Department of Alchemy Audio Archive – Episode 6: Anime in Academia (NYAF)

On Friday 8 October, I moderated the Anime in Academia panel at the 2010 New York Anime Festival.

The panel featured:

Casey Brienza (PhD student, Sociology, University of Cambridge)
Mikhail Koulikov (Online Bibliography of Anime & Manga Research)
Jennifer Fu (undergrad, Comparative Media Studies, MIT)

You can download the episode or listen to it below:

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New York Anime Festival

In New York City this weekend, I’ll be attending the New York Anime Festival! For the first time, this annual anime convention will be partnering up with the New York Comic Con for a weekend of… well, we’ll see how crazy it gets.

But if you’re attending, you can meet me! I’ll be speaking on and moderating the Anime in Academia panel. You can see us: Friday, in Room 1E12, from 4:45pm to 5:45pm. The panel also features students, researchers, and published authors: Roland Kelts (“Japanimerica”), Mikhail Koulikov (Online Bibliography of Anime & Manga Research), Casey Brienza (PhD student, Sociology, University of Cambridge), and Jennifer Fu (undergrad, Comparative Media Studies, MIT).

Also, if you’re looking for me on the floor, I’ll be cosplaying the protagonists of Toradora with my lovely girlfriend, @ashleyseto:

Takasu Ryuuji & Aisaka Taiga

Mamoru Hosoda in Boston: March 1st

On March 1st, I’ll be at MIT attending a screening of Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars, followed by a Q&A with Hosoda himself!

I will be recording the Q&A and will post it up as a podcast following the event. If you have any questions you would like me to ask the director, add them to the comments below!

MIT/Harvard Cool Japan Project presents “Summer Wars”

03.01.2010 | 7:00 pm | Building 26 Rm. 100 (MIT Campus)

The New England premiere of the anime feature film “Summer Wars” (2009, Director Mamoru HOSODA, Madhouse / Kadokawa). The director and producer of the film, both based in Japan, will be present at the screening and will participate in a Q/A/discussion after the film.

The film explores the drama of high school romance, hackers in virtual worlds, the complexities of extended families, and the potentials of our hyper-connected present. Suitable for all ages but aimed at teens and adults, the film is a wonderful example of recent anime virtuosity by Japan’s hottest young director. Director Hosoda’s previous film, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), won many prizes including the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

35mm print, Japanese voices, English subtitles. Free and open to the public.

More information here: http://cms.mit.edu/events/specialevents.php#030110
Hosoda will also appear in New York at the New York International Children’s Film Festival on 26 February. Details here: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-02-15/ny-intl-children-film-fest-to-host-director-hosoda