Manga Now Exhibition at the British Museum, London

The British Museum is one of my favourite place s in the world; not only is it a magnificent building but it houses some of the worlds greatest treasures. I go there every month at least for a couple of hours to take in the wonders of the ancient world. However the British Museum has teamed up with some manga artists to create a new free exhibition called Manga Now; the displays feature newly commissioned and recent pieces by Chiba Tetsuya, Hoshino Yukinobu and Nakamura Hikaru. Out of these the only artist I know is Hoshino Yukinobu from his masterpiece 2001 Nights. I loved the 10 part space opera and look forward to seeing some of his more recent work. I am also excited to see the work the other two artists have produced and maybe discovering new artists to follow, always a boon! The exhibition is on from now until 15th November 2015. I'm going this weekend to see it and will post some pics and give a report on the exhibition.

My collection of 2001 Nights, from the original 1990 run- a real collectors item!

Tie Fighter Short Star Wars Animation

'What if there was an Empire-focussed short Star Wars animation, drawn with the crazy detail and shading of classic 80s anime that's all but vanished from Japan nowadays?' This is what OtaKing77077 asks before sharing his 4 year labour of love, an animation showing the story from the Tie Fighter pilots point of view. The animation lasts under 8 minutes but took 4 years to make and its easy to see why. Check it out if you can.

Akira (Kaneda's Theme) from Player Piano

Akira is an undisputed classic manga, even if no-one fully understands what is going on. Part of the charm is the otherwordly music composed by Shoji Yamashiro and recorded by Geinō Yamashirogumi. Award winning Composer & Pianist Sonya Belousova and Director Tom Grey bring the classic Japanese manga to life in the premiere episode of Player Piano on the Geek & Sundry Network. Featuring ace Cellist Eru Matsumoto the music video recalls the manga and anime film well with authentic looking costumes and mood. Enjoy!

Chvrches 'Under the Tide' Anime Inspired Video

Anime is everywhere these days, back when I was a nipper it was rare as hens teeth to see this artform in the public eye but here we are in 2014 and it is definitely overground. In 'Under the Tide', the Scottish Electronics band Chvrches have a music video that focuses on an astronaut, who is separated from his love interest because he is saving the world from danger. The video cuts between the unfolding drama in space, a purplish lit man singing and a flashy clubby light show. The video is cool but it also reminded me of the classic anime Macross Plus, when Isamu is in his YF-19 and is off to save Myung but is almost hypnotised by Sharon Apple. Have a look at both the videos and tell me what you think!

Manga Video Intro

Back in the days before Blu-Ray, HD, DVDs and even the internet there existed one company which spread the word of Japanese animation in the UK and that company was Manga Videos. I remember seeing their logo and thinking it was cool, I'll never forget the first time I bought my first Manga, Guyver Episode 1. This intro preceded all the films and man it got me hyped to see the film. Obviously we had other companies come along and take the mantle of best purveyor of anime and manga but none had a kick-ass intro like this. Enjoy!