The big release this month has got to be anime juggernaut (or as some prefer, the Japanese Walt Disney) Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (Howl's Moving Castle). To be released on November 20, there's no doubt it will amount to another hit for Studio Ghibli. It should be interesting to see what kind of box office dominance it can muster in the wake of the records broken by Miyazaki's previous, Oscar-nominated film (and Berlin Film Festival top-prize winner), Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away).

With all but one of his previous Ghibli efforts being based on original ideas (the exception is KiKi's Delivery Service), this outing sees him adapting someone else's work: the novel of the same name by English author Diana Wynne Jones. But with the film being directed and written by him, and frequent music collaborator Jo Hisaishi back in the mix, this should be a proper Miyazaki film through and through. The trailers for the film make it look like another classic, with lush animation and a careful - and very successful - use of CG. Although it's not yet listed as such (let's keep our fingers crossed), expect the film to play at the Roppongi Hills Virgin Cinemas with English subtitles.

A recent article from The Daily Yomiuri takes a look at the growing popularity and expansion of late-night animated TV shows here in Japan. It seems that the number of shows that air at that time, with a target audience of people in their twenties and thirties, is definitely growing: 17 shows this year, versus 10 during last year's fall season. TV Tokyo is leading the charge with 9 of its own. Most of the animated series that you'll see mentioned in this column (either on air, or released as DVDs) are from this after-midnight crowd. Daytime and early-evening anime remains in the realm of Pokemon and Doraemon. Next month we'll take a look at some of the current shows that are worth watching.

And while on the subject of late-night animated shows, a recommended series that had its 13-episode run (typical length of a season) earlier this year is Gokusen. Based on the manga created by Kozueko Morimoto, the series follows Yamaguchi "Yankumi" Kumiko, struggling high-school teacher by day, leader of a yakuza clan by night. What's really fun here (it's a comedy) is that the main character, who appears as a goof to her students, sometimes lets her "hard" side get the better of her, which is when things get dangerous (for her, and those around her).

Before being adapted as an animated series, Gokusen made the transition to a very successful live-action drama two years ago, starring the beautiful and popular Yukie Nakama (you'll certainly know her from her countless TV commercials for mobile phone provider AU). After a reunion special late last year, a new season of the drama has recently been announced. As for the anime, a first DVD will be released in the US November 20 by Media Blasters. Volume 1, The Unteachables, will contain five episodes. The second DVD (of three) will follow in December. The official English title for the show is "The Gokusen."

Japanese DVD releases with English subtitles aren't as frequent as I'm sure most of us would want them to be. Now comes news that the Japanese DVD release of last summer's Steamboy, the latest creation of Katsuhiro Otomo (better known for the manga and animated film Akira), out on April 25 of next year, will not feature any English subtitles. This just means that we'll have to wait a bit longer for the American Region 1 release, to be played on the region-free DVD players that any lover of Asian cinema (and anime) is sure to have.

Still on the subject of Otomo, it is said that he recently announced to the French press that the live-action adaptation of his classic Akira manga is set to be directed by French director Pitof. Let's hope that the result is more like his debut feature Vidoq than his disastrous film adaptation of Cat Woman.

Luckily for us, there are still some Japanese DVDs that feature English subtitles (like all of the beautiful Studio Ghibli releases), and it seems that Mind Game, to be released December 22, will feature them. The film is produced by Studio 4C, who were behind two of the shorts in the ANIMATRIX project, Shinichiro Watanabe's Kid's Story and A Detective Story. I can't tell you much about the film, except that it takes animation in extremely non-traditional directions with a free-form collection of shorts that tie-in together, somehow.

For some very interesting writings on the subject of anime, be sure to check out some recent updates at Japanese-cinema review site Midnight Eye. As part of a big anime-centered update, they posted an interview with Ghost in the Shell (and its recent sequel, Innocence) director Mamoru Oshii, an in-depth look at the early days of Japanese animation, and quite a few movie reviews, including Steamboy and Cutie Honey (the live-action adaptation of the animated - and sexy - classic). They also review the new book "Stray Dog of Anime," Brian Ruh's look at Oshii and his works.