NYCC/NYAF Special Ticket Packages

Special ticket packages for this year's New York Comic-Con/New York Anime Festival go on sale today July 15th at 12 Noon EST. Standard tickets for NYCC and NYAF are available for purchase now at www.nycomiccon.com or www.nyanimefestival.com.



All special packages will include: (1) NYCC/NYAF Weekend Badge; (2) First access to the show floor; (3) separate entrance to the show floor; (4) VIP Lounge; (5) VIP Coat Check; and (6) NYCC or NYAF 2010 poster.

• SPECIAL ACCESS PACKAGE (limited to 350 fans, $150) gets you all of the aforementioned pieces!

• IGN THEATER PACKAGE (limited to 100 fans, $300) gives you guaranteed seating for all events in the IGN Theater/Special Events Hall.

• MINORI CHIHARA CONCERT/MASQUERADE EXPERIENCE (limited to 200 fans, $150) gets you guaranteed, reserved seating for the NYAF concert and the Masquerade on Saturday night in the IGN Theater/Special Events Hall.

• STAN LEE FRIDAY EXPERIENCE PACKAGE (limited to 65 fans, $400) gets you: (1) Meet-and-Greet with Stan Lee on Friday; (2) Autograph from Stan Lee; (3) Stan Lee PopFun Collector’s Glass; and (4) Guaranteed seating in all of Stan Lee’s panels.

• STAN LEE SATURDAY EXPERIENCE PACKAGE (limited to 65 fans, $400) gets you: (1) Meet-and-Greet with Stan Lee on Saturday; (2) Autograph from Stan Lee; (3) Stan Lee PopFun Collector’s Glass; (4) Stan Lee and J. Scott Campbell Lithograph; and (5) Guaranteed seating in all of Stan Lee’s panels.

Okami's Amaterasu Polystone Statue

There's no question how exquisite the art of Capcom's "Okami" is, and even more beautiful is the gorgeous Amaterasu. As shown on GA Graphic, this stunning polystone statue of Okami's Amaterasu will be displayed at this year's International Tokyo Toy Show.

If you can get your hands on this, Amaterasu will set you back 15,540 yen. With the lack of Okami statues available, I'd jump on it! [Source: GA Graphic via Tomopop]

X Japan Details North American Tour, New Album

In a press conference on Thursday, Japanese visual-kei rock band X Japan announced their first North American tour and a new album. Though this merits a bit of deju va (since we've heard this before, this time -- I hope -- it's different as more details arise). The tour will begin on October 1 in California and travel to more than 10 cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Boston.

In related news, this fall we will see X Japan's newest album will ship simultaneously in the U.S. and in Japan. The album will have about 10 songs, including the new song "Jade," which will be the first American single. The album will also have "ART OF LIFE" and the English versions of the songs "Tears," "Rusty Nail," and "Kurenai."

X Japan will perform in the U.S. prior to their North American Tour. The band members already appeared at the Yoshiki Foundation launch party with comic creator Stan Lee in Los Angeles on July 1. During the benefit, X Japan performed an acoustic version of "I.V." and then recorded a music video with audience participation. The event also included a fashion show and a masquerade contest. Members of X Japan is set to perform at the Baltimore-based anime convention Otakon this July 31 and at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago in August. [Source: Sankei Sports via ANN]

ACII Ezio Auditore 1/6 Masterpiece Figure

Honk Kong company Hot Toys boasts an incredible figure that will have every Assassin's Creed fan swooning. In the past, we've been stuck with few choices to show off our AC love, but seems our patience has paid off. Based on the Assassin's Creed II video game, Hot Toys presents a 1/6th scale figure of our very own Ezio Auditore. As part of their VideoGame Masterpiece Series, Ezio is seductively fully poseable and highly detailed from head to toe, from his eyes to his costume to his weapons.

Approximately 30 cm tall, with over 30 points of articulations (sigh), Ezio comes with his fair share of accessories including:

- 3 pieces of interchangeable posing palms
- Real-like hair sculpture with detachable ponytail
- Complete costume (white version)
- Slew of weapons: a long sword, short sword, 2 hidden blades inside forearm gauntlets, and 6 throwing daggers
- Necklace and figure stand with Ezio nameplate

Specially hand-painted, with an incredibly insane amount of detail, you can bet Ezio will carry a hefty price. No specifics yet, but the figure will be released later this year.

*shuffles frantically to rearrange her budget*

Buddha Kuro - SDCC Exclusive

Going to San Diego Comic Con this year? Lucky you. As a huge Camilla d'Errico fan, you bet I'm jealous, as SDCC commemorates the launch of her Giant Buddha Plush!! This "plushzilla" is seriously H-U-G-E. He stands a full 2 feet tall, 60", he's about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep.

Only 100 Buddha plushes will be available (to be picked-up at the convention, from booth #4920). The price per plush is $125 USD. To pre-order, write to cderricostore@gmail.com to reserve yours! As an added special, if you get yours on PREVIEW NIGHT, Camilla will even be on hand to make an extra special signature/sketch on his giant hang tag! (squeeee)

But for us poor schmucks that won't be going to SDCC, there is a silver lining to this. You can still get on the pre-order list!!

Happy 4th of July!

Minna-san...HAPPY 4th of July!! Hope your day is full of pretty fireworks and good friends.

Things have been hectic on my end, but thanks for all for your patience. Watch this space as I use this time to myself to write...write...write. Updates to include convention coverage, video games reviews, and concert coverage.

My next scheduled convention is Otakon...less than one month away!! Can't wait to see everyone.

Dewa mata ne! And enjoy your day off (hopefully) tomorrow!

Sasuga Books Inventory Sale (till July 5th)

As you may or may not know, Sasuga Japanese Bookstore will be closing its storefront. According to Sasuga, they have "no plans to reopen. A combination of the current economic climate and changes in the international book-selling market have made it impossible for [them] to continue to compete as a small, privately-owned bookstore."

So you've got till July 5th to take advantage of their inventory clearance sale -- 50% off all in-stock products throughout the store. The sale is limited to in-stock products (and as usual, orders over $40 ship for free).

Sasuga has always been a great source of imported manga, artbooks, magazine, and goodies for me! Definitely check them out and find that missing piece in your collection.

An Cafe Bassist KANON to Appear at Otakon 2010

Bassist kanon, one of the founders of the visual kei band An Cafe and currently a video game producer, will appear at Otakon this year! With a signature flamboyant style and Fender Jazz bass, kanon attracted a sizable fan base around the world as part of An Cafe. After a successful world tour and a big final show at Nippon Budokan in January, An Cafe went on hiaitus.

Currently, kanon is producer for the recently released mobile phone game Pinky Distortion. Pinky Distortion features DIS;CODE, a visual kei band in search of a vocalist. The player takes the role of a young singer recruited as the band's manager, who must find a way to keep the band together and lead them to their first successful live concert. The game emphasizes kanon's belief that a group of passionate people can create something more amazing than any individual.

Kanon will participate in panels and autograph sessions during the weekend, and will be a guest DJ during the Otakurave, Otakon's nightly dance party.

Internationally Acclaimed X Japan Members Yoshiki & Sugizo to attend/perform at Otakon 2010

As if listening to the East Coast woes of convention world - while we endure guest announcement after guest announcement of what promises to be yet another incredible Anime Expo (July 1-4 Los Angeles, CA) for example, the con angels seemingly appear out of nowhere bringing sweet treats two-fold.

"Are you ready? Are you ready for this?" I'll take that as a yes, assuming after you read the title of this blog, you fainted and finally got passed the first paragraph and are ready as you will ever be...

YOSHIKI and SUGIZO, of the legendary visual kei rock band X JAPAN, will make a VERY special appearance AND give a brief performance at Otakon 2010’s Masquerade. This is just one week prior to the band’s appearance at Lollapalooza in Chicago. YOSHIKI previously appeared at Otakon in 2006, but this will be SUGIZO’s first visit to the convention.

Otakon's Masquerade is the convention's largest single event: a costume and skit contest featuring dozens of competitors, and drawing as many as 8,000 attendees. It will be held on Saturday, July 30 in the 1st Mariner Arena. Two prior Otakon guests have performed in the Arena -- L'Arc~en~Ciel in 2004 and JAM Project in 2008 -- but the Arena has a long history of drawing top acts such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and U2.

Avid fans already know this duo's glorified bios quite well, but heck it doesn't hurt to remind us of their awesomeness.

YOSHIKI
The heart of X JAPAN is Yoshiki - songwriter, drummer, and classically-trained pianist who also plays guitar, bass and trumpet. His double-record classical album, Eternal Melody (1993) was co-produced and arranged by the legendary George Martin, recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and remains one of Japan's most successful classical releases. For Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved, the 1994 KISS tribute album, Yoshiki arranged and produced "Black Diamond" as a piano concerto, prompting Rolling Stone magazine to comment in its CD review, "the ingenuity award must go to Yoshiki..." Yoshiki has produced some of Japan's most influential bands, including Dir \en grey and Glay. At the request of the Japanese government in 1999, Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and performed it with a 77-piece orchestra to commemorate the Emperor of Japan's 10th anniversary on the throne. In 2005, he was named the Music Director for the 2005 World Expo, composed the event's theme song, and conducted the orchestra at the opening ceremonies. Yoshiki also wrote the X Japan song "I.V." for the 2007 international blockbuster film, "Saw IV," which played over the film's closing credits.

SUGIZO
Originally the guitarist of another pioneering visual kei band, Luna Sea, began performing with X JAPAN in 2008 for the X-JAPAN’s Tokyo Dome reunion concerts and was made a formal member of X JAPAN last year during the Hong Kong stop of the band’s world tour.

X JAPAN
Calling X Japan the most successful rock band in Japan is not a statement made lightly. X Japan has sold more than 30-million albums, singles and videos, headlined and sold out Japan's 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times - so far - and has started playing to tens of thousands of fans outside of Japan. Going back to the 1980s, the band's look and sound sparked a global interest in Japanese entertainment, especially with the Japanese cultural rock phenomenon, "Visual-Kei," a movement X Japan pioneered that went on to become a catalyst for today's worldwide Anime craze.

X Japan was formed in 1982 (calling themselves X) by Yoshiki and Toshi while still high school students. Over the next 13 years, the band released five studio albums - Vanishing Vision (1988), Blue Blood (1989) Jealousy (1991), Art of Life (1993) and Dahlia (1996), as well as six live albums, 10 compilation albums, and 15 video albums. X Japan was one of the first Japanese bands to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label - Yoshiki's own Extasy Records. The band was so popular, SEGA produced an X Japan video game. In the fall of 1997, the band's lead singer, Toshi, decided to leave X Japan, which lead to the dissolution of the band. Four months later, Hide, X Japan's original lead guitarist, was found dead in his Tokyo apartment. At his funeral, more than 50,000 fans came to mourn his passing, and in May, 2010, even more fans stood in line at a memorial service to pay their respects and mark the 12th anniversary of his tragic death. In early 2007, Yoshiki and Toshi started working together again, and later that year, X Japan officially reformed. During 2008-9, the band launched its reunion tour, being bigger than ever, and sold out everywhere it played. In January, 2010, X JAPAN filmed a music video on the rooftop of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, with a throng of some 8,000 U.S. fans taking part in the shoot on Hollywood Blvd.

The members of X Japan - Yoshiki, Toshi (vocals), Pata (guitarist), Heath (bass), and Sugizo (guitar) - have been spending time in Yoshiki's Los Angeles recording studio working on what will be the band's U.S. debut, and its first album sung in English. "We decided to record English lyrics for four or five of our most popular, previously released songs," Yoshiki explained, "and then write an additional four or five brand new songs, also sung in English. We have worked very hard on this album, and are very excited to present our music to the American rock fans."

Immediately following their August Lollapalooza set, X Japan will fly back to Tokyo where they will play their biggest concert ever - headlining two nights at the Nissan Stadium, performing to nearly 150,000 fans.

Otakon 2010 (www.otakon.com) will be held July 30 – August 1 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for?

Make sure to check out my blog as I will post full details on YOSHIKI and SUGIZO's appearance in the coming weeks.

Say it with me...WE ARE....X!

LBP Heavy Rain Costume Pack

LittleBigPlanet has never failed in releasing the cutest sackboys and sackgirls ever. My favorites have especially been Ezio from Assassin's Creed, as well as the entire Metal Gear Solid line. But it's been a while since a package has been released that has made me squealed. Enter Heavy Rain! The subtlety yet exactness of these adorable Sackboys is just too much. So go on, dress your Sackboy as the infamous origami, or in Scott Shelby's trench coat, or Norman Jayden's ARI glasses, or even Ethan's facial hair.

The LittleBigPlanet Heavy Rain costume pack is available today in North America, Wednesday for the UK, and Thursday for the rest of Europe.

Gackt European Tour - July 2010

The one and only, legendary GACKT will, for the first time, tour Europe, stopping by 5 cities at a "very selective choice of clubs in London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich, and Bochum. This is sure to be an amazing experience for all fans world-wide. Tickets will go on sale on June 7th!

July 16th
O2 Academy Islington / London / UK
www.ticketweb.co.uk

July 18th
Alhambra / Paris / France
www.fnac.com, www.digitick.com, www.ticketnet.fr

July 20th
Salamandra 1 / Barcelona / Spain
www.ticketmaster.es

July 22nd
Theaterfabrik / Munich / Germany
www.neotokyo.de

July 24th
Zeche / Bochum / Germany
www.neotokyo.de

[Source: JAME World]

Fate/stay night Umbrella

With the onslaught of recent thunder storms we've been getting, you'll definitely need a good reliable umbrella. And while I've seen some pretty nifty ones like the awesome samurai sword that can even be worn over your shoulder, this one takes the cake. Or rather, this one takes the sword.

Movic presents a sword umbrella inspired from the series Fate/stay night. It's looks deceptively real - even when I first glanced at the picture, I couldn't tell it was an umbrella in it's closed form. The handle itself is quite detailed.

This Fate/stay night umbrella (with Avalon cover) will set you back 10,000 yen and is due out August 12th. Check out the official site (Japanese) for more views and details. [Source: Canned Dogs]

More Otakon 2010 Guest Announcements

Before you know it, Otakon 2010 will be here. On the American side joining Vic Mignogna and Maile Flanagan, are voice actress and producer Clarine Harp; voice actor Patrick Seitz; american actor, director, producer and writer Todd Haberkorn; and voice actress Amy Howard.

Check out their stats below:

Clarine Harp
This will be her first time attending. Clarine was first cast by FUNimation Entertainment in 2003 to give life to the character of Tweedledee in Kiddy Grade Since then, Clarine’s talents have been featured in a broad range of roles: Burst Angel, Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7, Speed Grapher, Negima , Shin chan. Witchblade, and RIN ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~, Clarine can also be heard in El Cazador de la Bruja, Claymore, Jyu-Oh-Sei, Trinity Blood, Beck, Romeo x Juliet, Kaze no Stigma, Yu Yu Hakusho, Spiral, Fullmetal Alchemist, Case Closed, Evangelion 1.0, Hell Girl, Bamboo Blade, Aquarion, Desert Punk, Origin - Spirits of the Past, Mushi-Shi, Suzuka, Ouran High School Host Club, Ghost Hunt, Peach Girl, Sgt. Frog, One Piece, Save Me! Lollipop, Baki the Grappler and The Galaxy Railways. Out of the booth, Clarine spends her time producing DVDs for FUNimation, tending to her horde of rabbits and proudly spreading the gospel of sock knitting. She is also the inspiration behind the character Aubrey, a regular cast member on the popular web comic, Something Positive.

Patrick Seitz
This will be his second time attending. Patrick Seitz is a Los Angeles voiceover actor, script adapter and ADR director who has lent his efforts to over 100 anime and video game titles over the last few years—including Monster, the dub of which he feels exceedingly fortunate to have directed. With most of his resume occupying that odd point where zany, evil, and ethically ambiguous converge, Patrick’s roles include Grimmer in, Nekozawa in Ouran, Isshin Kurosaki in Bleach, George in Paradise Kiss, Hazel in Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, Dhaos in Tales of Phantasia, Raul in Ergo Proxy, Koshiro in Koi Kaze, Charles Beams in Eureka Seven, Lee Linho in ROD the TV, and Luke Valentine in Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate.

On the video game side of the ledger, you can hear him as Ragna the Bloodedge in BlazBlue, Scorpion and Deathstroke in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Arthas Menethil and Garrosh Hellscream in WoW: Wrath of the Lich King, Dracula in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Judgment and The Dracula X Chronicles, Chopin in Eternal Sonata, and Radi Jaeger in Valkyria Chronicles. In addition to the voiceover work, Patrick has done script-adapting and/or ADR direction for Naruto, Blue Dragon, Honey & Clover, Hell Girl, Girls Bravo, Kamichu!, Tales of Phantasia, The Melody of Oblivion, Zegapain, Guardian of the Spirit and Rumiko Takahashi Anthology.

Todd Haberkorn
This is also Todd's appearance at Otakon. Haberkorn received his BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University and works professionally primarily in Texas and surrounding states as an actor, director, producer, and writer. As far as shows go, catch Todd's voice as lead roles in Sgt. Frog as Keroro, Suzuka as Yamato, Ghost Hunt as Naru, Claymore as Raki, Holic as Wataknuki, D. Gray Man as Allen Walker, Sands of Destruction as Kyrie, Soul Eater as Death the Kid, and will undoubtedly play more lead roles in the future. Among his supporting roles are Itsuki in Shuffle, Ichimoruken in Hell Girl, Firo in Baccano!, Kono in Darker Than Black, Hikaru in Ouran High School Host Club and Khoza in One Piece. When not doing voicework, Todd is a producer with his company, Out of the Office Productions. He also produces a weekly podcast with Leah Clark called Popcast Weekly (popcastweekly.com). Todd Haberkorn is currently a proud member of the anime community and continues to be its humble servant by way of English dubbing. Todd is represented by The Horne Agency.

Amy Howard Wilson
This is her third appearance at Otakon and her first since 2000. Born in 1955, Amy hails from Detroit, and was "bit by the acting bug" at the age of 15. A proud graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1975, Amy worked as a receptionist in a casting/talent payment agency; as a sales rep for a jingle composer; and in 1979, she was a contestant and winner on the “$20,000 Pyramid”. She has starred in the highly popular series “Star Blazers” as the role of Nova, as well as appearing in an episode of “The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA” as the voice of Miranda.

Otakon 2010 will be held July 30 – August 1 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

God of War Art Exhibition

Prepare to feast your eyes on the beautiful and exquisite artwork of God of War. If you are a fan of the video game series, then you know the stunning art , the dirt and blood and awesomeness of God of War.

This Saturday night, May 29th, the Gnomon Gallery will open its gates of Olympus for "The Art of God of War III." The opening reception will run from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

Showcasing the dark brutal world of ancient Greece, this exhibit features the imaginative concept paintings and impressive 3D assets created for the hit Playstation 3 video game, God of War III, and provides an opportunity to meet the artists that make the world of Kratos come alive.

Artists include:

• Cecil Kim
• Andy Park
• Jung Ho Park
• Izzy
• Patrick Murphy
• Erik San Juan
• Kevin Anderson
• Katon Callaway
• Tyler Breon
• Peter Tumminello
• Chris Sutton
• Nate Stephens
• Timo Pihlajamaki
• Bryan Koszoru
• Sukru Gilman
• John Dobbie
• Lewis Walden
• Robert Taube
• Ryan Peterson
• Paul Coda
• Shane Estanislao
• Wade Mulhern
• Mike Altamirano
• John Palamarchuk

For more information, be sure to check out the gallery's site.

If you are fortunate enough to be in the Hollywood area, you won't want to miss this. (I'm really getting tired of these east coast woes...if anyone is going, please let me know. I'd love to get your insights and pictures).

Steins;Gate Kurisu Makise Kotobukiya Figure

My latest favorite title is Steins;Gate. It's great, and I've been disappointed to see that the title isn't widely known. It's tough finding the manga/visual novel and I've been anxiously waiting for the PC release of the game (initially released for the Xbox 360 back in October 2009). In the midst of writing my review of Steins;Gate and promoting this title, I came across a beautiful figure of the main heroine, Kurisu Makise.

As you will read soon enough, visually, Steins;Gate is stunning and I am happy to see that this figure does it justice. My eyes immediately jump and swoon over that spectacular base. This figure alone culminates what Kotobukiya can do. In 1/8 scale, Kurisu is perfectly represented down to the very last details of her clothing and to those mysterious eyes.

Retailed at 7,800 yen, preorders are now available at Hobby Search. Watch for Kurisu this September.

X JAPAN film World Premiere at Anime Central

With speculations surfacing this week - now confirmed, the infamous Yoshiki (from X JAPAN) will be making a video chat appearance at this weekend's Anime Central Rosemont, IL.

On Saturday, May 15th, during Anime Central's Masquerade intermission, the world premiere of the film "YOSHIKI history through X JAPAN" will be showcased and as an added bonus, Yoshiki himself will personally introduce the film via video chat. You'll want to make sure you arrive early for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

JAPAN will appear at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago from August 6 to August 8.

Life-Size Evangelion Bust Built Near Foot of Mt. Fuji

Japan's Fuji-Q HighLand amusement park, located near the foot of Mt. Fuji, has announced on Wednesday that it will open a new pavilion called "Evangelion: World - Life-Size EVA-01 Construction Project" on July 23. The pavilion will house the world's first life-size recreation of the scene where the Evangelion anime's main character Shinji Ikari encounters the Eva-01 unit for the first time. The recreation will have a mockup of the Evangelion unit from the bust up.

The pavilion will also have a life-size cockpit of an Evangelion unit (from where visitors can pay to have their photos taken), a life-size figure of the character Kaworu Nagisa, a video corner, a museum, a studio gallery for taking photographs, and a shop.

I don't know about you, but this is something I've always just dreamt of. I would love the privilege to see the life-size EVA-01 bust and replay Shinji's first encounter in my head. And the thought of even being next to a life-size cockpit has me giddy. Bring on the LCL!! With the wonderful monument-sized Gundams making several appearances, it's wonderful news to see that my favorite "robot" is getting the spotlight.

Check out the official website here. [Source: ANN]

UT x MGS: Peace Walker! Hideo Kojima @ UNIQLO in NY

KOJIMA ALERT! HIDEO KOJIMA ALERT! Must - get - to - NYC - June 11th . . .

The worlds of gaming and fashion collide as Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced a partnership with Japanese clothing retailer UNIQLO Co., Ltd. to produce an exclusive collection of limited edition t-shirts inspired by the upcoming game METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. This line is the latest from UNIQLO USA’s UT Project (UT is short for UNIQLO t-shirt), which consists of limited edition collections of t-shirts designed by renowned artists, designers, photographers, and musicians created to allow people to express themselves through fashion and wear what they love. The two companies had previously collaborated with a collection of METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS t-shirts just prior to that game’s release in 2008.

“Our partnership with UNIQLO Co., Ltd. to create a limited edition t-shirt line for the highly anticipated upcoming release of METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER will give fans and fashionistas the opportunity to showcase their adoration of the iconic Metal Gear franchise,” said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. “As a follow up to the 2008 limited edition t-shirt collaboration with the company for METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS, we suspect the 2010 limited edition line will be a coveted and celebrated style, which is another reason why we are so thrilled to collaborate with them.”

The collection will feature 10 exclusive t-shirt designs displaying images and themes from the upcoming game, and will be available in all UNIQLO USA stores and online starting on June 11th, 2010. Each t-shirt will also come with a special code that, when entered, will give fans access to both the same t-shirt of purchase as well as a soldier in the game. With the new line, fans will once again be able to show their METAL GEAR SOLID love as they anxiously await the latest release in the best-selling franchise!

To celebrate the launch of this collection, Mr. Hideo Kojima – the man behind the highly-acclaimed METAL GEAR SOLID series – will be greeting fans and signing autographs at the UNIQLO USA’s Global Flagship store in New York City on June 11, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Additionally, UNIQLO will be giving away prizes such as a Sony PSP entertainment pack bundle, collector’s edition software, copies of the Artbook, and coversheets of the game.

Check out NTT's site for more information.

Tokyopop to Tour U.S. for "America's Greatest Otaku"

The North American manga publisher Tokyopop will be touring the U.S. this summer (from July 1 through the end of August) to promote the company and film a reality show called "America's Greatest Otaku," in which Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy, Associate Producer Daisuke Kinouchi, and six interns will "search America for the #1 otaku."

According to Publishers Weekly, the Tokyopop Tour is "best described as the otaku version of MTV’s reality show, Road Rules. In this case a group of six otaku (or super fans of Japanese pop culture) will travel across the country in a bus with Tokyopop founder, CEO and COO Stuart Levy. The tour will stop at manga and anime conventions across the country and footage of the visits will be broadcast online." In the interview, Levy describes the Tokyopop Tour as "actually two things with one united purpose. It is an outreach program and also a reality show called 'America's Greatest Otaku.' It's purpose is to meet fans nationwide. "

The official Tokyopop Tour site can be found here. [Source: ANN and Publisher's Weekly]

Evangelion-themed Convenience Store - Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop in Hakone

Step inside the world of Evangelion - to the Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop in Hakone, that is. The japanese convenience store franchise, Lawson, has launched an Evangelion-themed convenience store in Hakone, Kanagawa - the location of the fictional city Tokyo-3) - filling it with a slew of Eva goodies.

In addition, several character panels (with the EVA pilots including Nagisa Kaworu and Makinami Mari) line the ceiling with phrases such as a Rei Ayanami one saying: "You won't die...I'll protect you."

From the images I've seen, the Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop is sure to make any EVA fan, especially the avid fan, swoon and go weak at the knees. From evangelion tie-in snacks, UCC's coffee, tissue paper, stationary, headphones, action figures, manga, and more...And to top it all off, your purchases will be put in a Lawson Tokyo-3 plastic bag! Be sure to check out Gigazine for more pictures and a detailed [Source: GIGAZINE]


UPDATE (4/28/2010): Seems that Lawson was forced to shut down the store temporarily only a few days after it opened. Apparently, there were too many Evangelion fans and they jammed up both the streets and the parking lots. All these led to illegal parking and the otaku mob just created to omuch trouble for the local residents. In the end, Lawsons had to temporarily shut down the convenience store. [Source: Alafista]

Almost feels like a press cover-up and all this was really due to an angel attack...