Ahoy, I'm Peter Tatara. In brief, I'm left-handed, a vegetarian, and my blood type is A. I work for the New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival and have a cute girlfriend and a Space: Above & Beyond boxset. I'm generally a happy guy.
- Created By ptatara
Cosplay Day is Sunday
This is a gentle reminder that Cosplay Day is this Sunday at Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Ave of the Americas) in NYC. Kinokuniya opens at 10 AM, and cosplayers will get 10% off all anime and manga all day. There's also an all-day raffle for goodies from Del Rey, VIZ Pictures, and NYAF. And we've also got special guests. Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger -- Team USA from this year's World Cosplay Summit -- will be stopping by to talk about the Olympics of Cosplay. Sonnya and Renee will be participating in these events...
3:00-4:00 PM - World Cosplay Summit Memories. Sonnya and Renee will spend an hour speaking about what it was like being crowned Team USA, what it was like winning a trip to Japan, and how they felt going up against cosplayers on the international stage!
4:00-4:30 PM - Cosplay Q&A. Got a question about cosplay? Curious about beadwork? Don't know the best fabrics, metals, and woods to work with? Sonnya and Renee will answer all your questions -- beginner to advanced -- so that one day you, too, will be good enough to compete in the Olympics of Cosplay.
4:30-5:00 PM - Samurai Beat Radio. Samurai Beat Radio, broadcast in 26 cities in Japan, comes to Kinokuniya to record a special, live show. Samurai Beat Radio will interview Sonnya and Renee as well as cosplaying attendees to find out the who, what, where, when, and why Americans cosplay. This is a chance to get your voice heard throughout Japan!
I'll see you at Kinokuniya!
Japan Society Offers Language Lessons at NYAF
I'm proud to announce the New York Anime Festival is partnering with Japan Society, a non-profit institution dedicated to fostering cross-cultural exchange between the peoples of America and Japan, for events that'll run throughout the year. Japan Society's first act in this partnership will be an appearance at the 2008 New York Anime Festival. At NYAF, Japan Society will conduct five introductory Japanese language lessons open to all New York Anime Festival attendees from 1:15 to 4 PM on Sunday, September 28 in NYAF's Workshop Room.
Japan Society's language lessons will be taught by a top instructor from its Toyota Language Center. Beginning in 1972 with a single class, Japan Society's language education program has grown into one of the most respected in the nation. Today, the Toyota Language Center offers 12 comprehensive levels of Japanese, as well as a variety of specialized courses and workshops including shodō (Japanese calligraphy) and a Japanese Language Teacher Training Program.
Attendees serious about learning Japanese are encouraged to sign-up for full courses at Japan Society's Toyota Language Center following the introductory program offered at the New York Anime Festival.
NYAF is deeply honored to partner with an organization as well-known and respected as Japan Society. Japan Society is the first name in the world of Japanese language instruction and cultural education, and we couldn't image a better partner to bring the rich language and past of Japan to the New York Anime Festival.
Cosplay Day at Kinokuniya
The World Cosplay Summit was held earlier this month in Nagoya Japan, and Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger -- two girls from Queens -- represented the USA. Now, Sonnya and Renee have returned to the US and want to share their cosplay memories, and the New York Anime Festival is proud to announce they'll be doing this as special guests at Kinokuniya Bookstore's next Cosplay Day on Sunday, August 17!
Why should you get yourself out of bed and get yourself all cosplayed? For starters, if you come into Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Avenue of the Americas) on August 17 in costume, you'll receive 10% off all anime and manga and have a chance to win New York Anime Festival tickets and other swag in an all-day raffle. And, as I've said, Sonny and Renee will be coming in to speak about being a part of the Olympics of Cosplay in three special presentations…
3:00-4:00 PM - World Cosplay Summit. Sonnya and Renee will spend an hour speaking about what it was like being crowned Team USA, what it was like winning a trip to Japan, and how they felt going up against cosplayers on the international stage!
4:00-4:30 PM - Cosplay Q&A. Got a question about cosplay? Curious about beadwork? Don't know the best fabrics, metals, and woods to work with? Sonnya and Renee will answer all your questions -- beginner to advanced -- so that one day you, too, will be good enough to compete in the Olympics of Cosplay.
4:30-5:00 PM - Samurai Beat Radio. Samurai Beat Radio, broadcast in 26 cities in Japan, comes to Kinokuniya to record a special, live show. Samurai Beat Radio will interview Sonnya and Renee as well as cosplaying attendees to find out the who, what, where, when, and why Americans cosplay. This is a chance to get your voice heard throughout Japan!
So, dust off your sailor suit and polish that buster sword. I'll see you at Kinokuniya!
NYAF Lucky Star Dance Contest!
What are you doing this summer? Bored? Got nothing to do? Well, I've got a suggestion. The New York Anime Festival and Bandai Entertainment are teaming up to invite you to grab a camera, gather a few friends, and dance around NYC. Why? We want to see anime fans dance to Lucky Star's "Motteke! Sailor Fuku!" in front of one of New York City's most iconic landmarks and have a stack of Lucky Star DVDs and New York Anime Festival Weekend Passes to help convince you to get on your feet!
How's it work? From August 4th to September 4th, we're accepting entries into NYAF and Bandai's Lucky Star Video Contest. All you have to do is dance to Lucky Star's opening theme -- "Motteke! Sailor Fuku!" -- on camera somewhere in New York City, post it on YouTube, and send us the link. (You can download "Motteke! Sailor Fuku!", read all the official rules, and get entry form at newyorkanimefestival.com.)
NYAF and Bandai Entertainment will be awarding points based on editing, costumes, and more and will reveal the winner on September 10. The winner will receive Bandai Entertainment prize packages including Lucky Star and stacks of other DVDs and five free weekend passes to NYAF 2008. Three runners up will each receive a copy of Lucky Star Vol. 1 and three free weekend passes to NYAF.
So, I'll ask you again, what are you doing this summer?
Far East To East Showcase - NYAF Musical Guests
Far East To East Showcase - NYAF Musical Guests
What bands are coming to NYAF this year? After we brought T.M.Revolution to New York Comic Con in April, people have been hoping for big things. And, we've got big things; however, I don't think they're what anyone was expecting. The New York Anime Festival is proud to announce a partnership with underground Asian rock music promoter Karaterice. Karaterice has been responsible for bringing cutting edge performers to New York City since 2003, and together we're launching the Far East To East Showcase.
Doors will open for the Far East To East Showcase at 6:30 PM on September 27, and the show is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM. The lineup includes BakuBeni, Echostream, Falsies on Heat, The Notorious MSG, Quaff, and Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, and the evening is hosted by the one-and-only giant monster performance troupe Kaiju Big Battel.
I very much want to make the New York Anime Festival a celebration that takes over all of New York City, and FETES is one of the first events we're staging outside of the Javits Center to accomplish this. While the Javits is great for many, many things, New York is filled with legendary musical venues -- and the Javits Center is absent from this list. As such, I'm proud to say the Far East to East Showcase will take place in the historic Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street, New York, NY 10003). The Knitting Factory is a rock landmark for bands on both sides of the Pacific, and we're very happy to invade them on Saturday, September 27.
BakuBeni? Quaff? Falsies on Heat? Why them? The New York Anime Festival is a showcase for the diversity of Japanese popular culture. Looking at our Guests of Honor, we have an illustrator, author, fashion designer, and voice actress. Looking at the FETES lineup, Karaterice and NYAF wanted to bring in bands that equally celebrate this breadth. We didn't go after the cutest idol singers or groups doing the themes to this year's biggest shounen shows. Instead, we went for indie rock and punk bands that you probably don't know -- but you should.
Bios and images of all of FETES's performers will be online at newyorkanimefestival.com on Monday.
So, what do you think? The Far East To East Showcase is different. We haven't seen anything like this done at any other anime con. These are bands you won't see at other shows. And they're in a venue -- famous and storied -- unlike anything that can be constructed in any convention center.
If you'd like to take in the Far East To East Showcase, tickets are $18 and available now at ticketweb.com, knittingfactory.com, and the Knitting Factory box office.
