Studio Ghibli

• Hong Kong, Hong Kong--(Newsfile Corp. - January 24, 2024) - On January 5, 2024, Alibaba Pictures Group Limited (HKE: 1060) ("Alibaba Pictures" or the "Company"), a leading Internet film and television company in China, had a meeting with Studio Ghibli, a world-renowned top animation studio, where they successfully forged a strategic partnership encompassing various fields, such as animation and the development of immersive exhibitions.
• At the beginning of the new year, the strategic partnership between Alibaba Pictures and Studio Ghibli creates an even broader platform for sustained exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign animated films.
• During the meeting, Alibaba Pictures and Studio Ghibli, along with Creative Corporation, reached a strategic partnership agreement to develop an immersive exhibition featuring the works of renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki.
• By embracing innovative cultural activities, the collaborative development of an immersive exhibition by Alibaba Pictures and Studio Ghibli represents a significant endeavor to deepen cultural exchanges and foster mutual learning.

• One Piece’s postmodern take on the pirate genre has characters dressed in neat business suits, and contemporary t-shirts.
• But it is the general mix of the manga’s fun, action and drama that the series captures so well.

From Manga to Anime to Live-action

• In 2020, anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, released the anime across its platforms in Europe and the Middle-East.
• While manga and anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon have long attracted a global audience, One Piece is aimed at a slightly older audience.
• One Piece’s journey from manga, through anime to live-action has precedence across all genres in Japan, not just in children’s cartoons.

Keeping it ‘real’

• If you’re not sure how passionate fans can be, here’s one spirited review of the series, that he’s thoughtfully limited to just under one hour.
• The remake copped a Variety review claiming that it was marred by its “charmless heroine, leaden storytelling and dime-store production values”.

Casting the crew

• Perhaps one of the keys to this series immediate success is its international casting.
• Luffy is played with ineffable joy by Mexico’s Inaki Godoy, who captures the wild-eyed optimism of the original manga character.
• The excellent casting in One Piece tops off the series’ ability to remain breathtakingly fun.

Secret to success?

• How did they create an adaptation that captured the excitement of both the manga and anime and doesn’t, well, suck?
• Many of the props, including some of the boats, were actually built, so the actors aren’t just green-screening their performances.

With the Japan mission to the Moon just beginning and with the space race to its south polar region, we are reminded of the wonder and excitement of travelling to the Moon. Of course, since the 20th century, humans have been able to physically travel there, but imagining travel to the Moon has been part of our history from long before the 1900s. Looking back through the centuries reveals exciting stories of lunar adventure.

1. An English poem: The Man in the Moon

• The English poem, The Man in the Moon, tells the story of a man who is living and suffering on the Moon.
• There are many versions of this folktale, including in English, German and Dutch traditions.
• In this English version of the story, the man on the Moon (known as Hubert) is imagined as a medieval peasant guilty of stealing thorns to make a hedge.

2. An Italian epic poem: Orlando Furioso

• Orlando Furioso (The Frenzy of Orlando) is an Italian epic written by poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533).
• Charlemagne (who died in 814) was a king and emperor who is known for uniting most of Europe under his rule.
• One of his knights is Astolfo, cousin to the knight Orlando.

3. A Japanese story: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

• This very thing happens in a Japanese story from the late 800s or early 900s: Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter).
• They bring a diviner to grant her a name, and she is called Nayotake no Kaguya-hime (Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo).
• The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the earliest surviving example of the monogatari (tale, novel) and has been adapted into a Studio Ghibli animation, The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
• The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter also reminds us that these stories are not found only in Europe.

• HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Cloud Music Inc. (HKEX: 9899, "NetEase Cloud Music" or the "Company"), a leading interactive music streaming service provider in China,today announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement for digital music distribution ("the Agreement") with Pony Canyon Inc. ("Pony Canyon"), a leading anime and music production company in Japan, granting NetEase Cloud Music the right to distribute Pony Canyon's music catalog.
• As one of China's leading online music platforms, NetEase Cloud Music has long been a preferred online destination for music enthusiasts, especially among the younger generation.
• Moving forward, NetEase Cloud Music will pursue further collaborations with upstream copyright owners and continue to provide more high-quality music content for music lovers in China.
• Its focus on discovering and promoting emerging musicians has made Cloud Music Inc. a destination of choice for exploring new and independent music among music enthusiasts in China.