FYI The Boy and the Beast started showing in select theaters in the U.S. yesterday.
http://www.funimationfilms.com/movie/the-boy-and-the-beast/
This is actually showing at a theater up in Denver near me. I realllly want to go but it's a bit of a drive, so I'll probably just wait for the Blu-Ray release. Hosoda has been doing an amazing job in his films and I feel like he is really the spiritual successor of Hayao Miyazaki given what he has put out.
i my self always considered hosoda to be a spiritual successor to miyazaki. the comparison between the two isn't much for a resemblance or style of movie making, but a similarity in quality and story telling. hosoda's movies are the only animated movies that are being made now that grip me on an emotional level with it's story and wow me with the animation just like the ghibli moves did.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise Border - Quadrilogy
How is that? I've been meaning to check it out once I'm finished with the original GitS stuff but don't want to pull the trigger if it isn't any good
i my self always considered hosoda to be a spiritual successor to miyazaki. the comparison between the two isn't much for a resemblance or style of movie making, but a similarity in quality and story telling. hosoda's movies are the only animated movies that are being made now that grip me on an emotional level with it's story and wow me with the animation just like the ghibli moves did.
How is that? I've been meaning to check it out once I'm finished with the original GitS stuff but don't want to pull the trigger if it isn't any good
I don't think there's any animated GITS out there not worth watching.
There's a few others: Makoto Shinkai (Children who Chase Lost Voices, 5 Centimeters Per Second), Colorful by Keichi Hara is also up there in production values and story quality.
I think Hosoda's works are very good ( I had an amusing exhange with him at a Summer Wars screening concerning Gatoman/Tailmon), so I sort of root for him as well.
But, I would say Children who Chase Lost Voices seems like the closest to a Miyazaki film in terms of theme and style.
to be honest, i thought that the children who chase voices was a rip off of miyazaki, so the resemblance is quite obvious. and the animation was kind of off. it just felt like a poor man's spirited away. not bad but can't be compared to ghibli in terms of quality imo.
and as for 5 centimetres per second, it has great animation and atmosphere, but it was just to lovey dovey for my taste.
i just stick with hosoda and myazaki to be safe . they never disappoint.
i'll give colourful a try. judging by the trailer, the animation isn't that great, but if everything else is solid, i might enjoy it.