Advanced Search

Browsing Articles

Makoto Shinkai Your Name National UK Screenings Reminder

Date: 2016 October 15 15:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

While Makoto Shinkai is in London promoting is latest smash hit move Your Name, it might be a good time to remind UK readers that they can catch it nationwide on a special one day screening on Thursday 24th November 2016. You can check the official Your Name Movie UK Website to find a screening near you. We suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.

We don't say smash hit lightly either, it's grossed more than $100 million USD at the Japanese box office and is on track to be the 5th highest grossing movie in Japanese box office history.

If you're a fan of Makoto Shinkai, you might not be aware of the special artbook, A Sky Longing for Memories: The Art of Makoto Shinkai. It's a lavish full colour artbook which is packed with art from many of the movies he directred, with hundreds of background from 5 Centimeters per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Voices of a Distant Star, and a TV advertisement for the Mainichi Newspaper. It doesn't feature Your Name, as it was published before the film was released, it does however feature a section on software and techniques behind CoMix Wave’s animation, which. This English also features an interview with Makoto Shinkai and other key members of his studio. You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

If you're already a fan, you should already be aware of The Place Promised in Our Early Days / Voices of a Distant Star Twin Pack on Blu-ray and DVD. That's due out on Monday 21st November 2016. It's in full collectors packaging along with another artbook. You can pre-order this from Amazon.co.uk.

Souce: Your Name the Movie UK Website

MCM London Comic Con to welcome Evangelion animator Takeshi Honda this October 2016

Date: 2016 October 12 15:20 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

We've already mentioned that Psycho-Pass director Naoyoshi Shiotani will be at the MCM London Comic Con this October. We've just heard from the good folks at MCM that Evangelion animator Takeshi Honda will also be at the event. He worked on the original Neon Genesis Evangelion and went back for the reboot acting as mechanical animation director on Evangelion: 1.0, animation director on Evangelion: 2.0 and then chief animation director on the latest in the series, Evangelion: 3.0.

He's got lots of top titles on his CV too, being involved in Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Ponyo, The Wind Rises and The Boy and the Beast. Such an industry veteran will have lots of interesting insights to reveal.

MCM London Comic Con is set to run from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th October 2016 at Excel London.

Drawing a New Generation of Manga - London Talk October 2016

Date: 2016 October 03 14:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of manga looking for something interesting to will want to head over to Foyles Book shop on Charign Cross Road for the Manga: The New Generation talk. Ken Niimura and Miki Yamamoto will be joined by curator and comics writer Paul Gravett to discuss the new wave of manga artists.

The event is set to take place on Monday 17tth October 2016 from 6:30pm.

The event is free to attend but booking is essential.

As always with events like this, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Japan Matsuri in London September 2016 Details

Date: 2016 September 22 15:42 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of Japanese culture looking for something to do this weekend in London will want to head over to the Japan Matsuri in Trafalgar Square. The Japanese festival is set to run from 10am to 8pm on Sunday 25th September 2016. There are no entry charges.

There'll be a big stage with lots of traditional and modern Japanese performances, along with plenty of stalls selling Japanese Street food, plus other goodies such as arts and crafts. A few travel agents will be there too, so it's good to go if you're planning a trip to Japan.

Souce: Japan Matsuri

Scotland Loves Anime 2016 Details

Date: 2016 September 01 14:40 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Scotland Loves Anime have just announced their 2016 line-up. The anime film festival frequently hosts the UK (and often the European) premiere of many anime films. It's mission is to promote animation as art. This year they tell us "We’ve got 4 EU premieres, 5 UK Premieres and 1 Scottish premiere again this year."

This year the festival is set to run in Glasgow from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th October 2016, while the Edinburgh Programme will run Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd October 2016.

There's so many highlights, So many, including Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, fan favourite Kizumonogatari - Part 1 and 2. Often you'll have to wait ages after the festival to get another chance (if any) to catch these movies on the big screen. Interestingly, they'll also be screening Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, Japanese Propaganda film from World War 2 was thought lost until rediscovered in 1983.

They've got Harmony (we interviewed it's director Michael Arias in May this year). The Mamoru Hosoda classic The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (which will be introduced by anime expert Jonathan Clements in Edinburgh).

They'll also be showing Makoto Shinkai’s The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Garden of Words and Voices of a Distant Star.

Guest wise Yoshimi Itazu, the anime industry veteran and director of Pigtails will be at the Glasgow Film Theatre. Jonathan Clements the anime industry expert, writer and author will also be there as a guest to offer his insight. You may know him as the co-author of all 3 editions of The Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation.

As always with festivals like this. We advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Makoto Shinkai's Your Name at the BFI and Nationwide in the UK

Date: 2016 September 01 10:52 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've got news from the good folks at the BFI, who'll tell us that Makoto Shinkai’s "Your Name" to Screen in Competition at the 60th BFI London Film Festival. This is significant as for for the first time in its history, it will host a Japanese animated film in the competition.

Makoto Shinkai's new film, which blends comedy, drama, heartbreak and wonder, will also open nationwide at 78 UK cinemas on Thursday November 24th 2016.

We caught up with Makoto Shinkai and interviewed him last time he was at the BFI promoting 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2016 Details

Date: 2016 August 23 16:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of Japanese Culture looking for something to do in London at the end of November will want to head over to the Hyper Japan Christmas Market. It's set to run from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November 2016 at Tobacco Dock in London.

They haven't yet announced the line-up, but chances are they'll have a selection of great guests and interesting events. Hyper Japan is renowned for it's street food, so it's always a good opportunity to sample some great cuisine.

In the summer run of Hyper Japan we caught up with Horror Writer and Studio Ghibli Production Manager Hirokatsu Kihara

Souce: Hyper Japan

Manga Jiman 2016 Competition Details

Date: 2016 August 19 04:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Aspiring or upcoming artists based in the UK will be interested in the Embassy of Japan in the UK's Manga Jiman Competition. This year marks the 10th edition of competition. With the top prize being a return flight for two people to Japan, thanks to All Nippon Airways!

This year's theme is "Sights of Japan". The competition has two categories; Yonkoma Manga, a comic strip of 4 panels on one page, for entrants aged between 11 and 13 and Manga Jiman, a short story told across 6 to 8 pages for anyone aged 14 or over.

The competition closes on Monday, 24 October 2016. So get drawing!

Kiki's Delivery Service gets a New Theatrical Adaptation in London Over Christmas 2016

Date: 2016 August 17 15:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Culture

Fans of Japanese Culture looking for something to do over Christmas will want to to head to the Southwark Playhouse in London. They'll be hosting the world premiere of a brand new theatrical adaptation of Kiki's Delivery Service. The play is based on the best selling book by Eiko Kadono, and was adapted into a much loved film by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

The play is set to run from Thursday 8th December 2016 until Sunday 8th January 2017.

The Southwark Playhouse have previously hosted a production of Howl's Moving Castle in 2012.

They've yet to announce any casting or creative details. We'll be very curious as to who they cast for Jiji, if it'll be a human or some kind of stage craft puppetry.

This is all we can reveal at this stage, and we're keen to book tickets already! As always when tickets are release, we suggest you book early to avoid any disappointment.

G-Con UK 2016 - Gundam Covention Details

Date: 2016 August 11 15:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Our friends over at anime cel shop Cel-Ga have just dropped us a line to make us aware of an upcoming convention. G-Con UK 2016 is a Gundam convention set to run at York Racecourse on Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th September 2016.

Tickets are £12 for each day, or £18 for both days, with under 5's free.

They've got a Gundam Cafe, cosplay contest along with lots of other Gunpla stuff. This is the first Gundam Convention in the UK. It'll be interesting to see if the UK Gundam Fan Scene can support such an event.

As always we've added the details on the Otaku Calendar.

Souce: G-Con UK 2016

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2016 Details

Date: 2016 August 05 16:05 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival have just sent us details of their 2016 run. They'll be screen anime at Chapter in Cardiff, Wales, UK on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 2016 and Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK on Saturday 15th October 2016.

They've got a great line up including Miss Hokusai, Psycho-Pass The Movie, The Murder Case of Hana & Alice and Harmony (we recently interviewed the director).

As always with these events we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Band-Maid Announce First European Tour

Date: 2016 July 27 15:20 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of hard core rock music played by Japanese Maids will be pleased to hear the news from JPU Records, who have sent us details of Band-Maid's first European tour.

Tour dates are as follows:
12 October 2016: The Underworld – London, UK
13 October 2016: MTC – Cologne, Germany
15 October 2016: Headcrash – Hamburg, Germany
16 October 2016: La Boule Noire – Paris, France
19 October 2016: Hydrozagadka – Warsaw, Poland

Ticket sales begin on Friday 29 July 2016.

Hyper Japan Festival 2016 Event Reminder

Date: 2016 July 12 15:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Just a quick reminder for UK based readers looking for something to do this weekend in London. Why not head over to Hyper Japan? It's the UK's largest celebration of Japanese pop culture. There's plenty to do for fans of Japan, from food, cosplay, anime, gaming, fashion and music.

Then event is set to run from Friday 15th July to Sunday 17th July 2016 at Olympia London.

Summer Explorers! 2 - Anime Screenings in London

Date: 2016 July 04 16:14 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The Japan Foundation in London have just sent us some details about their up coming anime season Summer Explorers! 2, (a year after the first Summer Explorers), the event is back in 2 parts. The first set of screenings is set to run on Saturday 30th July 2016 at the BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN from 11:30 to 17:00. The second set of screenings will run on Saturday 6th August 2016 at Rich Mix, 35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA from 12:45 to 16:30

The line up includes some anime suitable for anyone 8 and above, with some anime is suitable for 12 year olds and above, while one is suitable for adults only.

The screenings are all free to attend! As always with events like this, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment. To book a place, please visit www.jpf.org.uk

Esprit D'Air Returns with New Lineup and Upcoming Shows

Date: 2016 June 29 15:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from London-based space metal band Esprit D'Air have sent us news of their reformation and upcoming tour dates. The band originally split in 2013.

They'll be at the following venues:

Hyper Japan in London on Saturday 16th July 2016
Underbelly Hoxton, London on Tuesday 19th July 2016
De Montfort University, Leicester on Saturday 3rd September 2016

An Interview with Anime Director Michael Arias

Date: 2016 June 06 15:59 | Posted By: Lee

Category > Features

Lots of anime fans aspire to join the anime industry. Very few from the west make it. Even fewer people go on to direct well known titles like Tekkonkinkreet, or produced the Animatrix. Michael Arias was a guest at the MCM London Comic Con this May 2016. We were lucky enough to catch him for an exclusive interview, while he was here to promote Harmony, his latest feature film, it's due for a home video release in the UK sometime in Q4 2016 thanks to Anime Limited.

Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork Auction Sale Results

Date: 2016 June 01 17:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already mentioned the Sotheby's auction that contained artwork from Osamu Tezuka and Akira Toriyama. What we haven't covered is how much each item went for.

The prices listed below are the hammer price with the buyer's premium.

The Tezuka artwork went mostly within the estimated prices.

Lot 231 was estimated to sell for 8,000 to 10,000 EUR. It went for 8,750.

Lot 232 was estimated to sell for 3,000 to 4,000 EUR. It went for 3,625.

Lot 233 was estimated to sell for 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 1,750.

Lot 234 was estimated to sell for 2,500 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 2,750.1

Akira Toriyama's drawing was Lot 235 with an estimated sale price of 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It sold for 15,000. That's 5 times the original estimated price.

Souce: Sotheby\'s

Ghibli Singer Azumi Inoue to Appear at Hyper Japan this July 2016

Date: 2016 May 09 16:10 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Hyper Japan have just sent us news that they're as happy as be to announce that Azumi Inoue will be at the event in London. The singer is best known for singing for Ghibli Movies, including the Totoro theme and Laputa, Castle in the Sky.

So hey let's go to Hyper Japan from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July 2016 at Olympia London.

DJ Itsuka and MC Gonchi of Charisma.com will also be there.

Sotheby's to Auction Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork

Date: 2016 May 05 15:37 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga fans with cash to splash will want to head over to famous auctioneers Sotheby's for their bandes dessinées auction (drawn strips). The collection of sequential art is mainly European and American artists. However manga fans are in for a treat with manga master Osamu Tezuka artwork for sale with prices ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 EUR. They've also got an original Akira Toriyama drawing too, which is estimated to sell from 2,000 to 3,000 EUR.

The auction will take place on Saturday 14th May 2016 at 2pm in Paris. You can bid on-line, but note that first-time bidders must pre-register 24 hours in advance of the sale in order to be approved by Sotheby's.

Thanks to Deb Aoki for the tip off on this story.

BFI Southbank London - Anime Weekend 2016 Details

Date: 2016 April 25 15:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

London anime fans will want to head to the BFI Southbank for the return of their Anime Weekend. The screenings are held every other year. This screenings are set to run from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th June 2016 at the BFI Southbank.

This time around they're showing the original Ghost in the Shell Movie, the new Ghost In the Shell Movie called Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (you can read more about the naming here), Empire of the Corpses, Psycho-Pass: The Movie, The Boy and the Beast. There'll also be a special screening and QA of anime Harmony, the QA features it's director Michael Arias (who also directed Tekkonkinkreet and produced The Animatrix).

The BFI also suggest you catch their screening of the latest (and currently last) Studio Ghibli Film When Marnie Was There.

The BFI anime screenings have proved to be very popular in the past. As always we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Hyper Japan July 2016 Details

Date: 2016 April 12 16:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Hyper Japan have just sent us details of their July 2016 event. It's set to run at the Olympia in London, from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July 2016. As always there's so much to do for fans of Japan! It is after all a Japanese Culture event! There'll be cosplay with the COSTest competition, arts and crafts workshops including one where you can create your own Kokeshi dolls. There will also be plenty of Japanese food to enjoy and other fun goodies.

Ocha & Co - Matcha By Mail Order

Date: 2016 April 09 14:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

While taking a day off from being an otaku I was browsing the stalls at the London Coffee Festival looking for ways to feed my never ending caffeine addiction. You never really switch off from being an otaku, as I stumbled upon a Japanese tea company Ocha & Co who are promoting themselves to coffee connoisseurs.

Many of our readers are fans of Japanese matcha powder and loose leaf Japanese tea, so naturally I was curious. The staff at Ocha & Co explained that they source directly from one tea producer in Shizuoka. The organic certified tea is then shipped quickly to them and then on again directly to the customer. They're keen to get the tea directly from the plantation to your cup in the shortest possible time. You can also buy their matcha and teas direct from Japan using Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Souce: Ocha & Co

World Cosplay Summit UK Qualifiers Details

Date: 2016 April 05 14:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based cosplayers want to make their mark on the global cosplay stage will be interested in The World Cosplay Summit. The UK Qualifiers will be held at the MCM London Comic Con on Saturday 28th May 2016. There a team of two will be selected to represent their country as Britain's best cosplayers. They'll get flown to Japan for over a week of activities and attractions, including the WCS final itself.

So get making! As always, we suggest you check the rules and regulations.

Sherlock Manga Release Details Update

Date: 2016 March 26 15:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already published details about Titan Comic's up-coming release of the Sherlock Manga. As news is spreading we wanted to know more details about the actual release. So we go it touch with Titan Comics editor Andrew James to talk about the release.

The Embassy of Japan Announce Manga Jiman 2015 Winners

Date: 2016 March 22 17:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The Embassy of Japan have been running the Manga Jiman for 9 years now. The premise of the completion is simple. Each year has a theme and the artists have to create a story around the theme. Previous themes have included "a chance encounter" and "voyages of discovery". This year's theme was "bright young things". Prizes include 2 return flights to Japan for the top prize winner, a laptop for the runner up, plus a top end digital camera.

Scotland Loves Anime 2016 dates confirmed

Date: 2016 March 17 17:10 | Posted By: Bryoz

Category > Anime > Film

Scotland's biggest animation film festival has announced its October 2016 dates as follows:

Glasgow: 14-16th 2016
Edinburgh: 17-23rd 2016

In previous years, the charity has brought many animated film premieres to Scotland, long before they are released outside of Japan. Along with an excellent selection of films, the event also welcomes Japanese guest speakers and education days which encourage artistic talent within Scotland.

Shojo Manga: The World of Japanese Girls' Comics Exhibition in London

Date: 2016 March 16 16:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from House of Illustration have sent us details of their up new exhibition Shojo Manga: The World of Japanese Girls' Comics. The exhibition is set to run from Friday 18th March to Sunday 12th June 2016 in at House of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London N1C 4BH.

It's the first major UK exhibition tour of the genre, from its golden era to the present day.

The Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. It's closed Mondays. Admission is £7.70 (with gift aid), Concessions £5.50 (with Gift Aid).

Asian Kung-Fu Generation on NHK World Saturday 16th March 2016

Date: 2016 March 03 15:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Culture

Fans of Japanese music will want to tune into NHK World this weekend to watch Entertainment Nippon's coverage Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

The band has been running for 20 years, you may know their music from the hugely popular anime show Erased. Entertainment Nippon is due to air Saturday 5th March 2016 at 4:10, 11:10, 16:10 and 22:10 (UTC).

NHK World is a free to air station, and is broadcast dubbed into English or with English subtitles.

NHK World is available in the UK on the following
Sky Channel 507
Freestat Channel 209
Virgin Media Channel 625

They offer free live streaming if you don't have a service able to watch it.

It's also widely available around the world, so could be available in your region.

Amatsuki and Band-Maid to make UK debuts at MCM London Comic Con May 2016

Date: 2016 March 01 15:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The MCM London Comic Con is always good for fans of Japanese culture, with plenty of cosplay, anime, video games and manga being represented. The good folks from the event have just sent us details that will appeal to fans of the J-Music scene. Amatsuki & Band-Maid will make their UK debuts at the MCM London Comic Con.

Amatsuki started out on popular Japanese video service NicoNico Douga. He became internet famous racking up over over 35 million views, and made the transition to the mainstream with his debut album Hello World, which reached number four in Japan’s national chart.

Band-Maid combine cute Japanese maid aesthetics with powerful, skilled musicianship. Forged from founder Miku's epxeriences in the maid cafes in otaku capital Akihabara, the combine geek culture with a passion for rock music.

Both acts will be performing live, signing autographs and taking part in on-stage Q&As at the MCM London Comic Con.

The May edition of event is set to run from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th May 2016 at the ExCel Centre in London.

Sherlock Manga US and UK Release Details

Date: 2016 February 19 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of a certain Baker Street Detective will be very pleased to hear that comic publisher Titan have announced that they'll be publishing the Sherlock Manga in the UK and US. Comic Book Resources revealed that Titan Comics announced at ComicsPro retailer summit that Sherlock: A Study in Pink will debut in June 2016.

The officially licensed Sherlock manga was published by Kadokawa Comics in Japan in 2012 in Young Ace magazine. It was published as a tankobon (standalone book) in Japanese in 2013. The manga closely follows the original BBC Sherlock episode featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

As of yet, it's not clear if Titan will be publishing the manga in it's original Japanese right to left format or if they'll flip it.

Souce: Comic Book Resources

Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro UK Blu-ray Release Details

Date: 2016 February 17 15:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > DVD

The good folks from third window films have sent us details of their up coming blu-ray release of Kikujiro. Directed byTakeshi Kitano's the award-winning classic follows the exploits of little Masao and Kikujiro. The film can be described as both whimsical and bittersweet. It's not the normal Beat Takeshi blood bath movie. The blu-ray only release is out on Monday 22nd February 2016.

You can pre-order the movie on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk.

Japanese Noir: Author Fuminori Nakamura in conversation

Date: 2016 February 09 14:32 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

London based readers of Japanese Noir will be very interested in an up coming event Japanese Noir: Author Fuminori Nakamura in conversation. The event is set to run on Sunday 28th February 2016 from 2:30pm at Foyles Bookshop (107 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0D).

Fuminori Nakamura is part of younger generation of Japanese Noir authors following in the footsteps of Haruki Murakami and gaining more recognition internationally. The event is free to attend, but booking in advance is required. As always with events like this, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Katsushika O-Ei - The Real Miss Hokusai

Date: 2016 February 05 15:54 | Posted By: Guest Contributor

Category > Features

Production I.G's latest cinematic masterpiece Miss Hokusai has just hit cinema screens in the UK. We've seen it and recommend you do too. Although a lot is know about the master himself, we were curious to know more about the real life Miss Hokusai. We started to research her history, then remembered we know experts in Japanese woodblock prints! The Japanese Gallery who sell Japanese woodblock prints, antiques and even anime cels, they would already know a lot about Hokusai and his artistic daughter. We asked them what tell us all about the real O-Ei.

MCM Event List for 2016

Date: 2016 January 30 14:25 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

As 2016 has just started it's time to plan ahead for those geek events. We've got a list of the MCM Comic Cons for 2016.

The MCM Event Calendar kicks off on 13th February with the MCM Midlands Comic Con. There's plenty more to follow throughout the year. The events always have something good to offer for anime fans too and often feature a guest or two from the anime and manga industry. The schedule is as follows:

13 February: MCM Midlands Comic Con
12-13 March: MCM Liverpool Comic Con
19-20 March: MCM Birmingham Comic Con
27-29 May: MCM London Comic Con
25-26 June: MCM Belfast Comic Con
2-3 July: MCM Ireland Comic Con (Dublin)
30-31 July: MCM Manchester Comic Con
23-24 September: MCM Scotland Comic Con (Glasgow)
28-30 October: MCM London Comic Con
19-20 November: MCM Birmingham Comic Con

The folks at MCM have also sent us details of two new events in Germany and Brussels. MCM Hannover Comic Con coming to Hannover Messe on 4-5 June 2016 and MCM Belgium Comic Con taking place at Brussels Expo on 11-12 June.

Also don't forget Comic Con Copenhagen 24-25 September 2016 and Comic Con Stockholm on 4-6 November 2016,

As always we've also updated the Otaku Calendar with details of these events.

Monohon Ramen Pop Ups in London this January and February 2016

Date: 2016 January 15 16:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Cuisine

London based readers who like Ramen will be pleased to hear that pop-up Monohon Ramen is returning at the end of January to Stoke Newington High Street's Rogue.

They'll be running two per day on Sunday 31st January 2016 and Saturday 6th February 2016.
Tickets are £10 each and it's a bring your own bottle set up.

You can book on-line or by visiting Rouge.

Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016 Details

Date: 2016 January 11 16:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

UK anime fans will be pleased to hear about the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme.

It's set to run around the UK from Friday 5th February to Saturday 26th March 2016. Everything kicks off at the ICA in London, and then will tour a further 12 venues. All the films look interesting, but if we really, really had to pick one, we'd say Miss Hokusai, we've already seen it and can confirm it's one of those rare must see anime films. It shows you that there's so much more to anime. It's lavishly animated and tells the tale of Hokusai's daughter.

If you can't catch it in the cinema Miss Hokusai will be released on 31st March 2016 on DVD, Blu-ray and Collector's Edition Blu-ray by Anime Limited.

Anime Anthem of the Heart also forms part of the film tour. It's a story about a girl who can no longer speak and bottles up her emotions following a magical encounter with an "Egg Fairy".

The festival also has plenty of other very interesting Japanese films that would be worth your attention.

With all screenings like this, we strongly advise booking early to avoid disappointment. It's always good to see anime on a big cinema screen.

Souce: Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

Japan Night in London on NHK World TV.

Date: 2016 January 06 14:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of J-Rock will want to tune into NHK World on Friday 8th or Saturday 9th January 2016 to catch a special show called Japan Night in London. The free to air channel (that shows content in English), will be broadcasting the performances by VAMPS, [Alexandros], OKAMOTO's and Ling tosite sigure.

The show will be broadcast several times this weekend (all times in UTC).
Friday 8th January 2016:
23:10
Saturday 9th January 2016:
5:10, 10:10, 17:10

NHK World is available in the UK on the following
Sky Channel 507
Freestat Channel 209
Virgin Media Channel 625

It's also widely available around the world, so could be available in your region.

IA Appearing On Stage at Hyper Japan Christmas Market

Date: 2015 November 26 14:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based readers looking for something fun to do this weekend will want to head over Tobacco Dock in London for the Hyper Japan Christmas Market. It's set to run from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th November 2015. We've already mentioned what's going to happen over the weekend.

We've been sent news of a special performance by IA a virtual idol based on Vocaloid technology. She'll be making her UK debut on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th November 2015 at Hyper Japan.

Shojo Manga - Comics For Girls London December 2015 Talk

Date: 2015 November 21 16:23 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

London based fans of Shojo Manga will want to head over to a talk run by the Japan Foundation. What Girls Want - The World of Shojo Manga (Girls' Comics) is set to run on Monday 14th December 2015 at Foyles on Charing Cross Road from 6:30pm.

"In this talk Nozomi Masuda, Associate Professor, Konan Women’s University, Japan, will trace the origins of Shojo Manga from its beginnings in girls’ magazine through to its more recent transformations today, questioning what significance the genre has in Japanese society, and what it has been expressing over its diverse and complex themes."

Manga artist Eiko Hanamura will also be there to talk to Paul Gravett and Nozomi Masuda about Shojo Manga.

The talk is free to attend, but as always we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Samurai Warrior Queens Free London Screening

Date: 2015 November 09 15:01 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

London based fans of Japanese cinema will be interested in the Japan Foundation's screening and discussion of Samurai Warrior Queens. The event is set to run on Saturday 21st November 2015 from 2pm at the Courthouse Cinema in London.

The event is free to attend book is required. To reserve a place, please email your name and the title of the event you would like to attend to event@jpf.org.uk. As always we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2015 Details

Date: 2015 November 07 17:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of Japanese culture looking for something fun to do near Christmas will be interested in Hyper Japan Christmas Market. It's set to run from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th November 2015 at Tobacco Dock in London.

There's a ton of things to do at this event. They'll be lots of Japanese food, plenty of stalls with things to buy. Along with a whole host of musical performances from the virtual artist IA to the the cute and rather strange Lady Baby.

Cosplayers and fashion fans will be well represented too.

Anime fans will be pleased to hear that anime studio Production I.G will be represented too with anime director Naoyoshi Shiotani (who directed the Psycho-Pass TV series and movie) and producer Rui Kuroki, who will be giving talks throughout the event.

An Interview with Shigeto Koyama - Anime Character Designer

Date: 2015 November 06 18:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

The May and October MCM London Comic Cons are without doubt the biggest geek events in the UK. With over 130,000 people attending this October. It caters for all geeky tastes. Anime fans are also well looked after, each event regularly has an anime guest of honour. The October Comic con played host to Shigeto Koyama, renowned designer, he designed Baymax from Disney movie Big Hero 6. He was also involved in the character designs for fan favourite anime show Kill La Kill, as well as designing the weapons and lots of gear in the well loved game No More Heroes. We were lucky enough to catch up with him and ask some interesting questions.

The Osamu Tezuka Story - A Life in Manga and Anime Book Details

Date: 2015 October 19 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishers Stone Bridge Press have just sent us details for a new book out in July 2016. They'll be publishing The Osamu Tezuka Story A Life in Manga and Anime by Toshio Ban & Tezuka Productions. This is going to be a huge book weighing in at over 900 pages, it covers the entire life of Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro Boy and man seen as the founding father of modern manga and anime.

This book is translated by Frederik L. Schodt. He's known for many things in including translating the original Ghost In the Shell manga into English (with Toren Smith). He's also written numerous award winning books books on manga. He knows his stuff!

You can pre-order the book from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Stone Bridge Press publish high quality books on Japanese culture, anime and manga. They're the publishers behind the The Anime Encyclopedia.

Monohon Ramen brings more pop-ups to London this October and November 2015

Date: 2015 October 12 15:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Do you like Ramen? Oh nom nom nom. Londoners who do are in for a treat as they can visit some of the up coming ramen pop ups being run by Monohon Ramen. The first appears at 7:15pm on Saturday 17th October 2015 in a traditional pie and mash cafe F. Cooke on Broadway Market.

They'll also be running two sittings at Rouge one at 5:30pm and the second at 7:00pm on Sunday 1st November 2015. Where they'll be serving a lesser known Japanese ramen dish Abura soba. During this event, they will give a demonstration of the dish and customers will get a chance to assemble their own bowl.

All the pop-ups require booking in advance and cost £10 a head, which includes the ramen, plus a side dish. All events are bring your own bottle.

Shigeto Koyama to be anime guest of honour at London Comic Con October 2015

Date: 2015 October 11 10:16 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

We keep saying that the MCM Comic Con keep having interesting anime guests at their events. The October run of the MCM London Comic Con is no different. This time around Shigeto Koyama will be the anime guest of honour. He's been responsible for the design of Big Hero 6's robot Baymax, and been involved with Kill la Kill and Hideaki Anno's Rebuild of Evangelion movies. He's got a whole host of credits to his name for A-list anime titles including Gurren Lagann, Space Dandy and Ghost in the Shell SAC: Solid State Society.

The MCM London Comic Con is set to run from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th October 2015. Anime fans will also be interested in the MCM Loves Anime side event.

Hatsune Miku - The Metamorphosis of Music and Technology - London - October 2015

Date: 2015 October 11 08:24 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The virtual singing sensation Hatsune Miku is well known to fans of Japan. The Japan Foundation have arranged a collection of events to London on Saturday 24th October 2015. The events will be held at Rich Mix in Shoreditch. The events are free and some require booking. As always we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

They've got the following events:

2pm: Lecture by Hatsune Miku creator, Hiroyuki Itoh.
Booking: hatsune-miku-programme1.eventbrite.co.uk

4pm: Hatsune Miku Live Concert Screening
Booking: hatsune-miku-programme2.eventbrite.co.uk

1:30pm - 5:30pm Hatsune Miku Workshops for Everyone!
No booking required – please feel free just to drop in any time between 1:30pm and 5:30pm.

Gundam Zeonic Toyota Auris

Date: 2015 October 02 17:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Freaky Things

Gundam fans who have got it all will be interested in this latest cross over. Bandai Namco have teamed up with Toyota to produce a special Zeonic Toyota Auris. The car is available in forms the racy red MS-185H-CA02, which matches Char Aznable's own mech paint scheme, they also have a "PROCUCTION MODEL" that matches the classic Zaku green colour scheme.

This is a simple colour and transfer release, the cars actually have custom detailing including mech like fins on the rear, special front and rear bumpers, new mech-like wheel arches and air intakes too. It even includes red alloy wheels, along with Zeonic Toyota branded sport seats, gear stick. There's a ton of extras included too, such as the sat-nav using the Gundam voice actors Shuuichi Ikeda and Keiko Han.

The car retails around 2,900,000 to 3,700,000 JPY (which is about 15,900 to 20,300 GBP or 24,150 to 30,800 USD), depending on which options you get for it. You can read more details about this Auris on the Toyota Japan website.

You can also watch various promotional videos on YouTube.

As cars sold in Japan are right hand drive, we're wondering if any British Gundam fans would import this car?

Monohon Ramen Pop Ups in London this October 2015

Date: 2015 September 24 17:15 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Ramen in on trend for foodies at the moment, which is why the good folks at Monohon are currently popping up over London. They've been running a couple of ramen pop ups in Hackney since August 2015, and are going for another London pop up on Thursday 1st October 2015. It'll be held at Japanese cafe Toconoco near Haggerston Overground.

They'll be open from 6.45pm with last orders 9.15pm. The event requires a ticket, which costs £10 per head, this includes the ramen and some edamame too. It's a bring your own bottle event. So if you fancy a drink you'll need to bring one.

Japan Matsuri in London Saturday 19th September 2015

Date: 2015 September 13 17:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Fans of Japanese culture who can get to London on Saturday 19th September 2015, will want to head to Trafalgar Square for the Japan Matsuri. The event free to attend and is set to run from 10am to 8pm with events running pretty much constantly on the main stage, while there are many stalls to interest anyone who's a fan of Japan. They've got a wide selection of food stalls, stalls selling Japanese related merchandise, plus a range of travel agents if you're ever interested in going to Japan, along with a few Japanese cultural organisations and societies.

As always this event is also listed on our sister site the Otaku Calendar.

Souce: Japan Matsuri 2015

WIT Studio's Kotomi Deai and Hiroshi Shimizu heading to MCM Scotland Comic Con

Date: 2015 September 07 16:15 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Anime fans in Glasgow are in for a treat, we've already mentioned Scotland Loves Anime 2015, however just before that the MCM Scotland Comic Con is set to run on Saturday 26th to Sunday 27th September 2015. The anime guests this time around are are WIT Studio's Kotomi Deai and Hiroshi Shimizu. WIT Studio are best known for the megahit anime Attack on Titan.

Both are experienced in the anime industry, and have been involved in titles such as The Rolling Girls, Silver Spoon, Kids on the Slope, Sword Art Online, Samurai Champloo and Space Dandy.

They'll be presenting panels, meeting fans and signing autographs at the Comic Con.

This is not first time WIT Studio staff have appeared at an MCM Event, we caught up with WIT Studio at the October 2013 MCM London Comic Con. The next MCM London Comic Con set set to run from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th October 2015.

Shinya Tsukamoto: Filmmaker Talk in London

Date: 2015 September 04 16:20 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

Fans of Japanese cinema in London will be keen to go to the Shinya Tsukamoto: Filmmaker Talk on Saturday 26th September 2015 at 2:30pm at the Impact Hub Westminster. The talk is hosted by the Japan Foundation London and is free to attend, but booking is essential to avoid disappointment.

Advanced Search

@otaku_news

@otakunews.com

Browsing Articles

Recent News

Recent DVD / Blu-ray Reviews

Recent Manga Reviews