INSiGHT: NEO Magazine: Issue 196

Jumping off the front page of NEO 196 this month, is the always crazy Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, headlining a handy guide to the series for both curious newcomers and knowledgeable fans alike. The Best of 2019 Awards, as voted by the magazine's broad fanbase, covers a broad range of categories, including 'Best Anime' with two sub categories, 'Best Musical Act,' 'Best Game and Distributor,' and 'Best Merchandiser' to name but a few. There is also an interview with Song Kang-ho, one of the stars of the internationally and critically acclaimed films Parasite.

Elsewhere in the issue there's a quick peak into films set for Japanese cinema in 2020, including a new Evangelion sequel, the delayed Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll, and an expected Studio Ghibli production. Next up is an interview with Makoto Shinkai, the brains behind the well-renowned Your Name movie, and the upcoming release Weathering With You; a film that explores the relationship between an outcast boy and a financially struggling girl, the latter of which can manipulate clouds.

One sport that few will be playing in this season, but is the primary backdrop of Stars Align, is tennis. More of a character study than a sports anime, Stars Align explores two old friends reuniting and helping their no-hoper teammates with their distractions. Primed to make many envious in these cold winter months is a feature on Japanese Hot Springs; their folklore as being the result of a giant catfish beneath Japan, the tradition design behind many of them (with E-Honda's level in Street Fighter II being a gaming-related example), and the expectation of zero clothing between person and springwater, minus a towel for modesty purposes.

Rounding off the issue are reviews for Penguin Highway, Calamity of a Zombie Girl, and two very strangely named animations; Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, and I Want To Eat Your Pancreas. The former is set up as stereotypical rom-com, but ends up delving into wider issues, and the latter is a poignant but tragic combo of an ostracised teenager and a terminally ill girl. Issue 196 of NEO Magazine is on sale now at all good retailers.