2023 Archives | Otaku No Culture

[Fantasia 2023] Who’s The Devil in Raging Grace?

There’s a lot of disturbing layers to find at Raging Grace. This multilayered film deals with a lot of topics, and how it unfolds will leave many second-guessing!

Encore Performance
Aug 01, 4:35 PM Salle J.A. De Sève
For tickets, please visit this link.

It’s tough to decide which movie title is better. Both Raging Grace or Raising Grace works in a this Filipino movie about Joy (Max Eigenmann) and her eponymous daughter (Jaeden Paige Boadilla), which this work focuses on. This work written and directed by Paris Zarcilla, transcends what we know as a mixed genre movie. I wasn’t sure where the story was going until in the middle of the second act.

Here, this woman from the Philippines is simply struggling to make ends meet. She doesn’t have her green card and her child can’t assist unless her employers look the other way. In her latest job, she’s hired by Katherine (Leanne Best) to be a caregiver. And while she claims she’s the niece of the homeowner, Mr. Garrett (nicely played by David Hayman), and what she’s not telling is cause for suspicion for the employee.

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Mad Cats is Mad Cap Hiliarity that only Reiki Tsuno Can Realise!

Mad Cats is one heck of a roller coaster ride of an action flick and a laugh out loud road trip movie at the same time.

Playing at Fantasia Film Festival Aug 4, 2023
For tickets, please visit the link here.

Mad Cats is more than just another absurdist fantasy, and I rather enjoyed how it brought the Egyptian veneration of felis catus to a Japanese film. Here, a cult of cat-women are hell-bent on taking out a mega corporation. While the motives aren’t entirely clear, I would not question it. Although this micro-budget film didn’t go all out in the makeup department to make this villainous cast look feline, it’s easy to understand why they are completely human. If they don’t totally blend in, then to attack their targets would be a lot more problematic.

This group of warriors serve Bastet. And as for why they’re targeting Japanese pet shop owners is because of Mune Kurosawa (So Yamanaka) ticking off this Egyptian goddess. After locating the seat of her power and finding where she stashes her catnip, he’s caged up for his transgression.

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Mami Wata at Fantasia 2023. It’s All About Absolute Faith.

Students of folklore and the humanities will adore Mami Wata, a goddess whom not everyone is aware of.

Playing July 20 and 21st at Fantasia Film Festival 2023
For tickets, please visit this link.

Beliefs in the goddess Mami Wata stretch from Senegal to as far as Zambia and in what C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s crafts in his movie about her is not only mesmerising but also modern. She’s more than just another mermaid / patron deity to those cities that still venerate her to this day. Her ability to cure ailments isn’t the only reason. The enormous snake that accompanies her is a symbol of her divine authority.

In the isolated village of Iyi, what the people are facing is multifold. Mama Efe (Rita Edochie)’s role as ruler is challenged. That’s because some people are dying from an unknown disease, and she can’t cure this ailment. One child has crossed over already. While some want her to step down, others are asking if their goddess has forsaken them.

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Presenting The Top Three Shorts From The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival!

We offer our choices as the best short film winners from the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The 39th annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival had lots of shorts and a bunch of movies to enjoy. It wasn’t too hard to decide on what to check out since, like other events worldwide, to restart properly following the global health scare is tough. To begin, I’ll look at my three most favourite shorts, and although two of them follow upon a similar theme, just where it goes is different:

Mom, If I Were a Vampire

Wen (Ting Chiu) doesn’t want to be a momma’s girl, and life at school is rough in other departments. But when she gets in with the right crowd, with Jo (Yu-Xuan Wang) as the “it” girl, the friendship forged is no different from what I recall from Vampire Princess Miyu, a classic anime I have fond memories of.

Although there’s no similar character dynamic since most of the manga and animated series involved the title role without a human companion, what’s presented here would make for a good jumping in point for a live-action adaptation! In this case, it’s to expand upon. The LGTBQ angle isn’t anything new, but how its handled is quite deft!

In what the two characters encounter are bullies and stalkers. Also, I think Wen wants to be turned. She has a lot of feelings to get out and to explore that requires a longer story. This piece made by Deborah Devyn Chuang is certainly worth seeking for the neo-noir colour aesthetics!

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A Geek’s Guide to the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

We offer our list of must sees at the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and they include a mix of short animated works along with three features!

All hands are on deck for the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and it’s resumed being a mostly in-person event. A small selection of works will be made available online and what attendees should check out are its shorts program! All the fantasy and genre works are found here, and what I offer as a highlight of what to look for those attending.

Although some pieces are tough to group according to the name of the program, what I offer will be by genre tag. Thus, in the animated category, I’m particularly excited for Colorville, Rem Koolhaus’ Music Video Kajo, The Old Young Crow, Tala’s Bedtime Story, and Māui Adventures: Capturing The Sun.

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Camosun Comic Arts Festival 2023 Post Event Report

Only 20 seats are available in the one-year certificate program which leads up to graduating and presenting their final project at the Camosun Comic Arts Festival. They’re all talented individuals!

Camosun Comic Arts Festival 2023 Poster The start of this decade was off to a rocky start for anyone who loves their pop culture and comic book style conventions. That’s because the health scare had some events cancelled or stopped altogether. Thankfully the Camosun Comic Arts Festival persevered. It returned in 2022, and I attended; however, there wasn’t much to report since it’s tough to resume with all engines running after a pandemic and what I have to say would be no different from past coverage.

The 2023 event is this program’s 10th Anniversary! Not only did it change to the Wilna Thomas Center, but also it was put into one room. As a result, it stopped being like a comic book convention. Gone are the massive dealer’s room, a schedule of guest lectures and the “drawing room.” What was offered yesterday is how a Comic Arts Festival should run; it’s about discovering new talents and learning about where they want to take their works to.

Legends Comics shop co-owner and Perogy Cat illustrator, Gareth Gaudin, who is now the head of this program, said he wanted to bring this event back to its roots–to celebrate the sequential art medium–and have people together in one space rather than spread out. That way, attendees can meet all the talents under one roof. This organiser wasn’t given a budget. If he was offered one, Gaudin most likely would have gone all out to recognise 10 glorious years, but that’s another story.

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