Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

That’s Dan Ryan and his wife who took the photos of the homeless folks in Japan over twenty years ago. The work was in black and white, and you can imagine the timelessness of the imagery. I’ve never met Dan, but he sent in a portfolio unsolicited and we used the photos. He was stoked, and he said that because of the excitement and maybe creative juices that flowed from the spread, he’s now pursuing graphic design! The art show itself was fun, the art looks great, Goh Nakamura did his thing, and it was nice to see friends. See photos in transmissions.The art will be up shortly here. Furie and Aiyanna Mai and Joe To From Mario to Parappa
Continue reading

One of my main points about ramen is that, it's often judged by people with a Yelp like mentality. I enjoy Yelp, but imagine... you're a kid who eats a lot of ramen, including the packaged kind, but you've never tried Ramen in Japan. You write reviews like you know it, but the best ramen you've had might be at a shop somewhere in LA. Do you really know what you're talking about? It's a huge genre,...
Continue reading
One of my main points about ramen is that, it’s often judged by people with a Yelp like mentality. I enjoy Yelp, but imagine… you’re a kid who eats a lot of ramen, including the packaged kind, but you’ve never tried Ramen in Japan. You write reviews like you know it, but the best ramen you’ve had might be at a shop somewhere in LA. Do you really know what you’re talking about? It’s a huge genre, and a frank Japanese person might say, everything in the US is bullshit. There’s a few stellar places mostly in New York, Setagaya Ramen… Ippudo… But it’s food. Everyone judges food, since everyone eats it daily, and the reviews still help most of the time since maybe the reviews will steer you to the best in that city. Yet what is great ramen? What I look for in Ramen1 Soup. It obviously has to be right. It’s not just soy sauce and water. Some places make a strong broth that smells of instant packets. Good ramen shouldn’t be Oriental flavor. Ideally, it’s Salt, Soysauce, or Tonkotsu and done right. The “just right” is near impossible to describe, it’s a somewhat of a schooled taste. You have to try the best and the worst in shops in both the USA and Japan.2 Noodles. It has to fit the ramen. Is it straight, curly, overcooked, undercooked. Most ramen noodles in the US is typical, and they’re probably all using the same brand. It’s hard to judge based on the US parameters.3 Size. A lot of people judge ramen based on a huge bowl that they can’t finish. I’d rather have a small bowl done right.4 Toppings. A great way to judge a place is it’s simplicity. Try the first thing on the menu.5 Who eats there. If it’s a ton of Japanese folks from Japan, you’re on the right track. Busy doesn’t mean great. Behavior1 Fast ordering. Be ready and order quick. Most places will expect you to order the second you sit down.2 Leave nothing, leave fast. If it’s awesome, eat it all. Most don’t do this in this day of health and quantity of ramen served. Don’t sit around and talk about Japanese movies. Leave, there’s people waiting. Ramen is a fast food.3 Manga Reading. This is okay in Japan since it’s sort of part of the culture. People don’t pay attention to each other in ramen shops. Even if it’s a guy and a girl.4 Condiments. If you add a lot of condiments you’re doomed. I see people adding soysauce to their ramen. That can’t be good.5 Order Ramen. Some people go to a ramen place and order everything but the ramen. Does that tell you anything about the shop? Weird Ramens1 Tenshinmen. It’s a egg omelet with a gravy served over noodles. It’s massive. Ramenya in West LA has this. I don’t see this often, and I dare not eat it anymore.2 Mabo Ramen. Heavy since it’s ground pork and tofu,...
Continue reading
That's the lot where I saw Transformers last night. Friends and Family related to the music element. One thing I didn't know was that the music in the film is orchestrated from the Linkin Park song. So I heard bits and pieces of the New Divide songs in cover form. The movie doesn't need any more help. It'll sell a billions worth in a matter of weeks. It's hard to say you hate it, when the special...
Continue reading
That’s the lot where I saw Transformers last night. Friends and Family related to the music element. One thing I didn’t know was that the music in the film is orchestrated from the Linkin Park song. So I heard bits and pieces of the New Divide songs in cover form. The movie doesn’t need any more help. It’ll sell a billions worth in a matter of weeks. It’s hard to say you hate it, when the special effects, story, and grandeur are over the top. That’s my review and that’s all I need to give. You should eventually see this. Of course the Paramount screening room is amazing. The sound and picture are crisp and tight. That helps too.
Continue reading