Japan Times Reviews "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

The Japan Times Online now has a review of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan posted.

Here's an excerpt:

English-language literature on Godzilla and all the other
monsters that followed is rather scarce, probably due to film company Toho's
legal actions that in the past have successfully blocked the publication of a
number of books. Among the titles worth mentioning, there are Stuart Galbraith
IV's "Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo" (1998), Steve Ryfle's "Japan's Favorite
Mon-star" (1998), and Peter H. Brothers' "Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The
Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda" (2009). Now Godzilla lover and writer Armand
Vaquer has come up with a guidebook for all those fans who want to turn a trip
to Japan into a pilgrimage to the places that were cinematically trashed by the
Big G, Mothra, Gamera and their friends.

To see it, go here.

ANIME EXPO 2012 WELCOMES VOICE ACTRESS MONICA RIAL AS AN OFFICIAL GUEST OF HONOR

Source: Anime Expo Press Release

LOS ANGELES (May 21, 2012) – Anime Expo (AX), North America’s largest anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture celebration, today announced “Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt” voice actress Monica Rial as an Official Guest of Honor, when it returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 29 – July 2, 2012.   Rial, who is the voice of Stocking, will participate in a meet-and-greet, autograph signing and a focus panel with Jamie Marchi, the voice of Panty.

Monica Rial has been working in the anime voice over industry for over 13 years. She has lent her voice to over 250 anime including “Baccano!” (Chane), “Black Butler” (Mei Ren), “Black Cat” (Kyoko), “Negima” (Konoka/Kazumi/Satsuki), “Soul Eater” (Tsubaki), “Witchblade” (Maria), and many more. She can be heard on the Cartoon Network in “ShinChan” (Ai), “Fullmetal Alchemist” (Lyra/Dante), “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” (May Chang), “Case Closed” (Amy), and “Trinity Blood” (Vanessa). You can also catch her on Nicktoons and the CW as Bulma in “Dragonball Z Kai.“  Rial is also an ADR script adaptor and occasionally a director for Funimation Entertainment.

Monica Rial joins the previously announced Anime Expo 2012 line-up that includes composer Yuki Kajiura/"FictionJunction," anime-inspired heavy metal band ANIMETAL USA, Culture Japan’s Danny Choo, popular voice actors Jamie Marchi and Steve Blum, Japanese pop star LiSA, dolldelight designer Cyril Lumboy and the Gallery of Fantastic Art.

About Anime Expo

Now in its 21st year, Anime Expo is North America’s larges celebration of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture. Anime Expo gives fans the rare opportunity to meet and hear from some of the most famous anime, manga, musical, game, and fashion artitsts from Japan. AX 2012 will feature and exciting schedule of exclusive screenings; artists’ panels; live concerts; cosplay; dance parties, karaoke, and video competitions; non-stop video gaming and unsurpassed shopping from more than 3,000 vendors. AX 2012 takes place June 29-July 2, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register or for more information, please visit www.anime-expo.org. Connect with Anime Expo on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

About the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the America public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property, Anime Expo®. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.

ACCLAIMED COMPOSER YUKI KAJIURA RETURNS TO ANIME EXPO FOR A LIVE CONCERT

Source:  Anime Expo Press Release

LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2012) – Anime Expo (AX), North America's largest anime, manga and Japanese pop culture celebration, will feature a live concert by acclaimed composer and producer Yuki Kajiura when it returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 29 – July 2, 2012.   Kajiura brings her unique fusion of Japanese and European styles to AX in “FictionJunction,” her music project featuring the composer on keyboards and a special vocalist.

The multi-talented Yuki Kajiura began her music career performing in the female trio See-Saw. She has gone on to establish herself as a solo musician, composing music for other artists as well as producing for TV, commercials, films, anime and games.  In 2002 she had a major hit with “Annaniisshodattanoni,” the ending theme song of TV anime “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” and featuring See-Saw.  In 2004 she launched her “FictionJunction” project.  In 2007 she produced the music for “the garden of sinners” theatrical series, and since then she has produced the popular group “kalafina,” whose latest album “After Eden” reached No.3 in ORICON weekly chart. 

Kajiura has produced music for diverse areas of entertainment including the film “Achilles and the Tortoise” directed by Takeshi Kitano, the NHK historical documentary “Rekishi Hiwa Historia,” (soundtrack), and the soundtracks for TV anime “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, “Fate/Zero”, and “Sword Art Online.”  Last year she released “FICTION II”, the sequel to her first solo album “FICTION.”  Kajiura previously wowed Anime Expo fans in 2003 when she performed songs from “FICTION.” The date and time of the “Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction” concert will be announced shortly.

Yuki Kajiura/"FictionJunction" join the previously announced Anime Expo 2012 line-up that includes anime-inspired heavy metal band ANIMETAL USA, Culture Japan’s Danny Choo, popular voice actors Jamie Marchi and Steve Blum, Japanese pop star LiSA, dolldelight designer Cyril Lumboy and the Gallery of Fantastic Art.

About Anime Expo

Now in its 21st year, Anime Expo is North America's largest celebration of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture. Anime Expo gives fans the rare opportunity to meet and hear from some of the most famous anime, manga, musical, game and fashion artists from Japan. AX 2012 will feature an exciting schedule of exclusive screenings; artists' panels; live concerts; cosplay, dance parties, karaoke and video competitions; non-stop video gaming and unsurpassed shopping from more than 300 vendors. AX 2012 takes place June 29 – July 2, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register or for more information, please visit www.anime-expo.org. Connect with Anime Expo on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

About the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property, Anime Expo®. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.

Power Rangers/Tokusatsu Bar Opening In Tokyo

by Armand Vaquer

If you were a kid in the 1990s or had a kid in the 1990s, chances are the family television set was tuned to The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

I have to confess,  my daughter Amber was a fan of the show and I watched it with her.  Now, she and others of her age group have gone on to other things in life.  Still (or maybe), she and others have a fondness for the old show.  I have some good news for them.

International Business Times is reporting that a former actor in the show is opening a bar in Tokyo with show memorabilia on display.

According to the article:

Former Power Ranger actor Masaru Shishido is opening a "tokusatsu bar" in Tokyo where clichéd memorabilia and alcohol will unite under one roof, according to Kotaku. The literal translation for the term "tokusatsu" is "special filming," and this usually refers to television shows or movies featuring superheroes and monsters.  The tokusatsu-themed bar will do more than simply pay homage to the Power Rangers series; it will highlight the entire superhero-oriented genre.

Shishido played the role of OhRed, the leader of Chouriki Sentai Ohranger. For those English-speaking Power Ranger fans, this means he played the equivalent of the Red Ranger in the Japanese version, which was known as "Super Sentai." Footage from this series was localized in the "Power Rangers Zeo" series that aired in the U.S. in 1996.  

To read the full article, go here.

Hario Towers of Kyushu

by Armand Vaquer

Above, the Hario Towers in 2007.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese fleet in the mid-Pacific Ocean launched an attack on the navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  This attack ushered in the entry of the United States into World War II.

The order for the attack was transmitted in code (“Climb Mount Niitaka 1208”)  by wireless shortwave radio from the Hario wireless telegraph station near Sasebo, Kyushu.  

The three Hario wireless towers stand at 446 feet.  Construction on the towers began in 1918 and completed in 1922.  The towers were decommissioned in 1997 and are now in the care of the Japanese Coast Guard.

Plans are underway to preserve the towers as cultural assets to teach future generations about World War II.

The towers were shown in Rodan (1956) during a fly-by scene of one of the Rodans (above) and during the aerial chase with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

I visited the area where the towers are located in April 2007 when I went to see the Saikai Bridge (featured in Rodan).  The towers are not far from the bridge (left).

The Hario Towers and Saikai Bridge are spotlighted on page 48 in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.