anime – Page 9 – That Geek Thing

Goodies galore in Japan Crate’s latest box

August 20, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

It may be a given, but the MCM Buzz team are pretty partial to some of the weirdest and most wonderful food from around the world. We were recently sent the August edition of Japan Crate and was surprised to see the amount of sweets and geeky products within the adorable and cleverly designed ‘Premium’ box.

This is a Japanese candy subscription box that comes in three different sizes and prices. There is the ‘Mini’ box for $12 (roughly £8), which contains 4-6 items; an ‘Original’ box for $25 (roughly £16), which contains 8-10 items and a DIY candy box; and the ‘Premium’ box for $30 (roughly £20), which contains a whopping 10-12 items, a DIY candy kit and a drink.

What’s unique about this subscription box compared to others of its kind is the community that supports it. Japan Crate have a great connection to their niche market and feature many of their subscribers on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Website.

They also have a special package known as the Sugoi Crate in which one lucky subscriber will be randomly chosen to win a box full of giant candies, Japanese gadgets, toys and gaming systems. For August’s Sugoi Crate the winner recieved a WiiU – Super Mario World 3D Deluxe Set, Giant Pocky, Kaminarimon Nanoblock set, Panda Darake Chopsticks game, Totoro Plushie, Popin’ Cookin’ Sushi and Bento DIY Kits, Kumamon Itazura Bank, Mr. Knocky Drum toy, Wasabi – Rum & Raisin – Strawberry Cheesecake Kit Kats, Giant Bag of Galbee chips, Pocky & Peanuts Snoopy Almond Crush, and lastly Mentaiko Umaibo Sticks.

Because the box is coming from the US I recieved an email that said to allow 4 -6 weeks for delivery, but to my surprise it was delivered a mere eight days after it had been posted. The box is your standard subscription box in style, but bright red with their logo on the top. The inside is really cute with different scenery with each box.

Upon opening the box you will be greeted with their information booklet. A lot of time and effort has gone into the 13-page mini magazines. It includes a small 2-page comic, information on the contents of your Japan Crate box, some in-depth information about their featured candy, details about the Sugoi Crate, and a step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble your DIY candy kit.

Near the back of the magazine (which is read in the manga style from the top right to the bottom left) there is a small section which teaches you something cultural about Japan. In this edition it was about the Obon Festival and included some Japanese words at the bottom of the page for subscribers to learn. Finally there are two pages about the Japan Crate community where images and letters are sent in to be featured.

Shuwa Shuwa Soda Candy
Apparently “Shuwa Shuwa” is the sound of the fizz in soda; you have to wait till you get to the centre of the candy before you find out why it has that name. These hard boiled candies are really sweet, full of sugar and seem like your typical British boiled sweet, until you get to the centre and are greeted with a mouthful of fine powdered sherbet which foams as soon as it touches the wetness of your mouth. They come in three flavours, which I determined as Grape, Cola and Strawberry.

Soy Sauce Pretz
Crunchy biscuit sticks with a tangy soy sauce glaze. These are like your normal Pretz stick, flat, crunchy, but with a subtle sweetness to the biscuit. The soy glaze gives a hint of saltiness, but they are completely addictive and very more-ish. I would say these are both sweet and savoury and work well as a snack for someone who isn’t sure what they fancy.

Mario Kart Gum
Put on your diving gloves, buckle up, and grab a few of these bubble gums. Ten individual gums with a “gotta catch em’ all” vibe of having individual characters and karts on each one. For the Mario Kart gamers out there the packaging is really bright and cute. Though what they showcase on the outside isn’t always what’s on the inside. The gum is tangy at first but turns mushy and tasteless within seconds of getting the hard candy into a chewable state – think of chewing paper, that’s exactly what your getting.

Wow! Such Banana?!
A chocolate cream filled marshmallow banana with a hilarious name. This was one of the top items in the box for me. If you like banana flavoured things (milkshakes, cakes, bread), you will LOVE this sweet. It reminds me of the foam bananas you get in the UK, but softer, as it’s made from marshmallow. Yet it has a creamy chocolate centre and a banana flavoured chocolate around the outside of the marshmallow. After letting others have a try, the decision was unanimous that it was one of the better sweets of the package.

Crayon Shin Chan Candy
Crayon coloured ramune flavoured hard candies. Shin-Chan has his own manga and anime (which has been dubbed in over 23 languages) and follows five year old Shin-Chan as he makes mistakes and creates chaos for his parents, school and friends. These sweets remind me of the cheap sweets you get in the 20p gachapon machines, like a boiled sweet, but with a compressed powdered centre. They are fruity but not to my taste. The packaging on the other hand is hilarious and I really like the fact you can pull Shin-Chan’s shorts off.

Soda Mixing Jelly Beans
Five tasty soda flavours in jellybean form; mix and match flavours to create your own soda flavours. Being a bit of a jellybean fanatic I was really excited to try these. Eating them on their own they were really fruity, but the real fun begins when mixing them together. I was devastated when I realised I had finished the packet just minutes after opening it, but can guarantee they are well worth trying if you get the chance.

Japanese BBQ Scones
Like Cheetos but better; the BBQ flavour that gives American flavourings a run for its money. This was a huge packet of Nik-Nak shaped corn chips, covered in a sticky and sweet BBQ sauce which left me craving more. There was a hint of BBQ ribs in the taste and is definitely one of my favourite items from the box.

Crackling Cotton
Fluffy grape cotton candy with an explosive pop rocks kick, a truly unique candy. Please heed my warning, do not put all of this in your mouth due to its luscious smell. Although the taste is really strong and really delicious, eating the candy as a whole means you will endure deafening cracking and popping with the candy hidden inside. It feels as though Japanese popping candy is a thousand times stranger than the ones you get in the US and the UK. Really tasty and a fun experience, especially if you give it to someone unexpectedly.

Chocolate Pucca
Crispy pretzel biscuit shells filled with creamy chocolate goodness. If you have tried the Hello Panda chocolate then you’ll have an idea as to what you will be experiencing here, though there is a complete difference with the biscuits used. The chocolate is also different here, a little richer in texture and taste.

Pokémon Puzzle Game
Enjoy some gum whilst you piece this puzzle together. For you Pokémon fans out there this product is possibly a treat, though there is the reappearance of some dreadful bubblegum that tastes like you’re chewing soggy paper. This can be excused with the fact that you get a sticker puzzle game inside as well.

Puzzle & Dragons X Bikkuriman Wafer
Fans of P&D or Bikkuriman will recognise the characters on the cover. Inside is a tasty wafer with collectable playing cards and stickers. There is something about Japanese chocolate that keeps me really happy and the kind here is creamy and really high end, which accompanies the wafer extremely well. The packaging is super cute too.

Creamy Melon Soda
Delicious and creamy soda with a nice melon flavour. While I like my fruit I have never been a big fan of melon, nor a fan of melon flavouring. But things have changed and Japan has proved that should a melon find its way to my mouth, it will be through flavoured cream soda. It’s really light on bubbles, extremely creamy, and reminds me of a fizzy version of the melon milk that is available.

DIY Choco-shrooms
A popular snack that has turned into a DIY kit. Choco-shrooms are one of the Japanese sweets that most westerners are given to introduce them slowly into the world of Japanese candies, and rightly so, they are really tasty. But actually making the items by hand makes it just that little bit more special. Directions are given in English in the booklet and on the back of the box, but I feel it’s pretty simple and self explanatory. The outcomes were really pretty and extremely tasty.

It was very surprising seeing the amount of products and goodies received in the box. I thoroughly enjoyed trying each and every item as it opened my eyes to what’s available from Japan. It’s not all just Hi-Chews and Pocky! With the personal touches of the information booklet as well as the inclusion of anime, manga and game characters within the box, there is something there that will capture your attention.

For the price of the box it is definitely worth it. With its fast delivery, high quality products and an exploration of culture within a monthly subscription box, you couldn’t ask for more.
Thank you to Japan Crate for sending MCM Buzz a box to review.

Opening day at TokyoToys new store in Birmingham

August 16, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

15 August 2015 saw the opening of TokyoToys new store in the centre of Birmingham. The day saw over a thousand people descend to the Japanese manga and toy store, which included performances, cosplay, giveaways, Pocky and even a special cake from the Amazing Cake Company.

Situated on Corporation Street, it is the second TokyoToys store in the UK, following on from the first in the Trocadero centre in London. Co-owner Hideki, manager Jon and the staff of TokyoToys were still getting everything finished and cleaned in time for their 2pm opening.

Jon, aka the Pocky Ninja, is the store manager of the new shop. He explained that while the London shop did have some work done to it, the Birmingham one required an absolute overhaul. “We had to build entire new ceilings, new walls; everything you see in TokyoToys here is custom made,” said Jon. “We bodged things in different ways to make them work in a very unique way. Those plushie racks were completely made by the brothers of TokyoToys. This is all a learning curve, so we’ve learnt a lot.”

TokyoToys Birmingham 08426 — Inside TokyoToys new store

TokyoToys Birmingham 08433 — TokyoToys T-shirts featuring Coco

TokyoToys Birmingham 08438 — Pokémon baseball caps

TokyoToys Birmingham 08439 — Anime and manga

“Itachi is a big part of TokyoToys,” said Jon. “Basically, the three brothers of TokyoToys transformed this shop from a crumbling mess to this thing of beauty.”

“You better look after it,” said Itachi.

“I will, I promise,” laughed Jon as he bowed before Itachi.

“I’ll be coming to check on you,” added Itachi.

Asked if he’d miss the London store, Jon replied that he didn’t really have a major role there. “I’ve been in the background, doing other things, mainly Comic Cons, helping and running all of those. If Hideki was here he’d say that he’d fire me everyday. But he said, ‘We want to open a Birmingham store now. We think it’s time that you took the plunge and went on to it.’”

There was a huge queue of people waiting to get in, which ran all the way down to the end of Corporation Street, and at its peak even turned to New Street. To keep the crowd entertained, two staff in Pika Face T-shirts performed to the Pokémon ‘Dance Dance Dance’ track. Before the shop opened its doors, Jon announced that they would be offering 10% off purchases to all cosplayers and for every £10 spent customers would get to have a go on the tombola, offering them a chance to win a limited edition Pikachu Nintendo 3DS.

TokyoToys Birmingham 08395 — Itachi, Jon and Hideki take to Corporation Street

TokyoToys Birmingham 08401 — TokyoToys staff performing

TokyoToys Birmingham 08381 — Jon announces that they are giving away a Nintendo 3DS

TokyoToys Birmingham 08386 — The winning ticket for a Nintendo 3DS

TokyoToys Birmingham 08363 — Latifah was the first to queue outside the new store

Latifah was the first person to start queuing outside the new store from 5:30am, along with her friends Ibrahim and Shafiqah who turned up at 6am. “I’m so passionate about TokyoToys,” said Latifah. “I had to come and make sure I’m the first one to be here!”

To mark the occasion Latifah had dressed up in an incredible costume made from strips of comic books and manga. “I do beauty pageants and I have to do an eco dress,” she said. “Because I love anime and manga I wanted to show that otakus are glamorous, they don’t just stay indoors, watching anime and playing games. I decided to make a manga dress to show that free spirit.” She was looking forward to purchasing a new phone case and a plushie once the doors had opened.

Gabrielle was the fourth person in the queue who revealed that the new store had received over 70 CVs in the past week “I just wanted to come and support Hideki. It’s totally worth it.”

Megan was the first one to actually make a purchase in the new store, who spent over £80 and was cosplaying as Oikawa Tōru from Haikyuu!!. “Oh gosh, it’s a great honour,” she said, upon being told that she was the first official customer. “I bought loads of sports anime trash and I won a tote bag and three badges.”

TokyoToys Birmingham_142845 — Megan was the first customer at the till

TokyoToys Birmingham 08453 — Itachi mans the desk for their cosplay competition

By 7pm there was still a queue of people waiting to step inside. Jon revealed that some people had been queuing for three hours. “We’ve apologised to them, they’ve said, ‘No, we don’t care, we’re happy to be here.’ It’s been absolutely amazing, it really, really has. I don’t want three hour queues everyday. It would be nice, but we don’t want that for our customers!”

As for how many people visited, it was estimated that there were as many as 1200 people. “I don’t have any words to describe it,” said Jon of the huge turnout. “Honestly, we were so overwhelmed with the support for TokyoToys. From 2pm to 4pm we had about 500 people. We estimate around 1200 people have been through the doors. We’ve had to have a queuing system for our entire opening time. It’s been mad all day.”

TokyoToys Birmingham 08458 — The queue outside the new store

TokyoToys Birmingham 08498 — A special cake by the Amazing Cake Company

Jon added that they had initially panicked at the thought that more than 300 people might turn up. “We thought, ‘We’ll get the megaphone, we’ll do some dancing for them, we’ll keep them entertained.’ We were not expecting to keep people entertained for over six hours. We’ve gone through so much freebie Pocky just to keep feeding people.”

When asked about how the customers compare to the London shop, Jon replied, “Apparently, they’re better looking! But no, really there’s no divide. Anime fan, manga fan, we’re all in the same boat. We’re all here for the same reason, the same love, the same drive. We’re all a bunch of crazy people that all enjoy the same crazy things and we’re just here to help provide that service. Yeah, we’re a business, but at the end of the day, we do it because we love doing this.”

Looking to the future and the possibility of a third TokyoToys store, Jon revealed that discussions had taken place, but as for a location he was tight-lipped and said, “We’re not going to say where. We are thinking about it, we’ll see how this goes. Give it a year maybe and we’ll see what happens.”

Are you in our video of the queue outside TokyoToys?

Additional content by Heather Kincaid.

Bleach Series 16 Part 1 DVD review

July 19, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

A short time ago we reviewed Bleach Series 15 part 2 and said that the next release was imminent. We weren’t kidding. Just a few scant weeks later the next DVD dropped through the letterbox at MCM Buzz towers. Eager to find out what awaits our spiky orange haired hero now that he faces the daunting prospect of life without his Soul Reaper powers, we sat down and waded through the three discs and the 12 episodes found therein.

This set marks the start of the final arc, known as the The Lost Agent arc. It picks up the story 17 months on from when Ichigo lost his Soul Reaper powers and deals with the emergence of a new group of super powered humans known as the Fullbringers. These newcomers are led by Kūgo Ginjō. Several episodes in, Ginjō presents Ichigo with an interesting offer that could mean the return of the powers he thought lost. Whilst all this is going on, several of Ichigo’s friends are being attacked by a mysterious man and Ichigo’s father and Kisuke Urahara are having secret meetings. What does all of this mean and just how does it relate to Ichigo and his friends future? Well that we can’t tell you, as that would be cruel.

It is also nice to see in this arc that more time is given to characters such as Chad, Orihime and Uryū. This is mostly because the story is set primarily in the world of the living and also because Ichigo can no longer see Soul Reapers, even if there were any. So all of this means that there is little point having these characters around for the moment. In particular, the episodes here allow us to see some growth in Chad and may even provide us with an answer to the origin of his and Orihime’s powers.

As you can gather, this arc appears to have a lot going on and as such the plot is engaging and does manage to keep you hooked all the way through the episodes in this set. What’s even better is that the entire first part is filler episode free! Whilst this is good, it does mean that at some point in the next set we may have to endure one or two of them. Given the conclusion of the last episode on this set it could be sooner than we’d like.

Despite this there is not much that can really be picked at in this set. Mostly it is standard fare for the series (the voice cast is, as ever, good). Even a powerless Ichigo can still have a good story, so fans of the series should find themselves entertained from start to finish as a result.

Bleach Series 16 Part 1 is available to buy now from Manga Entertainment and don’t forget you can read our previous Bleach reviews here.

Interview with MCM London Comic Con's Anime Guest of Honour: Hidetaka Tenjin

May 28, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Features Interviews

At MCM London Comic Con May 2015 we were lucky enough to get an interview with the Anime Guest of Honour, Hidetaka Tenjin. He has worked as an artist for Hellsing Ultimate, the Macross franchise and Gundam Evolve. Check out our chat with Hidetaka Tenjin down below.

How are you doing, how are you finding London?

Hidetaka Tenjin: It’s great! I love the architecture and the people walking around.

How did you first get into art?

Hidetaka Tenjin: I wanted to be all sorts of things. I wanted to be a pilot, I wanted to make robots, but in the end art is just where I settled.

You specify in mechanical, and sci-fi illustrations, how did you get to that point?

Hidetaka Tenjin: As a child I loved mecha, sci-fi, anything enormous, so I naturally started drawing those kind of things. I’m from the generation where we had Star Wars and Star Trek in the States, and those influence a sci-fi boom in Japanese anime as well.

I understand you majored in mechanical control systems. Did that inform your artwork?

Hidetaka Tenjin: Of course, I want to draw mecha that can actually move. Anime designs tend to be all over the place, but I like making them look like they could actually work in real life.

Some of your most popular work include the Macross franchise, Gundam and Hellsing Ultimate. Explain what you loved about all of these?

Hidetaka Tenjin: With Gundam it’s so huge and there’s so many people involved, especially with the box art for the model kits, there’s a huge tradition behind them. Being allowed to draw the box art for all of those was a big honour for me.

With Hellsing I was involved with the mecha design, and I really don’t like horror or gore. But it was set in London, and I did loads of research in to London and now I am here which is really great. Although I do feel that I need to apologise to the people of London for that kind of story.

Because Hellsing was obviously so different, what was the biggest challenge?

Hidetaka Tenjin: To be honest, it was part of my London research. It was really difficult to find out about the police in London. I tried to find out what the officers from Scotland Yard would wear, what shape the helmets were, what jackets they would have. It was really difficult to find that information online. Although yesterday I actually saw real life police officers for the first time. It was very exciting.

You do cover, and box art, explain how you feel creating them?

Hidetaka Tenjin: It’s really good fun, because it’s like drawing my own art.

Are there any games, anime or manga that you really enjoy?

Hidetaka Tenjin: Sidonia, Knights of Sidonia, and I am looking really forward to the new Star Wars.

What’s next for you in the future?

Hidetaka Tenjin: My next interview (laughs). Just kidding, I am working on the new Macross TV series right now. Also I am continuing to draw the box art for the series Star Wars model kit for Bandai that looks like it’s going to carry on for a while.

MCM Buzz Stop Motion Cosplay video MCM London Comic Con May 2015

May 25, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Events

May’s MCM London Comic Con of 2015 saw thousands of cosplayers descend upon the ExCeL centre and the Southampton Solent Video Team have produced a stop-motion cosplay video showcasing a compilation of the stunning cosplay around the event.

Click play below and who knows… maybe you can spot yourself in the video? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Still want more? Visit our YouTube page where you can see more highlights from the weekend. Plus you can visit the MyM Buzz Facebook page and take a look at the photo albums where you will find plenty of pictures from the event.

Videographers – Jan Tagle and Jordan Bragg

Editor- Louis Arrigoni

Crew provided by Southampton Solent University and Jack Tindall.

Viewster’s guide to surviving an Anime Convention

May 21, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Features

With movies and series, video on demand site Viewster happen to house an impressive collection of anime available to watch for free. With the upcoming MCM London Comic Con, they have put together a guide on how to survive your first anime convention.

As well as finding the right convention from a list of the most popular around the world (including the MCM London Comic Con), there are preparation tips before the event itself and general dos and don’ts.

Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran to the convention scene, there are some useful tips provided that will certainly go some way to making your experience a good one.

The full guide can be found by clicking here.

Digimon Adventures Tri – news and trailer revealed

May 8, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

It seems like an age since we last had any concrete news about the forthcoming Digimon Adventures Tri project, but now the silence has suddenly been broken with not just one piece of news, but several, along with a teaser trailer to boot!

The first and perhaps most important revelation is that this new adaptation is not a TV series as previously thought, but is in fact a set of six movies. The first, called “Saikai” (Reunion), will premiere in Japan on November 21^st.

In addition, the Japanese cast for the human characters has now been confirmed, and is as follows:

Natsuki Hanae as Taichi Yagami

Yoshimasa Hosoya as Yamato Ishida

Suzuko Mimori as Sora Takenouchi

Mutsumi Tamura as Kōshirō Izumi

Hitomi Yoshida as Mimi Tachikawa

Junya Ikeda as Jō Kido

Junya Enoki as Takeru Takaishi

MAO as Hikari Yagami

What is most interesting about this part of the announcement is that, unlike their Digimon partners, the human characters have all been re-cast. Given that this project is a sequel of sorts to the original series, it’s unusual that the original voice cast would not return, but when you consider that the characters are now teenagers and young adults rather than children, it’s perhaps an easier decision to understand. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that whoever ends up with the rights to dub an English language version will do the same.

The final piece of news that was unveiled was that AiM (Ai Maeda) will be returning to provide the series’ first ending theme. Titled “I wish”, the song will be a new recording of a track from the original Digimon series.

Along with these major reveals, the series’ first trailer gives viewers a glimpse of what to expect from the films. Though described as a teaser, the clip shows a lot more than you might expect, with what seem to be some pretty amazing new character designs from Atsuya Uki (Cencoroll, tsuritama), along with appearances from your favourite Digimon characters of old. In particular, a cute scene between Taichi Yagami and his Digimon partner Agumon will tug at your heartstrings, and it seems safe to say that this announcement will whip fans up into more of frenzy than before!

Click play to watch the trailer below and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Sound! Euphonium – anime first thoughts

April 25, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Reviews

Every season of anime comes with a few rare and original shows. However they can be difficult to find amongst the overwhelming amount of same-same genre’s and retold storylines. Some may disagree with this. I believe there is a greyish area between these two kinds of shows. I like to call it the same-old guilty pleasures. Within this category are idol anime, sparkling shoujo romances and music-based shows. Unfortunately, this season lacks any stories involving 4-12 girls getting dressed up in lolita outfits and becoming the town’s biggest idols. Disappointing. However, Sound! Euphonium is my saviour this season. With a cast of characters predominantly female and cutesy; I have found solace.

Sound! Euphonium is a music anime. It follows the story of one school’s dream to take their concert band to the Japanese concert band nationals. Although the protagonist appears to be Kumiko, purely based on the fact we start the anime with her and follow her thoughts and actions, the show is very open when it comes to characters. The rest of the class don’t feel like average side characters as each one has a vivid and individual personality. This makes the show a lot more lively and allows room for an array of interweaving character stories, which is something that I feel will be a constant throughout the series. We already have two ex classmates attending the same school and the same club, as well as the reunion of a few childhood friends. It’ll be entertaining to see how new and old personalities change and how the wide variety of characters interact with each other. There’s definitely the possibility of fall-outs, romance, drama and great friendships. The perfect slice-of-life ingredients. The only risk is that the characters may not cause much drama at all, of course… Then we’d have a pretty bland series on our hands.

The most impressive element of Sound! Euphonium so far is the appearance. I mean, there’s clearly a decent budget going towards the art and animation. The detail that goes into the characters movements and facial expressions is almost mesmerising. They aren’t stiff 2D animations, they move with a genuine flow and every ounce of mood is shown perfectly on their faces. It makes all the difference when it comes to characterisation and depth to see both major and minor reactions expressed. It also shows how these seemingly tiny efforts of detail can make a massive difference to anime aesthetic overall. I found myself noticing the most mundane things from how the lighting on the scenery and characters changed drastically between the sunset outside and the classroom indoors. It may sound pretty irrelevant but you have to give this kind of thing a lot of credit. It made it difficult to look away. Even the cut scenes of birds in the park and random rooftops had my eyes scanning over all the details.

I believe that the characters are really going to make this anime. Whichever direction the story goes, it’ll still be a very simple plot to follow. It’s the characters choices and personalities that will enable the story to progress in certain ways. It’s a series that resonates with previous music-based shows such as LoveLive! School Idol Project and the recently popular Your Lie in April. We’re yet to see any real big music pieces, but with a large concert band consisting of more instruments than I’ve seen in any previous anime, it’ll be something to look forward to. With the way everything else in going, I can only imagine how impressive the music will be. High hopes for this one!

Gatchaman Crowds Season 1 Blu-ray review

April 25, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment Reviews

Gatchaman Blu-ray cover For anime fans of a certain age the name Gatchaman brings back fond memories of the 1970s Power Rangers-esque series that ran for 105 episodes in Japan and 85 episodes when it was brought over to the west as Battle of The Planets. Since then, there have been other versions of the show produced, including a live-action adaptation released in Japan in 2013. So far, none of these have managed to attract quite the same level of fandom and excitement as the original series, so with such apparent apathy towards newer incarnations, you may be surprised to hear that a fifth animated version of the series has now emerged.

Titled Gatchaman Crowds, the series is more a re-imagining of the classic series than a straightforward remake. The series is set in an idealised version of 2015 in the Japanese city of Tachikawa, a city protected by the Gatchaman. Yet these are not like the Gatchaman of old: gone are the superhero and ninja suits, replaced by new outfits generated by each individual’s unique spiritual powers. Called NOTE, these even manifest themselves in the form of a physical notebook adorned with the classic logo. Also absent are the planes and other vehicles from the original show: instead, the characters each have individual Gatchaman power suits with a variety of different designs and powers. Nevertheless, in the midst of all this change, one thing remains the same: the team’s mission is to protect not only Tachikawa, but the world, from threats both at home and of alien origin. There are also occasional references to the original series in the form of throwaway comments from characters and visual nods, like the familiar G-based logo design.

The series’ main story arc concerns the Gatchaman’s battle against an alien threat that has destroyed several planets and is an enemy that the Gatchaman may have faced before. We are introduced to the world through the eyes of schoolgirl, Hajime Ichinose, a bubbly young lady who becomes the team’s latest recruit after being chosen by their mysterious leader J.J. As the episodes progress and J.J. sends out cryptic messages via the team’s NOTE books, we are taken on a journey that touches many issues relevant to contemporary audiences, including increasing social media use, the creation of large numbers of apps by younger and younger people and our growing dependency on mobile technology, to name but a few. There are even some references to events in recent Japanese history, such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

On the surface, the story seems multi-layered and interesting, yet some aspects are liable to frustrate viewers. One example of this is the personality of the lead character, Hajime, who views the world with a sense of childlike wonder and simplicity. At times, her enthusiasm is annoyingly excessive, usually leading to high-pitched squealing and screaming, and often making serious situations come across as silly and inconsequential. Aside from this, there is also the usual mix of stereotypical anime characters, resulting in a dynamic that is heavily derivative and un-original.

All that said, the artwork unique and interesting, mixing together a variety of styles in unusual ways. In certain shots, the style recalls the show’s 1970s roots, paying homage to, rather than copying, its source. The character design is strong, and the Gatchaman’s armour is reminiscent of series such as Accel World. Taking these different elements together, the end result is a visual style that, while hardly groundbreaking, mostly looks pretty good.

The voice cast is well-chosen and is a definite step up from the original Casey Kasem-led cast, even if you do end up feeling sorry for Jessica Calvello (Hajime) with all the screaming and squealing she has to do. The score offers a nice blend of orchestral and choral music as well as some J-pop and techno tunes. The reworked Gatchaman theme is particularly catchy and whatever you think of the series, you’ll definitely find yourself humming it. The only negative in this area is that there are times when the background music drowns out the dialogue, making it difficult to follow what is being said (particularly noticeable in Episode Six).

While it’s fair to say that Tatsunoko Studios has done a good job of making the show relevant to modern viewers, it’s a shame it relies so heavily on derivative styles and concepts. All in all, Gatchaman Crowds is an interesting, if at times frustrating, return to a beloved franchise that’s liable to have a Marmite-like effect on its audience.

Gatchaman Crowds is available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Animatsu Entertainment.

Anna Sui's new manga inspired bags

April 23, 2015

by thatmediathing with No Comment News

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.

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.

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.

Source: Fashionablygeeky