J1 An-Ex 2 Review



(Right to Left) Katara Cosplayer, Gaara
Cosplayer and an attendee striking
a pose.



Friday, September 9, 2011 was the date of the J1 Anime Experience 2 (J1 An-Ex 2 for short), the mini-convention hosted by J1 Studios. A day where hundreds of anime fans came from all sections of Philadelphia to fill the Hawthorne Recreation Center with their love of anime, video games, and all things Japanese. And while hundreds of people came out, there were plenty more that missed out on the second installment of the An-Ex.





So what happened on this month's An-Ex, you ask? Well, for starters, the premiere of REDLINE, a title that has been in development by MADHOUSE studios for 7 years. The movie had the audience in awe with it's crisp animation and insane action. Plus, the president of J1 Studios tested out card game series of his own titled Virtual Tournament Fighters (VTF for short). The card game, which took a lot of fundamentals from fighting games, was well received by the participants who tested it out, some even asking for a release date.

Yet nothing topped the chaos in the video game room. It seems to be an unspoken rule that when you enter in, you must bring your A-game because competition is fierce. Players went at it in Street Fighter 3rd Strike: Online Edition, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, showcasing an intense level of competition.
The main room held the vendor area, where artists displayed their best work for sale. From comics, posters, jewelry, and even Pokeball cupcakes, you could find some unique stuff. This time, the An-Ex was graced with the presence of female wrestling superstar Annie Social, who brought custom-designed T-Shirts and merchandise with her for everyone to buy.

Pokeball Cupcakes, courtesy of one of the vendors in the main room.

The major highlight was the cosplay contest, where the brightest and unique cosplayers showed off their costumes. From a Jigoku Shoujo cosplayer, to an FLCL cosplayer, and even a guy in a panda suit, there were great cosplayers that came out to this event.

The one thing about this event is that it keeps getting bigger and better with every month. And while there's a lot of the same faces that show, there are always new faces that attend with each event. So if you missed this one, show up to the one next month. Because there's always something different and better that happens each month and you don't want to miss out on it.



Cosplayers taking a picture in front of a vendor booth.

J1 An-Ex 1 Review

The Birth of a Convention.

Who can remember being apart of a convention since before it was incepted? Over two hundred people from the Greater Philadelphia Area can make that claim now, as they were the ones to come out on Friday, August 12th, for the opening of the first J1 Studios Anime Experience. Sadly, there are millions of future fans who missed out on this opportunity, but they will be able to reap the benefits of the growth next time and beyond.

Small photoshoot of the contestants in the Cosplay Contest.

In previous instances, the gatherings were known as the J1 Anime Event. A slightly-more-formal-than-someone's-garage setting where members of J1 Studios gathered people who were as into Japanese media as they were, and entertain them with the same. As the popularity of these Events grew, so too did the scope of which the J1 Staff took to expand and further entertain their growing circle of fans.

Cue the Anime Experience. With the inclusion of full blown Vendors, Professional artist guests, seperate rooms, and a small entrance fee, the small gatherings of like-minded fans evolved into a fully recognized Anime Convention.

J1 Staff member Ben manning the J1 Table.

Hundreds of people lined up outside the doors to the Hawthorn Recreation Center in order to partake of the experience. Once inside, they encountered tables selling everything from Onigiri (Japanese rice balls) to action figures to comic books. Artists spread their wares and opened for commission. Dozens of wallscrolls lined the walls, sometimes mirroring the dozens of cosplayers who wandered around. Some anime was playing on a big screen in one room, while several video game tournaments broke out in the next. Many gathered in the main room for the Cosplay walkoff, others stepped outside to listen to the Korean rock band, and everyone had a good time. Not bad for a couple of hours on a Friday.



2nd shot of the cosplay entries for the Cosplay Contest.



The J1 An-Ex may be small, but it's local. Fans who come by get the full experience of the big conventions, but without the full brunt of their big price. The best thing of all is, instead of waiting an entire year for a repeat or spending entire life savings to travel across the country, the An-Ex operates monthly, giving everyone plenty of opportunities to experience the Anime Experience for themselves.



'Ben M.

On Stage with TAKII 11 ~ Stage On! ~

So it seems that Philadelphia is starting to blow up with events for the anime/video game fans and Asian culture enthusiasts. Small video game tournaments have been popping up for the video game fans and for the anime lovers and Asian culture enthusiasts…there’s The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational! Returning for its 11th season, TAKII has hit the scene with only two words for its fans to remember: Stage on!



A few cosplayers and TAKII attendees posing for a photo shoot.



For those who don’t know, TAKII is a local Asian culture gathering held at the Rotunda right in the heart of University City. Created by Damien "D-Chan" Christopher, it's been running for 5 years on a bi-yearly basis, reaching its 6th year with its newest installment. Anime fans throughout the city come to this event to meet up with others and embrace their love of all things anime and Japanese on this two day event. And it's not just sitting back and watching anime, there are events ranging from a talent show contest (Asian American Idol), a cosplay competition, live concerts, a video game tournament, and even a rave for all the ravers in the building.

Now, I’ll be honest with you. The first two seasons I attended (Season 9 and 10) were great, the second more than the first. And entering in the Rotunda, I was expecting to have the same, if not a greater, experience this time around. And I can easily say that I wasn’t disappointed this time. From the events, the performances, the video game tournaments, and even the random hilarity that occurred, it just held an air of – for lack of better words – epicness that you couldn’t help but get swept away in.

One of many things that I enjoyed was the Asian American Idol part of TAKII, the otaku talent show that’s one of the highlights of the festival. Contestants showcase their talents to the audience and judges, and then get tested on their vocal, dancing, and improvisation (acting) talents as well. This event is one of the events that you can’t help but cheer, applaud, and laugh at because things have a habit of getting randomly funny. One of those random moments that stood out was when two of the judges performed “Don’t Stop Believing’”, only to have two of the contestants judge them harshly in return. It left the crowd – and one of the actual judges – in tears.

A dose of their own medicine, I guess.



Sebastian and Ciel waltzing while ElderBerry performed on Saturday's
Makenai Concert.

However, the more memorable moments of TAKII had to be Saturday’s Makenai concert. TAKII legends were out this time to give the crowd a show to remember. From ElderBerry, who performed “Again” by YUI (the opening theme of FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) and had two Black Butler cos-players waltz on stage as she performed, to Mario Bueno performing an English/Japanese performance of Romeo X Juliet’s theme song “You Lift Me Up” and other songs, it was definitely a concert to remember. Add to it a performer by the name of Lanie who did an ASL set for the audience and it was a night to remember.

But the memorable moment of the Makenai concert was when D-Chan, sung an acapella version of “Life is…” by Hirai Ken as a tribute to his family, who were on stage with him as he sung. What that signified…I have to tip my hat to D-Chan on that one.

Sunday was the perfect way to end the entire festival. The Cosplay Competition was a colorful affair, both in costume and actions from the contestants who were definitely in character. And there were some creative costumes, from a Canti cosplayer in a suit, a Team Fortress Sniper, and a pink-haired cat-girl in a kimono. Add in a sword-fight between a Cloud cos-player and another cos-player and you have what was a good contest.



Contestants of the Cosplay Competition lining up for a photo shoot.

Following that was an encore performance that Lady AI, another TAKII legend, opened. And when I say opened, I mean that she rocked the house. Especially her last song, “Howl” which had everyone in the room on the feet either dancing, clapping, or howling like wolves. And the return of Mario Bueno, who kept the energy going with “Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin Ending Theme)”, “Colors (Code Geass Theme song)”, and the Power Rangers theme, just set the mood for the final event: the video game tournament.

For space constraints, I won’t go into that much. And I’ll bet that there will be a few people who will be laughing at that statement. The tournament games were Mortal Kombat 2011 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and the action on both games was insane. The Marvel 3 team tournament, however, was a complete landslide victory for the first team as they completely annihilated their opponents in a Survivor Series type battle. This is not to say that the matches weren’t crazy, just that the second team wasn’t prepared for the first team.




A cute cat-girl cosplayer posing for a picture!!!



The one thing that I do enjoy and is probably the main factor that'll keep me coming back to TAKII is the open atmosphere. I stated in my review of TAKII 10 that it feels like a gathering of friends and it still holds true. Everybody is free to be theirselves with no pressure of any kind and no care to what anyone else thinks. You’re just there to enjoy yourselves and that’s all that matters.

Well…that ends my review of TAKII 11 ~ Stage On! ~. While the first season may be over, the second season is still on its way for everyone’s enjoyment. And while I’ll still be laughing over the countless pics and videos that I’ve taken of that event, I’ll be anticipating what happens on October 22nd and 23rd. So mark that down on your calendar as TAKII 12, check out the pics and videos that will be posted up on TAKII 11 on the J1 Studios Facebook Page, and check out the TAKII website for more info: http://takii.pdnmz.com

Hope to see you there next season!

Interview With TAKII's Damien "D-Chan" Christopher

A few months ago, I posted an article here about a local Asian culture gathering called The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational (TAKII for short). Well, after the crazy experience I had there, I wanted to take things a bit further. And with that in mind, I managed to score an interview with the founder and head of TAKII himself, Damien "D-Chan" Christopher. Even though he was busy with planning for the next season of TAKII, he was able to answer a few of our questions. Here's what he had to say:

D-Chan announcing the order of events to a packed house of
TAKII attendees.



- What is TAKII about?

TAKII stands for “The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational” & it is “the most extreme Asian culture fusion festival” in all facets of reality! It promotes the dissonances & harmonies in all of the different facets of Asian culture fandom, giving everyone who attends a true sense of “belonging” to a larger “family”.



D-Chan highlighting one of the
 Asian American Idol contestants,
letting the crowd choose the winner.



- How did TAKII start?



The 1st incarnation of PDNMZ's "The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational ~Ichiban~" was a wonderful way for Prince Diamond's NegaMoon Zone to break into the live event scene & give back to its fans & fans of Asian Music & Anime everywhere. It was held at The William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia, PA on February 5th, 2006. The theme was inspired by SailorMoon SailorStars' 3 Lights (Yaten, Taiki, & Seiya), with the theme song being "Chasin' After You" (by the Three Lights), from the 4th SailorMoon Musical. People who assisted in planning this event were not quite sure how everything was going to go, but we were pleasantly surprised by the turn-out & fun that was had!

- What is your role in TAKII?



I am the Founder, Lead Coordinator, & all-around guest performer of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational. I am aided by my volunteer group of Co-Coordinators, countless sponsors, & a multitude of fans who personify the spirit that TAKII seeks to promote & preserve.

- What inspired you to create TAKII?



Contestants of the Cosplay competition
 line up for photos.

Wow, this is a good question! After attending my last Otakon (I believe it was 2004), I wanted to fuse what I was doing at home with my Asian online shop (at the time known as PDNMZ CD Shoppe), my love of my own culture (I am part Japanese), & how much fun I saw others having when they got together to celebrate anime, manga, & the like. It was originally intended to be a 1-shot fundraiser for another area event, but as they say, all things happen for a reason (^_^). Combining the efforts of some of my best friends with my creative imagination, we were able to put on one helluva season with TAKII 2 ~Rebirth~, also held at The William Way LGBT Community Center. Ever since we moved to The Rotunda (in the University City section of Philly, PA), things have been lookin’ up -- & we’re reachin’ for the stars with each season of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational that comes up!

- What is your most memorable moment of TAKII?



My most recent “memorable moment” from The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational would have to be from TAKII 10 ~Family Reunion~. It was meant to be our “fondest memories” season of sorts, & everything that we did that season was just out of this world! When some of our “Returning Legends” performers got up on stage, some to sing for the possible last time, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Prior to that, TAKII 8 ~HoliDAYZE~ was memorable in the sense that it was put together, promoted, & produced in less than 4 days (no one could tell & it was one of our best turn-outs). It’s really hard to single out any particular moment from a particular season. You see, with TAKII, we have a habit of creating MANY “must-see” happenings that you would be a fool to miss!

- What is the best cosplay that you've seen at TAKII?

More shots of the Asian American Idol judging.

I have to admit, the very 1st cosplay that I saw at TAKII (not counting James “KojiroJames” Craven) since we’ve moved to The Rotunda would be this little girl dressed up as Totoro for TAKII 3 ~Video Game Ecstacy~ holds a special place in my heart. Of course, there was TAKII 2 ~Rebirth~ with the “debuting” performance of a Bishoujo Senshi SailorMoon troupe called Prism (in full Sailor Senshi fuku)! Each season just seems to get better & better -- & we have plenty to thank by way of Alicia “Dokudel” Lugo in her continued enthusiasm for this wonderful facet of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational.

- Do you have any plans for future TAKII events?



We get wonderful suggestions for future TAKII festival seasons, or events! Some of which include: extra seasons of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational, more stops on our TAKII World Tour, seasonal video game tournaments, cultural excursions, & plenty more. We’re always open to suggestions & the best way everyone can give us them would be to join or ranks as a member of the Team TAKII Coalition. Just visit the “Interaction” section of our website for more info! And of course, The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational is about to hit the Philly area with TAKII 11 ~Stage On!~ this May 2011!!

 

~*~

 

I would like to thank D-Chan for doing the interview for us. You can check out the TAKII website at http://takii.pdnmz.com/ for news, anformation and more regarding TAKII. And don't forget that TAKII 11 will happen this May so be there!!! Until then, minna-sama!!!

 

 -Ray Riley

Welcome to Philadelphia's TAKII 10

So for a while now, I’ve been wondering why there haven’t been many anime events in Philadelphia. Honestly, the city is big enough and you run into a lot of anime fans if you know where to look. But considering that everyone can’t travel to Otakon, AnimeExpo, Katsu-con and other major anime conventions, you have a good amount of people wishing there was something here.

Then I found out about The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational - or TAKII for short.

What exactly is TAKII, you ask? TAKII is a local Asian culture gathering held at the Rotunda (a small concert/event hall next to The Bridge Theater) right in the heart of University City. From what I know of it, it's been running for almost 5 years on a bi-yearly basis. Anime fans throughout the city come to this event to meet up with others and embrace their love of all things anime and Japanese on this two day event. And it's not just sitting back and watching anime, there are events ranging from a talent show contest (Asian American Idol), a cosplay competition, live concerts, a video game tournament, and even a rave for all the ravers in the building.



From first glance, it seems that TAKII is a mini-con held for the Philly anime fans. However, after experiencing the first day, you can tell that it’s deeper than just anime love. TAKII pays homage to all Asian Pop Culture, including video games, music (mainly Japanese and Korean Pop), cos-play, treats and – obviously – animation.




D-Chan judging the winners of the
Asian American Idol contest.

 

One of the things that are attractive about TAKII is the atmosphere itself. To be honest, TAKII feels like it’s just a large family reunion rather than a convention. For starters, you get in for free. And that’s something that anybody will fall in love with. It’s one of the things that organizer Damian “D-Chan” Christopher has kept to make TAKII stand out as a gathering with friends.



And does it feel like a gathering with friends? That answer is yes. The atmosphere’s a highly sociable one, meaning you’re guaranteed to be cool with a few people by the middle of the day. Even one new attendee had this to say about it:

“What I like about TAKII was the atmosphere. The atmosphere made it fun to socialize with people while having fun and not making me feel uneasy.”


The TAKII 10 Cosplay Competition's entries.



This being my second time there, I had to make a return trip. My first time there was at the insistence of a friend and well, what I experienced there was more than enough to bring me back again. And when I came back, it was an epic experience despite the cold weather. Just remembering the acts that took place in the Asian American Idol Competition on Saturday keeps me laughing still.

The second – and final – day of TAKII was the perfect end to the festivities. I won’t go into much of it because of space constraints, however I will say that between the musical chairs event that I walked in on to the Cosplay Competition, it was the perfect build-up for the final event: the video game tournament. This season, the game was Soul Calibur 4 but was switched to Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit due to technical difficulties.

And that’s one thing that I give D-Chan: he came prepared for that situation. This is something that I’ve seen some bigger local conventions fail at when it comes to game tournaments.

Needless to say, the tournament was insane. From the opening where two contenders ran onstage and held an air guitar jam session to the opening video – yes, that actually happened – to the matches, it kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the end. Both teams had good matches and for an instant, it seemed that the team that took an early lead was destined to lose in the second round. But in the end, the team that took the early lead managed to make a comeback and take the win.

Saturday night's performer Sin with a back-up dancer as she performs "The Real Folk Blues".

And that’s all I have to say on TAKII 10 at the moment. Even though the memories will stay fresh in my head – and my laptop via .MOV files – TAKII is done for the year. However, the date for the next season of TAKII is already set. So if you want to experience this event for yourself, mark down May 14th and 15th on your calendars because that’s when TAKII returns for its 11th season. And check out the TAKII site here: http://takii.pdnmz.com

Hope to see you there next year!
- Ray Riley