Tag Archives: Japan

Top Picks to see at the 2021 Victoria Film Festival

19 Jan

Feb 5 to 14th, 2021
For ticket purchases, please visit victoriafilmfestival.com

The Victoria Film Festival is back, and online! It’s no surprise that this event has gone digital. The pandemic and regional restrictions on what events can continue forced many celebrations of any kind world-wide to continue this trend. On this list includes who can view the films this year; those living outside of British Columbia are out of luck, and my recommendation is to check your local art house theatre or film festival to see if they will be offered.

Suspiciously missing in this virtual edition is Jammies and Toons. Whatever the reason is for dropping this annual tradition for kids, my foreign animated pick Wolfwalkers, available to stream on Apple TV+. It has everything a child can enjoy and my review can be found here.

Deciding on what to see this year was tough. I offer a Top Ten (minus one since I always include an animated entry). Thankfully, there’s material in the shorts program, but it’s not quite the same.

When the physical events are permitted to run, I’m sure it’ll be back.

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Top Ten Animated Picks to Look Out For in 2021!

3 Jan

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

In the animated front, the films I’m really excited for are from China. Getting the news from this country is tough, and the studios are mum about what’s next in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe! I tried contacting a Vancouver studio supposedly involved and they never responded.

Because of the pandemic, a lot of production work shifted to either finishing at home or was put on hiatus. The workflow may well have slowed down too. Thankfully, there’s some good news: one particular Japanese animated title is coming very soon.

I’m hopeful the international release is not too much later.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0
Thrice Upon a Time
Jan 23 (Japan)

The Rebuild tetralogy was on infinite hold when Hideaki Anno was off building Shin Godzilla. Anyone who has seen the original anime will know the general premise–young teens saving the Earth from a holy battle–but with the Illuminati like conspiracies going on, they are locked in an even different secret war. However, this reboot is huge, and it’s one I’m refusing to see one by one over several years. The wait is finally over so fans can see this re-imaging in its entirety.

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Get “Hali Gali” with WARPs UP latest music video!

15 Nov

スーツを着た男性たち 自動的に生成された説明

WARPs UP, a four-piece dance group with members from Japan and China and fans in both territories, have announced their latest song, ‘Hali Gali’, which is now on YouTube and as a limited release in China.

The music video for ‘Hali Gali’ is directed by filmmaker Kenichiro Shimizu (PELE) and Tokyo-based creative group REALROCKDESIGN, which also produces large-scale outdoor festivals and sensory entertainment show STAR ISLAND. Shimizu, working with Daito Manabe (Rhizomatiks), was the videographer and editorial director on British artist Squarepusher’s ‘Terminal Slam’ video. His works have garnered acclaim for their innovation and creativity, with ‘Terminal Slam’ receiving the Computer Animation Category Honor Award at Austria’s Ars Electronica Award 2020.

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Japan’s Mega (Toy) Hobby Expo Goes Online!

8 Oct
Mega Hobby Expo 2020 banner 800.jpg

Three-Day Event Hosted by MegaHouse Opens to Global Audiences From 10/30 to 11/1

New and exciting products from the world of anime, manga, and gaming will be revealed when leading Japanese figure and toy company MegaHouse Co., Ltd. presents the MegaHobby Expo Online from Oct 30th to Nov 1st, JST, 2020.

This annual event is now open to viewers worldwide for the first time via the internet! It’s a showcase for a new generation of hobby collectables. Upcoming items from the following smash hit entertainment properties are expected to appear.

Cyber Formula
Demon Slayer
Digimon Adventure
Mobile Suit Gundam
One Piece
And Many Others!

This year’s MegaHobby Expo has been recrafted as a “virtual convention” where visitors from around the world can enjoy new figure and product reveals, participate in interactive events and explore booths from participating Japanese toy and figure exhibitors such as Alter, Hobby Japan, Kotobukiya, Aniplex+, Dengeki Hobby WEB, Licorne, Yoyogi Animation Gakuin, and MIMEYOI.

MegaHouse figures are renowned by collectors for their amazing level of detail and visual impact. The new figure at the MegaHobby Expo can be viewed in advance in 360°. Visitors will be able to then share their favorite angles on social media.

The MegaHobby Expo will be hosted from Oct. 30th to Nov.1st, JST, 2020 at the official MegaHobby website at https://megahobbyexpo.jp. The website and contents will remain online until Nov. 16.

For more information, please visit MegaHouse on Twitter, Instagram or their official website (English)

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