Avatar serves as a warning

Since most of you have already seen the movie and those who didn't I won't divulge any spoilers. After remembering the film objectively without the FX and 3D technology, I think the main idea of the story serves as a warning about how not to take care of the environment. There would be consequences if kept destroying our planet.

It maybe be obvious to some people, but for others the main idea of film might be different. Everyone is open to his or her opinion. To me the film reminds people to take care of the earth and each other. I guess in the future there will still be idiots who want to destroy something for a profit and at the end those idiots have to eat those words. The people who are the voices of reason are stamped out by those idiots.

I remember one line of the film that affirmed that warning. The male lead said, "We have killed our mother (planet). We should try and save this mother." I may have forgotten the other part of the line, but I think you guys get the point.

I saw a recent interview of Mr. Cameron on G4 and when he addressed the audience he held both hands like you would in a Buddhist or Hindu temple. His interview was insightful and gave his reasons for making the film. I didn't hear him make an environmental connection, maybe in later interviews.

My hope that the film will generate debate and some action to help protect our vulnerable ecosystem. After the Copenhagen conference, our world leaders must have something binding that will ensure we won't make the same mistake if we travel beyond the stars.

Let us protect our mother.

Sunday was the last of the Tezuka celebration events at the Smithsonian. I have posted parts 1 and 2 of the panel discussions on the Otaku's Voice 2.0 blog. I will post some Q&A about the event after the holidays.

I hope all of you have a great holiday season.

Just something for you folks to think about if you want to be an animator in the US.

A more detailed listing of events

(Many thanks to Helen McCarthy for the link).

Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime
NOVEMBER 13–DECEMBER 13, 2009

Osamu Tezuka work shown at Smithsonian's Freer Gallery

On November 13-22 the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery will have a special exhibition of the work by Osamu Tezuka. The presenters include, Frederik Schodt and Helen McCarthy.

Mr. Schodt is most known for writing books on Mr. Tezuka's works, such as Astro Boy or Atom Boy. He is best know for writing the books, Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics and Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. His works led him to receive "The Order of the Rising Sun" for his contributions to Japanese culture.

Ms. McCarthy is a writer, costume designer, and speaker. She has received several awards in her native UK for her contributions to Japanese Culture. She contributed in such books as, The Anime Encyclopedia: Japanese Animation since 1917 and Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation.

Make sure you come to the Smithsonian to meet these well respected writers. The real star of the event is the works by Tezuka-sensei.

The DC anime club will also have a screening of Tezuka's work Metropolis at the Japan Information and Culture Center. Space is limited so RSVP as soon as possible.

Make sure you check out the events.

Time for a little rant

Today I was trying to listen to HIMEKA's (Catherine St-Onge) song Asu e no Kizuna on the Sony Music store. The audio file kept freezing. Then I was told in Japanese: We're sorry you are not allowed to view this file (or something like that). I ended up watching the video on youtube.

Why can't musicians like Himeka, Angela Aki, Olivia, or Puffy have the ability to have their music on itunes? I think it has to do with the Japanese record labels. They are so busy trying to concentrate on their market by putting music on Japanese Ketai (mobile phones), that they fail to see a potential market for people living outside Japan who want to listen to their musicians. It is really frustrating not being able to find the musicians I want to download on the Japanese itunes.

I refuse to download them illegally. I would rather pay the musicians 100 yen for something they earned doing. I am an artist too and I would like to have someone pay for my work.

I am not a music lawyer so I don't want to tackle all of the stuff.

I just want a way to listen to music on my ipod without buying a CD that will just take up space. That is all I am begging the music companies to do.

"Kami-sama, boku wa nihon no uta wo kikitandesu. Onegaishimasu.."

"Here comes Astro Boy..."
To many fans that little tune conjures up memories of watching the show on my family's black and white TV.

On Friday October 23 will be the US release of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. The film will be showed using the latest state of the art 3-D animation. The story will still be the same. A father, who just happens to be an inventor, creates an android to replace his son who died. The boy is cast off, but ends up saving the day.

Astro Boy or Tetsuwan Atom (Atom Boy) first started out as a manga, which eventually became an animated show in the 1960s. The show was later revived in the early 1980's. There was a current reincarnation that aired on TV Tokyo and Kid's Station from 2004 to 2006. The character designs were later used in Ravex's "World of Tezuka" video.

Make sure you check it out in your area.

Child's Play Charity begins soon

Greetings fellow gamers and fans. The folks behind Penny Arcade will be starting up their annual charity Child's Play pretty soon. The main idea behind Child's Play is to help kids who are undergoing cancer treatment to have something to do. This charity has been around since 2003.

I have been an active supporter of Child's Play since 2004.

Please do what you can during this holiday season and give something back.

"KNOW YOUR ROOTS."

Anime Screening at JICC

On October 30 the JICC will hold the screening for the film "Mushi-shi." Directed by legendary director Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira and Memories), this film has been fairly popular with anime fans in Japan. Now people in the DC area can get a chance to see the film. The JICC strongly encourages people to cosplay. English and Japanese with subtitles, 131 minutes. Please RSVP to jiccrsvp@embjapan.org.

"Trick or Treat..."

I just came back from NYC to see the idol group AKB48. I will post my full blog article tomorrow. In the mean time you can look at my newest article I wrote about the famed anime and manga store, Mandarake. I got permission to take photos and interview the staff members.

Many thanks to Kono-san for being a great contact during my time at Mandarake.

Animators in Japan.

I have been reading closely concerning the situation with animators in Japan. Anime News Network wrote an article regarding the situation in detail here. The article mostly discusses the irregular payments given to low-level animator and directors. Of course the directors will get paid more. I am mostly concern with the base pay of some beginning animators.

The JAniCA, AJA, ASIFA Japan, Tokyo Anime Center have some valuable information regarding the animation industry in Japan.

Japanese culture and western culture are obviously different. The rights of works for equal pay, vacation time, and job security are the same in any country.

This has been an ongoing issue in the Japanese Animation industry for quite sometime.

Evangelion 1.0 You are not alone


On a late summer afternoon in Washington DC, about 100 people got a chance to see a film that is one of the top grossed films in Japan. "Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.0: You are (not) alone" is the highly anticipated reworking of Hideaki Anno's popular series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Japan Information Culture Center and DC Anime Club in their 3rd year of joint collaboration treated the dedicated few to a rare glimpse of the popular film. The version that was screen was the original Japanese version with English Subtitles. The English dub release will be shown at the Hoff Theater at the University of Maryland on September 11th- 17th.

The president of the DC Anime Club (Chris Wanamaker) Vice President, (Craig Vaughn) and 1st lady (Monique Wanamaker) were on hand for the event. Mrs. Wanamaker made the keynote speech thanking the audience for attending the event. Mrs. Wanamaker was dressed as Rei Ayamani during her speech, she also address herself in character.

The film felt very similar to the original TV episode, which aired in Japan a decade ago. The story, character, and vehicle designs were spectacular. The only drawback with the film was the subtitles, which were white and very difficult to see. If the subtitles were at the bottom of the screen or in yellow, such problem would be avoided.
The second film, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance, was released in Japan early this summer. The other 2 films will be released on a later date.

At the end of the film, some of the fans clapped and cheered. One can only guess what the response will be at the premiere in Maryland.

10 years of reflection

I can't believe I am writing about my 10 years as a professional artist. It was only yesterday that I graduated from SVA. I have become a little wiser, but I still have so much to learn.

I have learned many things since becoming a professional artist, writer, and teacher. I have seen and experienced thing no fan has ever imagined. I experienced the worst domestic attack on the US since WWII. I lived for 5 years in Asia. I experienced different customs. I was broken to my breaking point. I have escaped one of the worst economic disasters in modern history.

As a professional artist I have learned to keep my friends close and forget about the people who treated me in a negative way. There will always be people who want to take advantage of you and twist you into their agenda. Right now in my life I don't need any of that BS. For now it is to tread lightly and make sure there are no traps on the road ahead.

Another most important thing I learned was don't get "blacklisted" or given the "cold shoulder" by people in your industry. The animation industry is very small. Getting someone that you respect on their bad side is the worst feeling ever. No amount of saying "I'm sorry" will make it up. It is better to walk away and maybe come back to it later. Maybe it was for the best. This can be a learning tool on how to treat other people you respect.

Keep your skills up to date. If you can't do the other skills, go back to them later. It isn't the end of the world if you can't figure draw. As long as you can convey things in color and light/shade, everything else will fall into place.

During a symposium at New York's Japan Society, I asked the great director Mamomuro Oshii a question, "what advise would you give to an aspiring director?" I still remember him thinking and pondering over the question I asked him. He finally came with three lists. I forgot the first two, but the last one was stuck in my head. He said, "You should have the ability to influence others." I am slowly understanding what Oshii-san was saying about that last statement.

Experience is something one must witness for themselves. If you want to know everything you are just kidding yourself. You are human and biological. Like all things biological you need time to rest and regroup. One of my favorite animated films is Studio Ghibli's "Kiki Delivery Service." This film can help anyone who are at the crossroads. I encourage anyone to pick up a copy and watch the film. It won't make sense at first, but if you let it soak in. It will make a lot of sense.

Looking back is ok only at a glace, but it most important seeing what is ahead of you in this path that you take. It might be painful at first, but it will all worth it at the end.

Reevaluating my career as an artist.

I have been thinking about my life as an artist. I am 33 and some of the great artists have burnt out or died before their prime. Some key artists include: Bruce Lee, Jim Belushi, Wolfgang Amedos Mozart, and most recently Michael Jackson.

With all the craziness that happened to him in his private life. I think he was most happy doing what he loved, which was singing and dancing. Those activities along would probably wear any normal person. I think Michael Jackson and Mozart's lives parallel each other.

Like Mozart, Michael was a prodigy with his music ability. For all prodigies they do all sorts of crazy stuff, whether it was drinking or drugs. Unfortunately both Michael and Mozart died before their prime and left young children behind. I hope Michael's kids learn from their father's mistakes.

On the other side of the coin are artists who have succeed in their old age. Some perfect examples are: Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Osamu Tezuka, and Hayao Miyazaki. If I remember my history, Einstein was a horrible student when he was younger. Later he became a brilliant scientist and won a lot of praise from his contemporaries.

Osamu Tezuka was successful as a doctor and artist even as he gotten older. He saw a lot of things happen to him in his long life. He created some of the most well known animation characters, such as Astro Boy and Black Jack. He kept creating his work even-though he shouldn't overexert himself. I like that kind of work ethic and dedication.

Right now I am in the fork in the road. One road is the artist road and the other is the unknown. I have been through the artist's road and believe me it is quite difficult. If you aren't skilled at what you do, you might as well just fall over. At this point in my life I have seen many things. I have seen the Twin towers fall on 9-11 and I lost my job during the most worst recessions in modern history.

I think I will close my pencil box, for a while, and start on a new path. I have no idea where it will take me, as long as I get fed and get a good nights rest.

Here is to new beginnings.

I am quite astonished with how anime fandom has changed so rapidly in the US. When I first came home I didn't know what to expect. When I came back to NYC to see what has changed. To my disbelief that a number of my favorite places went out of business, such Asahiya and smaller book stores.

When I attended Otakon last month I taken aback with how well crafted the American cosplayers' costumes were made. Some of them are up to the caliber of Cosplayers at Comiket (I have been to quite a few).

I guess it will take me a while to get used to how things are changing back in the US.

I am kind of in a writing rout right now so the ideas are flowing like concrete.

I am quite inspired with the new crop of artists who are getting their taste of the spotlight.

I am reminded of an article I wrote that didn't get published. I don't know if anyone is reading my blog, but if you are, thank you.

This is just a rant I wrote a year ago. For your reading pleasure:
===================================
Be careful what you wish for...

In Japan, the mobile phone and the web are the gateway to almost everything. The Japanese obsess about everything. They turn to the web for their daily enjoyment. The web is saturated with all of these voice actresses, actors, tv stars who want to share fun facts about themselves. Mundane stuff like their blood type, their favorite place to eat, and what other people they like. For the casual observer this is just white noise. This makes them the envy of all their fans. Their status relies heavily on fans.

Their status comes at a price. With fans interested in what they do and then go on with their daily lives. There are some fans who want to know everything about them. These obsessive fans wants to know everything about their favorite celebrity. This can intern unfortunately lead to stalking.

The web is no different. Be careful about sharing all of life to the public. In a recent article in the weekend addition of Japan Times, Patrick Macias of Otaku USA magazine wrote an interesting article on j-pop star Shokotan (Shoko Nakagawa). His article was well written and gave incite in Ms. Nakagawa's life.

It is quite troubling to see how Ms. Nakagawa is so open about her life. She really needs to stop some of that closeness for her sake. There are a lot of fans who would obese too much about her every waking day and start stalking her.

Ms. Monica Rial is a voice actress from the US. She did a number of anime and is quite popular with North American fans. Recently she stated in her blog that she is shutting it down. The reason for her closing her blog is that she wanted more privacy and talk with other industry people. This is what some actors have to do in this age of high techness.

A few years ago Mari Iijima, the voice of Lin Min May, from the series Macross (Robotech) had a concert in Shibuya's Club Quattro. Many long time fans of Ms. Iijima came to see her. In the mix of fans were several Otaku fans in the crowd. Any moment these rabid fans could lung out in the stage and try and hug Ms. Iijima. Thankfully it didn't happen and the concert went with out any trouble.

An anime that perfectly illustrates how some obsessions can lead too far is Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue." For those who haven't seen the anime, the basic story is about a j-pop singer who decides to become an actress. While her fans are quite sad that she is acting, there is one obsessed fan so determined to have the actress go back to singing. There are some many twists and turns it would make Alfred Hitchcock blush in his grave. I won't give away the ending. It kind of parallels today's web driven society in Japan.

For the casual fan from North America or Europe coming to Japan. Please be discreet if you see your favorite J-pop singer or Voice actor walking in the streets of Harajuku. The Japanese in nature are quite skittish when meeting people. The celebrities are no different. If you do see Gackt or Namie Amuro you will probably see their body guard first. Japanese celebrities are no different than their North American or European counterparts.

If you do get a chance to see them. Just be polite and bow politely to them. 9 times out of 10 if you speak to them in English, they would most likely say "Bye Bye" and walk away. Don't get annoyed, that's just how they are when they are in uncomfortable situations.

Before you start obsessing about the latest j-pop singer or actor, just remember that they are human and they do what they love to do. Be a fan and like their work. Just don't go further down the rabbit hole or you won't come back.

Exhibition of Osamu Tezuka's work at the Tokyo Edo Museum:
Tezuka (Part 1)
Tezuka (Part 2)
Tezuka (Part 3)

International Fandom.

International Fandom Part 1
International Fandom Part 2
International Fandom Part 3

Enjoy

Hiya Folks

Here are my newest articles for Japan-i:
Anime food, wine and much more Part 1
Anime food, wine and much more Part 2

I have some cool projects for Japan-i. I just hope all of the people send me emails. I really hate waiting, but what can you. It goes with the job.

When you are in the public eye in Japan you aren't protected by a Japanese version of SAG, ASIFA, Cartoon Guild. I feel sorry for Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. There was a follow up article here. He was one of my favorite of the SMAP members.

I guess living in Tokyo and the Kanto region I get more involved with things happening here. I am not so interested in things happening in LALAnd because mostly everything there is fake. I am from NYC and I love the gossip from that city. NYC and Tokyo are kind of similar in terms of everything is so concentrated and people seem to converge there.

I am starting to write and draw in a sketch book more and more. I have been a big fan of Maruman sketchbooks since I came to Japan. They are quite versatile and come in many different sizes. The one I have is a postcard size (model: S255). I have a lot of them. I use them when I am on long trips commuting back and forth to work. I like the small ones because they are really portable. I highly recommend getting a pack of them if you get a chance to go to Japan.

I will probably upload some pictures when I have time. I have "Golden Week" off so I have some free time to veg out and clean my apartment.

I guess CB was right. Writing on your blog is fun. :)

Since writing for Japan-i since January, I am starting to enjoy writing again. I still like to draw, but drawing isn't as fun as it used to be. Writing 2 600 articles a month can be tiring, but it is all worth it when the article is on the web site or better yet in the printed version.

I teach kids how to do basic art projects, it has taught me that there are a lot of kids who just wants to learn the basics.

I guess in a small way I am helping the next generation of artists appreciate doing art.

I am quite busy with my day job so I really don't have time to update my web site. Maybe when I get all of my studies done I will go doing art stuff.

I will keep you folks posted on my other activities.