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cat cosplay · cat fashion · cats · cosplay · japan · News · Takako Iwasa · Aug 11, 2011

NewsBot QuickShot: A Book Of Kitty Cosplay From Japanese Author

If one is going to do something well, even if it is a bit silly, one should take the endeavor quite seriously. And dressing up cats appears to be something Japanese feline clothing designer Takako Iwasa takes very seriously and does quite well. Her new book, “Fashion Cats”, is a surprisingly delightful-looking volume full of pictures of cats dressed and accessorized as various types of fanciful characters. At the link, you’ll see pictures of (what appear to be) very patient kitties dressed as everything from a rabbit and a frog to a king and a queen. There is also a short video in which a beautiful pure white kitty is fed a couple of cat treats, which we suspect may be how author Iwasa secured the cooperation of her group of lovely and fuzzy fashion models. (Laughing Squid – Fancy Kitty Costume Book) “Fashion Cats” is published by Vice Magazine, which has a page promoting the recently-released book here.

folk medicine · Indonesia · miracle cures · News · railways · urban legends · Aug 11, 2011

‘Shocking’ Electric Train Therapy in Indonesia

Urban legends, rural legends, folk medicines, you’ve probably heard about tons of such things over the years. True or, more likely, untrue events and cures which may, but probably don’t, have legitimate and verifiable scientific bases for capturing the imagination and curing medical symptoms. No, this isn’t a rant about people’s odd beliefs or half the shows on the Syfy Channel. It’s merely an introduction to the latest dubious medical craze in Indonesia. It seems folks in that country are intentionally trying to electrocute themselves on railroad tracks in the belief that it will cure various diseases, both mental and physical. It is a new trend which Indonesian government officials are trying desperately to stop before it causes a wave of accidental deaths. This railroad shock therapy started, as such things always do, with a rumor that a man who actually tried using train rails to commit suicide ended up having his paralysis and chronic depression shocked away by the electric current in the tracks. Although this miraculous tale cannot be verified, it has spread all over Indonesia and given people the courage to try electrocution by rail in order to cure everything from sleeping disord ers to diabetes. In our book, this is just crazy stuff, and a greater risk to human life than the legendary poodle in the microwave. (Wall Street Journal Asia – Indonesian Rail Shock Treatment)

cinema · korea · News · Reviews Cinema · Aug 11, 2011

The Korean Island Guardsman – The Movie!

We can easily see a movie being made about Kim Seong-do, who protects some smaller inlet islands between Korea and Japan. He works alone and is a fisherman, not military. At 72, he curses at fisherman trying to land on the deserted islands to score fish. The Japanese government wants the islands, Korea says it’s there, but it’s in the hands of a policing older man. There’s now patrols and such, but it’s still a strange tale. Here’s three elevator pitches. Horror (yes, island ghosts of dead fishermen or soldiers or even pirates come back to claim the island as theirs from the modern man), thriller (a gun battle of one man vs a special forces team of brigands who also want the islands to house munitions for an illegal war), or even a bromance film (the lone man meets another lone fisherman, perhaps the other is Japanese and they can’t understand each other). Now, someone make this. (LA Times – Lone Korean)

christina chou · earthquake · Features · japan · News · Aug 11, 2011

Heroes Remain: Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Aftermath

Manga Road begins right outside of the train station and spans across the city. Various life-sized iron anime figurines are bolted to the ground. Ranging from superheroes to beloved characters, these structures stand out in the aftermath, still brightly colored. The road ends at the Mangattan museum, or Ishinomori Manga Museum, which was built in 2001. The edifice, comically shaped like a bubble and UFO saucer, boasts of Ishinomori’s original artwork, unique exhibits, and displays of Cyborg 009, characters from Android Kikaider, Robocon, and many more.

Ishinomaki is a quiet town whose main attraction is Manga Road and Mangattan (石ノ森萬画館), an oblong-shaped museum dedicated to Ishinomori. The city celebrates Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森章太郎), a mangaka, or manga writer, renown for his creation of 1970’s popular anime Kamen Rider, among other long-running series. Ishinomori is often compared to American Marvel comic book writer, Stan Lee, an equally prolific creator of Spiderman and other heroes.

I trundled into the Ishinomaki JR station dripping sweat and smelling like karaage (から揚げ)—fried chicken. Even three months after the earthquake and tsunami, trains still couldn’t run directly into the city due to reconstruction. Relief workers and I transferred several times and then took a tightly packed bus whose exhaust fumes smelled crispy and tantalizing. Shooting footage of tsunami relief for a documentary—we were naïve to think we could come away unaffected.

ed lin · film · GRNY · News · Reviews Cinema · tibet · Aug 11, 2011

Now: NYC’s Asian American International Film Festival

Yes! New York City’s Asian American International Film Festival is in full swing! Last night, John Sayles‘ Amigo kicked things off and the intensity continues through Sunday. Apart from the films, check out the awesome workshops, too! A biopic on Anna May Wong! You can see why Macy’s wanted in on this. I happened to catch The Warriors of Qiugang at another fest. Sounds like there’s going to be kung-fu fighting, right? But in reality it’s a documentary about poor residents in a community fighting an industrial plant and Chinese bureaucracy. Hardcore! My Country Is Tibet is screening at the Museum of Chinese in America. Jesus, they let just about everybody in this year!