Category Archives: Conventions and Concerts

July 1, 2009

Japan 2009

By omo

It’s a little odd, but I think of going to Japan for the sake of some live performances, shopping and hanging out with friends just like what I do at an anime convention. I might or might not bring my camera; I might or might not go to a maid cafe; I might or might not see cosplayers; I might or might not care about any of that.

However, I will definitely try to eat my way around. I guess that part is something unique to international traveling. Food culture is something integral to the human life experience. It’s diverse, nourishing, and a great way to appreciate culture using most of the sensory perception methods you have. It’s one place where America is on equal grounds with Japan, that both incorporates foreign culinary concepts and spin them into strange, delicious but nonetheless interesting eats. While I can’t really say who does it better, but this is one free market exercise that make us all winners.

Putting 2 and 2 together we get…Japanese food con in America? Seems like a good idea to me! Someone’s done this already, right?

Breaking bread among friends is one of the larger guilty pleasure I share, even if they’re just random guys from the internets! Over Anime Expo this weekend I hope those who are going will take that opportunity as well. People looking to replicate the same thing at Otakon? Looks like the Anime Diet guys are trying to do something. At least one of them anyways.

If there’s a point to this post, it is that if for some reason you read an Evangelion 2.0 review on this blog, you’d know it was because I was somewhere out of town catching a film of said thing. Same with going to a certain concert. Or maybe even this other one… And (more likely?) if you don’t see anything, you know what’s going on.

13 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts

May 27, 2008

Animazement 2008 Voice Actress Panel

By omo

This panel was one of the first thing at the start of the convention Friday, 1pm. Looks like they’re going to do some live dubbing with audience participating!

Keiko Han wears Luna Mask

A little tidbit about Animazement. Much like how the now-president of Gainax pulls for Fanime, Kamiya and Han work hard to get fellow voice actors to come to the con. Well, the results are pretty obvious. Or rather, voice actors know voice actors, after all?

The panel started with some technical difficulty. It seems they have a prepared DVD with menus and all, ready to show clips from various shows (mostly Sailor Moon) for all the guests at the con. But somehow they couldn’t get the sound to work. Funny enough few moments later they couldn’t mute the darn thing. We spent a good 10 minutes at the panel looking at the panelists being confused as to how to proceed. Anyways, it was all good. This particular panel was also extra 30-40 minutes longer with an attached autograph session at the end. So we spent roughly 15 minutes goofing around, 15 minutes dubbing, and 30 minutes Q&A.

For this panel I’m going to just flesh out the Q&A part in detail, but just paraphrase the rest. Below is a chronological telling of what vaguely happened.

The panel begins with an exciting introduction. Mitsuishi announces that she will join Fukuda and Han at the Gundam panel as well, as an addendum to the programming material. And then we wait. For sound.

Of course, Han and Mitsuishi had some fun doing dub-their-own. First Mitsuishi asked if any male audience members would dub Sailor Moon. Then the two went off with the video clips (without sound) and produced some lolz. Mitsuishi’s talking cat?

Then Mitsuishi tried to mouth off a Misato line. Ooops.

To make use of time, Han and Mitsuishi started to talk about their history. It seems that Mitsuishi is normally busy (as expected) but Han has nagged her for a few years. So it happened finally.

The two VAs looked for Sailor Moon cosplays in the audience to no avail. Maybe tomorrow? Keiko Han schemes that if Mitsuishi and the cosplayers took a picture, she can get Naoko Takeuchi to come.

Mitsuishi talked about her busy schedule and attempt to learn English with her daughter. Because of the declining birth rate in Japan, her daughter’s English school went out of business, so her English was pretty limited. Also, her daughter’s birthday was Thursday.

Anyways, after some more audio mangling we got to do the audience-participated dubs.

I think we went through 8 pairs. Some of them are pretty ok, others not so hot. But more importantly, some of them took liberty to show off to the guests with gifts and lols. There was a nice Maetel cosplay that really got their attention.

“Kawaiiku, kakkoyoku.” Kisses on the hands are cute.

And onward to Q&A.

Q1: <I’m from Mexico and we wubs SM. Ever had a difficult role?>

KM: I can do roles, but the hard part is figuring out how it’s suppose to be played. That would be Misato, as she was suppose to be older.

KH: As for me, it was <evil cackle> Queen Beryl because it had an evil cackle. I also had to do Luna back to back so I had to ask for a recording break so I can get into character. But now that I’ve done Queen Beryl, I can use this condescending laugh in other roles. <Cackle>

Crowd: LOL.

Q2: What do you think about the Sailor Moon TV series?

KM: I first saw the musical. I liked it a lot. I even talked to the girl who played Sailor Moon in the musical and she asked how she should do her lines. I told her she did well but she needs to come up with her way of delivery. As for the TV series, I was only an audience member but Keiko Han was part of the series as a voice.

At this point Q2 person had a little side discussion with the guests that fell through the translation crack.

KH: I think Sailor Moon TV was the first all-girls sentai TV show, so it was tough. Also they were all kids too. They did do a good job. At the same time my recording partner was an actual 16yo, as opposed to Mitsuishi. Naturally the anime partner was easier to work with for me.

Audience: Aww.

Q3: Did you enjoy Misato more or Usagi? Which one do you relate to more?

KM: When I am doing Misato, I like her more. When I do Usagi, I like her more. They are alike fundamentally so I never had a hard time playing either. They are very similar–they have the same kind of bangs.

Audience: </zing>

Q3: I think one had a drinking problem.

KM: …..? Ahh, sou deshita ne…

Audience: ROFL.

KM: KYAAAAAAA! That was fun to play. And I don’t drink.

Q4: Do you do something to pretend to be that character?

KM: The muse descends on you and you become the role, so to speak. Normally I’m a quiet person who bottles up things so I would “transform” as you say, as I act out my character.

KH: I don’t turn into a cat. Even last night, as we were talking late at night, we only see each other a couple times a year. I noticed that sometimes I get a feeling that when something is bugging Kotono, and I would call her and she would indeed be troubled. I think this is because during the four or five years we were closely working with each other, I picked up Luna’s power to sense when Usagi would be in trouble. I would call her up and she would ask how did I know?

Q5: In working in Excel Saga, how was it acting in such an energetic and spontaneous manner?

KM: Since Excel is a motormouth, I felt my lung capacity expanded during that show. It felt I had 4 lungs going. We didn’t do too many takes for the show, so usually the last take was the actual take. Most of the practice I had to do I did at home to make sure I don’t bite my tongue.

Q5: We read that the reason Gainax animated Ebichu is because of what you were reading during recording of Evangelion. Did something like this happen with a different show? That you influenced the production?

KM: There aren’t any shows that got influenced that way. How was the English version of Ebichu? With the censorship.

Q5: It was not released over here, we only heard of it from the internet.

Nice parry.

KM: Knowing there is an opportunity to say a lot of words you don’t get to say, I asked Anno for the role, and I got it.

Q6: Did you had to change your voice for the Excel previews?

KM: Some scenes they did that for an effect, but not for the normal recording.

Q6: That’s impressive.

KM: <Hahaha thx.>

Q7: Do you have a specific moment in Sailor Moment that is your favorite?

KM: When I was doing the role, I really get into the role and it matches well with the recording. When Sailor Moon saves Hotaru-chan, that was my favorite moment.

KH: My favorite moment is when the last episode was done, because I know I wouldn’t have to do Queen Beryl again.

Crowd: LOL.

Q8: <You doing the new Eva movie?> And how do you feel about doing a part you haven’t done in a long time, again?

KM: Everyone’s back for the movie, so yes I’m Misato again. In addition to a few new characters.

KM: It’s been 13 years. It took me a while to get back into character. The director wanted a more tense performance, although I was trying to do it as I imagined it. I originally wanted to do a retake on the same role but the director wanted the old style so I conceded and rewatched the original DVDs to get it back.

Q9: How many takes does it normally take you? Do you ever get to ad lib or change lines?

KH: In the studio, the first run-through we do we sit in our seat and watch the video. The second run-through is the mic test and that’s a rehearsal. Then we do the final take. A normal 30-minute episode will take 3 to 3.5 hours to record, at least back in Sailor Moon days. As for ad lib, it depends on the director.

KM: Normally you are not suppose to ad lib, but sometimes if you really know the character, you can do it as if you are the character.

Q10: Did you prepare yourself for Evangelion’s emotional ending? How did it affect you?

KM: I like to go to the recording with a neutral state of mind. At most just vocal warmup. I get my inspiration from the video footage. As for performing Evangelion, I got an instant source of topic. I can meet a stranger and talk about something.

Didn’t get the question?

Q11: <Ebichu is controversial.> Before going into the show, did you think it’s going to be controversial? Or just for the laughs?

KM: I never thought it would get a TV broadcast. But they did have TV codes, they censored it. For the DVD release it was uncensored. I’m very fond of the show myself, and I have some stuffed Ebichu at home. I hope you like it.

Q12: Whenever you are preparing a role, say it’s a sad moment, do you get overemotional or cry?

KM: When the character is laughing, I laugh; when the character is sad, I am sad. But you can’t let go 100% because your voice may go and if you cry you wouldn’t be able to perform. Also if there is a transition in the next scene, then you still need control to keep performing. I’m in control of the emotion ultimately.

KM: I’d like to ask this to Han-san…

KH: When I was doing Space Battleship Yamato: Be Forever Yamato, I cried at the end and I was apologizing to the director thinking I blew it. But the director went “No, it’s good!” and ended up changing the animation to match my performance. I had a delicious part of being Sasha in Yamato for my very first role.

And that’s that! What commences next is a mad dash to get into a line for autographing.

Autographing itself was not exactly eventful–there were flowers and candies given. Well, I guess there was this very cute moment when Mitsuishi was playing with a balloon animal with her daughter. Alex, Great SG and I ran into that Mexican guy (Q1) and chatted, also some other fans of Mitsuishi. Han and Mitsuishi were troopers and kept signing until the very end before they had to clear the room and take a 10 minute break for the next panel.

Which, hopefully, will be posted soon.

 

1 comment | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Seiyuu, Idol, Pop

September 11, 2007

The Last Generation of Haruhi Suzumiya

By omo

Back in ’95-96 Akiyuki Shinbo directed a project called Soreyuke! Uchuusenkan Yamamoto Yohko. It was an adaptation of a series of teenage-level science fiction novels written by Takashi Shouji. The project resulted in two OAV series, and later in 1997 a 26-episode TV series retelling the expanded novel story was aired.

Perhaps it’s just how people looked at TV shows and movies back in the 90s, but Yamamoto Yohko didn’t make a big splash. Unavoidably, Akiyuki Shinbo’s … signature directorial style is somewhat hit-and-miss with the crowd, and I think the Yamamoto Yohko TV series is one of the earliest example of this signature style.

(In some ways looking at Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, you can tell that its rather-two-dimensional look works much more successfully with the punches Shinbo pulls–in fact I believe that’s why Pani Poni Dash did so much better with the fans yet Soul Taker was just way out in the left field with a cold but critically acclaimed reception. Yamamoto Yohko shared that 3D feel. All to stretch the animation budget?)

Well the point here, I hope, is to remind or introduce you –I sure do need to rewatch it–to this actually really above average but rarely-heard-of anime series to you. Yamamoto Yohko is twelve years old now, but its faded-out color palette and seeing kids hanging out at arcades are the only things showing its age. The direction is sublime (and resourceful), the OAV episodes are fun, energetic, and charming. The TV series suffers, I think, from being 26 episodes long, but it delivers a solid story about someone much like Suzumiya Haruhi…sans the romantic/Kyon angle.

Maybe that’s where the magic is missing? I don’t know. (Is that just the difference between 90s TV shows and today’s?) But I do know that it’s a fairly timeless TV anime, and is worth watching beyond mere sentimentality. It’s smart, humorous, it keeps you surprised, and the voice acting is top notch.

It’s even got time travelers, aliens, and ESPer-like computers. It is even licensed–at least the two OAV series. The TV series is in limbo–RightStuf has an option which they have not exercised because the sales were subpar. The US release was back in 2001, and it was on both DVD and VHS. You can probably find the DVD super cheap now, if at all.

8 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture, Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu

August 1, 2007

Otakon 2007 Youtube Select

By omo

Ugh, sort of busy lately. But since I was doing this on my own time, I figured I can share with you some choice videos from Otakon this year if you haven’t had the time to look them up yourself.

Mamiko Noto

Tomokazu Seki

Kyoani Dance Mania! (I imagine this is a fraction of what AX got)

4chan is Madness

The Steve & Vic Show

AAA

Eminence

Others

Feel free to add more~

9 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, English Language Modern Visual Fandom, Lucky Star, Modern Visual Culture, Popular Culture, Seiyuu, Idol, Pop, Suzumiya Haruhi no Uuutsu

July 25, 2007

Mamiko Noto Likes You!

By omo

That is NOT me--I did take this picture

Anime News Network sort of dropped a bit of the ball in their Q&A report from Otakon Friday, but it still is a good read if you want to find out all about Mamiko Noto. If you noticed from that interview’s discussion link I also posted some errata there. Keep on reading here–you’ll see at least my notes from the Saturday panel as well, mostly below.

But if there was one thing to take away from meeting Noto-san, it’s that she is one…very model seiyuu idol. In fact, it’s pretty amazing how she pulled it off without even a tint of creepiness. Well, not going to debate what is ideal for you or me or any kind of objective/subjective view on it, but if there was someone who is very positive, very earnest and modest, and smiles and “LOVES” and also happens to act for a living, well, here we have it. A walking yamato nadeshiko-type.

She said, repeatedly, she would love to give stage acting a shot, and while I can’t say if she’ll be good at it, she will definitely do it with a lot of pure positive energy.

Since this is not quite intended to be a profile post, I won’t go into her background too much–which is good because I don’t have the research! What we do know is that as she grows in prominence (thankfully, largely to her charming personality in connection with her cohorts as well as her fresh voice), she worked her way through the minor roles but really struck gold with some of her bigger roles–but not like a lead sort of thing, rather as co-leads in the many shows she co-leads. In fact I think outside of Jigoku Shoujo, it has been kind of odd. Or Girls Bravo, if you want to go that route.

But what can I say? I think her voice is one of the biggest reason she’s on the spotlight at all, especially when she didn’t do that many big roles for a long time. It definitely helps that she’s strikingly hawt with that black dress she sported on Friday, plus her very good complexion (as you can see in her PVs), but it’s never what made people like JAL pay attention to her in the first place.

Actually, now that I’ve poured over my notes for a while, it seems easiest if I just nail them one by one rather than to weave a narrative.

1. Someone asked what kind of anime personality archetype she was (clutz, level-headed, smart, etc) and she said she was a notenki. Maybe in a few decades she’ll publish her own book?

2. But this means she had to dodge when someone on Friday asked about her “affair” with Hitomi Nabatame, or as she calls her, Nabachi (on her own)! Well she dodged that cleanly, so there’s not much to report here. (As an aside: Last year Otakon had Ayako Kawasumi. This year it was Mamiko Noto. Next year…Nabachi?)

3. When the Marimite Kids came up to the front of the panel on Saturday and asked questions, that was easily the highlight of Otakon for me. SOOOO CUUUTTE. Too bad I was right in front of them so I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough and get some camera action going. The kids asked some simple questions, but one of them asked “do you do it as a hobby or as a job” which wasn’t taken the wrong way–I figured it’s something she probably asked a dub actor, as a lot of them do it part-time. Needlessly to say Noto-san looked puzzled and sad at the same time and said what she said (“it’s a paying job”). Maybe she’s not quite the “onee-sama” yet.

3b. And as asked Friday, she’d pick to act Sachiko, no question asked–if she had the choice. And I think she’ll do a good job with that too.

4. Poetry reading. She likes poetry and reads Kotaro Takamura‘s stuff. She actually would read from Chiekosho if we had a copy there, but she couldn’t do any off the top of her head. I suspect this is just “fanclub” information but the attempt to coax more voice acting out of her fails in a good way when the one fan asked.

5. The Seki connection was a little obscured if you didn’t go to both of their panels, but someone asked Noto-san about her impression of Seki, and then asked her to try to do an impression. She gave a fairly typical opinion out of respect but couldn’t even imagine how to do a Seki impression. On the other hand Seki pretty much pinned her down as anyone would (ahem) and even did an impression. You can see it here.

6. Well, yea, she cooks, but it seems that she’s most confident with … something that I didn’t write down, which is a dish that involves daicon. Yea, I know there’s a lot of dishes involving daicon, sorry…

7. There was a bit of a theme with some of the questions random people asked, and I jumped on the wagon as well. Basically it’s the type-cast question people want to know about but asked very differently. In a way, while Noto’s voice is very fresh in terms of everyone else’s, the roles she gets selected for (and for her) are too often out of her control. In fact, someone asked just how she gets her roles. But now that she has a little more sway and has demonstrated some of the extends of abilities, Noto would like to do more boisterous and obnoxious roles as well. Maybe she enjoyed her stint in Ah My Goddess? I don’t know. But when I asked why she wanted it, it’s not so much because that she is more confident about her abilities, but she wanted to do harder roles (which earlier in the panel, as asked, are roles she has a harder time imagining and finding a connection to) as to improve herself, and to see herself do more challenging roles. Maybe she’ll have more confidence!

Let’s see, some of the shorter stuff:

8. Hit wo Nerae – she just stuck to the script and didn’t have real life influences. Drats :/

9. She found doing Yukinari challenging, and had to do the whole “hard to confess as a boy” feeling thing. Follow-up sort of question was actually about Kazuma from FMP, and she said it was a lot more wild doing a high school boy.

10. She would like to start a family somewhere down the road.

11. It takes her 30 minutes to do a prep for her radio show

12. A Masane question – aside from the mother angle, she was also this sensual monster thing. Was hard because it’s obviously not something natural to her.

13. She, likewise, wants to stage act a more lively role. If that ever happens.

14. Monster – she reads the manga and sticks with the cast ensemble.

I think between this blog post and the ANN panel recording, that should leave you oversea Mamiko Noto fans enough to think about. I think there’s a lot to be said just being able to be near her and hear her talk, see her do her thing. It’s kind of like that. I think I got so wrapped up in it, I got some flowers for her on Saturday and gave it to her during autographs. I think another fan gave her a bunch of sunflowers, as well. She’s just that sort of a charismatic, captivating person.

I’m just going to end with a shoutout to Otakon and all her fans there who made it possible, who asked good questions, and kept things fun. A double amount of thanks to Noto-san’s entourage for letting her grace us with her superlative presence and photo ops, and a lot more thanks to Noto-san herself!

17 comments | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture, Seiyuu, Idol, Pop