:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: HardDoor At The Movies! (Part 2)

We're back for Part 2 of our trip to the Hulu Multiplex with three more titles debuting on-screen. One's a big-screen revisit to a popular show, another is a somber classic, and the other is yet another classic film (and a personal favorite), but with a new layer of polish…

Trigun: Badlands Rumble

Official Site: Japanese
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Languages: Japanese w/ English Subtitles, English Dubbed
Run Time: 91 mins.
Final Showing: July 20, 2012

Fan-favorite Vash the Stampede returned to form in this long-awaited movie, taking place during the storyline of the hit TV series. Though not the sequel many clamored for, fans should be able to enjoy this nice trip back down memory lane…

Jin-Roh

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Languages: Japanese w/ English Subtitles, English Dubbed
Run Time: 102 mins.
Final Showing: November 7, 2012 (English Dubbed) / November 8, 2014 (Japanese w/ English Subtitles)

Four years following 1995's seminal Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii stepped away from the director's chair and to the pen for this adaptation of his Hellhounds manga, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. GITS character designer Hiroyuki Okiura directed the film, and much like its spiritual predecessor, it continues to be held as a masterpiece to this day…

Ghost in the Shell 2.0

Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Language: English Dubbed
Run Time: 83 mins.

And speaking of Ghost in the Shell, Oshii debuted an interesting renewal of the film in 2008 with digitally-remastered video and audio, CG effects in select scenes, added sound effects, and re-recorded (and in some parts, re-casted) Japanese performances (…which you won't be able to listen, since only the English dub is being offered here).


These three films and those from Part 1 aren't the only anime movies to be found on Hulu. Double-bill your viewing experience with a few of the titles below, or click here to see a full listing of all of Hulu's theatrical offerings!

The Castle of Cagliostro - This classic Lupin III film--future maestro Hayao Miyazaki's first theatrical feature--is a great film that lives up to its reputation. Not only that, it provides one a chance to catch a few early glimpses of some Miyazaki-isms…

Macross II - In spite of its sequel-ish title, this controversial entry in the Macross franchise is considered non-canonical, due to the lack of involvement from the series' original creators.

Negadon: the Monsters from Mars - Not your ordinary CGI film (and I'm not talking about its 28 min. length, either), Negadon is a very interesting, well-animated love letter to classic sci-fi and kaiju (e.g. Godzilla, Gamera) films. Produced by the same studio behind Makoto Shinkai's work, CoMix Wave.

Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers - Similar to Tomoki Kyoda's alternate film retelling of RahXephon, his reinterpretation of the Eureka Seven series he directed left mixed feelings among its fans…

Loups=Garous - A sci-fi drama distinguished by being from the same studio (Production I.G), director (Jun'ichi Fujisaku), and original character designer (Chizu Hashii) behind Blood+, plus having a score and theme songs by popular, all-girl JRock group, SCANDAL.


And with that, have fun at the movies!