- August 2-4, 2024
Special Screenings
Anime Tamago 2016 Screening
Anime Tamago is a yearly project that is run by The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and is funded by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs in order to support training animators.
Anime Tamago 2016 Includes:
- Colorful Ninja Iromaki
- Kacchikenee
- Kaze no Matasaburo
- UTOPA
Colorful Ninja Iromaki
Himeno was just a 3rd grader who just moved from the city into a big house in the countryside. Little did she know, she and her family had just moved into a Ninja Mansion!
There was the one of fire, AKAMAKI. The one who controls water, AOMAKI. The DIY master, KIROMAKI.
The ninjaís mistake Himeno for a princess, and serve her by helping her through her everyday life with each of their special powers.
However there is more to the ninjaís then meets the eye! They have the ability to clone themselves and combine to make new colored ninjaís!
When the clones of Aomaki and Kiromaki combine, MIDORIMAKI is born!
Clones of Akamaki and Aomaki fuse to make MURASAKIMAKI.
And the Akamaki and Kiromaki clones join to become DAIDAIMAKI!
As Himeno begins her new curious life with a rainbow of ninja, a huge tornado approaches the house. What will happen to Himenoís family? Will the colorful ninja's be able to protect Himeno?
Kacchikenee
In the temple that Aiko lives in, there was a mysterious paper screen door with a half-finished painting on it. The painting was supposed to be of an angel. When Aiko was small, she had thought, ìI want to be able to paint like that!î, but now as a 17-year-old, she now has no dreams or prospects for the future.
One day, a mysterious man came into her life. The man spoke with a rough Edo dialect, and he seemed like a pervert, walking around in only the top half of a kimono and his underwear.
Aiko was furious that her grandfather had offered to let the man stay at their temple. However, she gradually realized that this grumpy man was actually a kind soul, and warmed up to him.
What is the true identity of this man?
Kaze no Matasaburo
A girl temporarily transfers from the city to a school in the mountains because of her father's job.
Her classmates mistake her for a "Child of the Wind", and keep her at arm's length. One boy is interested in her, and would like to get to know her better, but he has a hard time doing so. The girl doesnít like life in the countryside, and canít wait to go back to the city. However, she meets the actual God of the Wind by chance, and though she maintains a bit of a distance from those around her, she is able to gradually join the group. This is a short, fairy tale-like story of innocent children experiencing romance for the first time.
UTOPA
Earth, many years after the 20th Century. Generations of pollution, nuclear wars, biological weapons, environmental and ecological disasters have led to the eradication of life on earth. The 6th mass extinction of the planet, the "Big Six" has ravaged the remaining animals and plants on earth.
Meanwhile, humans have abandoned the surface of the planet, and created cities in the skies. They transported animals there to preserve the few endangered species from extinction. Within their isolation in these sky cities, these animals have evolved in unique ways with the help of DNA manipulation and controlled reproduction. They have now evolved into bipedal organisms with intelligence, language, and their own civilizations where they live happily. Long forgotten was the desolate earth below.
One day, a seed from the earthís surface floats into a city in the sky. Children of the these sky civilizations find the seed, and dream of adventuring the world beyond their cities. Overcome with the temptation to explore the unknown, they decide to go out to the surface, not realizing that once they reach the ground below, that they will never be able to return home to the skies...
Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution
The intelligent lifeform Scab Coral, which covers the Earth, and the human race created a world-wide crisis called the Summer of Love. It was Adroc Thurston who saved the world from the crisis, which made him a hero. But only a few people who fought on the frontlines know what really happened.
And 10 years has passed since then.
Adroc's son Renton was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Beams, who live in the suburban city of Bellforest. His stepfather Charles is large-hearted and in many ways "concentrated." His stepmother Ray may appear to be cold, but in fact cares deeply for him. But something was not quite right between Renton and the couple.
When Renton turns 14, his melancholy days come to a turning point. He runs away from home, and meets new people, as well as experiences parting with them.
Among them was Holland Novak, the captain of the Facility Guard. Renton was staying with the Facility Guard for a little while, but once again, he ran away from there before too long.
When Renton was wandering around all by himself, with nowhere to settle, he met Charles and Ray once again. They had been looking for Renton, who all of a sudden ran away from home. For the first time, he realized how deeply they cared for him.
Now Renton is back living with Charles and Ray. One day, he meets a girl, who's a member of the Vodarac. Her life is being threatened, so he gets busy trying to save her. Charles and Ray, who reunited with Renton earlier, are worried and concerned about the reckless behavior of their son, but at the same time, they seem somewhat happy. However, there was something they haven't told Renton about...
The encounters and partings with the people he met, Renton begins to realize something important—why he ran away from home, and why he's choosing to take this road now.
In This Corner of the World
Otakon is thrilled to feature a special screening, in collaboration with Shout! Factory Films, of the crowd-funded award winning feature animated film, In This Corner of the World. In attendance as guests of Otakon will be producer, Masao Maruyama, and character designer, Hidenori Matsubara.
The award-winning story of In This Corner of the World follows a young lady named Suzu Urano, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband’s family. Suzu’s life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country. This beautiful yet poignant tale shows that even in the face of adversity and loss, people can come together and rebuild their lives.
Screening times and dates will be published when the Otakon schedule goes live.
About Shout! Factory Films: Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
Lupin the 3rd: Italian Game
We are pleased to announce that, in collaboration with TMS Entertainment USA, Inc, we will have a special screening of "Lupin the 3rd: Italian Game" as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Lupin. In keeping with the theme of 50, the first fifty attendees to the screening will get a limited edition T-shirt specificaly designed for the 50th anniversary.
Synposis:
In the "Italian Game", Lupin investigates the kidnapping of his estranged wife, Italian millionaire and celebrity, Rebecca Rosselini, who still carries this name. But when Lupin arrives in Italy to rescue her, he finds himself drawn into a game with an unknown enemy when he is issued a challenge by the Masked Count: find the inheritance of the Count of Cagliostro. To complicate matters, Lupin’s nemesis Inspector Zenigata arrives in Italy to arrest Lupin, as well as MI6 Agent Nyx who is after the Masked Count as well. With all the players in place, the Italian Game begins…but who will be the winner?
About Lupin:
Lupin The 3rd is one of the most recognized animated TV series in Japanese history. It debuted as Manga comic in 1967 and started broadcasting on television in 1971. There are five TV series, totaling 267 episodes, including this newest LUPIN THE 3rd Part 4 (26 x 30-minute episodes), English dubbed version on Adult Swim and English subtitled version on Crunchyroll. There are 26 feature length TV specials, and several theatrical films. The most recent film in theaters in Japan, “GOEMON ISHIKAWA” (2017), focuses on Goemon Ishikawa XIII, a master swordsman whose sword can cut anything.
WE ARE X: THE X JAPAN DOCUMENTARY WITH SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM YOSHIKI
In 2016, the X Japan documentary We Are X (www.wearexfilm.com) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Special Jury Award for Best Editing. The film went on to win awards at SXSW before its nationwide US theatrical release and has continued to garner critical acclaim with premieres around the world and invitations to over 20 international film festivals. We’re excited now to present the Otakon Premiere of the film!
Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man) and from the production team behind the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar-Man, We Are X chronicles X Japan’s exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades - persevering through personal, physical, and spiritual heartache - until culminating with preparations for the band’s breathtaking reunion concert at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. We Are X is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted - but truly unstoppable - virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world’s most devoted fans.
The film will open with a special greeting from Yoshiki to Otakon and, as an additional gift to fans, close with a We Are X featurette, “THE BIRTH OF YOSHIKITTY”, which includes…
- Video interview with Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi
- Inside look at the creation and design process explained by Yuko Yamaguchi herself
- Behind-the-scenes with Yoshiki working on the Hello Kitty Theme Song
- Yoshiki speaking about his relationship with the founder of Sanrio
