Absence Makes the Heart Grow Weebier: Otakon 2026

Posted on by

Last year was the first time in about two decades that I did not attend Otakon. While I don’t regret my decision, I still missed being there, so I was extra stoked to return to DC for 2026. While I’m not from the area, I considered this convention to be an annual homecoming of sorts. There’s still nothing like Otakon, even (or perhaps especially) in an age where anime cons keep popping up and attendance is exploding.

The Basics

Otakon 2026 was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC from July 31 to August 2. In a rare and pleasant change, the weather was surprisingly good, with temperatures hovering below 90 degrees F and only a Sunday storm at the end being an issue. According to official numbers, this was the most attended Otakon of all time, at 47,049.

And while the US and the world has moved on, I still think it’s important to bring up the masking policy, or lack thereof. I know it’s sadly impossible to convince the majority of people to stay masked at this point, I wish they took COVID-19 more seriously. At the very least, the spaces (including the Artist Alley and Dealer’s Hall) were well ventilated, and they don’t forbid masks either. (It can just be a good way to avoid getting sick in general.)

The theme this year was “Swords and Sorcery,” and attendance badges used official art from Final Fantasy XIV with designated classes such as Summoner, Wizard, etc. People could also volunteer to play a scavenger hunt-esque RPG that involved finding images of runes hidden all over the convention center and then “fighting” enemies at a guild. I participated a bit with friends but didn’t get a chance to do any battling myself. As far as I could tell, it was a fun idea implemented somewhat awkwardly, but I understand that it’s hard to make a game like this that accounts for all the different priorities attendees might have.

The New(-ish) Autograph Policy

Since last year, Otakon has done away with the in-person, first come first served international guest autographs lines of the past. Instead, they switched to a system that required people to sign up for autographs via the Guidebook app that was still first come first served but meant that the struggle happened entirely online.

The rollout for 2026 was marred by a few problems. First, when autograph sign-ups initially launched a couple weeks before the con, the Android version of the app could not select any of them, and those on iPhone could only select one autograph total. When they redid it later (and over multiple days to spread the load), the app would not automatically update at the start time, and you had to swap in and out between them. If you didn’t know, this meant losing precious seconds that might be the difference between getting an autograph and not. Also, you couldn’t sign up for two autograph sessions that overlapped even the slightest, so if you had two guests with conflicting schedules, you couldn’t get both, even if neither had a particularly long line.

Despite personally getting many autographs over the years through the previous approach, and despite potentially losing out on sign-ups due to the above issues with Guidebook, I welcomed the new policy. The song and dance required to get access was always ridiculous, with people hovering as close to the autograph area as possible without technically being “too close.” The fervor with which people rushed the line was also unpleasant and dangerous, and I’ve personally seen someone have a panic attack when they got caught within the aggressive push. Then there was the amount of time you had to dedicate to get into position to even have a chance (an hour at least), and it meant losing out on other things you might have wanted to do or see. And because it needed to account for throngs of people, the Autograph Area was in the Dealer’s Room, adding to what is already one of the most crowded sections of Otakon.

With the change, autographs instead were held on the 3rd floor, near Main Events, turning all-but-inevitable chaos into a fairly subdued experience. 

VTubers Officially at Otakon

While VTuber fanart has been a part of the Artist Alley in recent years, and even a few companies have appeared as vendors (e.g. Phase Connect), this was the first year that VTubers were officially guests at Otakon. The lineup was slim but varied, ranging from prominent stars like Ironmouse to talents with smaller fanbases. Should they start to have a bigger presence (and more heavy hitters) in the years to follow, I wonder how it might affect attendance numbers, given that despite a good degree of overlap, not all anime/manga fans are VTuber fans and vice versa.

Unlike at OshiUplink, the official meet and greets were free, and were treated more or less like autographs—including being held in the same area and requiring sign-ups via Guidebook. I got the chance to talk to Izumi Teeny and Bonnie Barkswell this way. I wish I could have seen Ironmouse’s panel, but Guidebook can be a clumsy app, and I wasn’t even aware she had one. However, I did go to Hylo’s Anime and VTuber Jeopardy panel, and was fascinated to see what came easily to the other players and what stumped them. The fact that people struggled over the question of what anime “Hare Hare Yukai” came from is a very quick way to make me feel the passage of time.

There was also a VTuber concert by Teeny, Bonnie, Rachie, and Yumemi. I couldn’t catch the very beginning, but still managed to watch most of the girls. Given that most of them appear via screen, Otakon made the decision to hold the concert in a video room instead of an event space. Despite that, Yumemi actually appeared in person as well and performed with her animated counterpart, even running up and down the small aisle.

Idolspace

Speaking of concerts (and VTubers), I went to see Phoebe Chan perform. I almost didn’t make it because I mistakenly thought the Idolspace area (where Phoebe was) and the Featured Events area (which had some idol and cosplay performances) were the same thing. That was on me for not being aware of that distinction, but I think my confusion was understandable. 

The preshow featured a fun overseas idol duo called the ChiRi Girls. Their hard work was evident, and I’m curious to see where they’ll be in a couple more years. Phoebe meanwhile, is someone I had heard about for years but started paying more attention to after she became a part of the VTuber trio Densetsu.exe. She’s been going for about 10 years at this point, and I could feel a strong sense of professionalism and polish that clearly came from that decade of experience. Even when there were some technical issues, Phoebe managed to take it all in stride and still give a powerful performance. She did an excellent “Hot Limit” cover too.

As someone who enjoys VTubers and some idol anime but isn’t big into idols in general, it was interesting to get a taste of a world that felt very familiar in many ways, yet unfamiliar in just as many other respects. In particular, it’s the embrace of certain aspects of Japanese idol culture combined with a more “outsider” approach that I find fascinating. It’s like they’re trying to decouple idols from the power structure and hierarchy found in Japan and keep only the fun aspects, and I can respect that, even if it’s not perfect. Another thing I noticed about the Idolspace that I enjoyed is that there was no seeming need by the audience to stand—they provided a space for those who had that desire, though. Sometimes, I just want to sit and enjoy things. 

Interviews

I got to speak to two guests this year and conduct interviews:

The first was with Minami Masahiko, co-founder of Studio Bones. 

The second was with Oka Kunio, a man famous for designing food replicas like the ones you see at restaurants all over Japan. Stay tuned for this one!

Panels and Screenings

I make it a point every year to go to panels at Otakon, professional- and especially fan-run. Even when the quality varies, I can sense the passion for the subject, and it encapsulates a lot of what I enjoy about conventions in general. Sadly, I did not attend any 18+ panels this year because I was perpetually too tired in the evening. Also surprisingly, I don’t think there was a single Record of Lodoss War panel. Perhaps that’s just a sign of the times.

Detective Conan the Movie: The Million Dollar Pentagram

There has been a renewed push for Detective Conan over the past few years (including specifically using the name Detective Conan instead of Case Closed), and part of that effort this year has been screenings of the recent movie The Million Dollar Pentagram. Otakon was one stop on this tour, and since the YouTube showings that have been happening on occasion generally include the newest films, I decided to watch here.

Conan movies are a fascinating tradition, in that they have been a thing for literal decades now, and they try to be a reliable annual staple in Japan that feels both familiar and new. The Million Dollar Pentagram features phantom thief Kaito Kid and fellow young detective Hattori Heiji, as well as a string of murders that seem to be more than just about revenge or malice. In terms of the mystery, the ridiculous spectacle of action and violence, and some surprising plot revelations that extend beyond the movie itself, I think it was one of the stronger Conan entries I’ve seen.

Magic Knight Rayearth 

There was a lot of promotion and hype around Magic Knight Rayearth‘s upcoming remake, including a stamp rally. The series holds a lot of sentimental value for me, including having a wonderful memory of listening to “Yuzurenai Negai” by the original singer back at Otakon 2010, so I knew that I had to attend the screening of the first two episodes. In a time when the word isekai is sometimes viewed with derision, it’s like a breath of fresh air to have this old and reliably superb work spring back to life. 

I haven’t read or watched Rayearth properly in a long time (the most was using the characters in Super Robot Wars), and Hikaru came across here as more serious and earnest than I remembered. I wondered, was my memory faulty or were there significant differences between her anime and manga depictions? Also, seeing Fuu bring up RPGs as if they were this relatively unknown thing felt delightfully quaint in 2026. And of course, we haven’t seen this many chibi transformations in decades.

Notably, they did not include the opening theme.

Vermillion Mask

I thought this was going to be a screening of the first episode, but it turns out “preview” can just mean showing a few drawings and video clips. The premise of the series reminded me a lot of The Mask starring Jim Carrey, so I asked the staff during the Q&A whether it was influenced by the film. It turns out that the author of the original manga was inspired in part by The Mask, so the animators use it for reference. (In hindsight, I should have asked whether the comic and/or the movie influenced Vermillion Mask.)

I don’t know if I’ll watch the show, but I’d like to know if any character ever says, “Somebody stop me!”

Discotek

I’m not generally into industry panels that are just about announcing new titles, but I make an exception for Discotek (and to an extent their cousin AnimEigo/MediaOCD). Being in a room full of fans who love nostalgic and obscure anime makes me feel like I’m among my people. There were a lot of welcome license rescues this time around, with the heaviest hitters in my opinion being Toradora! and Mawaru Penguindrum, the latter of which was known for having a lot of technical issues with its original blu-ray release.

A History of Anime in Mexico

In life, an easy pitfall is to assume that the way things happened in your corner of the world was also the case everywhere else. Fandom is no exception, which is why a panel about the history of anime in Mexico was exactly the sort of thing I wanted to see. The panelists—a husband with a business career that had him working in Mexico with Japanese companies and a wife who majored in history—did a great job of looking at things from both cultural and economic perspectives. They also took time to dispel some myths (crime rates did not go down during episodes of Dragon Ball Super), and to teach the audience aspects of the fandom that might not be obvious to those outside of Mexico. For example, a lot of famous Mexican voice actors with decades of experience have also worked on anime dubs, and their popularity has helped them to establish a convincing anti-AI base. Hearing about the clash between Japanese bureaucracy and the more laid-back approach to business in Mexico was also fascinating.

The Ramen that Keeps Anime Going

While I unfortunately missed all the full-on industry panels from Production I.G., I did manage to attend one by director Ueda Yoko. Rather than talk about the nitty gritty of making anime though, it was about the power of ramen. It was both informative and tongue-in-cheek, with the primary emphasis being that it’s fast and hot food that can help boost morale and lift spirits before, during, and after production. 

Despite this panel being the product of an official guest it really felt like a lighthearted bit of fun from Ueda about a topic of great interest to her, as opposed to a cheeky attempt at marketing. That’s the culture of Otakon I truly appreciate.

Mecha Kaikan

One thing I missed out on by not attending last year was the debut of a dedicated space for panels and workshops about giant robot media, known as the Mecha Kaikan. 

I appreciate its existence on a conceptual level, and I do like how you’re encouraged to build model kits. At the same time, I always feel conflicted when it comes to attending mecha–related things precisely because it’s a genre near and dear to my heart. I don’t want to be one of those people who judges robot panels and tries to prove my kung fu is stronger (as one Daryl Surat likes to put it), but this is also a place where it’s easy to bullshit your way through if the audience doesn’t know better.

What I will say is that I don’t think knowing absolutely everything about a topic should be a prerequisite for doing panels, nor do I think they need to be for hardcore experts only. At the same time, I’m not a fan of papering over gaps in knowledge with wackiness and implying that everyone is on the same page as you.

It’s easy to be critical when you’re not doing the panels yourself, though, so I still have respect for those who genuinely try to make good presentations.

Food

I spend some time in DC before the start of the convention every year, and 2026 was no exception. Somehow, I ended up eating a lot of fried and roasted chicken within a short amount of time! This included Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken and Chicken+Whiskey, fried chicken on a savory donut at Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, and “snow-topped” fried chicken (accompanied by a bowl of rice with chicken drippings and butter) at an old favorite in Bantam King. All were good and worthwhile. 

During the con, I mostly ate meals in my own hotel room, but did get some stuff at the convention center. Ben’s Chili Bowl and the caribbean food spot are still obviously overpriced yet reliable. On Sunday after the con wrapped up, my friends and I went to 2fifty, a Texas-style barbecue joint. While they were already out of many of their signature items, what remained was still quite good.

Final Thoughts 

While some of it may be residual nostalgia, this year’s Otakon reminded me why it’s still my favorite. As the biggest conventions get bigger, it becomes an increasingly welcome presence. Otakon is not obsessed with either nickel-and-diming you outright (even “paid ticket” events offer some free seating) or encouraging you to spend as much as possible (though you still can if you really want to). Attending makes me feel both energized and relaxed, and I think that can’t be underestimated. 

Cons and Concerts: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for September 2026

Posted on by

August was very busy! I attended Otakon at the start of the month, then had a whirlwind of an Anime NYC a few weekends later, where I probably attended more music events than I probably should have.

I’m still trying to play catch-up on all my posts, while also trying to make any timely posts (especially those with limited time frames for watching, like VTuber concerts.

And then all these big celebrities with influence in nerd circles and beyond keep passing away! I plan to write a little something, but it’s kind of overwhelming and a stark reminder that time is ticking away. Fun.

Big thanks to this months Patreon members, with especially big thanks to those below:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from August

Otakon 2026 Interview: Studio BONES Co-Founder Minami Masahiko

My first of two Otakon interviews!

Soul of Chogokin Godmars and Respect for the Late Murakami Katsushi

A review and a tribute.

The VTuber with Super Robot Spirit: Tsukishiro Cecil

I like many VTubers, but how many can pull out the opening to Daitarn 3 or something?

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2026

Kind of a sparse month, which I’m thankful for.

Closing

This month was unusually mecha-tacular. All the more appropriate that I’m finally making time to play through Super Robot Wars Y.

And of course, I have to say it: Till all are one.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2026

Posted on by

A relatively sparse month for August.

All of Dekapai Kishi Matari Tooru! (a manga about a big-boobed female knight) was available to read for free. Kio read through everything at once, which left his head spinning (in a good way).

Kio has been recording a bunch of summer anime.

Celebrating the appearance of the Yamato 1 in the 2026 Ghost in the Shell (I think? Will update with better context once I’ve watched it).

Kio has always had two external hard drives he uses for backups. He’s had to get a new one recently, when the cost of hardware has increased.

Kio bought tickets for both the Chiikawa movie and the latest part of Patlabor EZY.

Kio has been doing manuscripts seemingly nonstop for the past two years.

After some hard work, Kio got some ice cream.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2092997244429676708

A model kit of the AAA Wunder from Evangelion!

Kio won an opportunity to attend a live viewing of How Do You Like Wednesday?

Otakon 2026 Interview: Studio BONES Co-Founder Minami Masahiko

Posted on by

Minami Masahiko is one of the founders of Studio BONES and was at Otakon to promote an upcoming 2027 Okinawa Animation Festival, scheduled for January 29–31. This interview was conducted on July 31, 2026.

Thank you for this interview. You are one of the founders of BONES, but you had a long career before that as well.

You—or rather, a version of you—appears in the drama Aoi Honoo. Have you seen it before, and what did you think of your depiction?

This is a live-action drama series based on a manga, and the author is Shimamoto Kazuhiko-sensei, a classmate of mine in my college years. I heard from him that I should treat it as fiction based on our time in college, and I think it should be viewed as fiction. Some parts are exaggerated.

The original Eureka Seven is one of my favorite anime, and I’ve had the opportunity to interview both Director Kyoda and Kawamori Shoji. But I wanted to hear your perspective as to what it was like to bring this project together.

I originally worked for Sunrise, which created a lot of original robot animation, and later on I worked as a producer on Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Building original robot animation myself is something I find very fulfilling, and when it comes to making a year-long series, I find it’s extremely important to collaborate with lots of different people.

Speaking of Sunrise, you worked as a producer on various titles, and I wanted to know what it was like for you working with Director Tomino, Director Imagawa, and Director Takahashi Ryousuke

First, when it comes to Director Tomino and Zeta Gundam, I only worked in production management for one episode. For G Gundam, I worked as producer, and for Layzner, I actually worked on production management but was also rotating that role with different teams.

To give a little bit more context, back during this period, the vital thing about original robot animation was the “plastic model/toy/merchandising” model So it was important to understand two pillars/aspects, as a toy product but also as an original work. What’s really memorable is that all three of these directors took this challenge very seriously.

It seems you worked the most with Director Imagawa. Would you be able to explain in detail how he dealt with this balance?

Back with G Gundam, this was the era of laser disc and DVD—Blu-ray hadn’t come out yet. But while we had to think about the business of packaging the show for those formats, shows were produced fundamentally with the television broadcast in mind. G Gundam‘s big sponsor was Bandai, and when it came to a work with the “Gundam” name, it was a matter of when the next Gundam would come out. G Gundam is a Gundam with a lot of Gundams from all over the world, and the timing with which they appeared was tied up with when the merchandise would be available. Within that, Director Imagawa is a man with a lot of great ideas, and he was focused on how to insert originality and drama into the story’s setting.

I have one more question: From a producer standpoint, what is the advantage of doing an original work over an adaptation?

First off, when it comes to works based on something, originality is derived from the creators So when we work on animated adaptations of existing work we have to think about how we can maximize the appeal of the work in animation through artistic and creative expressions. That’s our top priority.

On the other hand, when it’s our wholly original work, the sense of originality lies with us as the creators. We think about how to incorporate the appeal of animation as we proceed with the project planning—how we can incorporate the themes and also how we as the project creators can more effectively convey the work through animation.

Thank you!

The VTuber with Super Robot Spirit: Tsukishiro Cecil

Posted on by

When l was a teenager, I watched a VHS tape that affected the course of my life. It featured various giant robot openings from the 70s and 80s, and while I had already been into anime and mecha at that point, it exposed me to a history and musical aesthetic I didn’t know, and it helped inspire me to explore my fandom further. If you take me to a karaoke booth with Japanese options, there is a 90% chance I will do a giant robot theme.

Many, many years later, and here I am as a fan of VTubers too. I like a great many talents, and part of that experience is appreciating those who choose to put themselves out there musically. While you can find a decent variety among those who sing if you look hard enough, however, the general tendency is Vocaloid, post-2000 anime, city pop, and newer popular songs. That’s neither surprising nor unwelcome, but sometimes I want to hear other things. Every so often, you might get something wild like “Inugami Korone covering Braiger and Ideon with Taira Isao,” but those moments are few and far between.

One day, I happened to catch a karaoke stream from a Japanese VTuber named Tsukishiro Cecil. I don’t remember what exactly she was singing, but it was definitely an older song akin to what I had heard on that VHS tape all those years ago. Since then, I’ve been following her virtual career, and it’s been a treat to hear everything from Gundam to Gunbuster to Rescue Fire. What’s more, she even has an occasional partner in robot crime named Minmo—together they sometimes work as the duo Cecinmor Z. Yes, I feel happy to be catered to by not just one but two VTubers.

Recently, Cecil made her 3D-model debut—a significant milestone for any VTuber—where she naturally sang a bunch of tunes ranging from hot-blooded to dramatic, including a couple originals of her own. She also opened up about her own history as a singer for hire on Japanese commercials and the like, a path that got detailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then that she took a chance with VTubing, which has turned into a career and passion of its own (and one I’m grateful for). 

What’s even more astounding is that she announced a huge collab during her 3D: two songs with one of the greatest anime singers of all time, MIQ! She worked with Cecil on covers of “Neppuu! Shippuu! Cybaster” and “Hey You” from Xabungle, two themes for which MIQ (or MIO, as she was known back then) was the original singer. 

While this is similar in concept to the aforementioned Korone-Taira crossover, it has to be mentioned that the hololive talent has roughly 40 times the amount of subscribers and typically gets 10 times as many concurrent views. For Cecil to have accomplished this is a testament to her genuine love of older anime music.

I’ve already lured a few like-minded folks into following her, because you really never know what classics she might sing. If you have a soft spot for older anime and tokusatsu music, I cannot recommend anyone harder.

Brief Thoughts on The Water Magician

Posted on by

The Water Magician is the kind of series that won’t necessarily convince an isekai hater to check it out, but it’s got enough going that it’s approachable for those who are more neutral or ambivalent. I think what makes the difference for me is that Ryo, the titular magician, has a kind personality capable of outshining his inherently overpowered nature.

It makes you want to see him come in and kick ass when the other heroes are on the ropes, because it feels like his rescues come in addition to generally helping others better themselves. And because he’s so strong, it stands out all the more when an opponent can actually make him sweat. 

Ryo is an emotional support isekai hero, and that’s a fine thing to be. The slick action scenes don’t hurt either. 

Mecha vs. Isekai and Self-Examination of Power Fantasies

Posted on by

A few years ago, I asked whether loving a genre was like supporting a local sports team. It was  a question that sprung out of the realization that while I’d been quite critical of isekai for just being so full of samey works that follow the formula or “defy” it in the shallowest ways possible, I reveled in the weird and obscure mediocrity of giant robot anime throughout its history. I wondered whether this was an arbitrary bias that came from me simply choosing “mecha” as my team.

More recently, however, I’ve come to think there is a difference. Namely, I find there to be a major shortcoming of modern isekai in that it very consistently fails to scrutinize and investigate its own power fantasy. That’s not to say good isekai stories aren’t told or that one has to be self-critical; I can name plenty I’ve enjoyed and even consider myself a fan of. However, the most you often get is “reincarnation into a supposedly weak being that is actually secretly strong” or “the reincarnated are extra amazing but it comes with drawbacks” or “This is an excuse for a cozier title,” or at most maybe “What if reincarnated heroes affect the other world negatively?” When you compare isekai fare to what we get from giant robots, there’s such a stark contrast. Even if you set aside titles that are famous for presenting wrinkles to its characters’ vast abilities, there are also so many smaller mecha titles that at least try to be a little bit introspective, or if not, the giant robot is a power that must be learned and mastered over time.

Granted, all this was historically done in mecha while trying to sell viewers merch, and many of the works that did challenge tropes did so as a way to not fully succumb to that capitalist engine. G Gundam had staff that purposely tried to make robot designs that would be hard to adapt into model kits. Tomino Yoshiyuki directed works like Zambot 3, Gundam, and Ideon to  “break patterns” set by previous series and to do more with the genre:

“In anime, you can only express drama through cinematic functions. But why do people think that when a robot shows up, it instantly becomes ‘robot anime’ and you’re not creating drama anymore? That’s my question. There are also people like that, who don’t get drama, among the sponsors. To them, robot anime is only about things like robots in action, docking, and new robots appearing. That’s why Gundam was canceled.”

The late Nagahama Tadao (Combattler V, Voltes V, Daimos) wasn’t quite so subversive, but he still wanted to make good stories for children. Tomino, speaking about what he learned from Nagahama in 2009, said:

“I worked with director Nagahama for several years before Gundam, and what I learned from him was the sense of right in stories aimed towards children. When creating works for children, it should not be biased in one way or another or leaning more in a political sense, but to provide a very pure and good story.”

Perhaps I’ve simply not been exposed enough to isekai creators and their thoughts, but I don’t feel this struggle against the profit engine or to break established patterns. In fact, in modern times, I get a greater sense that they want to just support the power fantasy thoroughly and play into the patterns completely, and much of what came before that is housed in titles that are shoujo or at least lean towards a female audience: Magic Knight Rayearth, Vision of Escaflowne, Twelve Kingdoms, etc.

To go back to the sports team analogy, it is notable that the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA championships this year. I admittedly never followed basketball very closely, but I know how despite the 53-year drought that they managed to overcome, they also have gotten close to the top on a few occasions, providing glimmers of hope here and there before the big one. In the context of mecha, I feel like those bright spots—those works that take a deeper and more intelligent look at the inherent power fantasy of mecha—help to make the mediocre (and worse) titles more charming. I don’t expect a genre to be constantly undermining its own established rules, but I like to think of those rules as building blocks, and the less generic things get, the more potential there is for something to be done with—and to—these building blocks.

I hope that I can someday feel a similar way about isekai.

PS: Completely off-topic, but talking about the Knicks and giant robots, I feel obliged to post the classic Mango Sentinel:

Instant Curry Review: Whaling Ship Curry

Posted on by

On a previous trip to Japan, I visited a shop called Curry Land, which is dedicated to selling pre-packaged instant curry from all over the country. The plan is to eat and review every single one, and this time it’s WHALING SHIP CURRY.

What that means is the curry is the kind served on a particular whaling ship. It contains no actual whale meat. 

However, what it does have as its first ingredient is actually thresher shark meat. I looked that up, and apparently it’s sustainable and not one of the ones that are over-fished. The meat had a chewy texture that’s different from something like tuna, and felt somewhere in the vein of fried dace or salmon jerky.

As soon as it touched my tongue, I could feel the hit of saltiness and spice. I would call it barely spicy at best, with maybe a slight lingering of peppery heat at the very end. Overall, it was nice and savory and didn’t have the overwhelming artificial taste of some instant curry.

Overall, the only really unusual thing about it is maybe the thresher shark, which gave a pretty decent curry a different texture than what I’m used to. I would probably eat it again, but would prioritize trying different curry styles. 

Soul of Chogokin Godmars and Respect for the Late Murakami Katsushi

Posted on by

A trip to Japan earlier this year put me in a great position to buy things I had put off because of the whole tariffs fiasco, and I came out of it with a Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa. But I also had some extra luggage space and a favorable exchange rate, so after some serious deliberation, I came away with another robot: the Soul of Chogokin Godmars, or more specifically the 50th anniversary edition. 

Rokushin Gattai Godmars is not one of my all-time favorite mecha series, but it is one whose role in history always intrigues me. As an early work that developed a large female following and was even a Comic Market doujin darling, it’s essentially the predecessor to shows like Gundam Wing. Granted, none of that factors into the robot merch, but another part of the legacy of Godmars is that its original toy sold very well—enough for the show itself to end up over 60 episodes.

While the Soul of Chogokin version sacrifices some of the ease of playability for a more pleasing visual aesthetic that tries to capture the heroic proportions of the anime version, one thing shines through: Godmars is an inherently entertaining design for hands-on play. While it’s infamously lacking in terms of animation quality—Godmars moves more like a slide show than a fighting hero—that goes out the window when you take in its simplicity and elegance. The six individual robots are fun, joining them together is satisfying, and the resulting combination just looks awesome. The fact that it manages to have such a nice aesthetic with virtually no sharp or angular parts jutting out is impressive in its own way. After getting jabbed over and over putting together the Shinkalion, this was a welcome change. 

With a lot of combining giant robot toys and figures, you can tell that they prioritize either the separate robots or the unified robot assembled from them. In the case of Godmars, however, I find that it strikes a really strong balance between the constituent parts and the unified whole. 

SoC Godmars came out in 2008, and there are aspects of the toy that show its age. The fists are awkward in that they are off-center on the forearm due to the way they fold into the robots that form Godmars’s arms. The legs also have very little articulation, and a lot of the techniques used in later years to allow things like kneeling positions and more dynamic posing just aren’t present here. I don’t consider those deal breakers, though, and I think the reason that it keeps getting reissued and updated is because the design holds up well even 18 years later.

This past week, reports came out that the original designer of Godmars, Murakami Katsushi, passed away on July 20. Not only was he the mind behind the Godmars design, but his influence extends heavily across Japanese pop culture in its anime, tokusatsu, and toys—so much so that he is called the “Father of Chogokin” and is one of the reasons anime has a “mecha designer” credit in the first place. Among his works are Leopardon from the Japanese Spider-Man, Gavan, Combattler V, Cy-Kill from Gobots, Dancouga, and Reideen. His mecha thrilled children and continue to fascinate adults as a visual and tactile experience. While this review is of the Soul of Chogokin version of one design, it’s clear that a lot of what makes it a success can be found in the original DNA provided by Murakami.

A Beaver, a Hong Kong Classic, and Three Ways to Title a Movie

Posted on by

I recently remembered the Chinese Beaver meme, in which someone animated a beaver-like creature over a scene from John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow with actor Chow Yun-Fat. I ended up watching that animation over and over, both in Mandarin (as the short was first presented) and in Cantonese (the original language of the actual film). 

Mandarin

Cantonese

There are interesting differences in the two versions of Chinese, not least of which is Chow Yun-Fat’s intensity. Part of it feels like the actor’s ability, and part of it feels like the contours of the Cantonese language itself.

Ultimately, I decided to actually watch the movie itself. And yeah, it really is a classic of Hong Kong cinema that explores a lot about different perspectives toward justice and redemption in the world of organized crime, all while providing the visceral thrill of gunfire and action scenes John Woo is famous for.

But one thing I noticed about A Better Tomorrow is how different the name of the movie is in Chinese: Ying Hung Bun Sik, or “True Colors of a Hero.” This is par for the course, as a lot of what makes a title aesthetically pleasing differs between the two languages. Most other releases in other languages are based on these two titles, but one notable exception is Japanese, which presents the film as Otoko-tachi no Banka, or “The Men’s Elegy.”

You have three different titles for the same movie that present it in somewhat different lights by focusing on different aspects. A Better Tomorrow sounds like the movie is about hope for redemption, whether unfulfilled or otherwise. True Colors of a Hero makes it seem like the movie is about getting to the cores of its men and what they’re really made of in hard times. The Men’s Elegy places the emphasis on the intersection between masculinity and tragedy in a kind of macho yet emotionally expressive fashion. And all of those things are in the film!

I’m not about to argue some kind of cultural essentialism, but I do wonder if this variation in titles comes from attempts to target the particular demographics that come with each language. Do they give the audience a different impression while viewing it, or does it ultimately not matter compared to the contents of the film?