NEWS, Talks and Events

Studio Ghibli talk in Northampton

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
A poster for the talk Art History of Studio Ghibli at Rodber Suite, Northampton, 17 Feb 2026. On a pale golden background if a central image of NoFace from Spirited Away in tones of grey. Above it, the Seed Talks logo in white is centred above the title of the talk which takes up two lines of black capitals. Below NoFace's image, the name of the speaker and the date, time and venue appear on two lines of title-case text in black.

My third Studio Ghibli Seed Talk in February 2026 is in Northampton, in the Rodber Suite. You can get tickets here.  It’s a 14+ event, so no younger children will be allowed in to the venue.

This is a …

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NEWS, Talks and Events

Journey to the West continues: Studio Ghibli talk in Taunton

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
A ruined castle in a dramatic forested mountain ravine, shrouded by mist as pale rays of sunlight filter through from above. Artwork by Minh Thien

On 10 February I’m in Taunton, talking about the art history of Studio Ghibli at Somerset County Cricket Club. This will be the first time I’ve ever spoken in a sports club, but Ghibli fan audiences are always great, so …

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NEWS, Talks and Events

Journey to the West: Studio Ghibli talks in the West Country

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
Poster for the talk The Art History of Studio Ghibli, with an image of NoFace from Spirited Away on a pale gold ground surrounded by black text with details of the event

The New Year’s approaching fast and my calendar is already picking up the pace. In February I’m in the West Country giving my first ever Studio Ghibli talks in Plymouth and Taunton. The Quad Theatre is the Plymouth venue, the …

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NEWS

That New Book Feeling – In Triplicate!

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
From left to right, the German, English and French editions of The Manga Bible by Helen McCarthy. The book covers are identical, a purple background overlaid with manga art, with the book title in bold yellow capitals and other text in white. In the background, enlarged copies of the ENglish cover on advertising boards, one with the launch date, 5 March 2026.

Advance copies of The Manga Bible fell into my eager hands this morning, and after I’d finished inhaling that unique, intoxicating new book smell – equal parts fresh ink, newly cut paper and author excitement – I couldn’t wait to …

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NEWS

Studio Ghibli Question Time: is there any chance that Ghibli will ever adapt Diana Wynne Jones’ sequels to Howl’s Moving Castle?

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
The Folio Society edition of Diana Wynne Jones' Ingary novels, known as the Howl's Moving Castle collection. All three books are illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel with cover designs in similar tones of rose, purple and grey. The image shows the first two books of the trilogy stacked on each other, spines with titles facing the viewer, while the third is placed on top of them, slightly open so that front and back covers and spine are all visible.

Well, never say never … but at present it seems unlikely, for three reasons. Firstly, Hayao Miyazaki has spent more than a decade working on two films. The Wind Rises and The Boy and the Heron,  that are deeply …

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NEWS, Talks and Events

JAMS Vol 6 issue 1 Open-access anime journal free to read

Posted on by Helen McCarthy
A screen showing the opening slide of the post-symposium talk on AI and Studio Ghibli. On the left of the screen is Dr. Rayna Denison, on the right Dr. Zoe Crombie. Photo from JAMS Vol. 6 no. 1.

I’m delighted that the proceedings of the Lancaster symposium on transnational anime are now published as an issue of the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies (JAMS), free to read here.

There really is something for everyone here, from papers …

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