Tag: generation kikaida

Oahu’s otaku film feast-ival (part 1 of 2)

Back in January, three theatrical anime releases made their way to Hawaii: Evangelion 3.0, Madoka Magica: Rebellion and Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day: The Movie.

“Okay, this is as good as it gets,” I remember thinking at the time.

A few more films trickled in here and there in the ensuing months. Then in August, another set of three movies showed up: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, My Neighbor Totoro and Naruto: Road to Ninja.

“Okay, fine. This is as good as it gets. Really,” I remember thinking at the time.

Now there’s October and November, and … well, folks, we’ve finally hit the fireworks factory. If you were to count the various pieces of Ghost in the Shell: Arise as separate entities, 12 theatrical anime releases were screened in local theaters between January and September.

This month and next month, eight anime, five live-action movies based on manga, the Kikaida revival, a documentary about Studio Ghibli and the Japan-flavored Disney animated feature Big Hero 6 are due for screenings. Indeed, these months will have more otaku film content crammed into it than the rest of this year combined.

Two film festivals are driving most of this boom. The first, “Hello Tokyo!” starting Saturday and running through Oct. 12 at the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theater, is the anime-heavy one; the 34th annual Hawaii International Film Festival from Oct. 30 through Nov. 9 will be bringing the live-action love (and Big Hero 6 a few days before its scheduled wide release on Nov. 7). Bridging the two will be Kikaider Reboot, screening Oct. 10-16 in the Ward Stadium 16’s Titan XC auditorium. In this post, let’s take a look at the Art Museum’s offerings and the new Kikaider movie.

‘Hello Tokyo!’

Single tickets are $10, $8 for museum members; the Ghost in the Shell marathon is $25 general, $20 museum members. Visit honolulumuseum.org/14657-hello_tokyo for more information and ticket links.

ghost in the shellThe Ghost in the Shell marathon: To screen all the elements of the Ghost in the Shell would take far longer than one night would allow, so this marathon hits just the essentials: the 1995 classic directed by Mamoru Oshii, which introduced the future world of Tokyo Public Security Section Nine and cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi to moviegoers, and three out of four parts of the 2013 prequel series Ghost in the Shell Arise, which … well … introduces the future world of Tokyo Public Security Section Nine and cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi to viewers, except before the movie as far as the franchise’s timeline is concerned.

You have one shot to catch all of this in one place, and that’s on the film festival’s opening day on Saturday. Ghost in the Shell screens at 2 p.m., followed by Arise Border 1: Ghost Pain at 4 p.m. and the Arise Border 2: Ghost Whispers / Arise Border 3: Ghost Tears combo at 6:30 p.m. There’s also an opening-night reception between Arise showings, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., featuring entertainment, games, and sales of bentos and beverages (both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety). Cosplayers, you’re invited to come on down as well. To get in to the reception, just buy a ticket for the marathon or, if you can’t fathom sitting through all of that, for either of the Arise screenings.

If you can’t make it to the marathon, Ghost in the Shell will be shown by itself at 1 p.m. Oct. 11 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

RoadToNinja NarutoTheMovieRoad to Ninja — Naruto the Movie: Your favorite orange jump-suited ninja and his friends are back for their latest big-screen adventure again after a two-day limited engagement earlier this year at the Ward Stadium 16 theaters. As a reminder, here’s the synopsis:

Long ago, a mysterious masked shinobi unleashed the Nine-Tailed Fox onto the Village Hidden in the Leaves to spread chaos and destruction. But the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife Kushina Uzumaki sealed the Tailed Beast into their newborn son Naruto to save the village, foiling the shinobi’s plan.

Years later, Naruto and his friends succeed in driving away the infamous Akatsuki, who have mysteriously returned from the dead. Upon returning to the village, the young shinobi are praised by their families for completing a dangerous mission. Reminded of how alone he is, Naruto begins to wonder what it’s like to have parents, when a strange masked figure appears before him – the same masked shinobi responsible for the death of his parents!

Screening at 4 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

K Missing Kings posterK: Missing Kings: Another film playing a return engagement in Honolulu — this one showed up on Oahu and Maui for two days in July — this extension of the anime series K continues the story of seven kings who rule over their clansmen on an Earth different from our own. Again, a synopsis refresher:

Based on the hit anime K, K MISSING KINGS picks up where the series left off. Featuring the same director and scriptwriter as the series, this movie brings the characters that you’ve grown to love in the same spirit of action, honor, and loyalty. K MISSING KINGS also sees the return of popular voice actors such as Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Ono, and Tomokazu Sugita, reprising their roles for the first time on the big screen.

The story starts some time after the Island Academy Incident, in which four of the seven great Kings crossed paths. Since this time, silver clansmen Kuroh Yatogami and Neko have been searching for their master, Yashiro Isana, the Silver King. Their search having turned up fruitless, the two begin to give up hope, until they encounter Anna Kushina and Rikio Kamamoto, two members of the red clan HOMRA being chased by someone.

Screening at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Oct. 9.

WELCOME-TO-THE-SPACESHOW-pic-2Welcome to the Space Show: It’s your typical “kids go to summer camp, lose a rabbit, find a talking dog instead, rocket off to intergalactic adventures, and then Susan Boyle sings” story … which is to say it’s filled with plenty of elements of fantasy and sci-fi and what the heck did I just watch here-ness. If this movie sounds familiar, then you probably remember that HIFF screened the film back in 2010. (Here’s my review in Honolulu Pulse.) Space Show’s return comes via GKids, which will also be releasing the film on DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 14. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Oct. 11.

patema-invertedPatema Inverted: The titular character is a princess who finds everything she thought she knew about life turned upside down one day. And I mean that quite literally; this is a story of two people who live in societies separated by opposing gravitational forces. It’s up to her and the student she meets, Age, to figure out exactly what it is that’s keeping their worlds apart. This, along with Ghost in the Shell Arise Border 3: Ghost Tears, is making its Hawaii debut. Screening at 1 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 and 4 p.m. Oct. 12.

Kikaider Reboot

kikaider rebootIt’s the movie so big, it merited its own breakout section in this roundup. (Well, that and the fact that it’s the only one being screened independent of any film festivals.) In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Kikaida in Hawaii, JN Productions/Generation Kikaida is bringing the cinematic revival of Shotaro Ishinomori’s classic character to Hawaii — and North America, for that matter — for the first time. The cast may be different — Irie Jingi plays Jiro/Kikaider here, although original actor Ban Daisuke does return here in a new role — but the story remains the same: A cyborg with a Conscience Circuit crafted by the late Dr. Komyoji is tasked with protecting the doctor’s children, Mitsuko and Masaru, and their knowledge that is key to completing the ARK Project.

Tickets for reserved seating in Ward’s Titan XC auditorium are $15.25 general, $12.75 children ages 3-11, and $12.25 seniors … and if you click through Fandango’s ticket page, there are still plenty of tickets available for the film’s Oct. 10-16 engagement. (Don’t procrastinate for too long, though.)

While we’re talking about Kikaida 40th anniversary celebrations, I should also mention that another Kikaida Day is taking place at Shirokiya at Ala Moana Center from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. You can try your luck at winning tickets to a private screening of Kikaider Reboot, buy new merchandise, get autographs from Ban Daisuke, meet Kutmaster Spaz of Dis N Dat and enjoy all the usual accoutrements of Kikaida Days past: Kikaida-oke, costumed superheroes wandering around for photo ops, DVD giveaways and free balloons.

Next time in Otaku Ohana: The Otaku Ohana guide to the Hawaii International Film Festival. There’s a Studio Ghibli documentary!

Aloha, Toys N Joys (and other Ota-cool calendar additions)

toys n joys aiea

It took a few weeks for me to confirm the news, but now that all the players have been properly notified and the signs printed, I can now type this with authority: Both Toys N Joys stores — the store in Kaimuki, as I noted in the September Ota-cool Incoming! calendar, and the Aiea store, at 98-150 Kaonohi St. in the Westridge Shopping Center — will be closing on Sept. 23.

The Aiea store hasn’t been around as long as the Kaimuki store — 25 years compared to Kaimuki’s 30 — and it only had a fraction of the selection, but it’s always held a closer, more cherished spot in my heart. Part of it is because it’s physically closer to where I’ve lived all my life (central Oahu represent!). But it’s mostly because back in the days before one-click Internet shopping and a GameStop in every large neighborhood, it was the place to go to feed a budding local otaku’s ever-growing hunger for video games (both domestic and import) and anime collectibles. There’s a clerk there, Steve, who’s also been there for what’s seemed like forever. I don’t think he’s been there all 25 years — kinda hard to remember who was behind the counter when you’re 11 or 12, which is how old I would’ve been when the store opened — but it’s most assuredly been a long time. Friendly smile, always chats with me whenever I come in … great guy to know, really. I wish him and the other staffers nothing but the best in their future endeavors.

Here’s the current Aiea clearance sale breakdown:

  • All toys 25 percent off (plushies 50 percent off)
  • All video games 10 percent off
  • All DVDs 15 percent off
  • All Airsoft guns 20 percent off
  • All replica swords 25 percent off

There’s a good chance that the percentages will go higher the closer we get to closing day, so if you want to gamble on your preferred item of choice still being around for an extended period of time, it’s your call. You aren’t going to find anything super popular — it doesn’t seem like the merchandise mix has been updated for several months — but hey, you can think of it as your last chance to have a vintage otaku treasure hunt of sorts.

After the jump: some additional notes on events in September and October that have hit my radar after I published that Ota-cool calendar.

Continue reading “Aloha, Toys N Joys (and other Ota-cool calendar additions)”

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:

Suicchi ON! ONE! TWO! THREE! ...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.

This is a promotional image Audra shared on the nemu*nemu Facebook page. It is also the CUTEST THING EVER (until her next drawing, of course).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.

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.

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.

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. Jan. 19.

“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. Jan. 19-20 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 21.

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, 8/17: “Madness” at the museum

It’s been a tradition at the Honolulu Museum of Art since 2004: Every third Sunday of the month, thanks to Bank of Hawaii, Honolulu’s premier art repository throws open its doors for Family Sunday, an opportunity for families (and groups of friends, couples, single people, et.al.) to walk through the galleries and participate in a number of fun art-related activities for the price of absolutely free.

Family Sunday’s always worth attending, but this month’s installment is drawing a bit more attention from your friendly neighborhood anime/manga blogger for a simple reason: It’s what I like to think of in my own mind as the Otaku Ohana All-Star Super Show … or, as the museum’s has formally dubbed this particular event, “Manga Madness.” Consider this roster of people and groups that have made appearances in this space in the past who are showing up at Manga Madness:

  • manga mayhem 7.15Roy Chang, Aiea Intermediate art teacher, MidWeek cartoonist, campaign manager for Pepe the Chibi-huahua and soon-to-be published author (more on that in my next post). Roy’s bringing back his one-on-one art portfolio/sketchbook review sessions (seen at right at “Manga Mayhem” at the then-Contemporary Museum in July 2010), the likes of which have not been seen in … wait, did I just type that right? July 2010?!? My, how time flies. Certainly doesn’t seem that long ago. Then again, much can change over a two-year span, I suppose.
  • Jon J. Murakami, Gordon Rider creator and Star-Advertiser “Calabash” cartoonist; Audra Furuichi, nemu*nemu and Star-Advertiser “Blue Hawaii” cartoonist; and Ming Qi Vinci, Kawaii Kon Artist Alley mainstay, who’ll be joining artists Sarah Kashiwabara, Darold Ramelb and animation students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who’ll be working with children to help them create their own books of drawings.
  • Anime/manga-inspired artist group Pen & Ink Works will have several story scrolls on hand to which you can add your own contributions.
  • Oahu Anime Explorer will be screening anime and handing out information about the Hawaii Entertainment Expo (HEXXP) in October.
  • Representatives from Kawaii Kon, who’ll be handing out information about their convention in March.
  • Two-time Kawaii Kon guests Alt/Air — the duo of Aly Ishikuni and Brandon “DJ Kowai Kowai” Udani — will be bringing their special blend of dance beats and J-pop-inspired vocals for an hour-long performance from noon to 1 p.m.
  • Fashion designer Lauren Lee will have designs from her Monarch Lolita line on display.

Add in a Cosplay Theater with two sketches planned (“At the Beginning,” inspired by Cardcaptor Sakura, and “Fighting Game,” inspired by Kingdom Hearts), a display of manga-drawing materials by Hawaiian Graphics, an activity where children can make headbands with common manga symbols like giant sweatdrops and diamond-shaped sparkles, and the exhibit on display that inspired all this manga madness in the first place — “Hiroshige: An Artist’s Journey” — to see, and it becomes clear that there is a lot going on to keep local fans occupied. I’d even go so far to dub this collection of talent and activities as “Mini Con 2012,” if not for the fact that Hillary Chang over at McCully-Moiliili Public Library already has the real Mini Con 2012 locked, loaded and ready to roll for Sept. 22. (Details on that as we get closer to that date.)

“Manga Madness” Family Sunday  runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, with activities ending at 3 p.m.; for more information and a complete listing of what’s going on, visit honolulumuseum.org/events/bank_of_hawaii_sunday/12990-swim

More from the anime news desk

Bargains abound in this edition of the Cel Shaded Report Section Formerly Known as “Anime Around Town,” so let’s get to it:

kamen rider v3AnimEigo: Owing to the fact that (a) hardly anyone buys old-school anime anymore (even though they really ought to), (b) so few people bought AnimEigo’s woefully underappreciated first Yawara box set of 40 episodes, we’ll likely never see the remaining 84 episodes localized for the U.S. and (c) AnimEigo’s license to release the series is expiring as a result, the company is sending the series out with a bang. Basically, you have until Aug. 31 to scoop up a Yawara set for $19.99. Considering original retail for that set was $134.99, to say that’s a hyuuuuuuuge bargain may be the understatement of the century. While you’re at it, if you really roll with the old-school and want to pick up some movies featuring Katsu Shintaro as the blind swordsman Zatoichi, six of those movies are also going out of print as of Sept. 18, so you may want to spring for a seven-movie set for $49.99 while you still can. Pick up one or both of these bargains at www.animeigo.com.

Generation Kikaida: The discounts may not be as deep as AnimEigo’s, but sales on DVDs from Generation Kikaida tend to be few and far between, so sometimes you just have to seize the moment when you can. Through Aug. 26, save 15% on single volumes of Kikaida or 10% on Kikaida three-disc or nine-disc sets and the Inazuman and Kamen Rider V3 box sets. For a full list of what’s on sale — including posters! — visit www.generationkikaida.com/store/index.php?main_page=specials&page=1

Manga University: For a limited time, Kindle e-reader versions of their How to Draw Manga: Eyes and How to Draw Manga: Ears guides are 99 cents each (regular price $4.99). They’re 28 pages each; click here for the Manga Eyes book and here for Manga Ears.