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OTAKU USA: memorial animation for you
This weekend at Wondercon in San Francisco....
Otaku USA LIVE: Manga, Anime and More—Otaku USA is America’s only totally awesome anime magazine! Talk about the future of manga, anime, idols, tokusatsu and Japanese video games with editor-in-chief Patrick Macias (Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno), manga editors Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide) and Ed Chavez (mangacast.net), writer/artists Shaenon Garrity (CLAMP in America) and Leia Weathington (The Legend of Bold Riley), and video game reviewers Emily Balistrieri and Heidi Kemps, AKA Zerochan. It’s half Q&A, half steel cage match, plus a massive manga / magazine giveaway! Saturday 11:00am-12:00pm, Room 232/234
2009 is 1979: Shinjuku photos by Katsumi Watanabe
"Koma Square, New Years Eve"
Untitled
"Futen Apache"
"Takenokozoku"
Untitled
2009 is 1979: Toei Manga Matsuri
Coming soon to the Komatsu Toei Theater...
Happy Buffalo Bobs Balentine
This Valentine's Day, give the gift that shows you always care...and then suddenly don't really so much after all, with the mixed signals of a Buffalo Bobs LOVE FOREVER pair necklace. The result of a two-year collaboration with Lion Heart, this set of his-and-hers silver crosses is emblazoned with the original romantic catchphrase "Love Forever", whose warm sentiments are quickly undermined by the resounding slap in the face of a carefully engraved "Fuck You". Also good for fending off vampires and torturing Christians in high Tokugawa style. Yours for an appropriately brutal 39,000 yen at Buffalo Bobs outlets across Japan.
From Yamato With Love (4:10)
In the year 2209 A.D., an enormous dreadnought disguised as a white comet speeds across the galaxy on a diabolical mission of enslaving entire solar systems to...pachinko. The earth faces almost certain destruction from compulsive gambling and chronic chain smoking unless the crew of the space battleship Yamato can find a way to stop this threat one tiny little silver ball at a time...
Hot on the heels of last year's epochal pachinko CR Yamato, pachinko CR Yamato 2 is being rolled out in a flurry of bad wigs, new merchandise, stunning 3D CGI, and commercials revolving around choice quotes from the late Juzo Okita. Pretty much all you need to know is presented in the mindblowing video infomercial below.
I know we're all supposed to piss and moan and say how boring pachinko is, but man, I wouldn't mind spening the rest of my life throwing 100 yen coins at this machine...at least until the inevitable Be Forever Pachinko Yamato arrives.
Oh, and the original Yamato 2 anime first aired 30 years ago, meaning that, yup, even the dumbest Cosmo Tiger could tell you, "2009 is 1979." More pics from the cosplay ridden press conference for CRY2 here.
Stadium Jumper
The new issue of Eiga Hiho features a bevy of 10 best and "tohoho" movies of 2008 lists compiled by mag contributors both past and present, myself among them. The Dark Knight (perhaps you've heard of it) takes top honors overall, while Rambo: Saigo no Senjyo makes a barely coherent and mumbling acceptance speech as the greatest cinematic experience of '08 in my book.
Oh, and there's lots of pics of Kyoko Fukada both in and out of Yatterman garb as part of the regular "Hiho Girls Shooting" photo spread. So here's some of that action...oh, and best to read Joey Coco's advance review of the film at the Otaku USA website.
What else? A round-up of new Teruo Ishii DVDs, Tomo Machiyama on the crime that inspired Clint the Squint's Changeling, the terrifying Devilpress Movie Awards, and even a full page ad for シルバーストリーク, the latest film from the FOX/MGM Cult Collection!
Men's Knuckle: Inspire the Next
The new issue of world-famous and much-respected gentleman's periodical Men's Knuckle features a pretty terrifying "Gaki Knuckle" street snap spread. No doubt, the photogs were just walking down the block one day when they were suddenly accosted by a mob of toddlers wearing the latest in Shibuya-kei kid's wear (think garish American Casual, shiny military flight jackets, achingly distressed denim)...or maybe this is all the result of a tie-up between the mag and their stalwart brand advertisers like Buzz Spunky, Xfrm, Glad News, and Eightby. I can't really say for sure.
This I do know: Eightby is also pushing a sub-line of "Gal Gaki" wear, perfect for keeping the progeny of a blurry night at the club or a bitter divorce warm (and more importantly, "mote") when pulling an all nighter on Center Street.
Still, colour me nonplussed until Men's Knuckle champions Gaki tanning salons and Gaki trance CDs are released by Universal Music Japan. Their hair 'aint even spiky, let alone the proper shade of orange.
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