Mamoru Oshii has confirmed that he has directed Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe, an anime film in two parts with the release date in Japan for the first part set for November 20. This film will be a continuation of the cult anime Armored Trooper Votoms, by Ryosuke Takahashi, considered the pioneering anime in creating a more realistic and raw version of mechas. All of this without abandoning a strong anti-militarist critique. Oshii is a director famous for having directed the two original Ghost in the Shell movies. Two very unique reinterpretations that are much more philosophical than the […]
Mamoru Oshii has confirmed that he has directed Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe, an anime film in two parts with the release date in Japan for its first part set for November 20.
This film will be a continuation of the cult anime Armored Trooper Votoms, by Ryosuke Takahashi, considered the pioneering anime in creating a more realistic and raw version of mechas. All of this without abandoning a strong anti-militarist critique.
Oshii is a director famous for having directed the two original Ghost in the Shell movies. Two very unique reinterpretations that are much more philosophical than the original manga, which, while shaping what most people understand as Ghost in the Shell, are not exactly faithful to the source. This has led the studio Science SARU to release a new adaptation next July that is more faithful to the original.
A director of classic anime (and other peculiar things)
In recent years, he has been more focused on producing unique and very particular live-action films with a very intense use of CGI. But aside from Ghost in the Shell, he is also famous for two mecha films and one aviation film: the two excellent Patlabor: The Movie and the underrated The Sky Crawlers.
As for Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Die Graue Hexe, it will be surrounded by a star team. With the approval of the original author, music by Kenji Kawai, and being a collaborative production between Sunrise and Production I.G., the quality is guaranteed. Now what remains is to know a release date for the West. Although if a director seems assured to reach the West, it is whatever Oshii produces.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most highly rated and best-loved animes of the moment. With twelve years behind it and six arcs adapted so far, the anime has managed to take the popularity of Hirohiko Araki’s work to another level. While it has always been popular in Japan and countries like Italy, thanks to the anime its popularity has exploded worldwide. This has led to the publication of a series with already hundreds of volumes that shows no signs of ending in the coming years. That’s why the anime still has work to do. Premiering today, day […]
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most highly rated anime today. With twelve years behind it and six arcs adapted so far, the anime has managed to elevate the popularity of Hirohiko Araki’s work to another level. If it has always been popular in Japan and countries like Italy, thanks to the anime its popularity has exploded worldwide. Resulting in the publication of a series with already hundreds of volumes and no signs of ending in the coming years.
That’s why anime still has work to do. Premiering today, March 19, 2026, the first episode of the adaptation of its seventh arc, Steel Ball Run, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to surprise with how fresh and innovative it is.But what is the reason for that? And above all, is this new arc also?
A bizarre series in every possible sense
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure began its publication on January 1, 1987, in the famous manga magazine Shonen Jump. It also published series like Captain Tsubasa and Dragon Ball, making it the go-to magazine for all young Japanese. However, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, by author Hirohiko Araki, was not an immediate success. Its first two arcs were well received for their mix of hyper-masculine characters and their fight against vampires and beings predating humanity, but it didn’t quite take off in its first two years. Until its author noticed the trend that plagued the mangas of the time: exaggerated powers and a plethora of increasingly powerful enemies confronting the protagonists.
From there came Stardust Crusaders, the third arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and, for years, the most popular. Here the idea of stands would emerge, physical manifestations of their users’ spirits, which would allow them to use incredible powers beyond all logic, and also the structure that worked so well in mangas like Dragon Ball: to confront a more powerful enemy each time, supported by a series of tremendously charismatic protagonists with unique powers, until facing a great final villain with absolutely terrifying powers.
The formula was a complete success. And over the years, Araki refined it to make it more tailored to his style. Increasingly bizarre, both in the sense of brave and strange, he left behind physical battles for mental ones, giving more abstract and complex conditions to the powers. Focusing on the uniqueness of each of the stands and characters.
This was what made it tremendously popular, but also led to it being adapted into an anime by David Productions. Premiering on October 6, 2012, the JoJo’s series was an immediate success, although like the manga, it didn’t become a boom until Stardust Crusaders. It didn’t become a global success beyond the most hardcore anime fans until its next arc, Diamond Is Unbreakable, which, due to its more detective-like style inherited from Twin Peaks, introduced Araki’s unique style to a broader audience.
The strangest (and bravest) arc to date
Now on Netflix, the adaptation of the seventh arc of the manga, Steel Ball Run, premieres. With an episode of almost 50 minutes, which corresponds to practically the entirety of the first volume, it seems we are going to have the longest season so far: this is the longest arc of the manga, except for the one that comes after Steel Ball Run, JoJolion.
And how has the result been? Absolutely spectacular. Visually, there is a much greater care than in previous seasons, with astonishing animation and overwhelming direction. The soundtrack by Kenji Kawai is also noteworthy, perfectly enhancing each scene with the appropriate tone, introducing the necessary intensity for a story of this kind. And even the most potentially problematic aspect, the animation of the horses, is nothing less than prodigious.
Because Steel Ball Run is a very particular story: in 1880 in an alternate United States, a horse race is held from San Diego to New York, from one end of the country to the other. A series of racers sign up for different reasons, but none do it solely for the money. And certainly not the two protagonists of the story: the seemingly out-of-nowhere Gyro Zeppeli and the invalid Johnny Joestar.
With countless cameos from well-known characters, but in different roles due to a reason that those who have seen the previous season will know perfectly and we don’t want to spoil, this is the most unique season so far. And also the one that will offer the most dramatic and strange moments to date. But if we consider the first episode, the only one aired so far, it seems we have nothing to fear. The writers are not afraid to change small things from the manga to introduce hints and nods to things to come, making it an even deeper and more interesting viewing experience than reading the original manga.
With only one episode released so far on Netflix and no confirmation on how many episodes there will be or whether they will limit it to one episode a week or release batches, we will have to wait until next week to know more. But what is already evident is that Steel Ball Run is going to be one of the series of the year. And very likely, the best season of JoJo’s to date.
