Countdown to Tsukino-Con!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Profile

It’s only a mere two weeks away to this year’s kick off to Vancouver Island’s fan conventions for 2015. Tsukino-Con runs February 13-15 at the University of Victoria and with head-organizer Adam Park passing the torch. He’s leaving the duties to the capable hands of Matt Van Herwaarden.

Matt promises that this year is going to be big. This includes guests who are more internationally known when compared to names like Kelly Clark. This year will also mark Tsukino-Con’s first ever Japanese guest, a voice artist.

On the list this year (but not limited to) are:

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Charles Ross Returns to Victoria for the One-Man Star Wars & LotR Show

onemanstarwars_lowires

One Man Lord of the Rings
Wednesday, Dec 10 at 8pm

One Man Star Wars
Thursday, Dec 11 at 8pm

Metro Theatre
1411 Quadra

Actor, performer, Charles Ross is more than just a one-man virtuoso. He’s a master storyteller, a bard and a vocal talent that audiences frequently find enjoyable when they go to see his one-man plays. In December, he will be returning to Victoria, British Columbia – the city that he made his home – and be performing Star Wars and Lord of the Rings just as The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is about to release. The dates many Victorians will have to mark on the calendar is December 10th and 11th. 2014 when it plays at the Metro.

But with many years of touring and love from all around the world, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. The energy that he puts into each of his shows is phenomenal. He knows how to keep the material fresh because, quite simply, “They are just big two films that really resonate with me,” said Charles Ross.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] This Oni is For You! A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Oni

Mochinosha Puppet Company
Written/Created by: Seri Yanai

In Japanese folklore, the Oni are demons from Buddhist tradition who have become part of popular imagination in media and it’s an apt name for the play featuring them at the Victoria Fringe Festival. More often than not, these supernatural creatures are not necessarily evil. Instead, they are simply seen as wild and uncontrolled elemental forces who have no love for mortals. When these humans come to them to beg for favours, that’s when the tale of Issun-bōshi emerges — to which this play creates much of the narrative from.

The literal translation is One Inch Boy. A better translation is The One Inch High Samurai.

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It’s Morphin’ Time! Two Power Rangers Scheduled To Appear at IF Con 2015!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

IFCon2015The list of guests for The Island Fantasy Convention continues to grow and with their latest announcement, I squealed like a nerd.

Our fair city of Victoria, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, will see in 2015 not one but two Power Rangers! Wether they are here as special guests of the con or they are expecting the Empress Hotel to be smashed by a giant creature is anyone’s guess. I’m just happy they’ll be here — destruction or no.

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IF Con 2015 Announces New Web and Two New Guests

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

IFCon2015Island Fantasy Con is a multifaceted fan convention with the intent to promote such areas as horror, fantasy, steampunk, and cosplay. It is expected to give Vancouver Island’s fandom a much-needed boost by adding to the area’s convention line-up of GottaCon and Tsukino-Con.

Yesterday IF Con announced a newly designed website for friends and fans to navigate: http://ifconvictoria.com/. But it is the recently acquired guests that may get people clicking.

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Finding Family Ties with Game Cycle

Game Stop 1
Otaku no Culture’s James
Shaw is always on the hunt
for something to buy.

Ontario-based operation Game Cycle has traveled west, as far west as it can, to give sailors and Esquimalt residents an outlet to buy, sell and trade videogames and movies. This store has been in operation for over a year now, and it’s an independent extension of the Ontario run business. And according to regional manager Justin Hembree, the traffic from the local community has been good.

“We get a lot of regulars through, a lot of locals,” says Hembree, “and the military comes in.”

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