Reel Anime 2012

If you saw Akira when it hit Australian cinemas like a stray meteorite back in the early '90s, you’ve probably never forgotten it. The Reel Anime minifestival gives you the chance to see four anticipated new anime titles on the big screen – and all in Japanese with English subtitles rather than American dubs, thank god. This year it includes Wolf Children, a fairytale from the director of Summer Wars; Berserk: The Egg of the King, a new adaptation of the fan-favourite manga and TV show; and From Up On Poppy Hill, the latest from everyone’s favourite myth-makers Studio Ghibli.

Finally, the poetically titled Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below is worth seeing for its colour palette alone. It’s an old fashioned fantasy of a lonely schoolgirl, Asuna, discovering a secret, dangerous world underneath our own. Whether focusing on common butterflies or bizarre many-eyed gods, Lost Voices is occasionally so beautiful it’s gasp-worthy – and its questions about the many kinds of life after death and soundtrack of heartfelt strings give it a melancholic depth.