Welcome to the Other Side: Anime NYC 2019
Josh B.
My return to Anime NYC this year was just as fantastic, if not more so than last year’s. I experienced the convention from a new perspective, engaged in a ton of on-site activities and met some truly wonderful people. Thanks to an opportunity from my boss here at Region 99, I was able to experience Anime NYC not only as a fan, but as an Exhibitor as well. So without further ado, allow me introduce you to the other side of convention life.
FRIDAY: BUY MY STUFF!
I spent the first day of Anime NYC at the Region 99 booth, selling copies of my books, short films and animations to the public. Admittedly this wasn’t my first time as an exhibitor at a convention as I had been one at Camden Comic Con for a few years, but that paled in comparison to the sheer scope of how big Anime NYC was. As I sat behind the booth I got a new perspective on how people, myself included, approach exhibitors. Many will glance and move on, others will take a look at what you’re selling and leave, some may even stop in and ask questions. I’d be lying if I told you the first few hours weren’t discouraging, given I was alone and no one had purchased anything. Additionally, during this time, an older woman came to examine what I had to sell, and after giving everything the once over said “This really isn’t the right audience for what you’re trying to do”, before leaving. Train delays had forced my good friend and fellow writer Maya Hanks to not arrive until 5 PM, so until then it was up to me and me alone to sell myself.
I never liked the idea of vendors at conventions calling people’s attention and having them pick up what they were selling to give it a chance, but I also didn’t want to go unnoticed, so I greeted every guest who made eye contact with a cheerful “hello!” Most of the time this amounted to just a “hi” back, but no one was ever annoyed with me, so that was fine. One of the standout interactions I had with guests was when a father came up with his young daughter. The man asked me if I had written or created all the books and films I had for sale, and when I said yes, the father looked at his daughter and said “See? He made these by himself! You can do that one day too!” and the daughter smiled. Throughout the convention, I also met many aspiring animators who were impressed and interested with the original animation DVD I had on sale. I made many new connections thanks to this alone! In the end, I made a decent amount of money and boosted my own self-confidence!
One of my short films: Pennsylvania Devil, created by Skullstar Productions in which I am one of the stars! Skullstar, and some other of my friends in the movie!
Another thing to take away from Friday’s experience is just how kind my fellow exhibitors were. My booth neighbors, the independent comic Column and anime-inspired artists Boomslank both offered kindness to me throughout the day. Tim Morris, author of Column and I exchanged books, and he gave me a pen when I needed to fill out my business cards for the booth! When they noticed how long I had been at the Region 99 Booth, one of the people from Boomslank offered to go and get me some food so I wouldn’t go hungry. I had expected a much more competitive atmosphere going into such a large convention like Anime NYC, but by the time the Exhibitor’s Hall closed on Friday, I felt a real sense of camaraderie between myself and my fellow vendors. It was truly a lovely experience!
SATURDAY: MAGIC, WOLVES AND FOXES
The second day of Anime NYC had me return to form as a guest of the convention, beginning my day by attending the Magia Record Special Event Panel. There, I and the rest of the audience in attendance got to see the first two episodes of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story. As you may have guessed from the name, Magia Record is a spinoff of the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a highly acclaimed magical girl anime from 2011 known for its stellar visuals and incredibly dark storytelling. Magia Record is the first new animated project for the franchise since 2013’s controversial Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, and is actually based on a phone game of the same name, which the panel also promoted.
Kyubey
Now, despite my confusing preamble, Magia Record is easy to follow whether you’ve watched any of the original series or not. In the world of Magia Record, young girls make contracts with the creature known as Kyubey to become magical girls. They get one wish of their choosing granted, but in exchange, they must fight and kill Witches, monsters that prey on unsuspecting humans, for the rest of their lives. The story follows a young girl named Iroha Tamaki, a high schooler that has no memory of the wish she made to become a magical girl. This mystery plagues her life, until she hears of a rumor: “Magical girls can be saved if they go to Kamihama City.” Investigating, Iroha travels there (the same city where Puella Magi Madoka Magica takes place), and has a sudden surge of memory - she wished for her sister Ui’s illness to be cured. Yet, no one besides Iroha knows who Ui is, or has any record of her existing. So, for better or for worse, Iroha has to enter Kamihama City, and find the truth behind her sister’s disappearance.
Iroha Tamaki
After having seen the first two episodes of Magia Record, I have to say I’m impressed. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a spin-off series of an anime that arguably ended five years ago, but what’s presented here is truly fascinating. The mystery Iroha is trying to solve is compelling, the new characters presented are all unique and just as interesting as the cast of the main series, and the team behind the animation hasn’t lost a step, delivering mesmerizing visuals and stellar fight choreography. I’ll definitely be watching when Magia Record premieres in January 2020.
After the screening of the two episodes, the panel opened up to a short Q&A with three individuals: Aoi Yuki (Voice of Madoka Kaname), Mitsutoshi Kubota (President of SHAFT Animation Studio) and Tatsuki Ishikawa (Producer of Magia Record). Here is that Q&A, presented for your enjoyment. Please note that the responses were spoken in Japanese and then translated to English:
MODERATOR (M): So, what are you all enjoying in New York City?
AOI YUUKI
AOI YUUKI (AY): Well, I was excited to see all the cosplay. I really felt all the love people poured into their characters. This is my first time in New York, and I had cheesecake for the first time! I love all the Marvel movies, so I loved going from place to place to see all the spots where they filmed those.
MITSUTOSHI KUBOTA (MK): I really enjoyed Central Park and visiting MOMA [the Museum Of Modern Art].
M: What were some of your most memorable moments here?
AY: I got to take a picture with a cosplayer of Jeanne Alter, one of my favorite characters, and of course being at this panel!
TATSUKI ISHIKAWA (TI): I really enjoyed going to Target and seeing all the stuff they have there. I also got to buy some figures of the Demogorgon and Eleven [from Stranger Things].
Mitsutoshi KUBOTA
MK: I love seeing all of the appreciation for our characters, cosplay or art or just being here at this panel.
M: It’s been eight years since Madoka was first released, how does that make you feel Ms. Yuki?
AY: Well, when I first played Madoka I was still a student, and it was quite a learning experience for me. To see the movies in theaters and playing overseas was incredible! It was the first time I really felt known as an actress. I’m just so happy to see that this story is one that everyone can recognize and identify with, even on an international scale. Thank you all so much!
M: Do you have any memorable moments from working on Madoka?
TATSUKI ISHIKAWA
AY: Ms. Saito [Chiwa Saito, voice of Homura Akemi] gave me acting lessons throughout the production that were and still are very valuable to me. That and recording all the international greetings for the films. It really gave me a sense of just how far my work was reaching, and who my work was speaking to.
TI: I have been working on Madoka for a very long time, and now I can see just how much the fans love this series. I’m overwhelmed with emotion to be able to continue it all for you!
After the Q&A, another guest was brought out: Masaki Sato, the producer of the game Magia Record is based on. He announced the Magia Record game would be holding a crossover event with Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, another magical girl anime, bringing the characters of Nanoha and Fate from that series to Magia Record as playable characters. He also announced an American exclusive Thanksgiving Event would be happening in-game later this month, and that next year, Magia Record would get its first USA-exclusive magical girl character! These creators certainly love the US as much as we love Japan!
Following the panel, I tried out the floor demo for a game I’ve been dying to own since its announcement – Spice and Wolf VR. This game is an original adventure that takes place within the world of the anime Spice and Wolf, a fantasy anime about a traveling merchant named Kraft Lawrence who comes upon Holo, the wolf goddess of wheat. The two become traveling companions and eventually fall in love. This is one of my very favorite anime, so to see it not only in a video game form, but with a brand new story that has the original voice cast and crew from the series? How could I say no?
The demo was short, only five minutes long. You are Kraft Lawrence, or at least seeing things from his point of view as he and Holo take shelter from a storm and talk with each other. There was no real gameplay to speak of outside of watching things unfold, but the lovely rendering of the characters, the environment and the stellar voice acting from both Ami Koshimizu (Holo) and Jun Fukuyama (Lawrence) made up for it in spades. I truly felt like I was there with them, and the fantastic writing from series creator Isuna Hasekura made everything feel absolutely genuine. As soon as I have the money, I’ll be picking this game up for myself!
From Woops, Spice and Wolf VR content
Finally, I rounded out the day by meeting and getting the autograph of Kristen McGuire, who some of you may recognize as the voice of Ruri from Dr. Stone, Milim from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, or as my friend Alex and I know her best as, Senko from The Helpful Fox Senko-san. In-between fanboying out, I was able to ask her some questions:
JOSH BRAFMAN (JB): So something I wanted to ask, in your opinion, in Dr. Stone, why is everyone just okay with Magma saying he’s going to kill you [Ruri]?!
Me and Kristen McGuire
ALEX CRUZ (AC): Yeah, like he does it so obviously that [Josh and I] made it into an inside joke!
KRISTEN MCGUIRE (KM): Well, speaking of inside jokes, Felicia (Felicia Angelle, voice of Kohaku in Dr. Stone) and I have been calling Magma “The Gaston of the Stone World!”
JB: Oh my god I totally see it!
KM: He even has a little toady assistant like Gaston! [laughs]
JB: Alex and I absolutely loved you as Senko-san, how did you get the part?
KM: Well, I auditioned. I actually wrote the scripts for [The Helful Fox] Senko-san, so I was really hoping I’d get it. I cried BUCKETS when I found out I got the part!
JB: You really do a lot, between being an artist, a writer, a voice actor and a parent. How do you manage it all?
KM: Well, my secret is I have absolutely no free time. [laughs]
Kristen McGuire was an absolute joy to talk to, and she even said something to Alex and I in Senko’s voice, which was just about the cutest thing I think either of us had ever heard. We knew nothing would top that, so the two of us headed home.
SUNDAY: INTERVIEWS, GAMES AND RAINY DAYS
Me and Robbie Daymond
For the third and final day of Anime NYC, I set out to do and try everything I had missed out on for the first two days, starting with meeting another wonderful voice actor, Robbie Daymond. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably heard Mr. Daymond’s work at some point if you’ve played any recent video games, watched an anime or a western cartoon, as he’s lent his talents to all three mediums. I, in particular, enjoyed his work as Grief in the quite underrated Nintendo Switch mecha-action game, Daemon X Machina. As such, I brought it to him for him to sign, and I got to ask him a few questions.
ROBBIE DAYMOND (RD): Oh wow! Daemon X Machina! I love this game, love playing it!
JOSHUA BRAFMAN (JB): I love it too! I was wondering, with how wordy Grief is, did it ever get confusing to record for him?
RD: Oh, absolutely. I only knew what I was saying about… twenty percent of the time. [laughs] But there were some parts where he definitely made some kind of sense… maybe. I just really enjoy roles like this where I get to wax poetic.
JB: So, I was wondering, you’ve done so many different types of roles, what’s the most fun one to record for?
RD: Oh, you mean which is the most enjoyable? Well, like I said I love playing roles like Grief where I get to wax poetic. Akechi from Persona 5 was really great because he had multiple motivations for what he did, but… actually I think comedy is my favorite, anything where I get to be funny.
JB: Oh, like Raymond in OK KO: Let’s Be Heroes! I loved you in that show!
RD: Well thank you for saying that! I loved doing that show, I’m a real child at heart.
Robbie Daymond is a delightful person and I’d absolutely love to see him again at any future convention.
After meeting Mr. Daymond, I decided to pay the Column booth another visit, to give you, my readers, some exclusive insight into this exciting indie comic book. Presented here is an exclusive interview with the author of Column, Tim Morris!
JB: Thank you for agreeing to this interview! Tell me about yourself.
Column by Writer Tim Morris.
TIM MORRIS: Well, my name is Tim Morris, I am the author of the graphic novel series Column. And what we’ve done different format-wise is that it’s a full-color manga style graphic novel, but it also has an audio component that features a lot of prominent anime voice actors. Extra audio logs, extra immersion. Auxiliary stuff in addition to what’s in the book.
JB: So what made you go with that extra dimension?
TM: Well, we’re big fans of video games and anime and stuff like that, and we really appreciated things like the audio logs in games like Borderlands. It allows for a lot of extra characterization, and we thought it would be a cool thing to try for a book! We don’t know of anyone who’s done anything similar like that in the West.
JB: Yeah, the closest thing I can think of is an independent comic called Kodoja. That has an accompanying soundtrack.
TM: I’ve seen that! Yes! Column also has music in addition to the audio logs.
JB: Wow, so you have a whole radio play thing going on!
TM: Yeah!
JB: So what is Column about?
TM: Well, it’s about these two guys guarding an airfield who come across a group of girls driving an Abrams tank when the airfield they’re guarding comes under attack. Basically it’s an action-adventure comedy, upbeat kind of like an 80’s action film. We’ve described it as “Girls Und Panzer but people die.” [laughs] I mean, the art’s very Metal Slug, which was a definite inspiration to our artist.
JB: So how did you get in contact with such high profile voice actors?
TM: Well this was five years ago when it was a little easier. We had a budget and we contacted their agencies, and had met some of them before at conventions and it just worked out. I know it’s a lot harder to get in touch with these people now, but…
JB: You were just in the right place, right time?
TM: Yeah. We were lucky to get really good people.
JB: So you’ve been at this project for five years, what was it like to pursue that project for that long and how does it feel to be here?
TM: [laughs] It was an uphill battle, it’s always a struggle. It’s really nice to have it in print, to have it in people’s hands, but of course there’s the financial recovery from that so you know, the fight continues.
JB: So where can people find your comic?
TM: Comixology and Amazon are two places you can find it, digital version on Comixology, physical on Amazon. You can look up the ISBN, Column or my name, Tim Morris to find it. You can find links on our website, rawblinks.com. You can also find it at Barnes & Noble too, though obviously the way we prefer is if you stop on by and pick it up at a con so we can sign it and give you a poster!
JB: Absolutely, thank you so much for your time!
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows - Release Date Trailer courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/user/PS360HD2
After that fantastic interview, I went off to try out some of the other video game demos on display at Anime NYC, starting with One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows. The game is a 3D Arena Fighting Game based on the One Punch Man anime. Now, if you know anything about this series, you might wonder how you could possibly play the game using the titular character, since he beats everyone in one punch. Well, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows has a unique solution to this problem. In order to use Saitama (the One Punch Man) you have to survive long enough for him to arrive. It’s a really clever mechanic that keeps the game working properly within the rules of its own universe, and one that I really appreciate. The game’s combat moves at a fast clip, and combos are relatively easy to pull off. Each stage seems to have unique gimmicks, whether it’s picking up battle items that spawn in randomly, or watching a news ticker at the bottom of the screen for incoming stage hazards, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows shakes up the 3 VS. 3 arena fighting game genre in new and interesting ways. It’s a shame I don’t own a system that this game is coming to, since I would love to play it when it releases for PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 28th, 2020. Following the demo, I got to play another game, a Hero Test (Pic Below), where you punch a speed-bag and it rates you on a score from 0 to 900 based on the strength, speed and reflex of your punch, to determine what Rank Hero you would be in the One Punch Man universe’s Hero Association. And with a score of 737, I am proud to say I am an A Rank Hero with the badge to prove it!
My Hero Academia: One's Justice 2 - Mirio vs Shigaraki, Deku vs Shigaraki Gameplay! From https://www.youtube.com/PS360HD http://www.twitch.tv/ps360hd3
Speaking of heroes, I once again checked in with My Hero One’s Justice 2 here at Anime NYC, and I can safely say I have no idea how Mirio Togata is supposed to work as a character. His entire Quirk is that he can pass through solid objects, so he should be really powerful, but I’ve played as him multiple times now and still have yet to get the hang of him. Though it’s difficult to improve at a character without a tutorial and without consistent practice. All in all my opinion of the game as a whole still hasn’t changed, I’m still looking forward to it and still really hoping for an English Dub! I’m eagerly awaiting the game’s release for Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One in 2020.
For the final game demo of the day, I took a look at Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing. As the title indicates, this was another Virtual Reality game, set with you experiencing the world of TRIGGER’s Little Witch Academia in Virtual Reality! From the outside looking in, the game seems little more than something like a first person Superman 64, with lower than average graphics and gameplay consisting almost entirely of flying through rings. I will say though that when you are actually playing the game, it is enjoyable – like a virtual reality ride at Disneyland, only far more relaxed. The game is also bolstered by full voice acting by the original anime’s cast and a brand new soundtrack, though unfortunately I didn’t get to experience either as the demo kiosk accidentally muted the sound during my playthrough. Still, this game could be one to watch out for in 2020 if you’re a fan of anime and have an Oculus Rift.
The next step on Little Witch Academia’s journey is a VR game💫 The player becomes a character in the game and can freely fly around the sky on a broom and race using magic🧹
Last, but most certainly not least, I got to see the East Coast premiere of Makoto Shinkai’s newest film, Weathering With You. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to GKids Films, Anime NYC and Kenia Najera for inviting me to see this screening as a part of the Media Group, which allowed my fellow reporter and friend Maya Hanks and I to see this phenomenal film in the front row of the room! It truly made the experience that much more intense and fantastic.
Weathering With You follows a young runaway named Hodoka Morishima, who while working for a tabloid magazine discovers a girl named Hina Amano who can stop rain from falling by praying. Together, they start a business to give people sunshine when they need it, but they soon discover that messing with the laws of nature may have dire consequences.
This film is easily one of the most visually stunning I have seen all year, maybe even ever. The way that Weathering With You animates water is a triumph in and of itself, to say nothing of the rest of the film’s breathtaking visuals. The score is done wonderfully by RADWIMPS, who Shinkai fans will remember as the band behind the impeccable soundtrack to Your Name (on Left). Fans of that film may also want to keep their eyes open while the film plays. There’s so much more I want to tell you about this film, but if you enjoy anime, if you enjoy the art of animation and just purely fantastic storytelling, you owe it to yourself to see this movie when it plays in select theaters January 15th and 16th, and everywhere January 17th, 2020.
Anime NYC was a learning experience for me as an exhibitor, and an absolute thrill and a delight for me as a fan of all things anime. I wish more conventions could be like Anime NYC. I’m very excited to attend again in 2020!
