Month: January 2015

“Borderlands” tales: The Claptrap chronicles

In my previous post, I rambled on extensively mostly about Legend of Zelda-related video games. That actually hadn’t been my intent. I was supposed to ramble about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but I got distracted because I went on some kind of extended monologue about stuff leading up to Borderlands.

Before I leave off on talking about Legend of Zelda-related stuff, however, just a quick note that we will indeed be there at tonight’s Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert at the Blaisdell Concert Hall! Tickets are still available at the link above. It’s the first big video-game-music concert in Hawaii, so attend if you can! We’re expecting it to be awesome. ^_^

Anyway, let me get back on my intended track. This will actually be a great time to take up the subject again since Gearbox and 2K recently announced the March release of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which comprises Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel, as well as the related downloadable content (DLC) for both games, remade for next-generation systems (Xbox One and Playstation 4). I’ve also heard tell that the original Borderlands might eventually be included if the collection does well.

Continue reading ““Borderlands” tales: The Claptrap chronicles”

Ota-cool Incoming: And lo, ‘The Last’ shall be first

Ten years ago in September, the story of a certain ramen-loving ninja descended from a nine-tailed fox hit American airwaves on Cartoon Network for the first time.

Naruto the LastWe’ve seen about a bazillion thingy-no-jutsus, battles, double-crosses, triple-crosses and sordid slash fanfics written since then. Heck, the entire cast has aged as Plain Old Naruto evolved into Naruto Shippuden. And now, as Masashi Kishimoto’s manga ends and the anime likely to follow suit eventually, we have the last Naruto movie ever. I mean, it even says so in the title: The Last: Naruto the Movie.

… wait, what? There’s another one scheduled for release this year? Well now.

Semantics aside, The Last is notable for being the first big-screen anime feature with screenings scheduled for Honolulu this year. There are two screenings, in fact, both at Consolidated’s Ward Stadium 16 complex: noon Saturday, Feb. 21 and 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23. Both will be in Japanese with English subtitles. You’ll also be able to nab a free commemorative poster while supplies last.

So why is this movie called The Last if it isn’t exactly the last movie of the franchise? It’s a reference to the last days of Earth, as the moon is somehow approaching the Earth, meteorites threaten to rain down on the planet and, presumably, Sailor Moon and her friends are stuck in another franchise and have no interest in resolving the matter. To make matters worse, Hinata’s younger sister, Hanabi, has been kidnapped by a mysterious man in Konoha. It’s up to Naruto and the gang to save her, save the world, and … ummm … set up the next movie, I suppose.

Here, have a trailer.

Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but I’ll try to keep an eye on things and let you know when they do. Update 2:55 p.m. 1/16: Fandango ticket links are live! Tickets are $15 each; here’s the Feb. 21 screening, and here’s the Feb. 23 screening.

Other ota-coolness

Aiea Library Anime Club: This month, young adult librarian Diane Masaki is screening two episodes of Polar Bear Cafe followed by two episodes of “something action-y,” as she puts it. At the library, 99-374 Pohai Place. Have I ever mentioned that there’s plenty of parking now? Because there is. For more information or to RSVP, call 483-7333 or e-mail aiealibraryanimeclub@yahoo.com. 3 p.m. Saturday.

portal_20150116_103030_1Random Ingress Portal of the Post: Speaking of The Face of Hawaii Ingress ™ … it’s apparently been so long since I’ve done one of these Ota-cool Incoming roundups (and by extension these random portal profiles) that Niantic, the game studio behind this game, finally got around to sticking a portal on the new Aiea Library. So here it is, a portal that you’ll have to get out of your car to visit, since it’s tucked away a bit from the road. Shown here is the proper alignment — Enlightened-held — for a portal that the aforementioned Face of Hawaii Ingress (tm) seems to want to switch to Resistance control during regular library hours. To each his/her own, I guess. I think it looks prettier in green … but maybe I’m just biased on that matter. Just a teensy bit.

Kawaii Kon Karaoke Competition preliminary rounds: So you think you can sing, and you’re planning to go to Kawaii Kon this year? Give the annual Karaoke Competition a try, then. This year, two out of the three preliminary rounds will be held at a new location: Nocturna Lounge, the video game/karaoke bar just downstairs from our editorial/advertising offices here at Waterfront Plaza/Restaurant Row. (The other round will be held at its traditional location, Orvis Auditorium on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.) For the Nocturna rounds, sign-in starts at 3:30 p.m. Sunday and March 15, with the actual singing starting at 4 p.m. on both days. The Orvis round will be held on Feb. 15; exact times have yet to be announced. Full details on what you need to do to prepare are available at bit.ly/Karaoke_Prelims.

Comic Jam Hawaii: This group of collaborative cartoon artists meets every first and third Sunday of the month at Pearlridge Center; locations within the mall may vary. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/ComicJamHawaii (Facebook login required). Next meeting: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

MangaBento: This group of anime- and manga-inspired artists usually meets every second and fourth Sunday of the month at the Honolulu Museum of Art School (1111 Victoria St.). This month, the front door of the art school may be closed, so enter through the sides or via the basement. Check with the guard for room number. Visit www.manga-bento.com. Next meeting: 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 25.

Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses: Ever since the last time we looked at the seating chart for this orchestral tribute to the long-running Nintendo video game series, the Blaisdell Concert Hall has filled up quite nicely. Here’s a look at where things stood as of 9 p.m. Thursday.

zelda ticket map

 

For those of you who were procrastinating on buying something in the cheap seats, you waited too long; those $45 tickets are now sold out. The cheapest seats available now are $69.30 each ($59 + $10.30 fees); those hard-core fan VIP seats ($138.55, includes a limited-edition poster and a meet-and-greet with the producers following the show) are also still available. There are also other options available for those of you who prefer something in between those two prices. If you did procrastinate, though, you’ll have one advantage that those of us who rushed to buy tickets didn’t have: a discount code. Enter “HEYLISTEN” at checkout to receive 15 percent off (and curse the powers that be for getting this stuck in your mind once again). Click that seating chart above for tickets; for concert information, visit zelda-symphony.com. 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

Anime Swap Meet: Hosted by Kawaii Kon, this opportunity for local otaku to buy and sell assorted preowned collectibles from one another will be part of the 25th Annual Hawaii Collectors Expo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Interested in selling? Check out kawaiikon.com/anime-swap-meet for all the details; registration deadline is midnight Feb. 18. This year, the rules are a bit more liberal: $20 will get you a 5-square-foot space for both Saturday and Sunday, and you can share your space with one other person. Interested in buying? Stay tuned for those details; I’m still waiting to see them myself.

Moyoco Anno at the Honolulu Museum of Art: Hopefully your short-term memory is good enough to remember the details from my post on Wednesday; if not, here’s your refresher. Starting 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 22.

Manga artist Moyoco Anno to visit Honolulu

If you’re dedicated to attending every otaku-tinged special event this year, you’re going to have a very, very busy year ahead.

Consider this: We’re only 14 days into 2015. The Ohana Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center already happened on Sunday (and I completely missed talking about that, *sob*). But coming up, there’s The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert on Jan. 30 and confirmed dates for the Honolulu Festival (March 6-8), Kawaii Kon (March 27-29), HawaiiCon (Sept. 10-13) and Taku Taku Matsuri (Oct. 3). Throw in the two new events that I probably won’t talk about too much here unless a more overt anime/manga link emerges — Kawaii Kon’s sci-fi spinoff, Hoku Kon (July 24-26) and the Amazing Hawaii Comic Con (Sept. 18-20) — and a handful of events I’m told are in the works but haven’t been publicly revealed yet, and it’s clear the hardest of the hard-core fans are going to have to start saving up their pennies now.

One of the events carrying over from last year is the “Modern Love: 20th-Century Japanese Erotic Art” exhibit at the Honolulu Museum of Art, on display through March 15. One of the artists whose work appears in the exhibit, josei manga artist Erica Sakurazawa, stopped by the museum in December to talk about her work and lead a master class. Now comes word that another featured manga artist, Moyoco Anno, will be visiting the museum next month.

Sample of Moyoco Anno artworkAnno’s works have been translated and released in the United States by a number of publishers over the years, including Flowers & Bees (Viz), Happy Mania (Tokyopop), Sugar Sugar Rune (Del Rey), Sakuran, In Clothes Called Fat and Insufficient Direction (all from Vertical Comics), and Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, Buffalo 5 Girls and The Diary of Ochibi (available digitally from Crunchyroll Manga). An Indiegogo campaign aimed at producing an animated short film of Ochibi is in progress. She’s married to Hideaki Anno, longtime director of the Evangelion anime franchise and voice of Jiro Horikoshi, central character in The Wind Rises. For pretty much anything you want to know about Moyoco Anno and her work, check out Melinda Beasi’s interview with her at New York Comic Con 2012 (posted on comicsbeat.com) and the January 2013 Manga Movable Feast archive.

Anno will be participating in several events that are free and open to the public on Sunday, Feb. 22. Here’s the day’s schedule:

  • 10:30-10:45 a.m.: Book signing in the Doris Duke Theater (900 S. Beretania St.; there’s a direct theater entrance on Pensacola Street). Copies of Sakuran will be available for purchase.
  • 10:45-11:45 a.m.: Artist talk, also in the theater.
  • 11:45 a.m.-noon: More book signing.
  • Noon-1 p.m.: Break in official events. Go grab something quick to eat at that gas station on Ward, or McDonald’s or Burger King down Beretania Street. Or you could just wander around and hack/capture/upgrade Ingress portals. Up to you.
  • 1-2 p.m.: Drawing demonstration at the Honolulu Museum of Art School (1111 Victoria St.), room 200.

Seating is limited, so you’ll want to get to those somewhat sorta early-ish.

Those of you who are Japanese art aficionados may want to continue your art museum visit after the demonstration ends; in addition to the “Modern Love” exhibit, another exhibit, “Dreams of Mount Fuji: Masterpieces of the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Japanese Print Collection,” opened … well … today, in fact. The exhibit, which runs through March 22, displays highlights from two centuries’ worth of woodblock prints, paintings and sculptures by more than 20 artists, with the main attraction being three pieces from Hokusai’s “36 Views of Mount Fuji” series. “The Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa” is first up through Feb. 8, followed by “Red Fuji” from Feb. 10 to March 1 and “Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit” March 3-22.

The Honolulu Museum of Art is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays; admission is $10 general, free for children ages 17 and under (although you probably won’t want to take the kids into the “Modern Love” exhibit, just sayin’). Visit honolulumuseum.org.