Summer Wars

The Boy And The Beast is the latest film from Mamoru Hosoda, Hayao Miyazaki's heir apparent. It's a poignant fable about growing up and parenthood, as well as a stunning, fun adventure film. Screen & Page looks at the appeal of the movie, and its adaptation as a manga by Renji Asai.

Most anime is adapted from manga, often produced by the manga publisher to raise awareness and selling it overseas. But what about the anime shows or film that go the other way, adapted from the screen to the page? How do those works hold up, and what changes or stays the same? That's what Screen & Page aims to explore. This week, we're looking at Mamoru Hosoda's 2009 science fiction film Summer Wars, and the Iqura Sugimoto manga that followed it!

Funimation's recent release of Madhouse's Summer Wars is the latest cinematic stab at crossing Japanese anime over to a North American audience. Anime features and series aimed at the current, insular anime audience have been staples for years, but titles that click with those who aren't inherent otaku are few and far between...