Transgenerationality – the ageing up (and ageing out) of Japan’s animation industry

A poster for the symposium on transnational anime held at Lancaster University on 4 July 2025. White text on a blue background, illustrated by the covers of 'Anime: A History" by Jonathan Clements and "Studio Ghibli: an Industrial History" by Ranya Denison. Includes a barcode for more information.

At the beginning of July I was privileged to speak at a symposium on Transnational Perspectives in Anime. It was held on the Lancaster University campus, co-hosted by Dr. Zoe Crombie and Japan Foundation London; I took part from my …

Anime going global: the start of the process

The US version of Tetsuwan Atom replaces the Japanese title lettering with "Astro Boy" in a futuristic font

62 years ago, in 1963, 35-year-old Osamu Tezuka flew to the USA to present his hit TV series Tetsuwan Atom to the NBC network. According to Tezuka Production’s history, a preview was screened in New York on 10 March, …

Studio Ghibli Question Time: What’s the significance of Howl’s exchange of hearts with Calcifer?

The boy Howl swallowing Calcifer's heart in the anime Howl's Moving Castle. This happens late at night in a field outside Howl's study, but his face is illuminated by the fire demon's light.

That’s an excellent question, not just because it impacts a key relationship in the film of Howl’s Moving Castle but because it also gives us an example of the contrast between relationships with an equal power balance and relationships where …

Remarkable new book on Studio Ghibli deserves a wide readership

Cover image for Studio Ghibli Anime as Adaptations. The upper half of the cover is black, with the title and subtitle in white lettering. The lover half shows a photo of the entrance to a 2024 Studio Ghibli exhibition in Shanghai, with two women walking through a portal built of giant replicas of books about Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli Animation as Adaptations: Investigating how the Japanese Powerhouse Reimagines Stories is – to adapt an image from another medium and culture – a book like a box of chocolates. To do it justice the metaphor requires extension: it’s …

Bristol Ghibli fans rocking my Question Time on Howl’s Moving Castle!

Image from "The Art of Howl's Moving Castle" showing the castle walking across a mountainous landscape against a sky dotted with both dark and white clouds

A couple of hundred Bristol anime fans joined me at the Hen & Chicken on Thursday (21 August) for a deep dive into Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle. They brought a ton of energy and lots of …