Written by The Curmudgeon Last time we had a chat about the inevitable train-wreck that will be the live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop (1998) that nobody asked for (click here for more on that). But hey, what about adapting something live-action into animation ? Well, I say “adapting.” Rather, an animated spin-off riding the coattails of a cult classic. Blade Runner: Black Out 2022  (2017) Late last month, it was announced that an anime set in the world of Blade Runner (1982) is in the works . Might this be banking on the critical success of 2017’s Blade Runner: 2049 (2017)? Or, might it be because we finally reached Blade Runner time in November 2019, when the 1982 film was set? The real question is: who cares, so long as it’s good? A few lines up, I used the phrase “riding the coattails.” That was a little cynical of me, but then again, cynicism is my default setting since the…accident. … In either case, sometimes I just need to slap ...

Written by The Curmudgeon SPOILER WARNING: The following contains spoilers for both Carole and Tuesday and Kids on the Slope . Go watch them first if you don't want the plot spoiled. If you have seen them, or you just don't care, read on! I love Shinichiro Watanabe. I love ‘im. He’s responsible for some of my favourite things; from Cowboy Bebop  (1998)  – smart, sombre, and slick – to the utterly hilarious and bizarre Space Dandy  (2014) , he’s got a style that suits me just fine. Although it’s unlikely he’ll ever make something which moves me quite like Bebop , he always finds a way to imbue his work with such panache. Also, he wears sunglasses all the damn time. I’m not kidding, it’s actually challenging to find out what this man’s eyes look like. The problem is that he doesn’t helm too many original titles. As such, when Watanabe’s most recent series, Carole and Tuesday  (2019), debuted this year, it made some serious waves. Something about this...