The OQ Weekly (25 March 2021) - The Green and Fancy Edition
The best curated newsletter in the Japanese pop-culture world.
JUST. LOOK. AT. HER.
It’s not only that Yor is one of my favorite manga characters (I’ve always wanted to be a bad-ass assassin)… but having fashion model Cocomi cosplay her using Dior’s Spring 2021 collection…?
Yet, as much as I love cool clothes and brands that speak to my individual style (my style is the best), I am always trying to promote Good Fashion. Fashion that is both geeky and sustainable, otaku and green. Keep reading, to learn how Uniqlo and Doraemon are taking a step into the right direction by turning green (in more ways than you could imagine).
If you want to talk about geek fashion, don’t forget to join our Discord! We talk about more than just anime, manga, and games, too.
I am Ura, your always trendy guide in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
Olympic creativity crushed.
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are supposed to be a celebration of Japan and its culture on a world stage, but recent scandals have shown just how little the government understands how to do so.
On 17 March, weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun reported that Tokyo Olympic Creative Director Hiroshi Sasaki proposed having plus-size Japanese comedian and influencer Naomi Watanabe fly into the opening ceremony dressed as a pig, sporting the name ‘Olympig.’ His suggestion was met with immediate disapproval from others on the team, but when Bunshun published this, it became a massive topic online and in the mainstream media. He resigned soon after.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Yoshiro Mori also stepped down after making sexist comments earlier this year, and Perfume choreographer MIKIKO was nudged out of her position when Sasaki arrived in 2020. She was the one behind the hand-over segment for the closing ceremony at the last 2016 Rio Olympic Games, incorporating some of Perfume’s unique visual style.
As Patrick St. Michel says, ‘The Olympic Opening Ceremony offers the host a chance to flex its cultural prowess on the global stage… Tokyo 2020 could be an extravaganza for a country excelling at pop culture beloved all around the world, and mark the start of a new era for the nation’s reputation. To do that, though, they’ll have to reject the old-fashioned failings that have held them back for decades, and let fresh creatives who have proven themselves to take the charge.’
2
Don’t despair!
Despera isn’t dead. Chiaki J. Konaka recently provided an update on the long-awaited project, saying that he expects some sort of concrete announcement next year.
Originally announced back in 2009, Despera was supposed to be the latest collaboration between the trio behind Serial Experiments Lain and Ghost Hound until director Ryuutarou Nakamura tragically passed away in 2013. It’s been stuck in development hell since, but this latest update does offer some hope.
First of all, Konaka says that ‘Due to the pandemic, the project was suspended for a year and a few months.’ Nevertheless, the funding is actually ‘80% completed,’ and Konaka gives 2022 as a date for ‘some kind of announcement.’ Considering that Yoshitoshi ABe has previously said that the main reason for Despera’s stalled development was not just funds, but the ‘chaos of the animation business in Japan,’ this is incredibly encouraging news.
The question is, however, just what will Despera be when it finally emerges from twelve years of production hell? As Jacob Parker-Dalton says, ‘Will it actually live up to the hype or end up feeling like a relic from the past? And are we really ready for another Chiaki J. Konaka/Yoshitoshi ABe collaboration, considering the state of the world right now? I’m not sure we are.’
3
We jamming… with limits.
No major in-person music festivals have been held in Japan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic - until now. Japan Jam 2021 has announced that they will be going ahead with their four-day event this May, albeit with some limits.
Considering that this is the first in-person music festival to be held in well over a year, the early line-up is quite impressive. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Awesome City Club, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, sumika, Kana-Boon, indigo la end, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, The Oral Cigarettes, BiSH, UVERworld, 9mm Parabellum Bullet, Creepy Nuts, Poppin’ Party from BanG Dream… it’s like a who’s who of the Japanese music industry right now.
Only 10,000 people will be allowed into the festival each day, with a lottery system being operated to be in with a chance of winning tickets. It’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to attend all four days, but it is statistically probable.
As Alicia Haddick says: ‘Large-scale musical events have struggled to make a comeback since COVID-19 ravaged the entertainment sector a year ago this month... The situation has changed since then, however, with strict government healthcare guidance on how these events can function safely being introduced.’ That gives some hope for the future, at least.
4
Say it ain’t so!
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia manga is entering into its ‘final chapter,’ according to the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those that are up to date.
Since debuting in 2014, the superhero shonen series has gone on to become one of the key pillars of Jump and a bonafide worldwide phenomenon. As a result, once fans heard the news, the words ‘Deku’ and ‘HeroAca’ started trending as the latest chapter dropped online on Sunday night. Even so, recent story developments have ripped the entire fabric of Kohei Horikoshi’s world apart, so an ending isn’t exactly unexpected.
Jacob speculates a little on the timeframe of this ending. ‘Considering that the choice of words here is ‘chapter (章),’ it’s not as if it will be ending next week: instead, we’re probably looking at a couple more arcs before the big final battle.’
‘Moreover, at one point in time, it would have been safe to say that there were a couple more years in the tank, but the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department appears to have learned the lessons of dragging out the final arcs of previous big hitters Naruto and Bleach.
With this in mind, My Hero Academia’s ‘final chapter’ may end up lasting only a year.’
5
Controversial wins.
The Demon Slayer movie and Midnight Swan both took home top awards at this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize, often called the ‘Japanese Oscars.’ Nevertheless, this wasn’t without controversy.
For Demon Slayer, many noted the relative lack of screen time afforded to the production that literally saved the Japanese box office from total destruction last year, as well as the failure to mention the name of the director - Haruo Sotozaki - when introducing the film.
As for Midnight Swan, the ending is very graphic and arguably spreads information about gender affirmation surgery that isn’t necessarily based in reality. The main trans protagonist is also played by a male, cisgender actor, which ‘paints the impression that trans women are actually just men in drag, or that they aren’t actually women.’ (Alicia)
Still, the wins are well deserved, and many of them were unsurprising. Setsuro Wakamatsu walked home with Best Director for his work on Fukushima 50, as well as Ken Watanabe for Best Supporting Actor. Masami Nagasawa won Best Lead Actress for her work in Mother, and Akiko Nogi for her The Voice of Sin screenplay. Demon Slayer won Best Animation, and Midnight Swan both Best Picture and Best Actor.
6
Get in the train, Shinji!
JR East employees have come up with creative ways to express their love for the final Evangelion film, plastering stations with custom-made posters and other forms of art.
Oku and Sendagaya stations, for instance, had their employees using selected stills from the movie for posters, often juxtaposing symbols and imagery with friendly warnings to maintain social distancing. Kashiwa Station definitely went the extra mile in drawing a giant, gorgeous poster of Rei Ayanami entirely in pencil. The grand prize, however, has to go to Oimachi Station, which made a full 3D replica of Beast Mode Unit-02 entirely out of cardboard.
These pieces of art were originally supposed to serve as part of a stamp rally run by JR East in collaboration with Evangelion from the end of January to the beginning of March, but this has since been indefinitely postponed. Still, nothing was going to get between these railway employees and their love for giant robots, and why should it?
‘After all, Evangelion fever, unlike COVID, is a fever certainly worth catching.’ (Jeremy Tauber)
7
Doraemon says go green.
As brands continue to embrace sustainability in a number of industries, Japan’s largest fashion retailer Uniqlo have recruited Doraemon as their sustainability mascot.
They’ve also given him a new coat of paint to mark the occasion, and the mysterious cat-robot is apparently quite happy about it: he’s quoted as saying ‘I’m Doraemon and now I am green! I’ll do my best in my role as Uniqlo Global Sustainability Ambassador to help create a better future!’
In recruiting Doraemon for their sustainability cause, Uniqlo hope to use the character’s immediate recognizability to promote messages about recycling and sustainability to a wider audience. After all, everyone knows who Doraemon is, regardless of whether you live in Japan or not.
That being said, it is a bit of a shame that Uniqlo isn’t putting out any sustainably produced clothing to go along with this. This would ‘show that the future is possible,’ not just a fantasy (Alicia).
I’m now wondering if I, too, can get a green coat of paint if I promote sustainability…
8
Shizuoka: a model city.
Prefectural capital and home to several plastic model companies, Shizuoka has recently erected several clever monuments to celebrate its unique heritage.
They’ve been designed to look like real-life plastic models, to the point where the parts are still attached to their spurs, ready to be clipped out and put together. Nevertheless, they’re not made of plastic, but stainless steel, presumably to be able to weather the outside conditions.
Shizuoka is home to several plastic model companies, including Aoshima, Fujimi, Hasegawa, Tamiya, and Bandai. The city’s mayor, Nobuhiro Tanabe, said in a statement that the installations are intended to promote ‘the uniqueness of Shizuoka,’ and with anime tourism already booming in the prefectural capital, it seems as if fans will take notice.
As James Fujita says, coastal towns usually ‘put up monuments to fishermen, and farm towns celebrate farmers.’ But if you’re a town like Shizuoka with such strong ties to plastic models, why not celebrate it? Just don’t try to clip these out with a giant pair of cutters, because that’d be vandalism.
9
Manga gets fancy.
Both SPY x FAMILY and The Promised Neverland saw some rather high-class collaborations emerge this week, proving that manga can be classy, too.
In SPY x FAMILY’s case, breakout model Cocomi used her position as a ‘manga lover’ and brand ambassador for Dior to put together what is essentially a very luxurious cosplay, with items taken from Dior’s Spring 2021 collection and a lot of attention paid to the make-up. Just don’t look at the prices, because they’ll make your eyes bleed.
For The Promised Neverland, its creators (Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu) have teamed up with Chanel to pen three short stories inspired by the history and image of the brand, one of the world’s most famous. A special exhibition is also planned for the end of April, which may or may not signal more collaborations with manga for Chanel in the future.
Both of these collaborations are worth checking out, also proving that manga is no longer considered a cheap form of entertainment: instead, it's treated as a serious art form worthy of attention, which is good news in our books.
10
Super Sentai’s sensational songs stockpiled.
This year is the 45th anniversary of the Super Sentai series, and what better way to celebrate it than listening to every single song from every single iteration?
That’s exactly what you can do with the Super Sentai Series 45th Anniversary Box Legendary Songs album, which contains all of the theme songs and some of the soundtracks used in the series. Spread across eight disks and costing $9900 (about $95 USD), this is a must-have for any tokusatsu fan, whether you actually listen to it or simply keep it in the box.
Imagine the scene. You’re at a party and your friend passes you the aux cord… ‘You better not play trash,’ they say. Smiling, you pull out your portable Discman CD player from the late 1980s with one of the disks from the Super Sentai Series 45th Anniversary Box Legendary Songs album inside and press play.
All is well.
Video Corner
The Black Clover anime is ending after four years and 170 episodes. That in itself is impressive, most anime with that many episodes started a long time ago, but these days, it’s become less and less practical. But even with its ending, seeing his manga animated was a childhood dream of author Yuki Tabata and it became the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll last year.
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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