Sunday the 8th of July saw yours truly awake at a god forsaken time of the morning (for a Sunday, that is.) I wanted to be in the city by 8.30 so I could get good parking, and meet up with my friend Nadea for coffee. After having a most delicious flat white at the Hyatt Regency hotel bar (where Doujin Overload was taking place) we made our way down to where the event was taking place. The room that was being used was a vast improvement from last year’s location. Not too cold, not too hot, and heaps of space for the artists and public to move around. Unfortunately the lighting wasn’t ideal,...

I’ve been a fan of anime & manga for almost 18 years now, and have lived as a fan in England as well as New Zealand. I have seen how the fandom has matured and grown world wide. New Zealand is definitely behind the rest by atleast 5 to 10 years as far as maturity, complexity and detail. We’re only just starting to see rabid fangirls. Only just seeing the fanboys who think they’re “all that” because they download anime online. (I do not count the early years of fandom in NZ when downloading was hugely prevalent, simply because we didn’t have a dedicated...

So… a friend and I were reminiscing about the old days of the Auckland Anime Club, and how much fun it was to just hang out with like minded people and actually do anime/manga related things. So… we decided to start up a club again. Here, in Auckland, with the intention of being focused around the exploration and enjoyment of Japanese animation and art, with emphasis on watching anime, manga reading, sharing of resources, talking about our various interests such as fan fiction writing, fan art, AMV creation, cosplaying and so forth. Unlike previous clubs, we hope that people who attend come...

If you’re in Christchurch this week, and have Thursday night free, you may be interested in checking out a showing of Studio Ghibli’s ‘Howl’s Moving Castle.’ The Twilight Cinema group are screening ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ this week as part of an outdoor movie season at Halswell Quarry in Christchurch. There will be a giant inflatable screen – and apparently it’s a very unique way of watching movies! The company programmed this especially for fans of anime in the area, as they are aware that Christchurch does have a following, lucky people you...

Currently at the Pataka Museum in Porirua, there is an exhibition of Japanese artwork featuring strongly manga/pop art influenced work, from the 1990′s onwards called Painting for Joy – New Japanese Painting in the 1990′s. It features the paintings of nine contemporary Japanese artists, including internationally acclaimed artists Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara. Definitely worth checking out if you’re near the area. There is also an interesting interview with Simon Morse, a local illustrator in Wellington on the exhibition on Radio NZ that can be listened to here. If you do...