Mecha Mecha Media

Podcast 013: Holiday Gift Guide and Akira Reissue

2009-12-08T01:02:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest Sci-Guys podcast for our Holiday gift guide, talk about V, The Road, Flash Forward, Ninja Assassin, and much more.

In the Manga Minute we talk Kodansha Comic's reissue of Akira, and the anime project I recently was honored to work on, Rental Magica. FF to 47:19 to go straight there.

DL the latest podcast here, or find us at iTunes.

"Rental Magica" On Shelves This Week

2009-11-22T23:11:00.001-08:00

On Nov. 24 the first 12 episodes of "Rental Magica" hits shelves. I don't talk about anime all that often here, but this was a release I had the honor to work on. I didn't do the subtitles, but the booklets that accompany the two box sets. Anime booklets tend to be notes and character sketches, but the booklets for this set are really books. At over 100 pages each they are really an encyclopedia to magic from around the world that is seen in the story. Each member of Astral, the magic society that is the center of the story, employs a different school of magic, and these booklets go into richer detail about the real history of these different techniques.

As a translation project this was a big challenge. From Egyptian pharaohs to Celtic magic to Shingon Vajrayana Buddhism and far beyond, it's all in here. I hope you get a chance to check out "Rental Magica".

Podcast 012: Moyasimon

2009-11-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest Sci-Guys podcast. In this episode we talk about V, Flash Forward, The
Prisoner, COD MW2, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Xbox and PS3 updates, and much more, but if you are looking just for the Manga Minute fast-forward to 41:58 to hear a review of the first volume of Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture. (Hint: It is pretty great.)

You can also find us on iTunes.

Japanese Words of 2009

2009-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

Pink Tentacle brings us the yearly list of "Words of the Year" from Japan for 2009 translated to English. (You can see the Japanese here.) These are usually news-buzzwords and catchphrases used by popular comedians. We will see the top 10 chosen from this list announced next month. Click here for the complete list.

11/11 That Means POCKY DAY!

2009-11-11T00:39:00.000-08:00

Line up four sticks and you have not only 11/11 (wait is that five sticks?), but you have the unofficial Pocky Day! This year in the the US it falls on Veteran's Day, but what a lucky coincidence that it is officially a day off of school! We can celebrate our war veterans and snap a bite of Pocky

Tatsuya Ichihashi Arrested

2009-11-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

This isn't something I would normally post, but I have been following this story fairly closely and was very happy to see the arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi. He is accused of killing a young British teacher named Lindsay Ann Hawker two years ago, and has been a fugitive from justice ever since.

More details about the case and Ichihashi's arrest at Mainichi Daily News.

二ノ国 / Ninokuni

2009-11-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

The impressive new Studio Ghibli project is not a new movie, though this trailer might trick those not looking closely. It's a major score for reputable game maker Level 5, and Ninokuni is a Nintendo DS game. Let's hope we get this stateside. The buzz has already started. Check the official site for high quality video and more details (in Japanese).

Podcast 010: Horror Manga for Halloween

2009-10-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

The latest episode of Sci-Guys is online. This episode in the Manga Minute we talk Kazuo Umezu and Junji Ito horror manga just in time for Halloween. Fast-forward to 36:56 to hear the Manga Minute. Our next podcast will be online at Sci-Guys on Tuesday, Oct. 27. We will talk more horror talk and Four-Eyed Price.

Manga News Launches in Japan

2009-10-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

ANN reported today about the launch of 漫画の新聞 AKA NewsManga.com. Every day a handful of timely news stories from all sections of the news realm, from finance to sports, are presented in manga form. You can see above the announcement of Windows 7. Despite the dip in profits in recent years in the 5 billion dollar a year Japanese manga market projects like these are launched. Legitimate online manga (read: cell phones) is on the rise and News Manga will probably appeal to that audience.

Former PM Koizui to Star in Ultraman Movie

2009-10-15T18:26:00.001-07:00

Popular former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi will take on the role of Ultraman King (on the right in the photo above). Koizumi will not appear, but just his voice will be used for the regal Ultraman King. Koizumi originally turned down the offer, but was convinced by his sons to take it. It is not clear when the release date for Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend, The Movie is. More info at TIME.

Your Mouse Might be a Spider

2009-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

These creepy Japanese mouse offerings are available here at Thanko.jp. I think I would have a hard time wrapping my fingers around an encased tarantula or scorpion, but some buggy types might enjoy.

Star Wars 和てぬぐい

2009-10-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

How sweet are these? These are 34 x 90cm "Japanese hand towels" that can't be beat.

At about 1500 yen (almost $17 USD) they ain't exactly giving them away, but I would have a hard time not picking up a set of six if I were in Japan now.

Check out more pics and other Japan exclusive items here and here.

Podcast 009: MPD Psycho Reviewed

2009-10-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

In this latest Sci-Guys podcast we do the Slurpee Smackdown to some dubious results. We also do our summer movie wrap-up. If you want to hear The Manga Minute you can skip to 33:45 where we talk MPD-Psycho manga (as well as the live-action Japanese release and the American live-action license), the untimely passing of Yoshito Usui, and Sci-Guy Scott talks Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit.

Smap → Softbank Commercial

2009-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Good commercials leave the viewer asking questions and wanting more, and Japanese commercial makers are the king of this.

For the uninitiated Smap is the NKOTB of Japan, if NKOTB stayed together and never lost popularity. Softbank is, naturally, a cell phone company.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Review Posted

2009-09-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

Check out my review of Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project here at Comics Village.

GATSBY SUGO-OCHI Commercial w/ Takuya Kimura

2009-09-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Body of Crayon Shin-chan Creator Recovered

2009-09-20T19:19:00.001-07:00

It has been confirmed that Crayon Shin-chan creator Yoshito Usui, who had been reported missing September 12, has been found, apparently the victim of a hiking accident. Usui was 51 years old.

More details available here (although they misspell his name).

Podcast 008: Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit

2009-09-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Episode 008 of Sci-Guys is available here. This episode we talk about the fall sci-fi shows we are going to be watching, Stitches, a graphic novel/memoir by David Smalls, Kumoricon, the Shadow Complex controversy, The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics, and much much more.

This episiode in the Manga Minute we talk about Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit. If you want to skip forward to the manga goodness jump to 2:20:42. (You can also find us on iTunes)

Our next podcast is Tuesday, Sept. 22 and we will be doing the Slurpee Smackdown, and in the Manga Minute we will be talking MPD-Psycho.

Hitoshi "Ma-chan" Matsumoto on Cover of "Otona Fami"

2009-09-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

Fans of Downtown's Hitoshi Matsumoto will get a kick out of these pics from this month's issue of オトナファミ or OTONA FAMI, a men's media magizine with a focus on gaming, and a branch of FAMITSU.

Click here if you aren't sure what is so funny. (This is how Ma-chan usually poses for pictures.)

Podcast 007: Dororo and Osamu Tezuka Discussion

2009-09-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

In Episode 007 of Sci-Guys we talk District 9, Wil Wheaton, Batman Reborn and Batman and Robin comics and much more...

But for you manga fans, FF to 1:16:04 for the Manga Minute. This ep we talk Dororo and a have brief discussion of Osamu Tezuka.

Our next podcast is looking to be this Saturday, the 12th, so check Sci Guys for the latest.

Kumoricon - Day 2 Announcements from DH and Jason Thompson

2009-09-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

At Day 2 of Portland's Kumoricon we got two pieces of breaking news. First at the myteriously-titled Manga: The Complete Guide Z panel hosted by Manga: The Complete Guide writer Jason Thompson, it was revealed that Manga: The Complete Guide will continue. However this continuation will happen not in book form, but online at Suvudu.com. This will start on September 15 and Thompson and his assistant reviewers have committed to uploading one new series review every day for at least one year (not reviews of individual volumes). On top of that, Thompson will be giving away five manga volumes away per day to one lucky commentor. If that commentor posts a pic online of himself with his new manga, Thompson will send five more! (It seems Thompson's apartment is being taken over by manga!) Check Suvudu.com for more details on the 15th. Del Rey will be announcing this after the Labor Day weekend, but you heard it here first!

In this pic Dark Horse editor Philip Simon holds up images from Shinjuku, an upcoming illustrated novel written by Christopher Morrison with illustrations by none other than Yoshitaka "Vampire Hunter D" Amano. Shinjuku comes out next March.

But the exclusive news we got from Dark Horse today was the announcement of a summer 2010 release of The Art of Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura. This is a large-sized artbook out of Japan full of some beautiful and sometimes funny sketches and paintings of BotI characters. Simon also announced that the Dark Horse version will not only be hard cover, but will have at least 32 extra images not appearing in the Japanese original. There may even be a photo of the camera-shy Samura, whose afterword will be translated for this version. There will also be a new introduction by Geof Darrow, who had the role of Conceptual Designer on "The Matrix" movie series.

Kumoricon - Day 1

2009-09-05T23:08:00.001-07:00

Former Viz-mates Jason Thompson and Carl Horn have moved on to other things (Thompson writes for Otaku USA and wrote Manga: The Complete Guide while Horn is an editor for Dark Horse Manga) but their stories of the "good old days" of manga publishing in the 90s are very interesting. You may remember Wired Magazine's cover story on manga (written by Thompson) and he said the editor of the article went to the Japanese manga publishers asking for Ken Akimitsu to do the 8-page history of manga layout as manga. Wired is well known in the US, but not so much in Japan. Japanese bigwigs tend to respond "no" at the first opportunity, which is why they didn't get a big name to do that layout.

Toshifumi Yoshida is an anime producer and translator and he translates one of my favorites: The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. His lesson: don't go into anime translation, and don't expect to make a living off of manga translation. At his best gig he made $25 a page (an incredible amount from a Japan-based publisher) but would might average $10 a page here. The problem is there is always someone who will offer to do it for $2 a page, and that is why it is hard to be successful translating manga and anime exclusively. One needs to be more flexible, and I have to agree with him on all points.

More tomorrow! And I will be a part of the Dark Horse Translator's Panel tommorow at 4:30 in "Live 1". Please come by if you are attending.

A few more pics, via Sci-Guys.

Kumoricon in Two Days

2009-09-03T00:13:00.000-07:00

Portland's one and only Anime/Manga/Cosplay/All-things-J-pop-culture convention KUMORICON starts this Saturday and goes for 24-hours-a-day through the three-day Labor Day weekend. I will be there all day on Saturday and Sunday.

I will be participating in the Dark Horse Translator's Panel on Sunday at 4:30, so please come and check it out!

Debito Arudou on McD's New Pitchman "Mr. James"

2009-09-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Debito Arudou gives an interesting perspective on in The Japan Times on McDonald's Japan's latest pitchman, the Japanphile honky, Mr. James. I don't agree with all Arudou has to say, but it is certainly food for thought. See ads below for your own take what has become a mini-firestorm, at least for gaijin in Japan.

Good News for Berserk, The Monkey King, and Ghost Talker's Daydream Fans

2009-08-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today Dark Horse's Director of Asian Licensing, Michael Gombos revealed three bits of good news in two different places online.

First he responded in the comments to a post made last week at the Eastern Standard. In it he says they will no longer be using the cheaper paper used in Berserk v30, and reverting back to the higher quality stock. Also the long-awaited Ghost Talker's Daydream v4 will be hitting shelves sometime soon. The long break has made some suspect the series might be cancelled, though there were never official reports saying so.

In his Facebook page Gombos answered the question if Katsuya Terada's visit to Portland meant a next volume of The Monkey King, and the answer was the one we were hoping for.

We might be able to expect more news on these stories at the Dark Horse Industry panel at 10:00 AM this Sunday at Portland's Kumoricon which will be hosted by manga editor Carl Horn.