September/October Wrap-Up

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Matt

Lots of picture making and anime blogging the past two months. We’re continuing to chug along on the Otaku USA newsletter, producing some pretty interesting pieces. Highlights from the past couple months include an interview with the staff of Kick-Heart, a really exciting experiment in crowd-funding, this nice chat with director Osamu Kobayashi by my old friend Jason “Danger” Moses, and Ian Martin’s utter destruction of a very bad Resident Evil film.

These guys and other contributors are making my life much easier by reducing the amount of words I need to jam out by my lonesome every week. Thanks for everything so far, guys. I’m still on the hunt for more contributors, especially someone who’s knowledgeable about cosplay. Spread the word!

The new N’toko video is progressing: above is a 30-second teaser I put together. Trying to get the full thing finished by the end of the month.

Finally, some photos I took during September and October after the jump.

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August Wrap-Up

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Matt

N'toko

Though my main accomplishment for the month of August was just surviving in disgustingly hot and humid Tokyo, I did actually manage to work on some creative stuff. A brief rundown:

I released my long-incubating short documentary, Tokyo Quake Story. I’ve already blogged about this, so I’ll just add: thanks again to everyone who’s weighed in so far with your comments, retweets, etc. And please check it out if you haven’t already!

Last year Slovenian hip-hop master-bro N’toko and I collaborated on a music video for his song “Superhuman.” We had enough fun that we decided to do it again this year, coinciding nicely with the release of his new EP, Fight Like A Girl.

This year’s process was much different than last year’s – we kind of made up the thing as we went along, adding scenes and concepts on the fly – even now, it’s not quite clear what it’s going to be. I’ve never worked like that before, and it was really exciting. There’s a bit more additional shooting to done, then we’ll dive into editing and see what comes out.

Finally, Otaku USA Magazine, who I’ve been writing for a couple years now, have launched a new email newsletter with direct-from-Japan interviews, event reports, news, etc. As I’m their Man in Japan, I’m at the helm of this thing, delivering a couple decent-sized features plus a few short pieces every two weeks. We’ve released two issues so far, both of which I’m quite pleased with. You can subscribe here, or if you’re not into getting any more automated emails than you already do (though I promise this one is worth it!), stories will appear on the main site a couple weeks later.

I’m always on the hunt for new geek-related stuff going on around town to report on, so if you know of anything, do let a brother know.

Tokyo Quake Story

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Matt

A few days ago, I released my short film, Tokyo Quake Story, to the web. It’s a documentary I shot last year in the wake of the March 11th earthquake. My idea was not to make a film about Tohoku, which many more people with much more money and skill than I were already doing, but to explore the quake’s impact on people living in Tokyo. As I wrote on the site:

“Though the effect of the quake on Tokyo is in no way comparable to the suffering to the north, it did have a profound physical, psychological and political impact on the biggest city in the world. This film attempts to present the feelings and thoughts of Tokyoites immediately following the quake.”

Response to the film has been very positive so far, and I’m grateful for all the kind words, retweets, likes, etc. The film is embedded below; please take a look if you haven’t already and visit the site, which has more info and extras.

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A Trip to Kyushu

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Matt

Last weekend the Call and Response Records crew, including N’toko and Jebiotto!, blazed through Kyushu, leaving a trail of death and destruction in our wake (or, at least, some pretty kickass live shows). Here’s my short photo diary of the tour.

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June

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Matt


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May Wrap-Up

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Matt

I’ve been in Tokyo since the end of February, but between finding an apartment, getting used to work and going through the myriad steps involved in settling in a new country, I felt like May was the first month I was able to stretch out and do some creative work. Without further ado:

I shot this music video for my good friend Ian at Call and Response Records and my new pals, the unstoppable Zibanchinka. This was quick, fun, and easy to make, barring the half hour or so we had to guard the bathroom against people who, y’know, actually had to go. Zibanchinka, incidentally, are playing at tomorrow’s Kyushu Pop Festival in Shinjuku, and are worth the price of admission alone.

Over at Colony Drop, I wrote about everyone’s favorite topic: old Japanese cartoons. Specifically, two straight-to-video releases based on manga by Masamune Shirow, the dude best known for creating Ghost in the Shell.

At Otaku USA, I did the photographin’ for a great and lengthy interview by my friend Jason, who spoke to American/French/hard to spell voice actor Michael Sinterniklaas.

As always, I’m snapping photos, which can be seen on Flickr and Tumblr.

Lots of stuff in the works for next month, including the release of a long-delayed documentary project. Stay tuned.

Tokyo, 2011

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Matt

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Kino’s Journey

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Matt

Here’s a review I wrote for Otaku USA that, for whatever reason, didn’t make it into the magazine.

Wanderlust. Those struck with the insatiable desire to explore the world know it’s often as much a curse as it is a blessing. To be a traveler is to sacrifice long-term relationships and a sense of belonging, not to mention less philosophical problems like, “where am I going to sleep tonight?” Yet some unknown force propels us forward all the same.

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