Explore Japan's Mountains!
Japan is a land of islands, forests and mountains and since it will be Mountain Day in Japan soon we are going on a journey, discovering Japan’s mountain culture, learning the Japanese word for mountain and exploring the food you can get on and around Mount Fuji. We also explore the events of the Kyoto Animation arson news that shocked the anime world in July as well as other anime news, and much more. If you are hungry for anime and Japan-related news, we will satisfy your appetite. We are YOUR source of monthly anime news. Itadakimasu!!
Anime we watched last month
This anime season has great new series to get lost into. There is Cop Craft where a cop and a Semanian Knight, a fairy knight try to investigate a group of people that use fairies as ingredients for drugs, a group also responsible for the death of his partner. Will they succeed in bringing down a group of drug lords dead-set on murdering fairies for drug ingredients. Dr. Stone is another excellent anime series. In Dr. Stone the whole world was suddenly petrified and 3,700 years later two teenagers awaken and try to turn humanity back from stone and kick-start civilization. Problem is sometimes when you resurrect a person his ideals may not be yours as they resurrect a boy with murderous notions. Will they save all of humanity or will he crumble all their hopes and dreams? For more recommendations have a look at our Top 10 Summer 2019 Anime Recommendations.
Anime News
Akira
When the science fiction movie Akira was released in 1988 is was a groundbreaking masterpiece for anime and science fiction in animation movies. It was based on the Akira manga which was unfinished. The manga started in 1982 and finished in 1990, two years after the anime movie. Director Katsuhiro Otomo felt his adaptation was a failure, despite it’s roaring success because of its major budget and time constrains.
Thus director Katsuhiro Otomo has announced a new anime series based on his original Akira manga which will incorporate events from the manga in its entirety. Sunrise is also launching an Akira 4K remaster of the original movie in Japan on April 24th, 2020. We will reveal more about the anime series as more detail is revealed.
Otomo also has an unrelated movie up his sleaves called Orbital Era which takes place in the near-future on a space colony under construction. This movie is written, directed as well as designed by Otoma. It could be just as epic as his previous feature-length movies, Akira and Steamboy (2004).
Picross: Lord of the Nazarick
Nintendo and Jupiter is well known for crossing over into anime with their Picross game such as in the case of Pokémon, Sanrio and Kemono Friends. Now fans of both Picross and the anime Overlord has their turn with Picross: Lord of the Nazarick. This crossover tie-in will be more elaborate as players will be able to solve the puzzles as Ainz Ooal Gown, as well as his nine followers while reliving their memories through images. High-resolution images from Overlord can also be unlocked in the gallery. This game was released at the Nintendo Switch eShop globally on July 25th.
The Overlord anime ran for 13 episodes in 2015 and was a massive hit. It plays off in the year 2137 and tells the tale of Momonga. When his favourite game, Yggdrasil is shut down he decides to not log out of it. NPCs starts to feel emotions and other changes start to occur in this world. Momonga decides to take over this new world. It was followed by a second and third season in 2018.
The Kyoto Animation Tragedy
Middle July on a Thursday at 10:35 AM a horrible tragedy at Kyoto Animation studios left at least 35 people deceased and 34 (arsonist included) injured. A 41-year-old man busted into the offices, setting the famous anime studio on fire. About 70 people was believed to be at work in the building. According to witnesses the arsonist screamed: “Die!” as he set the offices ablaze. The death toll is so far the highest for an arson event since 1989 according to the police. The arson attack had the whole anime community in Japan as well as globally in shock. It has also been confirmed that the arsonist has admitted to setting the fire. According to media sources the arsonist has a criminal record and has been known as a troublemaker.
In an interview with the company’s president Hideaki Hatta, he said, “This has just broken our hearts. What’s the use of resorting to violence?” Twitter exploded with tweets from across the globe of anime fanatiks sending messages of condolences for the the victims and their families, offering prayers in English and Japanese and expressing their shock. The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe also tweeted saying, “So many people were killed or injured. It’s so appalling I can’t find the right words. I pray for … their souls.”
Kyoto Animation’s work has touched a lot of hearts with their anime. Some of their most famous anime series include Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, Clannad, K-On!, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Violet Evergarden.
Sentai Filmworks, a U.S. based anime licensing company started a crowdfunding campaign to aid Kyoto Animation, and as of Thursday evening on August 01, the fund has already raised a total of $2,370,920. If you wish to contribute please follow this link: Help KyoAni Heal
AnimeFanatika wishes to express our condolences and offer our prayers to the victims of the Kyoto Animation arson.
We live in a world where depression and anger can lead to a life of crime, suicide and death. We we feel negative we feel like there is no-one to talk to. Problems can be solved only if we are willing to communicate and there are a lot of places where trained professionals can help us deal with problems of the heart and soul. Happy Happy Vegan is a website that created a page on their website named Mental Health Helplines, Suicide Hotlines, And Depression Advice Centers that lists numbers for mental health helplines, hotlines and centres in every country you can think off from Argentina to Venezuela. If you are in need of counselling or know of someone in need please use this list and reach out. You are important. Never give up on getting help. Here is the link Mental Health Helplines, Suicide Hotlines, And Depression Advice Centers
About Happy Happy Vegan in their own words:
“Happy Happy Vegan was created because we felt that there was a need for an easy-to-understand vegan blog that wasn’t solely about recipes. One that also incorporated more about the other aspects of veganism, too.
Our aim is to demystify the vegan lifestyle and provide readers of the HHV blog with solid, actionable advice that will help you along every step of your plant-based journey.”
Kawaii Kulture: Mountain Day
On August 11th it is Mountain Day in Japan, an apt holiday for a country of which 73% is mountainous, that has a mountain range running through each of its main islands. The highest mountain of Japan is Mount Fuji, with an elevation of 12, 388 feet (that is 3,776 meters). We have discussed Mount Fuji before in it’s own bento but there is a lot more mountain and mountain lore to uncover about Japan. Mount Fuji is one of the Three Holy Mountains of Japan, a trio of mountains most revered by the tradition in Japan, the other two mountains being Mount Haku (The White Mountain, which is best know for its UNESCO World Heritage site, Shirakawago) and Mount Tate, known for its onsen and the cobalt blue waters of Mikurigaike).
Mount Haku, commonly referred to as Hakusan, is a dormant volcano, which was estimated to be first active 300,000 to 400,000 years ago and its most recent eruption was in 1659. Hakusan is the westernmost mountain in Japan, and is over 2,000 m (6, 562 ft) in height. It is located on the borders of Gifu and Ishikawa prefectures in Japan. Thanks to the dormant volcano, the mountain is also well-known for its many onsen. Mount Tate, also known commonly as Tateyama, is located in the southeastern are of Toyama Prefecture. The mountain is the source for the Hayatsuki as well as Tsurugisawa rivers, which each flows to the Sea of Japan.
There are hundreds more mountains each unique but one mountain deserves an honourble mention: Mount Asama. This mountain is an active complex volcano in central Honshū, which is the main island of Japan. It is the most active on Honshū and has been classified by the Japan Meteorological Agency as a rank A. It stands 2,568 meters (8, 425 feet) above sea level, bordering the Gunma and Nagano prefectures. Japanese history is riddled with confirmed volcanic eruptions. Here is examples of eruptions in the last 100 years: 2009, 2008, 2004, 2003, 1995, 1990, 1983, 1982, 1973, 1965, 1961, 1958–59, 1953–55, 1952, 1952, 1950–51, 1949, 1947, 1946, 1944–45, 1938–42, 1935–37, 1934, 1934, 1933, 1931–32, 1930, 1929, 1929, 1927–28, 1924, 1922, 1920–21, and 1919. These eruptions are but drops in a melting bucket of history. The real reason why Mount Asama is our honourable mention is because it served as the backdrop to Japan’s first colour film, Carmen Comes Home and in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, the Eighth Angel was located inside Mount Asama.
We share with you two brilliant videos, in celebration of Japan’s majestic mountains. First off we will visit Mount Fuji and then we will be ‘Escaping to a Secluded Japanese Mountain’ with two gentlemen experiencing Japanese cuisine and becoming one with a mountain.
Mount Fuji
Escaping to a Secluded Japanese Mountain
Spread the Word & Word of the Month: Mountain
The word for this month is Yama which means ‘Mountain‘ in Japanese. Here are some examples of how to use ‘Yama‘ in Japanese sentences.
Yama desu – it is a mountain
Are ha yama desu – that (over there) is a mountain
Nihon ni yama ga arimasu – There are mountains in Japan
Yama ha ookiku nai desu – The mountain is not big.
Recipes of the month: Mountain Cuisine
Climbing mountains can work up voracious appetites and we decided to explore the information highway to see what and where one can eat on a mountain like Mount Fuji. We came across an interesting article called 15 Must Try Restaurants When Visiting Mount Fuji. The article is definitively worth a read on cuisine found near and around the mountain. One restaurant called Arubi -Tei- were praised for their Chicken Katsu and we share a recipe video from YouTube channel TabiEats, where the chef and his mom show us how to make Chicken Katsu easily.
We also include a video of how to make carpaccio with flounder and dill inspired by the ‘Escaping to a Secluded Japanese Mountain’ we shared in Kawaii Kulture, as it is one of the meals they featured on their trip to the mountain.
Easy Chicken Katsu
How to make carpaccio with flounder and dill
Top 5 Anime from Kyoto Animation
What happened at Kyoto Animation is a huge loss for the world of anime. In honour of this brilliant anime house we would like to share our top five favourite anime from Kyoto Animation. Their work touched a lot of people and are favourite series and movies to many.
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
Amagi Brilliant Park
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Violet Evergarden
A Silent Voice
Birthday of the month: Seiya Kanie
Our birthday of the month is Seiya Kanie from the Kyoto Animation series, Amagi Brilliant Park. His birth-date is August 10th making Kanie a Leo. His first appearance is in episode 1 of the anime, Chapter 1 or the manga and volume 1 or the light novel series. He is known as a sharp-witted, coordinated and intelligent young man. One day a beautiful and mysterious girl named Isuzu Sento transferred to his school. Sento threatens him at gun point to accompany her to an amusement park on a date. At the end of the date he meets a girl called Lafita Fleuranza. She asks him to be the manager of the amusement park called Amagi Brilliant Park and bring a revival to the park as the park is going under.
We also learn that he was a popular child actor, five years prior to the start of the anime and his stage name was Seiya Kodama. And in episode 1 it’s confirmed through a flashback that he actually share a childhood connection with Latifa. Kanie shared his birth-month with Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop on the 14th and Temari from the Naruto franchise on the 23rd.
AMV of the Month: Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory
This month we bring you an AMV featuring footage of Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory and the song is Foo Fighters‘ The Pretender. Enjoy the AMV!
August Anime Challenge: Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
This month’s challenge is Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, which is an anime from Kyoto Animation and a companion series to Full Metal Panic and Full Metal Panic The Second Raid. It is not as serious as Full Metal Panic and thus is a Science Fiction Adventure with a lighter tone. It emphasizes the high school romantic comedy aspects of Full Metal Panic with a bit of crude humour mixed into it. The anime was directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto (Amagi Brilliant Park) and was produced at Kyoto Animation, replacing Gonzo as series producer. It is also the first animation television show from Kyoto Animation. We want to feature this series as challenge as a homage to Kyoto Animation. It may be part of the Full Metal Panic franchise but there is little plot continuity between this and the original series. Most episodes are stand-alone.
Very loosely continuing the story from Full Metal Panic the story takes place half a year after the series. Sousuke Sagara is tasked with protecting a valuable target Kaname Chidori and has to juggle that with trying to fit in with the society of Jindai High School. He employs interesting technology and combat training facing thugs and gangsters set on kidnapping and torturing Chidori. This series also focus on the bond formed between him and his charge.
Sci-Fi Anime Day
Come and park your mecha at Cool Runnings on August 17th as we enjoy a Sci-Fi Anime Day. We’re going to screen classics like Robotech, Macross, The Vision of Escaflowne and Gundam and more recent series like Bubuki/Buranki and Eureka Seven. Domo arigato Mister Roboto, let us blast off again and space travel boldly to where maybe no of us has gone before.
Cool Runnings has food and drinks specials on the day and Yum-Mee treats will be sponsoring popcorn to enjoy during the screenings. Entrance is free! Grab a friend and come join us for a super sugoi day.
When: August 17th
Time: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Place: Cool Runnings, Centurion (120 Ivan Str , Hennops Park Centurion, Pretoria) The anime day is at the back of the club in the anime screening room
Be sure to look at our event page on our website as we may update with more news on events.