JOURNEY TO THE REST AREA

Third-Floor Windows All Steamed Up?

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:50:27 GMT

Just before heading back to the U.S. for what we thought would be a quick trip to pick up our dog Koji and cat Sheba (who were in a kennel the last five months to satisfy import regulations) and bring them to Japan, avalonjones and I took a quick detour to Asakusabashi for the annual February Gojyo x Hakkai & Kenren x Tenpou event, this year called 58KaraT R (the "R" is for Reload, Return, Reunion), that filled the third floor of the Kyouwa Kaikan.

Through this third-floor door, wonders awaited...
There were 50 circles in all plus quite a few public attendees, with doujinshi dealin' and scramblin' for sketches before noon, the event's special anthology book being unveiled for sale at 12:00, and then cosplay fun until the event's 3pm closing.

The cosplay started with a group photo-op. There were so many of us shooting photos, there wasn't enough room for everyone to get a shot from the front so the organizers had us form a line, and then moved us about a dozen at a time in front of the cosplay group, gave us the count of 10 to get our shots (plenty of time for two or three photos), and then moved us along so the folks in line behind us could get their shots. I'd never seen that done before, but it was a great idea and moved things right along.

After the group shot, a few of the cosplayers went back to their doujinshi tables, but the rest spread around the cosplay area in a neat jam-session of poses. There were a slew of sharp costumes--and although this was the first time in three years that there wasn't a Zakuro (ohh welllll...), this year saw the debut of the bestest Seiten Taisei ever!

I guess it's the law of averages that if you have a super-great time one day, you'll have to scrape bottom on another. Just thinking back on 58KaraT R, it still seems ingraspably surreal that avalonjones and I were together then but not now.

We put everything we had into this trip to bring the animals over, so that our little family could all be together here in Japan. The airlines limit pets to one per person, so we both had to go, to carry back one apiece. The paperwork was gruelling; every detail had to be perfect, and had to be approved in person at the state's branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But we got it all done. And 16-year-old Koji and at-least-18-year-old Sheba endured the three-hour drive to the airport and 12-hour flight to Japan. At Narita we carried them off the plane in their soft-sided carriers, so happy that the journey was almost done; just enter through Immigration and take them to Animal Quarantine for their papers and IDs to be checked, and then at blessed last, home would be about a three-hour bus ride away, or a little longer by train if they wouldn't let us take animals on the bus...

At Immigration, with Koji in tow, avalonjones applied to enter on a tourist visa, as she had done twice before since last September. In a different line, Sheba and I went through Immigration with my re-entry permit, no problem, and waited for avalonjones and Koji on the other side of the barrier.

They never came through.

They had disappeared.

An Animal Quarantine official came to begin checking in Koji and Sheba, but couldn't start because although I had Koji's paperwork, there was no Koji. I gave him my partner's name and flight info, and he had me wait in the cavernous luggage pick-up area, where I gathered our bags on two carts. An hour passed. He returned to explain that Immigration information was "secret" so the Animal Quarantine department wouldn't be able to ask the Immigration department for details after all. After we waited a while longer, he asked for a description of her to see if he could at least spot where she was. Off he went again, but never came back.

I was sure the problem was Koji; someone coming in on a tourist visa wouldn't be allowed to have a pet dog with them, much less one they had no official papers for. So on through the second hour of waiting, I was beating myself up for not having thought to be carry both Koji and Sheba through Immigration. I tried to call my boss for advice, but my cell phone was dead; had forgotten to turn it back off to save the battery after using it as a back-up alarm clock to get up for the wee-hours drive to the airport. And there were no phones at all there, what with the luggage pick-up being in the security zone between the Immigration and Customs areas.

After three hours, a guard came and told me avalonjones would have to return to the U.S., and would be brought there to pick up her bags. I told him I had the papers for the dog she was carrying, if that would solve the problem; he said he would ask and went away.

In the fourth hour, a shellshocked avalonjones was escorted in by two guards. The problem, one explained, was that if someone is visiting Japan on a tourist visa, there's a limit of six months in a one-year period. For a stay longer than that, she would need a job here and a work visa. She has a job that's ready to start as soon as her work visa comes through; the work visa was applied for last month, and typically takes three to six weeks. Until then, though, she would have to go back to the U.S.

She gave me Koji. I gave her all the cash left (a whopping $360--almost enough to cover the 38,000-yen security fee they were charging her, yikes!), her bags, and my 99-year-old good-luck Billiken. She told me the hotel and room number where they'd be keeping her, under lock and guard, overnight before the next day's flight. Before she had known where she'd be, they had allowed her to make a phone call, and with my phone dead, she'd called the only other number she had, reaching our friend Evil Genius JO--who was at that moment tearing down the couple-hour-long route from Tochigi Prefecture on a mission of mercy with our friend Mighty M along, not knowing where avalonjones would be that night but hoping to find me somewhere in nebulous Narita so he could learn her location, get her a chunk of money to ensure her short-term survival, and drive me and the poor passed-out pets back to Gunma.

It was a nightmarish time--and I'll leave the rest for avalonjones to tell, since she may be back online the day after tomorrow or so; she holed up with friends for nearly a week in snow-swamped Ohio, but her folks are flying her out to the West Coast for a visit until the work visa comes through.

And meanwhile, here in the house where we all should be, Sheba pushes her head next to my ear when I call avalonjones each day, and Koji cranes his head so hopefully at the sound of each passerby, and I just can't help being shaken by the sudden separation. Am grateful that nothing worse happened...and won't take having a good time, like at 58KaraT R, for granted again for at least a good long while!

Peechurs!

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:51:29 GMT

Better late than never...Happy New Year!

Almost verbatim from Journey to the REST, but with larger images:

1/23/2008: WARD BEGINS ANEW! Although the February 2008 issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM came out December 28 without a Saiyuki RELOAD chapter (but with a bound-in New Year's card featuring Sanzo and Hakkai [that's it above] and a write-in premium offer for a RELOAD wallet featuring art of our four doing the cowboy thang, pictured just below!), fireworks followed soon after with the January 16 rebirth of sister publication WARD!

Formerly a quarterly, WARD has become a bimonthly publication now--and relaunched with this issue labelled "Vol. 001," complete with a Saiyuki Gaiden cover. The issue also came packaged with a beautiful reproduction genga of Goku by Minekura-sensei, printed on a 15cm x 17.5cm (about 6 x 6 7/8 inches) shikishi board...that's it below! Some booksellers also promoted the issue by including an oversize reproduction of the issue's textless cover art, printed on heavy stock, with each purchase. And best of all, the issue had a 12-page chapter of Saiyuki Gaiden! (The table of contents mistakenly listed it as "Saiyuki," swiftly prompting an apology on publisher Ichijinsha's web site.)

The March issue of ZERO-SUM, coming out on January 28, is slated to have a Saiyuki RELOAD chapter and Valentine's Day card featuring Gojyo and Goku. After that, next month will see the release of the concluding third part of the "Saiyuki RELOAD - Burial-" OVA, on February 22. The year is off to a strong Saiyuki start!

* * * * *

I picked up two spares of the WARD issue--still wrapped with their reproduction genga boards--and have added them, two heavy-stock reproductions of the issue's textless cover art, and a 2008 Saiyuki RELOAD calendar to the sizeable prize pile for the Saiyuki RELOAD Gunstock contest. The rest of the prizes recently resurfaced while unpacking from the move; it's just been so brutal cold up here in the house's computer room, it's hard to crawl out from the kotatsu downstairs to get anything done! But it's high time the darn thing got finished, and I hope to have it wrapped up, contact winners, and get folks' loot on its way before leaving for a trip back home at the end of February. Thanks, as always, for your patience... Off to bed!

50 Percent More "Gaiden" A Year? It Could Happen...!

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:51:13 GMT

Blurrrg. The company I work for has just moved from its rental warehouse home of nearly 10 years to a mondo new building in the next prefecture north. The last two weeks are a blur of packing and tearing down and setting up and unpacking and inventorying. But we finally got done yesterday--just in time for 'way more enjoyable things, like the new WARD...which had some exciting news! (BTW, the new WARD was supposed to be the Autumn 2007 issue, but came out labelled "Winter 2008." My local bookstore, which usually gets a quantity of 3, was told there wasn't an Autumn 2007 issue and didn't receive the Winter 2008 issue; another area bookstore that has carried it in the past also didn't have it. Fortunately, Animate had a healthy stack [just had to go halfway to Tokyo to get to the nearest Animate!]. Here's hoping that any confusion over the issue's date change won't cause a problem for any other bookstores or importers!)

Anyway...verbatim from Journey To The REST:

11/16/2007: 'BURIAL' OVA DELAY, BUT MUCH MORE 'GAIDEN' ON THE WAY! The release of the concluding third part of the "Saiyuki RELOAD - Burial-" OVA has been delayed from next month to February 22, Minekura-sensei announced yesterday in her Nitro diary. But, it turns out, helping make the wait easier will be a double dose of Saiyuki Gaiden! The Winter 2008 issue of WARD, where Saiyuki Gaiden is serialized, came out today with the announcement that the former quarterly will be published every other month in 2008. WARD's first bimonthly issue will reach Japanese bookstores on January 16.

Off to tend something that's cooking...!

Just in case...

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:58:24 GMT

The Summer WARD came out back on August 16, so its alternate cover for "Saiyuki Gaiden" Vol. 3 has probably already been posted somewhere--but since my scanner just turned up, what the heck, will post it just in case. The images above are the front and back with the text removed. For the front and back with the text, scanned at 125 percent:

Front of "Saiyuki Gaiden" Vol. 3 alternate cover
Back of "Saiyuki Gaiden" Vol. 3 alternate cover

Should be back online for good from the new house on September 6, when the construction will be done to hook the place up for cable and high-speed Internet. The next day, my partner will arrive at long last! (We've lived apart the last seven years while I've been in Japan...way, wayyyy too long!) I've been unpacking every night, trying to get the house ready before then. Still have a high heap of boxes to get through, but can't help but hope that time flies until the deadline--can't wait for September 7!

"Saiyuki Gaiden" is planned to return in the Autumn WARD on November 16. "Saiyuki RELOAD" is not expected to be in the issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM that comes out tomorrow, though.

Unpacking awaits... Hope this finds all well!

Hello, I Must Be Going...

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:18:50 GMT

Hey, all-

First of all, a huge WELCOME BACK!! to luxetumbra! Am so relieved that you're back and all right!

veronicacode got a scoop on Minekura-sensei! If you haven't already, be sure to check it out. (Thanks very much to befanini for the heads-up!)

FWIW, the September issue of Monthly Comic Zero-Sum came out last Saturday. Its "Saiyuki RELOAD"-related fun bits were few and far between, but Sanzo finished 4th in a reader vote to determine what Zero-Sum character "might be an otaku" (he's a mayonnaise otaku, one voter asserted), some special goods will be offered at Ichijinsha's booth at the August 17-19 Comiket, and the issue came with a free Saiyuki RELOAD clear file featuring the front-cover art from the Vol. 7 tankoubon.

Also last Saturday, I lucked into the Studio Backgammon doujinshi "Taiyou No Tou" ("Tower of the Sun"), from February 1994! Minekura-sensei, who was 18 at the time, drew that Gojyo picture above for it. Didn't know this book existed! (Although am pretty sure have seen that Gojyo picture somewhere before...maybe it was one of her old doujinshi pages that got reprinted, about postage stamp-size, in "Saiyuubito"? Mine is packed so can't check...) There are some eye-opening antiquities in "Taiyou No Tou"--about Wild Adapter as well as Saiyuki. Will be glad to share 'em after I move, if this book isn't already out and around.

Will be offline to move starting tomorrow...and there's still a ton of packing to do, yikes...! Dunno yet when I'll be able to get back online, but hope to be back soon.

See you next month!

Heavy sigh...

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:35:08 GMT

Verbatim from Journey To The REST:

7/12/2007: 'RELOAD' ON HIATUS AFTER ALL With her entry to the hospital looming on July 14 for her surgery on July 17, Minekura-sensei tried her best to finish the second half of Saiyuki RELOAD side story "Mezase! Tenkaichi" in time to make the ZERO-SUM issue coming out July 28...but it unfortunately wasn't possible to do after all, she's just announced in her Nitro diary. Saiyuki RELOAD is planned to return to ZERO-SUM in the November 2007 issue that comes out September 28...although some Japanese fans say they aren't expecting to see the next chapter until the New Year.

In the meantime, we can look forward to the Summer WARD (August 16) with its alternate cover for Saiyuki Gaiden tankoubon Vol. 3, and Vol. 3 itself, slated for release July 25.

+ + + + +

Quickie note on the personal front... Found a big ol' former store/mondo-tatami-roomed living quarters place (three connected buildings, each a different size and color...looks kinda like a house orgy from outside!) partway between where I live now and the further-north city my job will move to later this year. The place is over 200 square meters, has a slew of neat old decorative architectural touches, but is in need of fixing up (some photos are here--shot a lot of fiddly details for my partner to see, since she'll be moving in too later this year)...annndo, maybe because they figure there's not much more damage to be caused, they're willing to accept pets! It's also in an area that has cable, unlike here in inaka-ville...and it'll be bye-bye to crummy dial-up Internet connection, too! Hopped on it with both feet, and have been packing and Packing and PACKING, figuring on moving the first week of August. Gonna be a crazy time!

Gotta get back to the boxes... Let's make July 17 Worldwide Best Hopes For Minekura Day!

All the news that fits

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:37:31 GMT

First of all, mondo thanks to dwellerverse and the_breakroom for gifting this LJ with their remaining paid time! Will try to put it to good use. Thanks again!!

This is probably old news, but today was the first chance I had to check Minekura-sensei's diary since last week, so just saw the news... Quickly bashed out for Journey To The REST:

6/27/2007: LAST 'RELOAD' FOR A WHILE IS DELAYED FOR A WHILE! In her Nitro diary, Kazuya Minekura announced she wasn't able to finish the second half of "Mezase! Tenkaichi," her "Dragon Ball"-esque Saiyuki RELOAD two-part side story, in time to appear in this month's issue of Monthly Comic ZERO-SUM that comes out tomorrow. She hopes to finish it for next month's ZERO-SUM, but can't promise; her time to enter the hospital is coming up fast.

The absence of Saiyuki Gaiden from the Summer WARD has already been announced, but Minekura-sensei had some good news about that issue: it will come with an alternate cover for Vol. 3 of the Saiyuki Gaiden tankoubon book coming out in Japan on July 25!

Although there won't be a ZERO-SUM-related broadcast of radiofreebanri, I hear there will be an audio-centric (!) broadcast instead that with luck will go up in two parts, on Friday and Saturday.

The company I work for will move to a different city later this year, so I've been searching for a new place to live -- ideally, a much larger place that allows animals. Would like to have the move over and done before September, so it wouldn't interfere with the craziness of the company moving, but don't yet know if that will be possible. More news as I know it.

Hope this finds all well!

We knew this was coming, but...

Mon, 28 May 2007 12:11:45 GMT

Just put this up on Journey to the REST:

5/28/2007: 'RELOAD' AND 'GAIDEN' TO GO ON HIATUS The July ZERO-SUM came out today in Japan, with the first half of a "Dragon Ball"-esque Saiyuki RELOAD two-part side story, an alternate dust jacket for about-to-be-released manga tankoubon Vol. 8 (its back-cover illustration is at right), and a full-page explanation from Minekura-sensei that she'll be taking a break from RELOAD and Saiyuki Gaiden to be hospitalized to have her health problems taken care of.

Saiyuki RELOAD will go on hiatus after next month's conclusion of the two-parter. Meanwhile, the Saiyuki Gaiden chapter that came out in the Spring WARD May 16 will be its last for a while, but Vol. 3 of the collected manga will be published July 25 in Japan, so Minekura-sensei hopes fans will enjoy that instead.

She hopes to have RELOAD return in the October ZERO-SUM, which will come out August 28, but cautions that she doesn't know yet if that will be possible. (The Autumn WARD, coming out November 16, is the target for Gaiden's return, according to the May 16 Spring issue).

In the meantime, fans will have a flurry of other releases. Saiyuki RELOAD manga tankoubon Vol. 8 comes out May 31 (delayed from May 25). The "Saiyuki RELOAD GUNLOCK Vocal Album Vol. 2" CD comes out June 22 (with Gojyo/Dokugakuji duet "Respectively," Hazel solo "Angel," Sanzo solo "Rain," Goku solo "Orange," the Sanzo/Goku/Gojyo song "Moon," and two mini-dramas). On June 24, the commercial DVD recording of Axle's "Saiyuki" stage production will be launched with a special live event in Osaka. And on July 25, both Saiyuki Gaiden manga tankoubon Vol. 3 and the Standard Edition of the first chapter of the "Saiyuki RELOAD - Burial-" OVA will come out.

TV Champion, Day One: Part 1 of 2

Mon, 14 May 2007 19:06:20 GMT

Broadcast at last! Now that the TV Champion episode has aired, I can a) sleep soundly again, relieved that my worst screw-up was edited out, and b) share some experiences from the contest!

(If it might be of interest, a journal entry from April 10, about the week before filming started, is up now too. For some reason I made it Private instead of Public at the time. Very sorry, was pretty scrambled in the rush to get ready!)

With the competition starting on Monday, April 16, I spent most of that weekend in Akihabara continuing to cram, trying to nail down a mental map of its blocks and shops by day, and poring over books and print-outs on maid cafes and Akiba otaku lore once holed up in hotels at night (Taito-ku's Juyoh Hotel on Saturday and Capsule Inn Akihabara on Sunday).

Come Monday morning, we were to meet in the morning outside the Electric Town gate of the JR Akihabara Station. I seemed to be there first; T-san of the production company, carrying a "TV Champion" sign, led me a couple blocks away to a waiting unmarked bus, and then brought the other four contestants and company in a few trips.

Sebastien Jarry, who explained that he's known as "the number-one otaku in France," was accompanied by his Japanese wife. Jenya of Russia, an Akihabara celeb who has her own radio show (with Sebastien sometimes guesting) and has released three CDs to date, was there with her manager. Chang Gafai of Hong Kong, a voice-acting student at Yoyogi Animation Gakuin in Shibuya, and American Jonathan Underwood, a Sophia University exchange student from Arizona, were there by themselves.

We were introduced to field director H-san and host Masaya "Yama-chan" Yamazaki, and then it was back off the bus for the short walk down to bustling Manseibashi corner to film an introduction segment. The already-gray skies began to drizzle before we arrived, and T-san scrambled to get umbrellas in place over the cameras and over us as Yama-chan interviewed us one by one, asking about our interests, favorite anime, and what we usually do in Akihabara. Then we lined up for a final shot, rain coming down seriously now, and got the heck back on the bus, which had come to meet us...and away we went, away from Akihabara!

Stage 1 of the contest would be held at historic Shiba Daijingu in Hamamatsu-cho. The bus had an overhead TV screen, and during the half-hour-or-so drive we were shown part of an episode of "Shouten" ("Laughing Point"), a long-running classic in which a half-dozen clever storytellers at a time compete to tell the funniest tale or add the funniest remark. Each point awarded by the chairman nets a storyteller another zabuton cushion to sit on, with the zabuton delivered by a fellow called Yamada-san. Stage 1 would be a parody of "Shouten."

The bus trundled into the Shiba Daijingu parking lot, T-san armed us with umbrellas, and we hurried to a structure to the left of the main temple. There we were brought upstairs to a gorgeous tatami room, decorated with fabulously valuable ancient vases and art, and sat down at long tables to a superb bento lunch. As we ate and chatted in Japanese--the four other contestants in excellent Japanese, me not so great--Sebastien brought out a stack of French releases of various popular anime DVDs and games and told us about them. I was impressed that he came so well-prepared to share and promote anime's impact in his country.

Also coming up in conversation was the fact that in addition to her CDs, Jenya professionally translated the "Black Lagoon" manga into Russian. All four contestants could speak fluently, and not only were they articulate, they had interesting things to say, too.

But then there was me. My pro publications on anime and manga are more than 20 years ago now; they and website Anison Central were ultimately deemed unworthy of mention on the show. And my Japanese-speaking ability was painfully far below that of the other four contestants; hell, what I do is read Japanese, all day long, and rewrite the info in English, in a company where the mostly Japanese staff wants to practice speaking English. (I'd probably still be too self-conscious to try to speak beyond bare-bones basics if not for the group of anime song fans who've adopted me as a kindred soul; together we've sung, eaten, drunk, and travelled, and I've tried to improve between each get-together.)

Everyone was nice about it; no one seemed to look down on me for it. And I liked everyone; it just plain was not possible to think "Jeez, I wanna beat that jerk!" about any of the four. We were all fans, and we were all in this together. We'd all do our damndest, and in the end someone would be first, and someone would be last, and whoever was last would go home; only the top four would advance to Stage 2.

During our lunch hour, a huge nearby tatami room had been decorated as a mock-up of the "Shouten" set, with lighting rigged around the room and stocking-footed crew stationed at choreographed intervals on the tatami floor, testing microphones and handheld cameras. The floor director came to get us, and we followed him into the wood-and-tatami world of the anime song battlefield.

JTTR

Fri, 11 May 2007 16:25:30 GMT

Just a quick note: Journey To The REST is temporarily locked down. Back soon!

MIQuest Final, But TV Champion Continues...

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:07:01 GMT

Class began yesterday with the signing of paperwork. I was startled to see among the rules that the content of the classes is to be kept secret--but after this first lesson, I can understand why. Because this isn't book-learning; it's getting to be the beneficiary of knowledge that came from your teacher's lifetime of experience. Am sad that I won't be able to share what happens each week; had really been looking forward to writing about it. But this first class makes as happy an ending to the MIQuest as could be: it was unexpectedly fun, and I learned so much, and am still stunned that this is happening...!

The TV Champion competition begins a week from today, and last Wednesday a cameraman came up to do some filming for an introductory piece. When they called to arrange it, I'd thought they said they'd be starting at my job and then going on to my apartment (which is just a block away). Most of my favorite figures and art are in my office at work, so I left that as it was and concentrated on cleaning my messy-knee-deep apartment, carting crap into the front bedroom and closing it off so the rest of the place could look kinda-sorta presentable.

The cameraman arrived...and it turned out that starting at my job meant we would meet in its parking lot and then head right to my apartment. No interest in going inside and seeing my office. In retrospect, that must have been to avoid inadvertent "free advertising" through any TV exposure for the company I work for. That's understandable--but doggone it, when we got to my place and the cameraman saw my library room's corner rack of toys and asked, "Those are the figures?", I was sure wishing I'd brought everything home from my office and displayed it around the apartment! Fortunately, the closet in that room is crammed full of toys and figures, so I was able to open that for some more fanboy cred. The rest of the toys and figures were squirrelled away in that closed-off front room, though...oops!

Was interviewed in the library; a few questions were about my favorite anime song (hard choice, but went with Cyborg 009's "Ta Ga Tame Ni"), the most expensive item in the room (30,000-yen Baldios Triple Cross 'bot set by Nomura Toy, but there was a 36,000-yen Ashita No Joe cel in the next room, so that got filmed too), and the item in the room most recently purchased (the May issue of Monthly Comic Zero-Sum, March 28); the rest is pretty much a blur, other than thinking "oh-no-oh-no-oh-no-oh-noooo, this is being filmed and I'm screwing up, dunno know how to answer this in Japanese, oh-no-oh-no-oh-no-oh-noooo!"

After shooting each shelf in the library (including a couple thousand doujinshi...*blush*) and then going to the living room and shooting the CDs and DVDs and cels and douga and Tsunomaru "Makibaoh" drawing and each page I had anything to do with in the "Robotech Art I" book, it was time for the grand finale: an hour of anime song karaoke at nearby Manekineko! The cameraman let me warm up first ("Kaze No Mirai He" from Da Garn), and then he filmed for the rest of the hour as I stood in a corner and tried hard to pretend he wasn't there. Sang "Honoo No Kinnikuman" (Kinnikuman), "Ikari No Jushin" (Jushin Liger), "Ta Ga Tame Ni" (Cyborg 009), "Zankokuna Tenshi No Thesis" (Evangelion), "Ashita Yume Mite" (Gatchaman II), "Bara Wa Utsukushiku Chiru" (Rose Of Versailles), "Ai Senshi" (Gundam II), "Men Of Destiny" (Gundam 0083), "Shinobi No Theme" (Ninja Kamui Gaiden), and "Dunbine Tobu" (Dunbine). Then it was back by taxi to the parking lot at work, where I was dropped off, and the cameraman headed back to Tokyo with his multiple tapes of blackmail material. ;^)

I spent the weekend in Akihabara, walking each street both days, visiting a slew of shops, and even getting up the guts to check out a couple of maid cafes, before Sunday's late-afternoon MIQ lesson in Roppongi and then heading back up to Gunma. Will be doing the same next weekend. And then, one week from today, the contest starts. Trying hard to stay calm...otherwise, might wake up and find this was a dream all along...!

Oh. My. God.

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:40:22 GMT

Am not sure where to start...the last couple of weeks have been a whirl, and now tonight...whoa.

Weekend before last, I went to Roppongi to interview for the vocal class to be taught by MIQ. The interview was at what will be the class site, a small live house/nightclub. Prospective students were being interviewed in groups of three, by MIQ herself and the owner of the live house. I'd imagined the interview would be a matter of answering questions...but nope, they had us get up on stage one by one and speak about ourselves and why we wanted to take the class. Mannn, it was not pretty when my turn came; was extra-incoherent, stammering and stumbling around. But they were both really kind, and patiently asked questions for clarification.

After that, we each had to sing a verse of something. The live house has a karaoke system, but my first two choices weren't on it. Fell back and punted to whatever was on there by Akira Kushida (the only MIQ song the system had was "Time For L-Gaim," and no way did I want to butcher that in front of her!); the system had "Taiyou Sentai Sunvulcan," so did that. The two consulted, and then told the three of us that a letter confirming the class times and fees would be mailed soon, and that the first class would be April 8, and that we should bring songs that we want to work on.

That sounded like we were all in, but I didn't dare believe it until the letter arrived two days later. Holy cats. I'm gonna get to study singing with MIQ!!

Then came last weekend, the Tokyo Anime Fair at Big Sight. Saturday night was Columbia's Tokyo Ani-Song Festival there, and attendance was limited to 1,000 people. Mighty M and I were both lucky enough to receive the magic postcard to get in, and we lined up just after noon, number 15 and 16 from the front (early enough to make the first row!). The line eventually stretched all the way down that big metal-and-glass corridor that leads from the central area to the East Hall, doubled back on itself, and drew a surprising amount of stares and snapshots from flocks of foreigners there for the Anime Fair (mannn, folks, if a big line is so surprising, c'mon back for Comiket or WonderFestival and see a line 3,000 times this size!).

On around 5pm, noticed a stir near the front of the line, and two Japanese guys with clipboards entered and headed for Mighty M and me. Did we live in Japan? Were we familiar with anime and its Akihabara subculture? Yes and yes... Would we be interested in participating in a competition with other foreigners on the [name withheld ;^) ] TV show?

I thought Mighty M would be a shoo-in. She said she'd do it if I would too. So I filled in the entry form...and then she didn't, chickening out! They took a photo of me, said they'd e-mail a questionnaire that they'd need to receive back by Monday, and headed on...and I stood there with knuckles up to my mouth and prob'ly a deer-in-the-headlights look, realizing just what this would involve if by some miracle I made it in.

Sure enough, the questionnaire was waiting when I got back to the apartment the next day: how did you come to be in Japan? What are some of your favorite anime? Who are some of your favorite seiyuu? What line of dialogue from an anime has special importance to you, and why? What is a phrase from an anime song that means something special to you, and why? How many figures and collectible toys do you have? How many CDs? DVDs? Do you have any unrelated interests? And what three famous people do you hope to meet someday? It took me most of Sunday night and a good chunk of Monday morning to fill it out. Gave it a last look-over at lunch, e-mailed it in...and a few hours later, they telephoned to ask further questions! What anime songs do I know? Have I ever cosplayed? They asked me to e-mail the answers, and asked if I could also send a photo of my room. I got all that off to them that night.

Tuesday they telephoned again, asking if I could send a full-body photo (my boss, who appears pretty frequently on Japanese TV, said that's a common part of the decision-making process).

Yesterday was quiet. Today was quiet.

But tonight, an e-mail came: the competition will be held over three days -- April 16, 18 and 20 (the resulting show will be broadcast in May) -- and if that schedule was all right, would I be interested in being one of the contestants? Contestants receive 20,000 yen for appearing, and the winner of the competition gets a prize of 500,000 yen!

Oh. My. God.

If I said yes, I might be mortified for the rest of my life about being the doofy-ass geeky gaijin who panicked and couldn't think straight and spoke crappinese on national TV.

But if I said yes, maybe, maybe the planets will be in alignment and it might all go okay.

A few minutes ago I wrote back and said yes.

And now I'm gonna go faint...!

You only live once...

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:59:20 GMT

First, here's a photo from the "58 Karat" Gojyo/Hakkai event a couple weeks back in Asakusabashi: amazing customized Pinky's figures as Gojyo and Hakkai! The photo is unfortunately crappy, but you get the idea...

The rest of this isn't related to Saiyuki. But I've got to write it down...

On Sunday night, stumbling around Japanese sites, I checked one I hadn't in a while...and read that this spring, a Tokyo music school would be offering a course of 10 voice lessons, for groups of three students at a time, from one of the great anime song performers and a longtime favorite of mine, MIQ (who performed the theme songs to L-Gaim and Dunbine and Bismarck, and several songs in Xabungle and the original Area 88 OVA series and...well, heck, will embed a YouTube clip with her "Men Of Destiny" from Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory at the bottom so you can hear her; she performed as MIO prior to 2000).

The news, posted in mid-February, included a message from MIQ: Even if you're tone-deaf, even if you have no rhythm, she can help you move up at least one level. She held this class once before--four years ago in Tottori, over in western Japan--where one of her students was 70 years old. So, urged MIQ in English, "Don't worry, just do it!" Prospective students would be interviewed on Sunday, March 18.

I got chills, thinking about what an amazing experience that would be. To get to learn from MIQ...wow. Maybe I could learn how to grow lungs down to my knees, like she has! Heck, just learning how to control my voice would be great; any time I try to sing, it's a crapshoot what will come out. The cost for the 10-lesson course was about US$300. If I was super-careful and ate cup ramen for the next six weeks, maybe, maybe I could take a try at it...but could I handle a class all in Japanese? Would they consider accepting a foreigner? Even though they encourage people who aren't very good, what if it turned out I was the only person who isn't very good, and the other students have been studying voice since kindergarten?

Then I saw the deadline, and the musings slammed to a stop. Applications had to be received by last Friday. End of dream.

But Monday morning, I mentioned it at work--and was assured that it wouldn't hurt to try calling the school, just in case. I was chicken, but O-san wasn't. He unfortunately wasn't able to get an answer, though; the staffer who could answer the question was away on business, but would be back on Tuesday.

Today, O-san called again--and was told that I'd be welcome to submit an application (!!), but they'd need to receive it by tomorrow.

A specific application was needed: a "rirekishou," with a photo. I ran and asked my boss about it, and he very kindly not only explained--a rirekishou is a fill-in-the-blanks resume/personal profile form that can be purchased at a stationery store, or even at a grocery store or convenience store--but also let me take the afternoon off to work on it (did I mention that my boss is a big L-Gaim fan? ;^) ). Biked to the local grocery store, got a packet of rirekishou forms and then got photos taken in the automatic machine outside the store, and then scrambled back to work and set up camp at a table in the lunchroom...where I struggled for the next three hours, screwing up four forms but finally coaxing my crappy kanji penmanship into something sorta-kinda presentable on the fifth try.

Name, date of birth, residence, contact address, education history, work history, licenses, favorite school subjects, school clubs and sports, interests, and why this application is being submitted...fill it all in, attach a little photo of yourself with the double-stick tape thoughtfully provided with the rirekishou forms, put it in the special envelope also provided, and get it on its way. An hour before the deadline to get it to the courier, with the fifth-try rirekishou nearly done and me starting to wonder how long it would take by bike to get it wherever the courier service was, my boss phoned from his car; he'd forgotten to mention before hurrying out to a meeting, but he had explained my situation to his secretary, and she would take the completed rirekishou to the courier service on her way home!

And now it's well on its way. The school staffer said that when it arrives, they'll call with the exact location of Sunday's interviews, which start at 3pm. I was planning to be in Tokyo that day anyway, for Haru Comic City at Big Sight in the morning and then Utau-zo in Shinjuku, which also starts at 3pm. Am hoping like crazy that Utau-zo will still be going by the time I get there...and that I won't be feeling lower than a worm fart after the interviews...

So, this'll be one more nutso week, trying to prepare to do my darndest this weekend. After that, it'll be back to real life; ready to roll on some fun updates to Journey To The Rest...including the return of Saiyuki Reload Gunstock! Thanks so much for your patience!

Frightening Minekura news

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 03:04:03 GMT

Scary news from Minekura-sensei! Verbatim from Journey To The REST:

--

2/23/2007: FRIGHTENING MINEKURA NEWS -- Fans were alarmed when the double-long chapter of Saiyuki RELOAD in last month's March ZERO-SUM ended with the news that the next chapter would be in the May issue, not April. Minekura-sensei addressed them quickly, explaining in her diary on official site Nitro that this was an extremely busy time for her, between preparations for the "Saiyuki RELOAD - Burial-" OVA starting in April and a treasure trove of contributions to the May ZERO-SUM, its gala 5th anniversary issue coming out March 28.

But in her Nitro diary today, she at last mentioned some details of her ongoing physical problems--and they are truly scary. Her uterus has swollen to become "about the size of a child's head." The swelling prevents her from being able to close her legs, and it is tremendously painful for her to sit. She's now feeling pain at other times, too.

She plans to have surgery sometime this summer, and will share the details when she knows them.

--

What say we all go to Kanagawa (it may take all of us to hold off her editors and publishers!) and carry her to the hospital, to get taken care of now instead of later?!

Almost there

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 15:34:42 GMT

Just a little further to go...My replacement has been hired at work, training is going well and I'm down to 9-hour days with us splitting the work, so maybe next week or so I'll be able to move on up full-time to my new position. (Just in time for the holiday crunch, yikes!)

The tooth abscess that's been a problem since March despite a root canal, weekly treatments, and multiple laserings of the remaining lump in my mouth (y'ever smelled yourself cooking? Oog.), has at last been diagnosed as a cyst at the tooth's root, up toward my cheekbone, and oral surgery will be this Friday. Pretty scared, but looking forward to having it over and out.

For the first time in nine years, will not be going to the winter Comiket. Will be going home instead, to spend the last week of December, first week of January and then some. Hate so much to miss it--but there'll be others. Right now I need to go home. It's that or drop, feels like.

So far nothing Saiyuuki-related...uhhh...the ShiSaiSa (Shiikuretto Saiyuuki Saakuru ;^) ) meets this Saturday; will share any relevant scoopage. (A bit on "Saiyuuki Gaiden" Vol. 3 [from Minekura-sensei on Nitro, not ShiSaiSa] went on Journey To The REST yesterday.) In the meantime, will be trying to get as much of Saiyuki Reload Gunstock done as possible before Zero-Sum comes out next week. Thanks for your patience...

ZERO-SUMthing Saiyuki

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 13:21:46 GMT

Hey, all-

The new ZERO-SUM came out yesterday with an 18-page "Saiyuki RELOAD" chapter, and major staff and release details on the "Saiyuki RELOAD -burial-" OVA series starting in April (a write-up is in the news section of Journey To The REST), annndo a New Year's card giveaway that includes these two RELOAD designs:

The Sanzo-ikkou ring in the New Year (that's a TV remote in Gojyo's hand; the whole story [and a nice monochrome version of the image] is in Minekura-sensei's Nitro diary).

Can't help but wonder...does youkai Hakkai have some sort of gattai thing going on with Jeep here, making Jeep green? (The kanji is the "cho" of Cho Hakkai and means "wild boar"--just in time for the Year Of The Pig, natch!)

Back to the salt mines... Hope this finds all well!

5 Years of JTTR...24 Hours of Live RFB!

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:19:36 GMT

Five-day blur of work and sleep...and then a weekend, run around and recharge!...and then a five-day blur of work and sleep...and then a weekend, run around more and recharge!...and then a five-day blur of work and sleep...That's been life from July 'til now. Things should improve next month, though--knock wood!--when the staff expands with new hirees. Just gotta get there.

But in the meantime, Journey To The REST has really suffered. Its 5th anniversary is coming up on October 14, but this past year, next to nothing has gotten done. I've been squirreling material and ideas for some additions that with luck will be fun or interesting for folks, but what little time there's been has gone mostly to projects with drop-dead deadlines (and it's a crappy feeling to find myself actually hoping for short RELOAD chapters). Prizes still need to go out for several months of the Zakuro mind-control contest. And then there's Saiyuki Reload Gunstock, full of so many great entries, lots of which haven't even gone up yet. Gunstock was supposed to be an annual event. This one should have finished long before now--but my guts are so gone by the end of the day, sleep has kept winning out.

So. It's drop-dead deadline time.

In the JTTR spirit of "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing ~~nuts~~ different": Coming up on October 14-15--just in time to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Journey To The REST (which happens to occur during a weekend--must be meant to be!)--don't miss the 24-HOUR LIVE BROADCAST of RADIO FREE BANRI, featuring the third day of SAIYUKI RELOAD GUNSTOCK...complete with announcement of the winners! Like to be in the audience, where you might be visited by one of RFB's roving reporters? More details to come!

A Song for Isaac

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:13:24 GMT

Hey, all- Very sorry for the long silence. Work has been ugly. Starting today, some improvements have been made that with luck will keep my workdays to 12 hours on Mondays and 10 hours the rest of the week--'way better than the 14-hour days I've been logging 'way too often the past couple months. Was able to split after a 10 1/2-hour day today, so there's actually hope!

This isn't Saiyuuki-related (that'll be next time; was able to shoot some photos when Gekidan Himawari performed the stage play two weeks ago), but...got word today that seiyuu Kazuyuki Sogabe passed away on Sunday night from esophagus cancer. He was 58. You might know him as the voice of Bancoran in Patalliro!. I think of him as the voice of Akira Yamamoto (one of my first anime crushes, *blush*) in film Saraba Uchuu Senkan Yamato and TV series Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2. He also provided the voice for the titular panty-man of Hariken Polymar, and Rei Ginsei in the first Vampire Hunter D, and mouthy Ippei Mine in Voltes V, and Kyoushirou Yuuzuki (always far more fun to think of as the "Elton John Samurai") of Daimos, and on and on.

But his work in the J9 trilogy of series is what will stay with a great many fans. In 1981 Brygar jump-started fledgling studio Kokusai Eigasha, bringing a rock sound and bad-ass attitude that anime hadn't seen in a robot series before. Sogabe provided the voice of leader Isaac Godunov (the late Kaneto Shiozawa costarred as team ace Blaster Kid), and it wasn't long before Isaac had fans all around the world. Sogabe returned as Shutekken in second J9 series Baxingar and as I.C. Blues in the trilogy-concluding Sasuraigar--but they didn't have the same impact as Brygar...and in fact, some four years after Brygar, Kokusai Eigasha was gone.

Now Kazuyuki Sogabe is gone too--but maybe, before his passing, with luck someone relayed to him what happened when 300 people gathered three weeks ago for the 24-Hour Nonstop 1,000-Anime Song Medley in Shinjuku. A Brygar tribute presented not only the series' opening theme (complete with opening narrator Hidekatsu Shibata there to perform his piece in person), but also the ending sequence from the series' final episode, with some calls of "Kakko-ii!" ringing from the audience when Isaac appeared. The song "Abayo Fly Bye" played during the sequence, with the lyrics thoughtfully supered by the event staff so that people could sing along--and what an awesome, en masse belting-out it was!

The world of 1981 is a quarter-century gone now. But Isaac never fails to prompt some of my favorite memories, and I'm grateful to Sogabe-san for his part in powering them.

For fellow Isaac and Brygar fans...here's "Abayo Fly Bye" (music by Masayuki Yamamoto, lyrics by Yu Yamamoto, performed by Yukio Yamagata), and a singable, sorta-loosely-English version I started fooling with during potty breaks at the 24-Hour Nonstop Anime Song event. ;^)

Thanks for indulging maudlin me. Hope to be back (and more back to normal ;^) ) soon!
ABAYO FLY BYE
OH YEAH! OH YEAH!
OH YEAH! FLY BYE
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO
FLY BYE
Blindingly bright / dazzling light, / intense and glaring--
And we'll never turn and look away
FLY BYE
Staring so hard / into that / beyond that's bursting--
Can't help this / intensity
FLY BYE
It's the only way to go / with the one-way ticket / of a life lived all ablaze
OH YEAH! OH YEAH!
Round and round / round and round / round and round / revolves the / galaxy
(Round and round / round and round / life goes too)
Is something, / is something / out in the / galaxy, / calling to us?
Bright beyond--
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO
FLY BYE
GET GET GET FLY BYE
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO FLY BYE

OH YEAH! OH YEAH!
OH YEAH! FLY BYE
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO
FLY BYE
Blindingly bright / dazzling light, / intense and glaring--
And that's all there is to say
FLY BYE
Keeping sharp watch / into the / vastness before us
Can't help this / intensity
FLY BYE
It's the only way to go / with the one-way ticket / of a life lived at full boil
OH YEAH! OH YEAH!
In the bright / shining bright / shining bright / shining bright / galaxy
(Round and round, round and round, life goes too)
Is something, / is something / out in the / galaxy, / expecting us?
Bright beyond--
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO
FLY BYE
GET GET GET FLY BYE
ABAYO ABAYO ABAYO FLY BYE

Blue, Blue Rain...

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:53:11 GMT

Back from the Comiket craziness (and will write on that after some sleep)! First, with the assistance of Stephen Colbert (and http://www.shipbrook.com/onnotice -- thanks for the scoop, avalonjones!), the following are now On Notice:

Not that this will be news for Belgium, Great Mazinger, or that Dunbine baddie with the abundantly abusable name; they've been on my list for years. ;^) But Ichijinsha earns its spot for postponing the Summer WARD from August 16 to August 18. Today is the last day of Obon vacation, and I'd planned for weeks to spend today Doing Things with that issue. Instead, it's now coming out when I'll be working all day and then running like hell to catch the night bus to Osaka for this weekend's Super Comic City In Kansai doujinshi event. Mannn...!

So, with WARD waylaid, spent the time remembering Hirotaka Suzuoki, who passed away on August 6 at age 56 after battling lung cancer. Had gotten the news the first day of Comiket when I visited a circle with a Daitan 3 'zine; Suzuoki had voiced its hero, Haran Banjo, and the circle members turned out to be fellow Suzuoki fans. It was numbingly surreal, going from the joy of "Oh boy! Suzuoki fans!" one moment, to learning in the next that he had passed away.

Hirotaka Suzuoki was my favorite ever since watching God Mars in 1983--the first seiyuu whose voice I could recognize in various series; the first all-kanji-named voice actor whose name I learned to read and write. His debut as Haran Banjo in '78 had been a little before my time, but not long before voicing Naoto Ijuuin in God Mars he'd begun his longtime role as Gundam's Bright Noah and had a main-hero turn as Go Shogun's Shingo Hojo. He'd go on to voice Mospeada's Yellow Belmont, Saint Seiya's Dragon Shiryuu, Galvion's Maya, Captain Tsubasa rival Koutarou, Olson in Orguss, and so many others; among today's fans outside Japan he might be best remembered for Rurouni Kenshin's Hajime Saitou (and had that show been done 10 years earlier, I'm convinced Suzuoki-san would have been cast as Sanosuke).

He rarely voiced the main character, but his sub-characters resonated...with me, and with at least a good few Japanese fans whose blogs I wandered through today. Many of those fans seem to consider the characters to have died with him, and muse about them being reunited with related characters voiced by two other major seiyuu who died way too young, Kaneto Shiozawa (2000, age 46) and You Inoue (2003, age 56)...but even now, that thought still makes me cry. How can Naoto be gone? Or Bright? Shiryuu? Yellow? Can there be a world without Haran Banjo?

After a day of watching episodes, listening to soundtracks and reading fans' tributes, though, I think something of those characters will always remain, tucked away in minds and memories all over the world. But it's sad that the future will be without Suzuoki-san himself. I'm grateful for all the enjoyment he brought, and for the fannish fire he lit.

ZERO-SUM September 2006 cover and freebie

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 02:05:07 GMT

Hey, all-

Slogging through a difficult time, but wanted to share this surprise freebie from the new ZERO-SUM that sure made the day better: an extra cover for the Saiyuki RELOAD tankoubon vol. 7! That's the front of it at right. Scanned the back too:

Back of Extra Cover for Saiyuki RELOAD tankoubon vol. 7
And here's the front cover of the new ZERO-SUM itself, featuring Goku and Gojyo (with Gojyo slyly revealing one ball...):

Front cover of September 2006 ZERO-SUM
As Minekura-sensei mentioned in her NITRO diary last week, there isn't a Saiyuki RELOAD chapter this issue (despite it being listed in the issue's table of contents as starting on page 111 ;^) ).

Enjoy!

The Saiyuuki show: Axle-ent! ;^)

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 16:23:56 GMT

Hey, all--it's been too long! The last several weeks have been pretty cram-packed. Last month I flew back home for a heavenly 10-day stay, and was barely over the jet lag from the return when it came time to travel to Osaka for last weekend's Saiyuuki stage shows!

I had never seen troupe Axle perform, but given the, heh, cringe-worthy quality of some other groups' live-action adaptations of manga and anime, my expectations were pretty low. Heck, let's be honest--I expected a train-wreck of a production! But I didn't know Axle. Ohhh boy, did I not know Axle.

But now, those three Osaka performances later, I'm still trying to find words to fit this tremendous thing Axle did. The interpretation. The stagecraft. The music. The highly physical action. And most of all, the actors bringing the characters to 3-D reality--you will never convince me that was not Genjou Sanzou on that stage--reminding you over and over again of what made you a fan, and sometimes adding new shine to a less prominent facet (I have a huge new appreciation for Koumyou!).

Am working on a write-up with plenny o' photos now; will post it either here or on Journey To The REST. Until then, here's a photo of the Sanzou-ikkou; these are the actors and costumes for the 2006 show (Satoshi Karatani as Sanzou, Naoya Gomoto as Gojou, Shun'ichirou Saitou as Gokuu, and Yuuichi Naitou as Hakkai). Enjoy!

Results & Trivia

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 04:07:03 GMT

Hey, a mystery individual gifted me with a six-month renewal! That's so kind of you--thanks very much!!

Here are the results of the Favorite Mind-Control Method of DOOOOOOM! poll:
1st (9 votes): Zakuro's Pomegranate-Flavored Edible Underwear of DOOOOOOM!
2nd (8 votes): Zakuro's Advance Copy of Harry Potter 6 with every other page torn out of DOOOOOOM!
3rd (4 votes): TIE! Zakuro's Greatest Hits with two previously unreleased tracks of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's 'That Ain't a Carrot' Easter Bunny Surprise of DOOOOOOM!
5th (3 votes): TIE! Zakuro's 10:00 am Matinee Movie Ticket of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's Ten Ways to Financial Freedom Workshop of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's Mad Cheeseburger of DOOOOOOM!
8th (2 votes): TIE! Zakuro's Chia-Pet Knockoff of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's pole dance to 'I Shot the Monkey' of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's Pimpin' Buddha Action Figure of DOOOOOOM! -and- Zakuro's 'Exploding Bag of Skittles in the Face' Movie Theater Experience of DOOOOOOM!
12th (1 vote): Zakuro's Squeaky-Swerving-Wal-Mart-Shopping-Cart Rally of DOOOOOOM!

Thanks to all who participated! The Gang Of Five results will be announced on Journey To The REST when I get back home on Sunday (time unfortunately ran out on Friday, what with 10 hours of tech for radiofreebanri and having to get packed and out the door to get down here to Tokyo for the big Super Robot Spirits weekend).

Had meant to bring along the Character Data book that came with the new Zero-Sum, but forgot the darn thing...It has some gold nuggets inside, like Zakuro's hobbies being malicious gossip and keeping a delusional diary, and his least-favorite food being potato, because it makes him remember poverty... Yaone's least-favorite food is insects (!!)... Almost fell out of my chair, though, when reading Dokugakuji's profile: his hobbies include acoustic guitar--which he had played at Saiyuki Reload GUNSTOCK, written on March 7! (His other listed hobby is wood-carving, though, not Elmo-dismembering--oh well! ;^) )

Gotta scram back out to Odaiba for the second half of Super Robot Spirits (yesterday was super robots, today is Gundam). JTTR update when I get back!

Zakuro's Mind-Control Poll of DOOOOOOM!

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:04:41 GMT

Zakuro's Mind-Control Method of the Month Contest concludes this month with the awarding of his ultimate Gang Of Five among the contest entrants...but first, here's a look at all 15 winning methods--and a poll to find out your favorites!

View Poll: Favorite Mind-Control Method of DOOOOOOM!

The poll ends Friday, April 28, when its results and the Gang of Five will be announced on Journey To The REST. Thanks so much!

UPDATE APRIL 29: The poll is now closed. Thanks!!

NEW & IMPROVED (WITH PICTURES!): Stars of Stage and Screen!

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 09:36:28 GMT

Just bashed this out for Journey To The REST:

ZERO-SUM celebrated its fourth anniversary today with a May 2006 issue (complete with Sanzo cover!) that not only included one of the most startling Saiyuki RELOAD chapters ever, but also a pair of big announcements.

The first is that the upcoming anime OVA is titled "Saiyuki RELOAD -burial-" and will include all six segments of the manga's "Burial" arc! Whether the OVA itself will be one long movie or will come out as several chapters has not yet been announced, but more details are promised in the next issue.

[REWRITE:]
In the meantime, the Sanzo-ikkou will await fans on stage in Tokyo and Osaka, as drama troupe Axle presents its live-action stage adaptation of Minekura-sensei's Saiyuki! This is actually a renewal of Axle's Saiyuki production that played in Tokyo and Osaka in February-March 2005 (ZERO-SUM included several photos from it in their announcement). The 2006 edition will have seven performances at Tokyo's Studio V Akasaka on May 18-22, and then conclude with three in Osaka at Matsushita IMP Hall on June 3-4. Tickets are 4800 yen each and go on sale April 9. More information is at http://www.himawari.net/axle/!

ZERO-SUM ran these glimpses of Axle's 2005 production with their announcement of the 2006 show. Check it out--looks like the material it covered included the Rikudou arc at top left, and the Kami-sama arc at top right. And how 'bout the bottom left--if it's someone with a big sword squaring off against Gojyo, chances are that's Dokugakuji... sayyyyyy...! And then, of course, at bottom right we have the retired Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba, pointing the Sanzo-ikkou (starring Stretch Goku!) on their way west...

I'd had no idea this stage show existed until now! Want desperately to see it...but will be out of the country, on my first visit home in almost two years, on May 11-21. There's still May 22 (that'd be surreal!) in Tokyo, and Osaka on June 3-4...but tickets go on sale April 9, payday won't be until the week after that, and every yen until then is going for the plane ticket home. (...But dammit, I wanna see black-leather Dokugaku...!! *sob* Somebody, be sure to go and give a detailed report, okay?!)

Something else that wasn't meant to be is Journey To The REST's 200,000th hit. We were about 2,000 away when Yahoo had trouble with some of its counters--and reset them to zero. And now Journey To The REST has about 5,900 hits...gonna be a lonnng way back to 200,000. Crap, crap, crap...*sigh*

Oh well. The good news is, I think I spotted Banri. ...Or was that Renri...? (Watch out, Ensui! ;^) )

True Confessions

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 18:18:43 GMT

Li'l bit of this and that... First, want to offer apologies for behaving badly during last month's Youkai Hakkai hoopla. Had let a tooth abscess go too long, the infection went up the side of my face, and it finally scared me enough to mention it to Mighty M--who kicked my ass and demanded I tell my partner, who kicked my ass and demanded I get it taken care of. So I told my boss about the problem; he kicked my ass and got me an appointment. Just hate going to the dentist so much, had been hoping since September or so that this would sort itself out...

The dentist put me on a week of heavy-duty antibiotics and painkillers to get the infection down before anything could be done about the tooth...and suddenly I'd get white-hot mad over something that didn't warrant it, or suddenly be swamped by this terrible sadness and start sobbing. Last month's Zero-Sum came out during this. I should have just stayed offline, but no, I bit people, and even killed off radiofreebanri (and immediately afterward had such a long, loud crying jag [serious, I haven't cried like that since my dad died a decade ago], the only thing that made me stop was the fear the neighbors might call the police). Karaoke event Kimi Mo Solo De Utau-zo was that weekend, I'd been busting butt all of February practicing "Honoo No Kinnikuman" for it--but when I couldn't do the song anymore without crying ("M-U-S-C-*sob*-L-E-*SOB!! snrrk*-MUSCLE!" Sheesh...! But it was scary; with no reason to be crying, it was like I couldn't find how to stop crying), withdrew from the event Friday night, and spent most of the weekend sleeping.

Now, a root canal later, am feeling better than I have in a good while. The antibiotic is continuing, but no painkiller--and no more crying or getting fired up without cause. Am sad to have missed Utau-zo and seeing super-genki Akira Kushida in action (really hope there'll be another Utau-zo this year...will be extra-ready with "Honoo No Kinnikuman"!), and sadder still to have thrown myself here on LJ--will try hard to make amends! (Not sure how yet, but am percolatin'... ;^) )

In the meantime, here's a li'l bit of gossip regarding the Saiyuki RELOAD OVA: Last weekend, got the chance to ask the master of Commit (which handles the sales of Pierrot's Gensomaden Saiyuki and Saiyuki RELOAD douga) if Pierrot would be animating the recently-announced OVA. He said they would be--and mentioned they had finally given up doing it as a theatrical movie. Thought that was interesting...too bad we won't get the theatrical, but with luck that might bode well for length and animation quality.