The Old School Otaku Lounge

greg wrote:

ryoran wrote:Period Kenichi Sonoda manga artbook,

I have that book! I actually scanlated the two BGC manga from that book.
You can read them here.

Thanks for that, I always wondered what those said!

usamimi wrote:Holy cats, Leiji Matsumoto GAVE you that?! O__O That's amazing!

Well, you ask nicely and you never know what you'll get.

It's a small community, I mean the creators of 'that certain age' who were either peers or students to Tezuka, and they are worse than a sewing circle once they get going.

Late last year, I had a number of cels and other bits filtched in Tokyo, including another Maetel and a sketch of Joe by Chiba Tetsuya. I was able to get that latter thing replaced, as I visit Mr. Chiba when I go down South, and when the story came out he must have put the word out to 'his old friend' Leiji.*

Mind you, The Capt. has always been very responsive to his fans. My friend Rik encoutnered him in France at the Angoulême Comic Festival at the end of the 80s and - even though he's getting on now - he's always out and about, though - as he told me - if he takes off his little pirate beany, no-one recognizes him any more....

* In fact, a number of my creative friends and retailers at which I shop rallied round and dug in for me - theft being still seen in Japan as a big thing among geeks. There's a special irony in that for me, my own past taken into account and I have to doubly acknowledge the efforts taken to correct the obliquities of an unknown chap's character.

Wow, that's so interesting...getting to work with Leiji Matsumoto. I guess that's understandable that not many people recognize him anymore, given how old he is now, and that most of his work isn't as popular as the stuff being churned out now. :/

That's awful about your stuff getting stolen, but nice that you got replacements through other's kindness. I know all about geek thievery...several times at conventions I've had stuff stolen from me from fellow geeks, which is always kind of depressing to think about. One of the first years I went to an anime con, I bought my collection of anime/Japanese music CDs with me...big mistake. One of the people I was sharing the room with had a "room party", and some strangers she invited helped themselves to more than half of my CDs. Most of them being imports I bought through Kinokuniya at around $30-40 a CD. >__< The second time, a friend wanted me to bring some video games so we'd have something to do during down time...again, big mistake: strangers they invited to play with us stayed over, and when we woke up, they'd taken a few very choice games that I could never afford to buy back. Sigh! You'd think I would've learned the first time, huh?

It really is a case of one thing leading to another when it comes to things like this. All I really am is a professional fan, but I've got a gift for the gab, and a dab of the Auld Blarney, so even today it all tends to work out without me knowing what is what.

I ended up under Leiji's wing the first time simply because I had a Harlock cel on my old office wall. The late Uni President knew someone (Mineo Nakajima knew *everyone* though), who knew someone who knew the man and it all rolled from there.

That's how it goes. If you've got enough bottle, a big smile and the right Sempai you can get in any door here.

This was the board which was nicked. Autumn last year, I was invited to give the keynote address at the opening of an exhibition of Mr. Chiba's life in Nishinomiya. I had no idea that he'd be at the event at first, and ended up making the lad blub (I wrote a paean to Joe and the mortality of heroism). And all over a biscuit.

He was part of the Deadly Retreat of Japanese civilians out of Manchuria at the end of the War and all of his characters have been informed by that in some way. What had set him off really was a reference I made to 'can-pan' (hard-tack type biscuits which are still popular in Japan as trail rations and emergency food, as they last for years). On the march down to the coast, he'd seen people killed by the Chinese, mass suicides and families resorting to sell children to spare them the ever-present, gnawing hunger. Once he made ship to Japan, the first meal they were served was a simple stew with can-pan. it was, he said, like a taste of home.

To this day, he takes a can of the biscuits down to the little memorial to the marchers each year and leaves it there for all those little ghosts that fell by that road and never saw those ships for home.

Once the tears had died down, we had a good old natter and bonded over the silliest things. That's why it hurt so much to lose this board, even though it was easily replaced. The original was special...

Bit off topic, for which I apologize...

Wow, that's quite a story! Plus a signed sketch, too.

usamimi wrote:several times at conventions I've had stuff stolen from me from fellow geeks, which is always kind of depressing to think about. One of the first years I went to an anime con, I bought my collection of anime/Japanese music CDs with me...big mistake. One of the people I was sharing the room with had a "room party", and some strangers she invited helped themselves to more than half of my CDs. Most of them being imports I bought through Kinokuniya at around $30-40 a CD. >__< The second time, a friend wanted me to bring some video games so we'd have something to do during down time...again, big mistake: strangers they invited to play with us stayed over, and when we woke up, they'd taken a few very choice games that I could never afford to buy back. Sigh! You'd think I would've learned the first time, huh?

Oh man, that is painful to read. To think that they were not just some random thief, but a guest you were gracious enough to be a host for, that must have made you even madder!

Yeah, I still feel kinda sad/angry when I think about it. That was back when I was still in highschool, so all the money I spent on those CDs and games represented hours of babysitting money.

On a happier note, though? One of the games stolen from me (Xenogears) Nitro recently found for $3 at the Goodwill and gave to me. ;__; It's even the black-label version, too!

Reading about theft genuinely boils my blood! I had some old CDs and SFC/SNES games stolen from my then-BF's house, by the landlady's son, who blatantly needed money for certain things I presume. I was paid back for them, but what was affordable at the time. I never did get all of them back. Then I found half of them at the CD pawn shop up the road! Luckily after we filed a report we got them back from the shop who were happy to help out. Horrible

I mean merch is one thing, but signed, one-off individual pieces, outrageous.

The cels, they would have been easily moved, but the board (it being as it was) would be very easy to spot if it came up in auction.

And the worst part? I am now more than reasonably confident that it had to be one of my own students.

No-one is perfect mind you, and I have been on the other side of the fence and know those dark thoughts that creep through the mind. I'd not be mad, or vengeful. I'd just like to see the things back. I'll never see another Lachesis cel again like that in my life.... Oh well...

I've had things filched but that was things like my vcrs at one of the Winnipeg cons when thieves broke the doors to the video room down in order to steal the equipment or when my video camera was stolen that contained my footage of Anno drawing my Nautilus from Nadia. I still have nightmares over that one. Never had fans steal stuff at cons but had one "fan" borrow my tapes which (I assume) he wasn't he never intended to return. It happens...

Matsumoto was the one artist I had wanted to see after my mother passed 3 years ago but the situation for money to go fell apart soon after and I pretty well have to say I'm beached and not going anywhere any time soon...

I'm sorry, folks. I did not mean to turn this thread to the Dark Side...

Anyway, back on topic with another recent lucky find - thanks to the missus and that holy shrine on Nakano Broadway.