TokyoScope NEWS: Sushi Fader Mecha Idols Never Die!
TokyoScope NEWS: Sushi Fader Mecha Idols Never Die!
A round up of recent Japanese pop culture headlines and ephemera
Art: Giant Robots: The Core of Mecha Anime Exhibit
Sometimes, I feel like giant Japanese robots, also known as mecha, don’t get enough love during this current anime-manga boom (the kids all want to watch mecha-less shows like Demon Slayer and Spy x Family…). But the pendulum is about to swing in the other direction with all the force of a Rocket Punch this September when a new exhibit called Giant Robots: The Core of Mecha Anime runs at the Fukuoka Art Museum from 9/9 to 11/12. From there, it will inch closer to Tokyo at the Yokosuka Museum of Art in February 2024.
"Seeing, learning about, and experiencing giant robots" is the noble mission statement of this exhibit, and, based on the publicity images, it will feature tons of old-school mecha magic, including rare original design art, anime production materials, and fun stuff to do like compare your puny human body to a 1/1 giant mockup of an enormous mechanical marvel.
Expect Gundam, Macross, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and even deeper cuts like Megazone 23 and Dougram, to be well represented.
Film: IDOL NEVER DiES!
The Tokyo Horror Movie Festival is set to erupt over in Tokyo’s Nakano ward on July 1st. And one of the big headliners of this smallish-sized fest is the recent film from director Noboru Iguchi, who previously gave you such Sushi Typhoon shockers like The Machine Girl, Mutant Girls Squad, RoboGeisha, Tomie: Unlimited, and more.
IDOL NEVER DiES is described as “A musical fantasy depicting idols performing live on Earth Extinction Day” which sounds more like a documentary to me than anything else. With hit manga and anime like Oshi no Ko currently exploring the dark side of the idol industry in Japan, this sort of thing has it’s work cut out for it.
The cast is comprised of familiar faces from the current Japanese idol scene including Younapi (ex-You’ll Melt More) and Candy Yamauchi who seems to be dressed like a masked superhero in the rogue’s gallery of villains pic below.
The trailer for IDOL NEVER DiES looks pretty straight forward, emphasizing the singing and dancing stuff, but with Iguchi in charge, I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes off the rails by the final act. After all, this is the guy who directed a film called Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead.
Audio: Attack of the Sushi Faders!
Does Jiro dream of sushi… and bombing the bass at the same time?
At the recent Sound Festa expo held in Osaka in June, Nagoya-based distributor Digicom showed off a line of audio faders equipped with a variety of mother-watering “toppings” including: tuna, egg, shrimp, sea bream, conger eel, salmon, sea urchin, and salmon roe. With prices hovering between 2700 JPY and 4400 JPY a pop, Sushi Faders are not exactly cheap, but still do less damage than a night out at Jiro’s.
Digicom claims the Sushi Faders are hand-made by craftsmen, and the color and texture may differ slightly depending on the individual, just like real sushi! And if you buy 4 or more, they arrive in a special box. But whatever you do, don’t eat ‘em!
Fashion: Amorphia F/W collection
Everyone knows Porter Robinson, anime-loving (and making) musician and founder of the Second Sky Festival. But did you know that Porter has a younger brother who lives in Tokyo, graduated from Japan's most famous fashion college, and has his own fashion brand?
Designer Mark Robinson's brand Amorphia will hold an exhibition and popup shop for its new collection this weekend in Harajuku.
Retro: Random Mode
The Japanese poster for Galaxy Quest…
