February 2014 | Otaku No Culture

Tsukino-Con Day 2: Panels, Panels and More Panels

By James Rovbert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

TsukinoDay22 I had a late start on the second day for Tsukino-Con. I had what is known among us older con-goers as the con hangover. That is when a man like me stays up too late, drinks little water eats even less and wakes up with one huge hangover. It’s not a pretty sight and it made me realize I can’t pull it off like I did way back in 1995, at Anime Expo.

The second day appeared to be the most active of the con fan-wise. Many people were out in droves wearing a wide variety of costumes. They came dressed as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones and also as members of the Attack on Titan recon team (the most popular cosplay at Tsukino-Con this year).

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Impressions from the Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy have been unleashed and while everyone on Earth who is not a comic book reader is asking, “who?” the film will no doubt answer that in no short order. Or should that be one long? With Rocket Raccoon presenting that one end of the spectrum and Groot, the tree-like humanoid (not an Ent), for the other, the focus will no doubt be with Peter Jason Quill (Chris Pratt), the Star Lord who is jonesing for trouble after attempting to steal an orb.

This full length trailer is setting up this movie to be a science fiction action adventure comedy. It will no doubt be a tale to show the origin of the group, but as the trailer ends, they have become a group already. Hints of each of them being rogue will set up some interesting dysfunctional family type moments, and that can be humourous to see.

But as for whether not that this type of story direction is going to be right, that will be up to audiences to decide when this movie releases August 1, 2014.

Galidor the Dragon

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

I’ve seen some wonderful custom-made pieces in my time and, in fact, I proudly own some of them. I’ve bought pieces from artists involving The Real Ghostbusters, Paddington Bear, Beatrix Potter and the Busy World of Richard Scarry. But in all of those creations I’ve purchased, none of them can compare with this.

Meet Galidor Dragon, a custom-made piece by Kasey Sorsby of Tanglewood Thicket Creations Studio in Kelowna, British Columbia. Kasey has no formal art training but was a successful interior designer before giving birth to her daughter. After her daughter’s birth, Kasey found she was spending less time at her design studio and more time at home. It was during this period she picked up needle felting and hasn’t looked back.

Galidor1

Galidor is just one of her many unique creations. With a body made of solid wool and wings made of leather, Galidor was a commission piece that required 12 weeks of work to finish.

[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Mending Fences with The Rocket? An Analysis and Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

rocket_poster

In the movie The Rocket, irrepressible 10-year-old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) is more than just the black sheep of the family. He’s cursed because of a Laotian superstition that says those born as twins will represent the most opposite of extremes — either good or bad fortune will come. When his brother died at birth, making what he represents an uncertainty, Grandmother Taitok (Bunsri Yindi) thinks he will bring bad fortune to everything dear. That also includes holding on to the beliefs that the old country and traditions that Grandma represents. But for Ahlo, he can lay a spark for the future, if his people accept him.

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Meet the Cast and Crew for Star Wars: Rebels & Thoughts

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

*Spoiler alert

Fans for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga do not have to wait long. Production is more than well underway for Star Wars: Rebels, the animated Disney-approved bridge between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and IV: A New Hope, and the look is fantastic. It faithfully continues in the same style as The Clone Wars, and injects perhaps a much-needed change in the style of narrative when it airs late 2014 on DisneyXD.

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Tsukino-Con Day One: Cosplayers & Smiling Artists

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Tsukino-Con
February 14 – 16, 2014
University of Victoria
Gordon Head
Saanich, British Columbia

Tsukino2 I’ve always wanted to attend Tsukino-Con but the attitude among my friends were that of disdain. They believed Tsukino was a cosplay event directed at pre-teens and teens than adults who some consider the “real fans.”

I had listened to them for years but secretly I yearned to be among the people who had the same interests as I did. I couldn’t afford to travel to the big cons like Dragon Con or Anime Expo (again), and Tsukino is closer and cheaper. GottaCon is mostly for gamers but I’m an anime fan at heart.

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