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Anna Sui's new manga inspired bags

by with No Comment News

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With Japan being one of the biggest fashion conscious and trendsetting countries in the world, it doesn’t come as a shock to see that fashion has entered the world of the manga artist. Back in March, American fashion designer Anna Sui hit the headlines with her limited edition Sailor Moon inspired collection of accessories, from bags, necklaces, charms, earrings and so much more – all adorning symbols associated with Sailor Moon and Anna Sui’s brand name.

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Well she is back once again with a whole new collection, but this time she is releasing a mixture of wallets, purses, bags and pouches inspired by the most famous manga creators in the industry. These include Akiki Higashimura (Princess Jellyfish), Ryoko Ikeda (The Rose of Versailles), Mineo Maya (Patalliro!), Rumiko Takahashi (Urusei Yatasura), and Osamu Tezuka (Princess Knight, Unico). From busts and eyes, to key scenes and images from the manga and anime, each item represents a particular moment or person that will not only bring you a feeling of nostalgia, but also one of excitement as you walk down the road looking unique and trendy.

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Whilst the pricing is still unknown, if you happen to be in Japan during May or June then here are the locations where Anna Sui’s pop-up shop will be selling the items. Be sure to get them quickly, as they are also limited edition and wont be around for long!

6 – 10 May – Shinjuku branch of Isetan in Tokyo

15 – 28 May – Laforet Harajuku in Tokyo

20 – 26 May – Nihonbashi Nitsukoshi in Tokyo

20 – 31 May – Nagoya Parco

20 May – 2 June – Osaka Lucua 1100

28 May- 10 June – Hikarie complex, Shibuya, in Tokyo.

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Source: Fashionablygeeky

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Ore Monogatari!! Anime first thoughts

by with No Comment Reviews

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Ah, the stereotypical anime love story. Cold and careless boy meets overly ‘kawaii’ pretty girl… Nope, scratch that. Ore Monogatari!! is taking that typical told and retold story and turning it completely on its head. With a gorilla-faced giant of a male protagonist and teeny weeny cutie-pie love interest, Ore Monogatari!! has set up a premise of one of the most charming and utterly adorable love stories that could ever be written.

Takeo and Yamato are as opposite as it gets, and at first it seems utterly absurd to expect any kind of ‘romance’ between the big and brash gorilla and the tiny, nervous deer. However as the first events of the series unfold and link the two together, it becomes impossible to see them as anything less than destined lovers of the strangest kind. Takeo meets Yamato during a train ride back from school one day. When Takeo’s best friend (the previously mentioned ‘cool, pretty boy’ type) Sunakawa, directs Takeo’s attention to a ‘sketchy’ looking man on the train, it soon becomes clear that the man is seen to be getting inappropriately close to the high-school bag of nerves, Yamato. Being the knight that he is, Takeo barges over to the suspect, seizes his arm and in return gets a very emotional, doe-eyed ‘Thank you…’ from Yamato. Here’s where the screen goes pink and sparkly and the invisible breeze sets in to create the text-book ‘just fallen in love’ atmosphere. However, things quickly change as Takeo convinces himself that Yamato is actually infatuated with his notorious ladies’ man of a best friend and decides that he will ‘cheer them on’ in the hopes of making Yamato happy. It’s completely adorable and as the viewers, we are all completely aware that Yamato is only interested in Takeo, inducing in us the urge to shout at the screen as we watch Takeo remaining ridiculously oblivious to Yamato’s unfaltering focus on him.

Ore_monogatari!!An initial glance at our main man Takeo brings many thoughts instantly to mind. It’s surprising to find that a character so far from the ‘normal’ pretty boy of a shoujo anime is, in fact, the focus of the story, and that’s what makes this series so special. It’s easy to get irritated by the pan water personalities of shoujo’s ‘cool’ boys, so it’s refreshing to see a big, hilarious softy as a protagonist, challenging the norm in a humorous and casual way. The feeling that someone is out of your league, and the belief that they could never be interested in you, is definitely something to which most teenagers can relate, which makes this anime an uplifting, feel-good story that is very easy to watch. Although it is just an anime, it’s a great platform for spreading the message that looks aren’t everything, and that personality often makes all the difference. It’s also a lot easier to notice and appreciate the individual personalities and quirks of each character when not blinded by guessing who’s going to be the next anime waifu or hasbando.

The first two episodes will leave you smiling and eagerly awaiting the follow-up. The art is very light and pretty and the animation is fairly average for this style of anime. With just two episodes to judge from, it’s difficult to comment on pacing: however, with plenty of events and little twists to keep things entertaining, there hasn’t been any filler so far. Here’s hoping that Takeo gets over his naiveté and we get to see one of anime’s weirdest and cutest relationships blossom.

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Good Luck Girl! Binbogami ga! DVD review – When fortune becomes misfortune

by with No Comment Reviews

GoodLuckGirlCoverDozens of new anime series premiere every year, and it’s easy to get lost in the sheer volume of them. Plenty of shows get swept away with the flow and don’t get the kind of attention they deserve, ending up as those hidden gems you come across only so often.

Good Luck Girl! is one of those gems.

Self-centred schoolgirl Ichiko Sakura has everything good going for her: looks, popularity, money, and literally anything else she might ever want. It doesn’t seem at all strange to her, but as it turns out, for her whole life she’s been sucking the good fortune out of everyone around her, leading to her perfection as she has an overwhelming excess of so-called ‘happiness energy’ that she can’t get rid of.

Here enters Momiji, a god of misfortune, who seems to be, unsurprisingly, the very embodiment of misery. She comes down with one purpose: to stick Ichiko with a giant needle and suck out her extra happiness energy, so that the world can be in balance again and Ichiko made into a normal girl. Naturally, Ichiko doesn’t take too kindly to this, asking why she should give up her own happiness so that others can have it. This doesn’t exactly make for a great start to their relationship, and they develop into fast rivals, finding every opportunity they can to insult each other, all during their cat-and-mouse game around Ichiko’s glut of happiness energy.

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After Momiji’s entrance, a small host of major and recurring characters enter the fray over the course of the anime; Good Luck Girl! banks its success on its characters before anything else.

Ranging from Bobby, a perverted, homeless monk, to Ranmaru, an adrenaline-fuelled tomboy, the funniest moments in Good Luck Girl! come from its unique and fun characters. Without the supporting cast rounding out the main pair of Ichiko and Momiji, this series wouldn’t be half of what it already is.

Thankfully, these likeable characters turn the humour from groan-worthy to worth a good laugh, each and every episode. The jokes range from one-liners to sight gags and perversion, and at times this range can be really hit-or-miss, with some moments meant to be funny but just falling flat. Luckily, when it does get a good line in or a clever pop culture reference – done with loving expertise all over the place here – it makes everything worth it.

In that light, it’s definitely true that Good Luck Girl! is a comedy through-and-through, and it does this well, but if it were only a comedy, then it wouldn’t exactly stand out. It’s funny, sure, and the characters are great and well-developed, but that only goes so far. Momiji can’t chase Ichiko around through increasingly bizarre strategies and antics for a full thirteen episodes without something getting stale, and that’s where Good Luck Girl! shows its deeper, more engaging side.

Believe or not, beneath all the fun and zaniness, there are threads of a serious story, running through every episode, occasionally surfacing – and to good effect.

From the outset of the anime, when all the comedy is established, serious moments arise to show that Ichiko isn’t entirely the selfish, ignorant girl she appears to be. Living alone at home with her butler, Suwano, she’s not shown to have any friends. Despite good fortune pouring out of her ears, Ichiko doesn’t have anything to truly be happy about, no matter how good her life looks to people seeing it from the outside.

At school, other girls shun her because of her easy popularity with guys, and when Momiji arrives, her life actively begins to worsen with all the trouble the god gets her into. Past her rich, haughty exterior, Ichiko doesn’t have much going for her.

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As the series progresses, more emphasis is placed on Ichiko’s developing personality and perspective of the world around her. Most episodes come with a sort of moral lesson for her, sometimes intentional and sometimes not, all integrating the whole cast in diverse and unique ways. No character feels left out or underdeveloped, and they all have their own roles to play in Ichiko’s story of personal improvement.

Now, that doesn’t mean the comedy gets killed off in favour of drama; some of the best, most hilarious moments in the show come in later episodes, and thankfully – unlike so many of its peers – Good Luck Girl! avoids a permanent shift into a dark, dramatic tone, instead remaining playful even as it ponders important questions about selfishness and friendship, and what really matters in life.

With characters that get more attention than just one-note gags, and drama that doesn’t completely overwhelm the show, Good Luck Girl! presents a uniquely entertaining dramedy, a rare feat, and worth watching just for that alone.

All of this is underscored by a dub cast that, while shaky at times, manages to make the jokes hit home, and the emotional lines come across as genuine.

The worst part about Good Luck Girl! is that it hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. Based just on the premise, it doesn’t seem promising, but it’s worth watching at least one episode. If only one or two don’t manage to catch your interest, then the series – being, again, hit or miss at times – might not be for you, but definitely don’t judge it by its cover. There’s so much bad, generic, time-wasting comedy anime out there that Good Luck Girl! might not particularly stand out amidst them all, but once you start watching, it’s easy to get hooked.

Good Luck Girl! is nothing if not unique, a refreshing watch that keeps its various elements of comedy and drama in a harmonious balance with each other. Is it the best thing to come out of Japan in recent memory? No. Does it have the prettiest animation, or the smartest dubbing? No. But is it worth watching? Without a doubt, yes. Whatever you do, don’t pass Good Luck Girl! up – it really can (and hopefully will) surprise you, in a very good way.

 

Good Luck Girl! is out March 16th on DVD in the UK, released by Manga Entertainment.

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Blood Lad review

by with No Comment Reviews

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In the form of a comedy from the underworld, Blood Lad was a well written concoction made up of all the ingredients needed to create an enjoyable seinen anime. With themes of supernatural action throughout, Blood Lad is another great example of how anime can turn the stereotypes of ‘scary’ demons and underworld creatures on their heads. Just like how Black Butler made demons sexy and Death Note made Shinigami lovable, Blood Lad made the creatures of the underworld downright relatable and sometimes, particularly in the case of our protagonist, quite pitiful.

The protagonist is Staz and despite being a complete and utter loser, he is hopelessly lovable from the moment we meet him, and he continues to hone this appeal all the way through. With his horrendously over-the-top otaku lifestyle, he’s undeniably familiar to many real life anime fans who sit and watch him. Well, besides the fact he’s a vampire. He boasts (literally) a large collection of anime related figurines and merchandise. Plus he has a manga collection that could rival any die-hard collector. However, despite being surrounded by all the things he loves, Staz suffers from the common characteristics of any person that seems to have everything they want, including power over pretty much the entire underworld. It’s almost like mafia wars, demon edition. Nevertheless Staz is arrogant, melancholy and bored of his current position.

Blood-Lad-01-2That’s when we’re introduced to the random arrival of Fuyumi Yanagi; a human girl who just happens to stumble into the demon world one day. Of course she’s well equipped with a face beyond kawaii and a chest beyond large, and in the true okatu stereotype fashion, Staz is instantly infatuated and claims Fuyumi as his own. That is until she’s entirely devoured and killed by a rogue demon plant before returning as a ghost. Yep. 100% true. So what follows is a hilarious but rather endearing story of Staz attempting to fulfill his vow to bring Fuyumi back to her former self. It’s definitely a story with a bit of everything as Blood Lad does a great job of making sure there’s some form of key feature that everyone will enjoy.

The series teeters between two key genres; comedy and action. One of the most obvious points of appeal within Blood Lad is the sheer humour. But, thankfully, it isn’t the forced kind. The series evoked a natural flow of laughter without being too over-the-top or ‘try hard’ as I often see in the more light-hearted comedy series.60251566 The jokes and punchlines were timed perfectly throughout and did well overall to create a balance between comedy and action in the storyline. One of the tropes that anime has always taken on with the comedy theme is referencing. There’s something about seeing a line or reference from old or popular anime that make us fans go, ‘OOH! OOH! I KNOW WHERE THAT’S FROM. HOW AMUSING!’ Blood Lad used this to its pure advantage. From subtle comments to Staz literally attempting to conduct a ‘Kamehameha’, it was almost like a fun side quest to see how many references you could find.

All jokes aside (literally, sorry) there’s a lot more to this series than just gags. The plot is genuinely decent and for a short series, the pacing is pretty much flawless. With some anime it’s typical to see fighting scenes lasting episode after episode with no real progression, yet Blood Lad deals with fighting scenes in a way that quickly builds up tension and never leaves with an unsatisfactory result and this is consistent throughout. No episode felt like filler or a drag; there was clear consistency in both the themes and characters which made this easy to watch and really invest in. I suppose you could say it was a little lacking in twists and surprises, and was probably a little predictable in most cases, but it’s not something big enough to detract from the overall impact.

As far as animation and style goes, it’s another tick. The scenes were bright and playful, completely complimenting the theme of the anime. There was a comedic style of animation through characters facial expressions and exaggerated mood frames. There was also a very vast selection of landscapes within Blood Lad which I believe is worth mentioning. blood-lad-03-1The scale of the journey that Staz and Fuyumi underwent was made far more expansive by the various locations visited. Each one being equally different. This carried over to the individuality of each and every character. All creative creatures were achieved with great detail which made it refreshing and interesting to meet the different personalities. It was also nice to see the dark atmosphere of the underworld retained through the characters appearances, despite the light nature all around.

As if I hadn’t already blabbed on and on with good points, overall Blood Lad clearly gets a big thumbs up. Between the endless laughs and surprisingly engaging battle scenes, it was a thoroughly enjoyable anime. For once I wasn’t put off by the typical kawaii-big-chested female! And that says something. Blood Lad stuck true to what the story was trying to present. Something light and funny with just enough focus to keep the plot worth watching. Everything from characters to scenery were used to the advantage of the series which stopped it from becoming boring or stale. For such a short series, it started well and managed to keep up a great standard throughout. Definitely worth a watch.

Blood Lad is released on DVD and Blu-ray by Anime Limited on 2 February.

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Ghost in the Shell: Arise review

by with No Comment Reviews

GITS_Arise_1Ghost In The Shell: Arise (GITS:A) is the new instalment in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, a prequel to the original Stand Alone Complex series. It is comprised of four episodes known as ‘borders’, with the first instalment released on DVD and Blu-ray featuring the first two episodes, Ghost Pain and Ghost Whisperers, and joins Daisuke Aramaki in the initial building of Section 9.

GhostintheshellarisebluraycoverIn the first episode of GITS:A Motoko Kusanagi is part of the 501 Organization. She is obligated to work for them as her cyborg body is in constant need of upkeep, which she cannot afford without their sponsorship. However, when her superior is involved in a serious crime she takes it upon herself to solve the crime and clear his name. The only problem for Kusanagi, renowned for being a world-class hacker, is that her memories seem misplaced.

In the second instalment Kusanagi has become a mercenary and leaves her position in the 501 Organization. Persuaded by Aramaki to create a team for Section 9, she initially refuses. However, when he offers her a crime to solve she relishes the chance to get stuck in. This story starts to encapsulate the obscure underlying meanings and double entendres known to be prevalent in the original series. It touches on class difference between robots, cyborgs and humans, and how the borders can be blurred as one robot utters the infamous line “I can hear my ghost whispering”.

Comparing this new instalment to Stand Alone Complex, GITS:A is less mentally taxing. In the first series it would take more than one sitting to understand all of the complicated themes. The Laughing Man is the most prevalent underlying theme of the first series, tying all the episodes from the first season of the original series together, which showed corruption within the government, businesses and medical care. In GITS:A the only underlying intriguing plot is sadly revealed and concluded within the first episode, leaving no cliffhanger or provocative storylines. It seems that this new series appears to be more of a stand alone than the original Stand Alone Complex. However, it does have its saving graces that make you want to watch more. This is seen in the relationships being formed between the characters, all of who are currently on different life paths and it is interesting to see how they all end up working on the same case but from different angles. Seeing the Major and Batou fighting as opponents trying to solve the same case rather than working together is an absorbing plot development.

Also another interesting comparison with GITS:A and the original series and GITS: Individual Eleven is the concept of the stand alone complex – an individual who undertakes similar actions to others but having no connection, other than seeing the actions of the original (in Individual Eleven, the eleven members are all playing their roles but have no connection to each other than the original essays). Although it is good that GITS:A is not regurgitating the familiar concept, I believe that this concept has an established role within the society created in the GITS universe, where identity and conforming play major roles in the establishment. It also breaks down what is seemingly a perfectly working society to show the unrest felt by the few shown by the masses.

GITS_Arise_2One major issue with the new series was the voice casting. Previously, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn has always undertaken the role of Motoko Kusanagi for the English dub. Although I can understand that they have changed the voice actresses to give Motoko a more youthful tone (voiced here by Elizabeth Maxwell), it was unusual to hear Mary Elizabeth McGlynn voicing Motoko’s superior Kurtz. I can only guess that this is significant in future episodes. If it is not, then it seems a very odd choice to make.

Each disc comes with a multitude of bonus features. These include Logicoma Beat and Logicoma Court; which are mini episodes similar to the Tachikoma mini series found within the Stand Alone Complex series. These stories anthropomorphise the Logicomas to show their increased awareness. Another very out of place and unnecessary extra is News Flash. This I can only sum up as a glorified advertisement for Microsoft. One of the must watch extras is the Decode 501file (Borders 2), which explains the purpose of the 501 Organization. Also included is the theatrical trailer, promotional videos and interviews with the creators and a U.S. cast and crew audio commentary.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise is a series worth having on Blu-ray to really bring the visual elements alive and to show off Production I.G’s style; it should definitely be in everyone’s anime collection. It is a must have for avid Ghost in the Shell fans, and for new fans it opens up a futuristic world. Also, with the future of Ghost In the Shell franchise set to branch into American culture through a live-action adaptation, it seems that we will be seeing a lot more from Section 9 in the future.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise is avaiable now from Manga UK priced at £22.49.

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Interview with Manga Artist Sarah Childs (Gyzra Ink) at MCM London Comic Con

by with No Comment News

banner2One of the fastest growing parts of the event at all of the MCM Comic Con events is that of the Comic Village, a place where comics meet in cavalcade of colour and creativity. One of the reasons for this recent growth is the explosion of indie comic book writers and artists who are attending the event to sell/exhibit their work.

One such artist is the talented Sarah Childs. MCM Buzz spoke to her about how she became an artist, her favourite MCM Comic Con memory and her manga series The Chronicles of Gyzra, the latest of which she will be selling this weekend.

MCM Buzz: How did you first discover you could draw?

Sarah: I’ve always loved drawing and I can’t remember a time before it. I just loved the ability to create my own worlds and characters. I think that inspiration came from being a fan of video games and wanting to create my own. In school everyone seemed to love asking me to draw Pokémon and Sonic characters and that just made me want to create more stories, no longer just for me, but for everyone to enjoy. From there it went from simple playing to studying new techniques and materials. Still to this day I have so much to learn, but I love every second of it.

MCM Buzz: What made you decide to start your own manga?

Sarah: My dad spent several years working in Japan and introduced my family to JRPGs, manga, anime and the beautiful movies of Hayao Miyazaki. At the same time I loved watching Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Dragon Ball Z and started copying them. I love the art style and when I got my first manga novel I was instantly addicted to the beautiful flowing and detailed artwork. There is something special about manga, the way the pages don’t have to stick to their panels, the words flowing around the images, and the inviting, expressive characters. I knew I wanted to tell my own stories, but as soon as I discovered manga I realised that this was the form I wanted to tell them in.

MCM Buzz: Who would you say are some of the people who inspire your work?

Sarah: Yoshitaka Amano’s artwork from Final Fantasy will always be a huge inspiration to me. One of the earliest drawings I have kept was a sketch I made of Ifrit from Final Fantasy X. I used to copy the drawings from the official guides and so I learnt so much from studying his art. Also, the beautiful works of Wenqing Yan, also known as Yuumei, melt my heart. Her artwork inspires me to keep improving, to me she is what an artist should be; someone who can take raw emotion, combine it with compelling story and tell you everything you need to know in one image. There are so many other artists that inspire me too: all the comic artists from theBLVD Studio, Kei (a vocaloid artist), Kim Hyung-tae, and also a lot of artists that visit our wonderful Comic Village at MCM.

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MCM Buzz: What is the process you use for creating your work?

Sarah: Planning is very important to me and I love to create intricate detailed worlds and characters. Because of this I spend a lot of time designing the world first. This can involve anything from maps to monster designs. After this I write the main plot points. Usually there is something in my life or in a dream that has sparked the inspiration for the story so I start at this point and try to figure out how the characters would react to each event. Once I have a list of key events I will flesh it out in a script type format, detailing what certain characters will say or do. After this I will take key scenes and thumbnail them. This is where a scene is drawn in lots of little rectangles representing the pages, before drawing them full size so that I can make sure the pages flow together and make sense.

Once it comes to actually creating the manga I first start by drawing all 200 pages as quick pencil sketches using stick figures and symbols to represent characters. I read through the story, edit and then draw the pages in detail; first starting with pencil, then pen outlines, then I fill in the outlines with tone and texture and finally I colour over with markers to act as screen tones adding a sparkle here and there with a white gel pen. This is then scanned, edited in PhotoShop and words are added. Finally, I send off the pages to the printer and await the day when a big box of books arrives on my doorstep!

MCM Buzz: How long does it take you to go from idea to a finished piece of art?

Sarah: For the pages of my book it takes between two and eight hours of work depending on the complexity and detail of the art needed. For my much larger commissions (for example drawing a client and their Pokémon team in a flood lit stadium) it can take much longer, roughly a month including designing. I prefer to work in smaller bursts though, by getting my artwork complete in a couple days.

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MCM Buzz: What would you say is the most challenging part about being an artist?

Sarah: Believing in yourself and not being afraid to show your work to the world. It can be hard when you receive hurtful comments and sometimes you want to run away from it. When someone is harsh about something that you poured your heart into it can be upsetting. My advice to any artists dealing with this is to try and learn from the criticism. If someone is being mean, remember that you don’t draw for them, you are drawing for yourself, so don’t worry too much about it. However, if someone really seems like they are trying to help, you have to listen to them because they might see something that you don’t. You can decide for yourself whether it is a valid criticism, but I would recommend always trying out what people suggest, you might enjoy the change.

MCM Buzz: On the flip side what would you say you enjoy most about being an artist?

Sarah: The best thing is how fun it is. Meeting so many wonderful people, both artists and fans is just amazing. Knowing that you make your living from what you love to do is just unbelievably amazing too. Yes, there are stresses, and there’s a lot of work you have to do, but I wake up everyday happy with my job and looking forward to what new exciting projects I have planned. The absolute best part though, is when you hand your artwork over to a customer and you see their face light up with happiness. That smile makes my day.

The Chronicles of Gyzra ExtractMCM Buzz: How would you describe The Chronicles of Gyzra manga graphic novel series?

Sarah: The Chronicles of Gyzra is an action, adventure trilogy. One night a strange, black rain falls on the village of New Eden, transforming the forest animals into ferocious monsters. We follow the journey of Eiki, a blue haired, adventurous young man, as he fights to protect his village and little sister, Mikana, from the contagion of the black rain. Follow Eiki into the crystal forest to discover the dark truth behind the black rain and its mysterious controller, Gyzra. The artwork is highly detailed with vast forest landscapes and powerful, magical fight scenes, all drawn traditionally by hand.

MCM Buzz: How did you come up with the idea for the series?

Sarah: I was about 13 years old when I first watched Princess Mononoke and the film filled me with inspiration. The following few nights I dreamt of a stunning, crystal forest plagued by an inky, black rain that was creating gruesome monsters in the depths of the trees. I couldn’t shake the dream and started scribbling little notes about it, drawing what I had seen and creating little stories for my mysterious world. In 2010, aged 17, I trialed a mini comic at MCM to see if others would be as fascinated as me with this world and the reaction was wonderful. Now, aged 21, I have two 200 page graphic novels about that world.

MCM Buzz: You are releasing the second volume of the The Chronicles of Gyzra Book 2: Wisdom and Strength at MCM London Comic Con this October. What can fans expect from the graphic novel?

Sarah: The first book, Courage and Hope, introduced us to the beautiful yet harsh world of The Chronicles of Gyzra. In volume 2, Wisdom and Strength, we delve into the darker depths of this world and start to uncover the hidden truth behind why our heroes are here as we begin the treacherous journey to destroy the evil that is Gyzra.

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MCM Buzz: What made you first decide to attend MCM London Comic Con?

Sarah: Anime, video games, cosplay and meeting some of my favourite voice actors and actresses. My friends and I couldn’t wait to visit, and when we walked into the hall for the first time it was like walking into a dream. That was about six years ago and I still visit every year, but now my favorite part is meeting all the other visitors!

MCM Buzz: How would you describe the experience of attending MCM London Comic Con as an artist as opposed to a fan?

Sarah: It’s very strange at first! Seeing the hall start as a giant shell and evolve into a bustling event is very exciting. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to visit the shows anymore, but I still love seeing all the cosplayers. My favourite thing about MCM is the great atmosphere and how you can be anything or anyone at the show and no one cares. It’s a celebration of our mutual love of everything from sci-fi to anime and that always feels special. 

MCM Buzz: What has been your favourite MCM Comic Con moment?

Sarah: The first convention I sold at was amazing because everything was new and exciting. It was the first time that I had sold my artwork and it filled me with confidence. I was very shy at the time and the confidence that the event gave me showed me how to come out of my shell. I met so many amazing artists, including Bernard Chang, who my table was opposite. He was incredibly encouraging and gave me so much advice as well as signing and gifting me some of his art books. Having the opportunity to talk to other artists has been one of the best things for me in improving my artwork and every meeting with these people, who I admire and respect, will stay with me forever.

MCM Buzz: You describe yourself as an avid gamer. If you could create a piece of manga based on any video game character, who would it be, why and what would the story be?

Sarah: Now that’s a hard question! My heart is torn between The Legend of Zelda or .Hack//, two worlds which I am absolutely obsessed with.  I think that there is a lot of potential in creating a story about Dark Link. I’d love to combine his story with the Twilight realm from Twilight Princess as we didn’t really get to explore it much. Perhaps there could be an alternate time line where Dark Link is trying to get to the Twilight Realm and jumping through different dimensions and games/time lines. He has to complete tasks in each game whilst the Link of that world is in the background. He learns, by being defeated by Link in Ocarina of Time, that losing one battle doesn’t stop you from getting to where you need to be. At the end of the manga he finally arrives at the Twilight Realm where he can stay and live with other creatures that understand what it is like to live as shadows. Maybe even a little love story with Midna; I miss her, she was a wonderful character.

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MCM Buzz:  Where can attendees find you at MCM London Comic Con?

Sarah: I will be in Comic Village Friday to Sunday. I will have a double table called Gyzra Ink which you will be able to find in the official MCM guide book online or at the show, or you can follow my Twitter @gyzra and facebook.com/Gyzra to see updates. For any other information or if anyone wants to contact me visit my website www.gyzra.com. I look forward to meeting lots of new people!

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Robotics;Notes part 2 review

by with No Comment Reviews

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It was already made pretty clear from my review of Robotics;Notes part 1 that I was less than impressed with how the series set itself up. Just as a miniature recap to provide some context, I found the story to be a spider web of many different storylines that were hard to keep track of and understand. There were already plenty of unanswered questions and I feared that the plot holes would grow larger and larger. Despite my many disappointments, I couldn’t deny the fluffy charm of the series, particularly when it came to the variety of characters. Although they were a little cliché in their very strict character ‘types’. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the second half of Robotics;Notes did not make any mega improvements. It was a noticeable step up from the first half, but not enough to change my cynical but frank opinion.

robot1The main addition that got on my nerves was the typical introduction of a needless and downright annoying love triangle. Though many would disagree for the fact that they really can be quite fun, if done the right way. If the anime is your cheesy shoujo romance story then by all means, have a love hexagon for all I care, I’ll be cheering for it. However, there’s a time and a place and within this series, which was already a complicated mish-mash of storylines, a love triangle just was not needed… or wanted. As with most triangle scenarios, it was predictable, cringe worthy and poorly developed. In its defence, there were the odd few cute moments and I suppose it didn’t help that I’m not particularly fond of any of the characters in the first place, let alone the awkward forcing of them into a romantic situation, which I firmly believe went against all of the characteristics of each member involved.

The next main thing is more of a continuation from my previous review and comments I seem to have made again and again… but I’ll continue anyway. PLOT HOLES. This anime is absolutely full to the brim of plot holes, unanswered questions and things that just downright make zero sense. It tried to feed too many genres and failed miserably. I can assume that a lot of people would go into this anime expecting a sci-fi and mecha based masterpiece, following in the footsteps of its legendary predecessor; Steins;Gate. However all I can say by the end of it is that I was left with a sting of sore disappointment. I also heavily contemplated the amount of time I had wasted watching this series, despite each episode only being the standard 20 odd minutes. That being said, I believe that had the anime been condensed into a short 12/13 episodes with a much stronger focal point and better development, it really could have been something special. The timing was just completely off. The parts that I would consider interesting and important were almost skimmed over with no later explanation, and the parts which drove me insane with boredom seemed to be strung out forever. If you’re not the type to hold onto the little details or ‘that one thing that was mentioned that one time’ then the unanswered questions might not be that much of an issue, it’d probably be a much more fun and easygoing series to watch. But when it’s noticed once, it’ll be noticed a hundred times after… and it just ruined it for me.

In the end, Robotics;Notes did pick up its pace a bit and it did wrap up prettyrobot2 neatly despite the disaster that lead to that point. But it was just too little too late. To put it into a more specific frame, the last five or six episodes were the ones that actually had some kind of impact. Not too great when you consider the length as a whole. The visuals and animation carried this show. They were the only appealing aspects that made it bearable to get through in the end. I’m afraid my opinion could be quite biased due to the fact that I expected such high standards after Steins;Gate. I expected bigger and better because of the bar that was already set. Although it does leave me wanting to play/read the visual novel, just to see how the source material deals with all the plot holes and whatnot. Maybe it’ll fill them in! But in the end, when it comes to anime, if you’re looking for a mecha series with a bit of a twist and a different storyline then don’t waste your time with this, go watch Gargantia or something. Find an anime that does the genre justice.

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Toyota Aygo to launch original Manga adventure at MCM London Comic Con

by with No Comment News

Toyota-Aygo-Manga-LogoToyotaAygoHeroWith just eleven days remaining until MCM London Comic Con revs up its engine, Toyota has announced that they will be launching an original manga adventure featuring their successful Aygo brand of cars. Leading manga artist Sonia Leong has worked with the company and created an adventure story which will feature a one-off version of the Aygo that is driven by the story’s lead character.

But the story for this unique superhero does not stop there, as this new character and the Aygo are both set to appear in a short animated film which will feature Sonia’s version of the automobile in a central role.

Manga fans will be familiar with Sonia’s work on such projects as the multi-award-winning manga version of Romeo and Juilet, Domo: The Manga, Draw Manga: Complete Skills book and the Channel 4 series, The I.T. Crowd. When asked to describe her work in this latest project, Sonia replied:

“It was an exciting challenge to use Aygo in this way, not only to represent a car through Manga illustration but also to use its styling to help shape a whole new hero character. As an example of contemporary Japanese-led design, Aygo is an ideal subject and I hope fans will respond to it and the story I’ve created.”

Sonia will be revealing her work and the new character she has created at the Toyota stand at the event, where it will join the ranks of the Toyota classic, the Corolla AE86, which previously earned cult status following its inclusion in the Initial D adventures.

For more information on Sonia visit here and for more information about the all new 2014 Toyota Aygo visit here.