Street Fighter V Launch event

Members of the Capcom Uk community would have received free tickets to this intimate event and they 50 tickets were raffled online to people to win amongst a few other ways to get into this supper hush hush event.

Upon entering you had about 10 consoles you could freely play and fight people in the vicinity. You also had an exclusive two pods which were for tournaments to win freebies courtesy of Capcom UK including mugs, PS4 skins, stat cards, head bands and more.

For entertainment you had a free bar to have as much as you like, a steady infux of nibbles entering the room and a few Street Fighter branded fortune cookies scattered on tables. Twice during the evening we had live performances of characters reconstructing fights from the game.

It was mentioned that the creator of the game Yoshinori Ono would be in attendance and people expected an announcement of a signing or photo session. Througout the night while watching the matches, a fellow Gamer elebowed me saying 'It's him.' I spun around exiting a selfie to see and with a puzzled said 'Where? I can't see him?' and to my suprise a crouching Oni who was taking photos of the fights stood up, turned around and waved at me saying 'Hello!'

It was alike a scene from an anime and as soon as I stopped saying 'OMG OMG OMG' I proceeded to get a selfie and group photo with all my friends including. This was a top 10 moment of my life. Capcom Uk even got in on the action and took photos of us in our selfie mode with Ono. He then got hounded by others after we initially spotted the ninja at the vent.

Whilst mingling we ended up near the entrance and saw a orange bomber jacket move through the crown and stop to look back, we all waved Ono goodbye as he left the building.  For a last minute decision to attend this was a glorious night and I hope to see more from Capcom UK for the fans.

See more of my photos on Facebook:

http://on.fb.me/1YvGd8A

BJFF 2016: Shady

Shady a Japanese thriller released in Japan in 2012 and then by Third Window the following year in the UK. This was a welcomed addition to the Brick Lane Japanese Film Festival. A 93 minute story of bullying in Japanese schools where the treatment gets so out of hand that school children take justice into their own hands.

Kumada (meaning Bear and Rice Paddy) played by Mimpib is the overweight student in her classed bullied by the popular girls and nicked name 'Pooh'. She witnesses bullying in her class but does not intervene to avoid herself being caught in the cross fire. Eventually one girl goes missing and her case becomes high priority in the news and also a mystery at school. Who kidnapped her? A teacher, a fellow student? Is she still Alive? these are all questions running in Pooh's mind.

You eventually realise that the girl who has gone missing was also a bully who had made other girls lives hell including pretty loner Izumi. Strangely she is given a hard time for being attractive the opposite of Pooh. Izumi reaches out a hand of friendship to Pooh and they become close friends. Pooh finds it hard to believe how kind Izumi is and despite neglecting to help Izumi in the past when she was being bullied.

You begin to feel uneasy by this instant clinginess to Pooh by Izumi and she even follows her to her only club which is the biology club where she is the only member. Izumi envy's the love Pooh has for her class fish and mysteriously the fish dies. Izumi says it was a accident but who can really be sure? Was this a malicious attatck as Pooh formed an attachment to a fish, no a male fish?

At a shopping trip Izumi treats Pooh to some mascara which Pooh refutes as it was stolen and she makes advances on her. This left the audience confused, what was it Izumi wanted from Pooh? Or was she securing Pooh's loyalty by doing pleasurable things as a form or bribery. Nothing is clear and the plot thickens when Izumi see's Pooh has a bird as a pet, a male bird, Izumi demands to borrow Chuta the bird and Pooh is alarmed and at first refuses but is emotionally blackmailed into agreeing. The next day Izumi makes a joke abou the bento she has made Pooh saying it used to Chirp and immediately Pooh believes she is eating her pet Chuta. At this point you would think Pooh would end the friendship but somehow Izumi talks her way out of it. Mean while there is a lot of emphasis towards the missing classmate and the bullying at school.

One thing leads to another and things suddenly move fast paced, Izumi invites her to her flat, different from her house, their is a horrific stench coming from one of the rooms. They are also joined by another guest, one their their school teachers who Izumi explains is giving her test questions in exchange for sex. Things start to make more sense, perhaps the bully at school was horrible but she wasn't the one who dissapeared the other girl, Izumi so tramatised from the bullying has snapped and done one terrible thing after another...to a point of no return. The end result is only bloodshed.

Written and directed by Ryohei Watanabe he focuses on inner torment inside human beings and how innocence can be polluted and turned into manipulation and selfish gain. We see the change physically manifest in Izumi through her eyes becoming blood shot and the mirrors smashing as she puts on her 'facade' aka the stolen makeup.

This film explores bullying as a real phsycological experience which is shown as more harmful than physical fighting. Similar to the film Confessions this film really looks at taboo subjects and exposes the Japanese education systems flaws. No one see's the bullying nor goes to investigate the disappearance. There is a sense of negligence.

Overall the film was slow paced which built up to a swift conclusion, every detail mattered so you really had to focus on the film. It didn't feel long at all, the animal torture aspect is shown to be an outlet for students in a few films I have seen so far which is perfectly disturbing signs of a psychopath. Even though it was low budget and you only see a small cast set in a school, it is perfectly directed. Pooh has many opportunities to seek help but feels trapped in an open world. A great physiological thriller to be appreciated , you will enjoy this if you liked the Audition.

Showed at Brick Lane Japanese Film Festival with permission of Third Window Films. Available to buy online.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016 has kick started the year with some great movies for people to watch to educate themselves in Japanese culture. This years theme is IKIRU: The Highs and Lows of Life in Japanese Cinema.

Running  from 5 February to 26 March 2016, the first stop is London ICA, the ICA is particularly one of my favourite cinemas as they are tucked away in between Charring Cross and Piccadilly on the outskirts of a serene park. Inside a home to art exhibits, cafe, trendy bar, walk in gift shop and comfy cinema screens for lots of independent films.

The Japan Foundation added two anime's to the list due to popular demand and here are the titles:

Anthem of the Heart

We follow Jun Naruse a young girl who believes her words have caused unmeasurable trouble. She is one day visited by a mysterious ‘Egg Fairy’ who casts a spell on her preventing her from speaking, stopping her from conveying her emotions. When she enters high-school, Jun is asked to join a musical – a group which turns out to be an unexpected mix of students all suffering from emotional trauma just like Jun. Through the key themes of friendship and music can will Jun be able to find her voice again?

A charming story from the creators behind the smash hit movie, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. The creative team of director Tatsuyuki Nagai, scriptwriter Mari Okada and character designer Masayoshi Tanaka return with a completely original animated film which was a huge hit upon its domestic theatrical release in late 2015, touching many hearts across Japan. (Distributed by All the Anime)

Miss Hokusai

A animation from the Keiichi Hara who, who's film, Colorful, the Japan Foundation screened previously. (Watch the interview with Keiichi Hara here.) Set in early Edo period, this animation brings to life the story of O-Ei, the daughter of the ukiyo-e master, Katsushika Hokusai (globally famous for his piece The Great Wave).

Based on the original manga Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, an adaptation which Hara, a huge fan of the series, called ‘a dream come true,’ the film brings Sugiura’s comic and worldview to the big screen, creating a wonderfully detailed recreation of Edo life through combining hand-drawn 2-D with 3-D techniques. The film scooped three awards at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, including the Satoshi Kon Award for best animated feature film. (Distributed by All the Anime)

Here are also a few that have taken my fancy:

Uzumasa Limelight

An award-wining film telling the admirable story of Seiichi, a ‘kirareyaku’ actor whose main job in samurai movies is simply to be killed-off by the lead star. When the studio where Seiichi works decides to discontinue its samurai epics, Seiichi finds himself at a loss but hope arrives in the form of a young woman named Satsuki, who soon becomes his disciple.

Using Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight as an underlying theme, this film pays homage to the unsung heroes of Japanese movies filmed in Uzumasa film studios (Kyoto), Japan’s Hollywood. The semi-autobiographical performance by real-life kirareyaku, 71-year-old Seizo Fukumoto, who is said to have acted out 50,000 on-screen deaths, earned him the best actor prize at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Montreal, in 2014, with the film also winning the festival’s Cheval Noir for best film. (Distributed by Third Windows Film)

I'll Give it My All...Tomorrow

Fed-up forty-something Shizuo (Shinichi Tsutsumi) quits his secure job to become a full-time slacker, embarking on a reluctant pursuit to follow his true dreams. Despite now spending most of his time hanging around the house in his underwear playing video games and working part-time at a fast-food restaurant, Shizuo eventually comes to realise his true passion in life: Manga! Without much preparation or any skill, Shizuo starts working on his masterpiece…

Adapted from Shunju Aono’s popular manga series, this comedy by Yuichi Fukuda (the director behind HK: Forbidden Super Hero) follows the mid-life crisis of a loveable lazybones trying to find his calling. It will no doubt delight many aspiring manga writers of all stages of their lives! (Distributed by Shochiku)

Starting at the prestigious ICA London from 5th February - 11th February

Find the full list of movies and anime on the Japan Foundation website.

We are Perfume documentary at Rich Mix

Celebrating the band Perfume's 15th anniversary of group’s formation and 10th anniversary since making their major debut, they have released a new documentary.


The documentary "We are Perfume" portrays the group's present and links to their past and future.

Their popularity has sky rocketed in their later years with their recent album, LEVEL3, released in 2014 was distributed in 251 countries/regions and made it to number 1 on iTunes Electric Music Album category chart in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand, and also went to top 10 of the chart in 19 countries including the US and Canada.

Perfume achieves universal popularity due to their new wave techno-pop songs (different from most girl bands in the charts), sophisticated dances and live performances using the latest technologies

The documentary film follows their activities over a two months period while touring overseas. You will see footage from Perfume WORLD TOUR 3rd and SXSW 2015 during their 10th major debut and 15th formation anniversary year, 2014-2015. With over 500 hours of footage filmed across Asia, Europe and the US this film portrayed their music, live performances and behind-the-scenes which has never been shown before.

Witnessing the current Perfume as they are, you will understand their achievements since the group’s formation and their desire for the future.

We are perfume will be screened in the UK for one day only on 12th December at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green at 12.45.

In addition to this special one-day screening of documentary, Perfume’s official merchandise will be available to buy including: T-shirts, stickers and plastic folders.

The merchandise booth will be open from 12pm.

Buy tickets here.

http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/we-are-perfume-world-tour-3rd-document/

Directed by Taketoshi Sado

Songs by Yasutaka Nakata (Capsule)

Main Theme: Perfume, Star Train (Universal Music)

Film Partners: Amuse, Nikkatsu, Universal Muisc, Live Viewing Japan, NHK Enterprises

Planning & Released by Amuse, Nikkatsu

Production: NHK Enterprises

Distributed and Promoted by NIKKATSU (Japan), LIVE VIEWING JAPAN (Worldwide)

© 2015 "WE ARE Perfume" Film Partners.

For more news on anime, cosplay, games and Japanese culture follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Aisha Anime ^_^

October mcm 2015: Friday

London mcm comic con one of the biggest events in the UK, opened their doors to the public today at 10am. With barriers today controlling people coming in snd out the venue and also to stop unruly behaviour on the grass as has happened in the past.

Upon getting your wristbands you enter the world of advertising including Steve Jobs movie, Jet, The Robot and many more.

This Halloween we have the following companies showcasing their games: Rice Digital, Bandai Namco entertainment, NISA, Koei and riding star games.

Cex returned with their famous tentacle chair aswell as a new edition of fluffy feet encrusted chair with the same competition incentive.

Due to high demand the Yogcast had their own section within the Escorts area (Hall opposite main mcm Hall). Where you could queue up, buy merchendise, get it signed then receive a free fall out mask you could post on twitter to be entered into a competition.

You also had a stall called Monkey Merchandise selling fall out items, an Assassin's Creed stall amongst Insert Coin and turtle tees.

One of my favourite moments was seeing ultimate anime fans gushing over Todd Haberkorn, voice of Natsu from Fairy Tale, Watanuki from Xxxholic and more. This was his first London convention and he was greeting by people dressed as characters from anime he worked in and with related merchendise. It was plain to see the London majority praised him for Fairy Tale as they did with Colleen Clickenbeard who played Erza on the anime.

More photos from MCM here.

For more adventures into anime, cosplay, gaming and events follow me on Facebook and twitter. 

^_^ Aisha Anime

Film4 Summer screening of Princess Mononoke at Somerset House

Film4 after 10 years screened their another anime from Studio Ghibli. The chief programmer Dave Cox came on stage and talked of the popularity of Spirited away and then Howl's Moving castle. These anime's bought a full venue to Somerset House making Anime a more mainstream viewing.Due to the increasing popularity he mentioned a future screening of My Neighbour Totoro which prompted avid fans to scream with joy before the movie began.

It is safe to say they showed a remastered uncensored version of Princess Mononoke showing a lot more gore with heads and limbs flying off and much more spattering blood. The graphics were also sharpened and at times I felt there was CGI.

Absolutely loved the atmosphere - everyone was allowed to bring their own food and drinks but with a bar bar available. Blankets and pillows were available if you wanted to lie down and become fully engrossed in the movie. The Somerset house mixed with great weather was perfect.

The story follows next in line village chief, Asitaka, of a secret tribe who encounters a possessed boar which wounds him and seals his fate. He is exiled from the village in order to find a cure for his cursed arm which swells every time he is near danger or the person who turned the boar evil. Him and his elk Yakul travel to the forest of the Deer in hope of a cure and encounter Princess Mononoke and the wolves who seek revenge against Lady Oishi of the Metal works.

The story emphasizes the morals of looking after nature and not ruining it for your own selfish needs. Also to respect animals and what they bring to the environment and society.

There are still more screenings with tickets available so check out the Somerset house website for their schedule.

For more adventures into conventions, anime, cosplay and gaming follow me on Twitter and Facebook ^_^

Nineworlds: Gaming beyond the West - live blogging

It was refreshing to see perspectives into characterisation in gaming in regards to diversity.

The majority of games protagonists follow the majority be it caucasian or Japanese looking characters.

We only have the power to bring diversity in our own customisable avatars in mmo games and some free roam rpgs. As it has bern argued that in for example a female protagonist in Assassin's Creed unity was too hatd to animate yet using one in a previous gane in the series, it is hard to understand the challenges or prejudices.

As technolgy has developed and we have photo close graphics - minotitirs are bring noticed as not being accurate or used at all. This would not have bern a problem in gamrs like ping pong or tetris.

Mobile games are easier to market snd highly profitable as they use fruit, animals instead of humans as candy crush or bejewelled do mot offemd people and therefore easy to localise.

Games also reflect popular culture and different mediums such as movies, books etc so as pop culture chamges, games hopefully chanfe alongside it aswell.

It is always interesting to look into historical accuracy in games which Taren Matharu (author of Summoner - the novice) went into detail such as world war 2 games with the high statistics of black amd south Asian soldiers where none are shown. Not even a mention or reference to a name, it is alk predominantly American with a few British. Proportions are not correct but is it fair?

The game Sunset by Telltale games follows a black house keeper of a dictator in 1970. Commercially it didnt make a lot of money but with their own miney from previous successful titles they made the game with their own free reign. Crowdfounder and kickstarter campaigns help gauge interest and support independent game studios yo make unique games.

Never Alone proves cultured games with diversity have appeal to the worldwide audience. It has stiries based in the north pole from eskimos and give us an insight which was the aim to be educational and proves to demonstrate so.

Some of the recommendations from the panelists of a good representation of diversity in games are:

The Walking Dead
The last of us
Assassin's creed
Yukuza 3

For more information on Nineworlds Geekfest or to buy tickets for the next con in 2016 go to their website:

https://nineworlds.co.uk

For live updates from the event and others follow me on twitter and facebook.

@aisha_anime

Nineworlds Geekfest: Monsterclass Publishing - live blogging

One of the most appealing things on the Nineworlds Geekfest schedule for Friday were the array of panels dedicated to publishing. Be it your unbiased novella, shortstop or comic script you could pick the brains of writers, agents and publishers.

I took the chance to listen to John Woodworth and Julie Crisp.

• Less money/sales in shortstories and anthologies 
• Is your book following the latest trend?
• Do you have a niche?
• Approach the relevant publisher that specialises in your genre.
• Traditional publishing is more popular due to gaining a higher percentage for the writer.
• Self published/amazon is great but check the fine print.
• Don't be pretentious market your book as potential for a series.
• Agents want a brand not just a one hit wonder, stick to a genre!
• Get a beta reader (who isn't your mum for honest feedback.
• Editor is helpful but not essential

For more updates on the events follow Nineworlds and myself on Twitter: 

@London_Geekfest 

@Aisha_anime

Buy tickets for Geekfest 2016 here.

YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN at Hyper Japan

YOSHIKI from X JAPAN has announced his participation in this summer’s HYPER JAPAN. YOSHIKI AND TOSHI will give a SPECIAL UN-PLUGGED PERFORMANCE, and have a X JAPAN booth signing merchandise and posing for photos with the fans !

Band leader YOSHIKI and vocalist TOSHI will present the “YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN special live showcase” at the 2,700 capacity concert house inside the 02 Arena. Fans of X JAPAN will be overjoyed to hear that X JAPAN will be holding a concert at Wembley Arena on March 12, 2016! To commemorate this announcement, YOSHIKI and TOSHI will be performing a selection of their songs and making an appearance at the X JAPAN booth that day. Furthermore, they will be making another appearance at the booth on the 12th, from 15:00 to 16:00. At the X JAPAN booth, YOSHIKI’s beloved crystal drum set will be on display, and fans will be able to purchase Wembley Arena advance tickets, T-shirts and other goods.

YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN Special Performance

Date and time: 15:45-16:45 on Saturday July 11th 2015
Venue: HYPER Live! Stage

Special Live Showcase Entrance: A general entry ticket (Saturday Second Session/Dual ticket/3-Day ticket) is necessary to enter. Entrance on the day will be decided on a first-come-first-served basis, and the number of audience members will be limited. Queueing for the live showcase will open at 15:00.

YOSHIKI x TOSHI from X JAPAN Special Appearance

Date and time: 17:00-18:00 on Saturday July 11th 2015

Date and time: 15:00-16:00 on Sunday July 12th 2015

Venue: X JAPAN Booth, Area 2

Tickets for the Wembley Arena concert will also be on sale at the X JAPAN booth! If you’re lucky to obtain tickets for the Wembley concert, YOSHIKI and TOSHI will be there to give you a High-Five! If the duo aren’t at the booth when you purchase your ticket, you’ll receive a voucher which you can use to get a High-Five with them at Wembley Arena. The seats allocated for purchases made at HYPER JAPAN are specially selected seats with good views, so be sure to get yours!

For more news on anime, games, conventions and Japanese culture follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Aisha Anime ^_^

Okinawa Day 2015

Okinawa day 2015 crept up fast this year with underground advertising - literally on the underground tube station tunnels and in the metro. It was delightful to see what Japanese tradition and culture the organisation had to show us this year outside Spittlefields Market, near Liverpool street station.

Some of the highlights included Okinawan music including Kariyushi and Mo Ashibi, but if you likes action there were a lot of karate demonstrations to enjoy. One of my favourites are the self defense stances.

You also had opportunities to eat some authentic food, snacks and buy merchendise including Okinawan prints especially screen printed for this event. For more details on Okinawa day go to the website: http://www.okinawaday.org.uk/

For more news on Japanese culture, anime, manga, cosplay, events and hgames follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Aisha Anime ^_^

Goju Ryu Karate

Okinawa Day 2014

A friend of mine asked me if I was free 21st June to go to Okinawa day. this was something I had never heard of of. Okinawa is a prefecture made up of thousands of islands, south of Kyushu. The largest Island is named Okinawa Shima, or Okinawa Island, the mission of Okinawa Association U.K and London Okinawa Sanshinkai who organise the event is to promote Okinawan culture further in the U.K in order to strengthen our existing relationship between the U.K and Okinawa.

This event has occurred annually since 2009 in the Uk and they hope to strengthen the relationship between the UK and Okinawa through the annual events. They also encourage more and more U.K audiences to participate in future Okinawa related events and to create an Okinawa cultural hub in the UK. 

This particular Okinawa day is before the 23rd June which is a memorial day in Okinawa to commemorate the final battle day where more than 200.000 lives were lost at the end of WWll. 

Okinawa Day was held outside at Spittlefield market in London to celebrate Okinawan culture with a variety of events. They demonstrate the spirit of Uta-no-hi (A day of Songs) started in Okinawa in 2001 by BEGIN, a popular blues band. Uta-no-hi's purpose is to appreciate and celebrate Uta (Songs) which bring joy to their lives as well as to help overcome the hardships of life. 

We had a great demonstration of Okinawan dancing with drummers and they even did a workshop to show audience members how to do the dance and drum.It was great to see a huge range of people in the audience from young children to the older generation coming to learn and immerse themselves in the culture

So we had a variety of singers perform folk songs, Jpop songs and had a great ensemble with Hide the Guitar player with Hibiki the top Shamishen player in the UK and Akari singing her harmonious melodies.

We also had some live Karete demonstrations which showed stances with different weapons and also a display of strength with the demonstrators withstanding bamboo sticks.

Hide, Akari and Hibiki

Amongst the entertainment they also had delicious food on sale including Nice Ice - perfect for the hot weather, Taponyaki (octopus balls) and even a Tea ceremony demonstration for people to participate it. 

Alongside the food they had lots of stalls selling merchandise including key rings, fans, plushes, flower headbands and a few travel agents including Japan Journey's offering bespoke holidays to suit your interests at reasonable prices. Why not indulge in a manga orientated tour ? Go tohttp://www.japanjourneys.co.uk/site/ for more information on planning your perfect Japanese holiday.

Poppy Daisy Handmade Flower Headbands 

Poppy Daisy Handmade Flower Headbands happened to have been set up in the area where lots of ladies and children jumped at the chance to adorn their heads in flowers. She sold flower headbands, clips anything to do with flowers. Selling them for six years, the owner is from Sweden, where it is traditional to use flowers in celebrations. Buy some of her creations online from poppydaisy.com  as well as popping into Spittlefield market on a Saturday.

It was a great family day out and entry was free!

~Aisha Anime ~

For more photos of the event go here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.658360670885051.1073741836.554115554642897&type=3

For more information on the organisations involved or the day itself go to:

http://www.okinawaday.org.uk/

Lionz Denz 2

Photos by Tobininjafox

On Saturday April 4th 2015 the Marriot Hotel Marble Arch was taken over by the largest amount of Tekken anthusiasts to compete for a pot of  £700 and a customised arcade stick. Top ranking players worldwide turned up to the event including: Great Britain, France, America, Korea, Poland, Spain.

Since the days of the original Lionz Den dedicated to Tekken, Liono is back and sponsored by Bandai Namco Entertainment themselves to bring the Tekken hype. With other sponsors such as Bandai Namco Games Madkatz, Sony, 360 gaming.co.uk and Cool Kids Table who donated prizes for the players and raffle including a PS4.

Saturday saw a delay in the tournament due to five copies of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 being stolen, but community members ran out to shops to pick up more copies. All the seeded players amounting over 100 players battle to go up against the best players such as JDCR, Help Me, Kor and Asim. All the players dwindled down to a mere eight to play on Sunday. Games were available on Iiyama and Sony screens . There will also be setups with older Tekken (T1-T5) games for casuals. Food will be available at the venue and there will also be entertainment in the form of performers and comedians.

Devil from Poland against Help Me from Korea (screenshot by Aisha Anime)

The top eight were down to the following countries Korea, GB, France, Poland, France and America. The top three was Korea, GB and Poland and they were all fights to watch! Especially Asim vs JDCR as host Liono was gunning fro his fellow GB player Asim. With all the chanting JDCR and Help Me's determination did not waver. They saw success down to Devil from Poland against Help Me from Korea there were a series of death stares and Devil even provoked trash talk from the silent Help Me with a simple "I Hate you" you knew the battle was very serious then. Every thing was in great banter and fights began and ended with handshakes. With a close battle Help Me won and the finals were JDCR and Help Me both from Korea.

JDCR and Sophie Silva cosplaying as Armour King

With tension mounting on whether JDCR would win the title or would we have to witness more rounds if Help Me conquered his senpai - a very close battle ensued and the cool as cucumber JDCR took the title and prizes for Korea. Making Help Me second and Devil third.

The finals ended around 8pm which meant the after party was to begin with Performances from some diverse rappers, Dippy Magic, you tube sensation D4nny and an after party of Liono dancing !

More photos from the event and performers here.

Follow the Lionz Denz Page here.

For more gaming, anime, cosplay, event news follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Monster Hunter Offline 2015 - the hunt begins!

Group shot photos all belong to Monster Hunter Event Photographer :-)

Being new to the Monster Hunter community I've attended two events so far at the Capcom HQ being lucky enough to meet the Producer of of the games Ryozo Tsujimoto, series director Kaname Fujioka and a whole bunch of awesome hunters! Here is a group who have formed their own independent Monster Hunter community (with no affiliation with Capcom)

This first meet of 2015 was by Monster Hunter Offline an un official community led by die hard fans. Upon entering the LAN pub Meltdown near Caledonian Road station. I was greeted by enthusiastic leaders Angela and Izzy. They gave me a raffle ticket (to win figures or a homemade hammer from the game made by Izzy!) and two badges designed by themselves and explained the schedule for the day.

Photo taken and edited by Isobel Redsell

I was impressed by the vigor and friendliness by the all the attendees, Angela offered to show me the ropes of the game as I was a noob to Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, we got together a group of noobs led by a few high level hunters to help us level up fast and collect armour. A knight in shining armour called Zack who was level 85 at the time came to speed up our quests and he was given a free drink token for being a helper. I was amazed at the kind gesture and that Zack unknowingly helped out and got a free drink for his kindness.

They also had a representative from Koei there with playable demos of Toukiden for people to try out which is similar to Monster Hunter but you are samurai defeating demons in Edo Japan ( the art is beautiful, definitely worth checking out). People who played the demo were entered into a raffled to win a copy of the full game, I quite enjoyed milling around in the easy quests getting to gripes with the controls and to my astonishment I won the raffle.

Before we knew it a delivery of 10 pizzas or more came to the pub and we were all instructed to dig in and raise our stats this was not expected and honestly we were taken care of amazingly. Considering the majority of hunters had been there from 12-8pm. After dinner we awaited the raffle and it was intense. Who gets to collect some figures or take the gigantic hammer home. With a few draws for the hammer - as a few hunters were unable to transport it home, the third winner Rachel Burns cosplaying in one of the armour sets proudly claimed the hammer. Before the hammer went on a car journey to it's new home a;; the hunters were offered a chance to get photos holding it!

This event is great to introduce new players tot he game and for seasoned hunters to level up and make new guild friends. I will definitely attending again :-) The main focus of this group is to get people into a social space to play together, you can play online but there is no form of communication. Gaming can be solitary so let's make it hella fun in person!

Facebook group: MonHunOffline

Twitter Feed: MonHunOffline

For more news on gaming, cosplay, anime and events follow me on Twitter and Facebook too 

^_^ Aisha Anime

Chinese New Year 2015

Following tradition the UK celebrates Chinese New Year a few days after, though CNY normally lasts three days. It celebrates the start of the new lunar year, 2015 marks the year of the goat/sheep. As tradition goes me and my friends congregate in China Town on the Sunday to eat dim sum, look at the stalls selling various trinkets and soak in the culture.

This time there was a new crowd control system which made most roads blocked to exit areas and to actually watch stage events and the dragon dances you would have to circle to Wardour street - this made trying to access restaurants hard!

For past CNY I have seen lucky money trees, fortune Gods handing out red envelopes with coins to people. this time there were lovely floats with mascots for people to look at and this time the Labour party were giving out free fortune cookies in exchange for donations...which was different.

The stalls included lots more variety from charms for your phones to plushies and even ram headbands.

Once you made it to the right area you would glide through a sea of people watching the festivities. One stage there were a group of children on stage telling the story of the significance of the colour red being lucky for the Chinese.

The Chinese community came together to bring a great insight into their culture to multicultural London.

Meanwhile in Trafalgar square there were a fireworks display and a variety of dancing on stage with huge screens for the large crowds to watch from afar.

A great end to the festivities was venturing to the secret photo booth in the China Town Mall for some authentic Purikura, being able to keep memories of the day with us ins ticker form!

What is Purikura ?
See more of my photos here.

Hyper Japan announces new Venues for 2015

After the phenomenal successes of both our summer and winter events in 2014, HYPER JAPAN is set to delight visitors yet again this year in two new events: the HYPER JAPAN Festival on July 10-12th at The O2, and an up-scaled Christmas Market on November 27-29th at London Tobacco Dock. Both events will carry on the true HYPER JAPAN spirit of bringing visitors the best in Japanese cuisine, culture, entertainment and much more; combining old favourites with never-before seen exhibitors and cutting-edge performers.

The HYPER JAPAN Festival 2015 will be a dynamic summer fiesta, offering fun activities for all the family. Our much-loved sake tasting event will make a comeback, along with other Eat-Japan staples including cookery demonstrations and seminars, delicious street food and gorgeous confections. Big names in gaming such as entertainment giant Nintendo will feature in our HYPER Game & Anime Park, where pre-release demos as well as long-established titles will be available for fans to play and enjoy. Our spectacular bi-annual fashion show, which showcases the latest Japanese street fashion trends, will be powered up to include more creative and diverse ensembles than ever before. Other onstage entertainment will include: Cosplay competitions and parades; fascinating talks on a range of Japanese cultural topics; and sizzling musical displays from a star-studded line-up of Japanese talent. Our 3,000 capacity concert house at The O2’s Building Six will be the first in HYPER JAPAN history, and will be an undoubted highlight of this extraordinary cultural festival.

November’s Christmas Market will offer plenty of shopping opportunities in the extensive Tobacco Dock venue, whose picturesque setting creates an enchanting Christmassy atmosphere for festive shoppers in search of unique gifts. Dozens of businesses from both Japan and the UK will be showcasing the best quality Japanese goods this side of the Pacific, while our range of exquisite cuisine, exciting stage shows and all-star guests are not to be missed either! What’s more, delicious and innovative sushi will dazzle visitors once again as we play host to a team of elite chefs for our latest sushi attraction. Amazing entertainment, gourmet dining, fashion, gaming and retail combine to make HYPER JAPAN’s Christmas Market 2015 a must-visit event in everyone’s winter calendar.

HYPER JAPAN announces two new locations for the events this year:

HYPER JAPAN Festival at The O2, July 10-12th

Christmas Market at London's Tobacco Dock, November 27-29th.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hyperjapan
Twitter: @hyperjapanevent
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/hyperjapanofficial
2014 Event Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed410tP9Oso
Instagram: http://instagram.com/hyperjapanofficial