Japan Society (333 East 47th Street) is an internationally acclaimed cultural institution that the New York Anime Festival had the honor and privilege of working with last year. Now, I'm excited to help spread the word about Japan Society's latest exhibition -- an exhibit every attendee of NYAF should take note of. Fanboys and fangirls, Japan Society will be exploring the phenomenon on Japanese pop culture in KRAZY! THE DELIRIOUS WORLD OF ANIME + MANGA + VIDEO GAMES from March 13 through June 14, 2009.
Pulling together 200 works of art, objects, and ephemera, KRAZY! illustrates the interconnected roots and themes of the three genres -- anime, manga, and video games -- and situates them within the context of Japanese art and life. Displayed in a series of enveloping spaces designed to evoke Tokyo’s clamorous cityscape by the Tokyo-based architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow, KRAZY! includes the “Anime Garden” with simultaneous projections of six groundbreaking films accompanied by a special soundtrack room, the “Manga Pod” with close to one thousand books along with rare concept drawings and toys, and a video game space that allows visitors to play through key sections Toru Iwatani’s Pac-Man (1980) and Shigeru Miyamoto’s landmark Super Mario World (1990) and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) in an environment as inventive as the games themselves.
Visit www.japansociety.org for further information, and keep on reading below for two highlights of KRAZY!
ANIME SCREENINGS
Several anime films featured in KRAZY! will be shown full-length in the recently upgraded -- with digital projectors and 5.1 surround sound -- auditorium at Japan Society, including Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic Akira (1988), Masaaki Yuasa's Mind Game (2004), Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006), Patlabor 2: The Movie by Mamoru Oshii (1993), The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004) by Makoto Shinkai, and Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Episode 9 and 27 (1982-83) by Shoji Kawamori. Screenings begin Saturday, March 14 and continue until June 14, 2009. For a full schedule, visit www.japansociety.org.
KRAZY! COSPLAY PARTY
Saturday, March 28, 5:30-8:30 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video, Japan Society holds its first-ever Cosplay Party, inviting local fans to create and showoff costumes of their favorite characters and share their enthusiasm for anime, manga, and video games. The Cosplay Party includes classic anime film screenings, a costume competition with prizes from Kinokuniya Bookstore and Manga Entertainment, and free admission to the KRAZY! Only costumed individuals are eligible for the competition. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. See www.japansociety.org/cosplay for details.
