anime – Page 16 – Otaku Ohana

The Cel Shaded Report, 2/9: Kawaii Konversation keeps coming

So you might have thought that things would settle down after the flurry of news out of the Kawaii Kon kamp … err, camp, last week.

You would be wrong.

That’s because a few days after last week’s Cel Shaded Report, news broke of another guest added to this year’s roster. So say hello to Toshio Furukawa, the Japanese voice of Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z, Freeman in Crying Freeman, Ataru Moroboshi in Urusei Yatsura, Kai Shinden in Mobile Suit Gundam, and several hundred bazillion other classic roles through the years as seen in his Anime News Network encyclopedia entry. He’s been in this voice-acting game since the 1960s, after all, and shows no signs of slowing down. Kawaii Kon will mark Furukawa’s third U.S. anime convention appearance, his most recent being at Sac-Anime in Sacramento, Calif., last month.

Meanwhile, in an announcement that probably fills anyone around the age 18-24 demographic with glee and aging 36-year-old relics like me with dread, there will now be even more convention to enjoy. In what could be considered the biggest expansion to Kawaii Kon since it moved to the Hawai’i Convention Center in 2007, part of the convention will be moving back to the Ala Moana Hotel with the advent of the Kawaii Lounge, a panel room that will have programming from midnight until 4 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. (Yes, I’m aware that the convention itself is noting that this is happening “Friday and Saturday.” I believe this is what they really meant.) Announced events so far include otaku speed dating, a pajama party and cosplay contest, and voice actor Todd Haberkorn’s “unplugged” panel.

Most formal convention events in years past have ended at midnight, so this move effectively adds eight hours of programming to an already packed schedule. Your friendly neighborhood blogger is unsure at this point whether to ask attendees to kindly keep the noise down, or to spring for several bottles of his preferred iced coffee beverage of choice to keep him awake long enough to cover some of the goings on during those late early hours.

Finally, a trio of con-related musical notes:

For those of you who fancy yourselves as singers, the second of three preliminary rounds for the Karaoke Kompetition is coming up from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, at Orvis Auditorium on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Just submit this form by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, follow the rules on musical accompaniment as laid out on the official preliminary round page, and make your mark (hopefully in a good way and not in the style of those American Idol/X Factor/The Voice/[fill in your TV music competition series of choice here] train-wreck auditions that they always show for comedic effect). Three people will be chosen to move on to the semifinals, and out of the nine people who will be ultimately chosen — three during the previous round, the final three at an upcoming preliminary round to be announced — the winner will receive … something. (Seriously, look at the karaoke finals page. One would think a professional recording session would be included, as it has in past years, but we shall see.)
Eyeshine, the band led by voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch, will be filming their new music video on the last day of Kawaii Kon (Sunday, March 17), during the convention’s final hours (3-6 p.m.), in the main events room. (For those of you keeping score, this probably means closing ceremonies won’t start until 6 p.m. at the earliest. Make your dinner plans accordingly.) Want to be part of it? Stop on by. Just be sure to wear clothing with no visible logos. No cosplay will be allowed, either.
Advance tickets are now available for the Moonlight Magic Ball, the convention’s formal ballroom dancing event. Cost is $20, a savings of $8 over the at-the-door price. Deadline to reserve online is Feb. 28, though, so you’ll want to get on that sometime in the next few weeks.

Kawaii Kon is happening March 15-17 at the Hawai’i Convention Center; current rates for three-day passes are $48 general, $38 children ages 5-11. Two-day passes just went on sale, too, at $37 general, $27 children ages 5-11. For all your presale needs, visit kawaiikon2013.eventbrite.com; general information can be had at www.kawaii-kon.org.

Ota-cool incoming!

Yes, I think I’ve finally come upon a better name for the calendar formerly known as “The Great Calendar of Otakudom.” ‘Course, I could also end up changing this again next week or sometime down the line. You never know. It’s also a bit abbreviated this week because, well, news is happening that must be written up. Hopefully things will die down enough for me to finally write up the additions I’ve been meaning to throw in here sometime next week. We shall see.

MangaBento: This group of anime- and manga-inspired artists usually meets every second and fourth Sunday of the month at the Academy Art Center, 1111 Victoria St., Room 200. Visit www.manga-bento.com. Next meeting: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Madoka Magica double feature: Watch the magical girl saga unfold in one big four-hour, two-film chunk comprising Beginnings and Eternal, Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 museum members. Visit http://www.honolulumuseum.org/events/films/13340-puella_magi_madoka_magica_parts_1_2. 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28.

The Cel Shaded Report, 2/2: Kawaii Kountdown, version 9.0

As of today, we’re about 1-1/2 months out from the ninth annual edition of Kawaii Kon … which means we’re getting that much closer to our annual three-day celebration of all things anime and Japanese pop culture. To that end, the local anime convention has been pulling out all the stops when it comes to news as of late, releasing enough news tidbits over the past week or so to fill … well, an entire Cel Shaded Report, really, minus the still-haven’t-come-up-with-a-better-name-for-it Great Calendar of Otakudom.

Let’s start with the guests. A pair of Japanese talents have been added to the roster: fashion designer MINT and singer/songwriter Iruma Rioka. MINT — no relation to this Mint — debuted in 2006 as S-INC and has since created two brands — Sixh, created in conjunction with designer Ibi, and MINT NeKO, fashions that have been based on more than 200 cat character sketches. “The fashion that MINT creates starts with a gothic aesthetic that has evolved into more decorative, ornamental ventures, emerging into an essence that is simple yet high fashion,” notes his bio on AnimeCons.com. This will be his second appearance at a U.S. anime convention, on the heels of Anime Boston last year.

If that last paragraph held any significance to you, then you could be a perfect candidate to serve as a model in the MINT fashion show. Male and female models of all body types are encouraged to apply. If you’re more a behind-the-scenes type of person and would rather serve as a volunteer hair designer or makeup artist, there are positions open as well. Application submission details are available at ow.ly/hjUTE. (Just, umm, do it quickly. They’re going to begin picking the models on Feb. 15.)

The second guest, Iruma Rioka, is another name in the ever-growing “Japanese guests that I’ve not heard a thing about before I started looking into their backgrounds for Otaku Ohana posts, but when I do, they turn out to be crazy awesome” file. She’s a self-described “fantastic singer-songwriter” who is fond of simple triple time and … you know what, let me just grab a portion of her bio from her official website and post it here:

She comes from a noted family (Rioka) which is down on their luck.
She was kidnapped by a witch because of her debt. While that time, she was creating music in the top of the tower and was waiting for the chance to get out for a long time.
Because of her long blond hair, people call her Rapunzel.
After she found a magical crow (named Nemu), she ran away from the tower. She sings and goes on a journey to makes her dreams come true.

… yeah. Umm. Just … have a music video.

If you want to hear more from Rioka, CDBaby has Secret Garden ~2nd Press~ for sale, while iTunes has her self-titled five-song EP. As with MINT, Kawaii Kon will be the second appearance for Rioka at a U.S. anime convention, her first being at Anime Central in Rosemont, Ill., last year.

That brings the guest count for Kawaii Kon 2013 to eight, with illustrator Noizi Ito; voice actors Colleen Clinkenbeard, Todd Haberkorn, Lisia Wilkerson and Johnny Yong Bosch; and Bosch’s band Eyeshine being the others announced to date. Attendees who want to spend even more time with Clinkenbeard, Haberkorn and Bosch will be pleased to know that the Guest Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe is back and happening from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first day of the convention, March 15. Cost is $65 to preregister, $80 at the door, and includes dinner and transportation to and from the convention center.

And while we’re talking abut the Hard Rock Cafe — hooray for smooth transitions! — another pre-con event will be returning to that venue for a second year: “Anime Rocks!” spotlighting local musical talent and the debut of this year’s limited-edition convention pin, happening from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at the restaurant, at 280 Beachwalk in Waikiki. With the retirement of Eleven Staples after last year’s convention, two groups are taking the stage this year: two-time con guests Alt/Air and Emke, a quartet of youths that has been making music together since 2005. To put that in perspective, a review by this paper’s esteemed John Berger of their EP last year pegged their ages as between 11 and 15.

… yeah, they’re pretty awesome for their age. Go see all of them, buy a pin, and get 15% off all food and drink. There will also be preregistration discounts, games and prizes at the event.

Kawaii Kon is happening March 15-17 at the Hawai’i Convention Center; current rates for three-day passes are $48 general, $38 children ages 5-11. Two-day passes just went on sale, too, at $37 general, $27 children ages 5-11. As for single-day passes, those haven’t been formally put up for sale yet, but a new rate schedule recently was publicized: $25 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, $20 for Sunday. For all your presale needs, visit kawaiikon2013.eventbrite.com; general information can be had at www.kawaii-kon.org.

The great calendar of otakudom

Open Cosplay Shoot: Got a lovely costume that you want to show off and want to capture it on film … err, pixels? (The digital era: changing the way we think about things since time immemorial.) Come on out to the first large-scale open cosplay shoot of the year at the Aiea Loop Trail. Cosplayers and photographers, meet at the first restroom at the head of the trail, and go from there. Happy cosplaying/shooting! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

Comic Jam Hawaii: This group of collaborative cartoon artists meets every first and third Sunday of the month in front of Hot Unique Imaging on the Uptown side of Pearlridge Center. And yes, this means that this upcoming meeting will be happening at the same time that the San Francisco Squared Sevens take on the Baltimore Nevermores (you’ll get that reference if you’ve ever read Tuesday Morning Quarterback) in the Big Game With All the Cool Commercials. Fear not; there will still be people there, happily drawing away. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/147779161986428 (Facebook login required). Next meeting: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The Cel Shaded Report, 1/19: Noizi Ito? FANBOY SQUEEEEEEEE~~~

Last week, while I was in the middle of working on assorted posts related to the Liliha Library Anime Art Contest (and yes, part 3, featuring pictures from the awards ceremony last Saturday, is still coming — probably in the next week or so), Kawaii Kon made one of the most awesomest guest announcements EVER.

You’ll have to excuse me for dropping any veneer of journalistic objectivity in favor of pure fanboyish glee, because that announcement just happens to involve Noizi Ito, illustrator and character designer for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Ito also did the character designs for Shakugan no Shana, but OMG WHO CARES THIS IS THE WOMAN WHO CAME UP WITH THE LOOKS OF HARUHI, MIKURU, YUKI, KYON AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THAT SERIES. The few dozen of you who’ve stuck around to read this blog regularly know that I have a thing for anything related to Haruhi and will mention that fondness in this space pretty much every chance I get. (It’s been just as much of a running punchline here as, you know, that book.) I love how recognizably distinct she made each of the characters look in that series. This will be Ito’s second American anime con appearance; her first was at Sakura-con in Seattle in 2010.

Here’s a “Drawing With Wacom” video of her in action.

Ito joins voice actors Johnny Yong Bosch (who’ll also be bringing his band, Eyeshine), Todd Haberkorn, Colleen Clinkenbeard and Lisle Wilkerson as guests for this year’s show, scheduled for March 15-17 at the Hawai’i Convention Center. To register, visit kawaiikon2013.eventbrite.com.

I should also note that the Kawaii Kon room rates at the Ala Moana Hotel for this year have been posted, and they’re quite favorable: $125 per night in the Kona Tower, $149 in the Waikiki Tower. The lowest kamaaina rates you’ll get on the hotel’s website at the moment by contrast are $165 Kona, $195 Waikiki, so that’s quite the deal, I must say. You can find a reservation link at www.kawaii-kon.org/hotel/

The great calendar of otakudom

A bit delayed this week — blame a combination of “mental health preservation holiday”-related lethargy and the usual big horking pile of stories to copy-edit and/or lay out at work — so some of these events may either be going on right now or be finished by the time you read this.

Otaku Fair at Shirokiya: Hosted by Hakubundo Bookstore with volunteers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Anime Manga Society. Pick up art books, Japanese-language manga, posters and assorted character goods. (I swung by there on Wednesday, and it looked like there were a lot of things related to One Piece, Dragon Quest slimes and Hatsune Miku.) Now through Jan. 27.

Aiea Library book sale: Book sales are really a media treasure hunt — you never know what you’re going to find. There could be an out-of-print manga volume that you need to complete your collection, or a Pokemon strategy guide in Japanese, or something completely different that you totally want right now. Find your passions here. Presented by the Friends of the Aiea Library and the Aiea Community Association at the library, 99-143 Moanalua Road. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today.

“Friends, Books, Music … The Sale!”: You know all that stuff I wrote about the Aiea Library sale above? Apply it to this sale, presented by the Friends of the Library of Hawaii, except on a waaaaaaay bigger scale. Visit the Friends’ warehouse in Kakaako, which is ewa (west) of the UH medical school; just go makai (south) on either Forrest Avenue or Keawe Street to the end, and you’ll be there. Visit www.friendsofthelibraryofhawaii.org. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday.

Aiea Library Anime Club: This month, librarian Diane Masaki is screening the always popular Black Butler, which beat out Summer Wars in a fan poll. (Quick blogger commentary: Don’t get me wrong, I love Black Butler, but over Summer Wars? Are you kidding me? Boo, you heathens. Boooooo.) For more information or to RSVP, call 483-7333 or e-mail aiealibraryanimeclub@yahoo.com. 3 p.m. next Saturday at the library, 99-143 Moanalua Road.

Madoka Magica double feature: Watch the magical girl saga unfold in one big four-hour, two-film chunk comprising Beginnings and Eternal, Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 museum members. Visit http://www.honolulumuseum.org/events/films/13340-puella_magi_madoka_magica_parts_1_2 . 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28.

The Cel Shaded Report, 1/9: A familiar festival for the new year

It’s become a bit of a tradition here at Otaku Ohana to kick off the year talking about the annual Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s New Year’s Ohana Festival, and for good reason: Not only are there a bunch of activities that appeals to the Japanophile in all of us — mochi pounding and other cultural demonstrations! Entertainment! Games for the kids! Maximum ono grindage with food trucks and booths galore! — it also serves as the natural launching point for a number of groups and businesses with ties to the local anime and manga fan community.

There are a few notable gaps in this 20th annual edition of the festival — local art group Pen & Ink Works is taking a break until Kawaii Kon, and if the website (or lack thereof) is any indication, things aren’t looking good for another year of HEXXP (you’ll recall that Oahu Anime Explorer was handing out info at last year’s Ohana Festival … and yes, I have heard the murmurings that the show is kaput; I’m just waiting to hear confirmation on what’s next if that is, indeed, the case). But there’s still a nice lineup of people who will be attending, including:

Kawaii Kon: Staff members from the annual anime convention will be on hand for all your convention preregistration needs … and you may stand a good chance of winning a prize at their booth as well.

JN Productions and Generation Kikaida: Autograph sessions with Kikaida star Ban Daisuke and performances by Kikaida & Friends (at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) are the order of the day, along with the University of Hawaii Pep Band and the other usual trimmings that come with a Generation Kikaida party: picture-taking, Kikaida-oke and discounted merchandise. Spend $100 or more and get the Kikaida vol. 1 DVD for free; spend $200 and up and get a Kamen Rider V3 case for your iPhone 4 as well (sorry, cutting-edge iPhone 5 adopters and all of you with Android phones).

MangaBento: This group of anime/manga-inspired artists will be holding their first meeting of the year at the festival, sketching activities and photo booth props likely in tow.

Yu x Me Maid Cafe & Host Club: The group formerly known as Animaid Cafe Hawaii will have their giant Jenga set and other casual games set up at their booth. Also, I’ve said this before about them and I’ll say it again until the end of this blog, but as inevitable as death, taxes, and President Obama and his family vacationing in Kailua in late December, this dance will probably show up sometime as well.

nemu*nemu: Artist Audra Furuichi and her husband, Scott Yoshinaga, will be selling their line of super-cute plush pups and other assorted swag from the popular webcomic. (Side note: Read Audra’s “Heyo 2013! State of the Comic” post on the nemu*nemu website. Then support them in whatever way you see fit. It’s not easy to provide “free” entertainment in this day and age, and with their strategy of staying local save for the Toronto Comics Art Festival in mid-May, they need all the backing they can get.)

Journey of Heroes graphic novel: Author Stacey Hayashi will be bringing books, chibi T-shirts and other chibi goods based on the characters in this manga-style chronicle of the achievements of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team/100th Infantry Battalion in World War II.

Interested? It’s all happening from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the center at 2454 S. Beretania St. and nearby Moiliili Field. Parking is available at the UH-Manoa lower campus parking structure, with a free shuttle running between UH and the center. (Tip: Get there before 1 p.m. to take advantage of free parking; there’s a Wahine basketball doubleheader at the Stan Sheriff Center starting at 2:30 p.m., and I believe the 1 p.m. cutoff is to allow the parking guards a 90-minute window to swoop in and charge the attendees for those games.)

For more information, visit www.jcch.com.

The great calendar of otakudom

New this year to the Cel Shaded Report is this weekly feature that will highlight all of the events on my radar that may be of interest to local fans. It’s kinda like “More From the Anime Desk,” except featuring events that are more than a week out (and with more of an emphasis on events, period). Don’t be surprised if the title of this feature changes next week, by the way; I’m … not exactly enthusiastic about it.

Liliha Library Anime Art Contest 2012 Winners Reception: Fifty-five entries, 13 winners. Join Liliha young adult librarian Linda Mediati, Audra, Kawaii Kon senior administrator Roy Bann and myself as we honor those winners in a ceremony at the library, 1515 Liliha St. (And if you want to see the pretty artwork that we saw in this year’s contest, stay tuned … I’m going to be working on that two-part post immediately after I put this post to bed.) 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Cel Shaded Report, 12/21: Now dash away, dash away, dash away all

Another quick Cel Shaded Report for this week — working on a year-in-review post (or several) that hopefully will see the light of day next week, assuming there aren’t any other big breaking news stories or the world hasn’t ended due to Mayan apocalypse. Speaking of breaking news stories that aren’t related to anime, manga or cartooning, if you have some time to browse, please check out our special section on Sen. Daniel Inouye. Many good people spent long hours putting that section together this week and on short notice — a bunch whose names aren’t in the paper, at that — so kudos to all of them.

Also: Merry Christmas! Tag-team partner Wilma J. and I wish all of you and yours the best this holiday season.

This week

Aiea Library Anime Club: 3 p.m. Saturday at the library, 99-143 Moanalua Road. This month, librarian Diane Masaki is going holiday festive in screening Tokyo Godfathers, the story of three homeless men who find an abandoned newborn on Christmas Eve. For more information or to RSVP, call 483-7333 or e-mail aiealibraryanimeclub@yahoo.com.

MangaBento: This group of anime- and manga-inspired artists meets from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St., Room 200. Visit www.manga-bento.com for more information.

Ongoing

Liliha Library Anime Art Contest: Ten days left for submissions in this year’s contest — deadline is Dec. 31 — with its theme of “Books: Imagination at Work.” Audra Furuichi has all the details you need over on the nemu*nemu blog, so get to it and get to creating.

Kawaii Kon: Applications for fan panels are now being accepted at www.kawaii-kon.org/events/panels through Jan. 1 for next year’s convention, happening March 16-18. As an added incentive, if you are approved for three hours’ worth of panels, you and an eligible co-host can get free three-day passes to the convention.

Madoka Magica double feature: 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28 at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 museum members. Visit http://www.honolulumuseum.org/events/films/13340-puella_magi_madoka_magica_parts_1_2

The Cel Shaded Report, 12/7: “Madoka Magica” films make contract with Honolulu

There haven’t been many anime series that have lit the ol’ “hey, pay attention, this is garnering quite a bit of attention on the fan scene” light on my anime-monitoring radar as of late. And for good reason: With the fan base as fractured as it is, more into things like Adventure Time and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Homestuck web comic and the Internet meme flavor of the moment than anime anime. Gone are the days when you could have big-time series like Naruto or Ouran High School Host Club or Hetalia unifying the masses; these days, it seems like there’s Pokemon, and then there’s a billion subsets of fandom.

I have, however, heard more than my fair share of good things about Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It’s a mahou shoujo (magical girl) series that follows the triumphs and trials that high school student Madoka Kaname finds when Kyubey, a magical creature, offers her a contract to become a magical girl and fight the Witches who plague the world. Sure, she can get one wish of hers granted if she enters into the contract, but the burdens that she must take on and the despair of the world that she must see in doing so could be far too much for her to bear.

The 12-episode series is available for premium subscribers on Crunchyroll, or, if you have a few extra dollars to burn, you can also get it on DVD or Blu-ray from Aniplex of America. (Just remember, it’s Aniplex, home of the four-episode, $29.99 DVD/$39.99 Blu-ray … and that’s on sale.)

But some of you may not have the time to spare to digest five hours worth of TV show. That’s OK, because Shaft, the studio behind Madoka Magica, has you covered. In October, Shaft released a pair of compilation films, Beginnings and Eternal, with a total running time of … four hours. (A third film with new story content, Rebellion, is due out in 2013.) So yeah, watch the films, and you can save an entire hour of your life for other things! Yay?

Seriously, though, whether four hours or five, Madoka Magica does seem worthy of the time investment. The question, though, was always whether the U.S. distributors — Aniplex, in conjunction with Eleven Arts — would see fit to give Honolulu a shot at seeing the two films. The chances seemed remote at best, even as the double feature slowly started spreading from obvious locations (Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco) out to other recognizable cities (Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia) and then other cities (Akron, Ohio! Raleigh, N.C.!)

And then on Thursday, two screenings popped up on the Honolulu Museum of Art website. Scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and 28 at the Doris Duke Theatre, at that. And the people rejoiced. Oh, yeah, and if there are any readers of this blog in Greensboro, N.C., you’re getting it, too. But mostly YAY US.

If you want to get in on the fun, tickets are already on sale for $20 general admission, $18 Honolulu Museum of Art members. First 20 people each night will get a limited-edition poster. Just remember, it is two movies’ worth of content you’re getting in one night — with an intermission in between — so be ready to settle in for the long haul. Point your browser of choice at http://www.honolulumuseum.org/events/films/13340-puella_magi_madoka_magica_parts_1_2 and go from there.

Kawaii Kon encore for Bosch and Eyeshine

Sunday was Anime Day at Windward Mall, where — just as this blogger predicted — Yu x Me: Maid Cafe & Host Club performed “Mune Mune Kyun.”

More pictures to come sometime between now and 2032. The reason why I’m bringing up Anime Day here, though, is because a guest announcement for Kawaii Kon 2013 surfaced there: After a hugely successful appearance this year, voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch and his band, Eyeshine, will be returning next year for a repeat performance. Recapping Bosch’s resume for those of you new to this ballgame: He was the first replacement Black Ranger in the Power Ranger franchise and is best known as the voice of Vash the Stampede in Trigun, Ichigo in Bleach, Kaneda in Akira, Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass, Claus in Last Exile and Renton in Eureka Seven. Eyeshine, for their part, will be debuting their new album — 100 limited-edition copies also will be on sale — and shooting their new music video at the convention. (And yes, con attendees will get to be part of it, too.)

Bosch and Eyeshine join previously announced guests Todd Haberkorn, Colleen Clinkenbeard and Lisle Wilkerson — voice actors one and all. Kawaii Kon is March 15-17 at the Hawai’i Convention Center; three-day general admission passes are $48 ($38 children ages 5-11) through Feb. 28. Visit www.kawaii-kon.org.

More from the anime news desk

Roy Chang’s Cacy & Kiara library tour: Learn about the creative processes behind Cacy & Kiara and the Curse of the Ki’i, the new young adult novel by Roy, an Aiea Intermediate art teacher, MidWeek cartoonist and friend of the blog. This is Roy’s last scheduled library appearance for the year, so go see him if you haven’t already! 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday at Liliha Library, 1515 Liliha St. (Speaking of Liliha Library, don’t forget to submit artwork for the third annual Anime Art Contest. Deadline for that is Dec. 31.)

Moanalua High School Winter Craft Fair: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school, 2825 Ala Ilima St. It’s your last chance to get your nemu*nemu swag from Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga, and your second-to-last chance to get apparel and buttons from Terri Dux, Karl Miyashiro and the gang at idkwhat2wear. (The latter group will be at one last craft fair this holiday season — the Hawaii United Okinawa Center evening craft fair in Waipio Gentry from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.)

The Cel Shaded Report, 11/30: Kawaii Kon ‘cross the Koolaus

The reasons for me to visit Windward Mall have admittedly dwindled over the past few years. First, the Borders store closed last year; then the Suncoast Video store followed suit earlier this year. Earlier this month, we learned that the Marukai Discount store there will be shutting down as well. That pretty much leaves Ben & Jerry’s, Ono Cheese Steak, the theaters and a GameStop … and it would take something reeeeeaaally good going on at one of those to convince me to make my way out there.

Or, of course, you could just put on an Anime Day, like the one that Kawaii Kon is hosting on Sunday.

“Basically, the idea is taking just a small ‘slice’ of Kawaii Kon and bringing it to the Windward side,” Roy Bann, Kawaii Kon senior administrator, told me in an email. Looking at the lineup of activities, it’s a small slice all right … if you think of it like a small slice of the lemon crunch cake at the Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl, which is a thick wedge packed chock full of awesome. And even better, it’s absolutely free to attend! Here’s a list of what you can see and do on Sunday:

A mini dealers room/Artist Alley will feature stuff for sale from idkwhat2wear and steampunk accessories from Mad House Mind Works, among others.
A stamp rally with select Windward Mall merchants will give you the opportunity to win special prizes, including a three-day pass to Kawaii Kon 2013.
Local artist group MangaBento will be hosting a photo booth with props to help you look like you’re in a living manga panel.
The other local artist group, Pen & Ink Works, will be offering a “make your own manga” activity as well as drawing contests throughout the day.
Comic Jam Hawaii will have artists collaborating on cartoons from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Hawaii Video Gaming League will be hosting a Tetris tournament.
Yu x Me: Maid Cafe & Host Club, freshly rebranded from their former identity as Animaid Cafe Hawaii, will be hosting a panel at 11:30 a.m. and performing several dances on stage. (“Mune Mune Kyun” performance? Probably a lock.)
Also on stage: “Cosplay Runway,” a showcase of several talented cosplayers in these fair islands of ours.
Kaneohe Library will be showcasing some of the anime and manga available to borrow there.

Add to that an anime theater where you can watch a few series and games to play throughout the day, and you have a whole bunch of activities guaranteed to please any anime fan and regular Kawaii Kon attendee. Special rates for con passes will be available, too. It’s all happening from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the mall, at 46-056 Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe.

More from the anime news desk

Cacy & Kiara on tour: Author/Aiea Intermediate art teacher/MidWeek cartoonist/friend of the blog Roy Chang will be promoting his book Saturday on the Perry & Price Show live from Jade Dynasty Seafood Restaurant. Your friendly neighborhood blogger confesses that he had no idea that Perry & Price moved to Jade Dynasty, having last listened to their live show regularly back when it was in the Hanohano Room, 30 stories above the beach in the Sheraton Waikiki, then noting their subsequent moves to John Dominis and Jimmy Buffett’s in Waikiki. But I digress. No word on exactly when in the show Roy will be on, so you’ll just have to listen to the show on KSSK 590 AM or 92.3 FM between 8 and 11 a.m. and hope for the best.

Comic Jam Hawaii: This group of collaborative cartoon artists is going to be everywhere this weekend. Anime Day aside, they’re also going to be at Liliha Library (1515 Liliha St.) from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, and they’re going to be holding down their regular slot in front of Hot Unique Imaging, on the Uptown side of Pearlridge Center, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. My hand would be falling off after just an hour of drawing, if not sooner, so I really have to give props to the artists who end up showing up at all three events. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/147779161986428 (Facebook login required).

Hello Kitty designer visits: Swing by Shirokiya at Ala Moana between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. today through Sunday, and you can meet, and get an autograph from, lead Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi. Take pictures with Hello Kitty, learn how to make cute lunchboxes, get a cute character manicure and just bask in the glory of super-sugary Sanrio CUTE. Be one of the first 50 people in line each day, and you could even get a $5 gift card for Hello Kitty beauty products at Sephora.

idkwhat2wear: Terri Dux, Karl Miyashiro and the gang are sitting out this weekend’s batch of craft fairs. (So are nemu*nemu‘s Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga.) But they’ll be back in action Tuesday at Wabi Sabi’s Christmas in Honolulu Craft Fair from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St., in the fifth floor ballroom. Adopt a “musubi angel,” and you can get in early at 4 p.m.

Taking stock and giving thanks

I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to contribute to this month’s Manga Movable Feast, hosted by Matt Blind over at Rocket Bomber. It was the same problem that doomed my participation in last month’s MMF: too much stuff to deal with in life outside of Otaku Ohana, not enough time to sit down and commit some thoughts to pixels. Last month, it was the ramp-up to the general election that kept me busy. This month? It was preparing for that garage sale with tag-team partner in fandom Wilma J. that I noted in my last post.

So I was pleasantly surprised to fire up Haruhi after the sale was over on Sunday — yes, if you remember a post from aaaaaallllll the way back in 2009, my home computer is still named Haruhi and my laptop is still named Yuki, although my iPad has inherited the name “Mikuru” — and find that Matt had delayed his wrap-up post for this month’s MMF to today and tweeted his intent to still accept links for it.

And then that wrap-up post went up while I was working on the post this morning. But dagnabbit, I’d already written 700+ words at that point. I wasn’t abandoning this post that easily.

Besides, this month’s topic is so intriguing: Rather than focusing on a single title, author or genre as it has in the past, the bloggerati were asked to take inventory of their manga blessings in this, the season of camping out in line for five days to buy a $199 50-inch flat-screen TV giving thanks. Check out his call for participation to see the inspirations we were given.

I meditated for a little while on what I’ve been thankful for in the world of manga. Those meditations, however, kept getting interrupted by thoughts about this one particular young woman who showed up toward the beginning of our sale. She was excited to be there. Virtually bouncing up and down. She dropped a bunch of money on a replica animation cel of Hitsugaya from Bleach, a few more dollars on Ranma 1/2 wall scrolls and an old Inu-Yasha bag and other stuff, then she came back with her friend and ended up buying a Vampire Knight journal and a pack of Bleach cards. Incredibly enthusiastic about the stuff she was buying, for certain. Heck, she even showed me a few volumes of Kare Kano — already tucked into said Inu-Yasha bag — that she had checked out from the library.

I love seeing fans like that. Reminds me of the enthusiasm I had when I first really got into manga in the late ’90s. Sure, I’m older now. Saw the rise and fall of Tokyopop and a bunch of other publishers, had several favorite series canceled on me before they were finished (hello, Nodame Cantabile and Moyashimon, may you return to our shores someday), looked on as publishers’ bottom lines have been ravaged by scanlation sites all over the Internet and the Borders shutdown. I’d be lying if I said all of this, plus the constant harping about problems with this publisher and that publisher and the publisher over there and so forth and so on, hasn’t dampened my spirits over the years.

All things considered, though? I’m thankful that the manga publishers that remain in the domestic market continue to believe that there are those enthusiastic fans out there. And that those publishers keep bringing over new series that they hope will garner the same amount of enthusiasm on the market as there was when the negotiations to license those series took place. There’s always that little thrill I feel whenever a convention rolls around, and a news item pops up on Twitter or Anime News Network or somewhere that “Publisher A has licensed this, this and this,” and there’s something in that list that sounds interesting enough for me to give it a shot when it finally shows up. And that publishers are willing to try new ways of getting manga out to the masses — I really want JManga’s digital-distribution model to succeed. I want publishers like Viz, Yen Press and Dark Horse to do well with their digital initiatives. I’m hoping that Digital Manga Publishing’s temporary suspension of print publication doesn’t end up hurting them in the long run, because they’ve seemed willing to try new things, like using Kickstarter for niche Tezuka titles to complement their print and digital offerings.

But above all, I’m thankful for the eternal hope of second chances. When you’ve seen as much manga as I have over the years, and when you’ve seen some of the really good series eventually start to fade out of print, it’s really nice to know that there are people making decisions for those publishers who think, “You know, that series did well for someone else, but it’s no longer around for whatever reason, so let’s bring it back.” JManga has a bunch of niche titles from the days of Aurora, Del Rey, Go!Comi and other such publishers that don’t exist in those forms today. Kodansha’s redoing Sailor Moon and Love Hina. Much of CLAMP’s body of work is seeing new life in Dark Horse omnibus volumes. Blood Alone and Gunslinger Girl sailed back with Seven Seas. Viz has 07-Ghost and Loveless. Vertical brought Paradise Kiss and Message to Adolf back into print. I mean, Message to Adolf! We hadn’t seen an English translation of that in more than 15 years, and those Cadence-published books were long out of print and nigh impossible to find! It keeps hope alive that a new group of fans can enjoy in the present what we long-time fans may have enjoyed in the past.

While this post has focused primarily on manga, keep in mind that what I’ve written applies to the anime industry as well. Recently, I received in the mail from Funimation the review DVDs for their reissued edition of Serial Experiments Lain. Lain, believe it or not, was the first anime I ever watched that I recognized formally as anime all the way back in 2000. Here’s the profile that I wrote about it in 2009. Seeing those discs in the envelope gave me a bit of a thrill. Maybe I’ll watch those again sometime when I have free time (which, as I’ve probably said before, has been distressingly sparse of late, but I’ll try).

The joys of being an anime and manga fan.

Yeah.

That’s what I’m thankful for, too.

The Cel Shaded Report, 11/2: Anime Art Contest turns 3

The last time I saw Liliha Library young adult librarian Linda Mediati was at Kawaii Kon in March. She was wearing a cute Totoro hoodie.

I know, it’s an unusual observation to start off the first post in this space in two weeks, but it’s an observation with a point. It was at Kawaii Kon that Linda assured me that the library’s Anime Art Contest, the one where we’ve celebrated young artists like winter 2010 winner Kaili Mossman and summer 2011 winner Caytlin Yoshioka, would be returning for a third go-round this year. When, exactly, she wasn’t sure at the time. But she’d certainly let me know.

The weeks passed, and spring turned into summer. True to her word, she gave me and my judging partners a heads-up around July on when the range of dates would be. Summer meandered into autumn. And earlier this week, a press release rattled into my inbox confirming those dates that entries would be accepted.

Guess what? The first day for submissions … was Nov. 1. As in yesterday.

So hey, teens in grades 6-12?

HUP HUP HUP GO GO GOOOOOOOOOOO

GET DRAWING AND PAINTING AND STUFF ALREADY

TIME’S A-WASTIN’

… okay, so you actually have until Dec. 31 to submit that anime/manga-inspired artwork. But it’s always good to get a head start on things (says the blogger who works better under last-minute deadline pressure, but do as I say, not as I do). Besides, the first 100 entrants will get a free manga instructional booklet, and freebies are always nice. As for prizes, there’s a whole pile of merchandise coming from sponsors Sakura of America, Kawaii Kon, Hawaiian Graphics and Smith Micro Software Inc., including Pigma Sensei pens, Copic markers, Anime Debut Studio and Manga Studio software and Canson Manga Fanboy Pocket Novels.

Here’s a bit of inspiration for you would-be entrants (and a reminder for the handful of you who’ve managed to stick with this blog for so long): Kaili’s winning entry from 2010 …

… and Caytlin’s winning entry from 2011.

Liliha Library is located at 1515 Liliha St.; you can pick up more information about the contest there or drop off completed pieces. Or you can call 587-7577. Now get those teens started on their artwork. I can’t wait to see what they come up with this year.

More from the anime news desk

Roy Chang’s Cacy & Kiara library tour: Learn about the creative processes behind Cacy & Kiara and the Curse of the Ki’i, the new young adult novel by Roy, an Aiea Intermediate art teacher, MidWeek cartoonist and friend of the blog. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday at Kapolei Library, 1020 Manawai St. Call 639-7050. Can’t make that? He’ll also be at Salt Lake-Moanalua Library, 3225 Salt Lake Blvd., at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Call 831-6831.

To whet your drawing whistle for the Anime Art Contest, there are two art-related events taking place on Sunday. Unfortunately, both of them are happening at the same time, so you’ll have to pick one. Can’t go wrong with either one, though.

Comic Jam Hawaii: Sit down, draw a bit, collaborate with a bunch of talented people and have a fun art-filled afternoon, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Pearlridge Center, on the Uptown side of the mall, in front of Hot Unique Imaging. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/147779161986428 (Facebook login required).

Pen & Ink Works: This group of anime- and manga-inspired artists is getting together for a Sketch Meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St., room 102. Bring your sketchbooks, get some drawing advice from senior members, and get ready for a fun afternoon. Visit peninkworks.wordpress.com.

The Cel Shaded Report, 10/19: Manga-style local style sale file

Let’s start off this edition of the Cel Shaded Report with a quick reminder: The Hawaii Entertainment Expo, aka HEXXP, is this weekend. Here’s a post summarizing pretty much everything that’s going on, here’s the schedule, here’s the website, I’ll be popping in and out maybe today, more likely on Saturday, definitely sticking around for a good chunk of Sunday. If you’re going today, by the way, please do stop by the “How to Survive Single-Day and Multi-Day Conventions” panel scheduled for 3 p.m.; it’s hosted by Ray Nagar of Project 760 Productions, who regaled me with tales from the California anime convention circuit Thursday during what started out as a lunch outing but ended up being a five-hour conversation. That’s right, people, five hours. And I was thoroughly entertained for every minute of it. Now, Ray’s panel won’t last for five hours, but I’m sure he can fill his allotted one hour quite nicely, thank you very much.

Not much more to say beyond that, except I hope to see you there and maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a few pictures of what goes on posted here sometime between Monday and the end of the age (and with the way my non-fandom-related to-do list has been lately, it’ll probably be closer to the latter than the former).

Today, however, our focus is on local books with a twist of manga (or, in the case of one of the books profiled here, MangaBento) that have recently gone on sale or are about to hit the market. The first book is one that I profiled in this space a few weeks ago: Journey of Heroes, the graphic novel recounting the story of the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion and their service during World War II. Author Stacey Hayashi invited me to a reception held for the veterans and their families before the formal debut event; here’s a small gallery of pictures (as in seven!) that I shot while I was there.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=122138

One thing that I wasn’t able to answer with much certainty in my last post was where people could pick up a copy of this fine publication, whether locally or abroad. I recently learned that the book is available to order for $10 plus shipping and tax at 442comicbook.com/shop.html (please be patient, though, they have a lot of things to take care of at the moment). Those of you locally can buy the book in person at the Noelani Craft & Children’s Fair at Noelani Elementary School in Manoa on Nov. 10. (By sheer coincidence, the Noelani fair’s also going to be the craft fair season kickoff for the nemu*nemu crew, so that’s two reasons right there for you to go.) For the latest updates on all things related to Journey of Heroes, visit www.facebook.com/442comicbook.

As for what I think of the book? I haven’t had a chance to look closely at it yet, but I have given copies to a coworker as well as my esteemed tag-team partner in fandom. Wilma’s read it, and already she’s impressed enough to start working on a review of it. We may have a joint essay for y’all sometime down the line. My coworker, meanwhile, loved the art and the story. She also pointed out one panel that caught her eye in particular to pretty much everyone on our universal copy/design desk that night:

I think you can understand why she’d be giddy about it.

The second book is Cacy & Kiara and the Curse of the Ki’i, the new young adult novel by Aiea Intermediate art teacher, MidWeek cartoonist and occasional art portfolio/sketchbook reviewer Roy Chang. Cacy & Kiara is the story of two cousins — one a free-spirited public school gal, the other a rather buttoned-up product of a private school — who, while on a field trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, get flung together on an adventure of a lifetime involving an ancient Hawaiian artifact and a bunch of bad guys who want to get their hands on it. I’ve been reading through it in my spare time — chapter 8 of 38, so a more extensive review of this book will be coming down the pipeline soon as well — and my first-glance impressions are that Roy’s manga-style illustrations nicely complement the story.

You can check out Cacy & Kiara for yourself starting sometime next week at both Barnes & Noble stores; look in the children/youth “local interests” section. Or, if you’re more inclined to order digitally, you can find it at Amazon, The Islander Group and barnesandnoble.com. Retail price is $11.95. Roy also recently spoke with Pastor Danny Yamashiro on his radio program, “The Good Life Hawaii,” about the book, his story as an artist, and his newfound Christian faith; that hourlong conversation can be downloaded at ow.ly/eBkOw.

Finally, we have the book that’s worth mentioning simply for its connection to the anime/manga-inspired art group that’s mentioned frequently in this space, MangaBento. Adviser Devin Oishi has released a children’s e-book that gives a local spin to the classic “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” tale, Pualani and the 3 Mano. Pualani is the Goldilocks of this story, a surfing prodigy who, following a massive wipeout, wanders into the cave of three mano, or sharks. Full disclosure: I was one of the people who helped Devin copy-edit the book, so I’ve seen the advance proofs … and the watercolor images included within are quite lovely. Pualani and the 3 Mano is available for $5 on Kindle and its affiliated apps at ow.ly/eBnw5.

More from the anime news desk

Kawaii Kon: We’re in that part of the pre-convention calendar where guest announcements for next year start trickling out. The latest news came a few days ago, when it was revealed that the next guest joining the already announced Todd Haberkorn at next year’s event, happening March 15-17, is Colleen Clinkenbeard, a Funimation voice actor, director and line producer who’s best known as the voice of Luffy in One Piece and Riza Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist. Clinkenbeard’s no stranger to Kawaii Kon, having last visited our fair island home back in 2008. For more information, visit www.kawaii-kon.org.

Hawaii International Film Festival: HIFF is wrapping up this weekend, and with it comes your last chance (for now) of seeing Eight Rangers (9:15 p.m. Saturday) and The Wolf Children Ami and Yuki (12:30 p.m. Sunday). Earlier this week, though, one screening was added to the schedule: the tale of the time-traveling bathhouse architect, Thermae Romae, now has a bonus screening at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Readers in Hilo, get ready, because Thermae Romae is headed your way as well, at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29. Visit www.hiff.org for most of your ticketing needs (Hilo folk will probably want to wait a few days, though.)

Rose of Versailles hits the Internet: And that’s legal, free streaming of the classic 1979-80 anime, too — no bootleg pirated uploads here. Anyway, to whet your whistle for their upcoming DVD release, Nozomi Entertainment has partnered with Viki to post the entire series online for free … in December. But the first episode, fresh off an advance screening at New York Comic Con last week, is now available, both on Viki and YouTube. Anyone who considers himself (or herself) a scholar of the anime classics owes it to himself to see this episode whenever he can.

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