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Koichi Noguchi (Expelled from Paradise) Interview
Written by Salvador Mateos
While attending the Los Angeles premiere of Gen Urobuchi's latest film Expelled from Paradise our staffer, Salvador Mateos, had a chance to sit down and talk to the film's producer Koichi Noguchi to ask a little bit about the film and his role within production. With a background in 3D CG production, we speak with Kouichi about his thoughts on the animation industry in Japan along with what he wants audiences to take away from his critically acclaimed sci-fi film.
While this year's annual Kohaku (Kouhaku) Uta Gassen is just around the corner, we take a step back to look at last year's show when our very own Alysa McWilliams was fortunate enough to cover the event at the NHK Broadcasting Center with performances by some of Japan's top artists such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume, EXILE, Arashi, AKB48, Nana Mizuki, T.M. Revolution, SMAP, Ayumi Hamasaki, Porno Graffitti, Kana Nishino, and more.
During Japan Expo 2014, we had a chance to interview incumbent Street Fighter character designer, illustrator and art director Daigo Ikeno who has been working for the video game company Capcom since 1993. Known for his unique take on Ryu, Ken and the rest of the Street Fighter family, find out what he had to say about his design process and his thoughts on his appearance at Japan Expo 2014 in San Mateo, California.
Shinji Aramaki Interview @ Japan Expo USA 2014
Written by Theodore Mak
Shinji Aramaki is a pioneer in 3D Japanese animation. As a director, he brought cell shading to the movie screen with Appleseed in 2004 and followed up with a new and stunning graphical direction for the 2007 sequel, Appleseed Ex Machina. Over the next several years, Aramaki continued to direct 3DCG movies including Starship Troopers: Invasion, and the 2013 adaption of Space Pirate Captain Harlock.
We caught up with Aramaki at Japan Expo USA in California and sat down with him to talk about his most recent work, Appleseed Alpha which pushes the boundaries of animation with photorealistic CG. We also asked him a little about the upcoming 1/6 scale figurine of Briareos made by Hot Toys and got a glimpse into a possible future of the Appleseed movie franchise.
Key/Sekai Project Interview @ Japan Expo USA 2014
Written by Jason Young
For fans of Japanese visual novel-style games, the name Key evokes a lot of fond memories, magical storylines and endearing characters that often culminate into an cathartic bliss that I personally like to describe as "tear nirvana." Known as the company behind the scripts for tearjerker anime such as Kanon, Air and most recently Little Busters!, VisualArt's, Key's parent company, has finally begun to localize these timeless visual novels into English as part of a collaboration with the localization company Sekai Project.
With the recent release of the kinetic novel Planetarian already under their belt, the next big project for the two companies will be the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Clannad; the title that is often arguably seen as the company's magnum opus. Take a trip with us as we interview Genki Tenkumo, one of the scenario writers for Clannad, and Yoshikuni Toyoizumi, one of VisualArt's PR representatives, at Japan Expo USA 2014 to discuss the company's plans and their hopes for the English market.
Also known as "Urobutcher," Gen Urobuchi has penned some of the most notorious anime scripts for series such as Fate/Zero and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Famous for taking his audience on a journey full of unexpected twists and turns, Gen has worked on stories across multiple mediums including the live-action Kamen Rider Gamen along with some of Nitroplus' quintessential visual novels Saya no Uta and Phantom of Inferno. His upcoming anime film Expelled from Paradise is slated to open in Japan later this year on November 15. Together with Nihongogo, join us as we learn about the man behind some of the anime world's most nefarious villains, [contract anyone?], as he shares his thoughts on his craft and how he goes from pen to script.
Did you know Spiral Cat's Tasha and Doremi will be appearing in Korean drama on television? In one of our last feature with their visit to Anime Expo 2014, check out our full interview with the pair.
Learn more fun facts in our full interview with the pair at Anime Expo 2014!
Spiral Cats is arguably one of the most recognizable and popular professional cosplay group. Hailing from Korea, they have made various appearances around the world including ones sponsored by Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft), and Riot Games (League of Legends). In July 2014, Spiral Cats' core members, Tasha and Doremi made their first appearance in the United States at Anime Expo in downtown Los Angeles. While most of the attention is focused on the feminine duo's amazing crafting and cosplay abilities, we cannot forget about the photographer who took them.
Join us as we sit down with Spiral Cats' photographer and now producer, Sinme, as we discuss in a quick interview about his amazing photography work and process, as well as a little history of the team and current cosplay scene in Korea.
Japanese singer Eir Aoi performed at Anime Expo, celebrating the hit original anime series, Kill la Kill. Apart from Kill la Kill, Aoi's music has been featured in other anime series such as Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero, and Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Watch our resident host, AJ hold a light hearted conversation with Aoi about her favorite aspects of Kill la Kill, what she thought about her concert, and a little about her secret cosplay hobby! As Aoi has been known to be prolific gamer, don't miss towards the end as AJ challenges her to a video game match!
Check out our full gallery of Spiral Cat's debut of their Kill la Kill cosplay photos shot by our talented photographers Eddie Lai, Brian Lee, and Roger Lee!
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Professional cosplayers Tasha and Doremi from Spiral Cats made their cosplay debut as Ryuuko Matoi, in navy, and Satsuki Kiryuuin, in white, from the hit anime series, Kill la Kill at Anime Expo this year. While the pair brought with them a wide variety of cosplays, they only wore it for a short period of time and we were able to get the exclusive scoop. Watch what they had to say about the cosplay after our photoshoot.
Upcoming J-POP duo YANAKIKU recently had a chance to come to San Francisco during the J-POP Summit Festival 2014 as a musical Guest of Honor. Known for their hits, "Pakupaku Kingyo" and "FUJIYAMA△DISCO," the high-energy duet has won the hearts of their fans worldwide through their amazing performance and extravagant kimono cosplay attire. Find out what the pair had to say as we sit down with them for a sit down interview and learn about their unique blend of cosplay fashion and music.
As the leader of the doujin group Lunatic Circle, Luna Tsukigami's beautiful moé-style artwork has appeared in numerous books and magazines in Japan. In 2007, the prolific artist released his own self-published book, "Moeru Headphone Reader 2007" and later on published the "Moeru Headphone Reader 2013" in 2013. An English version of the 2013 book was recently supported by enthusiasts worldwide, under the banner of Sekai Project, on kickstarter and will be released later this year. The artist stopped by Anime Expo 2014 to greet his American fans and we were lucky enough to catch him for a one-on-one interview. Come with us as we find out all about the inspiration behind his book, stylized through the use of his digital pens.