March 2016 | Otaku No Culture |

Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Official Wesbite Launched!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind Up Geek)

As of 2:00 am Pacific Standard Time (PST) the website for the animated series Space Battleship Yamato 2202 (宇宙戦艦ヤマト2202) has launched. The series is a sequel to Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199) that aired on Japanese television in 2013. Yamato was created by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto in 1974. It premiered in North America in 1979 under the title Star Blazers.

Very little information on the upcoming series is available on the site and no release date for 2202 is known. The only information available to the public is in the form of comments by Producer Shoji Nishizaki (Space Battleship Yamato 2199), Writer Harutoshi Fukui (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) , and Director Nobuyoshi Habara (Broken Blade). According to August Ragone of the Space Battleship Yamato Facebook group, Harutoshi Fukui’s comment read “Love” is by no means powerless, while dangerous words cannot be turned into a deadly weapon. Harsh reality and compromise, encourages change by force. In perfecting humanism, each of us must be aware of our strength, and ponder on the fact that force was bestowed upon us as a biological instinct. Speaking to ourselves, we must repeat this message less it be broken, and be confident in that a true revival of Yamato is being created. “Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Soldiers of Love”. I will devote my life to making this. Please stay tuned!

On the Yamato’s official Twitter another image of teaser art by Makoto Kobayashi was posted.

Source(s): August Ragone and the Space Battleship Yamato Facebook group.

The Beauty of the Pageantry at Sakura Con 2016

SakuraConEmblem By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Sakura-Con 2016 has come and gone but a wake of photographs and videos are left behind as evidence of the fun had by all. The beauty of the pageantry that’s created by cosplayers can be seen in the following videos shot by Alfred Lim of Parabellum Productions and Larry Tong Lee of LTLCinematics. Thanks must go to both of these artists for their keen eyes at capturing their subjects.

Sakura-Con will return next year. And if you wish to be a part of it (costume or not), you can follow Sakura-Con’s official sites and plan your trip:

Sakura-Con official website.

Sakura-Con Twitter.

Sakura-Con Facebook.

Source(s): Alfred Lim, Larry Tong Lee, and the Sakura-Con Photoshoots/Gatherings Facebook group.

Video Source(s): oilerfan1983 and Parabellum Productions.

Samurai Armor Hoodie Reaches Goal; New Incentives Offered!

SamuraiModel By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Crowfunding is a powerful tool, it allows the everyday person to make something wonderful a reality. By financially contributing, pooling their money with other investors to push what could be the next big thing into the public market, great pride can be taken to know one has made distribution of said product possible. And it was no small feat when the Samurai Armor Hoodie I wrote about mere days ago reached their financial goal of $50,000 in an impressive three days and two hours. When it comes to the next hot fashion from Japan, the masses have spoken. But now the goal is reached there are new incentives to keep the fundraising going.

NinjaShirts Two stretch goals have been established. At the $80,000 level in contributions, each hoodie-inclusive perk will come with one bonus Gauntlet Glove. When the campaign reaches $120,000 in contributions, each hoodie-inclusive perk will come with one bonus T-shirt to match.

The campaign makes it easy for one to invest more money. The idea of three hoodies, two tatermono crests, and free shipping worldwide for $900 USD is hard to ignore. The shipping worldwide is a nice touch but I wonder how much would I have to pay to have it delivered to my door by a Japanese woman dressed in traditional kimono. Bowing, like the smiles offered at a fast food chain, I hope would be free.

To continue contributing or to follow the funding campaign, follow this link:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/samurai-armor-hoodies#/

To follow on Facebook, visit this link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/902125803249195/

And to follow on Instagram, visit this link:

https://www.instagram.com/samurai_armor_hoodies/

Sci-Fi Double Feature Does Not Always Mean Rocky Horror!

There are so many allusions Sci-Fi Double Feature makes and that makes this travelling sideshow worth checking out.

Sci-Fi Double Feature Promotional Poster ES: Out in the wilds of the Yukon, there are many mysteries afoot. Most of the land is wild, fertile, and uninhabited? Perhaps not. Ramshackle Theatre is born from this unbridled territory to give children’s entertainment an interesting look in front of and behind the scenes of a camera. At a show hosted by Intrepid Theatre, James and I were treated to a wonderful shadow puppet display that brings a touch of surrealism to the masses.

They will be performing their next show on April 2, 2016, at the Mermaid Imperial Theatre Performing Arts Centre in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Maybe it’s time to book a trip!

JS: Yes, book, book now! This is a very solid family sci-fi production with a nostalgic feel. If you had people from the National Film Board of Canada, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Bruce McCulloch and the creators of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in a stuck elevator, this is the show they would create to fight boredom.

Continue reading “Sci-Fi Double Feature Does Not Always Mean Rocky Horror!”

The Setup for Batman v Superman and Beyond, A Review and Commentary

This planet has a tough time of avoiding pending apocalypses in Batman v Superman.

Batman v Superman Movie Poster Spoiler Alert!

The DC Cinematic Snyderverse (officially known as DC Expanded Universe) is very dark and grim. This director’s vision for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice spells out what’s to come, and in what these heroes—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)—are facing is a look in the mirror darkly over what tyranny can look if the heroes are not put into check. That is, can they be allowed to do anything they want because they are super powered? One tease can be found in the trailer for this film, where soldiers are bowing down to the boy in blue and he looks quite angry.

Just how this scene fits in requires watching this movie. Bruce Wayne aka Batman has much to fear about this Kryptonian after the events from Zack Snyder’s last movie, Man of Steel (movie review). He criticizes Clark Kent about all the fluff pieces The Daily Planet published showing the good he is doing. However, Wayne sees the world differently. He lost his parents to a random crime and he saw one of his office buildings get annihilated during the fight between Supes and General Zod. The grudge he holds may never go away.

Continue reading “The Setup for Batman v Superman and Beyond, A Review and Commentary”

KW Designs’ Fem7 Armor the Talk of WonderCon 2016

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

WonderCon is wrapped-up and is now a footnote in the convention history books, but yet talk lingers on about some of the things seen and heard at the 2016 show. And part of that talk (a lot of it really) is the great new armor by KW Designs (KW) that had premiered last month at the Long Beach Comic Expo. Based off the New Order armor from Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens film, the Fem7, was designed specifically with females in mind. Women have worn the armor of the New Order’s predecessor before, although slightly altered. The Stormtroopers of the original Star Wars trilogy of films were male dominated and there was little room for women in their ranks. With the release of Star Wars VII just last year, to see a woman as a soldier in the New Order, let alone one ranked as high as Captain Phasma (played by Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones), girl power (as the Spice Girls used to promote) has finally come to the Dark Side. Even the baddies had to give in to equality some time.