Category: Editorials

The Speakeasy #015: The Geneva Convention, For the love of cons.

1 Comment

Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #015: The Geneva Convention, For the love of cons.

This is the second podcast in a row with a guest. Tom Langston aka Calaggie of the Nigorimasen! blog and podcast joins us to talk fondly of convention experiences. We also continue our mailbag segment, the Interrogation Room, so feel free to send in your questions and comments so we can discuss them on the next podcast!

In this episode, we look at the unique experience that is going to an anime convention. It can often be surreal if you have never been to one before and even old timers can learn something new. We look at the ups and downs of of being surrounded by your fellow anime fans for a weekend. We provide a brief overview of our feelings on conventions, some tips for anyone attending a con, and some changes we would like to see. Also check out our written con survival guide for all the nitty gritty details of surviving your first con.

(Listen) (Show Notes)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

The Geneva Convention

2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Goldschlager®
1/2 oz. Everclear®

Fill half a shaker with ice. Add the ingredients. Shake. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Otakus Help Japan

1 Comment

Unless you were isolated from all media this weekend you have seen the news that Japan was hit by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and then buffeted by a subsequent series of tsunamis. The damage to the lives and property of the people of Japan is so immense that it cannot be calculated at this point; aftershocks and their subsequent effects may cause even further damage. As everyone who reads this blog has at least a passing interest in Japanese culture, we wanted to take some time out at let everyone one know how they could help if they were unsure of what to do.

As with so many devastating events, people have come out in droves to lend a helping hand. Everyone from popular manga-ka to musical celebrities have started efforts. And anime fans are doing their part, too.

The easiest way to help is donate via your Amazon account to the Red Cross. It is quick, simple, and most of us already have an account. There is also the Anime Fans Give Back To Japan fund-raising project via GlobalGiving started by the guys at the Unofficial One Piece podcast. A 24-hour long live podcast will be held this coming weekend starting at 6PM on March 19th in the hopes to donate even more. There will be a bunch of big names on the podcast and we are slated to appear sometime on Sunday, March 20th. You can follow OtakusHelpJapan on Twitter for updated info. If for any reason you just can’t part with money, then please donate some blood; it is vitally important and it only costs you some time. And finally, the NYT released a good list of other options for helping out.

This is the best time for fans of anime and manga to show Japan some appreciation for what they have given us over the years.

Quick note: Until further notice Tuesday’s Gosick posts will be on hold as episodes are on hiatus. Not unexpected but still worth mentioning.

Epcot’s Japan ups its trendy wares.

Leave a comment

If you’ve never been to Walt Disney World’s Epcot, you are missing out, but you also may not be aware that it houses a Japan portion to its World Showcase. In this section you will find lovely architecture, food, a small museum that changes its exhibition, and a very large store. It’s one of my favorite places to head when in the park and pick up an item or two imported from Japan.

This time around I bought some trendy illustrated prints from Kaori Wakamatsu. But I had a hard time deciding on them as they were stocking so many other striking illustrations by Wakamatsu and many others featured as prints, postcards, notebooks, stationary, pens, and on bags and wallets. This was a fairly new section that has expanded much from the last time I was there. It really emphasized the “cute Japan” but still had a cool edge of design beyond staples like Hello Kitty while also striking a nice balance with the more traditional fare that takes up most of the store.