All posts tagged: SMASH! 2015

Our Interview With Culture Japan’s Danny Choo – SMASH! 2015

Published by Frank Inglese

What does it take to become a celebrity in the world of Japanese pop culture? If there’s any man to ask, it has to be Culture Japan’s very own Danny Choo. From humble beginnings, this man worked himself to the bone in order to reach the level of success he currently holds. The curator of an amazingly detailed blog about his life, the creator of pop culture mascot Mirai Suenaga, and the host of his very own Japanese television program, there’s no one who knows more about hard work and dedication than Danny Choo. This year’s Sydney Manga and Anime Show allowed us the opportunity to sit down and have a one-on-one interview with the man himself to talk about, well…pretty much what I detailed above. In a quite room, away from the hustle and bustle of the convention, we sat and spoke about as much as we possibly could within the short time we had with him, but you don’t want to simply read about an interview, you want to see the interview! So enough …

The Attendees of SMASH! 2015 – Cosplay Compilation

Published by Frank Inglese

The cosplay community is a large, thriving collection of incredibly dedicated and hard-working fans of pop culture. Preparing months (sometimes even years) in advanced, these men and women put countless hours into constructing costumes modelled after their favorite characters from the world of pop culture, but…come on, you know this already, right? Cosplay has been around for many, many years. It’s so popular in the modern age that I honestly cannot imagine it ever dulling in popularity…nor should it. At every pop culture convention, one of the more amazing sights is that of a crowd of cosplayers not only enjoying their own costumes but the costumes of others and the convention itself. When it comes to prime cosplayers, it seems as though SMASH! truly is the place to be. Each and every year the quality of cosplay you see on the show grounds continues to grow ever higher, with those living the dedicated cosplay lifestyle continuing to develop as craftsmen and craftswomen. SMASH! 2015 was no different. Each and every cosplayer present put clear effort into their …

Playing With Our Decks – Learning To Play Future Card Buddyfight At SMASH! 2015

Published by Frank Inglese

Long-time readers of the site will know that the SnapThirty crew are particularly fond of modern trading card games. While we’ve not got the time nor money to experience each and every different series, we take every chance we get to try and learn something and partake in something new. Last year’s Sydney Manga and Anime Show (SMASH!) introduced us to the wild world of Bushiroad’s Cardfight!! Vanguard, but this year we decided to try something a little different; another of Bushiroad’s popular series’, a game called Future Card Buddyfight, and thanks to the wonderful hosts of the weekend-long workshop…it was hard not to fall in love with. SMASH! always accommodates for the TCG-loving community of Sydney. Not a year goes by wherein which Trading Card Games are left out of the celebrations of the young convention, and the stage is always set up for the enjoyment of the masses; both new and season card gamers alike. Us, being casual adopters of the TCG lifestyle, were made to feel perfectly welcome despite the number of …

Artist Spotlight: Chancake at SMASH! Con 2015

Published by Luke Halliday

Tucked away in booth #73 at SMASH! Con’s Artist Alley Hall was a lovely young artist by the name of Chancake. With visually striking art bursting with colour and personality, Chancake’s work stood out from the crowd in a room filled with talented artists and their artwork. Infusing a mix of different styles, Chancake’s work was reminiscent of the punkish vibe of video-games like Danganronpa crossed with the pop art sensibilities of Andy Warhol making for almost an Warhol-esque take on anime and manga. It is a bit of a strange comparison to make but one look at Chancake’s art and you will see it to be a truly mind boggling aesthetic experience. Her art work can be described as fan art but her spin on popular characters and series such as Inazuma Eleven and Phoenix Wright feels like so much more than simple fan art. She takes these already larger than life characters and portrays them in a way that is utterly out of this world. In particular I found her Inazuma Eleven art …

Gunpla Builders at SMASH! Con 2015 – Gundam is Fundam

Published by Luke Halliday

As has become almost an annual tradition, Gundam has once again invaded SMASH! con in Sydney with the Gunpla model kit building competition taking the event by storm was a massive booth right in the centre of the main convention hall. Many Gunpla fans turned out for a glimpse at the jaw-dropping booth and all the incredible Gundam figures and builders present. Like previous years a special edition Gunpla figure was available at the booth, this time a rare Neon Bear Guy was available. Watching on from the side-lines I found myself utterly fascinated by the passion conveyed by builders and onlookers alike for the Gunpla kits. The level of intricacy and delicate detail that goes into building a kit is incredible and watching on as builders competed against one another to construct their kit was compelling to say the least. These people love Gunpla and that passion is evident simply from the look in their eyes as they connect one piece to the next. Interesting to note was the Gunpla Builders World Championships taking …

Kuroko’s Basketball, Yowamushi Pedal and More Announced by Madman at SMASH! Yes, You Read That Right

Published by Luke Halliday

Brace yourselves sports anime fans, Madman just made a colossal slew announcements during SMASH! con at Rose Hill Gardens in Sydney. The Australian anime industry’s number one distributor announced the long anticipated and fan requested Kuroko’s Basketball and Yowamushi Pedal. It is truly the era of the sports anime and following Madman’s release and subsequent streaming of Haikyu on AnimeLab, it has proven that series like this do have a place in the West and fans that will support it. This is a particularly special announcement considering that both series have not been released anywhere else in the world in English and no plans appear to be in place outside of Australia for a Western release, making these releases the first of their kind. On top of those two massive title announcements, Madman also announced that they had acquired the rights to all seasons of To-Love Ru and Amagi Brilliant Park. Both To-Love Ru and Amagi Brilliant Park look set to hit AnimeLab for streaming as well as physical mediums. These are some huge announcements …

Hands-On With One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 At SMASH! 2015

Published by Frank Inglese

Bandai Namco Entertainment has a fairly sizeable presence at most, if not all, good pop culture conventions, and that includes Sydney’s very own SMASH! (Sydney Manga and Anime Show). The convention plays host to an abundance of great upcoming additions to Japanese pop culture and there’s nothing more loved in Japanese pop culture than that of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece; a series that has been running since 1997 and still continues to run in the modern age of Anime and Manga. Bandai Namco Entertainment, this year, had somewhat of a smaller booth, but it was constantly filled to the brim with people wanting to get even the slightest glimpse of a couple of the publisher’s upcoming games, one of them being One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, which I was lucky enough to get a chance to experience first-hand. What’s there to say about One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 that hasn’t already been said about the first two games? Honestly…nothing, but I think I’ve come to realise that it’s not really a bad thing. The way I …

Listen Up – Loverin Tamburin Announced for SMASH! 2015

Published by Kane Bugeja

In case you didn’t know already, SMASH! 2015 has promised itself to be quite the musical affair. With guests such as GARNiDELiA and yanaginagi already announced, the auditorily inclined might be happy to know that Loverin Tamburin has been added to this list. Consisting of main vocalist/songwriter Aya, pianist/arranger Akihiro and support musicians Fujio Ryo, Fire and Kohta Igarashi, Loverin Tamburin made their debut back in 2006 with “Aishitageru” (which might be known to you as the theme for Disgaea). Known for a mixture of original songs and anime covers, the band is currently in the midst of their second world tour. So enjoy their stop over in Australia, which I assume you will, considering that they are a returning SMASH! guest. That’s usually a good sign in my opinion. In regards to this appearance, SMASH! President Andrew Qiu said: “From EDM style to J-pop music, SMASH! 2015 is definitely the biggest year yet for Japanese music entertainment. With their highly eccentric style, Loverin Tamburin is the perfect addition to this year’s line-up. We look forward to …

Choo On This! – Danny Choo Announced As Guest For SMASH! 2015

Published by Frank Inglese

The Sydney Manga and Anime Show, also known as SMASH!, is right around the corner and us here at SnapThirty couldn’t be more excited! It’s one of the few times throughout the year that we get to directly connect with our kin; fans with the same love for Japanese pop culture as us, and the celebrity guests that create all the content we so dearly treasure. Every year the hard-working people at SMASH! do their darnedest to bring the biggest and bests guests down to our neck of the woods, and every year they find ways to surprise us all with the calibre of guests on their list of celebrity attendants. Already announced this year are cosplayers Reika and Kaname, voice actor Noriaki Sugiyama, and now…Danny Choo. Talking directly to you ladies out there, and some of the men: I bet you know who Jimmy Choo is right? He’s a very successful fashion designer that has made his mark on the world designing women’s shoes, well…Danny Choo is his son and he clearly shares the …

Music to Your Ears – Hiroaki Yura to Attend SMASH! 2015

Published by Kane Bugeja

With SMASH! drawing ever closer around the proverbial corner, it might be considered a wise idea to take a little refresher read on some of the guest who will grace the convention this 2015. For those of you who have an ear for the strings, you may be happy to note that Hiroaki Yura is one of the names rounding out the SMASH! attendance roster. Having founded Eminence Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first animation and gaming focused orchestra, back in 2003, Yura has put forth a number of creative musical series. His directing talents also saw his name added to projects such as Diablo III, Soulcaliber IV and V, along with Steins;Gate (a personal favourite of mine). 2010 saw the birth of a new company under Yura’s direction, Creative Intelligence Arts Inc. Now if that name sounds at all familiar, it might be due to the fact that it is the company behind the upcoming Project Phoenix, the first Japan-based videogame to live amongst the ever growing halls of Kickstarter. Their most recently announced project, an animated …

Cosplay Legends Collide! Reika and Kaname Heading to SMASH! 2015

Published by Luke Halliday

Cosplayers and fans of them have reason to be excited with Sydney Manga and Anime Show more commonly known as SMASH have announced that two cosplay icons of Japan will be appearing as guests at the convention. Reika, who appeared at last year’s event will return after immense fan demand. Reika is famed in Japan for her cosplay of characters such as Levi from Attack on Titan and Rei from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. Kaname will be appearing for the first time at SMASH!. He alongside Reika are recognized as the two top cosplayers of Japan today and with memorable cosplays of characters like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 and Hozuki from Hozuki no Reitestu. This is undoubtedly the clash of cosplayer legends that many cosplay fans have long wanted for SMASH! and now the convention is delivering. SMASH! 2015 is scheduled for August 8th and 9th at the Rose Hill Gardens. You can get your tickets now at SMASH.org.au. -30-

Japanese Voice Of Sasuke Uchiha Noriaki Sugiyama Revealed As Guest For SMASH! 2015

Published by Frank Inglese

Can you hear that? Seriously, listen. Can you hear the screaming of all the Sasuke Uchiha fan girls echoing around the great country of Australia. For real, if you do listen hard enough I guarantee you’ll at least hear a “squee” or two. SMASH!, one of Australia’s most exciting Japanese pop culture events, have just announced that Noriaki Sugiyama will be attending the event as another one of it’s guests thanks to The Japan Foundation who’re flying him down here to meet all his adoring fans. The talented voice actor has lent his mastery to some incredibly likeable roles like the aforementioned Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Uryu Ishida from another Shonen series Bleach, England from Hetalia, and so many others! Like the other guests attending SMASH! and those from the past, Mr. Sugiyama will be spending a great time of the convention meeting fans and hosting his own panels. It’s looking to be, once again, one hell of an amazing event! Last year was absolutely brilliant but I truly think this year will outdo the …