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2009 is 1979: Daitokai - CRYSTALKING
Looking every bit like authentic troublemakers at a lowrider wedding, CRYSTALKING are destined to occupy a special place in post-apocalyptic musical history books for "Ai o Torimodose" (AKA "You wa Shock") from the Fist of the North Star anime. But years earlier the band scored their first million seller in 1979 with "Daitokai", opening theme to the popular "Ishihara gundan" cops-and-car crashes show of the same name. Soon after, an entire generation of Japanese kids tormented their parents by trying to hit vocalist Mushu Yoshizaki's inhuman soaring scales by any means necessary. Now it's your turn...
Daitokai - CRYSTAL KING
The must-see clip below begins generously with a fragment of notorious blackface crooners Rats&Star before settling into "Daitokai" proper - a hot concerto for Christmas lights, punch perms, gold-rimmed aviator shades, and two (count 'em) remote controlled toy helicopters!
OTAKU USA x FAMITSU - The 2009 'Foreign Otaku' Survey
Freak out, freak out! OTAKU USA magazine has teamed up with Japan's #1 TV Game periodical Famitsu for the second time in our publishing history! And now, we want all foreign otaku to rise forth and fill out our "Foreign Otaku" survey below. The results will be published this summer in an issue of Weekly Famitsu, and (because we're big-hearted and foolish) we'll follow up on the Otaku USA website with appropriate post-game analysis.
The 2009 'Foreign Otaku' Survey
In the meantime you might want to pick up issue 13 of OTAKU USA which is on sale, pow!, like now! You can get a peep at the contents at the link below (*spoilers*) Captain Harlock, 999, Street Fighter, Tokyo Gore Police, and stuff like that.
The Secret History of Anime Attraction Shows
Macross, 1982
Great Mazinger, 1975
Steel Jeeg, 1975
Tekkaman, 1976
Grendizer, 1975
Lupin the Third, date unknown
Gundam, 1979 (Sayla Mass w/ Zion troops)
Dairugger XV (aka Vehicle Voltron), 1982
I Love Mama
Published by INFOREST (Koakuma ageha x NUTS)
J-POP in the USA lecture 5/3 in SF, CA
J-POP in the USA: Past and Present
Lecture by Patrick Macias
Over the last few years, Japanese pop exports such as anime, manga, and video games have had an enormous impact on people’s lives in the United States. But how did the current demand for Japanese cultural products develop, and where is it going? In this presentation, Patrick Macias will present an overview of the development of J-pop fandom in America, from fans of early anime like Astro Boy to the new breed of self-identified “otaku”.
Japanese pop culture represents an enormous opportunity for both teachers and students alike to share and learn from, and this presentation will also offer some ideas for using anime and manga in the classroom as an educational tool.
About the speaker: Patrick Macias is currently the Editor-in-Chief of OTAKU USA magazine, a bi-monthly newsstand publication about anime and manga. He is also the author of numerous books including TOKYOSCOPE: THE JAPANESE CULT FILM COMPANION, JAPANESE SCHOOLGIRL INFERNO: TOKYO TEEN FASHION SUBCULTURE HANDBOOK, and OTAKU IN USA, published in Japan by Ohta Shuppan. Patrick has spoken about Japanese pop culture for UCLA’s J-Wave Conference, the Japan Society of Northern California, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, and at Temple University Japan Campus.
Time and Date
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Sunday, May 3
Location:
San Francisco State University
College of Humanities
Room 133 (Humanities Auditorium)
General $5
Students $2
“Please have exact change.
Please bring your student ID with you.”
NCJTA (Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association) members, free
Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association official website: ncjta.org
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