Review: ‘Manga マンガ’at the British Museum 23 May – 26 August 2019

Dedicated to the victims of the Kyoto Animation fire in Uji City!

Belonging to Kōzan-ji temple in Kyōto the Japanese National Treasures the eight ‘Scrolls of Frolicking Animals’ and the ‘Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans’ called ‘Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga’ (animal-person caricatures) were painted between the 12^th and 13^th centuries by, it is thought, the artist-monk Toba Sōjō. They are credited by many as the earliest form of manga.

Fast forward nearly a thousand years and the Citi Exhibition ‘Manga マンガ’ at the British Museum (supported by CITI with logistics partner IAGCargo) is touted as the biggest

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

DVD Review: Good Luck Girl Complete Series

Breasts, ghosts and growing a conscience!

Good Luck girl also known as Binbogami ga! translated as “This Damn God of Poverty!” based on the comedy manga series by Yoshiaki Sukeno, originally published in Jump Square magazine between July 2008 and August 2013. The anime adaptation aired in Japan from September 26, 2012 showing its popularity before the manga ended.

The first five minutes sets the scene in a land of gods who watch earth and its inhabitants. An imbalance of luck has over flowed in an area where popular, pretty, wealthy girl Ichigo Sakura is sucking the luck from

Press Release: Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014

Get ready for a pop culture explosion at the UK’s largest J-culture event!

Date: 14-16 November 
Venue; National Hall, Olympia, London

Music, street fashion and cosplay – 3 pillars of Japanese pop culture which have captivated audiences and amassed devoted fans across the globe. At our HYPER JAPAN Christmas Market, we bring together the best of this trendy crowd and offer visitors the rare chance to experience a range of Japanese musical acts (both real and virtual), and to enjoy our HYPER J-style fashion show and

Hyper Japan 2014 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Every year since it first began back in 2010, the annual London event Hyper Japan keeps getting better and better, not to mention bigger and bigger, and this year’s extravaganza held on 25 – 27 July at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre was no exception.

The fantastic line-up catered to all tastes in Japanese pop-culture from traditional dancers and musicians like the very popular Hyper Japan regulars Hibiki Ichikawa and Akari Mochizuki, who this time around were accompanied by guitarist Hide Takemoto, to contemporary

Event: MCM Manchester Comic Con 19-20 JULY

MCM Comic Con is back in Manchester …and this time it’s for the whole weekend!

Calling all sci-fi fans, film buffs, comic collectors, anime enthusiasts, gamers and cosplayers! Following last year’s record attendance, MCM Manchester Comic Con returns to Manchester Central bigger and better than ever. Running over a full weekend for the first time, the show takes place on 19-20 July, playing host to everything from

MCM Comic Con Comes To Belfast

 Special guests includes voice artist D.C. Douglas one (Resident Evil 5 and Tekken 6)!

When: 7 – 8 June 2014

Where: Kings Hall Pavilions, Belfast, Ireland

Calling all sci-fi fans, gamers, comic collectors, movie buffs and anime enthusiasts! MCM Comic Con comes to Belfast for the very first time on 7-8 June, and we’ve got a show jam-packed with geeky goodness in store for you. Here’s a round-up of just some of the special guests and attractions that you’ll find at the inaugural MCM Belfast Comic Con:

Press Release: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival Cardiff, Wales

Saturday 7th June 2014 – Cardiff, Chapter Arts Centre

Saturday 21st June 2014 – Aberystwyth Arts Centre

It’s nearly time for this year’s Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival, so we would like to take this opportunity to notify all our newsletter subscribers about this year’s programme and the exciting

Dragon Ball GT DVD Competition Now Closed And The Winner is…

Competition is now closed and a winner have been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Magi.

And the winner is…

MCM Birmingham Comic Con & Memotabilia – NEC – 22-23 MARCH 2014

Birmingham Comic Con to host UK’s first showing of ‘Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime’s Longest Day’

Anime and manga fans rejoice! Bandai Namco Games will be giving visitors to this weekend’s MCM Birmingham Comic Con the first UK showing of the unique anime and videogame package, Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime’s Longest Day, as well as a hands-on with epic manga-based fighter JoJo’s

Namco Bandai Games UK Announce Biggest Eever Line-Up For MCM London Comic Con

Date: 25^th-27^th October 2013

Venue: London Excel Royal Victoria Dock

Critically acclaimed Dark Souls II, Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Z, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst and Tales of Symphonia: Chronicles to lead the charge at this year’s MCM London Comic con at

HYPER JAPAN 2013 Tickets Now On Sale!

Date: Friday 26 – Sunday 28 July 2013
Venue: Earls Court Two, Earls Court, London

HYPER JAPAN, the UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine and cool, is back for 2013. Diverse exhibitors, stores, performers and fans will once again come together to bring the very best of contemporary and traditional Japan to the heart of London. Since the first HYPER JAPAN in 2010, there have three subsequent events, each one more popular than the

NEO Magazine Issue107 Profiles Gravure Idol/Actress Saaya Irie – OUT NOW!

Double cover issue – Plus the Best Of 2012 as voted for by YOU!!

NEO magazine profiles sexy idol and actress Saaya [Irie] highlighting some of her best bits. PLUS the votes are in! Find out the hottest names in anime, manga and 11 other categories in Asian entertainment as voted for by YOU, the British public. Oh yes, the winners of the NEO Awards 2012, sponsored by MCM Comic Con, are here and

NEO Magazine Issue 106 Profiles Film Director Toshiaki Toyoda (9 Souls) OUT NOW!

A special double cover issue – Plus free MCM Comic Con cosplay 2013 diary!

NEO magazine welcomes in the New Year with bumper coverage of the hottest titles UK-bound over the months ahead. From musical predictions to the best anime releases, NEO has all bases covered! Plus, plan your year in style with a free MCM Comic Con Cosplay 2013 Diary!

Then, flip the magazine over to discover everything you need to know about Ni no Kumi: Wrath of the

Voting Now Open For The NEO Awards 2012!

The nominations are in!

After an intense year packed with the biggest franchises, the hottest new releases and some of the most exciting live shows to ever hit the United Kingdom, NEO Magazine puts the power in the hands of its reader to choose the

MCM London Comic Con October 2012 Line-Up

Games, sci-fi, comics, anime and cosplay!

26-28 October 2012

ExCel London

MCM Expo London Comic Con returns to ExCel London on 26-28 October and there’s a brilliant line-up of special guests, games, sci-fi, comics, anime and cosplay content to entertain the

Invasion Of The Cute: Genki Gear Reveals Exclusive MCM London Comic Con T-Shirt!

MCM London Comic Con – Excel London – 26-28 October

They may be cute but their aim is still world domination! Genki Gear shows that some invasions are just too sweet to be stopped with the official T-shirt of October’s MCM London Comic Con, Britain’s biggest festival of pop culture.

Created exclusively for the MCM London Comic Con, this limited edition design will only be available on pre-order until 25 October at GenkiGear.com. Available in both men’s and women’s sizes, the Invasion of the Cute T-shirts are priced £16.99 and can be collected

DVD/Blu-ray Review: Himizu – A Film By Sion Sono

A boy and a girl struggle to survive a harsh and unsympathetic world!

Himizu is an adaptation of a manga by Furuya Minoruset that takes place soon after the earthquake/tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011. It tells the story of a 14-year-old boy, Yuichi Sumida (Shota Sometani), who wants nothing more than to live a ‘mundane’ life, hence the title of the film which means “mole”. Although his parents have abandon him, his father, whom wishes him dead, returns every so often to give him a beating and take what little money he has. Yuichi’s only friends are a group of destitute survivors and

DVD Review: Dragon Ball Z – Complete Season Two

Digitally remastered from the original Japanese film masters and captured in high-definition widescreen!

Dragon Ball Z is an anime that was based on characters from a manga created by Akira Toriyama. His previous works include Dr. Slump and Dragon Quest which is his second most successful series. In Japan Dragon Ball Z sold more than 150 million copies alone, and also opened the rest of the world’s eyes to manga, while the anime version here served to enlighten viewers of what anime was all about.

This, like Akira is what prepared Westerners for anime, and had this not been a hit over here, it would not have paved the way for other