Friday, 23 October 2015

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. 

Saturday, 7 February 2015

Ninja magic: iconic anime hero Naruto is coming to Manchester and Glasgow!

 Ninja magic: iconic anime hero Naruto is coming to Manchester and Glasgow!

It's official, anime fans; Manchester and Glasgow will be playing host to much-loved ninja Naruto later this year! Maile Flanagan, the voice of iconic anime hero Naruto Uzumaki, is to be a special guest at both July's MCM Manchester Comic Con and September's MCM Scotland Comic Con, show organisers have announced. As well as meeting fans and signing autographs, Maile will be taking part in on-stage panels at both events.

Since taking on the role of Naruto in 2005, Maile Flanagan has played the hot-blooded über ninja in more than 200 episodes of Naruto and over 275 episodes of sequel series Naruto: Shippuden, as well as appearing in numerous spin-off feature films and games.

In addition to voicing one of anime's most famous protagonists, Maile's live action appearances include US sitcom Lab Rats, Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man and acclaimed indie rom-com (500) Days of Summer. She has also voiced characters in animations such as Rango, Ice Age 3 and kids' cartoon Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, for which she scooped a Daytime Emmy Award.

Tickets to MCM Comic Cons are available at: www.mcmexpostore.com

MCM MANCHESTER COMIC CON – MANCHESTER CENTRAL – 25-26 JULY

 MCM SCOTLAND COMIC CON – GLASGOW SECC – 26-27 SEPTEMBER

Website: www.mcmcomiccon.com
Twitter: @MCMExpo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mcmexpo
YouTube at www.youtube.com/mcmexpo

Thursday, 7 November 2013

London MCM Expo 2013: The Highs and Lows

Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthall voice actors XD

(Originally this article was written for Anime Picks.)London MCM Expo 2013 really out did themselves as an expo for providing great anime guests this year including:
  • Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Hal)
  • Ryo Mito (Saint Seiya Brave Soldiers)
  • Kunio Hashimoto (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z)
  • Hideo Baba (Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, Tales of Xillia 2)
  • Hiroshi Matsuyama (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle)
  • Troy Baker (Voice actor, Joker, Bioshock, Last of us, Trinity Blood, Tekken, Tales of Vesperia)
  • Richard Craig Smith (Voice actor, Bruce Wayne, Assasin’s Creed, Tekken, Tales of Vesperia)
  • Yuri Lowenthall ( Voice actor, Naruto, Obscure)
  • Tara Platt (Voice actor, Tekken, Naruto, Obscure)
  • Ellyn Stern ( Bleach, Patlobar, Ghost in the Shell)

One of the main highlights of the convention was the attendance of the creators of Attack on Titan, Wit Studio. We managed to get hold of the very busy guys to talk to them about the series, some changes, the music and their new anime Hal. Listen/watch our inteview with Wit Studio here.

Wit Studio
As much as everyone is willing to queue hours to meet their idols, it didn’t end well for everyone sadly. Unless you followed specific people on Twitter, aka Yuri and Tara who posted their signing schedules for everyone to come see them. It became a mission to find the stall to queue, or if you needed to get a wristband and timings. This is something companies need to liaise with MCM about so that MCM have a schedule to release to customers. These changes need to be made known before or on the day. We had many reports coming in of attendees missing their chance to meet certain guests including Wit Studio. The chances of this Japanese team returning is unpredictable.

My highlight was participating in the League of Legends UK cosplay meet, it was an experience I enjoyed through finding the ‘Fringe’ section on the London MCM Expo 2013 site. This page is a must for cosplayers, it has a list of all cosplay meets on all three days with locations, times and even links to Facebook groups. Especially since we have so many cosplayers attending the Eurocosplay awards that we need somewhere universal for people to connect through. Then the official Konami Cosplay competition where Konami sought out cosplayers to cosplay as Konami characters. A lot of Snakes surfaced with a Raiden, Female Dracula and myself as a retro character, Viki from Suikoden.
Check out the great photos taken by the Konami Uk team photographer Ace: http://www.konami.co.uk/mcm-expo-gallery-day-1
The lows were seeing the poor organisation of staff. Sadly there were reports of bad behaviour towards people in wheelchairs, no facilities or allowances were made to make them comfortable. Being in crutches and fighting my way through thick crowds of cosplayers, I can relate. Luckily the attendees were polite and understanding but looking at the MCM group from the amount of complaints shows the lack of training with London MCM Expo 2013 staff/volunteers.

Yugioh life size playing board
What added further insult to injury was if you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, dockland staff were confiscating cosplay weapons. With no justification cosplay weapons or props were taken away and destroyed. This is alarming, as London MCM Expo is known for cosplay, and staff around the area should come to recognise this. However precious works of art and hard labour were taken away and destroyed un rightfully. Please comment us with any updates on this controversial issues.
Our favourite stalls this time round include:
Founded May 1st 2001, Good Smile Company is a Japanese manufacturer of hobby products such as the Nendoroid and figma product lines. In addition to production and manufacturing, its business includes design, marketing and distribution. They have come back to the UK after two years as unsure of their popularity, this time around I personally made sure they knew how popular their products are. Releasing a new line of Attack of Titan figmas and an exclusive Europen Sakura Miku.
Watch our Interview with Mr O about GSC and figuring out a fake here..
Launched by fashion icon and lolita Pixie late who has sold various products in the past but know has her own Pixie Couture line. The many facets of Tokyo street fashion have influenced her shop’s cute, fun and unique aesthetics. Pixie believes that style is a combination of makeup, hair, clothes and accessories, which is why Pixie Bunny strives to be your one stop shop for the hottest kawaii looks and trends. Pixie Couture sprinkles a bit of magic and fairy dust to whoever wears it. The debut line focuses on the preppy cute look of Japanese school uniform (seifuku) and plaid patterns because she adores that look. The shop currently stocks quality Japanese cosmetics, fashion accessories as well as one of a kind hand crafted fashion goods but there will loads more to come!
Sheep hand warmer from Kekiko!

Kekiko.com
Kekiko’s founder also has a passion for pandas like Anime Picks. She sells cute stationary and fashion items, one of the popular ones being the car ear clips, light and real for kids and adults to enjoy for casual day or cosplay. The online store should be up and running by the end of November, you can visit it at: www.kekiko.com. The headgear were the top sellers at the Kekiko stall, these included the kitty and bunny ears, the tokidoki snapbacks and the bunny ear beanie hats. Everyone loved them and thought they went well with almost any outfit. Pandas are Amy’s all time favourite animal. They are cute, huggable and just adorable fluffy creatures. This is why she chose to have them as her mascots.
Watch our compilation video here.

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

May London MCM Expo 2013 : The Stalls

So your walking around MCM London Expo and looking for some unique merchandise to spend your hard earned cash on. There are plenty of them so where do you start? We had the same problem, stalls are littered throughout the convention, many with tempting deals and some with hand-crafted items. Our journey was fruitful, we found some of the best stalls at MCM Expo and have culminated them here for your perusal.


stalls May London MCM Expo: The Stalls
Costume Box
We met a lovely lady called Sarah who was selling a selection of intricately made top hats and steam punk attire. She also added that she ran a delightful website for cosplayers who bought or sold with NO middle man, aka no commision if you sold something.
costumebox May London MCM Expo: The Stalls

Basically you sell your new, second-hand, vintage, antique and retro costumes, clothes, accessories, fabric, props, jewellery, haberdashery, millinery, lace and lots more.
Talk to other members in the forums and get costume making help from costume Makers, Jewellery Makers, Skilled Crafts People, Photographers, Designers and Stylists. Find or publicise events, shows, competitions, performances, classes and workshops.
All their ads are FREE during 2013 (Use the ‘Contact Us’ tab and they will reply with a Coupon Code for unlimited free ads).
kawaiicactus May London MCM Expo: The Stalls
Kawaii Cactus
Next an independent kawaii stall of course, this one even has the criteria in the name! Kactus Kawaii is a UK based online shop, devoted to bringing you super cute goods inspired by Japanese cultures and fashions! All of their products are handmade with love and care and put together here in the UK. Kactus kawaii search around the world to find the cutest and highest quality pieces and fabrics to use. All of the metal based jewellery (rings, earrings, bracelet and necklace chains etc) are always gold or silver plated, and nickel free!
Kactus Kawaii was founded, developed and run by Kelly Bailey, so if you ever have any queries or suggestions you can leave her a message on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KactusKawaii
Also if you are a UK resident, spend over £30 and the recorded postage is completely FREE!
electric sheep May London MCM Expo: The Stalls
Electric Sheep
“Neon, pastel and glitter are my two favourite things for making pretty hair bows, earrings and super cute fluffy boots ,
Stand out from the flock!”
This is the mantra of Electric sheep, following rave style neon colours and kitch skulls adorning their jewelry !
Specialising in accessories for: Gothic lolita, nu-rave, visual kei, alternative, mori etc
Whatever your fashion movement there will be something unique to fit into your attire. http://neonglittervixen.tumblr.com/ http://www.etsy.com/shop/neonvixen

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

May London MCM Expo 2013: The Games

London MCM Expo is a hub for a wide variety of events, including anime, manga, small press, cosplay, film and gaming. In this article we will be focusing on the latter and mentioning the others in future articles. Exploring all the gaming MCM Expo has to offer, we have broken down some of the most prominent games at the con with our opinions.

 tales May London MCM Expo: The Games
timeandeternity May London MCM Expo: The Games
Time & Eternity
Release: 28/06/13
I came across this beautiful Japanese role-playing games, mixing 2D sprite animation with 3D backgrounds. All the 2D characters are hand drawn by famous Japanese artist Vofan (Bakemonogatari), with Animation studio Satelight (Macross Frontier) and Yuzo Koshiro is responsible for the game’s music.

From the playable gameplay we find that Toki, the main protagonist in action, goes back in time to prevent the assination of her husband to be Zack, who is later revealed as not dead but his soul has been transported into a dragon’s body. If you’re interested so far, Toki has an added pro of having two souls in one body and changes persona to Towa who has different fighting proficiency and hair colour.
From the fighting sequences, the 2D to 3D animations blends in seamlessly and looks brilliant. The high-quality animation blends in very well with its background. Be weary how friendly you get with the ladies, it will affect your ending, and with four possible endings you have a lot of gameplay to get through.
deadpool May London MCM Expo: The Games
Deadpool the Game
Release: 28/06/13
As we all know the majority of London MCM Expo is about queuing, I spent best of an hour to get to play the demo of the Deadpool game. All Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom fans would be excited about this title as it is dedicated purely to the sarcastic and highly entertaining Deadpool superhero. His hobbies include eating chimichangas, shooting guns, teleporting and women.
The playable demo is an hour long but because of the queues I got to enjoy the game for 15mins, this included watching the begging intro sequence, tutorial and general frolics in the game. The playability is like Tomb Raider, except if you mess up you can teleport back to the last platform you were on.
If you get stuck at any point Deadpool commentates and gives you hints of where to go next and what moves you should be using. Being a ps3 player, it took me a while to adjust to the free view movement and camera. Great animation for all the cut scenes and the voice acting is spot on as they kept the same cast from UMVC3.
nintendo May London MCM Expo: The Games
Game & Wario Wii U
Release: 28/06/13
Luckily getting to play a few of the mini games that Game & Wario on the Wii U was a treat. You first take photos of the players on the Wii U pad and then edit it creatively with the options given. Personally I loved the mustache stamp, it even recognises the facial expressions and fits the ‘tache correctly.
One game we played called ‘Fruit’ was a strategy game where you choose one player to be the fruit thief. Then he goes into a world and starts stealing fruit, the other players need to watch the screen and guess who the thief’s avatar is. But wait, the virtual environment has lots of people walking around, distractions too. Use man holes to move around and fool the other players. Subtly steal the fruit without being noticed.  A mini game not for the impatient! Timing is crucial.
The second Mii game was a interactive version of Pictionary, where you get a ridiculously hard american words like ‘adhesive tape’ and scramble to draw it. Who ever figures it out needs to shout out. Using the awesome Wii U pad, you can keep track of the score.
ricedigital May London MCM Expo: The Games
ricedigital2 May London MCM Expo: The Games
Eyri’s Action
Behind the Persona 4 Arena section where people battled the experts to win a free copy of the game, courtesy of Zen United, I came across the Rice Digital stall who were showcasing a few indie Japanese doushin games. Before I carry on, these are normal games, no hentai involved. The whole point of Rice Digital is to promote doushin as a non-taboo game series. They had mostly fighting games in their catalogue, alongside a beat em up and JRPG ’99 Spirits’ just recently released.
Eyri’s adventure was a hard platform game, which is very aggravating to play because it is so difficult. Rice Digital put up a challenge if you completed the first level you could win all the games on their back catalogue.
Bonus: Tales of Xillia demo was playable and if you came to the stall at the right time the creater of the tales series, Hideo Baba!

Sunday, 16 December 2012

MCM Expo London 2012: Report

We have provided a top picks article on the comics and stalls and now here’s a general overview of all the different goings on throughout MCM Expo.
Of course no event is complete without Namco Bandai holding their tournament. Plenty of gaming fans showed up to the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 finals at London MCM, see any famous faces? I caught Chef handing out flyers to a Street fighter tournament!
Matt Smith was around doing signings for the first time, so many people queued up to buy dvds. I also walking into a look alike in the queue and posed in front of a Tardis which happened to be nearby – I don’t plan these things, they just happen, honest.
mcm3 MCM Expo London 2012: Report
Rising Star Games (creator’s of Virtue’s Last Reward) were offering great deals on RPG gems likeHarvest Moon, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, Rune Factory Frontier, with deals like 3 games for £30 and free soundtracks with purchases – turns out it’s well worth saving your money to spend on games at MCM.
mcm4 MCM Expo London 2012: Report
The Euro Cosplay event was sadly severely delayed but the range of costumes were fantastic and the finals of the Euro Cosplay are to be held at Hyper Japan.
mcm6 MCM Expo London 2012: Reportmcm5 MCM Expo London 2012: Report
The Wii U hub was always busy but after a 10-15 min wait you got a chance to play this neat new console with a monster of a game pag which I found easy to use after much experience of hand console gaming. So don’t let change freak you out, the Wii U has a lot to offer.
A total lock down of fake items has been supposedly enforced, only official merchandise is allowed to be sold at MCM so you shouldn’t be ripped off. They even had security this year patrolling to stop pick pockets.
mcm2 MCM Expo London 2012: Report
What did you think of this MCM Expo London? Have they improves on the previous conventions, or is there still room for improvement?