Roland Kelts's Blog, page 60
February 17, 2012
Arrietty...
...on Hayao Miyazaki's / Studio Ghibli's latest US release for my "Pacific Rim Diary" on The Madeleine Brand Show, KPCC/NPR in Los Angeles. Audio here.
February 10, 2012
Backstage w/ Akiko Yano & Keiko Matsui in NYC
[photo by Jack Leitenberg / Keiko Matsui]
February 8, 2012
Final Thoughts - The Global Salon: Cities in Japan in The Greene Space
Closing comments from last month's sold-out Japan event at the Jerome L. Greene Space, Soho, New York City, with Akiko Yano, Keiko Matsui, Ian Buruma, Yasuhisa Kawamura and me. Sponsored by WNYC, PEN World Voices and the Consulate General of Japan, NY.
(Had a great, extended conversation with Ian and my pal Kenji at a Soho bar afterward, but it was off the proverbial record.)
(Had a great, extended conversation with Ian and my pal Kenji at a Soho bar afterward, but it was off the proverbial record.)
February 7, 2012
Japanamerican reunion (via AP)
Brothers reunited in Japan after six decades apart
Minoru Ohye, right, toasts with his younger brother Hiroshi Kamimura during their reunion Monday in Kyoto, Japan. AP photo
KYOTO, Japan (AP) — They no longer speak the same language, but two brothers separated nearly 60 years each think the other hasn't changed a bit.
Japanese-American Minoru Ohye celebrated his 86th birthday Monday with his only brother after traveling to Japan for a reunion with him.
The brothers were born in Sacramento but were separated as children after their father died in a fishing accident. They were sent to live with relatives in Japan and ended up in different homes.
The reunited brothers hugged in a hotel room and exchanged gifts of California chocolate and Japanese sake. The American brother wore his trademark baseball cap and jeans. The Japanese bother wore a suit and tie.
But the same bright eyes and square jaws were a dead giveaway that they were brothers. They both loved golf and had back pains. They thought the other hadn't changed a bit.
"If we miss this chance, we may never meet. You never know," said Ohye, energetic except for a sore knee. "Either he may die, or I may die."
Separated across the Pacific, their only prior meeting had been a brief one in the mid-1950s when Ohye stopped by Japan while serving in the U.S. Army in the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula.
His brother, Hiroshi Kamimura, 84, was adopted by a Japanese family, grew up in the ancient capital of Kyoto and became a tax accountant. He married and had three sons.
Ohye joined the youth group of the Japanese Imperial Army at 13 and went to Russia, where he was sent to a Siberian coal mine when Japan surrendered. He returned to be with his mother in Yuba City in 1951, and worked as a bookbinder and a gardener.
He became homeless when he failed to collect payment for a restaurant he ran and later sold in the late 1950s.
About 10 years ago, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a welfare service organization for U.S. veterans, found him a spot in the Eskaton Wilson Manor home for the elderly in West Sacramento.
It was Eskaton's program to grant a wish called "Thrill of a Lifetime" that got Ohye back to Japan.
While others wished for rafting trips and football game tickets, the only thing Ohye wanted was to see his brother again. Eskaton administrator Debbie Reynolds put together a fundraiser for Ohye's trip.
Kamimura acknowledged it had been difficult to communicate with his brother through telephone calls because he didn't understand English. They would exchange a lot of "hellos" and then their conversations ended, he said.
"I am happy. He is the only brother I have," Kamimura said after watching Ohye blow out the candles on a birthday cake at a restaurant. "This may be our last time together."
Brian Berry, a graduate student at the University of Tokyo who was approached by Reynolds to help with the reunion and got Ohye from the Tokyo airport to Kyoto, was relieved the brothers were together at last.
"Even over time, with all that has been gone through, still the only thing you are thinking about is your family," he said. "Right when you're near the end of your life, you are still thinking about your family."
————
By Yuri Kageyama. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
February 2, 2012
Why Japan won't f-f-fade away
My thoughts on the latest Japan population decline projections for Monocle radio (w/embedded nod to L'Arc~en~Ciel) @ 36:00 here.
January 30, 2012
Monkey Biz #1 among "Best of 2011"
"...into the stratosphere."
We're chuffed to announce that the first issue of Monkey Business: New Voices from Japan is one of the "Seven Great Lit Mags of 2011," according to the Luna Park Review .
We're twice-chuffed to yawp 'cross rooftops about Issue # 2 of Monkey Business, which is just now barreling down the tarmac. Barring bird strikes and other unnatural hazards, MB 2 will be fully airborne in late Feb./early March.
Plans are now set for a team of Japanese writers, editors and artists to soar into NYC from Tokyo and join select American authors for a week of launch events in Manhattan and Brooklyn during the first two weeks of May.
More TK.
You can read the Luna Park review of Monkey Business and six other gems here:
Thanks to the efforts of translator Ted Goossen and the editors of A Public Space, 2011 readers were introduced to the acclaimed Japanese literary magazine Monkey Business, edited by Motoyuki Shibata (curator, along with Roland Kelts, of the Focus: Japan portfolio in APS 1). According to Stuart Dybek's letter inserted into the issue, "Each year, a magazine of highlights from issues of Monkey Business will appear in English translation via A Public Space…. The first issue features poetry, manga, a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Haruki Murakami, fiction from Hideo Furukawa, a beautiful sequence of vignettes by Hiromi Kawakami, and much more." The extensive, 50+ page interview with Murakami by Furukawa is enough in itself to make the issue a must-read. Adding Furukawa's own story "Monsters," Yoko Ogawa's mesmerizing and disturbing "The Tale of the House of Physics," and a manga comic based on Kafka's "The Country Doctor," sends the issue into the stratosphere.
We're chuffed to announce that the first issue of Monkey Business: New Voices from Japan is one of the "Seven Great Lit Mags of 2011," according to the Luna Park Review .
We're twice-chuffed to yawp 'cross rooftops about Issue # 2 of Monkey Business, which is just now barreling down the tarmac. Barring bird strikes and other unnatural hazards, MB 2 will be fully airborne in late Feb./early March.
Plans are now set for a team of Japanese writers, editors and artists to soar into NYC from Tokyo and join select American authors for a week of launch events in Manhattan and Brooklyn during the first two weeks of May.
More TK.
You can read the Luna Park review of Monkey Business and six other gems here:
Thanks to the efforts of translator Ted Goossen and the editors of A Public Space, 2011 readers were introduced to the acclaimed Japanese literary magazine Monkey Business, edited by Motoyuki Shibata (curator, along with Roland Kelts, of the Focus: Japan portfolio in APS 1). According to Stuart Dybek's letter inserted into the issue, "Each year, a magazine of highlights from issues of Monkey Business will appear in English translation via A Public Space…. The first issue features poetry, manga, a wide-ranging, in-depth interview with Haruki Murakami, fiction from Hideo Furukawa, a beautiful sequence of vignettes by Hiromi Kawakami, and much more." The extensive, 50+ page interview with Murakami by Furukawa is enough in itself to make the issue a must-read. Adding Furukawa's own story "Monsters," Yoko Ogawa's mesmerizing and disturbing "The Tale of the House of Physics," and a manga comic based on Kafka's "The Country Doctor," sends the issue into the stratosphere.
January 26, 2012
Bandai & Media Blasters out; Funimation IN--latest for Yomiuri
SOFT POWER HARD TRUTHS / Embattled North American anime industry seeks redemption in digital streaming
Roland Kelts / Special to The Daily Yomiuri
For anime fans in the United States, the new year picked up where the old one trailed off--with news of another veteran distributor shuttering its operations amid industry layoffs and cutbacks.
On Jan. 3, Bandai Entertainment officially announced it would no longer release new DVD or Blu-ray titles in North America after 13 years in the market, canceling all releases scheduled beyond the first week of next month and laying off the majority of its staff and contractors.
One week later, North American anime distributor Media Blasters confirmed it was downsizing its workforce, asking most of its employees to continue working only as freelancers. While the New York-based company said it would proceed with its February and March releases, the combined announcements signal the radical shift under way in the overseas anime industry: The market for physical content is dwindling, and few believe it will return.
Bandai Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Iyadomi told the Anime News Network that the decision to curtail its North American business was made in Japan.
"The pricing range for our products kept dropping in Western countries, and people tended only to buy sets with very reasonable prices, which we understand is what fans want, but it lead us to a different strategy than what Japanese licensors wanted," he said. "So we always had a problem [with licensors and consumers having different wants]."
The diminished market for the physical distribution of anime has long been anticipated by savvy industry players, whose efforts to shift to digital are beginning to pay off.
Last year, I wrote in this column about the efforts of online anime portal Crunchyroll.com to expand digital offerings of anime and other Japan- and Asia-related content. I also noted that Texas-based anime distributor Funimaton Entertainment had entered into a licensing agreement with Japan-based online file-sharer NicoNico via its global portal.
"It's all about content windows," says Lance Heiskell, Funimation's Director of Corporate Strategy.
Heiskell points out that anime distributors now need to offer content through a diverse array of channels. "Simulcasts, DVD and Blu-ray, digital download to own, ad-supported streaming, Netflix and broadcast. It has to be a coordinated effort. Our goal is to have our content on all platforms, devices, retailers and physical media so people can easily get exposed to anime and fall in love with the shows and genres."
While still in its infancy, the Funimation-NicoNico tie-up (called "Funico") has resulted in one big recent collaboration: the broadcast of the Jan. 20 premiere in Los Angeles of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.
Christopher Macdonald, CEO of AnimeNewsNetwork.com, says the absence of TV broadcasting in the U.S. anime market has made digital delivery essential.
Heiskell sees TV exposure as a key difference between the Japanese and overseas markets. TV enables audiences to sample unique content, he notes, by flipping through channels without making commitments or choices, recalling the way radio used to function for pop music. In Japan, anime is broadcast throughout the day and especially late at night, when more adventurous or provocative series can get valuable airtime.
Despite what Heiskell calls "gloom and doom" reports about physical products, Funimation remains committed to its North American DVD and Blu-ray businesses. He points me to an industry report issued earlier this month mentioning a 20 percent spike in Blu-ray spending in 2011, and adds that despite the shrinking shelf space in brick-and-mortar outlets, Funimation's sales via online retailers such as Amazon and anime specialist Rightstuf.com are increasing.
"[DVD and Blu-ray] are probably 80 percent of our overall business," Heiskell says. "Our fanbase has a collector mindset. They like to collect, display and show physical ownership of the shows they love. Online streaming is actually supporting our physical sales. In our consumer survey, seeing an episode online is the number one reason fans cite for purchasing a DVD or Blu-Ray. You can't display an anime collection that's on your computer."
Still, Heiskell is hardly celebrating the latest crises at Bandai and Media Blasters. Anime industry players don't view one another as opponents, he explains.
"People don't realize that the [anime conventions] are more like summer camps. People that are supposedly competitors are more like friends. Whenever a company struggles, it's not good for the industry. We need that friendly competition."
Kelts is a visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo who divides his time between Tokyo and New York. He is the author of "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture has Invaded the U.S." (www.japanamericabook.com), and the forthcoming novel, "Access."
L'Arc's official presser--MSG tix on sale Sat., 28
L'ARC-EN-CIEL MAKE NEW YORK CITY DEBUT
WITH HEADLINING SHOW AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
BAND MAKES HISTORY BEING THE FIRST
JAPANESE ARTIST TO HEADLINE THE LEGENDARY VENUE
"The
biggest band you've never heard of." - Kerrang!
L'Arc-en-Ciel, one of Japan's most celebrated rock bands, will make their long
overdue U.S. return on March 25th with a performance at New York's legendary
Madison Square Garden. Originally scheduled for March 23rd at The
Theater at Madison Square Garden, the show has been moved to the world famous
arena due to the overwhelming demand of fans. This will mark the first time a
Japanese band headlines MSG. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, January 28th.
Visit www.larc-en-ciel.com for
details.
In support of their 20th Anniversary, L'Arc-en-Ciel
will bring their epic pop rock - a sound that has sold over 40 million records,
scored the band back to back #1 albums and broken numerous concert records – to
their most passionate US supporters for only the second time in 20 years,
creating an authentic J Rock pilgrimage for fans of the genre hungry to see the
real thing.
Check out this live performance of "HONEY," one of
the band's most popular songs: http://vimeo.com/34135893
Formed in 1991 in Osaka, Japan, L'Arc-en-Ciel has mesmerized crowds since the
very beginning. No matter the year, with their unique melodies and edgy sounds,
the band, responding to the zeitgeist, has had a hit song to match the times.
Like all great musicians, the band's music has evolved over the years and has
had a lasting influence. From their early work to their most recent offerings,
which ranges from Goth rock to jangly guitar pop reminiscent of The Cure's
lighter moments and U2-esque stadium anthems, L'Arc-en-Ciel has continually
captured audiences worldwide.
In 2004 the band made their first and only
performance in the USA (Baltimore) to an audience of 10,000 people; and has
since performed in China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), Korea (Seoul), Taiwan
(Taipei), and France (Paris), playing to millions of fans and proving that L'Arc~en~Ciel's sound extends across
borders.
Returning in May 2011 from a three-year hiatus, the band came together for two
sell-out shows in aid of Japanese Tsunami relief at Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium.
The performances in front of 100,000 fans reestablished the band's position at
the center of the Japanese Music scene.
L'Arc~en~Ciel will embark on their "L'Arc~en~Ciel WORLD TOUR 2012" this March visiting Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, Taipei, New York, London, and
Paris, before concluding back in Japan. Tour dates below.
L'Arc-en-Ciel recently released a spectacular box set called "TWENITY" which
runs the full gamut of their music. Visit www.larc-en-ciel.com for
more details.
L'Arc-en-Ciel will release a new album "BUTTERFLY"
on February 8, 2012 via iTunes. Stay tuned for more information!
www.larc-en-ciel.com
www.facebook.com/pages/LArc-en-Ciel/139185632806476
https://twitter.com/LArc_official
www.myspace.com/larcenciel
L'Arc-en-Ciel W ORLD T OUR 2012
dates:
March 3rd Asia World Expo Arena Hong Kong, China
March 7th Impact Arena Bangkok,
Thailand
March 10th Mercedes-Benz Arena Shanghai, China
March 17th TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan
March 25th Madison Square
Garden New York, New York
April 11th indigO2 London, UK
April 14th Le Zenith Paris, France
May 5th Jamsil Gymnasium Seoul, Korea
May 12th Nissan
Stadium Yokohama,
Japan
May 13th Nissan
Stadium Yokohama,
Japan
May 19th Universal
Studios Japan Open Air Special Stage Osaka,
Japan
May 20th Universal
Studios Japan Open Air Special Stage Osaka,
Japan
