McFarlane	...	Himself
Martin Wong	...	Himself
Eric Nakamura	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:22 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Company:

Warner Home Video

Trivia:

This documentary is featured on the DVD for _Animatrix, The (2003)_.

Movie Connections:

Features Jûbei ninpûchô (1993)

Well-cut, interesting and concise

Along with behind-the-scenes productions(though a couple are shared) on each individual episode as well as audio commentary tracks for some of them, this featurette is found on the Animatrix DVD. Whether you get the release of just that or get it as part of the 10-Disc Ultimate Set does not appear to make any difference, the content of these particular entries is the same. A solid addition, this delivers a good introduction to Anime as a genre(even if the first several minutes seem to focus mostly on The Matrix). There are bits throughout that compare the works of this genre to the film and mention influences, but this focuses mainly on the genre as a whole, its growth, development, and popularity in its country of origin, Japan. The Manga style is also covered somewhat. There are various clips of classic and well-respected Anime works(and, obviously, as this was made in relation to this franchise, there are also bits of the original movie and a number of the shorts), and features interviews with experts and critics, and there is enough insight and commentary herein to drive a handful of features like it. The pacing is great, this is never boring to watch. The editing is superb, as well. Todd McFarlane, the creator of the Spawn character, makes an nice point about people who look down upon comic book readers. There is a little disturbing material in this, and it should perhaps not be viewed by those bothered by violence and sensuality and the likes. I recommend this to any fan of Anime and/or anyone who wants to know more about it. 7/10