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June 19, 2006
Osaka Otaku
That's what I was over the weekend, visiting the host family (who really ripped into me in a hilarious fashion for still not having a girlfriend) and Dillon Brown in Wakayama. But most of the time was spent at the two Mandarakes (one in Umeda, one in Nihonbashi) and the other fine nerdy establishments in Denden Town, hunting for comics and toys to sell in the States next month.
The theme of this weekend was, "Ben makes peace with his otaku-ness." I've always been vaguely ashamed of being an anime fan and especially of buying anime stuff, but lots of cash and a good excuse ("I'm selling them in the US!"... riiight) helped me realize that if I stop worrying about being a loser I can remember how much fun this was in the first place.
Though I did not go to one of the maid kissa (just like a regular cafe, but with women waitresses dressed in 19th century garb calling the customers "goshujin-sama," or "master"). The ladies are all probably very nice but the whole submissive thing just kind of freaks me out.
Anyway, I officially love Mandarake now. They had Faces, an art doujin by Abe from 2001(?), as well as both Haibane Renmei doujins, AND Yakkyoku no Pochiyamasan. (They also had the Haibane storyboards in book form but those don't do much for me.) A more detailed list is below.
It basically turned into a "buy all the comics and art books I've ever really wanted" trip.
Abe Yoshitoshi:
Haibane of Old Home doujin Vol. 1 & 2
Yakkyoku no Pochiyamasan
FACES (art book) -- two copies
not found -- two copies
K.S.M.E. -- two copies
lain illustrations
Haibane Renmei hardcover artbook
something else the title of which I forget but it looks similar to not found
Koji Morimoto:
Orange scrapbook (This is an INCREDIBLE piece of work-- highly recommended)
Murata Range:
One of those huge metal-bound art collections. I always wondered what kind of person would pay $80 for one of these things, but then the store clerk took it out and showed it to me, and I realized that kind of person is me.
Kawamoto Toshihiro:
Cowboy Bebop Illustrations - The Wind
Misc:
The Art of Only Yesterday
70 Years of Japanese Theatrical Animation art book
robot Vol. 6
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu manga Vol. 1
Too many SHnY doujins
The only book I wanted but couldn't find was a good copy of was Cannabis Works, Tanaka Tatsuyuki's art book. Next time.
Other stuff:
Hare Hare Yukai CD single
Hirasawa Susumu's new album, Byakkoya
Some Samurai Seven figures (I had to buy these -- there's one of Kurosawa himself!)
And I'm supposed to SELL this stuff?!?! It's going to be hard to part with it.
I discovered the joy and the curse of gashopon as well. It's really just like a slot machine. You stick in the 200 yen and a toy comes out, and if it's not the one you want, the voice in your head says, "IT'LL BE NEXT!! PUT IN MORE!!!" I got a bunch of Naruto lanyard figures (they were 100 each) and I got some of the Gainax series (which was also 100, though the sign said 200-- whoopee pricing errors, got me a FLCL Haruka), plus most of the Kamichu figures and a bunch of Range Murata figures (which are the same as the ones in the boxes but 100 yen cheaper if you get them in the gashopon machines). Plus got some full-size Naruto figures, some Eva full-size and SD and some Bleach figures because I know that's popular (though I wasn't sure how well I was doing because I've never seen it--the orange-haired guy is good, right?).
Aaand picked up some Eva figures in boxes and some Seven Samurai figures because they existed, and I had to have them (I hope I get the Kurosawa one). And the new Hirasawa Susumu album (which will get its own entry one of these days as it is so awesome).
So anyway, incredibly awesome weekend and the first day of the rest of my otaku life.
Plus, my host mother knew all the old Japanese songs from the 50s that I've been memorizing for use at karaoke. (When I told my host sister about this and started singing with my host mom she said, "See? THIS is why you don't have a girlfriend." But if having a girlfriend means giving up overly sentimental postwar Japanese ballads, then maybe I don't want a girlfriend.)
Posted by b-applegate at 4:07 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 18, 2006
"Korea Witness"
My review of the "Korea Witness," an essay collection/history of foreign journalism in Korea, was published today. A fantastic, fantastic read. I've read some good Korea histories, but this one combines a wide scope and an immediacy of tone in a way no other one does. It is also sobering to read about journalists around my age being injured or killed reporting the war in the same place I now live so comfortably.
Article text only
As it appeared in print (PDF)
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June 13, 2006
Boomup Always Start!
We came into the office today to find that the Korean management had slapped up these posters all over the place:
What could it possibly mean, "Boomup Always?" A coded reference to a secret missile base on the top of our building (I already know we have a helipad up there thanks to Google Earth)? An exhortation to increase employee flatulence? It is a mystery.
Though I gotta say, every morning when I wake up the first things I do are retain pride and keep customer.
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June 8, 2006
Why won't the Daily Show's audience shut the hell up?
Watching Bill Bennett on the Daily Show and a big pet peeve of mine watching this show is coming back again. Granted I don't agree with Bennett on a lot of things. But I would love it if Jon Stewart's audience, regardless of who is talking, would just shut up for two seconds and let them talk. Whenever Jon throws out one of his great provocative common-sense statements, what I want to hear is the guest's response to that statement, not a bunch of New Yorkers shrieking and clapping for fifteen seconds. People more interested in cheerleading than debate, no matter what side they're on, seriously bug me.
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June 6, 2006
Crazy cartoon ravings alert
In an article at Toon Zone I compare Satoshi Kon's "Paranoia Agent" to the Eden myth and the concept of original sin and work in a couple of futurists theories for good measure. Enjoy, or look askance. Either's good.
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June 1, 2006
Best of the Daily Show
I am unhealthily obsessed with the Daily Show, and since it is on a two-week break, I've been going back to old clips. Perhaps I can share the excellenter ones with the .5-.7 people who still read this blog.
Ed Helms in Dayton, TN -- Just like colonial Williamsburg, Dayton, Tennessee is a detailed recreation of life as it was during the days of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Just ask the adorable old lady who wants to give sodomites and evolutionists a "whippin'."
And in honor of the elections in South Korea, one of my favorite Samantha Bee clips -- a woman on the street getting carried away with "exit polling" on Election Day, 2004.
Posted by b-applegate at 5:45 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack