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Genre:<\/strong> Coming-of-Age, Monster Battle<\/p>\n Studio:<\/strong> Toei Animation<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong> February 21, 2020<\/p>\n Non-spoiler plot summary:<\/strong> A mysterious Digimon is attacking DigiDestined across the world\u2014leaving both the humans and their Digimon in a coma. At the same time, Tai and his friends discover their time with their own Digimon partners is coming to an end\u2014and that Digivolving will only bring the end quicker. Thus, our heroes are torn between fighting this new menace and protecting the time they have left with their treasured friends.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> If Digimon Adventure tri. <\/em>was all about the DigiDestined\u2019s first steps along the path from childhood to adulthood, Last Evolution Kizuna<\/em> is about their final steps on that journey.<\/p>\n When you are kid, the possibilities are endless. You can become anything. But by the time you finish college, you are finally forced to choose who and what you want to be going forward. And that\u2019s what this film is ultimately about: letting go of childhood and moving on\u2014finally attempting to fulfill that limitless potential inside each and every one of us. Yet, just because we all must grow up, that doesn\u2019t mean that we should just forget those who helped us stand on our own. It\u2019s okay to be sad at what is gone just as it\u2019s okay to look forward to what is to come.<\/p>\n Watch it if you like: <\/strong>Digimon Adventure Tri<\/em><\/p>\n Where You Can Watch It:<\/strong> iTunes<\/a>, Microsoft<\/a>, PlayStation Network (on consoles)<\/p>\n You can read my full review here.<\/a><\/p>\n Genre:<\/strong> Slice-of-Life<\/p>\n Studio:<\/strong> Bones<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong> December 25, 2020<\/p>\n Non-spoiler plot summary:<\/strong> Tsuneo is a college student with a single goal: to study abroad in Mexico and scuba dive there. After years of studying and working numerous part time jobs, his goal is finally within reach. All he needs to do is to finish his final job: working as a caretaker for Josee, a paraplegic with a caustic personality who lives alone with her aging grandmother.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Josee, the Tiger and the Fish<\/em> is a glimpse into the world of the paraplegic\u2014and just how difficult it can be. Like a mermaid on dry land, she is trapped in a world not made for her. Her traditional Japanese house is too narrow for her chair, leaving her forced to crawl along at ground level. She is unable to do something as simple as cook for herself\u2014the stove and sink are literally out of her reach.<\/p>\n But the film is clear to note that what she needs isn\u2019t someone to protect or rescue her from her existence but someone to help her learn how to live in the world both inside and outside her small home. It\u2019s not just her disability she needs to overcome, it\u2019s her personality that has been formed from years of social isolation. Luckily, with Tsuneo, she has her first ally in this struggle\u2014though he eventually learns he needs to do just as much growing as Josee to find happiness.<\/p>\n Watch it if you like:<\/strong> A Silent Voice, The Anthem of the Heart<\/em><\/p>\n Where You Can Watch It:<\/strong> Japanese Theaters<\/p>\n You can read my full review here.<\/a><\/p>\n Genre:<\/strong> Coming-of-Age for 20-Somethings<\/p>\n Studio:<\/strong> Toei Animation<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong> November 13, 2020<\/p>\n Non-spoiler plot summary:<\/strong> Three 20-something women are feeling lost when it comes to the path of their lives. One works for an international trading company\u2014a company that cares little to nothing for what she has to say. One is a college student nearing graduation who fears she might not be cut out for her chosen career. And one is a part-timer who is little more than an ATM for her boyfriend and has pretty much given up on her dream of going to art school. One day, the three meet by chance while doing a bit of anime tourism for their favorite childhood TV show: Magical DoReMi<\/em>. Little do any of them know that this is the start of a friendship that will change their lives for the better.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Most coming-of-age stories focus on young teens entering the world of adults for the first time. This film is all about adults who have entered the adult world but are stuck in a place they don\u2019t what to be. It\u2019s a feeling I imagine that many 20-somethings can relate to. You\u2019re so focused on getting a job and becoming self-reliant that you have to make compromises\u2014compromises that prevent you from doing what you really want to do. But pursuing your true dream could mean giving up the stability you have. This movie is about how three very different people help each other get un-stuck\u2014and all through a TV show they loved as children.<\/p>\n Watch it if you like: <\/strong>Magical DoReMi<\/em>, relatable stories about being lost in your twenties<\/p>\n Where You Can Watch It:<\/strong> Japanese Theaters<\/p>\n You can read my full review here.<\/a><\/p>\n Genre:<\/strong> Cyberpunk Murder Mystery<\/p>\n Studio:<\/strong> Production I.G<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong> March 27, 2020<\/p>\n Non-spoiler plot summary:<\/strong> In a world where your mental state is regularly scanned and those who even have the psychological capability to commit crimes are regularly imprisoned, one man, Azusawa, has found a loophole in the system. As part of a grand game where normal people are the pieces and Tokyo the board, Azusawa sets his plan for checkmate into action: to attack police headquarters and assassinate Tokyo\u2019s new mayor.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> Now let\u2019s be clear, First Inspector <\/em>is in no way a stand-alone film. Rather it\u2019s the climax to Psycho-Pass 3<\/em>\u2014and a fantastic one at that. Not only does it reveal many of the mysteries that have been lurking in the background throughout the show but also does so in a way that re-contextualizes all we have seen before.<\/p>\n And behind all this action and drama is the battle of philosophy between Azusawa and Arata\u2014a man who believes in the system even as he abuses it for his own benefit and a man who questions the system even as he protects what it stands for. It\u2019s action-filled cyberpunk dystopian fiction at its finest and a fitting capstone to a solid series.<\/p>\n Watch it if you like: <\/strong>Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass<\/em><\/p>\n Where You Can Watch It:<\/strong> Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n You can read my full review here.<\/a><\/p>\n Genre:<\/strong> Steampunk, Slice-of-Life, Romance<\/p>\n Studio:<\/strong> Shochiku<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong> September 18, 2020<\/p>\n Non-spoiler plot summary:<\/strong> Child soldier-turned-ghost writer Violet has grown from a near-emotionless doll into a deeply caring young woman thanks to her work and her friends. Every day she understands a bit more about the final words her commander said two her before the two of them were buried in rubble: the words \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite him being MIA since that moment, her dearest wish is that he is still out there somewhere\u2014and dreads the day where she gains solid proof of his demise.<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> The Violet Evergarden<\/em> TV series is all about Violet growing enough as a person to accept that Gilbert was likely killed in action\u2014saving her life in the process. It\u2019s about, how, through others, she is able to understand her own feelings towards him\u2014even if it\u2019s too late to convey them to him.<\/p>\n But, as the film shows, just because she is strong enough to go on without him and has come to understand her own heart, that doesn\u2019t mean she doesn\u2019t long for him with every fiber of her being. Every action outside of her work life is spent trying to grow closer to a man who is likely no longer in this world. It is a truly relatable, human story and one with an emotional climax that will leave even the most jaded heart in tears.<\/p>\n Watch it if you like: <\/strong>Violet Evergarden, The Ancient Magus Bride, Kino\u2019s Journey<\/em><\/p>\n Where You Can Watch It:<\/strong> Japan (It is rumored to stream on Netflix worldwide sometime after May 2021).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/ES-HWXZU8AARDGv.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: \u3010\u516c\u5f0f\u3011\u30c7\u30b8\u30e2\u30f3\u30a2\u30c9\u30d9\u30f3\u30c1\u30e3\u30fc LAST EVOLUTION \u7d46<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\nDigimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna<\/h2>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EpGTkSyU8AAxPgm.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: \u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u6620\u753b\u300e\u30b8\u30e7\u30bc\u3068\u864e\u3068\u9b5a\u305f\u3061\u300f<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\nJosee, the Tiger and the Fish<\/h2>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/e78Pe5lXQpc\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: \u6771\u6620\u6620\u753b\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb<\/a> on YouTube.<\/em><\/p>\nLooking for Magical DoReMi<\/h2>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/-tdRyRQQBNw\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: \u30ce\u30a4\u30bf\u30df\u30ca YouTube\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb<\/a> on YouTube.<\/em><\/p>\nPsycho-Pass 3: First Inspector<\/h2>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/EmhApzXXcAEX7BT.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: \u300c\u30f4\u30a1\u30a4\u30aa\u30ec\u30c3\u30c8\u30fb\u30a8\u30f4\u30a1\u30fc\u30ac\u30fc\u30c7\u30f3\u300d\u516c\u5f0f<\/a> on Twitter.<\/em><\/p>\nViolet Evergarden: The Movie<\/h2>\n