Darylsurat

In this episode we free our souls from the weight of gravity and gain true understanding of one another as you belong to me, I belong to you, we belong to Earth, and Daryl reviews the 7-part OAV series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Visit www.animeworldorder.com for full show notes and supplemental links.

Constant rain, constant drizzle, heading down tiny corridors between buildings, inverted red triangles on the windows showing the way of decent. A scene where we sit in a new restaurant on the second floor of a building that has seemingly always been there, interior painstakingly designed to look decidedly postwar. Deliberately uncomfortable, staff girls wearing pink Crocs to offset the difference. Fake dirt, fake nostalgia. This used to be a row of offices where agents of the Government of Darkness faked work and toil and did much more harm that way than if they had set out for something deliberate. Their children fated to recreate half century loops of history they know nothing about save the consistency of food and drink preparation. Jetlag highballs and feeling old sitting next to fresh recruits in identical while button down shirts and black slacks. They start to smoke, not from tobacco, but from the peak friction of things inside that can no longer be contained because they’d stopped long enough to sit. And then I run.

Bundled in with the swarm of news out of this morning's Nintendo Direct presentation was a North American release date for Bayonetta 2. Platinum Games' action game sequel heads to Wii U in the region on October 24. 

 

In addition to the sequel, which promises even more insane battles, weapons, and other means of upping the ante, the release will come packing an enhanced Wii U version of the first Bayonetta. As previously reported, players can look forward to dressing the heroine up as Link, Samus, and Princess Peach.

 

A European release is due out sometime in October.

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

This morning's Nintendo Direct event came packing a handful of announcements that we'll be getting into today, starting with the reveal of two new, more powerful Nintendo 3DS models. The New Nintendo 3DS will be available in standard and XL versions, and is set to debut in Japan on October 11.

 

One of the many adjustments made to the portable is the addition of a C-stick, which acts as a tiny little analog stick on the right side of the 3DS. Games like Super Smash Bros., Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Dragon Quest X Online, and Final Fantasy Explorers will take advantage of its camera movement that replaces the need for the SlidePad peripheral.

 

 

New Nintendo 3DS also adds ZR and ZL buttons, 3D shake prevention, NFC compatibility, customizable cover plates, longer battery life (increased from 3.5 to 6 on 3DS and 3.5 to 7 on 3DS XL), and overall improved hardware. 

 

The standard New 3DS will be available in black and white versions, priced at ¥16,000 ($154), when it launches in Japan. the XL version will be available in metallic blue and metallic black for ¥18,800 ($181). Planned bundles include a Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 3DS at launch for ¥25,600 ($246) and a Super Smash Bros. 3DS in November.

 

 

We previously saw pretty much the same Super Smash Bros. design announced for the regular 3DS XL in Europe.

 

Via Gematsu

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

Shareholders of the Twitch video streaming service approved Amazon's offer to buy the company for about US$970 million in cash. The deal is expected to...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the amount of idol groups in Japan are at an all-time high, and it helps to have one heck of a gimmick to stand out from the pack. Enter: Chubbiness, a 10 girl all-singing, all-dancing troupe of “chubby girls” handpicked by record label Avex and fashion magazine CamCan at an audition held in 2013.

 

The result is “Manmadieya!”, Chubbiness’ first song and first music video that, according to Tokyogirlsupdate.com, represents the feelings of girls who love eating. Bon appetit below…

 

 

Fun fact: Chubbiness group members also get to work at two limited time theme restaurants in Japan. They also push diet and exercise products at a mail order site called “ChubbiMart”. Discover much more at the official Chubbiness home page.

 

BONUS! A pair of publicity pics of...Chubbiness

 

 

 

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Patrick Macias is editor in chief of Crunchyroll News. He is also the editor of Otaku USA magazine. Check out his rather amazing Tumblr at japanesefashioninferno.tumblr.com.

Despite the fact that Clarissa is in the middle of moving and Gerald is in the middle of helping Clarissa move, it was decided that the computers and microphones shouldn't be packed up just yet, since Gerald's got an Otakon report due. Visit www.animeworldorder.com for full show notes and supplemental links.

Jake Tapper's job for August 19th was to march with the protesters in Ferguson. Here's an image for the ages, captured by Daily Show writer Travon Free and posted to Twitter.

A classic forever.

General

Fortune and misfortune came in roughly equal parts at this year’s Otakon, as the best weather in years for the convention mainly served to provide some reprieve for the long and grueling ticket line. Some technical difficulties forced the registration to extend all the way until Friday at 4pm (registration began Thursday). Being press I did not have to deal with this myself, so I don’t want it to sound like I am speaking entirely from personal experience, but I did accompany a couple of friends as they moved through what was a seemingly unending parade of otaku before giving up at roughly the 2-hour mark and waiting for the next day.

Some panel room shuffling this year meant that panels could hold larger audiences, while little details like dividers helped traffic flow along. The bottleneck sky bridge between the Baltimore Convention Center and the Hilton could still get backed up at times, but not quite as much as last year. Again, the weather was a major boon as it meant that even if certain parts of the con got jammed, it was a simple matter of leaving the con center and entering at a different point. Unfortunately, many of the presentations also had tech issues that mostly seemed to stem from the Otakon equipment rather than presenters’ laptops and such. However, Otakon smartly implemented 15-minute breaks between panels, which gave people time to set up and mostly work through any problems, and even if things still went awry it at least only ate into their time somewhat.

Once people actually got into the convention though, Otakon turned out for the most part to be as great as ever.

Industry Panels

This year, due to still recovering from jetlag, I took a more relaxed pace compared to previous Otakons. Having no panels to run for myself made this easier, and while the guests were good, none of them were must-see for me. Of course, even simply picking and choosing means that there are still a number of interesting panels. The best industry panels this year had to be the Q&As with director Katabuchi Sunao (Mai Mai Miracle), Otakon mainstay Maruyama Masao, founder and former producer of the anime studio MADHouse and current founder of MAPPA (Kids on the Slope, Teekyuu), and character designer/animator Matsubara Hidenori. Their new project is a film adaptation of the manga In this Corner of the World (previously released on JManga as To All Corners of the World) by Kouno Fumiyo, about a young girl living in Hiroshima during World War II. Kouno previously received critical acclaim over the similarly themed Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, and having read In This Corner of the World myself, I have to say that I am extremely looking forward to this project.

I managed to ask a couple of questions of Katabuchi. One had to do with some criticism of Kouno’s work I’ve seen in the past, where people accused her of not being directly critical enough of the Second World War and issues such as Japan’s militarism at the time. While it’s clear upon reading the manga that the work is actually quite critical and is merely subtle in its approach, I wanted to know if 1) they were aware of this criticism 2) they were prepared to address it. Katabuchi’s response was quite satisfying in this regard, as he himself gave an example of how the original manga does portray a larger world with many political issues but through the eyes of a young girl who isn’t necessarily aware of everything around her but is nonetheless affected by it in her everyday life.

In particular, Katabuchi pointed out how the main character’s desire for a yo-yo is actually a reference to the fact that yo-yos had become popular in Japan at the time, but the manga does not bother to mention this because a little girl would not be thinking about the significance of popular trends to a society. In other words, while this yo-yo example says nothing directly about the political climate at the time, it shows the awareness that the work has about what was happening in society. Given this response, and the fact that an elaborate art exhibition of their layout and design work for the movie showed just how much research they were putting in to depict a pre-atomic bombing Hiroshima, it gives me confidence that the movie will properly tackle its difficult subject matter. While Miyazaki Hayao’s The Wind Rises drew a similar kind of controversy (the criticism that it had whitewashed Japan’s role in history), I feel that, similar to Miyazaki’s film, that this will not be a simple black-and-white anti-war film.

The other question had to do with the fact that he actually worked on the, shall we say interesting, American Street Fighter cartoon. No, not the anime film with the dub soundtrack featuring Korn, nor Street Fighter II V, but the one best known for its M. Bison memes. I basically asked if he had any recollection of his experience there, and he said that it had been so long ago that all he remembered was drawing Chun-Li at some point and eventually feeling like he should have been in charge of the whole thing. At another point in the panel, Katabuchi also mentioned how he has an advantage over Miyazaki because Miyazaki is never allowed to direct something like Black Lagoon but everything is fair game for Katabuchi himself.

As for Maruyama, it’s more or less the case every year, but the man is arguably the most important person at Otakon every time he attends. In This Corner of the World is a MAPPA production and so a lot of the focus was on that, but he was of course open to questions in general. I asked him if his production style had changed now compared to his early days at MADHouse on shows such as Aim for the Ace!, but he responded that his approach to production has changed little in the 3+ decades since, as he prefers to give the creators themselves freedom to work. The only drawback is that it means he’s not the best with finances, which is why MADHouse was eventually purchased by Nippon TV.

Another interesting question courtesy of Kate from the Reverse Thieves was whether the subject matter of the current anime Terror in Resonance (terrorism and nuclear weapons) had caused any controversy or run into any problems. Maruyama responded that both he and the director Watanabe Shin’ichirou (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope) had concerns that the TV stations would refuse to air the show, but that the two of them went forward with it anyway because that’s their style. It reminds me of the production issues that the Coppelion anime ran into that caused it to cover up all overt references to radiation, and I’m personally happy that the same fate has not befallen Terror in Resonance, or at least not yet. Overall, I have to stress that going to a Maruyama panel is always worth it, and as sad as it sounds the man is not getting any younger. That said, he did joke that he’s the same age as Miyazaki but whereas Miyazaki retired Maruyama is doing more work than ever before. Maybe it’s a MAPPA trend to make jokes referencing the famed Ghibli director.

The last guest to attend the convention that was related to In This Corner of the World was Matsubara Hidenori, known for his character design work on the Sakura Wars games and more recently for his animation work on the Rebuild of Evangelion films. He was a guest in 2009 as well, and after having heard how interesting his Q&A was at the time I made sure not to miss it. Sadly I couldn’t ask him any questions myself, but his responses in general were quite informative. In particular, he talked about how glad he was to not have to necessarily draw young, cute girls all the time anymore, and that one of the works most influential to him is the World Masterpiece Theater series En Famille or The Story of Perinne. He also mentioned that while he once tried to switch to using a drawing tablet, in the end he had to go back to pencil and paper.

I briefly mentioned the In This Corner of the World art exhibition, but it really deserves at least is own paragraph to talk about how amazing it is. I’m actually a little sad that photos weren’t allowed because the amount of work and research that went into them is nothing short of astounding. In order to properly capture the Hiroshima area of World War II Japan, they did things like find out how seaweed was dried using bamboo instead of reeds, and they even looked into the train schedules at the time to see what times would be accurate for trains in the backgrounds in certain scenes. A lot of this work would arguably be unnecessary and very few people are even alive today who remember that period, but it shows just how much they want to capture the feeling of living in that environment.

I also attended the panel for character designer Kozaki Yuusuke, and while I’m not quite the fan that others are (having only barely played No More Heroes and never having played Fire Emblem: Awakening), it was fun to see him take audience drawing requests. The two images above were the result of this, and it turns out that Kozaki even drew the cover art for the Otakon guidebook this year. This was quite noticeable as generally the artwork for Otakon stuff has traditionally ranged from subpar to mediocre. It also made me really want to read his manga Donyatsu, which is about donut-shaped dogs and cats in an apocalyptic world; in one of the images above, Donyatsu is featured being eaten by a Fire Emblem character. The main reason Kozaki was at Otakon, however, was to promote a new anime project, Under the Dog, which based on its initial material is trying to invoke a Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-type feel but with more action. In fact, at the panel they mentioned getting an animator who worked on GitS. If you want to help make it happen, a Kickstarter went up just this past week.

Fan Panels

While the guests are generally great at Otakon, it’s the fan panels that are in my opinion the heart and soul of the experience. Compared to Anime Expo, for example, Otakon boasts a much larger set of non-industry panels, which results in a general sense of genuine enthusiasm over the experience of watching, reading, and thinking about anime, manga, and related topics.

The first panel of the convention that I attended was the Intro to Josei panel, and it was clear that they were inexperienced as presenters. The panel had two parts to it, a brief history and rundown of the significance of josei (manga for older women), and then some examples of interesting titles. Their intentions were good, but the panel had two main problems. First, it felt like two panels in one, with the seam between the history and the examples made especially visible by the fact that the first and second halves just felt completely different. Second, it was more of an introduction to J-Drama panels than one about josei anime and manga, as all of their visual examples came from dramas, even in cases where anime counterparts were available (like Nodame Cantabile). The result was that the panel didn’t feel like an introduction, but more a brief gleaning of what’s available. If they could include more anime and manga and really figure out what they want to say, then I think it would be much improved for the future.

I’ve known Daryl Surat for a long time now, and have listened to the Anime World Order podcast for even longer. As was the case last year (and possibly the years before that, I can’t remember), Daryl was a featured panelist at Otakon, and he always manages to have a strong mix of smart and stupid that keeps things fresh, entertaining, and even educational. While his Anime’s Craziest Deaths panel is an Otakon mainstay at this point and pretty much always delivers exactly what its title states, he also did a panel on ninja in anime, one on the long relationship of influence that exists between pro wrestling and anime, and one on showing some of the many references in Kill la Kill. The ninja panel was the lightest in terms of content and was more about seeing how wide and varied the perception of ninja has become to include just about anyone doing anything as long as they’re called a ninja. The pro wrestling/anime panel approached that connection from a unique angle, positing the idea that, more than simply being about one referencing the other and vice versa, some of the very fundamental storytelling aspects of anime and manga (particularly shounen fighting works) are influenced by the wrestling storylines that were popular when television first emerged in Japan. It also went into detail about the female pro wrestling scene in Japan and how it was for a long time not about appealing to men through sexy outfits but about giving girls idols to aspire to, which then created certain archetypes in anime and manga as well. Really great panel, I recommend going even if people don’t have an interest in pro wrestling.

The Kill la Kill references panel 1) made me want to watch Sukeban Deka, the show about a yo-yo-wielding delinquent girl that inspired much of Kill la Kill 2) emphasized that what makes Kill la Kill work is that it does not live or die by its references but uses them to enhance the experience (something I agree with). It was fun to see the audience’s brains light up as they realize how many things went over their head, and also great to see how many Kill la Kill fans were at Otakon (more on that later). I have to give a very personal thanks to Daryl, because while he mentions appropriating this post of mine on the puns and wordplay in Mako’s spotlight scenes, he gave me full credit for it and even encouraged people to come read Ogiue Maniax. The applause I got at the panel was one of the best moments of the con for me.

I also attended two of the fan panels run by members of the Reverse Thieves, “The Visual Stylings of Kunihiko Ikuhara” and “The Measure of a Man. The Nature of a Hero: A Fate/Stay Night Panel.” The Ikuhara panel focused on the Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum director and the unique flair he brings to his work, tracing his visual motifs from his days on Sailor Moon to his more recent work. One thing that they really emphasized was how important pattern and repetition were for Ikuhara, which along with his use of visual cues from dramatic theater really shows how Ikuhara values graphic design in his animation work, and doesn’t treat it simply as “drawn film.” As they mentioned, it’s easy to believe that Ikuhara does things purely for style’s sake and that it doesn’t contribute to the overall narrative at all when in fact it very much does, but it could have been highlighted even better. Although there were some technical mishaps, Alain’s Fate/Stay Night panel was also quite successful. In showing how each of the three main story paths in Fate/Stay Night follow a different philosophy in terms of what it means to be a “hero,” Alain pointed out how attempting to mash them all together for the first TV series led to its downfall because it was literally putting three conflicting sets of ideas together. I remember years ago seeing fans of Tsukihime being similarly upset over that anime, and given that it is also a Type-Moon property I can’t help but feel a similar thing happened there.

Other Panels

This might not sound especially different from the panels I normally attend, but by being less focused on must-see events, I also was able to be more experimental in my con experience. For example, while a former boss of mine was big into sumo, I had never really gotten into it myself. However, being somewhat aware of the fact that sumo takes a lot of skill, going to the Sumo Demonstration on Saturday was actually pretty informative. There, five-time US sumo champion Kelly Gneiting took on the world’s largest Japanese man, Yamamotoyama Ryuuta, and showed the flexibility and strength required to be a sumo wrestler. To give you an idea of what it takes, imagine trying to lift 500 lbs. that is actively trying to push itself against you, adding more weight and stress to your attempt. It’s no wonder that matches last only a short while and require long breaks.

Another unusual panel that leaped out of the schedule was something titled “Gunma Prefecture Office” with no description to accompany it. What could it be? Was it actually people from Gunma’s tourism division? It turns out that it was something along those lines (though not in an official capacity), as former Otakon president Alice Volkmar introduced the crowd to the Gunma Prefecture and all of its little details. The things I got most out of it were that hot springs are a big deal there (which of course makes me want to visit), and it’s known for its three mountains, all of which are featured in the intense races of Initial D. Truth be told, I was originally considering just asking Initial D questions the entire time.

The last panel I will mention is the Otakon Game Show, a perennial Otakon feature that has both contestants and audience participating in a battle of who knows more about anime. It’s generally fun, though I feel like the questions are too geared towards knowledge of minutiae from popular shows and not so much a well-rounded knowledge of anime, and the ask the audience section needs to go. I also had problems registering my phone for the audience participation section, and many of my answers did not go through. Other than that, it was a fine time.

I do have to say, though, and this might just be me nitpicking, but yaoi does not rhyme with kazowie. That’d be like saying Aoi rhymes with Howie.

Concerts

I was originally not planning on attending any concerts this Otakon, but upon remembering that the band Altima consisted of not only one of the singers from Fripside (A Certain Scientific Railgun) but also motsu from the recently disbanded group m.o.v.e. (Initial D), it meant I had to check it out if only for a little while. This wasn’t the first time I got to see motsu as I actually attended another con where he was a guest, Anime 2012 in the Netherlands, so I knew that the man brings the hype. The music really got me pumped up, but I actually had to leave the concert early as I could feel it destroying my ears (I failed to bring earplugs).

I am also not big into J-Rock, but X-Japan member Yoshiki has such a reputation about him that when I managed to get a ticket for the concert I also decided to see what he’s all about. You may have to forgive me for being ignorant when it comes to X-Japan, but I had no idea that their style was a mix of heavy metal and classical. Yoshiki was there more for the latter side, performing primarily classical-style pieces on piano while accompanied by a string quartet and a singer. The highlight of the concert was when he played a song in tribute to two members of X-Japan who had passed away over the years, a long, 10+ minute torrent of emotions that culminated in Yoshiki smashing the keys as if he was trying to shove them through the piano itself. This was actually a transition from his classical self to his metal self, as suddenly two other X-Japan members made a surprise appearance and rocked out. I apologize for not knowing their names.

Overall

Because of the fact that I personally did not approach Otakon as frantically as I had in previous years, in a way it would have been difficult for the convention to have disappointed me. That’s not to say that Otakon made no effort to make this year as enjoyable and as comfortable as they could, but I did not run into any major problems that ruined the con experience. The only thing that is a concern is the gradual countdown until the move to Washington D.C. in a few years, and the farewells we’ll have to bid to Baltimore and its food.

I’ll sign off here with a collection of cosplay photos. Shout outs to the Nogami Aoi cosplayer for referencing something as cool as Zettai Karen Children, the Yazawa Nico and Koizumi Hanayo (Love Live!) cosplayers in the photo all the way up top, the impromptu and unintentional VGCW match, and all the various Jakuzure Nonons that attended. Given that she has more outfits than just about anyone else, it was fun seeing how many variations of Nonon I could photograph.

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

BONUS: motsu achieving the speed of light

Let's just dispense with this little lie Chief Jackson told Hannity and his viewers Thursday night. He said, "Not a single protester has been injured and I'm very proud of that." He then redoubled that bid, saying that the only injuries were to police officers.

Here ya go, Chief Jackson. This pastor, who was trying to calm the situation down, came away Wednesday night with this:

This woman who was helping to calm the crowd last night got shot by a rubber bullet later on. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/o4f5YjNUNs

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 14, 2014

If that's not an injury, there isn't such a thing. That was inflicted by a rubber bullet shot from a policeman's rifle. Spare me the pride, Mr. Chief, and especially spare me the lies. Furthermore, here is what happens to people when tear gas is released in their midst:

read more

I wrote a thing on the FB earlier today, the gist of which was astonishment that we can put on these conventions with hundreds of hours of unique events and panels, guests, workshops, gaming of all kinds, video rooms, dealers, and one of a kind experiences, and yet we still get people asking if they need to buy a badge, because all they want to do is wander around the halls and look at the costumers.

And there's a whole slew of entitlement behind that attitude of "if I'm not interested in it, then why does anybody bother?" kind of thinking. Insert 'those kids today' rant here.

But it strikes me to ask, sure, there's a bunch of stuff going on at the show besides wandering around looking at cosplayers. Do they know about it? Are we doing our job in making the average con-goer aware of the gigantic amount of things that happen at fan conventions? Are we counter-acting the years of inaccurate reporting in which the media portrays fan conventions as being nothing more than costumers and overpriced celebrity autographs? We may not be.

These people may look at the ticket price for a fan convention without having any idea what that ticket price pays for. They may feel perfectly justified in trying to get around it, because they don't know what "it" is, really - which means we're doing a poor job in managing their expectations.

Some of us have been in this game a long time. It's tough to put ourselves in the shoes of the first-or-second-time congoer, to think about what they find important or necessary. It's tough to even know what they know, and dangerous to assume they have any background in what we're doing at all. Every show is somebody's first show, and first impressions are hard to break, once they're made. If we're assuming everybody has our experience and our background, then we're making an ass out of U and of ME, as the tired cliche goes.

Metal Gear Solid fans who are also PC players won't be left out of the fun when it comes to Metal Gear Solid V. Announced during the MGSV: The Phantom Pain preview show at the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany, both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain will make their way to PC via Steam.

 

There's currently no release date, but Kojima says to expect Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes first, which would make sense.

 

 

While we wait patiently for MGSV on all platforms, you can watch some cardboard box gameplay below.

 

 

And here's a really fun 15-minute Phantom Pain demo in action: 

 

Via PC Gamer

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter at @Moldilox.

Hardcore Chocolate, makers of t-shirts inspired by punk, movies and pro-wrestling, are bringing their style to gaming with a line of shirts that include Street Fighter "Days of Future Past" designs. Debuting this month, Street Fighter II and Ultra Street Fighter IV versions of Ryu, Cammy and Akuma are juxtaposed on shirts going for 3,800yen.

 

 

They've also done a pair of Sega shirts with Space Harrier and Shinobi designs

 

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

Photo: WWE.com

By Josh Nason, Wrestling Observer

On Tuesday morning, WWE COO Paul "Triple H" Levesque officially announced the signing of Kevin Steen via Twitter and Instagram in conjunction with the availability of WWE Network in Canada via Rogers. A story also went up on the WWE's site.

The 30-year-old Steen is a native of Quebec, Canada, and signed with WWE this month after a long run on the indies that included a multi-year stint in Ring Of Honor. Despite his experience, the former ROH Champion will start in the NXT developmental territory, hopefully crossing paths with old friend/foe Sami Zayn at some point. In fact, Steen tweeted to Zayn this morning when the announcement was officially made.

On the WWE Network in Canada front, WWE is hoping to increase its numbers drastically from the previously announced 700,000 on their Q2 earnings call. This will be the first opportunity they've had to push the network on a platform treating it like HBO as Rogers will offer it as a pay channel in addition to making on-demand content available.

Fun fact: I barely go out at all when I’m here in San Francisco. I like my Xbox and HDTV waaaaay too much. But when in Tokyo – which is where I spent most of June this summer – I’m continually running around, bugging people if they “know of any events”, and hightailing it to whatever weird scene or place makes itself available. Case in point: Heavy Pop Vol. 16, a head spinning mix of crazy outfits, Anison delights, packed with assorted jpop and techno highlights.

Heavy Pop, organized by Ray Ochiai, is a regular club party event with strong ties to the Harajuku scene. To wit: a typical Heavy Pop event will see lolitas getting down with cyber kids, goths, decora, and other varieties of fashion monsters. While the event was open to the public, my invitation to Heavy Pop Vol.  16 came from a girl named Merupan I’d met a few months earlier at a gallery opening where artist Hiroyuki Takahashi’s work was on display. Turned out Merupan was an Anison DJ and was going to be spinning at Heavy Pop while I was in town. I looked at the flier below and figured I had to go…

 

 

Some other friends and acquaintances were on the bill, including Raveman, he of dark wave duo Aural Vampire, and The Lady Spade who have performed at Anime Maturi and whom I’ve interviewed before. So I shotgunned a sugar free Red Bull and made for a tiny dark club called HELL’S BAR in Tokyo’s Sangenjaya ward. Below is my video report on what when down….

 My first impressions were: practically everyone seemed to know each other. Despite the various fashion and music tribes present at Heavy Pop, it was still a very tightly knit scene. This inclusive vibe is pretty rare. Subcultures can be extremely exclusive in Tokyo sometimes, and you’ll often know right away from glares and stares if you’ve strayed too far outside your boundaries, which tend to be even thicker than normal if you’re a wacky foreigner. But the denizens of Heavy Pop were totally open to whoever, or whatever, wandered in the door. 

 With a lot of mingling going on, the dancing and DJ-ing sometimes felt secondary to surreal socializing among the attendees and shop stall staff that filled the floor with spooky handmade goods for sale. The proceedings could be stop-start. Just as the music threatened to fully take over, the scene would switch to a fashion show, a live performance, a mini-birthday celebration complete with candles and cake. The vibe was slightly bittersweet throughout: the HELL’S BAR venue was set to close down for good after this event, even though Heavy Pop continues to be a thing, the vibe of something changing and coming to an end was palpable. The family feel reached its apex when everyone gathered together to take a group portrait to commemorate this installment of Heavy Pop. And hey, what do you know, I wound up in the picture as well…

So yeah, while Anison and otaku culture didn’t play a central part in the proceeding – aside from Merupan’s spirited DJ set – experiencing the underground eco-system of Heavy Pop was totally worth the trip. 

Links

HEAVY POP blog

HEAVY POP on facebook

Ray Ochiai on YouTube (tons of HEAVY POP related videos)

 

HEAVY POP Vol. 16 images courtesy of my Instagram account (follow me, follow me)

 

Kamono Natsumi

 

Merupan

 

DJ Merupan

 

ATG and Lotta from THE LADY SPADE 

 

Bazookistan

 

RELATED LINKS

FEATURE - Event Report - Anison Disco Inferno!

FEATURE - AniLOVE!! Club Event Report!

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Patrick Macias is editor in chief of Crunchyroll News. He is also the editor of Otaku USA magazine. Check out his rather amazing Tumblr at japanesefashioninferno.tumblr.com.

Remember the excellent 2002 GameCube remake of Resident Evil? Capcom is bringing it back in an HD remastered version for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. 

 

The updated version of Resident Evil will feature 1080p graphics on current-gen consoles and PC, with the older systems getting 720p and all platforms running at 30 frames-per-second. There will be both 4:3 and 16:9 options, 5.1 surround sound support, and classic and alternative control schemes. 

 

Screens:

 

Resident Evil launches first in Japan, with Biohazard HD Remaster set for a November 27 release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PS3 version will have a physical release, a cheaper download version, a collector's set with an art guidebook and more, and a limited edition with a S.T.A.R.S. notebook cover, LAMY-make ballpoint pen, S.T.A.R.S. metal clip, and a Resident Evil notebook. 

 

Xbox 360 will just be getting a download option in Japan, and current console versions will launch there as digital downloads early next year.

 

Early 2015 is also when North America and Europe can look forward to Resident Evil across all platforms as a digital release.

 

Via Gematsu

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter at @Moldilox.

By James Cox, Wrestling Observer

If you’re a fan of wrestling now or if you have been a fan of wrestling in the modern era, you really ought to see the new WWE DVD, Ladies And Gentlemen, My Name Is Paul Heyman coming out on August 4th. By comparison to the recent Dave Batista DVD compilation, this is probably the most comprehensive and dense pieces that I’ve ever seen the WWE produce. Heyman’s career is covered in two hours and little is left out, skirted round or overlooked. It is absolutely tremendous, if not enthrallingly intense.

If you know the typical WWE documentary, you’ll know they follow a certain pattern. Often what is unavailable is papered over by zooming in on stills or images from the period in question while narration does the rest. Here, though, we get access to pretty much everything and crucially, I think more than in any other documentary piece that the WWE have put out to date, the star of the collection is the focal point for opinions and views on aspects of his career more than the onlookers. Far too often we hear phatic, empty, out of context snippets from talking heads who really had nothing to do with the superstar in question.

As Jim Ross notes, Heyman “is the best orator working in the business today, period,” and here, WWE let the finest talker in the company do what he does best.

Moreover, if you know the typical WWE documentary, it is fairly rare to learn much from them. With the greatest respect to WWE’s ability to package and edit the stories of their superstars’ careers, frequently they are just fun to watch; you’re taken along for a recap of what you already pretty much knew with the odd gem or nugget thrown in for good measure. With this, I felt like I was learning a lot. Often the talking heads will point out that this or that had “never been said before” and say things like “I probably shouldn’t be saying this but…”

I’d hate to deprive a wrestling fan of that feeling of discovery, so all I’ll say is look out for the contributions of Ross, Bill Apter, Joey Styles and particularly Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer is so erudite and insightful here and is a huge asset to the film.

The first hour chronicles Heyman from a 11-year-old bedroom entrepreneur selling posters to newsletter writer and photographer to 27-year owner of ECW and being at the helm of the sinking ship. It feels roomy and generous, and the ECW footage is excellent. In fact, to ECW fans, this will make a perfect shelf partner to last year’s rather depressing Barbed Wire City for content that will allow fans to reflect on what that time was like for ECW employees. The backstage footage of the early days is pretty extensive, and for those lapsed fans will give enough alone to delight.

Naturally, you are drawn in by the man’s hugely passionate and charismatic delivery that you are inclined to believe everything that he says, but this is Paul Heyman; we have to take some things with a pinch of salt. His longstanding relationship with Vince McMahon is certainly told in honest-sounding fashion. He notes that it is a credit to Vince that he is even associated with the company any more but then, “Vince says it is better to have me inside the castle p***ing out that than it is to have me outside the castle p***ing in”.

Ross is equally honest. He is evenly kind and critical, in true, balanced JR fashion. Heyman states that he “learned more about performance from Ross than anyone else in the industry”, but Ross indicates that he “legit p****ed me off” because he was like an “abrasive” yet “bright troublesome student.”

Other professionals on hand to share their views on Heyman’s life and career include Raven, CM Punk, Apter, Larry Zbysko, Tod Gordon, Rob Van Dam, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Edge, Bray Wyatt and Renee Young to name just a few. And all indicate that Heyman is, as RVD puts it, the “ultimate motivator” who gets people “to do so much for so little.” Not only that, but all who know him best share the view that that becoming a father has made him into a more mature, relaxed, reflective, and reasonable man.

We’re painted a portrait of a man who has worked his skin to the bone in the wrestling industry who is now in the golden age of his life and career. He has, in some ways, sought redemption and found it but in other ways, is unapologetic for his past mistakes and misjudgements. Apter notes that Heyman once fired his own mother, and Stephanie McMahon tells us that he was the first writer that she has ever had to suspend without pay. The convergence of becoming a father, taking time out of the industry, and then moving to being solely an on-screen talent seem to have made all the difference as Heyman is comfortable and happy in both his public and private spheres. And who wouldn’t allow Heyman that? This is a man who worked himself to the edge of destruction at several points in his career.

Otherwise, as you might expect, this is a 3-disc wrestling DVD that offers very little wrestling. Instead, we have a collection of some fantastic promos throughout his career in ECW, WCW, and WWE spanning 1987 to today. We see the changes in his character over time and we feel that maybe those altered nuances in his character are more just the maturing Paul. He considers himself to be a “far better performer [now] for having been out of the company” for some time and says that he is now “having a blast”.

Stephen Hawking says that the definition of intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. Paul Heyman has in many respects continually reinvented himself over the last four decades, but has in equal measures simply adapted to the changing landscape of the wrestling industry. Either way, you look at it, Heyman is an outstanding performer who exudes an intelligence that many others don’t possess in professional wrestling.

Back in April, Haruma Miura (live-action Kimi No Todoke's Shota Kazehaya) was named the lead of the live-action Attack on Titan, and there was ambiguity about whether he was playing Eren or not. Well, now with the cast filled out, it's looking a lot like the latter. Manga author Hajime Isayama is supervising not only supervising the creation of a new story with a frightening new enemy, but also new characters.

 

The two part live-action feature series, planned for summer 2015 has cast

• Haruma Miura
• Hiroki Hasegawa (the upcoming live-action Jellyfish Princess, Why Don't You Play in Hell)
• Kiko Mizuhara (Norwegian Wood, Helter Skelter)
• Kanata Hongō (Prince of Tennis, Nana 2)
• Takahiro Miura (live-action Space Battleship Yamato)
• Nanami Sakuraba (Twin Spica)
• Satoru Matsuo (Thermae Romae )
• Satomi Ishihara (No Longer Human, Sadako 3D)
• Pierre Taki (Linda Linda Linda)
• Jun Kunimura (Audition, Kill Bill)
• Shu Watanabe (Kamen Rider OOO)
• Ayame Misaki (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters)
• Rina Takeda (High Kick Girl)

 

Shinji Higuchi, a key Daicon/Gainax member, who made a significant contribution to Evangelion - was special effects director on the '90s Gamera trilogy and director on the 2006 version of The Sinking of Japan, and more recently, the director of Studio Ghibli homage God Warrior Attacks for Hideaki Anno's tokusatsu exhibit.

Yusuke Watanabe (live-action Gantz and 20th Century Boys, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods) and critic/subculture expert Tomohiro Machiyama will be scripting the movie.

In December, along with the announcement that tokusatsu effects movie guru Shinji Higuchi would be helming the live-action Attack on Titan movie, came news that an early look at his take on the hit series would be coming from an AoT collaboration ad for the Subaru Forester. The campaign's site has posted the 30-second spot.

via Eiga.com and AnimeSlovenija

 

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

Drink #055: GTO
So You Want to Run a Panel

We talk in-depth about panel preparations thanks to us being fully immersed in our own panels for upcoming Otakon 2014. We tackle the topic from many angles starting with the decision to run a panel, then on to submitting to a convention, then of course to the intense creation of the presentation. At the end, we also talk about troubleshooting and worst case scenarios. We hope this will be a helpful guide, but we are still learning a lot about doing panels ourselves!

(Listen)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

GTO

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz rum
• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
• 4 oz orange juice
• 1 oz amaretto almond liqueur
• 1 oz grenadine syrup

Mix all ingredients in tin over ice. Strain into shot glasses and enjoy!

 Follow us directly, on Stitcher, or on iTunes

Filed under: Editorials, Fandom, Podcasts/Videocasts, The Speakeasy

Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is bringing another round of scantily-clad zombie-fighting action to Japan on October 30, just in time to play it on Halloween. This one's coming to PlayStation 4 with four playable characters, a new Cross Merge Combination attack system, and boss battle Quick Time Kills, some of which you can see in the batch of screens below. 

 

 

Via Siliconera

 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter at @Moldilox.

The other week I lost my temper and said some stuff about Marvel’s announcements of Captain America and Thor, who are replacing White Captain America and Dude Thor. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, mulling it over, because it’s been pretty inescapable.

I like Marvel’s characters. I think that much is obvious. I like the creators, too. I might quibble with some story details, but big whoop. That’s the smallest thing ever, “I don’t like this specific aspect of a comic that isn’t being written for me.” No me importa, basically. But it’s the marketing that’s killing me, and I think I figured out why.

Marvel’s making moves to increase the character diversity in their books, and drawing ire from the usual gang of idiots. Which I’m all for, even though I’m way more for creator diversity, and believe is a good thing. But the thing that’s grating is that instead of putting the work out on its own merits and marketing it about how great it is, a lot of the conversation around it has been about the basics that hate it.

I’ve been seeing Marvel folks, mostly white dudes but not entirely, retweet or address or bring up racists and scumbags and sexists while pushing their books, positioning themselves as taking a stand against these people talking trash.

They’re hijacking hate to a certain extent, in the Situationist sense, and are using it to market their comics. The new black Captain America, the new lady Thor, both of these announcements were followed, within minutes, by people talking about the people who are hating on the project. “Big ups to all my haters!” is such a soft position, because it positions you as good because these other people are worse.

On top of that, it also colors the reaction to the announcement. If you disagree with whatever for genuine reasons, but you phrase it as “I don’t like that the Falcon is Captain America,” the reaction to that is now tilted heavily toward “Oh, what’re you, racist?” instead of it being something more reasonable. By putting those people front and center, by tweeting about them and giving interviews about how you won’t change the project no matter the response because you believe in your stuff, you’re…it’s not ham-stringing criticism, but it’s definitely preempting it, in a way.

And I think that’s the gross part. I spend a lot of time consciously pushing back against the messages society tells me about being black. The unworthiness, the laziness, the dumbness…all of it’s fake. But I have to stay on the ball, I have to keep Black Is Beautiful in the front of my mind, because black IS beautiful, and it always has been, and it always will be.

But I remember being in kindergarten and getting called nigger on the playground. I remember fachas screwing with me and my friends in Spain. I remember getting followed around stores, people looking at me like I don’t belong, and getting ignored when trying to do my job because there’s a white dude next to me who people assume is the boss of me. This weekend I got confused for a few other black dudes in comics who I don’t even resemble, and it stings every time.

And I think it’s messed up to see somebody who doesn’t know that pain harness it to sell some comics. That’s what’s been grossing me out, that’s what I haven’t been able to properly articulate. It’s the corporate version of dudes crowing about how feminist they are, like being a decent human being means they deserve groupies. “One episode of The Wire, what you know about dope?” right? And I feel like Marvel gets it on a certain level, and they certainly employ people who get it, but they don’t get it yet.

Somebody calling you a nigger ain’t a badge of honor. You don’t show off your gunshot wounds. You don’t crow about how people hate you in the name of making yourself look good. You let the dead bury the dead and leave the garbage men in the rear view or in the ground. They should not matter to you or me not nary an inch.

That’s why it feels like diversity-as-marketing to me. The creative teams are killer, and I like that Marvel is putting the full weight of their machine behind these books. I respect the people creating the comics. But I can’t take seeing people be proud of getting hated on in a way that doesn’t hurt them but forces me to think about how crap and dangerous it is to be black (or anything else) and alive in America in 2014.Similar Posts:

• New Ultimate Edit Week 4: Day Two
• “All up in the Kool-Aid and don’t know the flavor.”
• Brevoort on Selling Comics
• Ultimatum Edit Week 3: Day Four
• Cheryl Lynn with the brief comeback

Fergal "Prince" Devitt was officially announced by WWE as having signed with the organization and will be reporting imminently to NXT.

The Devitt deal had been put together in late 2013 and was largely confirmed in January when he failed to renew his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling, leaving the company a few months later.

Devitt, Kevin Steen, Kenta Kobayashi and Willie Mack are among those scheduled to start with WWE this summer.

While Sasha Blouse doesn't seem to be quite the fan fave she was when the Attack on Titan anime launched, Potato Girl does still have devotees marking her July 26th birthday. See how the Wings of the Counter Attack browser game and her fans celebrated...

 

7月26日はサシャの誕生日！誕生日記念して、特別な描き下ろしイラストが登場中!さらに「芋」と「ハム」がサシャ専用の武器に!?お見逃しなく！ #shingeki_hangeki pic.twitter.com/HIPhFsoYQy

— アイラ@進撃の巨人 -反撃の翼- (@shingeki_wing) July 26, 2014

 

From voice actress Yuu Kobayashi

◎小林ゆうですなう。今日はサシャ•ブラウスさんのお誕生日ですなう。おめでとうございますなう！私もパァンを食べさせて頂きますなう！ pic.twitter.com/wDH3R06VHK

— 小林ゆう_公式 (@holy_kobayashi) July 26, 2014

 

【#サシャ生誕祭2014】 本日7/26はサシャのお誕生日！！！おめでとうおめでとう(´ρ`)ふかした芋はなかったのでコロッケでお祝い！ほら、いろんなところからクラッカーの音が……ってテメェ！放屁じゃねぇか！盛大に鳴らしやがって！ pic.twitter.com/cx54bEfpD2

— タワーアニメLALAガーデンつくば店 (@TOWER_AnimeTsuk) July 26, 2014

 

サシャ生まれてきてくれてありがとう。誕生日を祝して、サシャ花火を打ち上げたよ♡あと、サシャを狙ってた前田巨人は代わりにわたしが駆逐して食うね♡今日もおいしいものたくさん食べて幸せに過ごしてくれると嬉しいです。 #サシャ生誕祭2014 pic.twitter.com/WleJWWCKYP

— きゃる( ›◡ु‹ ) (@mnganm3) July 25, 2014

 

#サシャ生誕祭2014 #進撃クラスタさんと繋がりたい サシャおめー∩^ω^∩♪ てかもぉこれ誰状態…orz pic.twitter.com/mrPOL6HpM6

— なちこ(¦3ꇤ[▓▓]アイコン変えました (@nachiko25) July 25, 2014

 

ぎりぎりで描いたのでひどいけど私だってサシャのお誕生日お祝いしたいの‼‼‼（半ギレ） 滑り込み&雑失礼します…‼ 意地汚くて可愛くて天然でビビリで勇敢な君が大好きです敬礼‼‼‼(ﾋﾞｼｯ #サシャ生誕祭2014 pic.twitter.com/Bxsq2pdl0G

— ましゅまろ (@marshmallow1211) July 26, 2014

 

今日はサシャの誕生日なのでアイライナーでほっぺにサシャを描いてお祭りに行きました！ #サシャ生誕祭2014 pic.twitter.com/zhcazV7FLN

— サシャおめでとう！！！ (@huwahuwamoyashi) July 26, 2014

サシャお誕生日おめでとう！！！サシャ大好き愛してる結構しよ！！！これからも大天使でいてね #サシャ生誕祭2014 pic.twitter.com/fvcWE4g8sz

— サシャおめでとう！！！ (@huwahuwamoyashi) July 25, 2014

 

ラテアート【サシャ・ブラウス】＠進撃の巨人 LatteArt【Attack on Titan】 本日お誕生日で１杯。 Happy Birthday! #サシャ生誕祭 #サシャ生誕祭2014 #ラテアート pic.twitter.com/SQVyLa10pb

— ベルコルノ@ラテアート (@BELCORNO) July 26, 2014

 

サシャお誕生日おめでとう！これからも野生的な貴女を愛し続けます♡ #サシャ生誕祭2014 pic.twitter.com/7kyalObpsY

— れまほ (@remarema1500) July 25, 2014

 

サシャちゃん～！おたんじょうびおめでとうございます

 

via http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=3377582

 

via http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=8819254

 

via http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=5116601

 

 

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

A number of media sources have reported that Spike TV will not be renewing Impact Wrestling when the contract expires in just over two months.

There were reports that Carter positioned to her staff at a meeting on Friday that they were leaving Spike on their own volition due to a lack of promotion, but others have confirmed Spike had told Carter they were not going to offer a new deal.

The decision came days after Spike found out that Vince Russo was still working for TNA.

At this point direct sources at Spike did not respond to questions from just after the meeting and most within TNA, including talent, were not aware there was any issue until today when rumors started flying.

This puts the company in grave position.  They have UTA representing them in an attempt to get a new television deal, but unless they could get a deal that pays similar to what they were earning on Spike, financially, the company that had been struggling financially with the Spike payments, would not be in good shape.

TNA was founded in 2002 by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett.  The company was about to fold when the company's publicist, Dixie Carter, found out they were on the verge of closing and convinced her parents to purchase the company.  The company lost tens of millions of dollars, but kept up a glimmer of hope.  They were close to folding in 2005 when Spike and WWE had their split, and Spike brought them in for a late Saturday night one hour time slot.

Eventually the show was moved to Thursday, and expanded to two hours.  Aside from a brief period when they moved to Monday and drew poor ratings, they did solid above station average numbers on Thursday. 

An official word from TNA after the news broke is that "We have not signed an extension and are still in negotiations."