Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
The Coast Guard will sink the ghost ship, Ryou-un Maru. It’s 150-200 feet of future living quarters for sealife. Hopefully, it’s not filled with toxic chemicals or fuel – which surely exists on board. (CBS – ship sink)
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While production for the fan maligned live-action Akira adaptation may have screeched to a halt as of January 5, 2012, Otomo Katsuhiro–the original creator for the manga and anime–is ever busy with an upcoming art exhibit at the 3331 Chiyoda Arts Centre in Tokyo, Japan, showcased between April 9th to March 30th, 2012. The Genga Exhibition, as it is called, already has a catalogue available for pre-order on Amazon.co.jp. So far, unpublished art for Kaba 2 will be showcased alongside pieces from his other work. In addition to that, a special discussion will occur live on UStream between Katsuhiro-san, Blood: The Last Vampire‘s Katsuya Terada, and Perfect Blue‘s Hisashi Higuchi on April 9th, 8 p.m. Japan local time. Guests are required to purchase their tickets in advance at Lawson’s convenience stores for admittance at a designated time. What’s better is that this is an opportunity to geek out for a good cause. Thirty percent of ticket proceeds go towards helping victims of the 3/11 Earthquake. Nothing’s set in stone, but I’ll definitely try to make it out there sometime in April or May and report further on the exhibit. Tickets are on sale 1500円 for adults, 800円 for students, and 500円 for junior high school students. For more information, visit 3331 Chiyoda Arts homepage or follow them on Twitter and Facebook. 6-11-14 Sotokanda Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo 101-0021 TEL：+81(0)3-6803-2441 / FAX：+81(0)3-6803-2442 / E-MAIL：info@3331.jp
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Tsunami story that we missed. It’s interesting that a 1000 year old village “folk take” which turns out to be quite real saved tons of folks when the tsunami came. There’s a hill in Murohama which is the closest relief spot, but 1000 years ago a tsunami came and the hill turned out to be an unfortunately spot where the rushing waters collided and killed the people on the hill. It happened again on 3.11.11 and most people knew not to go to the hill. There’s a roadside shrine (this link is an addendum to the story with a photo) dedicated to the ancient story. It’s a great tale. (LA Times – Murohama)
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The Emperor of Japan’s speech gets cut down or censored. The offending lines look simple. “As this earthquake and tsunami caused the nuclear power plant accident, those living in areas designated as the danger zone lost their homes and livelihoods and had to leave the places they used to live. In order for them to live there again safely, we have to overcome the problem of radioactive contamination, which is a formidable task.” But the lines also point out that work needs to continue and the nuclear accident is still not complete as somewhat reported. [youtube]37ZAzFLZQFs[/youtube] (The Atlantic – Emperor)
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Tsunami aftermath stories. Takashi Saito visited the affected area where he grew up and realized he was helpless. His best bet was to throw and throw well. There’s not much anyone can do in light of a disaster, but at 42, he’s still in the major leagues and bouncing from team to team. He’s that unlikely hero who keeps his head low, but keeps sticking around. This story is a touching read. (NY Times – Saito)
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