EMN Programming Guide - Animated Movies
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5cm Per Second
Year: 2007
Synopsis: A short story about a romance that drifts apart over the years.
EMN Notes: Out of all of Makoto Shinkai's works on the channel, this is the one I remember the least about outside of the premise. It's an undoubtedly very beautiful film, with a distinct style and brisk yet mournful pace. Shinkai has a lot of interesting works, and this one is no different.
Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door
Year: 2001
Synopsis: The crew of the Bebop get a tip that someone is planning on letting loose a pathogen to kill everyone on Mars.
EMN Notes: Obviously I thoroughly enjoy Cowboy Bebop as a series, and this movie is no different. It's funny because I saw the movie before I saw the series in full, and I saw it multiple times. The first time was when I stole the video tape from my brother, and he got mad at me because he was scared my parents would find out I was watching it. The second time I watched the movie was actually showing it to my dad because he likes animation and sci-fi so I thought he'd enjoy it. I think he did. Anyway, I really like this movie. It has an absolutely beautiful final shot, some amazing colors, and eing a Cowboy Bebop movie the soundtrack is fantastic. I don't think it measures up to some of the best episodes of the show proper, but it's another adventure with the Bebop crew and well worth your time.
Digimon: The Movie
Year: 2000
Synopsis: A mashup of three Digimon short films into a wild 90s-fueled pop culture mess ostensibly about the DigiDestined overcoming various threats from the Digital World.
EMN Notes: This movie is a blast, and it is still a blast. It's wild how it's this mashup of three different Digimon movies and loaded with weird jokes, the greatest musical hits of the year 2000, and is paced at a breakneck speed, and it still manages to hit. I saw it in theaters (and no this version does not include the Angela Anaconda segment) and would quote it constantly. I had the OST and still listen to it because it really is just basically a sampler CD of some of the best movie tracks of the late 90s. How did they get this soundtrack? Ridiculous. Plus, hey, the stories they adapted are all fun, with the obvious highlight being the Mamoru Hosoda movie he later filed the serial numbers off of and used to create Summer Wars. This movie is just such a moment in time that I can't help but love it to bits.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Year: 2018
Synopsis: There was once a Saiyan so powerful he was sent into deep space so he wouldn't bring harm to anyone. Now he's back, and he's ready to fight.
EMN Notes: I've really grown to love Dragon Ball in recent years, thanks to Mandy's amazing idea of having a Dragon Ball marathon channel. Neither of us saw this movie while it was in theaters as our Dragon Ball love hadn't yet sprung forth and we were busy with work, but it was always on EMN just by virtue of being just enough Dragon Ball to have on here and because of how well it went over with fans and non-fans alike. After seeing it play during the Dragon Ball marathon, though, I gotta say, it's excellent. Great animation, great fights, and the trademark Dragon Ball fun you've come to expect from the series. Dragon Ball is a very comfy show, all the versions of it, so it's nice we get a good movie showing up every so often.
From Up On Poppy Hill
Year: 2011
Synopsis: A young girl and her school friend have to convince a land developer not to demolish their clubhouse.
EMN Notes: I've never seen this one, but Mandy enjoys it, so I'm deferring to them for these notes. They say that it's a cozy and nostalgic period piece heavily focused on remembering Japan in the 50s and while they can't relate to it they can still understand it. Honestly, even if I've never seen it, I just absolutely love the title. It's super evocative. I'm always down for making EMN more cozy.
Hot Wheels: World Race (Initial D Version)
Year: 2003
Synopsis: Vert Wheeler is a stunt driver who wants nothing more than to win the big race. But nevermind that, they dubbed Initial D music onto this movie!
EMN Notes: This movie is so funny because the effort they took to dub Initial D music, and different Initial D music at that, onto every driving scene, is to be applauded. It's a bland early-00s CGI kids' show turned into a "movie" but my God, the eurobeat is absolutely delicious. Initial D doesn't go on EMN because it's not really that interesting outside of the driving scenes, but this? This is perfect.
Howl's Moving Castle
Year: 2004
Synopsis: After having her youth taken away from her, a millner befriends a vain wizard.
EMN Notes: Despite owning this movie on Blu-Ray and having seen a bunch of Ghibli movies, I've yet to fully watch this one. So many people I know, though, say it's one of their favorites. When first creating EMN, Ghibli movies were a quick add - so many of them are ones we love are wonderful films, incredibly nostalgic, and fit the overall artistic vision of it all. I'm excited to one day visit this one.
Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission
Year: 2013
Synopsis: Gon and Killua must fight and make difficult decisions to stop a group of Hunters from massacring everyone they love.
EMN Notes: While we have the series on the channel, it's fun to add anime movies as well. Neither of us have seen this film play yet, but considering it seems like another Hunter X Hunter adventure, I'm sure we'll enjoy it. That's part of the fun part of EMN - it's a place of discovery just as much as anything else.
Interstella 5555
Year: 2003
Synopsis: An alien race is kidnapped from their world by a corrupt record producer looking to make a quick buck.
EMN Notes: If you get me started on Daft Punk I'll be here all night. In fact, I once wrote a gigantic writeup about how much I loved them. It's because Daft Punk is the band that got me into electronic music, the band that got me into lesser-known and independent music, and in many ways one of the bands I look towards when making music of my own. I bring all of this up because this film is a feature-length music video set to their second album, Discovery, one of my favorite albums of all time. I was never allowed to stay up to watch Toonami's Midnight Run, but my brother recorded the Daft Punk and Gorillaz music videos they played on it one evening and I watched that recording again and again and again. Gorillaz and Daft Punk were the first music videos we put on EMN, and this movie is one of the building blocks of EMN. It simply wouldn't be the same without it.
Kiki's Delivery Service
Year: 1989
Synopsis: A young witch is ready to set out on her own and find a village to call home, but independent living isn't all that easy.
EMN Notes: Another absolutely delightful Ghibli movie, this is one I remember fondly watching when it hit Disney Channel growing up. I couldn't tell you anything about the movie at the time, but I always remembered I liked it. Watching it again, I'm in love with how it paints an unfettered path for Kiki, a life that allows her to set out on her own and find her passion as she struggles to become the village's resident witch. If only we could all be so lucky. This film is lush and beautiful, yet surprisingly adventurous and exciting. A very good time.
KonoSuba: Legend of Crimson
Year: 2019
Synopsis: Everyone's least-favorite adventurer party has to stop one of the dark lord's most vicious demons yet, a beautiful chimera named Sylvia.
EMN Notes: Fun fact about this movie: the screenwriter for Pulp Fiction rated it five stars and calls it the best experience in a cinema he's ever had. I don't think I'd go this far, but as a junk food enjoyer I can't help but enjoy this movie immensely. Is Sylvia horrendously problematic? Yes. Is she hot as hell and kind of goals? Also yes. KonoSuba isn't good, we've established this, but sometimes something doesn't have to be good to be a lot of fun. Consume trash.
Laputa: Castle In The Sky
Year: 1986
Synopsis: Two young adventurers face off against corrupt officials and wild pirates in their search for the treasure of a mysterious floating island.
EMN Notes: Back when I first moved back to the USA and realized that movies were now a thing you could download I went on a kick of finding so many classic anime films, and that included Castle In The Sky. I had to hook up my little external hard drive to my PS3 so I could watch them comfortably, and that was in the living room so I had to wait until my parents were out of the house to do so. This was one of the first ones I watched, and it's still such a good one, with fantastic high-flying excitement and absolutely gorgeous animation.
Lupin III: Dead Or Alive
Year: 1996
Synopsis: Lupin and the gang set their sights on the national treasure of Zufu.
EMN Notes: In our quest to include every dubbed Lupin III piece of media we stumbled upon this one. I haven't actually seen this play outside of a small clip that I woke up to see in which it seemed like they got very good soundalikes for the dub. That said, the animation was crisp and it's more Lupin, so you really can't go wrong here.
Lupin III: The First
Year: 2019
Synopsis: Lupin looks to do the one thing his grandfather never could - steal the Bresson Diary. However, there's another group who wants it just as much, and they'll stop at nothing to take it.
EMN Notes: When this film was first announced and I saw the trailer I hoped it wuld get dubbed and get a US theatrical release. Obviously the pandemic put a stop to my dreams of Lupin breaking into the US via theaters, but the dub is still absolutely excellent, and what I love is that it's a 3D animated film that's absolutely gorgeous and full of life and character. The characters always feel like themselves, with big exaggerated movements and spectacular jokes, and the whole thing feels like a sequel to The Castle of Cagliostro, down to the song used at the end. It's an absolute blast of a film that contains everything I love about a good Lupin story with plenty of shoutouts to fans of the classic series to boot.
Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy
Year: 1987
Synopsis: Ninjas kidnap Goemon's fiancee and demand her family's greatest treasure as ransom. Lupin and the gang need to get to it before this ninja clan can do their worst.
EMN Notes: Another Lupin movie added for variety and another one I've only seen a clip of, this time of a really excellent and pulpy chase scene across a bridge. Again, it's more Lupin, and with a new focus on Goemon it really stands out as he doesn't always get a lot of focus comparatively speaking.
Millennium Actress
Year: 2002
Synopsis: A duo of documentary filmmakers track down a reclusive actress to finally learn her story.
EMN Notes: A few years ago, Mandy and I decided to watch all of Satoshi Kon's films. This was one of the first ones we tried, and it truly stuck with me and made me realize that yeah, all of his films are just that good. It's a beautiful piece of work, a study of true melancholy and how life will never contain all the answers you seek, but can still contain grand and beautiful lessons and moments that mean everything to you. The ending wrecks me. The way it jumps from genre to genre and era to era, an equal part documentary on the history of Japanese film and fantasy about an actress who lived many lives...it's seriously stunning stuff.
My Neighbor Totoro
Year: 1988
Synopsis: Two kids and their dad move to the countryside and find that the woods around their cabin are home to friendly spirits.
EMN Notes: Still one of Miyazaki's best, this film is a symphony for the eyes, ears, and mind, with a beautiful and calming view of the world that knows how to evoke the warmest of feelings even while tackling the subject of feeling powerless in the face of something no child should have to navigate. Once this came on EMN early on on a Saturday morning and I laid in bed watching it and found myself completely engrossed, and this just keeps happening. There's something about this film that is simply enthralling.
My Neighbors The Yamadas
Year: 1999
Synopsis: A simple slice-of-life comedy following a typical Japanese family.
EMN Notes: This film is so interesting because it is animated completely differently from a normal Ghibli film. It has a gorgeous, comic-esque style with elements of painterly magic to it and it really stands out as a result. It's funny and cute, and while it isn't one of Ghibli's best, it's comfortable enough to rest here.