11.30.2005
Mango Juice.

I'm off to the Japan Society tonight to take in Otaku Unmasked - The Life, Death, and Rebirth of Japan's Pop Culture, a lecture on Japan's otaku industry and the incestuous decline of the writing in anime series into a formula calculated to give otaku exactly and only what they want. Dai Sato, screenwriter of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo, and Hiroki Azuma, Japanese philosopher and cultural critic will discuss. Afterward, they'll be a reception where I'll get smashed and give my business cards to a potted plant.


11.29.2005
A raised hand.

Air America Radio's revealed its morning lineup after its current morning drive show, Morning Sedition, is retired on December 15. Starting the 16th, former Sedition host Mark Riley will get his own show from 5-7 AM. The current 5 AM show, The Rachel Maddow Show, will move to a later slot and gain a second hour, moving to 7-9 AM. Morning Sedition's other host, Marc Maron, will be moving to LA and is in negotiations to have a part in an evening Air America show, but nothing is currently set. Raise your hand if your morning just got all screwed up.

Yesterday, I pleaded with some nameless god of the ether to create a plush of My-Otome's mascot cat, Mikoto. My prayer's been answered, CMs releasing a stuffed Mikoto in December. Yay.


11.28.2005
rRootage.

Ever heard of ABA Games? Kenta Cho? No? Well, you should have. Kenta's a Japanese fellow who programs freeware games with abstract names like Gunroar, Noiz2sa, and rRootage that all have graphics to match. Possessing dazzlingly vivid wireframe graphics and a hardcore retro feel, the games cooked up the ABA Games kitchen are packed with non-stop adrenaline and some unnamable substance that is abjectly addictive. My favorites are Gunroar and Torus Trooper.

You can find all of the ABA Games library for PC here. Googling will get you the games all formatted for OS X.


11.27.2005
Bent Tape.

A Japanese panel commissioned to determine whether or not to allow female ascension to the imperial throne has come back supporting allowing the installation of an empress. If the panel's advice becomes law, Princess Aiko will become Japan's first empress since the 18th Century. Conservative pundits have come out venomously opposed to the idea of an empress, citing that it would break with tradition. They fail to see that not allowing female succession will lead to a quagmire in which there's no clear direct descendant.

First, there was Cube. Then, there was Hypercube. Now, there's Cube Zero.

A new film based on the Ouija board and originally titled Ouija board won't contain a single mention of the Ouija board or include Ouija board in the title. Huh? Parker Brothers, owner of the Ouija board trademark, wouldn't let the filmmakers use the word for a sum of money that wouldn't obliterate the motion picture's budget.


11.26.2005
Rock Water.

Manticore premieres tonight at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi. Watch it with the Sage Page next to you, and it'll be like we're watching it together. Or something like that. Manticore's not going to be a good film by a long shot, but it looks like some stylish CG action shot on a shoe string budget.

Speaking more about movies, I'm looking for Sengoku Jieitai 1549, a time-traveling Japanese military thriller about an SDF officer who goes back in time to take over feudal Japan and the SDF detachment sent back to stop him from altering the future. And it all comes down to a tank vs. samurai battle. The more I hear about the plot, the more I'm intrigued. Further, it's based on a novel by Harutoshi Fukui, whose previous books were turned into Lorelei: Witch of the Pacific and Aimless Aegis. Alright, it's not supposed to be that good, still it looks like fun.

Saturday Morning TV sucks. Kids these days have it bad.

Asashoryu's become the first sumo wrestler ever to win seven consecutive Emperor's Cups. Asashoryu claimed his seventh today in Kyushu by besting the official sumo wrestler of the Sage Page, Kaio, in the final round.

Asashoryu, from Mongolia, and Kotooshu, a Bulgarian, have received tremendous press as of late not for their stellar performances but for their countries of origin, many in the sumo world troubled with foreign powerhouses devastating Japan's finest. A quota system now in place limits the number of foreigners accepted in the Japan Sumo Association, and while there's popular support for keeping the cap to protect the Japanese-ness of sumo, there are a few voices calling for removing it entirely, believing that by opening the door to all foreign sumo hopefuls the sport will gain a much greater following overseas.


11.25.2005
Orange Ticket.

A group of Japanese investors and architects want to build a hyper city, a mile-hile vertical city enclosed within three towers housing over 100,000 and providing everything its residents will ever need for their entire lives.

Another architect, Hidetsugu Aneha, is currently being questioned over falsifying earthquake data, Aneha claiming that 21 buildings that would collapse in a major quake would be safe.

Bandai asked Bleach fans what characters they want in the next series of gashapon to be released. Number One was Yoruichi. Urahara rolled in at Number Two.

Behold Mugenbine!

Air America's morning show, Morning Sedition, has been canceled. It'll continue until the end of the year, but come December 15, it'll be recast, reconfigured, and/or replaced.

Watch the premiere of Manticore tomorrow at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi. Starring a bunch of Star Trek actors as US soldiers in Iraq, they face off against a half dragon-half lion monster. Hot damn, talk about appointment television.


11.24.2005
Lantern Teriyaki Spy.

Today being Thanksgiving, I felt I should do something festive. (My original post, a multi-page gush about Ikkaku's kickass bankai wasn't that apropos.) Anywho, I've got two seasonal recipes plucked from here and there.

First, an original holiday spirit, stolen from the Rachel Maddow Show...

JOSEY PACKARD'S NORTHERN SPY -- An original American cocktail for Thanksgiving

4 parts apple cider
3 parks applejack
1 part fresh lemon juice (save a couple slices of post-juicing lemon peel for later)
1/2 part apricot brandy

Use a cocktail shaker (or some artful misrepresentation of a cocktail shaker) to shake those four ingredients together. Pour a mixture of sugar and cinnamon onto a plate/saucer. Use yer lemon slices to wet the rim of a champagne glass. Don't have a champagne glass? Make it up! But use a glass with a thin rim, because now that you've wet the rim with the lemon slice, you're going to dip the wet rim of the glass into the sugar & cinnamon on the plate/saucer so you have a cinnamon/sugar rim on the glass. Pour the northern spy mixture about a third of the way up the glass. Top with twice that amount of champagne. Serve immediately, with a cranberry bobbing around in there for garnish, as long as you can be sure none of your drunk relatives will try to eat it.

Next, Central Park Media's official sweet potato pie recipe stolen from Central Park Media's Gogai! Gogai!

7 cups sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 pie shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring the sweet potatoes (chopped and cooked until tender), vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, lemon, and eggs together in a bowl. Blend until thoroughly mixed. Equally distribute the mix into the pie shells. Bake for 45 minutes. That's it. Nice and simple. Too simple to screw up? Not entirely. The first time I made this recipe, I mixed the sweet potatoes too much, creating almost a meringue with the amount of air I had whipped in. The resulting pies were light and fluffy with an intricate sugar lattice structure inside. Beat your own mix to a ridiculous level if you want to try it at home.

Wasn't that fun?


11.23.2005
Landouters.

In September, Central Park Media ran an Outlanders fan-casting contest, allowing fans worldwide the chance to decide the main dub cast of CPM's upcoming 20th Anniversary Outlanders DVD. The response was overwhelming, over 20,000 participating. On October 18th, CPM revealed the first winner -- Rebecca Soler cast as Battia. Today, they revealed the voice of Tetsuya.

Selected by fan votes, Tetsuya, a hapless 19-year-old Earthboy kidnapped to marry an alien and save the Earth in the process, will be played by Sean Schemmel. Learn more about Schemmel and watch his acceptance video here.

The voices of Kahm and Geobaldi will be revealed leading up to the Outlanders DVD release on February 7, 2006.


11.22.2005
Cookie Fake.

Mei Xiang and Tai Shan are baby pandas. They live in the National Zoo. Despite being newborns, they're smart enough to hook up a webcam, and unlike 19-year-old red heads from SVU, the pandas don't charge $19.95 a month for you to watch them do their hair.


11.21.2005
Glass Moon.

Mimoco presents the Mimobots, cute and cuddly little USB flash drives that look like monsters. From Mimoco...

mimobots are little friendly data fiends! Feed the 2" monsters all your essential data (tunes, pics, presentations, videos, etc.) and transport your files wherever you go.

How can you refuse?

Number of days Al Franken hasn't responded to my e-mail - 5


11.20.2005
Glass Stars.

Women are amazing. Really, they are. Guys, do you appreciate them enough? Girls, do you know just how miraculous you are? What's this about? When I wake up, I shower, brush my teeth, throw on a shirt and pants, and head out toward the subway. It's simple. It's routine. Yet, on top of all this, my girlfriend is for some reason possessed to comb her hair and mist herself with some floral-smelling liquid. Every day.

This isn't an isolated incident, either. Women take this attention to detail, aesthetics, and presentation far beyond their mornings.

Two college friends who recently moved to Manhattan threw a No-More-Commuting Party last night. The party was nice and the apartment blew me away. Paintings were framed on the walls. There were things other than plastic robots on their bookshelves. Rooms were color coordinated. The apartment was even featured in the New York Times. Why? All because one of the roommates was a girl. Astonishing.

Coming home, I felt a bit ashamed and decided to color coordinate my apartment -- but ended up falling asleep. Eh, my Kamen Rider decor ain't that bad.

Number of days Al Franken hasn't responded to my e-mail - 4


11.19.2005
Swim Bunnies.

The Mainichi Daily News has a photo essay on President Bush's time in Japan. The Mainichi laso has a photo essay on 2006's hottest swimsuits.

Japan Times has an insightful review of Rampo Jigoku, a new film about the life and times of filmmaker Edogawa Rampo.

Number of days Al Franken hasn't responded to my e-mail - 3


11.18.2005
Evil spirits.

First Lady Laura Bush was given a lesson in kanji by 77-year-old master calligrapher Minoru Sawada. The First Lady thought it was "very, very fun."

A British reality show plans on convincing its unsuspecting stars that they've been blasted into outer space. The show's got a prop shuttle and everything. I'm just curious how they're going to fake that whole zero gravity thing, 'cause if they don't, it'll kinda be a giveaway it's a sham.

Alter has a sultry 1/8 scale KOS-MOS statue.

Number of days Al Franken hasn't responded to my e-mail - 2


11.17.2005
Sugar Dirt.

My favorite number is 58. It has been since FOX's SPACE: Above & Beyond, a title airing back in the early '90s. The series was a sci-fi military drama following the USMC 58th Squadron's fight against an alien invasion. I bring that up because the 58th episode of Bleach aired in Japan this past week and featured Ichigo's long-awaited bankai transformation. I also bring this up because the entirety of SPACE: Above & Beyond was released this week on DVD.

Number of days Al Franken hasn't responded to my e-mail - 1


11.16.2005
Waltzing Mist, Paused Moment.

Last weekend, I paid a trip to Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. While walking through my old campus, I took a brief tour of the library -- which had gone through a few renovations since my time at the college. One of the changes was an Egyptian statue put on prominent display.

"That's new," I said. Thinking about my words, I quickly amended my statement. "Actually, that's old!" I stood grinning but heard only groans.

I attempted to explain my joke and how, even if only now on display, anything coming from Ancient Egypt is ancient, but I was met with a punch and a crossed look from my significant other.

I told those around me that they simply didn't understand humor and have, as such, turned to the ivory tower of witticism -- Al Franken. I today wrote to him asking if my joke was unfunny or if its brilliance was instead lost on those touring the library with me. Stay tuned for an update sometime in the indefinite future.


11.15.2005
Waltzing Mist, Rising Movement.

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie is airing tonight at 8 PM on AZN with encores at 11 PM and 2 AM. The film's also airing November 19 at 12:30 AM. CPM is repricing all of Utena next year. The first boxset will drop from $80 to $40 beginning in February 2006.

FOX canceled Arrested Development and Kitchen Confidential.

J. Michael Straczynski is self-publishing the entirety of Babylon 5 in script form across 15 volumes, available at Babylon5Scripts.com. JMS recently spoke about his publishing venture and the perpetually-stalled B5 videogame with GameCloud.


11.14.2005
Waltzing Mist, Second Movement.

I've come back from Ithaca, have done my laundry, and am beginning revisions to my Vampire Western. I can't find my copy of Kizuna Vol. 4. It's not actually my copy. It's a gift for a friend. Still, it's disappeared completely.

Anne Rice appeared on last Friday's Morning Sedition. If you're my girlfriend, you can listen to the November 11th broadcast at Air America Place.

Banpresto has come out with a Beam Rifle Water Gun. Think you'll be the coolest kid in school with this little puppy? You would if it wasn't sold out.

Yamato's broken out the 1/48 Valkyrie molds once more to finally release the VF-1A Production Type.


11.11.2005
Waltzing Mist, Shimmer.

The US release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has been pushed back until 2006. In the parlance of leet 14-year-olds, WTF. The release has been pushed back because of a potential limited theatrical release. Of course, that's only going to happen in cities like New York and LA. Wait, I live in New York. Score.

Last Sunday, The West Wing aired a live Presidential Debate between Jimmy Smitz and Alan Alda.

Taiwan developed a bird flu vaccine in 18 days.


11.10.2005
Jetpants Tropical Fancy.

I worked late last night -- until roughly 10 PM. Getting home, after eating dinner and watching some Arrested Development, it was close to 2 AM. My bus to Ithaca was leaving at 8. It was my plan to not sleep until on the bus, getting various chores done and packing throughout the night. Then I touched my pillow. I'll take a one hour nap. My eyes opened at 6:28. My plan was to be on the subway by 6:30. Not going to happen. Quickly, very quickly, I cleaned. After putting my apartment in order, I packed. Everything went well except a friend's birthday present was nowhere to be found. I searched. I searched more. I couldn't find it. I showered. I searched. I searched more. I couldn't find it. Finally, the clock at 7:14, I ran out the door.

Arriving at the subway station, I haphazardly lugged my bags onto the platform and waited for the 7 Train. It came. Filled. No room for me. I stood there, listening to Rachel Maddow in my ear. The next train came. On. Now, all I could do was sit and hope the MTA could get me to Port Authority before 8 AM.

Not going to happen. That's what I thought. When's the next bus? I plotted going back to the apartment and maybe going into work, looking for my friend's present at my desk and under my bed. I crossed my arms. I nodded. It was a good plan. I'd get to Ithaca later, but I didn't have any other choice. With Maddow's voice the only thing I could hear, station names didn't reach my ear. We reached Port Authority. I hesitated a moment, unsure, then set out moving as fast as traffic would allow. 7:53.

Into Port Authority. Right. Down the hall. Left. Up the stairs. Down the hall. Left. Up the stairs. 7:58. Left. Down the hall. Up the stairs. Left. Down the hall. There's the bus. There's the line. It's boarding now. I handed the driver my ticket at 7:59 AM.

I sat. I breathed. I slept.

Waking up halfway though the trip, I noticed two black eyes staring at me. A poodle was seated in front of me. Big, shaggy, and solid black, it was looking at me, and I was looking back. Why is there a poodle on the bus? At our next stop, the bus changed drivers. The new driver, spying the dog, scratched his head. The bus company allows dogs providing they're assisting the blind. This dog wasn't. Further, it didn't have a ticket. After some words were exchanged, the driver decided he didn't want to deal with it and went back to the wheel. Getting back on the road, I spotted a little black dog tearing through a pile of leaves not far away. There's a proverb about seeing two black dogs.

I was pretty awake now and began editing some documents for work. Not soon after, we pulled up in Ithaca, New York. On the ground, I grabbed my bags and took off toward the college. Normally, I'd grab a local bus to get me to the Ithaca College campus, but looking at my watch, I'd have to wait for 20 minutes before the next one showed up. Instead, I walked.

I was a little apprehensive at first. It's pretty far. Wait, Tatara you walk all the time and all over the place in New York. Just because it's not all concrete here you're getting chicken? It took me 35 minutes to get to campus, which is about the same time it would have taken me if I had gone by bus, factoring the wait in.

I met up with Petrina. I met up with Professor Izbicki. I auctioned off members of the Anime Society. Tomorrow, I'm meeting Professor Pavia and getting a free lunch at the dining hall. After serving as a Manager for four years, I was given a lifetime pass upon graduation. I believe I have two competing dinner plans tomorrow as well, both Thai.

Now's the time where I wrap everything up, isn't it? Here we go. Always buy an emergency birthday present in case you misplace your first.


11.9.2005
Linear Boy's Revenge.

I'm heading up to Ithaca College for the Anime Society of Ithaca College's Bleach marathon. As such, no clue on if there'll be updates for the next few days.


11.8.2005
Growl Gumi.

I've written a screenplay. It's a vampire western. I thought that was the most distinct, original, and creative genre to ever be dreamed up inside the mind of a man. I was wrong. Today, I learned of a movie called Kibikichi. It's a werewolf samurai. Werewolf samurai beats vampire western.


11.7.2005
Genius Stars.

Conventional wisdom teaches that kidney stones are caused by too much red meat in the diet. Convention wisdom is wrong. How do I know? After a weekend of excruciating pain, I stumbled onto the street and with my last strength signaled a taxi. Before I knew it, I was in the emergency room screaming about a pain in my appendix. A blood test and CT scan later, I was diagnosed not with appendicitis (Google's diagnosis) but with a kidney stone working its way through my system.

Speaking with the ER guys after I stopped screaming, they told me that kidney stones are in fact caused by a lack of proper hydration. Without enough fluids going through your system, stuff in your kidneys begin to crystalize. Not wanting a repeat performance of my weekend in agony, I've since been downing (what seems like) several gallons of water a day. Is it working? Well, there are no more sharp pains in my side, and beyond that, I feel great. Proper hydration not only prevents horrible pain but also improves general homeostasis. Doctor Tatara's advice to all of you is to be sure to drink a big glass of water before you go to bed.

What does this story have to do with anime? Now, I know you're going to think I'm going to try to hook it into Black Jack because of the whole medical angle, and while Black Jack is one of my favorite shows, we're not going to talk about Osamu Tezuka's detective doctor at all. Instead, as I was staring up at the ceiling, trying not to think of the pints of blood being drained out of my arm, I had a vision.

What kind of vision? I saw a show. A television show. An animated television show. An animated television show produced in Japan. An animated television show produced in Japan and currently unlicensed in North America. An animated television show produced in Japan and currently unlicensed in North America named... Well, that I can't tell you; however, should the stars align and everything work out, there will be tremendous yelling and screaming about my painkiller-induced masterstroke.

There may even be a DVD bonus feature exploring the kidney stone and its involvement in the acquisition of the animation.

I sure am hyping up something I can't mention by name, huh? Yes, I am, but just trust me. And say a prayer for this mystery show every night after drinking that glass of water. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got another quart to down.


11.6.2005
Waltzing Mist.

Tatara was in the hospital today. The full story tomorrow!


11.5.2005
Rice Up.

Daisuke Enomoto, known to his friends as the phonetic Dice-K, is a former executive of Livedoor, one of Japan's most prolific web portals and ISPs, and a self-described otaku. After Livedoor went big, Dice-K went off on his own, currently doing the venture capitalist thing from a homebase in Hong Kong. So, what does a young, wealthy businessman (who just happens to be raving Gundam fan) do next?

Why, book a ticket into outer space! Following in the footsteps of Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, and Gregory Olsen, Dice-K has given $20 million to the folks at Space Adventures and will be blasting off in a Soyuz TMA rocket destined for the International Space Station in 2006. Dice-K plans to dress up as Gundam's Red Comet, Char Aznable, along the way.

J-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi will perform live during this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from a custom-made float.

Japanese studio Alter has produced an amazingly beautiful Alvis E. Hamilton sculpture.


11.4.2005
Add one.

Thursday, I attended Morning Sedition's last live show. I took in the very first at the start of the summer as well as the previous event at O'Neals. When it was announced Morning Sedition was going to return to O'Neals, only a dozen blocks from my office, I made certain I'd be there. And, with whispers of the program disbanding, I was on the subway at 4 AM.

Every morning, from 6-9 AM, Air America broadcasts something that cannot be classified. Combining news, politics, and askew comedy, Morning Sedition is a vaudevillian spectacle. Completely unique. Its non-formula formula has won fans across the US and around the world. It's listened to by bakers live at 3 AM in California. It's podcast by ex-patriots in the Netherlands and Japan. Yet, with Arbitron ratings in New York City not as high as Air America's upper management would like, in a candid on-air confession, host Marc Maron not many weeks ago announced the show was finished. Since Maron's revelation, he and Air America have since received a river of e-mails and cards in support of the show from as far away as scientists stationed at the South Pole, but will it change management's mind?

From day one, it's been stated that Air America, as an entity, will not exercise any editorial control, its shows and hosts free to speak as they feel. The result is raw, human radio. While sometimes messages become mixed with different shows dissenting, it creates a very real experience. I admire Air America for this move, and Maron's on-air confession must have been a test, but rather than being silenced, he has continued his openness every morning. However, no reprieve has been issued.

Hundreds, including the extended Morning Sedition staff and spouses, turned out for the show's live finale. The future unknown, there was uneasiness about everyone; however, there were also smiles, and no one was smiling more than Maron. (More) disheveled (than usual), it was clear the axe just above his head was taking its toll, but Maron fought with every mintue and every word. Maron's attitude the anima of the program, he and a small staff built it from nothing. Now, he was presiding over its demise.

Watching people watching Marc, I saw something amazing, but not something unexpected. What started as a room full of strangers quickly changed into a room full of people laughing and chattering. Executives and bike messengers. Suits and dreadlocks. Aged men with white hair laughed at the same jokes as children not yet through grade school. What I witnessed Thursday is what I witnessed at both prior Morning Sedition shows I attended. Here was the future Air America Radio attempts to inspire with each and every broadcast.

Of course, this taste of paradise evaporates as soon as the real world intrudes, but for just a moment, it's real. We'd all like to change the world, but the world's a big place and even troubadours of change are eventually shackled. Air America, which preaches about a tomorrow that is not yet here, is firmly rooted in today. To talk is one thing. To do is another. While the network launched on a dream, it went though a considerable financial struggle to survive its first summer, and with the fate of Morning Sedition resting solely upon its New York Arbitron ratings, there's again a disconnect between belief and practice.

But if podcasts and a worldwide listening base ultimately amount to air and New York City's Arbitron rating are the only thing that matter, add one to Morning Sedition's numbers. I live in Queens but stream Morning Sedition every morning. Starting this Monday, though, I'll be sure to listen to Morning Sedition on the radio.


11.3.2005
Plan Season.

Cartoon Network will air Small Soldiers, The Goonies, and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in the near future.

Jetix will air Digimon movies 5, 6, and 7 on November 6, 20, and 27.


11.2.2005
Sheep Liter.

Air America's morning Show Morning Sedition has been canceled. In a candid on-air confession, host Marc Maron recently revealed a new executive's shut the show down. An outpouring of cards, letters, and e-mails to Air America may change the show's fate, but its future is uncertain. If indeed in its last weeks, the show's going out in a blaze of glory, doing one final live show at O'Neal's (49 West 64th St. between Broadway and Central Park West) tomorrow morning.


11.1.2005
Basket Future.

Growing up, every Halloween, I'd race around my neighborhood, collecting candy from every house within a five block radius. One year, I was a dinosaur. Another, I was a Ninja Turtle. If I recall, I was also a firefighter and a cowboy. Yesterday was Halloween, and while I've long since stopped dressing up and demanding candy, I took a walk around my new Queens neighborhood to see how trick-or-treating is done in New York City. I was curious. Do kids run through apartment buildings? Nope. Instead, packs of children sprint along main streets as packs of parents try to keep up, the kids stopping at every business -- be it a movie theatre, Burger King, or hair salon -- to receive a candy bar or two from the business' owners. Cute.

I didn't pick up any candy last night, but I did score 20 pounds of rice for $5. I win.

What costumes were popular from my first-hand experience? Werewolves and Yoda. I saw lots of both. Also, busty, naughty schoolgirls seemed to be the costume of choice for older kids wanting to get a free Baby Ruth from the local MET Foodmart.

Unrelatedly, Futurama is moving to Comedy Central.

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