Aniwave Has a New Home

Please visit the official Aniwave website here...

www.aniwave.com

Thank you for all the support over the years, and for helping Aniwave become the success it is now!

Anime/Techno Dance Finale!

Aniwave 2009 will culminate in our first ever dance party finale! The awesomeness starts at 8:00 pm on Sunday, October 25 at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge, located at 255 North Front Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address.

The Anime/Techno Dance Finale will feature multiple simultaneous projections of Leiji Matsumoto's Interstella 5555 and the music of Daft Punk's album Discovery.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem is a feature-length Japanese animated musical film originally released on December 1, 2003. The film is the visual realization of Discovery, an album by Daft Punk. Each track from the album has been animated as an episode in the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band. The film was produced by the creators of the Discovery album, along with Toei Animation, under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto. The film has no dialogue and minimal sound effects.

Admission for the party is free, but we will still be accepting donations for Aniwave. The bar will also be open for those of legal drinking age.

Screening at the Soapbox

The second day of Aniwave '09 will take place at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge, located at 255 North Front Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address. The date and time for the event is Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 PM. We will show three feature films, followed by an anime/techno dance finale!.

Our first feature presentation is of The Sky Crawlers, directed by Mamoru Oshii and animated by Production I.G. The Sky Crawlers contains some of the best aerial dogfight animation out there, but is in itself not actually an action film. It explores the lives of characters during war-time, and even has them travel to an animated Poland! It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

A group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds. With his only childhood memory consisting of intense flight training, the fearless teenage pilot Yuichi's dogfights coexist with his struggle to find his missing past. When his beautiful, young female commander Suito is reluctant to discuss the fate of the pilot that Yuichi is replacing--or the strangely perfect condition of that pilot's former aircraft--Yuichi's curiosity becomes heightened.

The Sky Crawlers has a runtime of 121 minutes. It is rated PG-13, and contains violence, sexual content, and smoking.


At 3:15 pm we will show our second feature presentation of Tekkon Kinkreet, directed by Michael Arias and animated by Studio 4°C. The film won several awards, including the Best Film Award at the 2006 Mainichi Film Awards, the Number 1 film of 2006 in the annual "Best of" roundup by the New York Museum of Modern Art's Artforum magazine, 'best original story' and 'best art direction' from the Tokyo International Anime Fair, and the 2008 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. As one of the best examples of artistic qualities in anime, it is a perfect fit for Aniwave. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

In Treasure Town, life can be both gentle and brutal. This is never truer than for our heroes, Black and White, two street urchins who watch over the city, doing battle with an array of old-world Yakuza and alien assassins vying to rule the decaying metropolis.

Tekkon Kinkreet has a runtime of 111 minutes. It is rated R for some violent and disturbing images, and brief sexuality.


The third and final feature of the night, starting at 5:20 pm, is Dead Leaves, directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and animated by Productin I.G. This film is a bit shorter, yet it packs a punch with a very fast paced and high-energy visual style. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

Pandy and Retro awaken naked on Earth with no recollection of their past. They embark on a devastating crime spree in search of food, clothing and transportation, but are captured by authorities and sent to the infamous lunar penitentiary named Dead Leaves. While incarcerated, they quickly discover that Dead Leaves is also a top-secret cloning facility, occupied by villainous guards and deformed genetic experiments. Ultra-manic chaos and hyper-violent bedlam ensue as they organize a prison break with the aid of their fellow mutant inmates.

Dead Leaves has a runtime of 50 minutes. It is Rated R for graphic violence, brief nudity and mature content.


The screening will come to an end right after 6:00 pm, at which point we will conclude with a prize giveaway. After a break, the night will then culminate in Aniwave's first Anime/Techno Dance Finale! The party starts at 8:00 pm.

Screening at the Cameron Art Museum

The first screening of Aniwave '09 will take place at the Cameron Art Museum, located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address. The date and time for the event is Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 PM. We will show two feature films, with a short break in between.

Our first feature presentation is of Origin: Spirits of the Past, directed by Keiichi Sugiyama and produced by Gonzo. Origin contains a strong environmental message, and feels especially relevant to our time where such issues are at the forefront of our culture. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

Ages past, the Forest was awakened and the Moon unleashed a ravenous Beast upon the Earth. Man cowered in fear...

Three hundred years sine and the landscape of the world has been drastically rewritten. The remnants of humanity are divided as never before. Half seek a tenuous coexistence with the Forest, half seek to dominate and subdue that which they cannot understand. Agito, the son of an aged hero, inadvertently sets in motion the destruction of all that is left when he revives the young Toola from her timeless slumber...

Origin has a runtime of 90 minutes. It is rated PG, and contains mild violence.


Our second feature presentation is of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Madhouse. Its story is based on a novel by acclaimed Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui, who also wrote the book that Paprika is based on. The film presents us with a heartfelt slice-of-life story, though not without a dose of comedy, about three high school friends. Their lives get complicated when Makoto Konno inexplicably gains the power to travel through time. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

With her newly discovered ability to literally leap backwards in time, Makoto finds that tests become a piece of cake, embarrassing situations are corrected and she can have her favorite food anytime she wants. Unfortunately her carefree time traveling has adverse effects on the people she cares for. With every successful leap Makoto somehow alters the fate of those around her. This wasn't supposed to happen and as she races back in time to fix everything, she notices that her abilities are not limitless but with every successful jump she's one step closer to discovering the most wonderful secret in her young adult life.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has a runtime of 98 minutes. It is rated PG-13, and may contain violence, use of alcohol or tobacco, and sensual themes.

Cosplay Picnic & Photo Shoot

The first day of Aniwave for this year will kick off with the Cosplay Picnic at the Cameron Art Museum. The Cosplay Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 24, at 11:00 AM. The Cameron Art Museum is located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address.

A Photo Shoot will follow the picnic at 1:00 PM, which should give us enough time to get everyone's picture taken before the anime screening at 2:00 PM.

Come dressed as your favorite anime character, and make sure to bring friends! The more the merrier! And it wouldn't be a picnic without some food, so please bring a snack or dish of your choice (use your best judgment of course). Japanese food is always a great fit for the festival...

Notice: Due to concerns from the Health Department and the persistence of the H1N1, and flu viruses, we must inform you that "store-bought food items are encouraged and preferred if at all possible."

Current List of Food Being Brought:

• Cake
• Yakitori
• Riceballs
• Chicken Dumplings
• Green Tea Cake
• Pocky
• Cookies
• Candy Sushi
  
• Chips
• Soda
  

In order to gauge attendance, and the amount of food we will still need, please register for the picnic. You can register in two ways. First, you can RSVP to the event on Facebook...

RSVP to Cosplay Picnic on Facebook: Event Page

Or send your name, contact information, and food you plan to bring, by using the following contact form...

Send Cosplay Picnic Registration:

Current Registration List:

1. C. Amezcua (+1)
   
2. A. Bell
3. C. Bell
   
4. E. Boswell (+2)
   
5. C. Brown (+1)
6. C. Boulware
   
7. P. Calame
8. K. Camelio
9. A. Canosa
10. S. Canosa
    
11. A. Castillo
12. C. Catron
    
13. R. Comer
14. W. Denton
15. A. Elandt
16. A. Emery
    
17. V. Ewok
18. M. Ferreri (+4)
    
19. S. Fritcher
    
20. G. Galgano
21. K. Gaster
    
22. B. Gay
23. C. Van Gilder
    
24. S. Gilley
    
25. S. Grissom
26. R. Hamilton
27. H. Houston
    
28. A. Houvouras
29. L. Keffer
30. N. Kisabeth
    
31. T. Lang
32. S. Lynn
    
33. K. Mallner
34. A. Marlow
35. P. McDonald
36. B. McKeithan (+2)
    
37. K. McLiverty
    
38. K. McLung
    
39. O. Morales
40. F. Moreira
    
41. N. Murphy
42. S. Murphy
    
43. E. Neale
    
44. A. Penny
    
45. S. Perry
46. K. Peterson (+3)
    
47. W. Reese
48. D. Riggs
    
49. W. Rooks
    
50. K. Russell
    
51. T. Russell
    
52. C. Ryan
53. S. Santos
    
54. B. Schoonover
55. C. Schoonover
    
56. S. Schoonover
57. C. Scott
58. A. Sellers
    
59. A. Silverwood
60. J. Tandy (+4)
    
61. S. Tsubame
    
62. C. Vo (+5)
63. N. Watson
64. A. Westmoreland
    
65. N. Wisniowski

Aniwave '09

While I have been working on preparing this year's Aniwave festival, I admit that I have neglected the site with updates. Nevertheless, Aniwave '09 is a GO!

The dates for this year's Aniwave are October 24 and 25. Our confirmed locations are the Cameron Art Museum, and the Soapbox. Stay tuned for more details, which I will post as they get finalized.

Special Thanks

Aniwave would not be possible without the generous support of the following sponsors:

• The Law Offices of Kathleen Shannon Glancy, P.A. [link]
• The Cameron Art Museum [link]
• Digieffects [link]
• The Soapbox Laundro Lounge [link]
• Animeigo [link]

Aniwave '08 a Big Success

I would like to thank everyone for helping make this year's Aniwave a big success! With the added press we received from Encore, WWAY News Channel 3, as well as WHQR 91.3fm and StarNews, attendance was up significantly from last year. While securing financial support was a challenge this year, several sponsors came forth to make Aniwave a reality.

The festival would not have been possible without the support of Michael L. Glancy, AnimEigo, Sawgrass Gifts, the Cameron Art Museum, and Level 5 at City Stage. We are grateful for all of their assistance. I would also like to thank Tokyo Deli for donating some food items, as well as all of our attendees who contributed with additional donations.

A lot of people helped to promote Aniwave or lend their assistance in various capacities, and I would also like to acknowledge them here. A big thank you to Branson Moore and Aaron Cavazos at AnimEigo, Daphne Holmes at the Cameron Art Museum, the Independent Art Company staff, Ian Moseley at Level 5, Christina Dore and Shea Carver at Encore, Andy Scherr and Joe Mauceri at WWAY, Jemila Ericson at WHQR, John Staton at StarNews, Sarah Scott at New Hanover High School, Analie Foland, Pippin Calame, Caroline Culbert and the Schoonover family.

For those who joined us, you have probably been waiting for the photos from the event; while those who were not able to come may be curious how it all went. So without further ado, you can find photos from Aniwave '08 at the following address...

Aniwave '08 Photobucket Album

Thank you all again. I couldn't have done it without your strong support, and Aniwave would be nothing without all of you!

Publicity For Aniwave '08

We managed to get some pretty good press this year. Thanks to Christina Dore, who wrote the article on Aniwave for Encore (left). She did an excellent job, and managed to get a lot of information into the article on what Aniwave is all about, and why my motivation for doing it is. Also, the photograph was provided by Analie Foland, so a big thanks to you as well!

On Tuesday, October 28, Wilmington's WWAY Channel 3 reported on Aniwave during the five o'clock news. A synopsys of that report can be read on their website here. I should have the video of this to upload in the near future.

In addition, I'd like to thank Jemila Ericson of WHQR, who got our announcement on air. And last but not least, thanks to John Staton at the StarNews for putting an anouncment obout Aniwave in the paper as well.

Screening at the Cameron Art Museum

The third screening of Aniwave '08 will take place at the Cameron Art Museum, located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address (please be advised that Google maps does not always accurately represent this location). The date and time for the event is Thursday, October 30, at 7:00 PM.

The screening opens with Fata Morgana, a short by local artist Saben Kane, and is followed by the first episode of Serial Experiments: Lain, titled "Layer 01: Weird." Lain's DVD cover describes it as...

There is the world around us, a world of people, tactile sensation, and culture. There is the wired world, inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences, and a culture all of its own. The day after a classmate commits suicide, Lain, a thirteen year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: "I just abandomed my body. I still live here..." Has the line between the real world and the wired world begun to blur?

Fata Morgana is approximately 5 minutes long, and is suitable for all audiences. "Layer 01: Weird" of Serial Experiments: Lain has a runtime of 25 minutes, and is rated for "Teenagers" and may contain bloody violence, bad language, or nudity (though I admit that this episode in particular contains very few of these aspects).

Our feature presentation is of Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Chibli. A powerful war-themed and critically acclaimed film, it is described on the DVD cover as follows...

In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring. Grave of the Fireflies is a tale of the true tragedy of war and innocence lost, not only of the abandoned young, but of an entire nation.

Grave of the Fireflies has a runtime of 88 minutes. It is rated for "Older Children," and may contain mild bad language, and bloodless violence.

Cosplay Picnic & Photo Shoot

On the third day of Aniwave for this year we will have a Cosplay Picnic at the Cameron Art Museum. The Cosplay Picnic will be held on Thursday, October 30, at 4:00 PM. The Cameron Art Museum is located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address (please be advised that Google maps does not always accurately represent this location).

A Photo Shoot will follow the picnic at 6:00 PM, which should give us enough time to get everyone's picture taken before the anime screening at 7:00 PM.

Come dressed as your favorite anime character, and make sure to bring friends! The more the merrier! And it wouldn't be a picnic without some food, so please bring a snack or dish of your choice (use your best judgment of course).

In order to gauge attendance, and the amount of food we will still need, please register for the picnic by sending your name, contact information, and food you plan to bring, by using this link:

Send Cosplay Picnic Registration Email

Current Registration List:

1. P. Calame (+2)
2. K. Camelio
   
3. E. Denton (+5)
4. A. Foland
5. K. Jernigan
   
6. K. Mallner
7. W. Rooks
8. K. Russell
9. A. Schoonover (+2)
   
10. A. Sellers (+1)
11. A. Silverwood (+1)
12. A. Willis
    
13. N. Wisniowski

Screening at Level 5

The second event in the Aniwave '08 lineup will take place on the rooftop deck at Level 5 at City Stage, located at 21 North Front Street in downtown Wilmington. Click here for a map of this address. The date for the event is Wednesday, October 29, at 7:00 PM.

Our feature presentation is of Satoshi Kon's Paprika. From the DVD cover...

Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination - where reality and dreams colide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After it is stolen, a fearless detective and a brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a "dream terrorist" in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.

Paprika has a runtime of 90 minutes. It is rated "R" for violent and sexual images.

Screening at Jengo's Playhouse (I.A.C.)

Our first event in the Aniwave '08 lineup will take place at Jengo's Playhouse (a part of the Independent Art Company), located at 815 Princess St., in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address. The date for the event is Tuesday, October 28, at 7:00 PM.

The screening will open with the first episode of Yawara!, a new release from AnimEigo. The series is described by ANN as follows...

Inokuma Yawara is just another young high school girl. Well, not quite - for Yawara is being raised by her grandfather, 7th dan Judo master Inokuma Jigorou, to be Japan's great hope for the women's Judo competition at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. All the same, Yawara just wants to live a normal life.

The first episode of Yawara! has a runtime of 25 minutes. It is rated for "Teenagers," as it may contain bloody violence, bad language, and nudity [source].


Our feature presentation is of Otaku No Video, courtesy of AnimEigo. It is described as...

A true treat for true fans of any genre, Otaku No Video ("Fan's Video") is an outrageous "mockumentary" that combines the superb animation that made Gainax one of Japan's best-loved animation studios with truly strange interviews with "real fans." The result is a thinly fictionalized history of Gainax that segues into a truly strange SF adventure. Sit back and enjoy as a small band of Otaku (fans) set out to "Otakunize" the human race!

Otaku No Video has a runtime of 100 minutes. It is rated for "Teenagers," as it may contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity, and adult situations [source].

Special Thanks

Aniwave would not be possible without the generous support of the following sponsors:

• Michael L. Glancy
• AnimEigo [link]
• Sawgrass Gifts [link]
  
• Level 5 at City Stage [link]
• The Cameron Art Museum [link]

Planning Aniwave '08

I'm happy to announce that planning for Aniwave '08 is progressing well. This year's Aniwave festival will take place during the last week of October. It will be condensed to a three day period at three different venues.

This year we have obtained a third venue, so our screenings and events will take place at Jengo's Playhouse on October 27, Level 5 on the 28th, and the Cameron Art Museum on the 29th. When further information becomes available as we finalize our anime choices and additional events I will post them here.

So stay tuned, bookmark the site, and subscribe to be updated via our feed. I'm confident in that this year will be even more successful.

Post Aniwave '07 Report

With the conclusion of this year's Aniwave, I have written up a small report. You can view it at by following this link:

Post Aniwave Report [via Mentisworks]

Big thanks again to everyone who came out to support us. Hope to see you again next year!

Screening at the Cameron Art Museum

The anime screening at the Cameron Art Museum will be held on Friday, November 2. The museum is located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. For more information on the museum, you can visit their website, or see a map of this address here.

Our selections for this screening currently include Blame! and Spring and Chaos. We will still have free promotional materials available, and Fanboy Comics will be present as well. The museum cafe, Sweet & Savory, will be open during the event making food and drinks available. The schedule for this event is as follows:

• 6:45 pm - Begin seating, place orders at cafe, etc.
• 7:00 pm - First feature, Spring & Chaos by Shoji Kawamori.
• 8:00 pm - Intermission
• 8:10 pm - Second feature, Blame! by Tsutomu Nihei.
• 9:00 pm - Screening concludes.

Admission for this screening is by donation, with donations going to support future public events such as this one at the Cameron Art Museum.

Cosplay Tour at the Cameron Art Museum

A tour of the current exhibition of costumes will be held at the Cameron Art Museum for cosplayers and cosplay fans on Friday, October 5. It will begin at 3:15 pm, and arriving a few minutes early is recommended.

The exhibition is titled Between Taste and Travesty: Costume Designs by William Ivey Long. Long is currently the premier costume designer for Broadway. He has been nominated for eleven Tony Awards, and has received five of those. Also, he has designed costumes for close to sixty different Broadway productions which include Crazy for You, Cabaret, Contact, Hairspray, The Producers, and Grey Gardens just to name a few.

The exhibit is only available by guided tour on account of heightened security with an exhibition of this magnitude. The tour itself is between one hour and one and a half hours long. Admission cost for this tour is $10 per person (discounts are only available for museum members).

Any anime fans that are also cosplayers or fans of costumes in general would find this exhibition inspiring to say the least. If any cosplayers are wondering whether making or designing costumes can lead to the possibility of a career, your proof lies in this exhibition.

After the tour we are going to have a cosplay photo-shoot which will take place in the courtyard of the museum. If weather is not permitting, we can take pictures inside as well. As of this time, we are still looking for any photographers willing to participate in the photoshoot. If you are a photographer, or know anyone who is, please contact us for further details.

We are limited to a maximum of 25 people for the tour. In order to make this work, you must register for the tour to reserve your place on it.

To register, submit your name via email by clicking here: Send Email.

6 People have registered for the tour, with 19 spaces still available.

Screening at Jengo's Playhouse (I.A.C.)

The anime screening at Jengo's Playhouse (a part of the Independent Art Company) will be held on Saturday, September 22. Jengo's Playhouse is located at 815 Princess St., in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address.

We will start the event with some snacks and time for everyone to hang out and familiarize themselves with our vendors. Free items have been provided by our sponsors, and will also be available at this time. In addition, we will be raffling off t-shirts and complete box sets of Urusei Yatsura OVAs, Bubblegum Crisis, and You're Under Arrest.

The screening will begin with two shorts, Fata Morgana and She And Her Cat. The first feature we will show is Cat Soup, followed by an intermission. The second feature will be Voices of a Distant Star.

Here is a breakdown of the schedule for this event:

• 12:00 pm - Snacks served and vendors available.
• 01:00 pm - Short film: Fata Morgana [Saben Kane].
• 01:05 pm - Short film: She and Her Cat [Makoto Shinkai].
• 01:15 pm - Cat Soup [Tatsuo Sato, story by Nekojiru].
• 01:50 pm - Intermission.
• 02:00 pm - Voices of a Distant Star [Makoto Shinkai].
• 02:35 pm - Raffle winners announced.
• 02:45 pm - Screening concludes.

That is all, and we hope to see you there!

Aniwave Poster

The Aniwave poster is finished and is now at the printers. We were expecting it to be done Friday, but some delays have pushed it back to Monday. This means that we will begin distribution early next week. Our target areas are downtown, the CAM, and UNCW. Other relevant locations, such as Fanboy Comics of course, will receive them as well.