Otaku no Anime happenings

If you were one of the throngs of people who mobbed the Otaku no Anime meeting on Valentine's Day in the hope of catching a glimpse of my talk, you have my apologies. I was forced to cancel the planned talk due to illness. I will instead be giving the talk this coming Sunday, February 28th. The title: "Anatomy of an Otaku: dangerous obsessive or new-media savvy 21st century cultural consumer?" As before, the meeting will be from 1-4pm in Lake Superior Hall Room 154, but I'm not sure when in that time frame I'll be talking.

Also in anime news, Otaku no Anime will be hosting a tribute to Miyazaki Hayao this Friday (February 16th) by screening three of his films. "The Wonderful World of Ghibli" will feature The Cat Returns, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, running from 4-10pm in Loutit Room 102. All are welcome.

Giving a talk at Otaku no Anime

As many of you know, Otaku no Anime meets every Sunday from 1-4pm in Lake Superior Hall Room 154. And as many of you know, I am the faculty advisor for the club. And on Sunday, Feb. 14th, I'm going to be going to the meeting to give a talk. I will be discussing the function of the classical Japanese suffix keri and its status as a marker indicating the coming into awareness of a previously unnoticed situation and how its use suggests a storytelling mode even if a narrator is not specified... or maybe I'll talk about anime instead. In fact, I'm going to be talking about otaku: shady and potentially dangerous obsessed loners? or the cultural consumers of the future, fully in-touch with the post-modern nature of 21st century media? Otaku no Anime has been watching Genshiken, an anime about an otaku club, and since it's also the first time I'm doing anything official with them I thought it would be a good topic. Also, I've been reading a book on otaku recently and have been dying to give a "book report." So come on in if you're interested. As I said, their meeting start at 1pm, so I'll probably be doing my thing at 1:30 or so (I think). Here's a link to their website if you'd like more info about the club and their activities.

Japan-related Activities for Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration

There are numerous events coming up surrounding the lunar new year and the Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration. You can learn about all the activities on this flier, but here are a few of the more explicitly Japan-related activities:

There will be a Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration, led by two tea masters, on Tuesday, Feb. 9th from 3-4pm in Kirkhof Room 0072. If you've never had the chance to watch the tea ceremony performed, it is quite an experience.

The Asian New Year Festival will be held that same week, on Thursday, Feb. 11th from 6-9pm in the Kirkhof Grand River Room. It will include Asian food and many performances, including a momotarô skit by the members of the JCA. It should be fun, and I hope to see you there.

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Poster Exhibition

At the end of this month, the "Culture of Peace Committee" of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids will begin hosting a series of events centered on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The centerpiece of the event is a poster exhibition featuring posters related to the bombings and hope for peace in their wake, but there will also be other events, including a video conference with an atomic bomb survivor, several short films on the subject, and a gathering to fold 1,000 origami cranes, a traditional wish for peace. Events run from February 21st through March 14th, and the sisters are also looking for volunteers to help oversee the origami room, put up and take down posters, etc. Anyone interested in volunteering can either contact Barbra Hansen directly at BHansen@GRDominicans.org or contact me about putting together a group of students to help out. Here is a poster of the exhibit, and you can also read an article about the events there from the Rapidian.