« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
Amano Ai passes stern Solomon-like judgement on the omurice at the maid café in Nakano Broadway today. Her verdict “OK desu!” And for afters, she bought a copy of William Gibson's Neruomancer. (Guess who'll be bringing the Gravure to Otaku USA soon?)
In hindsight, I think the best career move I made was briefly quitting everything else to become a manga assistant at Denki Pro for approximately two hours. This allowed me to attend the Young Jump New Years Party where as my new boss explained to me, "Hungry assistants fight for free food, while the gods of manga watch." Also, I got to have ecstatic fanboy moments of pleasure with...
KAZUO KOIKE. I gave him a copy of Otaku USA and told him AIUEO Boy was a personal best (in spite of all the love for Lone Wolf and Cub). I know. I really should have asked "What makes a man a man?" But we already know the answer to that one from reading all his manga, right? GUTS!
I have to admit, it took a few beers to make my balls big enough to approach my own personal Alpha and Omega of Manga...GO NAGAI. He seemed pretty cool about dealing with a crazed foreign fan (a skill probably acquired from run-ins with all those Italians) and slipped me The Card as a parting gift. I told him that God Mazinger was my favorite. In hindsight, it was really dumb not to say Violence Jack or a million other titles, but that's what slipped out of my big mouth first.
We watched Go chat with Koike for awhile and wondered what the hell they were talking about (Heath Ledger? A new Hanape Bazooka? Boobies?). Then there was an opening with HIROHIKO ARAKI, dressed like a host club pit boss, and we grabbed it. I told him I knew his biggest fan in America, Jason Thompson, who edited his JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga while at Viz. The name seemed to set off alarm bells...
Once the mad dash for the food and drink had settled down, most of the party was spent playing this really interesting and exotic Oriental game called "Bingo." Prizes included bicycles, iPods, and a DVD player.
But all these brushes with greatness paled in comparison to actually getting to meet the big guy, the One True Greatest Mangaka Ever, DENKI WATANABE! Without him, I would have been mopping the floor or selling oranges by the freeway. Instead, I nearly got a Bingo and had a pretty good curry.
(Sorry for all the pics of my kimoi dasai gaijin face, but you would cry too if it happened to you!)
Thurs/24 will soon be here, which means its time for the Really Big Show on Nippon TV (NTV) here in Japan. Prepare thyself for the "Mokusupe" of the century...
世界で発見！
こんなのアリえねぇ！？
ニッポン大賞
２００８年１月２４日（木）１９：００～２０：５４
Title translates into something kind-of-like "Discovered in the World! What is it?! Japan Grand Prize". I'm the focus of a 20 minute segment on American otaku, which will include home invasion of my San Francisco apartment and much frolicking with cosplayers at Japan Town. Other locations the crew visited include Italy, South Africa, and Russia.
7pm to 8:54pm. NTV. Link to the program's homepage here. See you in TV land.
New jaPRESS column up at livej.maruione.jp. It's a chat with Aimee Major Steinberger: American Gothloli, animator for The Simpsons, and newly minted author of Japan Ai. Link to English version here.
Shrine to Momotaro from Kamen Rider Den-O, from inside a bar next to Tokyo Midtown run by ikeman monster suit actors.
I guess even the janitor is a fan too.
Could be a Shinjuku Sex Shop if it weren't for those Tastee Cakes.
The OTACKERS new favourtie shop in Nakano Broadway.
Girlz Gone Wild in SHABOOYAH!
Storming the Tokyo Eye reality studio.
Date Warui!!!!!!!!!
Matt Alt tries to steal a banner for the Yamato pachinko game in front of Kichijoji Station just like a genki white boy Prometheus. Summarily beaten to death by organized crime for all eternity afterwards.
Note to Steve Harrison in engineering: Redrawn Starsha face? Are old Leiji Matsumoto images now considered out of bounds? Also, did that Captain Okita come from Final Yamato?
The worst kind of jet lag here: like a brick surgically inserted between the eyes. Can barely see a thing, and the trees in the park are all bare. Wandering through Kichijoji with Denki Watanabe, trash talking what Comic Gumbo did to him went the ship went down last Xmas. Invading the Young Jump shinnenkai together next week. Go Nagai expected to hold court (and here were are, having missed Ed Chavez in town by hours). If I take a picture or ask for a signature, the Abashiri Family escorts me out of the building.
Stumble into Shinjuku Marui Men’s, guzzling stamina drink and trying bad not to buy anything. Casing out the joint instead in anticipation of Friday’s free for all. Serious Sparkling Sale action going on with 30%-50%. Mountains of down jackets with fur-lined collars to contemplate. Distressed jeans up in your Jack Rose. Sounds like a commercial, but damn, I was impressed for a fucked up gaijin.
Holding on to last vestiges of life for Kabuki-cho / slasher summit next. Today, your love. Tomorrow: Matt Alt (and hopefully Marxy)!
The unmarried obasan in front of me on the flight dropped a Mini-Disc labeled “Backstreet Boys”.
By an astonishing coincidence; Peace Now was on the same plane.
The new detention center at Narita, where all known affiliates of ESPY are interrogated upon arrival, is much nicer than the graffiti-strewn one in Terminal 1. Immigration official’s review of OTAKU USA #4: “Akiba kei mitai.”
I tried to make it to Kabuki-cho for slasher and drinks, but I passed out instead around 7pm. Honda-saved my life with an electric heater around 3 in the morning. Business and Death are tearing down our ancient apartment building this summer. What a bummer.
Today: Marui stakeout and Shibuya shakedown.
Silver Sun are/were a fantastic UK power pop band from the tail end of Britpop who racked up comparisons to Cheap Trick, the Beach Boys, and Weezer. Naturally, they were fated to be bigger in Japan than anywhere else. “Tokyo e Ikitai”, featuring lyrics in Nova teacher "knee-hongou", was recorded in 1996 as a B-side for the fans there, and was compiled on the Japan-only “'B' is for Silver Sun” LP.
Special guest review of men's egg Core by "Tatsurou", age 16. I am not making this up.
Have you seen men's egg core? I haven't gotten the newest issue (7), but I did happen to find the last one (which would be 6) in New York CITY, and it is basically all about sex positions, girls in bikinis, asking the girls in bikinis if they would have sex with a dude who is 包茎/結婚した/ナルシスト/180cm/一重まぶた etc. Dudes having some gay lotion (semen) competition, true accounts of 忘れられないセックス, and an interview with a naked girl. For the girls who are reading (of which 52% prefer missionary position), it explains things that are NOT ATTRACTIVE, and some 出会い系 ads (if they're reading this magazine they might need them.)
All in all, a great read, A+, would read again. I don't know if the newer issue is more of the same stuff (http://eggmgg.jp/mgg/core.php -- seems a bit more about fashion.. and fuck buddy academy..), but seems like something you (at least your readers) would be interested in. Because I mean, who doesn't want to know how to treat a lady the right way? All for the low price of 450￥!
PM's verdict (on issue 7): Smaller, deadlier, more portable than the regular egg, and strictly designed for guys who never, ever leave the Shibuya axis; it's the Wolverine of the gyaru-o magazine pack. Content seems about 10% sleazier than the usual publication of it's type; complete with love hotel reviews, cutthroat nampa tips and tricks, and how to bust open the gal once you've got her. Despite what the cover says, fashion spreads take a backseat to such fun, but when you've got a guide to goukon binge drinking with the girls dressed like race queens (below), it's hard to complain, let alone stand up. Good for young readers like Tatsurou!
On sale in early Feb.
The next jaPRESS column, written by yours truly, for Maruione.jp is up. It's a virtual tour of the main Marui branches in Tokyo. Link here.
Japanese and French versions also available.
And oh Leah Dizon, sweetheart
Id like to thank you.
I make a series of sure-to-be accurate predictions about the future of the otaku-sphere in my new "Otakool" column in today's Japan Times. Link here.
Recent Comments