The Deer King:

GKids drifts a little from the name of the imprint with this R-rated fantasy epic that's much more firmly aimed at teens and adults. Sweeping in scope, ambiguous and complex, it's a movie that asks for, and will certainly bear, repeated viewings.

One is thrown right into the mix, observing slaves mining salt deep underground, a massive pack of supernatural dogs spilling from the forest on a purple tide of ectoplasm, and flashbacks to a frenzied war. Van, who fought in the war, now toils in the mine, but his life is soon upended as he's bitten by one of the dogs. The bite appears to convey a lethal viral illness, though Van manages to survive, escaping with an orphaned toddler named Yuna.

As Van struggles to figure out what to do with Yuna, their bond grows, while they are both also called upon to help solve the mystery of the dog-borne plague, and perhaps to return a measur...Read the entire review

The Place Promised In Our Early Days:

GKids brings us the 2004 debut feature film from writer/director Makoto Shinkai. Presenting Shinkai's themes of love, friendship, and loss, it's a mild and meditative adventure spanning time, in an alternate version of post-war Japan. Featuring Shinkai's now trademark lush visuals, the meditative story should appeal to those who like to do a little thinking while getting in their daily dose of aesthetic appreciation.

The post-war Japan of 1945 is divided, with the Island of Hokkaido now representing a foreign power. Three teens fixate on a mysterious super-tall tower built by a scientist after the war, so tall it can be seen from the other said of the Tsugaru Strait, on the island of Honshu. Hiroki (Hidetaka Yoshioka) and Takuya (Masoto Hagiwara) are working on fixing up a crashed airplane with parts they scrounge off their boss at a military facility...Read the entire review

Children Who Chase Lost Voices:

GKids brings us Children Who Chase Lost Voices on Blu-ray, a 2011 Studio Ghibli feature written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, a strong voice from the studio as it expands beyond the works of Hayao Miyazaki. The GKids label is something of a misnomer in this case, as the action-adventure movie is firmly targeted at tweens and teens. It's an exhilarating and thoughtful thrill-ride that shares as much in common with Hollywood studio fare as it does with the worlds adapted by Miyazaki.

Introverted 12-year-old Asuna (Hisako Kanemoto) runs her own life. Her mother works long hours and her father is deceased, so she gets herself ready for school, prepares her own meals, and spends a lot of time listening to a crystal radio out in the countryside. The world in which she lives blends reality and fantasy elements, echoing the strong pull of religion and mysti...Read the entire review

Future Boy Conan:

This 1978 TV series represents Japan's animation titan Hayao Miyazaki's debut. If you're unfamiliar with the name (why are you reading this?) he's a founder of Studio Ghibli, one of Japan's most successful animation movie studios, who directed a bunch of highly regarded, influential movies that are a genre of their own. Future Boy Conan is as influential as any of them, and it's fantastic to finally see a Blu-ray release of this series, one that showcases nearly all of Miyazaki's hallmarks.

The intro to Future Boy Conan details an apocalyptic scenario in which the Earth has been knocked off its axis by a war using mega-magnetic weaponry. Earthquakes and tidal waves killed off seemingly all the world's population, with a few survivors launching rockets to escape to the stars, which unfortunately didn't work. One of the rockets, pulled back to earth, crashed on ...Read the entire review

Mima Kirigoe's career is at a crossroads. Her idol group, CHAM!, has amassed a modest following over the years but has never managed to crack the charts. Mima has flirted with acting along the way, but an excess of scheduling conflicts has forced a decision. The group's representation is split over which course to take – unsurprising, given that her manager Rumi was a pop idol herself in years past – but it's ultimately decided that there's more of a future for Mima as an actress.

It's not an easy transition. As comfortable as Mima is performing on the concert stage, acting on a soundstage proves to be a far more overwhelming proposition. Hard-working though she is, Mima is hardly a naturally gifted actress, nor is she taken all that seriously, given her idol past. As she dutifully delivers a handful of throwaway lines every week on a TV crime drama, the remain...Read the entire review