AltJapan

The History of Robot Anime

The Japanese government commissioned a report on the history of Japanese robot animation. Yes, the government. My government's robot studies are undoubtedly focused on stuff like killer Predator and Reaper drones. Japan's? Astro Boy, Tranzor Z, and Voltron. More power to 'em, I say. (Pun intended.) "Japan" and "robots" go together like chocolate and peanut butter. It's fair to say that no other country has become so intimately associated with robots both real and fictional.

But until now, precious few have explored the history of the robot shows that are a virtual synonym for Cool Japan. Ryusuke Hikawa wrote the majority of the report. He's been on the front lines of otaku culture since day one, chairing the fan club that played a big role in getting the Space Cruiser Yamato movies made back in 1977. Today he's one of Japan's top anime critics and I can't think of anyone better suited to have authored the report along with Sunrise's Koichi Inoue and writer Daisuke Sawaki. 

AltJapan was hired via the Mori Corporation to translate the 90-page beast into English. And now it's available for free download on the Agency for Cultural Affair's Media Arts Content site. (Scroll down for the  English link.)

You wa Prey

Japanese news services reported yet another case of otaku gari, or "otaku-hunting," on the streets of Akihabara last night. This time, the culprits weren't a gang but rather a twenty-year-old brother and sister; she'd bump the mark with her shoulder, then her brother would rush in and make him pay "apology money." After being caught, they confessed with the ever-popular motive of "otaku are weak and they’ve got money, so we went after them.”

Combined with the upsurge in shoplifting and weapon confiscations, Akiba has been losing some of its nerd-luster lately. Which isn't particularly surprising given how much attention it's recieved from visitors, press, and the industry in recent years. In fact, the word going around Wonderfest last weekend was that Akiba has become "a wasteland" (in the words of one longtime visitor) due to hordes of foreign toy-dealers scouring the shops for booty to take back to their homelands and sell at a profit. Say it ain't so!