AltJapan

My Big Comiket 73 Report

All you need to know: there were many cos-players at Comiket 73, but only one was dressed as the base from Sun Vulcan.

People often ask me what living in Tokyo is like. This photo pretty much sums it up in a nutshell.

God Dag, Behage!

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten ran a piece on our book, Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan, a month or so back. Can't read Norwegian? Try an online translation tool! In the meantime, you can enjoy the groovy gallery of photos. Some were excerpted from the book, while others were taken on an impromptu tour of the mascot-infested streets of Kichijoji. (For the kawaii-obsessed, I covered these same streets in a segment for NHK's Tokyo Eye show as well.)

Animerlot

Good news, "Starblazers" fans! No need to wash down your epic Space Cruiser Yamato viewing sessions with Boone's Farm and "Mad Dog" 20/20 anymore! Pry those Cheetoh-stained fingers off of the DVD remote and head for Bandai's LaLaBit Channel. Now you can drink in style, just like your favorite blue-skinned space-dictator. That's right: they've just unveiled a new anime-themed merlot: "Desslar Wine." (After Ultraseven Merlot, are you really surprised?)

Retailing for 13,650 yen and "featuring a label emblazoned with the unique silhouette of Desslar on his throne, in a blue color evoking a sense of the Gamilas fleet," it also comes with a "Desslar Memorial Wine Glass," a "Desslar Medal" (perfect for wearing to job interviews), and leaflets embazoned with Desslar's moving speech to the troops before the battle in the Rainbow Nebula. Now if only they'd sell that groovy finned flagon he drinks from in the actual show...

Hypercultured

The hyperculture of Japan seeks to broaden the humanistic vision and the culture of creativity.

So says the mission statement of the Kennedy Center's Japan: Culture + Hyperculture exhibition, which is being held from February 5th through 17th, 2008, in Washington DC. Featuring 450 artists in over 40 musical, dance, and theatrical performances, it's a one-two rocket punch of traditional and pop-cultural appreciation.

Of note for American otaku: the American premiere of Studio 4C's anime omnibus Genius Party; a "Manga Cafe and Lounge"; a panel discussion with manga expert Frederik Schodt and Loving the Machine author Tim Hornyak, and the Robotopia Rising exhibit, which will feature the likes of Honda's Asimo robot, ancient karakuri clockwork automata, and...(drum roll, please) my Jumbo Machinder collection.

For those not in the know, Jumbo Machinders were a series of two foot tall, all-plastic robots that changed the face of the Japanese toy industry when they were first introduced in 1973. Roughly twenty pieces I've collected over the years will be on display in a custom-designed enclosure in one of the Kennedy Center's main halls, giving you a chance to get face to face with some classics of Japanese toy design. (Above: a little preview as I prep the suckers for transport.)

Check out the Kennedy Center's website for performance schedules. I'll be posting more details as the date approaches. See you in DC in 2008!

The Secret Lives of Kawaii Characters

Poor Hikonyan! The uber-cute samurai spokes-cat for Hikone Castle rose from humble origins to become a subcultural superstar earlier this year. He's a textbook example of the very Japanese "official mascots" profiled in Hello, Please! But now he's smack in the middle of a very un-Japanese legal battle between his creator and the committee that serves as his guardian.

Like so many official mascots, Hikonyan wasn't created by a marketing department. Rather, he was the winning entry in a design contest held in 2005. Unlike the average Japanese mascot character, the vast majority of which languish in utter obscurity, Hikonyan succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Now he's a cult phenomenon that's generating a small fortune in character merchandise.

Hikonyan's creator is a 22-year-old man who works under the pen-name of "Moheron." He received one million yen (just shy of $9,000 USD) in exchange for assigning all rights to the design to the prize committee. Now working for an Osaka design firm as a professional illustrator, he is demanding that the Hikone municipal government shape up or find themselves a new mascot. It's kind of like a custody battle -- except the stakes involve a rotund, sword-waving, helmet-wearing Hikonyan instead of a baby.

On the surface, Moheron doesn't seem to have much of a case. The rules of the contest were explicit. The winning design would become the exclusive property of committee run by the Hikone municipal government "for use as a PR tool or the like." But Moheron claims the massive merchandising effort -- an astounding 1000 products and counting, including stuffed animals, books, and even a music CD -- far exceeds the bounds of normal PR. Sounds like any of a bazillion similar lawsuits filed in the US every year, right? The only-in-Japan twist is that he isn't asking for money. He insists it's about the liberties Hikone is taking with the character. According to a report in the Mainichi Shimbun, he's particularly incensed that the committee added a tail to his design and that they created a back-story, including the fact that Hikonyan "likes meat and playing paper-rock-scissors" (hey, who doesn't?) without consulting him first.

Japanese magazine Cyzo frames the situation in classic businessman versus artist terms, lamenting the fact that the "system" rewards the owner rather than creator of characters like Hikonyan. But the really fascinating aspect of the case is that it was even filed at all. Japan is famously litigation-averse, and it is far more common for artists to simply suck it up when a company begins unexpectedly profiting from one of their designs. Not Moheron. In March, he sent a letter to the Hikone committee that read in part, "characters are like children infused with souls by their creators, and my only wish is for [Hikonyan] to enjoy a long life in a good form." When they failed to respond, he filed suit.

On the 19th of last month, the Hikone court refused to hear the case, ordering both parties to sit down to mediation instead. What are the implications for the character-design industry? In the short run, at least, very little. Hikonyan made his big appearance at the festivities for the 400th anniversary of Hikone Castle on December 1 as scheduled. And while his long-term fate may be in legal limbo, his fans appeared unfazed. ("This is our third time making the trip to see Hikonyan! He's so cuuuuute!" chimed a trio of three Kyoto women who showed up specifically to meet the fuzzy guy.) At the very least, it's a growing sign of the increased attention being focused on what could be called Japan's Gross National Cute, and a sign that artists may not be as willing to go gently into that kawaii night as they have been in the past.

Gun Shoots Robot

"Moving without definitive direction" is a apt characterization of my life thus far. And "Gun Shoots Robot" accurately sums up my entire taste in entertainment. How did these guys manage to so completely and perfectly nail my raison d'être? I should've known I'd find personal enlightenment not on a mountaintop but rather in a Taiwanese toy factory.

(Thanks for the photo, Dave!)