3331 Arts Chiyoda, a multi-purpose modern art museum close to Akihabara, Tokyo, has been the sight of a few anime-related exhibitions over the years, including a huge Katsuhiro Otomo retrospective back in 2012. Last week, it hosted a pretty amazing exhibition dedicated to two recent …Read more »
In English, it reads like a portmanteau of anime and amnesia, but the new Japan-based Animesia has an entirely different meaning – “anime” plus “meshiya,” meaning, roughly, “restaurant.” It’s a new project based in – no surprise here – anime capital of the world, Akihabara, …Read more »
File this one under “adorable.” Believe it: this plush toy, which went viral earlier this week thanks to blogs like Boing Boing, is, indeed, a plush but reasonably realistic version of a giant isopod ( bathynomus giganteus , to be exact). According to the manufacturer, …Read more »
While not quite as recognizable as Madhouse or Ghibli, the animation studio Ufotable should immediately pop out in the minds of certain fans. Founded in 2000, Ufotable has produced shows like Fate/Zero , Coyote Ragtime Show , Tales of Symphonia and the Garden of Sinners …Read more »
photo via flickr user ceruleansky Cat cafes -- literally cafes with cats walking around for you to hang out with while drinking your tea or coffee -- might be one of the greatest ideas of the 21st century. They’ve been around for a while in …Read more »
Last summer, anime superstore Animate were kind enough to give us an exclusive tour of their flagship store in Ikebukuro . You’ll recall that Ikebukuro is the home of Otome Road, the hub of female anime and manga fans (“fujoshi,” if you will) in Tokyo. …Read more »
Revered Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki is known for speaking out in interviews, and that held true in a recent television talk in which Miyazaki let everyone know what he feels is one of the key problems holding the anime industry back. While sketching, Miyazaki …Read more »
This isn’t something I’ve actually thought about (I swear), but… how much would it cost to live in your favorite anime character’s house or apartment? I’m not a realtor, but the good folks at Movoto took it upon themselves to dig deep and find out …Read more »
As I waited outside the NY Maid Cafe, about half the people I saw pass by stopped to gawk, giggle nervously, and perhaps take pictures. “Isn't that--??” This place has made a lot of local news stories since we last saw it. A few months …Read more »
Puella Magi Madoka Magica was one of the biggest anime series of 2011. The enormous popularity of the series has sparked numerous tie-ins, merchandise, and events since the show originally ended in May 2011. The wave of "Mado-Magi" continues in Japan with the release of …Read more »
Growing up, I always dreamed about how awesome it would be if there was a Dragon Ball Z theme park. Well, more than a decade later, my wish has (kind of) come true through J-World Tokyo. Opening this past July in Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City shopping …Read more »
The worlds of manga and modern art have long been connected, with artists like Takashi Murakami combining the two to international acclaim. More recently, the launch of Japanese art sites like Pixiv has spawned a new movement of internet-based artists working in an anime-influenced style. …Read more »
Most Tokyophiles are well aware of Akihabara, east Tokyo’s hub for all things anime, manga, and general otaku-related shopping, and readers of Otaku USA e-News have also gotten a peek at Nakano, west Tokyo’s slightly hipper, grungier answer to Akiba. One Tokyo neighborhood we haven’t …Read more »
Walk a few minutes from Akihabara station, Tokyo’s nerd mecca, turn a few corners and in an otherwise nondescript alley, you’ll find Game Bar A-Button, a cozy home-away-from-home for fans of retro games. A Button is a veritable retro game museum, stuffed to the brim …Read more »
Fans of director Masaaki Yuasa made their way to Tokyo’s Roppongi district May 26th for a one-of-a-kind event – the premiere of the long-awaited Kickstarter-backed short Kick-Heart . While backers await their imminent DVDs and download codes, a few lucky folks got a first glimpse …Read more »
Matt Schley
Jason Moses
Joseph Luster
David Cabrera
Ryotaro Aoki
Anthony DeVito
Matt Schley and Aryaan Razzaghi