JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – FLOW, YOASOBI, Anime NYC
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
In the dog days of summer, it’s best to escape the heat in a place that’s cozy and cool. For those into both cutting-edge and classic anime, this month offers a diverse trio of theatrical revivals—all in the comfort of indoor air conditioning.
This month’s highlights include:
August 2-8
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 West 65th Street
$16, $19
A noted influence on Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, among many others, Shinji Sōmai was a consummate filmmaker’s filmmaker, and Moving is one of his most remarkable achievements. It follows the gradual, frequently messy untangling of love between a divorced couple in Kyoto as experienced by their 11-year-old daughter Renko (Tomoko Tabata, giving easily one of the greatest child performances in film), but evolves into something altogether stranger and more elemental by its conclusion. What’s so exceptional about Moving is its frank understanding of adolescent feeling and the emotional fluctuations borne out by loss and growing up, rendered in an exquisite color palette and via dexterous long takes. It’s a film that is as genuinely heartbreaking as it is funny and touching. This August, Film at Lincoln Center is thrilled to present the long overdue New York theatrical release of Moving in its brand-new 4K restoration, which won the Best Restored Film Award at the 2023 Venice Classics. A selection of the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. A Cinema Guild release. Screenings feature an exclusive video introduction from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi!
August 3-7
Various theaters
Various prices
From Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki! Perfect for audiences of all ages, Ponyo centers on the friendship between five-year-old Sosuke and a magical goldfish named Ponyo, the young daughter of a sorcerer father and a sea-goddess mother. After a chance encounter, Ponyo yearns to become a human so she can be with Sosuke. As to be expected with Miyazaki, the film is awash in pure unbridled imagination and visual wonder–but it is the tender love, humor, and devotion exhibited by Ponyo and Sosuke that form the emotional heart of the film.
Sunday, August 4, 8:00 p.m.
FLOW – 2024 Anime Shibari Tour
Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center, 311 West 34th Street
From $44
Fresh from their 20th anniversary, FLOW will be playing an anime song ONLY concert all around the world! After debuting in 2003, FLOW has an established reputation for hit anime works, including themes for anime series Naruto (“GO!!!,” many others), opening themes for Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (“COLORS,” “WORLD END”), and the opening theme for Tales of Zestiria the Cross (“Kaze no Uta”). They have written songs for numerous other anime works as well. Since 2006 they have been active playing shows not only in Japan but overseas, performing over 60 live performances in 19 countries in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East, transcending borders as a live band. Heavily streamed, their song “Sign” for the opening of Naruto Shippuden has been played over 120 million times worldwide on Spotify.
Tuesday, August 6, 8:00 p.m.
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Avenue
From $175
YOASOBI recently made their successful Coachella debut earlier this year and played to sold-out crowds in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now, they are gearing up to return to the states for a historic performance at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Known for turning novels into music, they return with “UNDEAD”—the theme song to a brand-new animation series from Monogatari. Comprised of composer Ayase and vocalist ikura, YOASOBI are record-breaking international superstars in the making. Their first song, “Into The Night (Yoru ni Kakeru),” was released in November 2019, immediately attracting attention by achieving #1 on numerous streaming charts in Japan and appearing on viral charts in several countries. It was #1 on the 2020 Billboard JAPAN Combined Song Chart and Streaming Song Chart, and in January 2023 the total plays surpassed 900 million streams, marking a first in Japan. YOASOBI gained international attention and reached #1 on the Spotify charts for the Japanese Artist Most Played Internationally in 2021. Their first arena tour “YOASOBI ARENA TOUR 2023 ‘Denkosekka’” consisted of fourteen shows in seven cities with a total of 130k attendees as the duo continues to attract attention in all directions of their career.
Thursday, August 22, 9:15 p.m.
Candlelight: The Best of Joe Hisaishi
Sony Hall, 235 W 46th Street
$32-78
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in New York. Get your tickets now to discover the music from nearly a dozen films by Joe Hisaishi at Sony Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight performed by the Highline String Quartet in a concert Approved by Wonder City Representing Mr. Joe Hisaishi!
Tentative Program:
- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind – “Kaze no Tani – Opening Theme”
- Laputa: Castle in the Sky – “Kimi wo Nosete – Carrying You”
- My Neighbour Totoro – “Kaze no Toori Michi – Path of the Wind”
- My Neighbour Totoro – “Tonari no Totoro – Main Theme”
- Kiki’s Delivery Service – “Umi no Mieru Machi – A Town with an Ocean View”
- Kiki’s Delivery Service – “Tabidachi – Journey”
- Princess Mononoke – “Main Theme”
- Spirited Away – “Inochi no Namae – Name of Life”
- Spirited Away – “Chihiro’s Waltz”
- Ponyo – “Gake no Ue no Ponyo – Ponyo on the Cliff”
- The Wind Rises – “A Journey (A Dream of Flight)”
- Kikujiro – “Summer”
- The Tale of Princess Kaguya – “When I Remember This Life”
- Howl’s Moving Castle – “Merry Go Round of Life”
August 23-25
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street
$67 (Friday and Sunday badges only)
For this year’s three-day celebration of Japanese animation and pop culture, attendees will be able to view exclusive anime screenings and meet major guests courtesy of international animation and manga publishers; play the latest in Japanese gaming technology; chow down on Japanese delicacies and fusion cuisine; rock out to musical guests direct from Tokyo; and more! Centerpiece events this year include an autograph opportunity with legendary voice actor Toshio Furukawa (Piccolo from Dragon Ball), the first convention appearance in the U.S. of hololive English -Justice-; the first-ever American Manga Awards held at Japan Society; artist meet and greets; rare import gaming and screenings; the Anime NYC Masquerade; and much more!
Friday, August 23, 9:00 p.m.
Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street
$24-$48
Launching on the first night of Anime NYC, Anime Night exists as the median between concert and convention, bridging the gap on what an experience can offer to a fan of anime and alternative music alike. An evening full of dancing, cosplay contests, and the music from all your favorite anime. The Anime Party is an event created to define what that looks like. Join this special celebration of passion, innovation and community!
Saturday, August 24, 8:00 p.m.
The Town Hall Presents: A New World: Intimate Music From Final Fantasy
The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street
$57.80-$89.50
A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy celebrates its 10th anniversary in NYC! Join legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu, music director Eric Roth, and members of the Harlem Chamber Players for a program of exclusive and official arrangements, premieres, and favorites from throughout the Final Fantasy series! Beloved musical selections from composers Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yoko Shimomura, and Masayoshi Soken are performed in a transparent and engaging format, achieving an astounding variety of musical textures and moods. The experience is fresh every time, drawing audiences deeper into the musical worlds of Final Fantasy. We can’t wait to bring this fabulous program and energy to the Town Hall! VIP tickets include best of orchestra seats and post-concert autograph and photo opportunity.
SPECIAL OFFER! JET alumni can click on the unlock feature in Ticketmaster and use the code WORLD to get 20% off. Casual attire is welcome, but cosplay is HEAVILY encouraged.
August 25, 27
Various theaters
Various prices
Discover the brilliance of this heartwarming coming-of-age classic from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of My Neighbor Totoro and the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away. A chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a quiet schoolgirl, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by the Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. This beautiful tale based on a screenplay from Hayao Miyazaki will delight and amaze audiences of all ages!
August 26, 28
Various theaters
Various prices
In this sequel to Whisper of the Heart, a quiet suburban schoolgirl, Haru, is pitched into a fantastical feline world and must find her inner strength to make her way back home. Walking with her friend after a dreary day at school, Haru eyes a cat with a small gift box in its mouth attempting to cross a busy street. Strange behavior indeed, but this is nothing compared to what happens later that evening when the King of Cats shows up in a feline motorcade replete with vassals, maidens, and even Secret Service cats. In a show of gratitude for saving his son’s life, the king cat showers Haru with gifts–including a large supply of individually wrapped live mice–and decrees that she shall marry the cat prince and come to live as a princess in the secret Kingdom of Cats.
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