Hirata Toshio

* Based on a short story by Kataoka Yoshio. The 17-year-old Nomura Akihiko, called Bobby, is an underachieving high school kid with a deep love for motorcycles. His grades are failing, and his father, traditional and strict, is trying everything he can think of to get the kid to apply for college. His mother is so silent, she might as well not even exist. Really, his support…

The Acorns and the Wildcat is a unique short film in picture-book format from the creator of Night on the Galactic Railroad and Gauche the Cellist. Unusually for an anime, a narrator reads Kenji's story aloud while the action is played out on the screen by a succession of warm and evocative illustrations brought to life by subtle touches of animation. If the film feels somehow…

Based on the adventures of Marco Polo, a merchant from the Venetian republic, who embarks on a journey to Asia along with his father and uncle in the 13th century. Source: ANN

Three years after the Hiroshima bombing, Gen and his adopted brother, Ryuta, befriend a group of orphans. A fierce typhoon hits the city, leaving the orphans' home flooded and beyond repair. Gen helps them build a new home on an abandoned piece of property, and brings love and encouragement to one of the children whose face has been badly scarred by radiation. Gen's mother,…