The show also delves beneath the surface—it goes beyond mainstream fan favorites like “Akira” and “Neon Genesis Evangelion” to discuss obscure animes like “The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya,” whose inclusion will surprise and impress even the hardest of hardcore fans. There’s also a litany of talking head experts, who've seen animes well beyond those shown on Saturday morning TV and Adult Swim, but still manage to talk about them in a non-nerdy way that won't alienate anyone new to the art form. In fact, the only thing that could give this any more credibility is if it was all in Japanese with English subtitles.
Who's that?: Among the many talking heads included are actor Michael Madsen, who starred in the anime-influenced movie “Kill Bill”; “Ghost In The Shell” and “Mobile Police Patlabor” director Mamoru Oshii; Colin Brady, who's directing the upcoming “Astro Boy” movie; “Afro Samurai” creator Takashi Okazaki and producer Eric Calderon; actress Lauren Holly, who did the voice of Chihiro's mother in “Spirited Away”; Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee; Kaoru Mfaume, the Managing Director of Manga Entertainment; “Anime News Network” columnist Bamboo Dong; “Japanamerica” author Roland Kelts; and “Manga: The Complete Guide” author Jason Thompson.
Buzzed about: Thanks to “Pokemon” and the many shown on Adult Swim, anime—and by extension, manga (Japanese comic books)—is all the rage these days.
The “ooh” factor: The show features plenty of insightful comments from people worth listening to, but they also got Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, the English voice of Major Kusanagi on “Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex,” to narrate.
The “eh” factor: Anime is still a cult fascination in this country. With the live action versions of animes like “Speed Racer” and “Astro Boy” still almost a year away, this special might actually be too far ahead of the curve.
The verdict: Every serious animation fan needs to watch this…preferably with a pen handy to write down names of films they'll need to Netflix.
”Anime: Drawing A Revolution” premieres Monday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m./8c on Starz.
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