Category: The Speakeasy

Otakon 2011: The Convention Promised in Our Early Days

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July is the month of the big three in America. It contains Anime Expo, San Deigo Comic Con, and Otakon all back to back. Otakon always tries to equal or exceed Expo while trying to outdo itself as well. This leads to some wonderful shows for us out on the East coast. As if inspired by last year’s NYAF, this year Otakon is filled with premiere movies along with their normal stellar line up of guests and events. The crown jewel in the events is certainly Makoto Shinkai and his latest work Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below. But there are also a slew of other spectacular guests among them a Hetalia contingent as well as Masao Maruyama and the Madhouse secrets he brings. As always there is a swarm of bloggers, podcasters, superfans, and BNFs including an international crew this year. We can’t guarantee this will be the best Otakon ever but it will undoubtedly be unforgettable. We recorded a micro-podcast (less than 12-minutes long) detailing our plans in case you don’t feel like reading this post.

Pre-Otakon podcast

Our tentative panel schedule:

Friday:

09:00: Best Manga You Never Read (That’s us!)
10:00: Japanamerica
11:00: Remembering Satoshi Kon
12:30: Bunkraku premiere
01:30: Journey through the CLAMP Universe
03:00: Angel ScandyS Q&A
04:00: Japan’s Apocalyptic Imagination in Anime, Manga and Art
05:00: Otakon Game Show: Qualification Quiz!
06:00: Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing
08:00: Otakon Game Show!
11:00: Bad Anime, Bad!!
12:30: Let’s Play Ero-ge!

Saturday:

09:00: Gyaru Culture Revealed: Destroying the Myths
10:00: Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below premiere
10:00: Masao Maruyama Q&A
11:00: Noboru Ishiguro Q&A
12:00: Mythbusters: Anime Edition
01:00: Special Surprise premiere
03:00 Investigating Detective Anime (That’s us!)
04:00: Vertical Industry Panel
05:30: Atsuhiro Iwakami Q&A
05:30: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos premiere
07:30: Underrated Mecha Anime
09:00: Bandai Entertainment After Dark!
11:00: Cyborgs, Cybernetics and Metal Men
12:30: Anime’s Craziest Deaths

Sunday:

09:00: Toei Tokusatsu, 35 Sentai & 40 Years of Kamen Rider
10:30: Japanese Directors & Producers
12:30: Japan’s IP (Intellectual Property) Problem
12:30: Kylee concert

The Speakeasy #019: Sherlock Holmes, On the Trail of Detective Anime Pt. 1

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Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #018: Sherlock Holmes,
On the Trail of Detective Anime Pt. 1

As part of our ongoing initiative to promote detective anime and manga we will be doing a series of Speakeasy podcasts about the wide world of detective works. This first part is a primer to the world of sleuths, gumshoes, private eyes, flatfoots, shamuses, snoops, and spies. We start with the origins of modern detective fiction in Japan and take a very brief look at the development of detective manga. We then offer some tools for the analysis of mystery stories and some titles everyone should know. There is no real schedule to when these episodes will come out but be assured that there will be more episodes like this one in the future. If you have any area of the genre you would like covered just let us know otherwise it will be our whims that dictate the course of this series. Until then . . . the game’s afoot!

(Listen)

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

Sherlock Holmes

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well. Double strain into a chilled coupe.

The Speakeasy #018: Ghostbuster, A Kekkaishi Introduction

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Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #018: Ghostbuster,
A Kekkaishi Introduction

As impossible as it sounds there is actually a shonen fighting anime and manga that goes overlooked despite the fact that it is really good. That series is Kekkaishi. As a show with a protagonist with a power and personality that is outside the norm, a strong female lead with skills different but equal to the main character, and an actually developed romantic subplot that is constantly in the narrative but not overwhelming, it is sad to see it so overshadowed. With the manga ending, the anime finishing its run on Adult Swim, and the box set finally coming out in English it seems like the perfect time to do a little analysis on this series and what sets it apart from the pack. Stop complain about shonen fighting and support something that actually approaches the genre well!

(Listen)

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

Ghostbuster

Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass.