mamoru hosoda Archives - Graphic Policy

Tag Archives: mamoru hosoda

Yen Press Announces Nineteen Acquisitions

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team Leave a comment

Yen Press has announced nineteen acquisitions on social media, adding new titles and series to a prolific catalog of manga, novels, and audiobooks.

Starting off this slate of announcements were a couple of new additions to Yen Audio (Mirai and Valkyrie Bullet), giving the imprint another great work from esteemed storyteller Mamoru Hosoda and an adaptation of one of the most highly anticipated releases from Yen On.

Mirai

By Mamoru Hosoda

Little Kun isn’t too happy about the latest addition to his family. With the arrival of a new baby sister in the house, he worries his parents may not love him as much as they used to…But when a teenage girl shows up and tells Kun that she is his sister from the future, it may be that there’s more to this new relationship than Kun ever could’ve dreamed!

Valkyrie Bullet

By Yomu Mishima
Illustration by Pinakes

In the near future, Earth has been invaded by monsters called giju from another world, forcing humanity into a never-ending war for survival. Conventional weapons are ineffective; the world’s only hope lies in the Valkyrie Dresses—suits of powered battle armor with extraordinary combat abilities that can only be piloted by women. However, one day, a man is transferred to Third Academy, where the ladies who wear these dresses of hardened steel are trained. His name: Ren Hifumi, the test pilot for a prototype humanoid weapon created to combat the giju that has never had a successful trial run…until now.

Yen On added three new light novels to the lineup (Kafka’s Journey; Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her; and The Returned Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark Past), giving the imprint great new works in beloved categories that include a high-flying fantasy adventure, a school life romance that inspired a Summer 2026 anime, and a reincarnated villainess story.

Kafka’s Journey (light novel)

By Chizuru Mizushina
Illustration by Haruyuki Morisawa

A girl on the run takes to the skies!

Within an island floating in the sky, there is an underground village of elderly people and one child—Kafka. The adults have taken care of the girl and asked for a single thing in return: She must never leave the village. When her grandfather was alive, that wasn’t a problem. But after he passed away, her days became dull, and the village feels stifling. Inspired by her grandfather’s stories of his adventures around the globe, Kafka longs to experience the outside world for herself. When a visitor from the surface tells her about life beyond the village, Kafka can’t take it anymore. Her only way out is her grandfather’s old plane. Never mind that she hasn’t flown one before! After everything her grandfather taught her, how hard could it be? Join Kafka’s journey as she broadens her horizons, makes friends her own age, and finally learns the sad truth about why her village was cut off from the rest of the world.

Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her (light novel)

By Hibariyu
Illustration by siso

Seven years ago, before my best friend and I were torn apart by a big move, we promised we would be friends forever, no matter how much distance was put between us. But when I finally found him again at my new high school, I didn’t expect him to be…the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. Wait, so does this mean he—or, I guess, she—was a girl this whole time?! It’s honestly insane. With everyone else, she’s a pristine flower, literally Miss Perfect. But when it’s just us, she’s the same goblin I’ve always known. I guess some things truly never change. And yet…

Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her (light novel)

The Returned Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark Past (light novel)

By Hiironoame
Illustration by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima

The imperial princess Ariadne has lied, cheated, poisoned, and even killed at the behest of the cunning Prince Siegbert. Little does she know, the prince thinks of her as no more than a pawn. He sells her down the river, and she is sentenced to death for her crimes. Just as the reaper’s scythe drops, she closes her eyes and realizes what a fool she’s been, only to wake up and find she has traveled back in time to when she was fifteen. With her second shot at life, she vows to punish the wily prince and set her story back on the right track.

The Returned Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark Past (light novel)

The announcement slate was packed with a total of fourteen new manga (Lilies in Love for 101 Days; Lord Hades’s Vernal Honeymoon; Desire of the Untouchable Flower; The Great Yet Flawed Gods; I Want You to Expose Me; Monster of Absolute Evil; Singularity Love: A Kenji Tsurubuchi Collection; Summer Love Begins with a Lie -squall-; Chef in the Demon King’s Castle: Despite All the Scary-Hot Demons, This Is a Great Workplace; The Immortal Girl’s Breeding and Cultivation Travelogue; The Parasite Princess; YATTARA; Chewed Flesh, Ground Bones; and Exchange Parties with Anthropomorphic Figures), including continuations of amazing works previously published by Yen Press and anthologies featuring beloved creators, such as Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times creator Kenji Tsurubunchi and celebrated artists from Harta magazine, including Ryoko Kui, Suzuka Morino, and Hachi Inaba.

Lilies in Love for 101 Days

By Muromaki

In this must-have collector’s edition, the sequel to the social media phenomenon Lilies Blooming in 100 Days, 101 days of yuri situations are assembled in stunning full color!

Lord Hades’s Vernal Honeymoon

By Ueji Yuho

Hades and Kore have successfully been wed! Sure, they’ve got a complicated prenup, but the two are living a peaceful life as newlyweds…or at least, that’s how things were supposed to go, until the realm of Hades literally froze over!? And that’s just one of the all-new heart-pounding one-shots from the author of Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage!

Desire of the Untouchable Flower

By Mai Kaniu

Of all the guys to fall for, I never thought it would be someone like you…!

Gorgeous, talented Rei is the heir to and manager of a major cosmetic brand. Despite his domineering personality and the rumors of scandal that hound him nonstop, he doesn’t have the slightest experience to speak of when it comes to love! In fact, he’s spent his life waiting to find his hero, the ideal partner he dreamed of as a kid. One day, in order to protect Rei from stalkers, his father hires him a bodyguard named Ichijo—who, under his serious, straitlaced exterior, is exactly Rei’s type! When they’re forced to be together around the clock, Rei’s heart won’t stop pounding…but he never could have suspected the ulterior motive Ichijo holds…

The Great Yet Flawed Gods

By Ei Ohitsuji

Dive into the vibrant world of Greek mythology! This saga will take you inside the dysfunctional pantheon of the gods navigating life, love, and everything in between—just on a slightly grander scale. Peek in on Zeus and Hera after three hundred years of marriage. What trouble will the devilishly handsome Hades find himself in? And if you thought your ex was possessive, wait until you see what Persephone’s like when she fancies someone…

I Want You to Expose Me

By Suzuka Stellagi

Hayama is a skittish and struggling young artist specializing in bijin-ga, a genre focused on painting beautiful women. After fleeing from yet another model, he finds a beautiful figure collapsed by the roadside and takes them in —only to discover that they’re actually a boy in women’s clothes! But this time, Kenzan doesn’t feel the urge to run. Instead, he may have just found the perfect subject for his work!

Monster of Absolute Evil

By Gagane

The Fukurougi Incident: a heinous case in which twenty-three murderers fell victim to active-duty police officer Nodoka Fukurougi. Nodoka is put to death for her crimes, but as it turns out, her story’s far from over—a mysterious girl appears before her and invites her to take part in a twisted game. Thirteen vicious murderers are to be revived and take part in a brutal battle royale, Nodoka included. If she wants to uphold justice and make sure the evil stay dead, Nodoka has no choice but to slaughter her way to the end…!

Singularity Love: A Kenji Tsurubuchi Collection

By Kenji Tsurubunchi

From the creator of Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times comes this collection of short manga! A romance about a boy who sees a pillar of light, a search for a time machine among the remnants of human civilization, a visit to a shop specializing in fairies, and more—these stories feature an imaginative blend of history and mythology!

Singularity Love: A Kenji Tsurubuchi Collection

Summer Love Begins with a Lie -squall-

By ROCOCO
Original Story by LYCORIS

When middle schooler Kaoru Tachibana runs away from home in the pouring rain, the last person she expects to bump into is her homeroom teacher, Mirei Shimotsuki. When Mirei takes her in for a few days, Kaoru is surprised to learn that the same woman who’s normally so put together is actually a disorganized, laid-back day drinker behind closed doors. On the other hand, she’s the only one who accepts Kaoru, struggles and all, and it’s captivating. But with Mirei keeping her distance emotionally, what will become of their unusual relationship…?

Chef in the Demon King’s Castle: Despite All the Scary-Hot Demons, This Is a Great Workplace

By YMK

Tsumugi is a hardworking human chef in the kitchen of the Demon King’s castle…and a transmigrator from another world! Freed from her previous life of homelessness and suffering, she’ll fight to the very last to keep this dream job where food, clothing, and shelter are guaranteed—even if it means dealing with her rough-and-tumble demon coworkers!

Chef in the Demon King’s Castle: Despite All the Scary-Hot Demons, This Is a Great Workplace

The Immortal Girl’s Breeding and Cultivation Travelogue

By fujihan
Original Story by Luna Usagi

Pluto, a genius young mage, has given herself eternal life and youth in pursuit of her dream: to be a personal breeding ground for all kinds of different species! Brimming with carnal curiosity, she indulges herself with unorthodox creatures and beautiful ladies alike as she lets loose the monster(s) within her.

The Immortal Girl’s Breeding and Cultivation Travelogue

The Parasite Princess

By Toshiya Higashimoto

When college student and aspiring author Ai Tanaka gets a new roommate, she finds that this awkward girl is a little too eager to share things in common. Miu Yamaguchi wants to use Ai’s makeup, wear her clothes, and even have the same beauty mark. It’s more than enough to make a person uncomfortable, but it can get so much worse…

YATTARA

By Ooyamada

The gluttonous monster Yattara is summoned in a city of opulence and decadence. This harbinger of destruction has a vast appetite that cannot be satisfied until entire nations are leveled. As it comes across three gauntly malnourished children in a garbage-piled, foul-smelling room, it opens its maw as usual…but realizes that even the beast of gluttony prefers a delectable meal. And if Yattara was going to eat them anyway, it might as well prepare its meal properly to relish a flavor never experienced. After all, Yattara has never once let a meal slip away, and it’s in no hurry…

Chewed Flesh, Ground Bones

By Paregoric

1999—the year that Nostradamus predicted would be the end of humanity. Riding a wave of unprecedented interest in the occult, Inubosaki (an editor for a third-rate paranormal mag) and Asama (a cameraman with a sixth sense) team up. They spend their days covering incident after bizarre incident…when Asama’s keen eye for the supernatural draws them into an encounter with a terrifying phenomenon. Decades into the future in 2023, an aged Asama is called on by someone searching for Inubosaki…

Exchange Parties with Anthropomorphic Figures

Edited by HARTA Editorial Department

Welcome, if you please, to a soul-stirring sneak peek into the lives of all kinds of anthropomorphic figures. From beastmen to gods, androids, and more, this luxurious anthology features works from many—including Ryoko Kui (Delicious in Dungeon), Suzuka Morino (Servant Beasts), and Hachi Inaba (The Tiger Won’t Eat the Dragon Yet)!

Exchange Parties with Anthropomorphic Figures

Anime NYC 2026: Yen Press Announces Four Acquisitions

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

As a lead-up to the Yen Press Industry Panel at Anime NYC taking place on Saturday, August 22, four announcements were made on Yen Press‘ social media, which included new additions to the Yen Press and Yen Audio imprints.

Joining Yen Audio is an audiobook adaptation of another classic tale from the master storyteller Mamoru Hosoda (The Boy and the Beast) as well as an audiobook adaptation of an intriguing fantasy tale that recently joined the Yen On lineup (Rise of the Lowborn: Ascending the Ranks by Crushing Incompetent Nobles).

The Boy and the Beast

By Mamoru Hosoda

Tokyo’s a big city—big enough that it’s easy for a grieving boy like Ren to slip through the cracks. But Ren slips a little further than he meant to, tumbling into the beast world of Jutengai! He ends up with a new name—Kyuta—and a new life learning the way of the sword as the apprentice of the bear Kumatetsu. Kumatetsu’s got problems of his own, though, and the boy and the beast may have more to learn from each other than they realize. But the boy’s arrival in the realm of the beasts has put both their worlds in danger, and they’re going to need more than life lessons to face it!

Rise of the Lowborn: Ascending the Ranks by Crushing Incompetent Nobles

By Kosaka Hanane
Illustration by Kurogiri

Hazen Heim is a newly appointed imperial military officer who had the poor luck of being born without a silver spoon in his mouth. This means that instead of landing a cushy gig through nepotism, he’s being sent to the front lines to deal with the worst of the worst. Awaiting him are scumbag supervisors who constantly steal credit, low-life leaders who love to abuse their power, and bumbling members of the brass who have never had to make a hard decision once in their lives. Fortunately, Hazen racked up decades of knowledge and experience in his past life as a legendary mage. Now it’s his turn to put the tyrants in their place, and they’re going to learn that when they go low, he goes lower…

Rise of the Lowborn: Ascending the Ranks by Crushing Incompetent Nobles

Two manga series join the Yen Press imprint—The Goblin Samurai and My Crush’s Crush, bringing in quirky fantasy and complicated romance.

The Goblin Samurai

By kikurage

There are legends of a nameless goblin swordsman. Missing one eye, with no mastery of magic, and born from a low-ranking tribe, yet he is well-spoken—and a warrior of peerless skill. With grace that matches his peerless swordplay, the tale of this wanderer from another world begins!

My Crush’s Crush

By Sekina Aoi and Ryo Tsuzura

When Sora Akizuki confesses his feelings to Miya Fuwa, he gets rejected outright. As it turns out, she likes Asahi Suzukaze, the president of the mysterious “Clinical Trials Club.” When he joins the club to learn more about Asahi, he discovers that she also has a crush on someone else! Could this chain of crushes get any more complicated…?

SDCC 2026: Yen Press Announces Four New Acquisitions

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

During San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Yen Press announced four new additions to its line-up.

Joining Yen Audio is Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki, one of the most beloved works by Mamoru Hosoda, which in addition to being one of the most celebrated anime films is also a Yen Press classic for both its novel and manga adaptations. It is with great satisfaction that Yen Audio welcomes this beloved tale to its lineup.

Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki

Story by Mamoru Hosoda
Cover Art by Yuu

When Hana falls in love with a young interloper she encounters in her college class, the last thing she expects to learn is that he is part wolf. Instead of rejecting her lover upon learning his secret, she accepts him with open arms. Soon, the couple is expecting their first child, and a cozy picture of family life unfolds. But after what seems like a mere moment of bliss to Hana, the father of her children is tragically taken from her. Life as a single mother is hard in any situation, but when your children walk a fine line between man and beast, the rules of parenting all but go out the window. With no one to turn to, how will Hana survive?

Two light novel series join the Yen On imprint—Let’s Begin, a Battle Without the Hero and The Weakling Who Died a Million Times. These two new series are sure to be welcome additions to the shelves of light novel collectors, bringing in fun and unique twists on science fiction and fantasy storytelling.

Let’s Begin, a Battle Without the Hero, Vol. 1

Story by Taiga Hattori
Illustration by Rin Kawachi

TSUGUMICHI DOESN’T WANT TO BE A HERO…BUT HE MAY NOT HAVE A CHOICE!

Akane Kohinata is the perfect main character. She saves hundreds of thousands, brings smiles to people’s faces, and never gives up. However, a climactic battle with the cataclysmic cosmic beasts proves to be her last, and with her final breath, she leaves her legacy in the hands of Tsugumichi Takahashi. The only problem is, he’s a helpless shut-in who doesn’t know the first thing about heroics. Does this nobody really have what it takes to inherit Akane’s will? Project zero to hero is now underway!

Let’s Begin, a Battle Without the Hero, Vol. 1

The Weakling Who Died a Million Times, Vol. 1

Story by yononaka

THE HEROIC TALE OF A NAMELESS LOWLIFE!

Hey there. I’m a goon. Wouldn’t even call myself a bandit or thief—nothing that official. Just one of many desperate folks who’ve sunk really low to survive. Bottom-of-the-barrel guys like me end up following the orders of the strongest scum around. I’m simply another disposable henchman, but I do have a special ability. No matter how many times I die, I respawn into the body of a new ruffian! What a shame. My dream is to become like the adventurers that regularly wipe out me and my fellow goons. I want to help people. It’s not that I want to die but…what’s five or six lives if my death can protect someone’s future?

Joining the Yen Press imprint is a manga that is sure to please fans of fantasy and historical romance with The Dragon Prince’s Ill-Mated Betrothal.

The Weakling Who Died a Million Times, Vol. 1

The Dragon Prince’s Ill-Mated Betrothal, Vol. 1

By Sango Sansan
Original Story by Nanaki Ichinose
Character Design by Noco Sugimachi

Adeline, daughter of an earl, receives an offer of engagement from the Dragonkin Realm on her seventeenth birthday. All Dragonkins must find their “Mate,” and they want her for their third prince. Soon, amid scorn and criticism, she realizes she’s an unwilling participant in a twisted—and deadly—plot. But the story doesn’t end there! 250 years later, history begins to repeat itself with another invitation…and the unknown secrets that lie beyond it.

The Dragon Prince’s Ill-Mated Betrothal, Vol. 1

Yen Press Tops Off Summer List with Fourteen New Licenses

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

Yen Press has announced fourteen new title acquisitions offering up an exciting range of stories, including a tantalizing yuri manhwa, dark action fantasies, and heartwarming slice-of-life stories.

Releasing in August 2026, the debut list includes two novels (Scarlet; and My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again), one manhwa (What Does the Fox Say?), and eleven manga (Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero; Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between; The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words; Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter; Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table; Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition; The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country; Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead?; Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kun; Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell; and Golden Man).

Scarlet

By Mamoru Hosoda

The price of failure is death, but even death will not stand in the way of her vengeance.

Princess Scarlet’s life in the royal palace is turned on its head when her uncle Claudius usurps the throne and executes the king. Forever changed, she vows to take revenge on her father’s enemies—but she fails. When she next opens her eyes, she finds herself in the land of the dead. It is a world of madness where fallen soldiers from across time cause mayhem day in and day out, a wasteland where the injured or weak cease to exist. In this place where hopelessness seems inevitable, Scarlet crosses paths with a man named Hijiri, a registered nurse from present-day Japan. Together they set out on a journey to ensure that her enemies never find salvation.

My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (light novel)

By Nikita Kitagawa

Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Kiska is warped to the deepest level of the dungeon, a death sentence for a non-adventurer with no abilities. But just as he’s preparing to die, a mysterious voice grants him the skill “Save & Reset,” allowing him to rewind time. This blessing is only the beginning of a new hell, however. The true powerhouses of this dungeon are a pack of beautiful girls out to destroy him, and unless Kiska can use his infinite tries to charm them, he’ll be stuck in the abyss forever.

My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (light novel)

What Does the Fox Say?

By Team Gaji

Sungji is entering the corporate world, the newest hire of a game development studio. Young and beautiful, Sungji quickly draws the attention of her coworkers…but she only has eyes for her aloof team leader, Sumin. Unfortunately, the older woman is tied up by her ex, the company president, Seju, who has one thing Sungji severely lacks—experience in love and lust. And so a love triangle ensues, following Sungji’s present pursuit of Sumin and Seju’s tumultuous relationship with her in the past…

Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero

By Yuji Iwahara

The hero was slain, the king was felled, and the child of fate was seized. Clevatess, a lord of dark beasts blessed with both peerless strength and superhuman intellect, raged at the thirteen heroes who felled him and vowed to wipe humanity out…Instead, he has found himself saddled with a terrible burden: a newborn human baby. Is this an omen of the end times or the birth of a new era?!

Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero

Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between

By Haruichi
Original Story by FromSoftware, Inc.

These are the tales of the other inhabitants of the Lands Between.

What if Roderika were to befriend the rest of the Roundtable Hold…?

What if the Blackguard went in search of a new delicacy other than prawns…?

What if one were to catch a glimpse of Rya’s youth…?

The lives of those in the Lands Between, and the many possibilities and the differing worlds that unfolded for them in the distant past, are written here.

The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words

By Toshiko Machida
Original Story by Risako Natade

“You killed Chikage!”—is the last thing university student Ako expected to hear at her childhood friend’s funeral. She’s told that by sharing the accursed legend from her village about the “Demon,” she has brought about a curse. That must be a lie…but then why is Chikage’s corpse all unnaturally mangled? And when one tragedy after another occurs, each more supernatural than the last, Ako is physically and mentally pushed to the brink. Is this truly an unfortunate series of events, or is there something else at play…?

The Demon Bride: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words

Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter

By Rin Minato

When a couple full of excitement learns their daughter might be autistic, some of their feelings start to change. Even if they know all this means is that she’ll develop differently than other children, it’s not easy to watch the future and family they’d envisioned crumble. But in this story based on the author’s real-life experiences raising an autistic child, family love can overcome anything!

Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (manga)

By BanzaiKotobukiDaienkai
Original Story by Yushi Ukai
Art by necometal

Player Name: Yuki. Age: 17. Occupation: Death games. She has entered a genuine life-or-death show business where all the participants have to be female and where one must put their life at stake to strike it rich. Show no mercy, strut your stuff, and break the line between life and death! Aim for an unprecedented 99-win streak—for fun and for keeps!

Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (manga)

Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition

By Tsukumizu

Civilization is dead, but not Chito and Yuuri. Time to hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and wander what’s left of the world! Sharing a can of soup or scouting for spare parts might not be the experience they were hoping for, but all in all, life isn’t too bad…The hit comfy/existential post-apocalypse manga is now being released in a deluxe omnibus edition!

The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country

By Yuki Azuma

Princess Evita lives a modest and happy life in a small country. But when the neighboring country attacks, the kingdom’s land is taken, her family is mercilessly killed, and Evita is forced into prostitution. Going by the name “Priscilla,” she prostrates herself one day before the feudal lord’s third son, when the knell of rebellion sounds out…

The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country

Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead?

Original Story by Yukiaki Kurando
Art by Sousou Sakakibara

High school student Yuuma Fujikura resides in a living hell, courtesy of the vicious bullies who treat tormenting him as a game. That is, until he meets Ryou Amezato, a mysterious classmate who’ll risk everything to protect Yuuma. Ryou is bold, cunning, and loyal, just about everything Yuuma could’ve asked for. But is he a guardian angel? Or a demon who’ll drag Yuuma into an even deeper, bloodier hell…?

Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kun

By Shina Inoguchi

Over summer break, Mori has decided to change his look along with Yamori, the guy who sits behind him in class. Their seasonal debut is a success…but why is Yamori now in girl’s clothing? And suddenly he’s acting strangely and making suggestive comments…?!

Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell

By Kiyomi Sugishita

The deep sea is home to some of the most fantastic creatures the world has ever seen. And 200 meters below Tokyo Bay at the Magmell Deep Sea Aquarium, they’re on display for all to see—Kotaro’s idea of heaven. He’s a shy boy, but Kotaro loves sea creatures and just landed a part-time job cleaning the aquarium. Follow Kotaro, his new boss, and all their deep-sea friends as a heartwarming coming-of-age story unfolds.

Golden Man

By Koji Megumi
Original Story by Petos

Golden Man, the great hero who protected Neo York, has suddenly vanished from the city of freedom! At the scene of his disappearance, an abnormally strong young man with amnesia has collapsed. In their hero’s absence, Golden Man’s support team sends the young man out in his place to confront the villains that menace the city. However, this man has a secret, and it might just threaten the peace of Neo York…!!

Secret Movie Club Hosts an Anime Buffet in 2020 and We’ve Got an Exclusive First Look at Two New Posters

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Graphic Policy Team

In 2020, the Los Angeles-based Secret Movie Club is hosting screenings of some of the most beloved anime of all time, as part of their Anime Buffet programming slate, which will run from January through April 2020. The Anime Buffet slate is scheduled to include such films as Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Paprika, Millennium Actress, Metropolis (2001), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Vampire Hunter D, Grave of the Fireflies, and Tokyo Godfathers. Screenings will alternate between two different locations: the Vista Theater in Los Feliz, the historic single screen theater built in 1922, and the Club, Secret Movie Club’s new downtown location.

Attendees can purchase limited edition SECRET MOVIE CLUB posters for every screening at all events, which feature new art by contemporary illustrators. Each film is preceded by a brief talk from Secret Movie Club founder Craig Hammill and a trivia question for the audience.

COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE

(2001, Sony, dir by Shinichiro Watanabe, 35mm, 115mns)

Friday, January 10, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista

In 2071, earth has been ravaged by catastrophe. Humans have colonized other planets and the universe is a new Wild West. A group of Bounty Hunters travel on the spaceship BeBop in search of quarry and rewards. When a contagion gets released in a truck disaster on Mars, our heroes-Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein (a dog with human-grade smarts due to artificial enhancement) go off in search of the culprit and the reward that goes with it.

“One of the great things with Japanese anime, as with all cinema and art, is how each set of creators imbue the genre with their own personal style and stamp,” said Craig Hammill. “Cowboy Be Bop, as its title itself implies, is a mashup of sci-fi, westerns, Hong Kong action movies, and an improvisatory iconoclastic jazz rhythm that make the viewing experience a total blast and totally singular.”

VAMPIRE HUNTER D

(1985, Sentai Filmworks, dir by Toyoo Ashida, 80mns)

Friday, January 17, 2020 @ 7:30p, The Club, 1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, LA, CA 90021

The movie centers on Doris Lang, the daughter of a werewolf hunter, who gets bitten by 10,000 year old Count Magnus Lee one night. She then meets a strange vampire hunter, who only goes by the name D, and employs him to take on the long-lost vampire lord and try to help her from becoming a vampire herself.

“Vampire Hunter D is one of the earliest examples of Japanese anime that was made explicitly with teenagers and adults more in mind than children,” said Hammill. “Made for the then emerging direct to video market, Vampire Hunter D had a smaller budget than its feature film peers. But in a strange way, this freed up director Toyoo Ashida to make a more exciting, violent, sensual animation. Ashida has gone on the record as saying his intent with the movie was to make something thrilling that tired students could enjoy during study breaks rather than make an anime that further exhausted them. Full of genre mash-ups, amazing art and design, and storytelling, Vampire Hunter D definitely serves as a prototype and torch in the darkness for future directors like Satoshi Kon, who will take anime into ever more complex, adult, shadowy realms.”

GHOST IN THE SHELL

(1995, Lionsgate, dir by Mamoru Oshii, 85mns)

Saturday, January 18, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista:

Often the cyberpunk genre, which would come to full flourish here in the United States with the Wachowski’s The Matrix, can be traced most directly to two Japanese anime parents: 1988’s Akira and 1995’s Ghost in the Shell. Often considered one of the greatest Japanese anime movies of all time, Ghost in the Shell, dives head first into the darker, deeper waters of more adult sci-fi.

It’s 2029 and the human body can be augmented with “smart” prosthetic cybernetics. The most recent innovation, and the most terrifying, is a cyberbrain, which allows humans to now go online/get hooked into the internet, straight through their neural pathways. Our hero, Motoko Kusanagi, is part of an elite squad that fights crime in “New Port City” in Japan. Currently, they are kept busy by an arch criminal known as “The Puppet Master” who appears to have the ability to hack into these “cyberbrains” and get folks to assassinate, kill, commit crimes. As Motoko further explores what’s going on with both the Puppet Master and the innovations in cybernetics, she stumbles across a revelation that goes to the very heart of our philosophical understanding of what makes us unique individuals: what constitutes our “soul”.

PAPRIKA

(2006, Sony Pictures Classics, dir by Satoshi Kon, 35mm, 90mns)

Friday, January 31, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista:

If Hayao Miyazaki is synonymous with a kind of all-ages wildly imaginative Japanese anime, then director Satoshi Kon is synonymous with a Japanese anime that dares to go to the very limits of what any kind of cinema can explore in terms of human psychology, fear, desire, imagination. And he does it in the most creative and miraculous of artistic ways.

Paprika is one of his wildest mind-bending creations of all. In the near-future, there is a device called the “DC Mini” which allows Dr. Atsuko Chiba to enter the dreams of her patients (using her alter-ego “Paprika”) to help try to discover the root of their fears, anxieties, and hang ups. But the problem is that the “DC Mini” is still in prototype mode with no restrictions or safety barriers whatsoever. And if it gets into the wrong hands (which of course it does), it allows the thieves to enter dreams for more sinister and nefarious reasons.

METROPOLIS

(2001, Sony, dir by Rintaro, 113mns total, 35mm, Japanese with English subtitles)

Saturday, February 1, 2020 @ 10:45p, The Club

Written by Katsohiro Otomo (writer/director of the classic anime Akira), Metropolis shares much of its DNA with that seminal anime classic including a central character who is rocked to their psychological core by the realization of their “super human” abilities and an impending apocalypse that threatens the entire foundations of a huge city.

MILLENNIUM ACTRESS

(2002, 11 Arts, dir by Satoshi Kon, 82mns, Japanese with English subtitles)

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 @ 8p, The Club

Millennium Actress tells the emotional story (in a decidedly surreal and modernist way) of famous actor Chiyoko Fujiwara, who tells her life story to documentarians and explains she only ever became an actress in the hopes of being recognized by an artist/political rebel she fell in love with as a teenager and never saw again. As Chiyoko tells her story, it becomes hard to tell what’s her real life, what are movie scenes she starred in, and where fiction/reality meet and diverge.

Special Note: There will be three originally written 3-4 minute monologues performed by three actresses ahead of the screening running a total of 10-12 minutes.

PERFECT BLUE

(1997, GKIDS, dir by Satoshi Kon, 35mm, 81mns)

Friday, February 21, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista

Kon fully commits to an anime that is as rich, dark, and complex as any Scorsese, Kubrick, Lynch, or Bergman movie. But with the added benefit of being able to cinematically represent psychological states of mind in a way that is often impossible in live-action cinema.

“If you want to see anime that absolutely succeeds in expanding the playing field of what cinema can do, come join us for Perfect Blue,” said Hammill.

THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME

(2006, Funimation, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, 98mns; English dubbed version)

Saturday, March 14, 2020 @ 10:30a, the Vista

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time tells the story of young teenager Makoto Konno who discovers a magical object in her high school that allows her to leap through time and prevent situations that caused her great embarrassment. This premise, as with all good premises fully explored, deepens into a meditation on wish fulfillment versus reality. Makoto, first using the device for frivolous things, comes to realize that the device has its price. And that she is not the only one using it. . .

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES

(1988, GKids, directed by Isao Takahata, 90mns; Japanese with English subtitles)

Saturday, April 4, 2020 @ 10:30a, the Vista

One of the absolute greatest animes ever made, Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata, deals with siblings Seita and Satsuko, who have to rely on each other to survive after they’re separated from their parents during the American fire-bombing of Tokyo in the late stages of World War II.

Tickets can be purchased now.

Secret Movie Club is a group project among the founders and the audience. Audience suggestions are taken and often used. Secret Movie Club aims to celebrate the wonderful experience that comes from watching the world’s greatest movies in great movie theaters with great audiences.