SING FOR YOUR LIFE - Taxidermy puppets dancing ?!

If your a fan of the twitter account Crap Taxidermy then this is the musical for you !

SING FOR YOUR LIFE by Charlie Tuesday Gates running for just a week 04.03.15 - 08.03.15

Time: 9.30pm weekdays (Matinees Sat & Sun 5.00pm)

“If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today the road kill has arrived.

For every beast you ever did know is about to perform in a cabaret show. Today’s the day the animals come alive.”

Acclaimed taxidermy artist featured in the Metro recently, Charlie Tuesday Gates, is famed for scraping animals from the road, buying deceased dogs on Gumtree and reviving the family pet to bring you a cabaret from the Underworld.

Be prepared for your ribs to be tickled and your morals to be questioned.

Buy tickets for their tour at The Vault in March!

Harajuku Girls - Theatre production

"I don’t know a girl who hasn’t been groped on a train. There’s always someone trying to cop a feel. Might as well get paid for it."

Harajuku Girls tells the story of three young Japanese women desperate to pursue their dreams, despite the obstacles that society and tradition put in their way. A play about friendship, fantasy, fashion and what it means to be free. Opens at the Finborough Theatre (Earl's Court Area) for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 24 February 2015.

On Jingu Bridge in Tokyo, teenage girls dress in cosplay outfits for fun, fashion, and the fantasy of being someone else, but now their schooldays are over. Mari wants to be an actor but her father has other plans, Keiko's found a harmless moneymaker - a "compensated relationship" with an older man and Yumi hopes she can get married one day and escape the dreary world of work . As the three young women grow up and apart, they tread the fine line between empowerment and victimhood in a desperate search for independence and the freedom to pursue their dreams.

Jude Christian directs the world premier of this provocative and powerful new play by award-winning playwright Francis Turnly which takes us down the neon-lit streets and forbidden passageways of Tokyo where fantasy and reality can often become blurred. Irish-Japanese playwright Francis Turnly's previous plays include Hiding (Watford Palace Theatre), Descent (Jackson’s Lane) and Bogland (Irish tour). He has written several plays for Radio 4, recent work includes Brought to Light, Homestead and Point of Departure as well as the original detective drama, Hinterland. Francis has been a member of the Royal Court’s studio, Unheard Voices and ‘the 50’ writers’ groups.

Director Jude Christian was the 2013 winner of the National Theatre Studio Bursary for Emerging Directors. Direction includes How Do You Eat An Elephant? (National Youth Theatre of Wales), I'd Rather Goya Robbed Me Of My Sleep Than Some Other Arsehole (Gate Theatre London, Boom Arts Portland), Happy and The Mushroom (Pentabus Young Writers Festival) to just name a few.

Buy Tickets Here.

~Aisha Anime~

Already the press has been booming on the show : “A sinewy, masculine text, given a remarkable production” Four Stars, Maddy Costa, The Guardian.

“The strange inner world...is strikingly drawn out by Christian’s production, which has created a captivating visual and aural landscape...this arresting production makes its searching, impotent fury feel uncannily resonant.” Catherine Love, Exeunt Magazine.

“The uncertainty as to whether this trip is about to happen, has happened, or exists only in the man’s whirling imagination is increased in Jude Christian’s inventively bizarre staging” Sarah Hemming, The Financial Times.

Can't do the pose for you Cosplay? use an iPad instead

The Cosplay and Anime likeness gap has been filled by the technology of tablets. Can't get that super kawaii smile, let's substitute it with the real thing.


Take one cosplay, add a tablet with the right size of your supposed to be face and snap happy !

I found these photos on twitter belonging to Kasyuu which were now retweeted over eleven thousand times to date. She take an awesome cosplay and substitutes her own face for that of the actual anime character resized on her iPad created a great viral photo

Character: Eli Ayase

Series: Love Live 

Find more anime related news on Twitter and Facebook.

~Aisha Anime~

Joypad's #videogamedemocracy caused a stir at Boxpark

Shorditch is becoming the gaming hub of London - finding almost 2-3 gaming events every week now from Nintendo to Sega here is a non sponsored event to mix things up.

I was absolutely impressed with the equipment to put the #videogamedemocracy in to play. You had a large screen at the opposite end of the room (away from the consoles) attached to two sets of buttons which people need to tap continuously to make up numbers to win the vote. The large screen had two games to choose from.

Upon entering I asked how it went and I was just in time for a vote and 20 people ran across the room and button bashed like there lives depended on it. This consisted of perseverance and real passion! I absolutely loved the comradely - no trash talk - all friendly banter - the best part were a lot of the people had just met each there today.

I had a chat with a couple of people at the event some came alone some came in groups - Anders said he came to a previous event and invited friends this time around to come along and they all made circuits around the many consoles to play a bit of everything.

Every 15 minutes the vote began for a new game on different consoles, people were given wristbands after paying entry and were allowed in and out of the tent to smoke, bring food and drinks. The audience were a mix of people who came straight from work in suits and younger with 50/50 ratio of Male and Female.

 Joypad is run by George Swain and Matt Farthing. Their next event will be the Official EGX Rezzed Afterparty at the Pickle Factory.



Like Joypad on Facebook for more calendar events they organise or to book for events :-)

See more of my photos from the Joypad event here.

For more information on events follow my Twitter and Facebook. ~Aisha Anime~

Retztron Back at the Hoxton Pony!

It's been almost 4 months since I attended my last Reztron event - why? That's because they have a new venue for Saturdays so the Thursday events were on hold. Since they returned to the delightful Hoxton Pony in the heart of Shorditch.

I absolutely love their events purely becuase they are dedicated to Sega consoles. This includes: Megadrive, Saturn and Dreamcast


All the consoles were available to play at our discretion, friendly competition was encouraged for fighting games such as Mortal Kombat, House of the Dead 2 and Virtual Fighter 2. They used various tricks to utilise the space properly including over head projects on the wall and even ceilings which kept the gamers entertained.


Another addition was the Hoxton Pony Thursdays were now being sponsored by restaurants with free food sampling - it was Mexican theme by Killer Tomato. So after some button bashing on Sonic you could indulge in some tacos and cheesy fahitas upstairs by the bar.

From about 8-10 the event was jam packed with people arriving from work for a game of Virtual Tennis and a round of Karaoke. Karaoke included 80's rock to 90's cheesy tunes on the easy to use machine.

See more of my photos here. Follow me on Twitter for more event news.

Be sure to check out the official photos on their facebook page.

More events to be announced on twitter.

Photo by Sergio Hybrid Photography

The Cosplaying Guinea Pig Family

I absolutely love the cosplayers of the animal world (as long as no cruelty is inflicted). It takes a lot of hard work to make the outfits and getting the pet to sit still or not destroy it within seconds so I commend all owners who get that far to do photoshoots. 

Today is a new kind of cosplaying animal I have come across, a lady called Ayu on Twitter has posted up a series of photos from different anime series of her family of Ginea pigs in cosplay clad and loving it.


Not only has Ayu done a great job with the outfits she has even added props and some photo-shopping for added effect.

Meet Kintoki (male) and his mate Chikuwa (female), and their lovely daughter Menma!

Animes cosplaying from include: One Piece, Mario, Chun Li from Street fighter, Girls Und Panzer and Usagi from Sailor Moon.

More updates from me on Twitter & Facebook        ~Aisha Anime~

It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters: All About Our House

Have you ever wondered the complications of owning your own house in Japan? Well this film explores BUILDING your own house and all the processes to get to living in your own dream home. Part of the Japan Foundation's Touring Film festival: It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters - All About Our House - written and directed by Koki Mitani (The Uchoten Hotel, Once In a Blue Moon).

We follow the married couple Naosuke (Naoki Tanaka) and Tamiko (Akiko Yagi) who decide to build a new house from scratch instead of renting (society norm), recruiting a trendy young interior designer, Mr Yanagisawa, to plan, and Tamiko’s retired-carpenter father to build. However, not too long there is a culture clash between the innovative ideas vs the sturdiness of the house foundations and the plans of there 'contemporary' house has now become rather traditional instead. The project begins to move from their and Mr Yanagisawa dream home to Tamiko's fathers last project doing as he pleases and poo pooing any new ideas.

It's great seeing the team of builders a bunch of elderly men working together with such vigour and joy and doing a great job to ignore the Naosuke's. The best argument that is underlined through the whole film is that of the front door opening out or in. Out is a sign of American architecture but the builders want a traditional Japanese house. This is almost the deciding factor of Mr Yanagisawa quitting.

It shows two sides of the coin and should promote compromise or a fusion of two styles but doesn't the father is set on his ways and despite his daughter not wanting a tatmi (Japanese room) he makes sure to make the room double the original quoted size to spite her. It is funny watching the quarrels but there isn't much development.

I liked the holy rituals to purify the land and to bless the house as it gives an insight into Jpanese tradition and culture. All in all the house is finally built, the foundation is sturdy and has a little artistic flair including some rare bamboo tiles that Mr Yanagisawa suggests and actually impresses the builders.

Catch the cinema on the big screen in Edinburgh Filmhouse and Nottingham Broadway in March.

The Powerpuff Girls return to Cartoon Network in 2016

The three girls made from sugar and spice are making a comeback! Blossam, Bubble and Buttercup return to kick evil's butt once more on Cartoon Network in 2016.

Cartoon Network will be showing in 2015-2016 agenda the reboot which will have Adventure Time’s animation director Nick Jennings as executive producer. This is positive news for retro fans of the show as we can only expect great humour and story.

The Powerpuff Girls cartoon was originally 78 episodes which started airing in 1998 though to 2005, developing a cult following. During Craig McCracken's first year in character animation he made a short film 'Whoopass Stew!' featuring three girls as main characters thus was the beginnings of The Powerpuff girls.

The Powerpuff Girls in CGI form for a 2014 special

It became known for its outlandish villains, including the wordy Mojo Jojo Monkey with a massive brain, and HIM, a sort of half devil, half goat transgender character who still haunts our nightmares to this day with his bizarre tactics.

Review: PK

This film had my head in a whirl - the adverts didn't reveal much about the movie apart from the main actor being Aamir Khan walking around butt naked having his dignity covered but a retro boombox cassette player. Posters of this were removed in India but made quite a stir in regards to the movie.

Straight-away you know something is unusual about the main character 'PK' which means Tipsey/drunk in English. His eyes are constantly open with a permanent shocked looking face and over accentuated ears pinned forward.

PK came out December 2014 and I would class as a comical drama because of the themes addressed.
The film begins with Anushka Sharma, Jaggu, trying to get into a poetry showing but the tickets are sold out to her favourite authors rare event. Another guy has the same dilemma. Through this chance meeting they become friends and then lovers - one problem Jaggu is Hindu and Sirfraz is Muslim. This is highlighted across the lines in regards to marriage and Jaggu's parent are against the relationship and seek advice from the local religious baba/priest. He plants the seed of doubt in her mind.

Jaggu tests the strength of her and Sirfraz's love and insists they get married the next day. Upon finding a stood up bride holding a basket with a kitten. A letter is delivered to her with no name and simply says 'I cannot marry you.' she then melodramatically moves back to Mumbai (her parents have disowned her regardless) so she takes a job as a TV channel reporter to support herself.

 Boss Boman Irani gives her novelty stories to cover like 'Why is this dog depressed?' (Can a dog be depressed firstly?). She is disheartened with the ridiculous stories and goes in search for something to make a journalistic impact on the world.

Queue 'PK' teleporting down to earth from his spaceship. I kid you not, this film is about aliens. I was so suprised from the advert you get the impression Pk is strange maybe even autistic but he is on a whole other level. He walks around a desert with only his remote to get to the ship. Unfortunately the first person he meets steals it leaving behind a retro cassette playing - now the only thing to cover Pk's dignity.

Things aren't easy for Pk as he cant understand nor speak the native language (Hindi) in order to he has to absorb the knowledge from a person by holding there hand for 6 hours. That is easier said than done and he treated like a pervert. Till then he figures out that rocking cars with steamed up windows normally means there are clothes nearby and paper with Ghandi's face can buy food.

In between figuring our human customs he gets hit by Sanjay Dutt in a car, who thinks he has given PK amnesia and decides to look after him tell his memory returns. Through this he keeps trying to hold girls hand (even a few men) and Dutt takes him to a brothel to get this 'perverse behaviour' out of him. He then learns language and information through the un-educated prostitute and travels to Mubai to find 'God' who could return his remote.

This get's interesting as he asks people who this person 'God' is and people point in directions of church, Mosques/temples and he goes, follows all the customs and still no remote. Nobody stops to explain @god' isn't a person he is an entity people worship and believe in and here's where the confusion lies. This is where he comes across Jaggu and she wants to televise HIS story. He doesn't understand why there are so many religions why not worship the same 'God' he pretty much called the same name - just the way of worship is different. This ties into the baba from earlier on who told Jaggu to dump her Muslim boyfriend as 'you can't trust Muslims'. Pk attends one of his talk and questions him on his ridiculous answers like: "My Mother in law is sick, what can I do?"
 in which he responds "Buy this holy charm from my shop and go to this mountain and pray." Pk laughs, why is he praying on a  mountain when he can be looking after his mother-in-law?

The film explains miscommunication and how certain sects/cults take advantage of people for money and use there beliefs for the wrong use. The Baba has Pk's remote and claims it is a holy charm. I don't think I can praise this film enough for being out of the box in ideas and discussing something quite taboo. Aamir Khan got blasted for bringing the Hindu-Muslim hate topic into the lime light.

This film deserves all the acclaim it has received it has managed to balance a combination of hard hitting drama with sci fi and comedy. The cast was spot on and they broached the subject pf religion with tact and had a few songs too. I'd rate this 8/10 it is a must to watch and in the screening I attended there was one Asian family and the rest were mixed between Englisn, Malasian, Indonesian and Chinese. This film is universal - any one can enjoy it and the subtitles were written well.

The film is currently the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, and ranks as the 66th highest grossing film of 2014 worldwide. PK is in the list of IMDB’s Top 250 films of the world. The film was directed by Rajkumar Hirani, produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi.

Review: Fantasy Life

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Level 5
Genre: Adventure, RPG
Players: 3

Release Date:
27th Dec 2012 (JPN)
24th Oct 2014 (USA)
26th Sep 2014 (UK/EU)

The best way to describe Fantasy Life is a real time action RPG from level-5. This came was supposed to come out 2009 in Japan but was delayed and kept in development till 27th December, 2012. This mean't they had to enhance the specifications for DSi to 3DS quality. 

Playing Fantasy life is a different experience from a JRPG and resembles Animal Crossing but with more story and depth to the game - also the online capabilities differ greatly. Missing out the art and CGI counterparts of the Japanese RPG the game has a lot of big Japanese names involved.  In addition to Level-5, legendary character artist Yoshitaka Amano (Art of Final Fantasy) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy composer). Most notably, Fantasy Life is the final game developed by Brownie Brown — before changing name to 1-UP Studios  a company that favoured by most JRPG fans’. 

The game is set in a medieval setting, where among a dragon threatening the land, you work with a a new race called 'Plushies' (not cuddly toys apparently)  to expand your skills as an adventurer. In addition to gaining XP and earning 'Dosh' (the in-game money) for vanquishing monsters and cows, each Life has its own series of tasks which make you a wholesome character.

When enough stars are earned, the player ranks up in the Life they are currently living and gaining access to new skills, presents (awarded by a butterfly) or recipes that also mostly remain usable when a character switches Lives which is key to the game's point. You can pick the job of a warrior, seamstress, farmer, carpenter, blacksmith, mage and more - the full experience of Fantasy Life lies in developing your craft 

The gameplay isn't especially difficult and great for new RPG gamers and retro, button presses are used to attack and likewise to use skills. I chose seamstress/tailor as my first life and to complete clothes tasks i simple moved left or right and press 'A' consecutively within a time limit. 

Fantasy Life is more of a customisation game and you don't heavily rely on numbers and statistics. Super cute Gear can be attained from Nintendo codes which they post up on twitter regularly.  

Part of the main story you complete your skill tasks to obtain 'Bliss' which unlock special prizes, part of the main plot was stumbling across a talking butterfly 'Flutter' she is the one who measures your bliss and awards you prizes from pets to more space in your inventory and I highly recommend making your bag bigger - as you end up picking up lots of items to trade.

Fantasy Life’s art has a hand drawn cartoon which works well with the 3D There is a minor visual issue with the perspective, which is midway between a top-down and a side view — combined with the relatively low resolution of the 3DS — means that details lose high definition but I am happy to enjoy the environment art.

There are rarely any cinematic moments in the game which is a shame, any there are used to advance the game's story. The game ios light hearted and has lots of humorous one liners in the game and lovable characters. 

It should also be noted, though its level of attraction will vary, that this isn't an exclusively single-player adventure. Fantasy Life’s multi-player allows players to get together locally or on-line in groups of up to three and accomplish the same tasks and challenges as in single-player mode (although it is not possible to advance the main story in multi-player). With the variety of Lives to live and the range of tasks to perform, any trip to any kingdom with just about anyone is sure to be productive in some way — and you might just get the right help to finally defeat that challenge monster that’s spent far too long in your Life list.

On-line facilities include  StreetPass to have new friends enter your land carrying gifts which you can only obtain after talking to them several times (they are in different areas of the game). Link mode also allows you to send your on-line friends messages (both group-wide and private) whilst not playing the game together.

Final Thoughts

Fantasy Life is a break from Animal Crossing, doing mini games and tasks which has some plot to follow kept me more engaged than I expected. Learning new aspects such as capturing mercenaries and handing them in for bounty. I recommend you choose a fighting type to begin with or else collect money gets a bit challenging. The art is charming coupled with a great soundtrack to make a Westernise RPG with anew concept making the game playable more than once.

7/10 

For more game news check out my Twitter & Facebook ^_^ 

@aisha_anime

~Aisha Anime~

NSG'S first POKÉMON AND SUPER SMASH BROS EVENT!

DATE: 11/04/2015

LOCATION: University of Westminster (campus and room TBA)

DOORS OPEN: 1pm

EVENT STARTS: 2pm

ENTRY FEE: £4

Hey guys and girls! You've been invited to NSG's first biggest event which will be all about Pokémon and Super Smash Bros! This speical event will consist of:

★ Pokémon ORAS mini-tournaments

★ Super Smash Bros 3DS mini-tournaments

★ Pokémon Roulette for both ORAS and XY

★ Raffles 

Do not worry about missing a thing either because we'll try our best to make sure you can enjoy all the fun stuff to do so you can have a good time!

You will need to bring your 3DS, entry fees and don't forget to sign UWSU Pokémon Society's external guest form if you are NOT a student of University of Westminster.

Please read the pinned post too, for the rulings of the mini-tournaments and Pokémon Roulette. 

We look forward to seeing you all - train hard! ~Aisha Anime~

 

Pokémon Society external guest form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r1eu89bu8eeHRzbKXvWquGP0YpQrGSH3TeCRSsn70vA/viewform

Pokémon ORAS mini tournament rulings:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10VcSlEfPg_00dhTIMH3xTH2kaBLEsXz0gEjZ9irKZYU/edit

Super Smash Bros 3DS rulings:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OxVLFqF9cDRgk8uRMCWY_zLom40xlYpK2D0wWSoQbzw/edit

Pokémon Roulette rulings:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vSHLsgzug2SdnBcQs-x7wP3cHSOxOTNdNadrNh5Yf2o/edit

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More news/events poster on twitter.

Photo by League of Extraordinary Cosplay

Hyper Devotion Noire: new JRPG from Hyper Dimension Neptunia series!

Hyperdevotion Noire

Idea Factory International is excited to announce today that Hyper devotion Noire™: Goddess Black Heart, the very first strategy RPG in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, will be coming to North America and Europe in early 2015! This is something to make all JRPG enthusiasts happy, especially myself :-)

Console:  PlayStation Vita handheld
Formats: retail and digital formats 

EU Release: 20th Feb 2015

Story

Moe Army

Unlike previous Hyperdimension Neptunia games, HyperdevotionNoire is not set within the world of Gamindustri, but instead within a similar, but separate, world known as “Gamarket”. The CPUs of each of the four nations are locked in heated battle against one another for dominion over this world. Just as Noire is one step away from complete domination, the CPUs are suddenly robbed of their powers by an unknown force. Now in order to save the world from destruction, the four CPUs must unite Gamarketand defeat the onslaught!

Key Features

A Moe Army Awaits! You ain’t never seen the CPUs like this! Lead them in their first-ever foray into strategy RPG gameplay, taking on enemies in a whole new way. You’ll fight off hordes of enemies in turn-based strategy, dodging laser beams and flaming pits, and using dangerous environments against your enemy.Link up with the “Lily System” The more often characters are in battle together, the higher their bond becomes. Activating the “Lily Boost” grants special stats and abilities, while “Lily Points” can be used to activate ultra-special moves and even goddess transformations. Don’t be shy to build up those battle relationships and seal it all with a kiss!

Check your Status!

All kinds of funky things can happen in the heat of battle and characters can be hit with status ailments that are both boon and burden. You can get pixelated, zombie-fied, or even turned into a block of tofu! Some status changes come with their own benefit and cost, so keep this in mind during a fight.

Item Customization!

You’ll get tons of replay value with so many ways to boost your gear’s stats! The more enemies you defeat, the more items you can get to customize your gear in whatever way you see fit. Let the great experiment begin!

Livin’ the Noire Life!

Life’s not all about grid-based battles. Sometimes Noire just wants to relax at home, and with the “SimNoire” mode you’ll be able to do just that! Customize the place by buying furniture and accessories with in-game points, and make Noire feel like the goddess she is. She’ll also get to go out with friends and build up her social level!

More game updates on Facebook and twitter.

~Aisha Anime~

Plans for a Hayao Miyazaki Theme

There was first Disney land an amusement park paying homage to the founder of popular children classic animations. Such a tribute is now being made for Hayao Miyazaki often referred to the Japanese Disney. 

The popularity escalated from the Western infiltrating anime Princess Mononoke sending a great message of looking after mother nature. This many movies including notably My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service have inspired many designs of t shirts taking the internet by storm. Any Comic Con convention is not complete with Studio Ghibli merchandise and cosplays.

A “Ghibli Land” theme park was announced on Valentine's day to be made. The artist Takumi (@TakumiToxin) has just unveiled his design for the world’s most fully immersive Miyazaki experience. Sections include My Neighbor Totoro‘s treehouse (parallel to Disneyland’s Tarzan’s Treehouse), the Spirited Away bathhouse, Princess Mononoke‘s Iron Town, and, of course the park wouldn't be complete without a Cat Bus monorail that takes visitors around the entire park, this would all be around the centre point which is Howl’s Moving Castle.

This will be my next hot spot when i visit Japan ^_^

~Aisha Anime~

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Top Valentine Cards

This post is to show different ideas of messages and photos you can devise to show how you feel about someone, they can be full on or subtle. Personally more cats involved the better :-p Enjoy!

 Let's start with the heart clad, tacky card and Yes it is a cat dressed as cupid! Keeping it cute and funny.

This card is for that cat enthusiasts as only we know the importance of a cat blink.

 Straight up permission the cats have given up to be a couple. Simple, not too gushy but cute.

 For the gaming couple, probably too cute for the male. Maybe you should stick to feeding him a sandwich while he plays more appreciation from that than a card. -----------------------

 Sarcasm might be more your thing so put them in their place. Simple slogan car.

Obvious and amusing good for long term relationships and good friends.

 Another play on words using your favourite anime character - word play is important.

 poems are nice, if you aren't Shakespeare rework an old classic awith your own style.

Or be random. Let's face it everyone digs the cage allover there face.