Mangaka Band Wars '09

For those of you Tokyo scumbags who read my previous posts and felt bummed you couldn't make it to Kyoto, here's some good news. "Mangaka Band Wars", a small annual music fest where underground cartoonists get together to show off their musical chops, will be held in Tokyo next weekend! Coincidentally, both of the artists I featured will be in the show! In addition to Ms. Shimao and Mr. Sakabashira, other talented, eccentric artists will also be there. Don't miss it!

"Mangaka Band Wars '09"
October 11, 2009 (Sun.) @ Shinjuku Red Cloth
TEL: 03-3202-5320
Open-5:00pm, Start-5:30pm
Ticket-1800yen + Drink (2300yen + D @ door)

Performers
Yojou Jin'in
Yoshiharu Mitsumoto(Junpu) + Yusaku Hanakuma (Tokyo Zombie)
Fevers
Tomohiro Koizumi (Seishun Kinzoku Bat)
Tokarevs
Maho Shimao + Yusaku Hanakuma
Rouden Ginza
Imiri Sakabashira
Urbangals Quartet
Katsuo Kawai (Nihon no Jitsuwa) + Jun Hanyunyu (Koi no Mon) + Michihiro Hori (Seishun Uruwashi! Urushibu)

Special Guests
Pathos
Genki Iizou
Odawara Dragon (Kogyaru-sushi)

There will be picture-story shows between band performances, so I hope you can hold it for extended periods of time!

Lawson ticket code: 74630

Imiri Sakabashira at Trancepop: A Rare Old Time

Whoever said lightning never strikes the same spot twice sadly never got a chance to drop into Trancepop Gallery. Without allowing a chance to recover from the outstanding Maho Shimao exhibit, the whimsical beasts of Imiri Sakabashira blew the roof right back off the place.



Sakabashira, a prominent ero-guro artist from the avante-garde manga magazine Garo, also produces surrealist works depicting kappa (a turtle-like legendary creature), kaiju, and other made-up creatures hanging out in our everyday lives. Viewing his work from the perspective of a Japanese, the retro art design and familiar scenes of old Japan make me long for a time that was over before I was even born. In this sense his work has a universal sense of nostalgia that appeals to an international audience.




At the same time, the mix of unidentified creatures and dreamlike-scenes create a parallel, hyper-modern environment. Welcome to the Planet of Sakabashira! Relax, enjoy the trip, and reacquaint yourself with the monstrosities that your childhood fantasies were made of!







While Sakabashira is a big name in the underground manga scene, keeping it small has helped him keep it real over his 20 year professional career. He makes nearly everything (save for printed books, natch) with his own two hands. The figures in his gallery are all painted and packaged by the artist himself! You can't deny the charm of his Neko-kappa figure.



How many talents does this guy have?! Stacked next to his figures were CDs of his New Wave band, Rouden Ginza, each printed and signed by Sakabashira himself! They don't make 'em like this anymore. A true Renaissance man, his success is the result of his pure love for the act of creating art and his sincere attitude towards his fans.



The exhibit runs until Oct 11, but there will be an artist signing and talk session on Oct 3 at Trancepop Gallery. This is a must for everyone in Kansai this weekend! Make sure to pick up his hand-made figures and music and give a shout-out from TSB!

	Click here for more pics from the show!
Imiri Sakabashira Show

TGS:Tacky Geek Showboating

Another year, another Tokyo Game Show filled with long lines and short demos. If you've come here looking for event coverage, you'll be sadly disappointed. However, I'm not one to send guests home empty-handed. Even with the murderous waits and lack of groundbreaking announcements, the cosplay area made it all worthwhile with nonstop laughs that I'd love to share with you all. Behold, the true face of TGS!

Amano-flavored Final Fantasy costumes made up most of the field, but this Kefka stood atop the heap. This girl never stopped dancing mad for the camera.

To the Japanese convention goers, finding a white girl cosplayer rivals the excitement of encountering a shiny Pokemon.

Conversely, for us Japanese bloggers, blackface cosplay is just cause for a letter writing campaign against Square-Enix! Turn on the Debito signal!

Molobro used Bad Breath! A regular breath of fresh air after spending a day shoulder-to-shoulder with an over-ripe crowd.

Chun-Li cosplay is played out, but I have to give her props for using the Player 2 colors. Too bad she's punching herself in the face.

Imposing and unmoving, Mammoth Man watches over the processions with his stern gaze. Who is he? Where did he come from? And why is he hanging out next to the dumpsters? A day at TGS raises more questions than it solves.

The award for Best Use of a Cardboard Mustache goes to this guy for his Dragon Quest priest.

The Japanese take costume construction very seriously, even for bit characters like this Dragon Quest knight. Had this been in America, we would be looking at shoe boxes plastered with used Arby's wrappers.

Forget about the costumes, Japanese cosplayers are all sooooo hot! Wowie! Pucker up, boys!

Something to cleanse the pallet.

The Resident Evil team gets bonus points for their excessive accessories. Check out the first-aid spray and red herb. Oh, that and the bloody William Birkin. Then again, they get marked down for the lack of Barry. Barry? Where's? Barry?

The Fourth Survivor looking smug after snapping Steve's whiny pencil neck.

A lifetime of brawling and fireballs to the face are starting to catch up to this world warrior. Hopefully he has a nest egg saved up in case the LDP goons have run off with his pension money.

Snake setting an example in economic conservation at the cost of his own safety. Could Al Gore be one of the Patriots?

Eat your heart out, Takarazuka.

"Say, this reminds me of my vacation in Thailand a puzzle! I have a dead prostitute weighing 95 pounds and three days before the police trace her back to me. How many pounds of lye do I need?"

That's all the time we have for this year! Anyone else snap some cosplay that wasn't total cheesecake? Be a darling and do tell!

The Burlesque Show Must Go On!

Asakusa is a top tourist destination for its red Kaminari Gate that leads to Kanon Temple. However, Kanon takes on many forms, and few know of the city’s other Full-Breasted Kanon and her place of worship, Ginmaku Rock.

Pass through its doors and be teleported from the dim and dusty backstreets of the city to a shrouded canteen suspended between worlds. The airy flute and thumping hand drum playing in the background would suggest you have stumbled into a middle eastern cabaret, while the stark color scheme is absolutely bewildering—black and white paneled walls set against black and crimson tiles. In the back stands a deliberately gaudy red velvet stage framed with prismatic LEDs. Above, the chandelier casts warm yellow light over the illusionary scene, giving the feeling that you’re living in a faded photograph.

All that’s missing are the Mugwumps and backwards-speaking midgets.

Ginmaku Rock’s impenetrable atmosphere has made it a favorite hideaway of musicians and manga artists. Its walls are adorned with gems such as Umezu Kazuo’s signature, what appears to be a piece by Hara Tetsuo of Fist of the North Star fame, and signed art from Maruo Suehiro. Expect an eclectic customer base on any given night of cultural movers and shakers ranging from off-duty Geisha to male ballerinas.

And of course, there’s Safi.

Ginmaku Rock is part of Japan’s burlesque revival and regularly hosts shows with dancers and a rotating stable of musicians. On the 25th we were treated to Orso Bruno and their fusion of East European folk accordion accompanied with sax or flute. (Listen to them on MySpace.) They opened up with a pair of sultry tunes that teased the audience and set the stage for Safi, the Full-Breasted Kanon of Asakusa.



Called forth by Orso Bruno’s version of Misirlou, Safi sauntered her way to the stage, trailing lavender perfume through the crowd. The previously sedate audience blew up into a chaotic string of catcalls, whoops, and hand claps. Did I mention that most everyone there was female?

Safi’s show heated up but never boiled over, always giving us a brief repose before shedding another piece of her bombastic costume. For the finale she traipsed through the crowd, glamorous mammaries snapping up 1000-yen bills like a doughy bear trap.




After the show, Safi and Orso Bruno came off the stage to mingle with the audience. At the end of the day, even burlesque dancers and world musicians are normal people like anyone else. The female patrons absolutely adored Safi. Tonight was classy fun, a celebration of the female figure and sex. By comparison, try bragging to your co-workers that you blew a hundred dollars at a strip club.

Burlesque shows or otherwise, Ginmaku Rock is a truly unique bar and one of the few that has birthed a culture all its own. Beer aficionados, note that they carry all varieties of the elusive Coedo.

Umezu Kazuo Interview in the Works!

Things aren't 100% set in stone so don't start the ticker tape parade quite yet, but we at TSB have been in contact with Umezu Kazuo's crew and they are interested in giving us Umezu's first ever interview with foreign reporters!

We were able to attract their attention thanks to fan reactions to our posts, so we're indebted to our readers! With that said, we'll be representing you, his fans, at the interview. We'd like to make him a fan appreciation package, so send us your questions, fan art, fan mail, or anything else interesting for us to pass onto Kazz.

Send the goods to: tokyoscum@gmail.com

We're looking forward to your input!

Shonen King's Space Monster Special

Shonen King Space Monster Special
Cover Illustrated by Takashi Minamimura
Published 2/25/1968

Umezz-ing!

Our three-part guest post over at Same Hat! covering Umezz Carnival 2009 has been picked up by the man himself, Umezu Kazuo! Check out his personal blog for a direct link to the three articles. We at TSB will be giving ourselves bowl cuts to celebrate.

Big ups to Ryan at Same Hat! for giving us the exposure! Thank you for helping get the word out.

Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Society.

Get ready for a Japanese twist on fireside ghost stories. In Rakugo storytelling, the speaker sits upon stage and plays the role of each character themselves. The TV program Yose Ehon (Picture Book Rakugo) takes this one step further by adding modern animation to classic tales.

Shigeru Mizuki provides the art direction for this tale from the vaults of Japanese folklore, "Death God."

The Day the Monster Came

In honor of being picked up by Monster Brains, here is an old kaiju 8mm short from the TV show Ochanoko Hakase Horror Theater called The Day the Monster Came. There is virtually no dialogue other than "He was raised by kaiju," "What a weirdo," and "Hey loser," so I am not going to bother subbing it.

Samehat Umezz Carnival Report 3/3 Now Up!

The final installment of our Umezz Carnival 2009 coverage is now up on Same Hat! Click the image above for part three, here for part 2 or here for part 1.

Thanks again Ryan!

Journey Into the Far Reaches of Space 50

We just saved you 35 million dollars on that ticket to space with this post. Enjoy, Space cowboys!

We're the Man Now, Dawg!

Yes, I am Makoto-chan. Everybody, call me!

Tokyo Scum Brigade's first (and more than likely last) YTMND!

Zenryoku Saka: Run for the Hills!

Britain introduced the world to harmless sexist programming with the likes of The Benny Hill Show, while Japan has a long history of improving existing formulas. Its latest concoction is Zenryoku Saka, loosely translated to "Full Speed Ahill." Cameras follow a girl as she dashes up a hill, lingering at the top to capture her tousled hair and ragged breathing. That’s really all there is to say.

Girls on Trampolines, your throne has gone empty for too long! A successor has finally arrived.

Hill: Munatsuki Saka

Name: Noriko Aota
Birth date: October 7th
Blood type: O
Specialty: Jazz dancing, singing, table tennis
Hobbies: Movies, travel, health nut

If you thought it was difficult to walk pigeon-toed, imagine running up a steep set of stairs. Thankfully it’s nothing that a little bit of Para Para dancing can’t overcome.
The name Munatsuki Hill refers to how one has to puff out their chest while climbing this treacherous slope. I’ll leave it up to the peanut gallery to make their own crass comments here.

Hill: Sakura Zaka
Name: Kei Matsubara
Birth date: August 25th, 1983
Blood type: AB
Best feature: Black eyes
Comment: Each city has its own unique scenery. I wonder what other hills have in store for me!

What self-respecting Japan blog would be complete be without cherry blossoms? Enjoy the mono no aware as the camera captures her spring beneath the blooming sakura. The girls employ a number of finishing moves at the top of the hill—some grasp onto an electric pole, some merely fall over. You have to appreciate the ingenuity of this runner’s makeshift butt brace.

Hill: Aioizaka
Name: Mitsuki Andou
Birth date: August 1st, 1985
Blood type: AB
Best feature: Birthmark on breast
Comment: The run was grueling but I felt great once it was over! A lot of things in life are like that…

Now were getting into the meat and potatoes of the show: Spunky girls getting worked up and sweaty to the point that they collapse on the ground like it's the station platform before last train and after one Chu-Hi too many. The Germans would call this schadenfreude. I wonder what the Japanese word is?

Hill: Dousaka
Name: Asami Itou
Birth date: September 23rd, 1985
Blood type: O
Sports History: Rhythm gymnastics for 6 years (5th in prefecture)
Cheerleading (’05, ’06 best in country)
Comment: I haven’t torn asphalt in a long time! I feel great!

There’s more to Zenryoku Saka than just cheesecake. Take this firecracker for example. From the moment she laces up her climbing boots you know that the hill has it coming. Some critics claim that serious runners go against the spirit of the show, but I think we need more tough women on TV. Variety is the spice of life!

Hill: Hinashi Zaka
Name: Mika Nada
Birth date: September 22nd, 1978
Blood type: O
Sports History: Rhythm Gymnastics Club (Middle/High school)
Comment: The run touched me deeply. I can still remember how the landscape transformed when I was running at full speed.

Zenryoku Saka caters to a large clientele. Between the OLs, sporty girls, and Yankee trash, you’d think they’d have all their bases covered. But don’t be so quick to disregard Japan’s love for the traditional! Nothing brings out a man’s burning Yamato Damashi like a kimono-clad cutie.

Fifty girls, fifty hills, fifty different ways to feel embarrassed about yourself! While we ran the gambit of various fashions, I can’t help but feel cheated by the absence of girls with bob haircuts. What’s a girls-running-up-hills enthusiast to do?

…

Buy the next DVD of course!

Until next time, catch the show Monday through Thursday at 3:00 PM on TV Asahi.

Chikan: A Real Pain in the Ass

According to this article, the police are putting the squeeze on train perverts in a week-long national campaign to rub out the groping problem. Unsurprisingly, several chikan were pinched almost immediately.

While I am no molestation advocate, I would hate to see the day when my station isn't plastered in these always awesome posters:

"Your courage could save her ass"

"Now leaving Molesterville, next stop Prisonland"
(That's an extremely loose translation)

If JR really cared, they would get with the times and make ladies only cars. Anyone out there have a chikan story? I was reverse-molested on the Shonan-Shinjuku line last year by a lady in her forties.

Hang on to Your Hat!

We can't keep this under our hats any longer! TSB really pulled a rabbit out of the hat with our hat-trick guest post over at Same Hat! We're not talking through hat, man! We'll eat our hats if you can find more Umezu Kazuo anywhere! Don't forget your hat on your way over to Ryan's blog!

Japan's Pop Culture Princess Does Kyoto

The Scum Brigade invades Kansai! TSB Lieutenant First Class, Fortune, is reporting for duty with her first scummy post from her foxhole in Kyoto.

Those in the know have probably seen the name Maho Shimao attached to her pastel-colored drawings of cute little boys and girls, or cute little cats and dogs, or cute little cupcakes, OR a not-so-cute high school girl with long nose hair, Goriko. Born to photographer parents, Shimao made her debut as a cartoonist with the comic High School Girl, Goriko when she was in high school. Since then, she has become a Japanese subculture royalty of sorts over the years, working as an illustrator, writer, TV-personality and DJ for a slew of local radio programs.

When word came in that her royal highness was here in Kansai this weekend for an in-store appearance at her cell phone wallpaper exhibit at Trancepop Gallery in Kyoto, I knew I had to meet her. Needless to say, her adorable pop art pieces were fun to look at, but the talk session was also a blast, giving each attendee a chance to interact with her.

She began by handing us pieces of paper to write our day-to-day problems on. While dispensing life changing advice she took requests for illustrations with one condition--that we only photograph them with our cell phones! Her answers were so charmingly crude that it reminded me that art doesn't have to be snooty and self important. Here are a few gems:

Q: I am one of only a few boys in my college class, but I can't get any attention from girls. What should I do?
A: You know, many girls want to be friends with gay guys. I mean, guys that can appreciate girls' culture. So, you should get a girly magazine, like Elle or something, and put it on your desk out of nowhere. Eh..No. Don't do that, boys with girly magazines are kind of gross and obvious. Let's see, you should keep an eye on the girl you're interested in and check what brand she's wearing. And wear men's version of the brand, like, say, Comme des Garcons Homme, or Zucca Homme or something. And, put the shopping bag on your desk and be like, "Oh yeah, I kind of wear this. Do you like it too? What a coincidence..."

Q: My crotch has been itchy for a while. What should I do?
A: Speaking of crotches, my friend's father has had a problem with his...balls. I hear his balls have been getting bigger and bigger over the past five years, but he doesn't want to see a doctor so he just lets them hang as they are. While he says they don't hurt, I hear he has to wear a pair of baggy pants like tacky high school boys in Shibuya. Hahaha...Oh yeah, I don't know what to say about the itch though.

Sadly, the exhibit is already over and her next show is TBA. In the mean time listen to her radio talk every Saturday night at TBS's Weekend Shuffle. Tune in next weekend to hear the voice of her majesty!

	Click here for more pics from the show!
Maho Shimao