Japan's anime studios have captured the world's attention. In this program, we go behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the most prominent studios — usually closed to the public — to find out the secrets behind their creativity.
Social & External
In a school in northeastern Japan, five friends in the animation club, Aoi, Ema, Shizuka, Misa, and Midori swear to complete a new anime called "Shinbutsu Konkou SHICHIFUKUJIN" with some donuts. Since then, day after day, the five spend all of their time on anime production. The awe of going from rough sketches to animation, and the awkward acting in the after-recording session... The final product was finished at the cultural fair six months later. After they graduated they still pursued animation and swore on some donuts that they would make another anime together.
Did you know that a lot of your favorite anime are based in real-life locations? Join us on a pilgrimage around Japan to the "Sanctuaries" that are the inspiration of some of the greatest anime!
A chronicle of the creative process of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, a passionate artisan, a steadfast trailblazer, and a father butting heads with his son…
Horses dashing gallantly... Knights challenging their own limits... Magnificent, heroic battles highlight the horseback lance sport of jousting. One of the many people fascinated by this proud sport, Takahiro Mizuno, acts as a begleiter (an assistant) to jousting knights as he lives his rather tedious life at Winford Academy.
Ding-dong! Dead-dong! Class is about to begin, and you don't want to be late on your first day of school! Join Tsugumi Harudori in the "NOT" class at Death Weapon Meister Academy, a school dedicated to training transforming weapons like Tsugumi and the meisters who will wield them. Many "NOT" (Normally Overcome Target) students aspire to join the elite "EAT" (Especially Advantaged Talent) class. But it may take Tsugumi some time to find her confidence-- and a partner -- at this crazy school!
Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come – first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!
In the year 3085, Chris, Beth, Wallow and Danny, four teenage heroes-for-hire, warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions.
This sweeping science-fiction saga delves into the rich “Halo” universe with seven exciting stories (told in eight parts) focused on Master Chief’s mysterious origins, the Spartans’ advanced combat capabilities, and the tense rivalry between Spartans and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs).
Lolita, a young fine impish girl, evolves in an every day-life background. In spite of herself, her charms provoke strange or even surrealistic reactions in people and objects. Lolita is a realistic cartoon character incrusted on inside and outside life-like scenery.
All In Earth's 4 billion year history, nature has solved all of lifes problems, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. Evolution is the ultimate inventor and many of mans most clever engineering solutions have exact counterparts in nature. In three amazing episodes, NatureTech views our world with fresh eyes, where nature and technology stand hand in hand.
TripTank is Comedy Central’s newest animated experience, executive produced by ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico. The weekly, eight-episode half-hour series, showcases a wide range of fast-paced, hard-hitting animated comedy shorts presented in an anthology style, weaving together stand-alone and recurring narrative pieces.
The space race, the cold war, "free love," civil rights and more: The decade of the 1960s shaped our history -- and changed the world. In collaboration with Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, CNN explores perhaps the most transformative decade of the modern era in a 10-part documentary series and brings new insights into how those events shaped today.
Viewers go deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.
The Savage Line examines the lives of experienced outdoorsmen, Cory Valdes, Jason Lesmeister, Rob Hardy, and Puma Ghostwalker, who traverse the world’s most remote places and work to protect the lives of men and women working in the backyard of nature’s fiercest predators. Their job takes them deep into the wild, demanding strong survival skills and a deep understanding of animal behavior. Utilizing non-lethal techniques, The Savage Line experts must brave both extreme weather and dangerous animal encounters to keep the peace between man and beast.
The shocking eyewitness accounts of terrified people whose dream homes have become nightmares are brought to life in vivid, blood-curdling style on "My Haunted House". Told via gripping first person interviews and strikingly crafted re-enactments, each episode of this nerve-wracking new series tells two, compelling horror stories of people literally living in terror.
Money. Sex. Marriage. Mortality. In each episode, data scientist Jake Porway tackles one of life’s most daunting topics revealing the surprising science behind them. From mind-bending stats, hilarious man on the street experiments, and interactive game play, this show delivers the answers to life’s mysteries and gives you the tools to help take charge of your destiny and change your life forever.
The future, probably Japan. Robots have long been put into practical use, and androids have just come into use. Influenced by the Robot Ethics Committee, it's become common sense for people to treat androids like household appliances. Their appearance – indistinguishable from humans except for the ring over each android's head – has led some people to empathize unnecessarily with androids. Known as "android-holics", such people have become a social problem. Rikuo, a high school student, has been taught from childhood that androids are not to be viewed as humans, and has always used them as convenient tools. One day, Rikuo discovers some strange data in the behavior records of his family's household android, Sammy. Rikuo and his friend Masaki trace Sammy's movements, only to discover a mysterious café that features a house rule that "humans and robots are to be treated the same".
Two ultra athletes. Five months. Eight of the toughest endurance races in the world. With the globe as their playground, friends and fierce competitors Simon Donato and Paul “Turbo” Trebilcock aim to prove that boundaries are meant to be broken. The docuseries chronicles both pain and triumph as Turbo and Simon climb, run and bike up anything they can find over five straight months of extreme challenges. Will they finish all eight races and make it through this ultimate test of mind, body and spirit?
James Watt and Martin Dickie, owners of the UK’s fastest-growing brewery, travel across America visiting different American beer towns, celebrating distinctive craft beers and creating their own locally-inspired drafts.
Comedians Jay Larson and Sean Patton explore bars featured in Esquire magazine’s annual rundown of the best in the country. With stops in Milwaukee, Chicago and San Francisco, Jay and Sean drink their way through neighborhood dives and swanky bars alike. More than just a cross-country bar crawl, this is a happy hour any self-respecting man should experience in his lifetime.