Latest news with #StudioGhibli
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Summer Wars review – Mamoru Hosoda's birthday party anime puts the world at risk from AI baddie
This virtual reality thriller-cum-family drama from 2009 was an early solo success for Mamoru Hosoda, who along with Your Name's Makoto Shinkai is one of the leading new-school anime auteurs. Made after he withdrew from directing Howl's Moving Castle for Studio Ghibli, it flits between a fraught, soap-operaish saga about a family reunion near the city of Ueda and the metaverse of Oz. It isn't as sophisticated perhaps in its understanding of the online/real-world interface as his 2021 film Belle, but the multilayered storytelling still shows plenty of panache, especially on the visual front. Maths boffin Kenji (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas in the English-language dub) is browbeaten by schoolmate Natsuki (Brina Palencia) into attending her great-grandmother Sanae's (Pam Dougherty) 90th birthday on her family estate; she needs a willing victim to pose as her boyfriend to impress the matriarch. Fending off his new in-laws, the teenager – also a part-time moderator for Oz – solves an encrypted math problem that opens a backdoor for a malevolent AI called Love Machine to corrupt the network. With much of the world dependent on the services hosted by Oz, much more than the birthday party is at stake. Hosoda shows a novelistic attention to detail that puts Summer Wars a cut above genre anime: from the sense of history underpinning the sprawling Jinnouchi family, always harping on about being descending from famously uncowable samurai, to the baseball game that is a meta-commentary on the unfolding online catastrophe. The deep texturing also extends to the images: not only the translucent and, from a 2025 perspective, somewhat utopian-looking online realm, but also piercing touches of IRL beauty. Sanae's flowers blooming by night as Kenji solves his maths puzzle is a particularly delicate touch. Insisting, via Sanae, on family solidarity and civic spirit in the face of existential challenges, Hosoda also shows something of a moralistic streak. But in the case of Summer Wars, this conviction dissipates somewhat in a gabbled finale that leans into the film's frantic tempo and assigns every Jinnouchi a supposedly key role in defeating Love Machine. Battling an apparently motiveless AI – whose link to bad boy prodigal son Wabisuke (J Michael Tatum) is underexploited – it feels increasingly consequenceless, as virtual action often does. But the narrative complexity and bravura imagery still impress. Summer Wars is in UK cinemas from 3 August.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Review of Hayao Miyazaki's ‘Princess Mononoke'
It was only recently, with the advent of the rising usage of AI, that the 'Ghibli Filter' trend took the internet by storm. Amidst this, arrived the release of the recently remastered 'Princess Mononoke', which reminded the world once again that no matter how much artificial intelligence may try, it can never quite understand the emotional depth and capture the true essence that lies in each perfect hand-crafted frame made by Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli. Set in the Muromachi Period of Japan, we are quickly introduced to our protagonist, Prince Ashitaka, who, after killing an evil beast to protect his village, is laid with a curse that sets him out on a journey to find the Forest Spirit that looms in the dangerous forests of the far West. He meets several people along the way and learns about them and the way they look at the world. Miyazaki's film is an adventurous journey that does not wish to reveal everything at once as much as it takes its own time to allow you to connect to the characters and narrative at hand. In doing so, he is able to deliver a powerful message about both: The need to conserve nature as well as human nature. Relevant as ever, Miyazaki's stunning film engulfs you into a world that has characters that feel like they actually exist. There is no clear-cut villain or a hero in this film, a rare sight in the animated film genre (especially for films that cater to a younger audience). In fact, the older one grows, the more they realise that the meaning of the story only deepens. There is a justified reason behind each character's actions and beliefs. Hence, our protagonist remains conflicted on which side to pick throughout the film. He wishes to understand those around him without hatred, and to do so, he observes the world he is surrounded by. Every frame is meticulous, and the image born out of imagination feels truly authentic. Aided to this is the film's sound design and score, which authentically captures the essence of Japan over six hundred years ago. Even in times that lacked concrete buildings and electricity, deforestation was present, in order to obtain minerals from under the soil. It was a banal process that brought with it a blinding greed that saw an endless thirst for power that could never be quenched. The film's third act turns especially brutal, it is a loud cry to prevent the harm of animals and nature. Miyazaki's ability to seep in the elements of fantasy with the real creates images that are not just visually stunning but also a reminder that he is an artist whose genius can never be replicated. To celebrate his art is to celebrate the very essence of life itself. For Miyazaki, life of all kinds is important, and for life to exist, we must coexist. The writer, Rudrangsh Gupta, is a freelance filmmaker and enjoys keeping a keen eye out for moving stories that are shown with a unique lens.
SoraNews24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Elegant ghostly Ghibli curtain captures the ungraspable form of No Face【Photos】
Clever design trick brings the Spirited Away star's otherworldly appearance into your real-world home. Spirited Away's No Face is one of the easiest characters to see through in any anime from Studio Ghibli. That might seem like an inaccurate description of a deeply complex figure who ends up as someone unimaginably different by the end of his character arc, but I'm not saying that No Face is thematically transparent, but that he's visually translucent. ▼ What's going on inside No Face is often obscured, but the stuff on the other side of him? Not all that hidden. This unique aspect of No Face's appearance can be hard to capture in plushies and figures, but the designers for Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku have come up with a clever way to preserve this ethereal aesthetic with a new No Face noren, a traditional Japanese doorway curtain. The curtain actually has a two-layer construction, and is made of a lacey material that allows a measure of light to pass through. That means that when the layers of fabric overlap, they still block enough light to function as curtains, but since No Face's features are only present on the front cloth, his silhouette appears indistinct and vaguely defined, just as it would to Chihiro and the other characters within the anime. The complete curtain measures 82 centimeters (32.3 inches) across and 90 centimeters in length. In classical Japanese interior design, noren can be used for both exterior and interior doorways, but Donguri Kyowakoku realizes that some fans might prefer to use this as a poster/wall scroll instead. Because of that, the noren comes with only a tiny cleft at its bottom, leaving it up to you as to how long a cut, if any, you want to make. The No Face Rainy Night Double-layer Noren is priced at 5,280 yen (US$36) and can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here. Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku Insert images: Studio Ghibli, Donguri Kyowakoku ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
SoraNews24
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Studio Ghibli specialty shop in Tokyo Station announces indefinite closure, for kindhearted reason
Every other store in Tokyo Character Street is open, but Donguri Kyowakoku says it's not time to shop. Earlier this month the Tokyo Skytree branch of Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku held its grand reopening, welcoming guests to its enchanting forest-style interior. However, just a few weeks after gaining a place to find cool Ghibli stuff, fans are now losing one, though it's hard to imagine anyone getting too steamed over the logic behind the shutdown, which is itself an attempt to deal with some sweltering conditions. First Avenue Tokyo Station, or Tokyo Station Ichibangai as it's called in Japanese, is a shopping center attached to Tokyo Station. The most popular part of the complex is Tokyo Character Street, a section of specialty shop after specialty shop filled with merch for some of Japan's most popular characters from anime, manga, video games, and the sphere of adorable mascot characters, and one of those shops is Donguri Kyowakoku's, officially listed as its 'Tokyo Station branch.' First Avenue Tokyo Station's proximity to one of Japan's busiest rail hubs for both short and long-distance train and subway rides, plus being located outside the ticket gates so you don't even need a ticket to shop there, make Tokyo Character Street an extremely popular place to pick up souvenirs and presents. However, First Avenue Tokyo Station is an underground shopping center, which means there are no naturally cool breezes coming into its stores. As a matter of fact, cool breezes are in short supply right now in general in Japan, as the whole country, Tokyo included, is grappling with an intense heat wave, and things have gotten so hot that the Donguri Kyowakoku branch has announced it will be temporarily closing, for an undetermined amount of time, out of concern for the wellbeing of its workers and customers. 【東京駅店 臨時休業のお知らせ】日頃よりジブリがいっぱい どんぐり共和国をご利用頂きありがとうございます。この度どんぐり共和国 東京駅店は、誠に勝手ながら7月26日(土)より当面の間、臨時休業いたします。 下記詳細をご確認くださいませ。 — ジブリがいっぱい どんぐり共和国【公式】 (@ghibli_dongurep) July 23, 2025 The announcement was made through the Donguri Kyowakoku Twitter account and on the website of managing company Benelic. The statement says: 'Over this series of consecutive extremely hot days, it has become difficult to regulate the temperature in the facility, and we do not feel able to adequately provide the atmosphere of a place of comfort, warmth, and unfading smiles that our customers value.' First Avenue Tokyo Station is air-conditioned, but as a series of long, wide tunnels with hundreds of people moving through them at any given time, keeping the place cool isn't always easy, especially since Tokyo Character Street's shops have open storefronts when their shutters are open during business hours. Neither Donguri Kyowakoku nor First Avenue Tokyo Station have mentioned the facility's air conditioning system being outright broken, and there's been no order from the health department or other governmental authorities to suspend business operations within the center. Of the roughly 30 shops in Tokyo Character Street, Donguri Kyowakoku is the only one to have said they'll be shutting down indefinitely in response to the heat, so this really does seem to be a judgement call the store has made to protect it employees and would-be shoppers from the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and other high-temperature maladies. It's an especially conscientious move considering that Japanese schools are currently on summer vacation, and it's also the high season for inbound foreign tourists as well, so Donguri Kyowakoku is leaving a lot of potential sales revenue on the table, but still feels that shutting down for the time being is the right choice. ▼ Calcifer was unavailable for comment regarding his possible culpability in the affair. The announcement apologizes to fans for the inconvenience, and directs them to the Donguri Kyowakoku branches elsewhere in Tokyo at the Skytree, Sunshine City shopping center in the Ikebukuro neighborhood, and the Diver City complex in Odaiba. Source: Benelic via Maido News via Yahoo! Japan News Top image: Studio Ghibli Insert image: Studio Ghibli ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Think ChatGPT is growing fast in the US? Take a look at India.
OpenAI is emerging as a key player in India's AI landscape, with JPMorgan spotlighting the country as a strategic growth frontier for the startup. Bolstered by its strength in conversational AI, OpenAI is positioning itself to capture a significant share of India 's massive mobile-first, digital-native population, according to JPMorgan analysts, who published a big research note on the startup this week. Youth and mobile penetration India's appeal is clear: more than 945 million mobile phone users and one of the youngest populations globally. According to JPMorgan, ChatGPT has experienced faster download growth in India than in most other regions, aided by viral use cases such as AI-generated images in Studio Ghibli style. This momentum translated into sustained user acquisition and increased market share, particularly at the expense of competitors like Google's Gemini, which saw a roughly 6% decline in total download share in India during the same period. Although India's lower average discretionary income may limit near-term paid conversion rates, OpenAI leadership appears to be playing a long game. CEO Sam Altman's vision for ChatGPT as a personalized AI companion that integrates into daily life may resonate well in India's tech-savvy urban market, where smartphones are central to productivity, communication, and entertainment. Risks and monetization headwinds JPMorgan notes that while OpenAI's viral reach in India is undeniable, the path to monetization remains uncertain. Generative AI inference costs for free users are non-trivial, and the company has yet to implement a freemium or ad-supported model in India. OpenAI's current revenue mix leans heavily on subscription income, which may face headwinds in price-sensitive markets unless new monetization channels, like localized agents, lightweight mobile experiences, or enterprise integrations, are introduced. "We suspect OpenAI is making a calculated decision that delaying monetization of free users will payoff long term," the JPMorgan analysts wrote. They cited the example of Meta, which delayed adding ads to its social media platforms and WhatsApp for years so it could amass as many users as possible before layering on monetization. "Given the significantly higher costs associated with AI inference relative to prior software services, it is not clear such a strategy would be feasible for such a prolonged period of time," the analysts warned. Despite these challenges, OpenAI's global growth strategy, capital strength ($63 billion raised to date), and recent acquisitions, such as Jony Ive's hardware venture, suggest a clear intent to deepen its footprint in emerging markets, according to the JPMorgan note. In sum, India offers OpenAI both a vibrant consumer testbed and a proving ground for long-term market share in a total addressable market that could be worth more than $700 billion globally by 2030, JPMorgan estimates.
