Amagasaki’s “Middle-Aged Guy” Mascot Visits L.A.

Chicchai Ossan is one of Japan’s most popular regional mascots along with Kumamon and Funassyi. While there are more than 3,000 mascots in Japan, each representing a specific prefecture or city, Chicchai Ossan is the first speaking character. Chicchai Ossan, whose real name is Shinichi Sakata, is a middle-aged Japanese man from Amagasaki in Hyogo prefecture. Speaking in a Kansai dialect with a sharp tongue and giving warm fatherly advice, Chicchai Ossan has become one of Japan’s favorite pop culture characters. He appears on Harajuku kawaii fashion shows, game shows and at other events. Tokyo Journal met with Chicchai Ossan at Anime Expo 2015 in Los Angeles.

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Cosplay Conventions in Tokyo, London, and Melbourne

Summer Comiket 2014
August 15-17, 2014 in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan

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Yoshiki Sakurai made his debut in the world of anime as a scriptwriter while studying economics at the University of Tokyo. After graduating, he joined Production I.G and wrote the screenplays for such titles as Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the Annecy-nominated feature film xxxHOLiC–A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which was the sixth animated movie in history to compete at the Cannes Film Festival. Sakurai added producer to his credentials with the recent Giovanni’s Island, one of 20 features submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards. Tokyo Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie met with Yoshiki Sakurai at Anime Expo 2014 in Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles Cosplay Contest at Nagoya Day

The 2014 Los Angeles Cosplay Contest was held on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at The Grove in Los Angeles, as part of “Nagoya Day” to celebrate the 55-year anniversary of sister city relations between Los Angeles and Nagoya. Emcee Ivan Van Norman, a Season One Contestant from TBS television’s King of the Nerds hosted the contest which featured over 40 cosplayers from the Los Angeles/Southern California area. The judges of the event were Cosplay/Video Game Journalist Paola Alejandra, Designer/Professional Seamstress Kristine “Space Invader” Carr and Makeup / Special Effects Artist KC Mussman. The 2013 winner of America’s Got Talent Kenichi Ebina entertained the crowd during the event with his amazing dance performance. The contest was produced for the Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation (LANSCA) by Tokyo Journal / Authentasia. The Nagoya Day event was presented by the City of Nagoya and LANSCA.

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Cosplay Conventions in Los Angeles, Seattle & London

Photos from Anime Expo 2014 July 3rd to 6th, 2014 in Los Angeles, California; Sakura-Con 2014 April 18th to 20th, 2014 in Seattle, Washington and MCM London Comic Con 2014 May 23rd to 25th, 2014 in London, England

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JAPAN’S beloved manga and anime character Doraemon has made it to Disney! The TV and film series “Doraemon” is being broadcast in the United States for the first time after playing to a huge following in Asia over the past four decades. Disney XD, a children’s channel available in 78 million households, began broadcasting 26 English-dubbed episodes five times a week in July 2014.

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Chronicles of the Going Home Club (Kitaku-bu Katsudō Kiroku)

The new anime series “Chronicles of the Going Home Club,” based on a popular manga, was first broadcast on Nippon Television Network (NTV) on July 4, 2013. Natsuki Ando, a high school freshman, wondered what kind of club activity she should join in school. She had decided not to join any club to avoid trouble with senior students, but then she found Kitaku-bu (The Going Home Club), a club for those who don’t join any club. The leader, Sakura Domyoji, is just a normal student, and the other members are a little eccentric. One of their main activities is “to do fun things” and their goal is to have maximum fun after school. The show features the club’s activities.

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Fantasista Doll

A new original anime series “Fantasista Doll” began broadcasting on July 6, 2013 on the MBS, TOKYO MX and BS11 TV stations in Japan. The creative producer for the series is Goro Taniguchi, known for his work as director of “s-CRY-ed,” “Planetes” and “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.” In this new series, the story surrounds Uzume Uno, a young student and former champion of a trading card game competition. She is entrusted with a special device containing five powerful Fantasista Dolls. The dolls are sentient virtual beings that reside within the cards, which now are controlled by their new master, Uzume. By playing the cards in different combinations, Uzume can equip the “Sistas” with an amazing variety of costumes and weapons.

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Los Angeles Cosplay Contest at Nagoya Day

Join the contest or just come cheer and experience Nagoya

No entrance or contest fee

Cosplay Contest
Sunday, August 10th
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
The Grove in Los Angeles
189 The Grove Dr., Los Angeles CA 90036
At the main park between the fountain and Nordstrom

1st Prize includes a Round trip airline ticket
Los Angeles – Tokyo on All Nippon Airways (ANA)!

Emcee:
– Ivan Van Norman (Season One Contestant from TBS’s King of the Nerds)

Judges:
– Paola Alejandra
(Cosplay / Video Game Journalist)
– Kristine “Space Invader” Carr
(Designer/Professional Seamstress)
– KC Mussman
(Makeup & Special Effects Artist)

REGISTER to take part in the COSPLAY CONTEST

Free registration by email: cosplay@tokyojournal.com
Limited on-site registration available
No entrance or contest fee

> Click here to see L.A. Cosplay Contest Rules

Nagoya Day Activities

Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Celebrate 55 years of sister city relations between Los Angeles and Nagoya, Japan

• – Cosplay Contest with exciting prizes
• – Sushi demonstration
• – Samurai Warriors
• – Japanese cultural crafts
• – Japanese dance
• – Special guest judges
• – Special guest appearances

Cosplay Contest produced for LANSCA by:

Tokyo Journal / Authentasia

Presented by:
City of Nagoya
Los Angeles Nagoya Sister City Affiliation (LANSCA)

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Spider-Man Creator Stan Lee

The Marvel of Comic Books and his POW!erful Partner Gill Champion

Stan Lee is the man behind some of the world’s best-loved superheroes, including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the Avengers, X-Men, The Fantastic Four and over 300 more. An American comic book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, actor, and voice actor, Stan Lee is currently Chairman Emeritus and Editorial Board Member of Marvel Comics, as well as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment. Aged 91, Stan Lee is as sharp as ever and his lifetime accomplishments are as remarkable as the heroes he created. He successfully forced the Comics Code Authority to reform its censorship policies. He led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing company to a multimedia powerhouse. The Spider-Man strip appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide, making it the world’s most successful syndicated adventure strip. He has been inducted into the comic industry’s most hallowed halls of fame and received numerous awards including the 2008 American National Medal of the Arts presented by President George Bush for his work as one of America’s most prolific storytellers and for recreating the American comic book. Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie met with Stan Lee and business partner Gill Champion at their headquarters in Beverly Hills, California.

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