Folklore Archives | Otaku No Culture

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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When Texas is Home to the Dogman Triangle, Should Ranchers be Afraid?

Some Small Town Monsters are scary big, and as for what lurks in Texas, The Dogman Triangle offers up plenty of stories to ponder at.

1091 Pictures
Available to stream on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and FandangoNOW.

Like many other cryptozoology documentaries, Small Town Monsters can only offer so much about these creatures said to be roaming the fringes of civilization. The latest, The Dogman Triangle, considers the history of reported werewolf (wild canines in this case) sightings in Texas. Like other known areas of mystery, whether their reach extends beyond a certain geographical region needs to be explored.

The background music helps shape the narrative and as a fan of the Weird West, I had to check this latest by Seth Breedlove out. The sound design helped to get me inspired, and as for whether the stories are true or not, it doesn’t really matter. After watching this work, I had to investigate other series about the oddities from other locations, often identified with that geometric shape too.

Although Alaska is many geographic states and a province away, it has a lot more mysterious cryptids roaming about. The series The Alaskan Triangle (available on Discovery+) is comfort food for my imagination as it delves into more, like the attempts to find The Black Pyramid and reveals how this area is home to lots of UAPs and Bigfoot! The fact this filmmaker spent time there to make his duology, Alaskan Coastal Sasquatch, shows just how deeply invested he is in the topic! Continue reading “When Texas is Home to the Dogman Triangle, Should Ranchers be Afraid?”

Kitsune Zero and Tails Release Schedule!

Kitsune Tails developer Kitsune Games, in collaboration with MidBoss™, today announces Kitsune Zero, a prequel to the platformer styled after beloved classics which features diverse relationships and is steeped in Japanese mythology. Kitsune Zero will release as paid DLC that fully transforms Super Bernie World, the electoral activism platformer downloaded by more than 300,000 voters at the ballot box.

Additionally, Kitsune Games today reveal Kitsune Tails’ story of lesbian romance and giant jumping boots will leap to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in 2023 alongside the previously announced Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Steam and itch.io versions for PC and Linux.

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Salt and Sacrifice Lives On “To Hunt Mages” in this expansion

Salt and Sacrifice, the next installment in the million-plus selling soulslike platformer Salt and Sanctuary series from Ska Studios and Devoured Studios, launches on PC via the Epic Games Store in Early 2022 alongside PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions.

In the decaying Altarstone Kingdom, twisted Mages spread corruption through the land. As chaos descends, only the Marked Inquisitors – doomed warriors condemned to fight – can hope to halt the Mages and their wicked Magic. March through the Western boundary of Altarstone, hunting and destroying Mages before turning remains into powerful weapons and armor. Cast runic arts upon each weapon, manipulating energy to channel abilities like shockwaves towards foes.

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Saving the Child in Nie Jun’s Seekers of the Aweto

Jun’s skillful technique with the pen, brush and watercolours makes the pages leap out like a DreamWorks film.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Lerner Books
Available to Purchase on Amazon USA

“The Hunt is On” for Nie Jun’s Seekers of the Aweto. This herb heals any ailment a human has. Rumours say it also grants immortality, but only one out of many has that celestial ability. This plant grows on the heads of a chadolo, multi-coloured earth elementals and to remove it can incurs the wrath of Buddha. Locals believe they contain the soul of the soil that makes up the land, and they will do everything they can to save them.

Xinyue is a seeker of this plant since it’s his family’s business, but he’s something of a bard. He can play the drums and insects will swarm to him to do his bidding. They help him find an Aweto, but when he sees its alive and as cute as The Child in The Mandalorian, he can’t kill it, and nor can he see it get harmed. The adventure he has with it is as wild as the said Star Wars television show and the Asian flavour lays in how exotic this locale is.

When considering this young lad makes a promise to protect it, to dishonour this land deity can mean bad things for his afterlife. His elder brother Qiliu doesn’t care; The family trade is to locate and sell it to the highest bidder. Volume one sets up the conflict still to come–it’s him and the plant, or him and his brother. The matriarch believes he’ll do what’s right, and it’s no surprise she passes on in this tale. Nobody can dictate what he can do.

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Finding The Legend of Hei is Like Coaxing a Cat out of Hiding.

The Legend of Hei was released in China during the Summer of 2019 and made limited circuits at film festivals the following year before a pandemic halted those plans. This prequel to the lesser known web series is at least more accessible and my hope is for Shout Factory to get the rights to the web series so both are globally available.

Shout Factory
Available to order at Amazon USA

No feline can be contained in the release of The Legend of Hei (罗小黑战记). Those adorable big eyes of the woodland sprite will win over many cat lover’s heart. Also, this movie about Luo Xiaohei (an elfin) has a unique charm to it which makes me wonder if there’s any merchandise to buy. There’s plenty to choose from on eBay, and the licensing potential is huge. When he’s competing against Kuroneko Sama (from Trigun), the challenge will be in brand recognition in North American markets.

This movie was released in China during the Summer of 2019 and made limited circuits at film festivals the following year before a pandemic halted those plans. This prequel to the lesser known web series is at least more accessible and my hope is for Shout Factory to get the rights to the web series so both are globally available. This title quickly sold out at the shops I checked out today, and even Amazon had trouble keeping up. There’s a book which covers the online tale. When this cat is proving hard to contain, I’m hoping Hei has that forever home in place. (Thankfully I was able to view this title digitally)

Continue reading “Finding The Legend of Hei is Like Coaxing a Cat out of Hiding.”