2008
Old posts
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12.30.08What Danny did next?
Where have I been, and what on earth have I been up to? It’s evident that I’ve been a terrible blogger with my sheer lack of updates and it’s really not because I haven’t had anything to update about because I really have.
Firstly my third year has been spiraling out of control if I am honest, I am incredibly behind with work and incredibly annoyed with how certain things are being handled by certain people. I’ve been being filled with misinformation and once again subjected to having to explain every piece of work I want to produce. This is going to stop when I return after the New Years break, I have to make it stop purely in order so I can sleep again at night.
My other calling in life has also made me terribly busy, what is that again?
So what does that mean for the blog, well I’m going to start updating regularly again I really don’t think there is any reason for me not to. However the format of updates may change - I really need this blog to be some kind of expression of myself, something emotive and a record of my days. There will still be the music posts, and the Japanese related posts however it has to evolve into something more personal to me and a visual record of my days, so expect some changes in the new year.
10.22.08Do photographers need to punctuate?
So, life has been pretty busy these past few weeks for me what with my new course and all in the mean time however the site has been getting quite a lot of hits particularly this this post. I’m glad of this and I’m even more happy to hear that my little recommendation has encouraged some people to take up watching the show, for some of them it will even be their first anime!
However there was a complaint or two about my spelling/punctuation/the way I write which is fine, but I am not a review blog and I have never claimed to be, I don’t want to write for a magazine and I don’t want to win any writing awards I was pretty much done with all of that years ago. I just write as it comes to me hopefully people can put up with that and keep coming back.What I’ve been up to however is trying my hardest not to do the research I’m supposed to be doing for my course, and as usual putting it off until the last minute. I’ve spent most of my time bathing if i’m honest Lush gave me a whole bunch of free stuff at staff training so now I spend most days doing nothing and smelling yummy.
I’ve been contacting local agencies and looking for models for projects however, so that is one useful thing I’ve done, I’ve been getting quite good responses too and have models for at least 7 shoots lined up so it’s all good. I shot Frankie again on my sx-70 a few weeks back at a park near here (mickey mouse ears and all) and I’m pretty in love with the Polaroids. I have 60 shots of Polaroid left and when that is gone it is pretty much gone, which sort of makes me sad. I wish I had the money to buy all the bulk 600 film people are selling on Ebay but sadly I’ll have to make do with what I have.
Hopefully there will be more updates next week.
10.13.08Public transport playlists
o I’ve been a bad blogger again and leaving it too long between posts which I feel pretty bad about, but after a lovely email from unicornology I decided to get my act together and do another music post. I should be doing work right now however, but this is much more fun.
So, this music post features a good bit of new music from albums that I urge you to buy, these songs after going back to college have very much been my ‘public transport playlist’ essentially they keep me incredibly entertained on the bus. Be ready to be uplifted.(download links under song samples)
Little Pictures are twee, they are cute they are everything I adore in music and more. They remind me of a much cuter ‘Architecture in Helsinki’, a male/female version of ‘The boy least likely to’ and many other amazingly good cute artists.
However their songs though cute contain bittersweet lyrics about love, and who doesn’t love a little love song? I know I’m a sucker for one as well as songs about being a camera. All of these songs will remind you of being in love or why you love the people that you do love.
I usually say which songs out of the downloads are my favorites but with these I can’t pick, I like them all equally and it really does cheer me up first thing on a morning to hear these on my ipod. If you listen to any of them listen to ‘This house can fit us all’ it is a cute anthem! I swear. They’ve just released their first EP entitled ‘Owl+Owl’, its amazing and everyone should own it.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I wish I could keep you - Little Pictures
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This house can fit us all - Little Pictures
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I have loved Los Campesinos! ever since I first heard them, and their new album ‘We are beautiful, we are doomed’ is no disappointment. Again this band are quite cute, what with their glockenspiel and all but they have a very obvious edge shouting vocals over pretty beats and laying down tracks that really get your foot tapping.
Their lyrics are often dry, sarcastic the kind of lyrics that a cynic like me adores, these two tracks are from their new album and once again I recommend you listen to both because they are both good in their own little ways. I am mostly drawn towards ‘All your keyfabe friends’ it really depends what mood I am in.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
All your keyfabe friends - Los Campesinos!
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We are beautiful we are doomed - Los Campesinos!
I have been listening to Sportsday Megaphones new album So many colors/So little time on a loop for a few days now. It is jolly, it is floaty, it makes you want to dance and it makes you want to relax. It has the perfect mixture of songs on there and is filled with electronic beats and sweet sounding vocals. My favorite track so far is ‘Young Lust’
Give the three that are here a listen and if you like what you here, but the album! Seriously you’ll probably end up having on repeat as well.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I think it’s love - Sportsday Megaphone
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Young Lust - Sportsday Megaphone
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Adventures after hours - Sportsday Megaphone
Now for something a little more 80’s, Ladyhawke has been appearing in and around the internet for quite some time now, popping up on music blogs from time to time. And I will be the first to admit that at first I wasn’t so sure, her singles took a while to take hold of me and her songs are very much the sort of songs that grow on you over time. Her album is exactly the same, on first listen it was a decent album but nothing great then it kept popping up on shuffle and now I love it. It’s easy to listen to, flows nicely and is the perfect companion to any car/bus/train ride.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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Lastly is Annie, I adored her last album ‘Anniemal’ it was pure electro goodness and her vocals are always so floaty you can’t help but want to listen. She is better than any of the solo female pop artists that you’d get plastered all over the front of your newspapers daily, and I was a little shocked when I heard Girls Aloud had written a song for her new album. The new album ‘Don’t Stop’ is a lot more pop sounding than her last, and a lot more commercial and if I am honest I’m still not totally sold yet however there are some great tracks on there.
The track bellow constantly gets stuck in my head (it’s easy to see why once you hear it) I’ve woken up often with it in my head, and it is a more of a ‘morning song before you get onto the bus’ than something to listen to while you’re riding around. Basically it asks that age old question ‘What do you want for breakfast?’, over and over again.
Give it a listen, it will be in your head for weeks and I will be to blame.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
That is all for now, enjoy listening to those when you’re on the bus, or in the car, or on a train, plane or any other transport type thing. Or even just walking, they are fun to walk too.
I am pretty busy this week doing shoots and editing photos however I will do another update soon I promise, my life is just so scheduled these days its hard to find the time but there will be one. 10.02.08My year in lists
I’ve been a bad blogger I must admit and this update is way overdue, the main excuse I have for the recent lack of updates however is reasonably valid college started again and since it did everything has been up in the air and all over the place if i’m honest.
The course itself is like a breath of fresh air to someone like me, we’re going to be going over marketing and business plans and all of that other boring stuff that I have been completely putting off learning about despite the fact that to be a successful photographer it is something I really need to know. We’ve been told about twenty times that this year will go incredibly fast, which is incredibly scary when you take into account that I have to have everything sorted by the time it is over. We’re talking websites, business cards, clients everything. All of this whilst also producing various research books, working journals and professional development folders alongside shooting portfolio images, in short it is a lot of work.
We were told to plan out our entire year ‘Where do you want to be in a years time, work backwards from there’ I’ve never needed to plan out my whole year before and I must say it is something that I just cannot do, I don’t even know what I’m doing in two weeks time let alone the end of the year. And of course none of this taken into account the fact that peoples plans are likely to change as well as peoples aspirations.One thing I know I am doing this year is continuing a personal project of mine, the image at the start of this post is from said project and is of a model called Frankie. It’s a studio portraiture project which is a bit of departure from my usual work and is all about addressing gender roles and the weakness of the sexes. I really enjoy shooting the images for it even though it can be a little strange asking people to think about things that make them upset, but due to this there is always some sort of connection between their eyes and the camera and when I am looking through that lens I can almost feel the emotions in the picture before I’ve even taken it. I don’t really get this with some of the more commercial work I shoot.
In other news I bagged myself a job at Lush, which has always been a dream job of mine if I’m honest. The place smells lovely, I use nearly all of their products, and everyone I met that already works there is so friendly.
It wasn’t an easy position to get to be honest, and it is only temporary but hopefully they’ll like me enough to offer me a more permanent position. I had to go through two rounds of interviews, where 150 people were narrowed to 80, then to 14 and then finally to 7. Luckily I’m one of those 7 and I nearly smashed the floor when I got the call because I was jumping up and down so much.
The downside of this however, is fitting it in around everything else I know I have to do for the final year of the course but I’m sure I’ll manage. I bought myself my first Moleskine diary the other day and I’m not entire sure how I managed without out.I can’t help feeling though, even with all of this work ahead of me that this academic year is going to be the best yet. I’m excited
09.23.08Japanese fashion: Gals! (Gyaru/Ganguro)This post is a continuation of my writings on Japanese fashion and beauty trends, something which has always interested me. This post will cover the Japanese fashion style ‘Gyaru’ and its most common and more recognisable term ‘Ganguro’ The images in this posts are scanned from ‘Egg’ and ‘Ageha’ magazine, click on them for a much bigger view.
For a quick introduction to style and fashion in Japan check the start of the first style post.Please comment if you enjoyed this post!The Gyaru trend
I saw a fair few Gyaru while I was in Japan their fashion styled ranged from the very mild to the incredibly extreme. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been to Japan, tell me what your experience of Gyaru was while you were there?
Most of these sightings were in the Shibuya district and the place to go if you want to see Gyaru style is most defiantly Shibya 109, a large mall in Shibuya that is filled with clothes and accessories which is any stylish Ganguro girls port of call when pay day rolls around.If you’re reading this post then I assume you already know a little bit about the weird and wonderful world of Japanese fashion trends, if not then you’re probably asking yourself what on earth is gyaru?
Gyaru (and the mens sub genre Gyaruo) is a literal translation of the english word ‘Gal’, this name originated in the 1970’s and it is rarely used today,
Ganguro is a subcategory of this trend though it is a commonly used term to describe the various looks seen within the trend. The Gyaru trend is a header for many smaller trends and subtrends some of these include things like Manba (girls with a deep tan and contrasting white makeup), Onegyaru (a girl that is no longer in high school and has adopted a more sophisticated style), and Himegyaru (girls who dress up in a princess style - this genre is strongly linked to sweet lolita examples of these youth styles that can be seen in the images within the post.I will be using the term Ganguro in reference to the styles within this post though you should be aware that most of these styles fall under different subcategories within the Gyaru trend, Ganguro is just one of these categories but it is mostly used to describe girls with a tanned complexion and bleached hair.
‘What is Ganguro all about?’
The Ganguro trend in Japan could easily be seen as ‘trendy’ girls anywhere else, these girls take pride in their appearance and spend the majority of their money caring for it and purchasing the latest clothing trends, however Ganguro itself is an extreme take on this.The girls within this trend will often sport a medium to dark tan in an attempt to emulate various hiphop stars that are popular in Japan this deep tan will usually be combined with incredibly light hair colours, taking their naturally dark hair pigmentation to shades of medium brown, blonde and sometimes white/grey blonde hair colours.
This is of of course achieved with the use of hairdye, a very popular brand in Tokyo as well as many online Asian forums is ‘Palty’ (seen in the image on the right, click for the full colour range) with colours ranging from dark natural brown to an incredibly light blonde, the names of these colours are playful and cute, the models sport varying Ganguro looks and the box is adorned with gem graphics. The dye itself is designed to successfully lighten very dark however pre-bleaching treatments are usually needed to achieve the colour on the box, this however is the length Ganguro girls will go to in order to achieve a more unusual hair colour.
Makeup is also something heavily relied upon within the trend, colorful eyeshadow has been the latest trend amongst Ganguro however some extremes in terms of makeup are seen within the trend, Manba will often use white concealer as lipstick and to contour their faces in an unusual manner. False eyelashes are also daily wear for a few dedicated Ganguro, along with contacted lenses known as ‘circle lenses’ which give the appearance of a larger, more open eye.
This type of lens is so widely used in fact that Circle lenses are present on most of the girls in the images on this page.Hair extensions are something you will see an abundance of in Japan, mostly on teenage girls it is something you probably will not notice however as these extensions are usually incredibly well matched to the users hair colour (even if the colour is dyed) and human hair is often used. These extensions are used in order to create longer hairstyles as well as better volume within the hair to help create bouffant styles which are a common hairstyle for people with the Onegyaru (older sister) and Himegyaru (princess) styles. Curls and ringlets are also popular. Many Japanese fashion magazines demonstrate how easily it is to completely change your look via using hair extensions and clever styling.
Circle lenses and hair extentions used to aid beauty cannot be solely tied down to the Ganguro trend however as these two factors are present within most Japanese style groups and can be seen on many of the teens in japan, as well as when flicking through any Japanese fashion magazine. Many famous actors and actresses in Asia have also been known to use circle lenses to make their eyes appear larger on screen and in photographic imagery as it is generally thought in Japan that having larger eyes is a much more beautiful trait.
This being said however Ganguro is not about conforming to traditional beauty standards it is in fact the complete opposite, when the trend was first born it was said to have been a form of revenge against traditional Japanese society. The clothing and style that was being work was in direct contradiction to school rules and regulations and was very much about self expression and marking oneself as an individual. The tanning, dyed hair and use of slang is in direct contradiction to what is seen as traditional female beauty in Japan, and going against this has lead to the Ganguro girls and resembles of the style getting quite a bad press and media image in Japan. This being said during my short trip to Japan I saw very little negative behavior towards the Ganguro girls wandering around Shibuya or hanging around outside of Shibya 109, so I cannot confirm or deny this statement. (Please let me know if on your travels/life in Japan you saw a different view towards Ganguro) However it would seem that a more open and accepting view is taken towards Lolita trends than towards the trends within the Gyaru subculture.
‘Where’s the fashion?’
I understand that so far this post has been purely about beauty and very little about fashion however beauty and makeup is a key feature of this trend and is usually the defining factor of noticing if a person is part of the Ganguro trend or not, however this does not mean that Ganguro fashion isn’t a big part of the trend as well. Shibuya 109 is bursting apart with stores catering to Ganguro youth, constantly churning out new clothing that takes influences from current catwalk trends as well as styles that are currently big in the United Kingdom and America.
Taking to the streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku you will see a wide range of amazing Ganguro clothing, the girls walking these streets are dressed in bright colours, this seasons prints and will more often than not have the latest designer bag (or designer rip-off depending on how much cash they can part with.) While I was in Japan the Nu-Rave style was quite big within the Ganguro community and most of the stores in Shibya 109 were selling bright day-glo printed tshirts and luminous colored leggings.Ganguro style changes frequently to keep up with catwalk trends as well as trends purely confined to Japan, however the look itself is usually constant bright colours are often seen as well as cute accessories, oversized and gem encrusted jewelry, and high heel shoes sometimes verging on platforms are often seen.
A lot of the styles within Ganguro are heavily based around music, much like the Lolita styles in Japan are based upon J-rock and Visual-Kei, Ganguro style is based around Hip Hop and R&B music you will often see girls sporting looks that are very similar to their favorite musical artists (again however the r&b look is a subgenre within the Ganguro culture.) Hotpants, trucker hats and ‘bling’ accessories are big various shops exist around Japan who’s sole purpose lies in ‘blinging’ up whatever item you like, many Ganguro girls will choose to get their mobile phones encrusted in gems which adds to the expensive and unique look they like to portray.
‘Where can I buy some of these super trendy clothes?’
There are a fair few places to find Ganguro fashion in Japan however until I make a return trip and do a more full post on shopping in Tokyo I would say that your one stop shop for Ganguro style is definatly Shibuya 109 which I have mentioned many times during this post, however it really is the one place to find many Ganguro styles
under one roof. It is reasonably easy to find once you are in Shibuya and features 8 floors of clothing stores, makeup stores and places to eat. You will be loving welcomed by incredibly cute store workers and will spot more than the odd 100 Ganguro girls and guys wandering the shop floors.
There is a good range of stores (and a whole paint store of the colour pink) ranging from cheap to expensive most of the stores however are cheap and you will be able to pick up unusual accessories and cute makeup brands without putting a large hole in your purse, you will also be able to find reasonably cheap bags, tshirts, shoes and other clothing items in a lot of the stores. Most of the things you will find usually works out at about the same price you would pay for the garment in a store like Topshop here in the UK or over in the USA, when you count the fact that you are buying the item from Japan and no one else back home will have it then the prices for most things actually work out quite cheap and fully worthwhile. There are however a few stores within 109 with higher pricing but again if you see something you want the prices are usually worth it when taking the exclusivity of the garment into account.
It can be a tiring task however looking around the mall itself, as mentioned earlier it is an 8 floor affair and though the building itself is pretty narrow like most stores in Tokyo they defiantly make up for it in height so if you are planning on going I would say be prepared to spend a whole evening there, it closes pretty late thankfully but be sure to check the times before going, there are also a few places to have a rest and something to eat within the building so if you feel you are flagging a little there are plenty of places to take a rest.
The people in the stores within the mall will be incredibly happy and probably go out of their way to help you as well if you are needing any help with anything,
feel free to ask to try anything on in any of the stores one of the girls I was with on my trip to Tokyo did and the store assistants were incredibly happy to help they told her she looked ‘kawaii’ in what she had tried on and even suggested as best as they could different ways to wear the outfit and what she could wear it with. So don’t be afraid to ask the language barrier is difficult I won’t lie but trying your best and pointing will usually end up with you getting the assistance you need, and all of it will be in the friendliest way possible I have said it before but it is true that every person I encountered in Tokyo was lovely and it will be the best customer service you receive anywhere.‘I want to know more about Ganguro!’
If you are looking for more scans from Japanese fashion magazines then I urge you check out Jmagazinescans Livejournal Community there are posts a few times a week of various Japanese fashion magazines and you can even request scans from specific issues of certain publications, it is a great tool for anyone wanting to check out the latest Japanese fashion and beauty trends.
If you are looking for specific information and images about Gals style then I highly recommend the blog Shibuya 109 gals it has quite a lot of informative posts and frequent posts about new fashion magazine releases.
Like always I hope you found the information you needed/learned something new and I hope the whole Gyaru/Ganguro explanation wasn’t too complicated for you (just remember all Ganguro are Gyaru but not all Gyaru are Ganguro!)
Feel free to comment if you found it helpful! And do let me know if i’ve missed anything or if any of the information is incorrect as I can only write down what I know and what I saw while I was in Tokyo so please let me know if there is anything misleading. 09.17.08Inspirational Anime: Rozen Maiden
Following on from my last Anime post, this is my second ‘Inspirational Anime’ post, which features one of my ‘Top 10 Anime of all time’, which you should defiantly watch!
Note: Watch the Japanese language subtitled version, not the American dub (it’s terrible)What is Rozen Maiden
The Rozen Maiden anime is another that I would consider one of my Top 10, infact it is my second favorite anime of all time!
Rozen Maiden was originally a manga series by Peach-Pit, a female mangaka duo who are mostly known for their award winning childrens manga Shugo Chara!.
The manga has spawned two anime series and also a two part prequel to the show, the manga story is still ongoing though the two series are completed their is still a possibility for a possible third season due to many unresolved issues and plot points.Season one and Season two (titled Rozen Maiden: Träumend) both contain 12 episodes which is the perfect amount for both story arcs and also the perfect amount for easy watching if you’re anime watching isn’t frequent or you have never watched an anime series. It is a lot easier to commit to a show with fewer episodes as even some of the highly dedicated anime viewers find shows with a large volume a challenge to get through.
The anime, especially the second series has at times dark themes mixed in with plenty of cute moments, mysterious elements are placed carefully throughout and the full story is never truly given to the viewer in one go, instead you are required to piece together the elements yourself which is turn makes for excellent viewing.
There are plenty of comedy moments within this anime and plenty of characters that will make you smile, however towards the end of both series there are moments that will make your heart ache as you watch things you knew were inevitable occur, these elements of happiness mixed in with episodes that will bring a tear to your eye of course make this anime a must see.This anime will be enjoyed by anyone that is fond of Japanese Lolita fashion style, as each of the doll characters within it is dressed in French period clothing quite similar to that of the Lolita trend seen in Japan, also anyone that is fond of the Ball Jointed Dolls popular in Japan such as Super Dollfie will also find this anime slowly turning into one of their favorites purely due to the characters themselves.
And although Peach-Pit are known for their Shojo (Girls manga) works a good deal of their work is viewable by both sexes (Zombie Loan for example) and I feel Rozen Maiden indeed falls into this ‘unisex’ category, however once again it fully depends on what kind of anime you are used to watching. The main protagonist of this story however is a boy, which will make it a much easier watch even if you’re used to giant robots smashing each other to pieces in your anime, Rozen Maiden will defiantly draw you in to its plot and soon you’ll find yourself needing to watch the entire thing!The story
The stories main character is Jun Sakurada, he is a High School student but is never there he instead locks himself away in his bedroom and refuses to go to school due to embarrassing experiences that still haunt him, and a lack of self confidence. He is an internet shopping addict and spends most of his days tracking down rare supernatural items online to add to his collection and this is where the twist comes into it, usually in this type of anime you would expect Jun to suddenly find a harem of big busted girls in skirts so short you have their
underwear in your face for the rest of the show however this is not the case instead he is informed that he has won a prize and almost moments later an antique wooden box appears in his room this box contains a doll, she is dressed in french aristocratic clothing and resembles a Super Dollfie. The only difference is that this doll has a key and when Jun decides to wind her up, she springs to life, slaps him across the face for mishandling her and makes it known that she is Shinku, the fifth doll of (what will become) the mysterious ‘Rozen Maiden.’ Enter a killer stuffed clown forcing Jun to become Shinku’s servant in order for her to save him from it and thus the story begins.The Alice Game
I don’t really want to talk about ‘The Alice game’ to much as it is best understood when watched unfold through the anime, but Shinku is not the only ‘Rozen Maiden’ doll in existence in fact she has a few sisters and it isn’t long before the others surface, and as each new doll is re-awoken the centry old battle between them known as ‘The Alice game’ must begin.
This competition is a fight to destruction and only one doll can remain, this winning doll will become ‘Alice’ the perfect doll and this doll will get to meet ‘Father’ the creator of the ‘Rozen Maiden’ In order to become ‘Alice’ the dolls must battle using their guardian spirits and special abilities, the losing doll will in turn lose her ‘Rosa Mystica’ which is almost like the souls of the dolls containing their memories and abilities, this ‘Rosa Mystica’ is then taken by the winning doll, this game continues until one doll has collected all of the ‘Rosa Mystica’ and then she alone will become ‘Alice’ and in this game only one doll can be allowed to remain intact at the end and she alone will become ‘Alice’ and get to once again meet ‘Father’, the creator of the dolls themselves. The characters
All of the characters are beautifully crafted and well copied from the original manga with only small character changes, all made however to make the characters more screen worthy.
Firstly there is Jun, you slowly get insight into his fears, and why he is such a recluse during the course of the two series and you find yourself rooting for him to overcome the things that cause him pain in life and become a much better person. His confidence gains and he takes on almost a fatherly role for the dolls, all of which are trying to find their real ‘father’, his relationship with Shinku is especially poignant and though she slaps him and bosses him around you get glimpses of her blushing cheeks and shy demeanor when faced with her feelings towards him.Each of the dolls in the show has her own personality as well as guardian spirit and supernatural power to be used during fighting in the ‘Alice game’, these different personalities make each of the characters a joy to watch even if you may end up finding some of the them annoying you soon realise that there are aspects of that you love, and that the show wouldn’t be the same without them.
None of the characters present in the program are their as ‘bit’ parts, they all serve their purpose and all have their own reasons for their partaking in the ‘Alice game’, their personalities are built slowly and carefully starting out as extreme characters and cliches of themselves but these characters are soon revealed to be much more, even the more destructive of the dolls have their reasons, and Peach-Pit don’t create a purely evil character unlike many story writers, instead they allow you to make up your own mind about each characters motivations and feelings through flashbacks and small, slight insights into hidden aspects of their personalities.
Then you have the mysterious characters within the anime, some barely showing their faces, some speaking in riddles and some not being entirely what they first appear these characters feed your need for answers within the program yet you find yourself being left with more questions until the big bombshells are dropped, because it really does all gloriously come together.Not convinced?
Rozen Maiden is a story of confidence, battle and most of all friendship and love the characters within it have to make some hard decisions and rethink traditions that have been instilled in them since quite literally their creation. It is an insight into family and it is slowly reveled that all of the characters want to feel love and be loved in return however could this love be not found in the places they expect it to be but instead somewhere all togetherness different?
You find yourself routing for the happiness of these porcelain doll characters, each with their own very distinct personalities and you find yourself wishing them not to fight as they slowly begin to realize that maybe they are best off surrounded by each other and within the warm home of Jun and his sister.
In its most simplistic form it asks the questions ‘Which is more important your own happiness or having the ones you love?’Again like with NaNa give the anime a try watch a few episodes and see how you like it, you wont be disappointed. I would strongly recommend however that you watch the Japanese language subtitled version of the program, it has since been dubbed in American and in most peoples opinion the voice actors used in the dub are (as usual) sub-par to that of the Japanese version.
You can find Fansubs of the anime itself on various online streaming sites and there are a few torrents out there if you would prefer to download the anime yourself though since the series has been licensed you may have to hunt around the net though it is nothing that a quick google search can’t help you with, there are also various DVD’s of the show online to buy ranging from the licensed versions (which feature both American vocals and an option to watch in Japanese with subtitles) that are released with a few episodes per DVD, and import copies of the anime with original Japanese voices (and the option to turn subtitles on) its up to you to decide which you’d get better value for money out of!
As always if you do watch the anime please drop me a comment and let me know what you think of it! Or maybe you’ve found a similar anime, or would like to recommend me one of your top 10 anime? I’d love to hear from you, so get to it. 09.10.08Missing people
This is Debbie in a quick test shot I did of some lighting for a personal project of mine, I love the vintage colors the film gave me and how serene she looks here, she’s a very pretty girl and is a complete rocker at heart.
She was an a friend from my previous course, four years we’d been going to the same building and taking the same lectures, shooting for the same projects. She was one of the few people in my class that I actually enjoyed being around and I think I am going to miss her next year. I’m going to miss complaining about certain lecturers and their inability to mark unbiasedly with her, we shared the same views on a good deal of things when it came to certain aspects of the course and if I’m honest I used to enjoy having a good old moan with her.As the start of the final year of the course gets nearer (5 days away in fact) I find myself realising that there are a lot of people I am going to miss next year if I am honest with myself. Emily isn’t the only person I’m going to find myself without, and I wonder how I’m going to get through the boring lectures without someone to childishly write notes to.
All of this said there are people I am glad I won’t have to put up with next year and there are some that I am not afraid to say I wish weren’t on the course with me, I am not a mean or cold hearted person and it may seem like a mean thing to say but there are people I have come across that have completely opened my eyes to just how catty people can be, these people I could do without. I suspect however that you’ll be hearing more from me about this once the course begins.
I’m following a few of my old classmates through their blogs and I actually wish more of them were bloggers, there are people who’s lives I really want to keep up with and some ups and downs I would really enjoy reading, part of me hopes that there are people I don’t fall out of touch with but life goes so quickly and people come and go, and that has never been something I have handled well.I’m starting to miss college quite a bit, though I can predict that once I go back it will only be a few days before I start complaining about it, however I find myself missing certain aspects of it. I miss having the access to the equipment and the studio itself there have been times this holiday that I have been itching to get into the studio.
I’ve had a model I shot a few months back email me letting me know that she is going full time as a model and wants to set up a shoot, i told her that I’d love to help her with her portfolio but I’m going to have to wait a few weeks sadly, it’s a busy time right now and college will be starting again soon however I am really glad she got in touch it is fashion which is something I haven’t shot in a while but its something I can’t wait to get my teeth into. My style has defiantly grown since the last time I shot any fashion based work and I think the deliberate break I took from shooting anything fashion related may have paid off, it has allowed me to get myself together think about my style and where it is going and even enabled me to asses little things like what I shoot on and what kind of film I shoot which I think is are important things to reassess for any photographer. 09.07.08Japanese fashion: Kawaii lolita and punkThis post is the first of a few I will be doing discussing Japanese fashion and beauty trends, the images in this posts are scanned from ‘Kera Maniax vol. 10′ click on them for a much bigger view. Please comment if you enjoyed reading I love to hear from you.
Japanese style, what to expect in Tokyo
I used to see pictures of Japanese youth fashion all of the time, along with Japanese street fashion it was something I always looked up to, the sense of style that seemed to be splattered through out Tokyo and the sense of individual style a lot of Japanese teenagers seemed to have, and a lot of high streets tried to copy.
I don’t consider my style as ‘punk’ and it is definatly not ‘lolita’ being a Caucasian male it would be a pretty hard look to pull off, however fashion is a large interest of mine and some of the styles in Tokyo absolutely blew me away.
I wasn’t actually prepared for what I would see when I actually visited Tokyo earlier this year, part of me thought maybe the whole thing was a bit of a myth, and that surely people didn’t walk around like this, surely only a handful of people could afford to look that good, however I was wrong. I am not saying that everyone in Tokyo was well dressed but it was defiantly a great deal more than half.
I was staying in Shinjuku which is a pretty trendy place to stay in Tokyo that I would definatly reccomend to most people, there are malls everywhere in Shinjuku, there is even one above Shinjuku station which you can (and I did) get lost in. There malls are very much targeted at keeping you there for a very long time.
I was defiantly amazed from the first day, and found myself doing double takes as people walked past and drooling over the many lovely coats that a lot of the boys seemed to have there, trust me Japan knows how to make nice coats.
What is your take on Japanese fashion? Love it, hate it?
Lolita in Japan
I saw quite a lot of lolita’s in Japan, a lot more than I expected and it was always cute to see. For those asking what a Lolita is, lolita fashion is a sense of dress that is mostly influenced by Victorian and Rococo era styles. Think bows, petticoats, headdresses, lots of frills, and a child like look and you are pretty close. Most of the lolita’s I saw in Japan could be described as ’sweet lolita’ this is a softer style than the usual gothic look, and it focuses on cute child-like images, dresses featuring cake and teddy bear prints that sort of thing. The pictures above and to the right give you a good idea of general lolita styles (Alice and the Pirates is a sub-brand of clothing focusing on lolita with a pirate feel.)
Now I know you’re thinking who the hell could pull that sort of thing off and really you would be incredibly surprised, nearly every person I saw did!‘How can people walk around like this, don’t they get weird looks?’ Is what I used to ask before visiting Japan ‘Surely they’re not that accepting’.
What I found however is that they are, I heard rumors that Japanese teenagers get bad press and that most people keep out of their way but I was totally shocked at how comfortable and accepting people were towards other people’s style. I didn’t see anyone at all getting weird looks, or second glances it just didn’t happen, you could wear an elephant on your head in Japan and people would just accept it. I’ll be posting some street fashion images in the near future and you can see yourself just how unusual, individual and extreme J-street fashion can get.Punk in Japan
While there are some hardcore looking punks in Japan for the most part even Japanese punk style seems to be mixed with their kawaii (cute) culture. Japanese punk fashion merges the old 1970’s punk styles such as safety pins, chains, tartan print skirts mixed with cute hair accessories, padlock necklaces teamed with cute illustrated tshirts, and also references many punk bands and motifs from the punk era
Glam rock styles are also mixed in with the punk look as seen in the image to the right, where the leopard print of the glam rock era is mixed with harsher punk elements to create a cute yet rebellious look something favored by the popular clothing brand ‘Sexy Dynamite London’, who also do replicas of Vivienne Westwood’s Seditionaries collection as worn my Sid Vicious.You only have to spend a little time around Harajuku to notice that Westwood is highly regarded in Japan and if you ever want to find yourself a rare piece of Westwood jewelry then Japan is the place to go, with various second hand Westwood sellers mostly scattered around Harajuku (one store even had the incredibly rare cigarette lighters, for an incredibly expensive price I might add.) There are also plenty of stalls selling Westwood knockoffs if you’re a little short on cash.
Hellcat Punks is another popular Punk lolita brand it stocks incredibly cute style garments such as mini skirts and knee socks with punk prints and imagery, however the style is very tongue in cheek in deliverance check out the spoof ‘Ozzy Osbourne’ tshirts on the image to the left for example, featuring a rather cute cartoon of him biting off the elusive bats head. You will see a lot of girls sporting this cute look mixed with elements of punk, I actually saw more girls dressed this way than I did in standard lolita fashion this look itself is more casual and seems to be favored by girls with a laid back attitude.
Where can I buy all of this wonderfully cute stuff?
I fully intend to do a fully, and amazing post on shopping in Tokyo the next time I visit however I figured I should conclude this post with some information of where to find clothing like this, though they never look as good on anyone that isn’t Asian a lot of them are well worth adding to your wardrobe depending on what styles you are into.
Of course Harajuku is the main place to find incredibly cheap yet stylish and individual fashions I’m going to touch on it briefly but expect a more relevant and useful post on it in (sadly) the distant future. Harajuku is amazing, Takeshita Dori is the main street you want to hit in Harajuku, you can’t miss it once you’re out of Harajuku station it’s just across the road. It is only one street, however it is packed with shops there are shops down side streets, shops up stairs on top of other shops, shops down stairs in basements they’ve crammed a shop wherever the space was available believe me, and that is a good thing. Be sure to go into the ‘Daiso’ store that is just a little way down the street from the entrance it is the biggest 100yen store in Tokyo and it has a whole host of incredibly cute stationary and the like, you can buy a lot and spend nearly nothing it is amazing.Takeshita Dori is incredibly packed however, I would liken it to Camden markets many other people have however I feel this is underestimating the street completely there really are some gems, and I fully fully suggest going on a weekend when it is at it’s busiest! Insane I know but you haven’t experienced Tokyo unless you’ve tried to exit Takeshita Dori through crows of people (it is quite a battle), that plus the coolest looking people come out at the weekend so there is lots of inspired fashions, and crazy ones to look at.
Remember when in Harajuku however to spend wisely and think smart, it is very easy to end up looking like you’ve run into a small child’s wardrobe and run out wearing everything they own. Yes nearly everything in Harajuku is cute, but would you suit it? And does it suit your style, that is what you have to ask yourself when in Harajuku because it really is one place where you can spend so much money.
If you don’t have time to go to Harajuku or you don’t like the sound of the busy streets then your one stop shop for lolita and punk fashion is OIOI in Shinjuku. There’s practically a mall every 4 steps in Shinjuku, and there are a handful of ‘OIOI’ stores (OIOI is pronounced ‘mar-oo-ee’ in case you get lost) however you can’t miss them they are gigantic and have ‘OIOI’ on the top of them in big red lettering.
Now if you’re not too fussy there are two OIOI stores in Shinjuku that sell clothing of a none punk/lolita fashion, the clothes these stores sell are still amazingly fashionable impeccably on trend and very well made. One of these stores is Marui Men which specializes is men’s clothes, this can be a bit pricey but is worth a look if like me you’re of a male gender, the other store is Marui City which sells both mens and womens clothing however it is smaller than the other two but is good if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to scale many floors of a mall (Japanese malls are built thin but incredibly high, its escalator central.)
The reason I mention these two is because if you are looking for lolita or punk fashion you are bound to come across these stores in your search for Marui Young, they are all difficult to tell apart but they’re reasonably easy to find so eventually you will hit on ‘OIOI Young.’ This is where you want to be for lolita and punk fashions. It can be a great deal more expensive than Harajuku but it is worth the visit even just if you’re curious or fancy a culture shock.
It may not seem like it has anything to do with lolita style from the first few floors however so be warned, the first four floors feature trendy women’s clothing mostly with a cute edge, there is also one store on the ground floor that was very reminiscent of All Saints but at a fraction of the price.
However if you take the back entrance (the one that looks all dark and lolita-esque, it’s a bit of a give away actually) you will be taken directly up to the 5th floor, or you can start at the bottom floor of the store and work your way up which is much more fun! Once you hit the 5th floor, if unique clothing is what you are looking for then you’ve found your mecca, Marui Young turns into Marui One on the 5th floor the change is rather visible the decor changes (the decor is amazing by the way!) and you are faced with a multitude of lace dresses. Well done, you’ve found lolita central!
The brands you will find on this store are some of the most famous lolita and punk brands in Japan. You will find Sexy Dynamite London, h.NAOTO Emily Temple Cute, Super Lovers and Angelic Pretty amongst many others.
But I’m a boy what about me!
If you’re a guy being dragged around by a girl, or simply want to get yourself some individual clothing at some of these stores but find yourself faced with mountains of lace dresses and cute stuffed animals I would suggest visiting Sexy Dynamite London, h.NAOTO and Super Lovers, they have some tshirts and accessories that I would defiantly consider as unisex and I’m pretty sure they are as the brands sell boys clothing as well as girls.Algonquins and Peace Now have quite a few mens coats and jackets/blazers some of which would make interesting statement pieces in your wardrobe without being to over the top, though they also have plenty of mens clothing if over the top is the look you want to achieve.
Some of the more Gothic Lolita stores in Marui One also sell mens blouse style shirts if that is your kind of thing some of them aren’t as frilly as you would expect and could possibly work as a nice dinner shirt, Algonquins some of the ties in some of the stores are also rather nice some of the cutsew ones have a rather unique look to them, sort of business punk and they’re reasonably cheap if you are short on cash.
I’ll be doing a Japanese men’s style blog post in the near future so look out for that, and will hopefully do another more informative one after my next trip to Japan.
Have you been to Japan, any good shopping destinations I’ve missed out?I can’t afford to go to Japan/I want these clothes now!
I can’t/couldn’t afford to go either so I know what it is like, I currently have an overdrawn bank account to show for it but it was worth every penny.
I understand though that if you’re reading this post you are probably interested in the lolita style and probably want to own some of these clothes but like most people can’t afford the trip to Japan. Well, you have everything you need in front of you in that case the internet is your new best friend when it comes to lolita styles.Marui One have a site, and they ship internationally! The site itself has an incredibly narrow selection of clothing compared to the mall itself but it is better than nothing. the clothes are a bit more expensive than if you were to buy them in Japan and then there is the shipping on top but if it’s something you are really craving then it is a simple option.
Another site worth looking at is Fan Plus Friend they do copies of popular lolita and punk styles, they custom make all of their clothes to your size and will change things about the garment if you ask (such as changing the sleeves/buttons/making the back shorter), to be honest they will pretty much create a completely custom garment for you. It will take a few weeks for them to make your clothes, however the prices are really really reasonable for the amount of work that goes into them and the usual prices you’d be expected to pay for similar garments.
Ebay is also a good option, try searching for some of the brand names you favor or if you’re feeling less specific just look for lolita, don’t forget to do an international search as well as there are a fair few items from Hong Kong, South Korea and even Japan going for quite cheap prices.
More scans please!
Those are all of the scans that I have from Kera Maniax sadly, however I have scans from other various Japanese magazines so expect posts on those in the near future one will cover ganguro style which is always good for a culture shock!However if you are interested in Japanese fashion, or just fashion in general or just want to see more Japanese magazine images I strongly recommend you head over to Jmagazinescans Livejournal Community which is a great community that is constantly updated with scans from Japanese fashion magazines.
I hope you’ve found this post informative/useful/a good read, it took me forever to put together so please comment if you found it helpful! Let me know if I have missed anything or there is something you think i should add.
09.03.08Inspirational Anime: NaNa
‘Even now I am still calling your name.’
Anime?
Over the past few years I’ve watched my fair share of anime and I guess you could call this the first of a fair few recommendations I will most likely end up doing.Anime is japanese cartoons however they differ greatly to the types of cartoons you are probably used to seeing or would probably even expect. Anime in Japan is deeply routed into Japanese culture and is watched by millions, most Anime shown on TV is in fact aimed at older teens and adults rather than at young children.
There are series about cooking, ones about death gods, ones about solving murders, and down the more seedy end of the scale one’s all about lesbian police women.
So, there’s a whole bunch of cartoons to watch in Japan is basically what I am saying and if you’re reading this you probably already knew that anyway. However I have found that you have to watch a fair amount of sub-par anime before you hit a real gem.
What is Nana?
Nana is in short is my favorite anime of all time. Nothing I have watched before or after has topped it, and I think it defiantly stands up there as one of the top 10 anime releases of the past few years.
It is based on a Japanese shojo manga series of the same name, by one of my favorite manga artists Ai Yazawa.
The series itself is a huge success and is the 5th best selling shojo manga to date.
It is so popular in Japan in fact that two live action movies have been made following the same time span as the first anime season, however the anime is much better than the movies.
Although the first series of the anime is finished and no more will be made until the manga story is complete the manga it is still being released in japan monthly as well as being translated into English by Viz media.Nana is considered as a ‘girls comic’ I wouldn’t say it is a series that would be completely lost on boys, it was most defiantly not lost on me it has many male fans even though the two main protagonists themselves are female. However if most of the anime you enjoy watching is filled with men wielding swords around this one probably isn’t for you.
The story
One thing that makes an amazing anime is a strong and well rounded story and Nana defiantly has the series sticks closely to the original manga story which is brilliantly written and translates perfectly to screen.
The anime is a true to life show, one would almost call it a ’soap opera’ but without all of the cheesy acting.
The pretext of the show is simple two girls of exactly the same age, with exactly the same name (Nana, literally meaning ‘7′ seen as an unlucky number in Japan) meet one day on a train to Tokyo where they are both relocating to live their dreams. The two Nana’s however couldn’t be more different from one another.
Nana Komatsu (also known as Hachi) is a chatty, overly excited, ditsy type character with a past full of broken hearts and foolish loves due to her habit of easily falling for men, usually the wrong ones.
She is moving to Tokyo to be with her current boyfriend and live out her dream of being the perfect girlfriend.Nana Osaki, the other is a singer in a punk band, decked out in Vivienne Westwood accessories with a brooding and secretive personality. Her past is a lonely one that is scattered with pain and loss, as well as an old band member boyfriend (who is now rocketing to fame in a band of his own.)
She is moving to Tokyo to peruse her career as a front woman and to make sure her band becomes better than than her ex-boyfriends.
These two completely conflicting characters meet accidentally not once, but twice and eventually find their fate together is sealed as they become flatmates to save on renting costs. This choice however changes their fate and their lives in a way that they could never had imagined as they tackle lifes hurdles together including both of their pasts coming back to haunt them.
This may seem a little thin story wise but the show really comes into its own eventually, with love triangles, prostitution, drugs and while all of this unfolds you watch the friendship of two girls slowly growing stronger to the point that separation would be the most painful thing to occur.
The characters
There is more than just the story making this anime my personal best however, the characters themselves are incredibly well rounded.
‘Hachi’ though chatty and fun loving is never shown as the usual completely dumb blonde 2-dimensional character, there is pain in her heart and she is trying her hardest to be a better person and not to fall in love so easily.
Where as with Nana Osaki you expect a purely aggressive, punk and brooding attitude but instead are shown a character in need of love and affection. Someone who like most people is unsure of herself and where she is heading in life as she takes risks and tries to aim for her dreams. Through all of her uncertainty and struggle she still laughs like her heart is aglow.
Their characters are revealed slowly and delicately to the viewer, with small glimpses into their past and heartbreaking voice overs at the start of each episode referencing their futures. You want them to stay together forever even as unlikely as it seems.
They are the kind of characters that you find yourself drawn to incredibly they
make you feel you are one of them or that you know someone just like them, as you watch how they react to situations you have been through yourself or hope you never will have to go through.They are possibly the most real characters I have ever watched in an anime, and I would go as far as saying they are more real than a deal of characters I’ve watched in movies and television shows. You never doubt them.
The way I am describing this however you could almost be lead to think that these two are the only characters in the show, however this is not the case there is an incredibly large team of characters in this show.
Members of the band BLAST and their rival band Trapnest for example, this being said none of these characters get overlooked unlike a lot of other anime ‘co-stars.’ None of the characters are thrown in there purely for ‘comic effect’ or for ‘filler’.They are not put in there to represent a ’stereotype’ or anything else for that matter, they are there with their own troubles and triumphs with their own back stories and relationships.
The music
What sets Nana apart from many other anime is the music that is heavily present within it, mostly due to the storyline and the two bands within the show.
The music itself isn’t overdone however there are only a handful of songs featured in the 47 episodes and nearly all of these are the opening and ending themes, you end up loving these songs though and they really do get stuck in your head.
For the songs Yazawa wanted two artists that would represent the two front women in the show, namely Nana Osaki and Reira Serizawa. The two artists that represent these characters are Anna Tsuchiya (Nana) and Olivia Lufkin (Reira) the songs they perform are based upon these characters and their lives as the two artists take on the persona’s of the characters themselves, someone that you would be very unlikely to see happen in the west.Olivia to me is an amazing artist and one of my favorite Japanese solo artists. She personified the character Reira through the entire period she was working on Nana and I feel it is a shame she couldn’t have played Reira in the live action movie.
The voice-overs
‘Hey, Nana. Do you remember the day we met?’
The voice-overs in Nana isn’t something that many people write about however they are something that often really touched me and really made me want to watch till the end.
At the start and end of most episodes there is always a voice-over, firstly from Hachi and later in the series from Nana these little snippets of thought are almost conversations from one Nana to the other they are insights into the future, foreshadowing heartbreaking events that may occur.
They never ruin the story for you and are presented in a vague manner however when you find yourself sinking deep into the story they can become quite upsetting which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Not convinced?
Should you watch it? That is probably a question you’re asking yourself if you’ve read this and it isn’t a question I can answer for you.
The program though not shockingly adult in content is quite a mature show and you would need a level of maturity to understand a lot of the situations that occur.
It does feature relationships and sex and can be quite upsetting at times, however all of this aside I would still recommend it to most people.
It is clever and thought provoking, and for anyone who has ever loved someone so much they never want to let them go it can strike many truths. When you’re watching it you forget completely about it being a cartoon. It forces you to feel for the characters and the situations and you find yourself deep in the story and in love with the characters when they cry, you cry.
I would say give it a go at the least watch a few episodes, there are subbed DVD’s out there to buy and if you’re not that convinced it is pretty easy to find to watch/download online.
Watch a few episodes and you’ll soon find out if it is something you will enjoy, it is better than any soap opera that I have ever seen and if you like programs that are true to life I swear you won’t be disappointed.
Again though, if you are used to supernatural anime or horror anime this may not be your thing but bear in mind horror/supernatural are my favorite anime genre’s and I still found NaNa enjoyable.
If you do watch it let me know what you think. I’d also love to hear what your favorite anime is? Is there a similar anime to Nana you think I’d enjoy? I’m always looking out for new shows so please drop me a comment.
08.28.08Design Adoration: Tado
Everyone that knows me knows that I am a sucker for anything cute, it is a rare occurrence however to find a british designer with a cute style that I find appealing because lets face it Japan does cute the best and most people that try to emulate that level of cute just don’t quite get it.
However a few years ago I came across some designers that I have adored ever since, their style mixes cute and Japanese kawaii elements with elements that have a slightly more sinister edge, creating a style that is very distinctive lies somewhere between adult and childlike. Their work is all about happiness and feeling good, much like the Japanese cute imagery used to make business men less stressed looking at Tado’s work will really really lift your spirits.
Tado are Mike and Kate, two designers that work and live together in dreary old Sheffield bursting out amazing design specializing in illustration, animation, graphic design, toy design and most other things you can think of. Their work has been exhibited around the world and their client list is never ending having worked for big names such as MTV and Nike.
Fortune Pork were one of Tado’s big hits, they were a blind box series of small stuffed toys which featured animal type characters reinvented, each one is incredibly cute some with big smiles, some with big cheeks, and some with big heads. They have been released in different colorways, and you can still pick them up on their websites store, which you should defiantly check out. Albert is so cute!
Right now however Tado are about to launch a new set of blind box items, these figures (a few years in the making) are called ‘Cannibal Funfair’ and again features some of the weirdest and cutest characters you’ll see this side of Tokyo.
Where to get Cannibal Funfair
- You will be able to order the series on Kid Robot pretty soon.
- And if you want to collect them all then I suggest getting a box of 20 from rotofugi which is an incredibly cute store and well worth a look.
- If you live in the UK and want to save on postage then you can pick them up online at Tokyo Toy Store but they will sell out quickly so hurry, hurry!
Lily: The Littlest Cannibal
Magic Pony in Toronto, Canada are holding a special exhibition of Tado’s work called ‘Lily: The littlest cannibal.’Everything you need to know is here. but for those in a hurry:
Exhibition opens - August 28, 2008 from 7-9pm (with toy signing 6-7pm)
Exhibition runs - August 28 - September 14, 2008The series mixes their cute style with something slightly more sinister, it is a world of smiley mountains, cute monster mushrooms and all the cute things you would expect to find in a cute cannibal infested forest world. The exhibition itself features a range of media from paintings, to wooden sculpture to plush animals, you can check out the preparations on Tado’s Flickr.
It opens this evening and will mark the launch of the ‘Cannibal Funfair’ series, and the cute blind box figures will be available to but at the Magic Pony store. Mike and Kate will be in attendance at the exhibition doing toy signing! So if you live anywhere near Toronto I suggest you get yourself down to Magic Pony this second, I only wish I could make it but it would be quite a plane journey.
Hopefully one day I will get to meet these guys and bask in the cute love, however until then I will just have to keep saving in the hopes to have enough money to get the entire set of ‘Cannibal Funfair’, and keep checking in the hopes of one day stumbling upon a super rare Giant Albert plush.
I totally suggest you check them out however if you have a spare minute and cute design is your kind of thing, and if you do buy some Cannibal Funfair boxes and end up with a duplicate ‘Piggle’ or ‘Rolo’ I for one would happily take them off your hands. So, so cute!
