Roland Kelts's Blog, page 14
September 29, 2020
Two talks in October: MONKEY Launch and A Conversation with Mieko Kawakami
I'll be participating in two public events next month, one of which may have a live audience in addition to Zooming heads. Hope you'll join us, online or off.
• Saturday 10/10, 10am - 12 pm Japan Standard Time (Friday 10/9, 9pm - 11 pm EST, 6pm - 8pm PST): Voices from Japan: Launching the New Literary Journal MONKEY, with Motoyuki Shibata, Tomoka Shibasaki, Hideo Furukawa, Satoshi Kitamura, Ted Goossen, Meg Taylor, Polly Barton and Jordan Smith. Hosted by Hitomi Yoshio at Waseda University.
Click here to register.
• Sunday 10/18, 10am - 11:30 am Japan Standard Time (Saturday 10/17, 9pm - 10:30 pm EST, 6pm - 7:30pm PST): Mieko Kawakami (BREASTS AND EGGS) in conversation with Roland Kelts (JAPANAMERICA) , with Motoyuki Shibata (introduction) and Hitomi Yoshio (interpretation). Hosted by International House Japan and The Asia Society.
Click here to register.
September 18, 2020
Manga, anime, a sword show and 450 year-old samurai in a Zoom livestream from Kyushu
Now that almost no one can travel, what do you do with the 400-year-old villa and gardens of a UNESCO World Heritage site in one of the country’s most beautiful seaside cities?
If you’re in Japan, you forge a link between today’s soft power standbys — manga and anime — and the enduring draw of samurai culture. And if you’re living through a pandemic, you do it the way nearly everything else is done these days: on Zoom.
For the first time in its history, Sengan-en, the estate of the Shimazu family, a samurai clan that ruled the southern Kyushu region from the 12th to 19th century, is going virtual.
In partnership with Shonen Gahosha, publisher of the manga “Drifters,” whose hero is modeled on the family’s legendary warrior, Toyohisa Shimazu, Sengan-en will present an online English-language event in three parts: a guided tour of the house and its grounds, an exhibition of over 60 original illustrations by “Drifters” artist Hirano Kouta, and a traditional sword-fighting demonstration.
The 90-minute program marking the 450th anniversary of Toyohisa’s birth will be livestreamed on Sept. 20, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Alex Bradshaw, a British expat and Kagoshima resident of 15 years, and Takuo Iwakawa, a historian and Kagoshima native, will co-host the Zoom event. Both work for Sengan-en’s owners, Shimadzu Ltd., the family’s manufacturing company, founded in 1922.
Iwakawa will explain how the ancient artwork of the estate is related to the modern aesthetics of the “Drifters” manga, displaying the armor Toyohisa wore on the battlefield in 1600. Editor Yoshiyuki Fudetani from Shonen Gahosha will conduct a question-and-answer session, and five viewers will be chosen by lottery to receive “Drifters” gift bags.
For the first time in 416 years, martial arts masters from the Jigen-ryu and Taisha-ryu schools of swordsmanship will perform together.
Iwakawa, who is also Sengan-en’s events manager, first tried five years ago to host a similar program based on the “Drifters” manga. But when its publishers saw the Shimazu name on the email, they assumed that the family had taken offense and were terrified of reprisal.
Even now, persuading the 32nd generation of Shimazu relatives to green-light the presence of pop culture onsite wasn’t easy.
“Iwakawa had to work quite hard to get permission,” says Bradshaw. “There was some consternation about holding it in the house due to its status as a place to welcome high-ranking dignitaries, including royalty from overseas like Nicholas II of Russia and Edward VIII of the U.K.”
The family remains selective, he adds, but with Japan closed to most overseas visitors, and domestic travel still in the doldrums, manga, anime and video games are irresistible tools for generating interest in history and tradition — especially online.
Foreign tourism to Japan has tanked about as far as it can go, plunging 99 percent year-on-year as of this June, according to government data. Usually bustling hives in the hub cities of Tokyo and Kyoto today resemble dormant movie sets.
Since 2013, when the national government launched its “Cool Japan” campaign, Japan’s regional officials and agencies have been urged to lure tourists by tapping the appeal of pop culture.
The government has tried to lead by example. In 2016, at the close of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe popped up on a podium cosplaying as Super Mario.
Anime such as the film “Your Name.” and the series “Slam Dunk” and “One Piece,” which went on to become international hits, helped spawn an official Anime Tourism Association in 2018. Before COVID-19 struck, fan pilgrimages to locations featured in anime were becoming commonplace.
Last year, in preparation for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, the Tokyo metropolitan government issued a line of tourism posters and videos called “Old Meets New,” pairing icons of traditional Japan with world-famous pop stars Hello Kitty and Hatsune Miku.
But beyond the visual impact, hitching the ancient to the contemporary does not always make for an elegant marriage.
Before the pandemic, I was invited to a festival based on the anime “Hanasaku Iroha” in an onsen village in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. The one-night parade swelled the town’s narrow main street, but the next day the entire area was empty. A dearth of foreign-language signs and speakers left tourists in the dark, so they left.
Sengan-en was closed from April 13 to July 31 over COVID-19 fears. Local residents were allowed to visit, but only in groups of 20 and for limited sessions. Even after reopening, the house has seen a 70 percent drop in visitors compared to the same time last year.
In the “Drifters” manga, Toyohisa Shimazu escapes from the bloody and very real Battle of Sekigahara into a fantasy world of historical heroes. Bradshaw and Iwakawa are hoping their Zoom event on Sunday performs a similar feat for those who’ve grown weary of battling a pandemic.
Read >>
This Sunday: manga, anime, a sword show and 450 year-old samurai in a Zoom livestream from Kyushu
Now that almost no one can travel, what do you do with the 400-year-old villa and gardens of a UNESCO World Heritage site in one of the country’s most beautiful seaside cities?
If you’re in Japan, you forge a link between today’s soft power standbys — manga and anime — and the enduring draw of samurai culture. And if you’re living through a pandemic, you do it the way nearly everything else is done these days: on Zoom.
For the first time in its history, Sengan-en, the estate of the Shimazu family, a samurai clan that ruled the southern Kyushu region from the 12th to 19th century is going virtual.
In partnership with Shonen Gahosha, publisher of the manga “Drifters,” whose hero is modeled on the family’s legendary warrior, Shimazu Toyohisa, Sengan-en will present an online English-language event in three parts: a guided tour of the house and its grounds, an exhibition of over 60 original illustrations by “Drifters” artist Hirano Kouta, and a traditional sword-fighting demonstration.
The 90-minute program marking the 450th anniversary of Toyohisa’s birth will be livestreamed on Sept. 20, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Alex Bradshaw, a British expat and Kagoshima resident of 15 years, and Takuo Iwakawa, a historian and Kagoshima native, will co-host the Zoom event. Both work for Sengan-en’s owners, Shimadzu Ltd., the family’s manufacturing company, founded in 1922.
Iwakawa will explain how the ancient artwork of the estate is related to the modern aesthetics of the “Drifters” manga, displaying the armor Toyohisa wore on the battlefield in 1600. Editor Yoshiyuki Fudetani from Shonen Gahosha will conduct a question-and-answer session, and five viewers will be chosen by lottery to receive “Drifters” gift bags.
For the first time in 416 years, martial arts masters from the Jigen-ryu and Taisha-ryu schools of swordsmanship will perform together.
Iwakawa, who is also Sengan-en’s events manager, first tried five years ago to host a similar program based on the “Drifters” manga. But when its publishers saw the Shimazu name on the email, they assumed that the family had taken offense and were terrified of reprisal.
Even now, persuading the 32nd generation of Shimazu relatives to green-light the presence of pop culture onsite wasn’t easy.
“Iwakawa had to work quite hard to get permission,” says Bradshaw. “There was some consternation about holding it in the house due to its status as a place to welcome high-ranking dignitaries, including royalty from overseas like Nicholas II of Russia and Edward VIII of the U.K.”
The family remains selective, he adds, but with Japan closed to most overseas visitors, and domestic travel still in the doldrums, manga, anime and video games are irresistible tools for generating interest in history and tradition — especially online.
Foreign tourism to Japan has tanked about as far as it can go, plunging 99 percent year-on-year as of this June, according to government data. Usually bustling hives in the hub cities of Tokyo and Kyoto today resemble dormant movie sets.
Sengan-en was closed from April 13 to July 31 over COVID-19 fears. Local residents were allowed to visit, but only in groups of 20 and for limited sessions. Even after reopening, the house has seen a 70 percent drop in visitors compared to the same time last year.
In the “Drifters” manga, Toyohisa Shimazu escapes from the bloody and very real Battle of Sekigahara into a fantasy world of historical heroes. Bradshaw and Iwakawa are hoping their Zoom event on Sunday performs a similar feat for those who’ve grown weary of battling a pandemic.
Read >>
September 15, 2020
On the pandemic, politics, and the future of anime conventions
COVID-19 pandemic, and local politics, threaten the future of anime conventions
The Japan TimesMorgan Kollin is exhausted. During a video interview from his home near Detroit, Michigan, he nods and blinks against fatigue.
The 40-year-old is the founder and chairman of Youmacon, Michigan’s largest anime convention, with a 15-year history and an annual draw of 23,000. Youmacon is scheduled to take place as an in-person gathering on Halloween weekend, Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 — though many think it shouldn’t.
For the past few months, Kollin has been struggling to keep things together for the sake of his staff and his well-being. When asked if he sleeps much, he shakes his head: “Not remotely.”
The reason for Kollin’s restlessness may seem counterintuitive. After spending a year preparing for his convention, he is now trying to cancel it.
The technicalities of U.S. law have him hoping that local politicians will soon prohibit all large public events in his region, granting him the legal right and, critically, the financial support to shut Youmacon down.
“At this point,” he says, “we’re the last man standing.”
The term for such permission is force majeure, a contract clause enabling all parties to walk away from their obligations in the face of a massive and unforeseeable event, such as a pandemic.
It’s a phrase that’s suddenly on the lips of event organizers across the United States.
While the calendar says it’s only September, the year is already over for the majority of anime conventions. Of the estimated 62 anime-dedicated events planned across the country in 2020, nearly all had to cancel or postpone, leaving tens of thousands of fans, dealers, distributors, volunteers and guests, not to mention hundreds of hospitality venues and transportation services, in the proverbial lurch.
Read>>
My cover story for The Japan Times on the pandemic, politics, and the future of anime conventions
COVID-19 pandemic, and local politics, threaten the future of anime conventions
The Japan TimesMorgan Kollin is exhausted. During a video interview from his home near Detroit, Michigan, he nods and blinks against fatigue.
The 40-year-old is the founder and chairman of Youmacon, Michigan’s largest anime convention, with a 15-year history and an annual draw of 23,000. Youmacon is scheduled to take place as an in-person gathering on Halloween weekend, Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 — though many think it shouldn’t.
For the past few months, Kollin has been struggling to keep things together for the sake of his staff and his well-being. When asked if he sleeps much, he shakes his head. “Not remotely,” he says.
The reason for Kollin’s restlessness may seem counterintuitive. After spending a year preparing for his convention, he is now seeking permission to cancel it.
The technicalities of U.S. law have him hoping that local politicians will soon officially prohibit all large public events in his region, granting him the legal right and, critically, the financial support to shut Youmacon down.
“At this point,” he says, “we’re the last man standing.”
The term for such permission is force majeure, a contract clause enabling all parties to walk away from their obligations in the face of a massive and unforeseeable event, such as a pandemic.
It’s a phrase that’s suddenly on the lips of event organizers across the United States.
While the calendar says it’s only September, the year is already over for the majority of anime conventions. Of the estimated 62 anime-dedicated events planned across the country in 2020, nearly all had to cancel or postpone, leaving tens of thousands of fans, dealers, distributors, volunteers and guests, not to mention hundreds of hospitality venues and transportation services, in the proverbial lurch.
Read>>
September 4, 2020
Asia Society video interview on the roots and legacy of JAPANAMERICA
I was honored to represent Japanese Pop Culture for the Asia Society's series, "Around Asia in 80 Days," a work-from home pandemic production. This is a look back, and a look forward.
Wish we could have done this on a stage in Hong Kong, as planned. Next time.
(click to play)
My Asia Society interview on the roots and legacy of JAPANAMERICA
I was honored to represent Japanese Pop Culture for the Asia Society's series, "Around Asia in 80 Days," a pandemic production. This is a look back and a look forward.
Wish I could have joined them on stage in Hong Kong. Next time.
(click to play)
August 25, 2020
CNN interview on Japan's proposed manga child porn law
(click to play)
Now that a U.S. politician has called Dragonball Z "anime porn," this interview I gave to CNN is unfortunately apt.
<<"Miller condemned DBZ in a tweet on Wednesday, where he claims that 'They are now introducing a great deal of anime porn into the internet matrix,' and that 'Dragon Ball Z is one of the top issues here.' Without offering any additional context, Miller then continues his accusations of an unspecified 'they,' saying that, 'They are sexualizing cartoon characters to push a depraved agenda on our kids. What’s next? Where will it end?'">>
Oh, that internet matrix. Where will it end, indeed.
Now that a U.S. politician has called Dragonball Z "anime porn," this interview I gave to CNN is unfortunately apt.
<<"Miller condemned DBZ in a tweet on Wednesday, where he claims that 'They are now introducing a great deal of anime porn into the internet matrix,' and that 'Dragon Ball Z is one of the top issues here.' Without offering any additional context, Miller then continues his accusations of an unspecified 'they,' saying that, 'They are sexualizing cartoon characters to push a depraved agenda on our kids. What’s next? Where will it end?'">>
Oh, that internet matrix. Where will it end, indeed.
My CNN interview on Japan's proposed manga child porn law
(click to play)
Now that a U.S. politician has called Dragonball Z "anime porn," this interview I gave to CNN is unfortunately apt.
<<"Miller condemned DBZ in a tweet on Wednesday, where he claims that 'They are now introducing a great deal of anime porn into the internet matrix,' and that 'Dragon Ball Z is one of the top issues here.' Without offering any additional context, Miller then continues his accusations of an unspecified 'they,' saying that, 'They are sexualizing cartoon characters to push a depraved agenda on our kids. What’s next? Where will it end?'">>
Oh, that internet matrix. Where will it end, indeed.
Now that a U.S. politician has called Dragonball Z "anime porn," this interview I gave to CNN is unfortunately apt.
<<"Miller condemned DBZ in a tweet on Wednesday, where he claims that 'They are now introducing a great deal of anime porn into the internet matrix,' and that 'Dragon Ball Z is one of the top issues here.' Without offering any additional context, Miller then continues his accusations of an unspecified 'they,' saying that, 'They are sexualizing cartoon characters to push a depraved agenda on our kids. What’s next? Where will it end?'">>
Oh, that internet matrix. Where will it end, indeed.
