Is today Interdimensional Hug a C’thulhu Day, or is that just a rumor started by H.P. Lovecraft? Even the Elder Gods need love… If you have no transdimensional rifts handy, check out the results of what happens when you cross Pikachu with Cthulhu (shudders). Think Geek has C’thulhu Plushs, while Amazon has C’thulhu Slippers. And for more great C’thulhu artwork and comedy, be sure to visit Oh No! C’thulhu!.
If you are looking for something unique to do this Halloween, you might want to consider the Doctor Who Experience Halloween weekender. Kids dressed up as Who characters get in free (one costumed child for each fully paid adult, I believe), always a plus. On Friday the 28th of October they have the Walk like a monster class, in which Ailsa Berk (choreographer for Doctor Who) will be showing you how it’s done. Word is both a Cyberman and a Scarecrow will be there helping her demonstrate the proper technique. On Saturday the 29th there will be face painters and live monsters entering the experience, visitors will have a chance to be made up like Doctor Who monsters. And on Sunday the 30th the Cybermen and Scarecrows return for the Monster Meet and Greet. Happy Halloween, Whovians!
The Tokyo International Anime Festival takes place in Akihabara from Oct 27th to the 28th this year. Together with the Tokyo International Anime Fair, which is held in March every year, these events help keep Japan preeminent in the world of animation. If you are in the neighborhood, you really do want to check these out.
I am not actually in favor of this as a trend, but it was interesting enough I figured I should mention it. When they do the Mikunopolis concert starring my favorite Virtual Idol being held this weekend at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, the folks at NicoNico Douga will stream it live. Why am I, a serious Hatsune Miku fan, not thrilled? According to the folks at Crunchyroll, they will be selling tickets to get the live stream for 1500 yen (around $18) each. Of course, the concert is completely sold out, so even if I was on the left coast I couldn’t get in, and they have added some more Vocaloid singers to the lineup (and Danny Choo will be the MC). I’m going to have to think about this one…
If you ever wondered what it was like going through a Tsunami, this footage from Japan should spell it out for you. This is brutal to watch when you consider how many of the people you see in this film did not survive, including the driver of the car doing the recording. The sad part is, this is not science fiction, or even a mundane disaster film. This is the way the world really works, although thankfully it doesn’t do this very often or in very many places at a given time. But sometimes it happens, and a town of 17,000 people only has 7,000 survivors (one Japanese town’s real statistics out of a coastline of several dozen towns). I know the actual events were months ago now, but the impact will last for years, if not decades, on the surviving residents. They need all the help we can give them.
If you haven’t already made plans to visit the Batman Live Experience, I can seriously recommend you do; it looks like a world of fun.