Archive for 'Anime' Category

Moshi Moshi Nippon Festival 2016 in Tokyo

A talk show event related to Japanese culture is being held Nov.24-27 at Tokyo Taiikukan(Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnagium) in Tokyo. (http://fes16.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/about.php)(http://www.tef.or.jp/tmg/en_index.jsp)

At the event, various celebrities, officials of big businesses, artisits and so forth give lectures and discussions of how people should promote Japanese art, culture and young peoples’ potential to the world.

driving school vehicles with anime design on the body

ODS, a driving school in Saga pref., Kyushu (a region in the southwest part of Japan)  has begun to adopt so-called “Ita-sha”(a vehicle of pain ,implying  subcultural ideas or objects of bad but cool taste) for its driving lessons since this October. (http://www.oomachi-ds.jp/main/)

ODS now has started using two “Itasha” out of  its 24 driving- lesson cars, expecting to draw attention from especially young people in the local area. the design is about Hatsunemiku, a popular two-dimensional virtual female idol character and other subculture-related depictions.  Itasha is gaining popularity  among the subculture lovers and may influence other industries like driving schools and the like.

 

 

“Kochi-kame” ,the world’s longest manga series finished

“Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen mae Hashutsujo”(/This is the Police Box in front of Kameari Park in Katsushika-ward.) , the world’s longest manga series, which won Guiness Record, finally put an end to its 40- year history. The final book was the “200th book” and published on Sep.17th.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochira_Katsushika-ku_Kameari_K%C5%8Den-mae_Hashutsujo)

The grand finale of one of the most popular manga works draws a huge attention of  a lot of  fans of the manga and its ramified works of anime and TV drama series.

Tokyo Game Show 2016

Tokyo Game Show 2016 was held Sep.15-18 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. (http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2016/)

At this TGS 2016, the number of the paticipant businesses made the record high of 617 and the event was full of lively energy and passion of the new games and visitors. And, there held the special live concert of “PSN meets Secret Artist” ,at which  EGOIST, a popular “fictitious singer” from  an anime work, sang songs.

 

Glass Mask going to be an “comedy” anime

 “Glass Mask”(/garasu-no kamen) is a popular manga work for girls  created by Suzue Miuchi describing dreams, efforts, suffering, and competitions of a girl who is eager to become an actor. Now, this nationally popular manga is going to be filmed as a comedy anime on TV from the comng October. (http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/glass/)

Originally, this manga work is a quite “serious” cartoon of  a life of the girl who wants to be an actor describing her complicated  human relationships with other people, such as her master, friends, rivals and so forth. And it has been filmed as an serious anime and TV dramas a few times so far, but this time in token of 40th anniversary of this manga work, it is to be a comedy anime to describe school lives of  young people as a kind of satire of cynicism of society.

 

Pokemon Pikapika Festival in Odaiba

“Pokemon Pikapika Festival” is being held at Decks Tokyo Bay in odaiba,Tokyo Jul.12-Aug.31st. (http://www.pokemon-movie.jp/decks/)

This festival is held as a tie-up between Pokemon and decks Tokyo in token of Decks’ 20th anniversary.  At the venue there is Illusion Dome where visitors can take a walk and see projected Pokemons’ images and footages at 360 degree. Visitors also can enjoy some special games and facilities, and meals at the restaurant and other attractions.

 

Louvre No.9 exhibition in Roppongi

A special exhibition of “Louvre No,9” is being held Jul.22-Sep.25th at Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo. (http://manga-9art.com/)

“No,9” means “the ninth category of art” in the French society and implies French style cartoons called “bande dessinée” influenced by Japanese Manga and subculture of the kind. In other words,  bande dessinée might be called “the hybrid between traditional French paintings and the Japanese cartoon culture”. For example, Katsuhiro Ohtomo, the creator of “Akira”, one of popular manga works worldwide is said to have given huge influence on the generation of  bande dessinée now.

 

Dragon Quest 30th anniversary

“Dragon Quest”, the nationwide or even worldwide famousrole playing game series is now celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The first game of Dragon Quest or in “Dorakue”(its Japanese abbreviation),”DQ1” was released in 1986. Since then 10 main games and some spinoff works have been released. And some cartoon ,animation, toy products also have been released and now almost every Japanese knows the game series.

“Dragon Quest Museum”, the special related exhibition to show the history and concept of Dragon Quest will be held  Jul.24- Sep.11  at Hikarie Hall in Shibuya Hikarie in Shibuya,Tokyo. (https://dqmuseum.jp/)  As a relevant event, the game’s theme music is played as a train melody at the Toyoko lines’ platforms in Shibuya station Jul.5-Sep.12.

“Movie Campus”, the 12th Movie Week of Agency for Cultural Affairs Symposium

The special symposium, “Movie Campus” of  “the 12th Movie Week  of Agency for Cultural Affairs”  is to be held at Kaguraza in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on this Oct.24th. (http://bunka-cho-filmweek.jp/symposium.html)(http://www.walkerplus.com/event/ar0313e123255/)  (http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/)

The Week is Oct.22-25 at the above avenue. At the event well-known movie directors and personalities particiate in panel discussions and “Gamera vs. Barugon”(1966, Daiei),an old special effect Japanese monsters movie will be run.

 

StarWars characters at the Nebuta Festival

The Nebuta Festival, one of the six major festivals of Tohoku region, was held and new type images such as thoses of Star Wars series were displayed  among other traditional images of floats in Aomori City, Aomori Pref.  Aug.2-7. (http://www.nebuta.or.jp/)

 

“Blood Blockade battlefront” Character store opens at Tokyo station

A temporary character goods store, or a “chara-pop store” of “Blood Blockade battlefront”(/血界戦線, Kekkai Sensen), a popular manga and anime work will open Jun.16-Jul.31st on the B1 floor in “Tokyo Eki Ichibangai(Tokyo Station First Street)” , the biggest station basement shopping arcade zone of Tokyo.(http://kekkaisensen.com/)

 

This manga and anime work is a fantasy about an imaginary world where the human world and and a fantasy world exist together and describing stories of a secret order.  To the work, such a chara-pop store is the first one and is going to sell relating goods to the work. The store will prepare wagons at selling stages and also provide special lottery services whose special goods are available only there.

Japan Academy Prizes 2015

The 38th Japan Academy Prizes 2015 was held at a hotel in Tokyo and The Best prizes were given to the nominated works.(http://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/index.php)

“The Eternal Zero”, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eternal_Zero)a work describing a zero fighter’s pilot killed in the war won the Best  Picture prize and other seven best prizes, which was the first situation in the event’s history.   Jyunichi Okada, who starred in that film won the Best Actor prize, also won the Best Supporting Actor prize with “Higurashi-no-ki”(/The diary of the higurashi cicada). Okada’s record was also the first one in the event’s history.  The Best Animation Picture was given to “STAND BY ME, Doraemon”. And other works and staff won various awards there.

Miyu Koike’s fan event of the first visit to Meiji Shrine

A young female idol Miyu Koike, who has become popular especially due to a TV show called “God Tongue”(http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/god/), hosted a special fan- meeting event  of  the first visiting of the year to Meiji Shrine in Harajuku Tokyo on the Jan. 3rd.(http://koikemiyu.cm-ent.jp/)

She sings “Nakimushi Princess”(/Crybaby princess) that is the theme song of “Anime mashite”, a TV show of featuring anime information.(http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/animemashite/index2.html) So, noe she is a popular singer and idol of subculture. This time she prayed at one of the most popular shinto shrine with a lot of  fans of hers for good luck fo the new year.

“Hatsu-uri”(the first sale) at Washimiya Shrine

The “Hatsu-uri”(the first sale of the year) of manga, anime related items was hosted at Washimiya Shrine in Kuki city Saitama Dec.31,2014 -Jan.3,2015. (http://www.wasimiya.org/hatsu/)

That Shinto shrine is well known as a setting of  a popular manga work “Raki-suta”(/LUCKY STAR) and relating items were sold. Special fortune-telling lotteries of the shrine featuring Raki-suta were available. Some other work’s related things were there as well. Local cafes and establishments provided special services for customers in style of collaboration with the first sale market of the subculture art works.   As a destination of “hatsu-mode”(the first visit to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple of the year), that shrine is also quite popular and more than 500,000 people visited there on the new year’s holidays.

TIFF 27 being held

Tokyo International Film Festival 27 is being held Oct.23-31 at some venues, Roppongi, Nihonbashi and so forth in  Tokyo.(http://2014.tiff-jp.net/en/)

At the festival’s opening, special program of featuring works of  Hideaki Anno, the director of Evangelion series and other popular anime works and also known as the voice actor who played the main part of “The Wind Rises” was supplied. (http://khara.co.jp/hideakianno/personal-biography.html)

A suspense film, “Paper Moon” was run and the main part’s actor,Sae Myazawa appeaered on the stage. And Ultra Seven and tthe old actors of “Ultra Seven”, an old popular Sci-fi TV drama turned up on the stage.