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Your Guide to Design and Pop Culture in Tokyo

The ComiPo! Manga Sequencer

The ComiPo! Manga Sequencer

This is something I posted over at SNOW Magazine a couple of weeks back, and forgot to mention here, even though I think it’s important to note in the context of all the digital publishing talk I cover here. It’s a new piece of software called ComiPo, a “manga sequencer,” and the idea is that it gives anyone — even if you have no drawing abilities — the means to create comics and manga. If you look at the video in the article, you’ll see exactly what I mean (and check Patrick’s original post for more details).

Momus in Tokyo

Momus in Tokyo

Momus is indeed in Tokyo for a few weeks — as you’ll know if you follow his Click Opera blog, which has turned into a literal Tokyo/Japan lovefest since his arrival — and he also has a free show planned for December 22 (from 20:30) at the recently opened GM Ten Gallery in Azabu Juban, a space produced by Osaka designers Graf.

Starting December 20, the gallery will be hosting an exhibition of works by manga legend Eico Hanamura — here’s an interview with Hanamura on PingMag which was, believe it or not, published during my short tenure there.

The Shinjuku Summit

Patrick Macias has a new episode of his Hot Tears of Shame podcast, and fans of otaku culture will not want to miss it. “Otaku Internationale: The Shinjuku Summit” brings together Patrick #1, Patrick #2 (that would be The Otaku Encyclopedia‘s Patrick W. Galbraith), PhD student Renato Rivera, and Otaku2 co-founder Adrian Lozano, covering a host of otaku-powered topics.

Let me also add that if you’re hosting a session of The Beatles: Rock Band and you need a singer, Patrick is your man.

The Drifting Classroom

Patrick Macias gave a lecture this past week at California State University, covering “Theoretical Perspectives on Manga, Anime and Otaku,” and he’s now made if available as a download as an episode of his Hot Tears of Shame podcast series (#33).

As Patrick explains, “[w]hile some of this territory was covered before in my speech earlier this year at Temple University Japan Campus, there’s a lot of new stuff here (including sections on American fandom and Hating the Otaku Wave) in this one hour-long recording.”

Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU Vol. 1

Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU Vol. 1

Fans of the amazing Junko Mizuno rejoice, since Last Gasp has finally released Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU Vol. 1 — and if you haven’t, best to pick up Pure Trance as well. Both were produced by Patrick Macias and Izumi Evers’ jaPRESS.

The Otaku Encyclopedia

The Otaku Encyclopedia

I’ve mentioned it a few times already, but let me take some time to try and convince you why you should be picking up a copy of The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider’s Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan. The book was written by Patrick W. Galbraith, and if anyone was to write a guide to otaku culture in English, I don’t really think you could find someone who was better suited — sure, I’m not forgetting our good friend Patrick Macias, but his take on otaku culture wouldn’t be quite the same. Patrick G. is not only an otaku himself — take a look at his Otaku2 site — but he’s a researcher in the field as well, currently still hard at work on his Ph.D at Tokyo University. And guess what, he also happens to give weekly tours in Akihabara, dressed in full Super Sayajin (of Dragonball) gear, AND he is the narrator of the upcoming Tokyo Realtime audio guide to Akihabara. So he knows his stuff.

Next point, it was edited by Andrew Lee, a name you’ve certainly seen mentioned plenty here, since he’s the terrific art director of Arcade Mania (and Matt Alt’s Yokai Attack too). Even though he didn’t design this book, he had a strong hand in directing the visuals, and The Otaku Encyclopedia has ended up with the same sort of fun pop look that I think helped make Arcade Mania a visual tour as much as a textual one. So don’t think that the “Encyclopedia” in the title means you’re just getting a long list of term definitions: the entire book is as fun to leaf though as it is to read.

So time to get your hands on the current DEFINITIVE guide to all things otaku. The book is out now in Japan, and is available for order online with shipping worldwide from both Amazon Japan and through Kodansha International directly. The book will be available in stores in the rest of the world in October — here’s the pre-order page on Amazon US — but remember that this will be the exact same book that you can already buy now.

And if you still need some convincing, or want more of a peek inside the book itself, here’s a post from PechaKucha Daily where you’ll find all the images that Patrick used in his PechaKucha Night presentation last month, and here’s an extremely visual review from another otaku celebrity, Danny Choo.

Lastly, even if you missed last month’s launch party — yes, it was held in Akihabara — another party to celebrate the book’s launch is happening this Saturday (July 18) at the Vitamin Water event space (8th and 9th floor of the H&M building in Harajuku) from 15:00 to 18:00. Free drinks for everyone, and the author will be in attendance, so a good chance to get copies signed.

IKKI Online Magazine

Ikki

Some very good news indeed: Viz is launching a new online magazine named after — and inspired by — IKKI, a Japanese comic monthly aimed at the older crowd. The site is currently in beta form, and will officially launch after this summer’s San Diego Comicon. All manga will be free to read online, and the most popular series — based on feedback from readers — will get eventual print releases in digest form.

Publisher’s Weekly covers the announcement, and to echo a tweet by Patrick Macias, it’s good to see the PULP font used again (PULP was an earlier attempt by Viz to publish a monthly manga compilation for adults, to which Patrick was a columnist.)

Patrick Macias Has the Otaku Power

Patrick Macias is in town for a bit — still jet-lagged — and is giving a talk, “Otaku Power: Trivia, Desire, and Transformation,” at Temple University this Friday (March 13, 18:30). More details here.

Bat-Manga

Bat-Manga

Over at Boing Boing, Cory Doctorow covers the new Bat-Manga collection, an anthology of Batman manga produced in the sixties, edited by Chip Kidd.

Marxy and Macias Talk Cool Japan

Cool Japan

Well, the title says it all: Marxy and Macias, together again, this time for a new Néojaponisme podcast covering the topic of “Cool Japan.”

I’m just waiting for the them to take their shtick on the road.

Naoki Urasawa’s Billy Bat

Billy Bat

Next up for Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys), a new manga series called Billy Bat in which he supposedly brings back a “lost American Hero” from the forties. The new series will appear in Kodansha’s Morning comics magazine, starting this week. Via Anime News Network.

Comike Grenade Incident

A bit of craziness at this weekend’s Comike it seems.

Police arrested a 20-year-old unemployed man from central Japan on Friday morning for allegedly threatening online to throw a grenade at the ongoing Comic Market (Comike) dōjinshi convention. Hiroyuki Kageyama, an unemployed man from Kakogawa City in Hyogo prefecture, alleged wrote on the 2channel web forum on July 16, “I’ll toss a hand grenade at the Comike site.” Kageyama was officially arrested for “interfering with the operations” of the Comike organizers.

Read the full ANN report here. Via Patrick Macias.

The End of Young Sunday

Young Sunday

After 21 years in print, publisher Shogakukan’s Young Sunday comics magazine is calling it quits. Anime News Network has details on what will happen to all of its manga titles — most of them are heading to Big Comic Spirits.

Fancy Gigolo Pelu

Fancy Gigolo Pelu

Some good news for fans of the works of Junko Mizuno. Publisher Last Gasp and Patrick Macias’ jaPRESS are translating the Fancy Gigolo Pelu manga. It should be out in spring of next year.

Yokai Attack!

Yokai Attack!

A lot of you probably remember Matt Alt — I already pointed you to the superfun book he wrote last year with his wife, Hiroko Yoda: Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan. Matt has teamed up with Hiroko again for a book that has just come out from Kodansha International. Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide offers up a tour of Japan’s mythic and legendary monsters.

Yokai Attack!

I love this book. I mean, just take a look at the page above, which gives you a good idea of what to expect. Manga creator Tatsuya Morino illustrated the entire thing, and his style seems perfect for the subject matter. The book’s art director, Andrew Lee, deserves some props too for his amazing work, and since he’s also art directing the book I’ve been working on, you can see why I’m so happy.

Yokai Attack! is out now in Japan, and should be available in most books stores — it’s on Amazon Japan too, which of course offers international shipping options. The book comes out in North American and Europe in the fall, just in time for Halloween. Matt offers up more info about the book in this post on his blog.

PauseTalk

PauseTalk is a regular series of events that take place at Cafe Pause on the first Monday of every month, with a start time of 20:00. The idea is to create a forum where Tokyo-based creatives can get together and discuss their own projects, as well as cultural currents of the city. The next edition happens June 4.

We hereby define a new term, that of the magaziner, described as a person who exerts an unhealthy amount of love for all things magazine. The Magaziner is a site that mostly focuses on the intersection between magazines and the digital frontier, and what it means for the medium. This does not preclude the inclusion of a healthy amount of print love.

Codex is a weekly music podcast hosted by Jean Snow, recorded in Tokyo. Playlists for all episodes are posted on the site, and you can subscribe to RSS feeds of posts and episodes.

Jean Snow is a contributor to Arcade Mania, your guide to the arcade gaming scene in Japan (Amazon US/Amazon Japan). He also provided assistance on Tokyolife: Art and Design, a guide to Tokyo's cultural output of the past few years, covering the works of over 80 influential creatives.
He will be contributing to the upcoming fifth editions of The Rough Guide to Tokyo and The Rough Guide to Japan, due for release in 2011.

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Jean Snow is Executive Director of the PechaKucha organization. He also helps run the PechaKucha Night in Tokyo -- please get in touch if you are interested in presenting at a future event. For a more intimate salon-like discussion group, join him at his monthly PauseTalk event.

A longtime resident of Tokyo, he lives and breathes design, pop culture, and gaming, sustained by an unhealthy addiction to magazines and frequent visits to his favorites cafes. He has reported on these obsessions for various online/offline publications, including the following: Time, Inside (Australian Design Review), Gizmodo, Gridskipper, Kotaku, 1UP, Tokyo Q, Superfuture, OK Fred, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, I.D. (International Design), Metropolis, Azure, MoCo Loco, Kateigaho International Edition, Wired's Game|Life, PingMag, CNNGo, Phaidon, and The Japan Times.

You can subscribe to an RSS feed of this site, and also follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or get in touch by email.

 

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The "Jean Snow" logo is written using the free Kirimomi Swash typeface. The "M31" logo is by Ian Lynam, and is part of a series of 31 unique designs. The site's design is based on the Grid Focus WordPress theme by Derek Punsalan.

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