MANGA & ANIME (19)
Virtually Falling in Love
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Virtual Reality
Women Around the World Are Virtually Falling in Love with Voltage Inc.'s Japanese Romance Apps
While considered new to the United States’ app market, user-generated romantic storytelling apps have had a solid place in Japan’s mobile entertainment industry for over 15 years. Since its founding in 1999, Voltage Inc. has been the leading pioneer in the market for online drama and romantic storytelling. With user generated storytelling apps, such as My Forged Wedding and Be My Princess, aimed at a dominantly female audience created by a primarily female workforce, Voltage consistently ranks first in the entertainment category of app stores not only in Japan, but also 48 other countries including the United States. In addition to creating multiple award-winning romantic simulation games, Voltage has succeeded in cooperating with new communication platforms such as LINE, proving it can adapt to new technologies. In 2012, Voltage opened its first U.S. brand, bringing the Japanese virtual reality romance apps straight to a growing fan base. Tokyo Journal’s Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie met with Voltage CEO Yuji Tsutani to talk about the business’ success with female-oriented user games and the challenges of expanding into the U.S. market.
AkibaFest 2016 Featured
AkibaFest 2016
by Tokyo Journal Intern Michael Tang
AkibaFest was filled of fun activates for amine lovers and was held on October 15th and 16th, 2016 in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. The two-day event, created by Aniplex of America, attracted a large crowd of amine fans. It seamlessly filled the event space with attendees, cosplayers, industry professionals and Akihabara-lovers. The event had a Maid Café, video game demonstrations, merchandise, workshops, screenings, cosplay contests, and more.
Chicchai Ossan
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.
Manga & Anime
Cosplay Conventions in Tokyo, London, and Melbourne
Summer Comiket 2014
August 15-17, 2014 in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan
Anime Producer Yoshiki Sakurai Hits Big with Giovanni’s Island
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.
Los Angeles Cosplay Contest
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.
L.A., Seattle & London Cosplay Conventions
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
Doraemon Debuts on Disney
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.
Chronicles of the Going Home Club
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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