News: Sengoku Basara Official Fan Club ~Eiyuu No Kai~ to close down

I was very surprised to receive an email from the Sengoku Basara Official Fan Club ~Eiyuu No Kai~ last week which advised that the club is shutting down. I had been expecting a renewal message at some point since it was about the right time for one, so this came out of the blue!

It seems like a good opportunity for a short retrospective on the fan club and its first (and now, sadly, only) year of activity. It was obvious that there were plans to continue the club for a long time at the start since they'd listed the annual renewal fees as far back as when I first signed up. There were apparently some internal issues with running the club effectively, but I can only speculate that the relaunch of Capcom's electronic newsletter coupled with Sengoku Basara Magazine meant that it would have been increasingly difficult to spread exclusive content between all of the different portals vying for information. It's fortunate that they held back the decision on closing the club until after Sengoku Basara 4 had been announced - if the email had come a few months earlier, many fans would have assumed that the series was finished for good.

So what did the club actually do?

Event preview: London Comic Con MCM Expo (May 2013)

Next weekend on the 24th to the 26th May 2013, London Comic Con (also known as MCM Expo) will return to the London Excel exhibition centre for three days of merchandise, celebrities and stage events. They've finally released their programme online today so I've taken a quick look through it to pull out the most interesting attractions from my perspective. The ebook tool they use for the programme makes my main browser slow to a crawl.

With little interest in trendy television shows, Hollywood movies, cosplay or games, what I'm mostly interested in is news and information relating to anime, manga or Japan. In this post I'll summarise what seems to be on offer.

MangaUK were the first to post their plans and they have a two-page spread in the programme as a reminder. There'll be the usual discounts, special bundles and early releases at their booth #510 right in the middle of the hall. Exclusives will be a One Piece tote bag (limited to 300 customers) and a separate DVD release for the Highschool Of The Dead OAV, which isn't otherwise available separately. There'll be a prize draw to tempt customers into parting with some of their money.

Newcomers Anime Limited will also be at the event for the first time at booth #1003. They're off to a strong start by bringing famous anime director Watanabe Shinichirou - director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo and Kids On The Slope - along with them to help promote their big debut. Anime Limited's first release will of course be Cowboy Bebop, due for release in the UK on Blu-ray and DVD starting in July. Signings will be taking place at their stand. Fans who have somehow stumbled upon this blog entry without knowing anything about Watanabe or his work should check out the three-page special feature in the online Expo programme.

Kaze have a small stand and no apparent marketing campaign around it - or is it shared with the Anime Limited stand? I can't read the number. It stands to reason that they'll be selling their DVD releases, possibly accompanied by some pretty trinkets from France and Japan to give fans an extra reason to check them out. Any actual news from Kaze is probably coming via Anime Limited or Manga UK.

I haven't seen any information from MVM Entertainment about their London Comic Con plans, other than confirmation that they'll be in attendance. Tony will be on stage for the industry panels, and no doubt they'll be offering special deals on their popular shows at their stand in the exhibition hall too.

The exception to my disinterest in the UK gaming industry is the Tecmo-Koei Europe stand. July's Dynasty Warriors 8 (Shin Sangoku Musou 7) will be playable at the show; I've got my fingers crossed that they'll have some merchandise on sale to tide me over until the release date.

Alternative 'warriors' title One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 is going to be present as well, presumably on the Bandai Namco stand. Capcom have a presence at the event but they have a habit of pretending any titles other than their current big hits don't exist. I'm not expecting any Sengoku Basara goodies from them.

Last of all, the old JapanEx event has been relegated to its tiny corner of the convention hall. It gets hardly any promotion. The stalls should be selling some tasty Japanese nibbles and souvenirs as usual.

I skimmed through the guest list on the London Comic Con website but didn't recognise anyone at all other than Watanabe. Not too surprising given the narrow scope of my interests.

It looks as though the stage schedule fares a little better; here are the highlights from the main stage timetable:

Friday

15:00 - Kids On The Slope screening with a Q&A with series director Watanabe Shinichirou

This looks interesting! It's good promotion for MVM Entertainment too who will be releasing the complete Kids On The Slope series on Blu-ray and DVD next month.

Saturday

11:30 Anime Industry Panel and Manga Podcast

The usual spokespeople for the UK anime industry will be on stage to run through some announcements: Jerome Mazandarani (Manga UK), Tony Allen (MVM Entertainment) and Andrew Partridge (Anime Limited). They've only been allocated half an hour, though; will that be enough time?

12:00 Watanabe Shinichirou Q&A

A second chance for audience members to ask Watanabe some questions. I hope the room is packed so he can see how popular his work is in the UK.

16:00 EuroCosplay Championship Qualifiers

The cream of the cosplay crop should be assembling on stage to vie for a position in the EuroCosplay competition. It might be fun, especially if people perform lively skits.

Sunday

11:30 Anime Industry Panel and Manga Podcast

Exactly the same as Saturday's panel. I guess they might be dealing with the short timeslots by spreading their announcements across the weekend.

15:00 Masquerade

The finale of the weekend's stage events is the traditional Masquerade. It's probably fun to watch for the spectacle alone.

Finally, because I don't plan on rummaging through the ebook each time I want to check something, here's the floor map as a blurry composited image (I'll replace it if they release a better version themselves).

Of the booths listed, I'm most likely to visit the Japan Quarter area, United Publications, Otaku and the industry booths. Making out the corporate logos on the map is quite difficult. It's disappointing to see a fair number of well-known bootleg sellers still present this time around. It may be worth making a record this time of which stalls are trustworthy - the London Expo group don't take any responsibility for booths selling illegal imitation goods, so buyers need to exercise caution!

Travel report: Sengoku Basara tourism part 3 - Sendai and the legacy of Date Masamune

Photo taken at Zuihouden Mausoleum, Sendai

Note: This post follows directly on from part 2. If you haven't read that one already, please check it out first as I refer back to it for some explanations.

If the city of Shiroishi in Miyagi prefecture is all about Katakura Kojuurou, then the region's capital of Sendai is passionately devoted to Date Masamune. The real life Masamune founded the city in his domain more than four hundred years ago; since then it's grown into a busy urban hub and tourist destination, full of relics from the Sengoku period.

As soon as you step out of the train at Sendai station, you're met by endless references to the celebrated city founder and Musubimaru, the riceball-shaped regional mascot whose design includes nods to Masamune's famous armour. A beautiful stained glass window depicting the historical Date Masamune keeps watch over the station lobby.

And it's likely that you'll also come across the occasional Sengoku Basara poster in between the more traditional ones.

A poster for the Masamune-kou Matsuri

Two new anime streaming sites launch: Anime Sols and Daisuki

This past week has been tremendously exciting for western anime fans, with the launch of two brand new streaming websites. Both sites have taken completely different approaches to the inherent challenges in providing legal sources of anime online, and both have left me with very mixed feelings already.

Here are my completely biased personal opinions following the launch of the Anime Sols and Daisuki services.

Anime Sols is unusual even in the world of overseas anime streaming; rather than focusing on simulcasts, it's dedicated to streaming forgotten classics. Most interestingly it combines traditional streaming with a pledge system - like the system used on Kickstarter. Fans can pledge money for the series they like the most and any series which receives enough support by the deadline will receive a US (R1) DVD release with English subtitles.

In terms of strategy, Anime Sols is an absolutely brilliant idea. Customers can try the shows before deciding to pledge, cutting out the risk of supporting something they won't like and catering for both fans of streaming physical releases. It's also completely transparent about the realities of organising a physical release for a niche title - empowering hardcore fans of particular shows to support them in a way that's never been done before. Samuel Pinansky, the fan who put Anime Sols together as a labour of love, has been extremely responsive to questions so that he can take the feedback straight to the Japanese rights holders. I have nothing but praise for the way the site is being run.

And yet, I want it to fail.

That doesn't mean I have a personal grudge against Anime Sols or old anime series in general. The site is streaming several shows I'd dearly like to own on DVD and I appreciate the effort that has gone into creating something truly innovative for the community. My problem is that only people living in the US or Canada are allowed to participate in Anime Sols. Foreigners are not only barred from watching the streaming anime at all, they can't even pledge money or earn the rewards offered as incentives. It's not all bad news; the site owner has confirmed that foreigners should at least be able to buy the DVD releases if any of the projects reach their targets - we just can't help make that happen.

I want Anime Sols to fail in its current incarnation for one reason alone: it makes me feel utterly, utterly powerless as a fan. The reasons for the blanket ban on foreign users are complicated, apparently rooted in rights issues where older series have been licensed to companies on terms which wouldn't ever be allowed today. I imagine it's similar to the infamous problems with Harmony Gold and the Macross series. This situation is the fault of the rights holders and their international partners and there's nothing overseas fans or third parties can do about it. Even knowing this, however, doesn't make me feel any better about tolerating such a rotten state of affairs. Websites which go as far as blocking international IPs to break the world up into arbitrary geographical regions make the anime industry weaker.

So please, Americans, enjoy Anime Sols and continue to sponsor physical releases for the best shows. Once again, the millions of English-speaking fans outside your region are completely dependent on your generosity - and believe me, we don't want it to be this way either. I will be the first in line to sing the site's praises if the aggressive region locking issues can be addressed in future.

Daisuki

I wrote a long ramble about Daisuki when the project was first announced so I've been eagerly anticipating the site's debut. The approach that the creators of Daisuki have taken seems to be to provide a legal anime portal where fans can watch anything they like without giving up and resorting to illegal sources, while supporting the series through ads and merchandise sales in the attached store. It will obviously take some time before that ambition can be fully realised, but how are they doing so far?

After a two-week delay from its original April date, Daisuki launched this morning with a quirky selection of titles: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sword Art Online, Lupin III, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Mobile Suit Z Gundam and a series of Prince of Tennis OAVs. Frustratingly only the last three titles are available in the UK. That's just half of their catalogue; disappointing for a global website which is supposed to be reducing the perceived 'need' for piracy among anime fans. Because Madoka Magica and Sword Art Online are newer and more marketable, the site's design uses these series for most of their promotional art even though foreign customers aren't allowed to see the videos.

It's a dreadful shame that Daisuki hasn't been able to solve the problem of certain series being restricted to the US market. Two of the three locked shows come from Aniplex - not Aniplex USA, but the Japanese side. It's a strange situation as the simulcast for Sword Art Online was available to the UK on Crunchyroll. I can't be sure without confirmation from users in other regions, but could it be possible that Sword Art Online has been licensed by a UK company and they've demanded exclusive streaming rights for the region too? That would certainly explain why Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not streaming to us as Manga UK licensed it for home video. If so, my feelings of disappointment extend to Manga UK as well (and to the mystery SAO licensee).

With regards to Lupin III, I don't understand what TMS has against the vast English-speaking world outside America, and I doubt I ever will.

It would be interesting (not to mention helpful) if clicking links to the unavailable shows would take foreign users to the local licensor's company website so that they can watch the series elsewhere or provide the local company with feedback about the lack of a viable streaming industry in their country. This would make Daisuki a useful resource rather than a visible reminder of how fans outside America are often overlooked.

Of the three series available to the UK, I have two of them on home video already and the third is an OAV spin-off for a television series we never got to see here. There's clearly some work to be done before Daisuki is going to be a website I visit regularly for my anime streaming needs.

Looking at things more positively, there's a lot of promise in Daisuki's website design. The video player seems to work well and I was able to watch an episode of Prince of Tennis this morning without any obvious problems. The videos come with an option to toggle the English subtitles off, and it looks as though there's room to add additional languages in future if there's enough demand. They've included a Japanese-style giveaway campaign to attract new customers (the prizes are pretty good), and there's a survey which users can fill in to vote for shows they want to watch on the site. I also like the general aesthetics of the website and the abundance of information that's available in the help section. The store doesn't seem to be online yet.

While fans in the US have been complaining that the titles available for streaming are already present on other websites, I see this as a promising step. Exclusivity is the biggest hurdle to legal streaming after region locking; in the long run, fans don't want to have to pay multiple subscription fees to be able to watch their favourite anime on a bunch of different websites with exclusive content. Getting as many series as possible onto every legal platform can only be beneficial, theoretically preventing companies like FUNimation from sitting on rights in the one region and ruining things for everyone else.

I can't help but notice that One Piece has apparently disappeared from the list of titles since the original press release, instead relegated to a 'Coming Soon' box on the Toei Animation Studio page. With Manga UK now holding the UK rights (and no doubt planning to put it on iTunes and Netflix one day in line with their glacial DVD release schedule), I'm gravely concerned that when it finally makes its appearance on Daisuki, One Piece is going to be locked away from the UK as well. The struggles of streaming - and the assumptions I make in the absence of communication - make me resent the existence of our half-hearted UK anime licensees more than ever before. I would love for there to be more engagement from the UK anime companies to stop this happening - in the absence of that, I'd prefer that Japanese licensors stopped giving UK distributors exclusive streaming rights at all. They are wasting so many opportunities to attract fans away from piracy this way.

As Daisuki does cater for the UK (in a limited way), it's earned a spot in my very exclusive list of recommended links. It's got almost as many series as the lacklustre UK streaming portal Anime On Demand, after all! Let's hope they are able to respond to user feedback swiftly and turn the site into something all anime fans can be proud to use.

Update 17/05/2013: It seems that someone at Daisuki has heard our cries, as Aniplex have unlocked both of their series for UK streaming leaving only content from TMS restricted to the US. I'd be extremely interested to know whether Aniplex's shows (Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Sword Art Online) are now available worldwide outside Japan, or whether they're still limited to certain areas.

This is a big step in the right direction and I have my fingers crossed that TMS will follow suit. More information about which shows are available in particular regions (like that provided by Crunchyroll when they announce new acquisitions) would be very helpful for those of us who travel or have friends overseas.

Travel report: Sengoku Basara tourism part 2 - Shiroishi Castle

The second part of my travel report is all about Shiroishi Castle. There are a lot of pictures this time. I'm delighted that I managed to get it finished in time to post it on 'Kojuurou Day' (2013/5/16 - a goroawase play on words).

The original reason for this particular trip was a shallow one: I'd bought the Sengoku Basara Travel Navi CD for the Oushuu area and the two seiyuu spoke so affectionately about their experiences in the city of Shiroishi that I became fascinated with the idea of going there myself. Travel Navi CDs are also available for Ueda, Osaka/Gifu and Sekigahara, if you're a fan who needs further convincing to pay one of those areas a visit.

I like historical sites anyway and the Sengoku Basara link added an interesting twist, so last summer I hopped on the Shinkansen to Miyagi prefecture and went to go and see the area for myself. Unfortunately the most prominent of Shiroishi's local attractions, Shiroishi Castle, had suffered significant damage from the terrible Touhoku earthquake which hit the region in 2011. I couldn't change the dates of my planned holiday even though the castle's website had explained the situation in advance.

The beautiful gate, in front of a building site

Due to the extensive repairs that were required visitors were only able to see the grounds; the castle building itself was covered in scaffolding and inaccessible. In spite of this problem I loved what I'd seen of the area and wanted to go back when the repairs had been finished.

It was impossible to see the structure of the walls

Not willing to be defeated, I decided to revisit the area as part of my trip in March 2013 to see what it was supposed to look like.

There are three main ways you can get to Shiroishi by train from central Tokyo. The first is to take one of the luxurious Hayabusa Shinkansen trains all the way to Sendai, then change for the JR Touhoku line to take you back a short way to JR Shiroishi station. This takes you closer to the centre of the city and the historical sites, and if you're planning on seeing Sendai first it's the route which makes the most sense.

Alternatively, you can take a slower Yamabiko Shinkansen and change to the JR Touhoku line at Fukushima station, avoiding going all the way into Sendai and then back out again.

My preferred route is to take the Yamabiko Shinkansen train to Shiroishi Zaou station, which is slightly farther away from the castle than JR Shiroishi. The advantage of this is threefold; it makes it easier to get to Shiroishi directly early in the day (which is important when the tourist attractions closer quite early in the afternoon), and it doesn't require any changes after getting on the Shinkansen so you can relax. It also gives you a chance to visit Shiroishi Zaou station.

Descending into Shiroishi Zaou station from the
Shinkansen platform

Shiroishi Zaou station is almost worthy of a sightseeing trip on its own. It contains a tiny 'Uumen Noodle and Kokeshi Doll Mini-Museum' on one side of the ticket hall, traditional handicrafts, replica armour pieces, Sengoku-themed beer, a mikoshi portable shrine shaped like Shiroishi Castle and an incredible gift shop decorated with Sengoku Basara imagery which sells goods from all over the Touhoku area.

News roundup: More Busho Matsuri information revealed

The rumour I posted about at the weekend has now received official confirmation as well as a few additional details courtesy of Capcom's own website. Not only will KobaP be presenting new information and footage from Sengoku Basara 4 at the Butai Sengoku Basara stage play event on Saturday 13th July 2013, but Ikeda Shuuichi will also be making a guest appearance!

For anyone reading this who doesn't know, Ikeda Shuuichi is the voice actor who appears in the Sengoku Basara 4 teaser trailer currently running on the official website. He's said to be the voice of a new character - but not one of the two whose silhouettes appear in the trailer itself.

Note that the event, Busho Matsuri, lasts for two days (with two performances on the Saturday), but Ikeda will only be appearing on the 13th at the 12:30 event. We should start hearing online reports of what was announced a few hours after that time.

The Busho Matsuri website has also been updated with the new information. Tickets have allegedly been selling very quickly during the presale period so arrangements are being made available to accommodate more people who weren't able to buy an early ticket. This is great, since the presales took place before the Sengoku Basara 4 link was made and fans who don't follow the stage play might have missed out entirely.

Travel report: Sengoku Basara tourism part 1 - TAF 2013 and Capcom in Tokyo

I started to write a single post about my two visits to Shiroishi Castle from the perspective of a Sengoku Basara fan. It soon became so long that I ended up having to split it into three parts - all because I kept wanting to include details of other things I did on my trips!

Therefore, this first post is all about some of the other Sengoku Basara sights I've enjoyed on my trips to Japan. The castle will come afterwards.

Tokyo International Anime Fair

I went to Tokyo International Anime Fair 2013 (TAF) for the first time on Saturday 24th March 2013, one of the public dates. Buying a ticket in advance was easy thanks to the convenience store reservation system and there was no queue at all when we arrived at Tokyo Big Sight just after 10:00am - we were inside within minutes. The most surprising thing was how tiny the event was, spread over the three East halls. It always looks huge when people post photo reports, but I'm used to attending much larger gatherings whenever I head to Big Sight in search of doujinshi at Comic City or Comiket. I'd never seen the venue so quiet before! The other culture shock was how many foreigners there were. Many of them arrived dressed in cosplay before making a beeline for the fenced-off cosplay area. The whole thing felt just like one of London's MCM Expo events (only without the rampant piracy and stormtroopers).

Dragonball, One Piece and Toriko at the Toei booth

The reason I went to TAF wasn't for the anime coverage this time, even though I was pleased to see Kobayashi Yuu participating in a Ginga He Kickoff panel. It was for something much dorkier: I wanted to buy the special Sengoku Basara goods that appeared on this blog previously!

Today's acquisitions (13th May 2013)

I posted it late, but nevermind. It's not a general interest post anyway.

Last week a certain doujinshi event took place in Japan so today's (yesterday's) delivery was mostly made up of my spoils. They're mostly parody books with a wacky comedy theme. 

The box also included the last volume of Basara Style. Perhaps one day I'll review the whole set, once I've finished reviewing my way through all of the other things in the Sengoku Basara shrine that is my home. The last thing in the picture is the first press special edition of the Zettai Karen Children Ultimate Songs CD, which I walked past dozens of times while I was in Japan and ended up forgetting to buy until it was too late. Since some of the older Zettai Karen Children items have been getting rare thanks to the surge of female fans interested in the spin-off series The Unlimited -Hyoubu Kyousuke-, I didn't want to leave this one any longer, in case it ended up as grossly expensive as Hyoubu's old character CD. However tempting that audio drama is, I don't want to pay that much for it!

News roundup: Rumours about Sengoku Basara 4 from the Tokyo stage play performances

This first part is nothing more than a rumour. Popular veteran seiyuu Furukawa Toshio was spotted tweeting about how much he enjoyed going to see the Butai Sengoku Basara 3 Utage stage play a few days ago.  While I stress that there are absolutely no signs he was attending the event as anything more than a fan, some people have been suggesting that his interest in the series might be because he has a role in the upcoming new game. Whether it's true or not, I was very pleased to see that such a big seiyuu likes the series.

The second rumour has a more solid basis since it's being reported on game websites as part of their coverage of the play. I mentioned before that the first ever Sengoku Basara Busho Matsuri event will be held on the 13th July 2013. This festival is predominantly a celebration of the various Butai Sengoku Basara stage plays, but now KobaP has said that it will also feature the debut of new Sengoku Basara 4 footage along with some additional information about the new game. I have mixed feelings about this; it's certainly a good way to draw more fans to the event, yet I'm a little jealous of the hardcore stage play fans since I can't go myself. It's also true that some people only like the stage play, not the games themselves (and vice versa). Hopefully the new material will be good enough to please everyone.

Let's just hope that all of the new material will be posted to the official website the week after the event as usual!

News roundup: Butai Sengoku Basara 3 Utage reports begin to appear (at last)

It was announced on Friday that the Osaka performances of the Butai Sengoku Basara 3 Utage stage play, which have long been sold out, have had a number of extra standing-only tickets added for each show to accommodate more fans. In the meantime the show has moved on to its third venue, this time in Tokyo. The gaming press has at last begun publishing some reports and photographs which give a taste of the action that the audience has been enjoying; you can see them at 4Gamer.net, Dengeki and Famitsu.

It looks amazing! I don't suppose that the DVD preorder period will begin online until the show completely finishes its run, but I can't wait. It's great that the stage play includes more characters for a performance which is a couple of hours long than Sengoku Basara -Moonlight Party- had in its entire series.