Mail re. Edinburgh Mini-Convention

[Leo Comerford]

We received this by email on 10 February:


Dear Anime Lovers,

The Edinburgh University Anime Society (aasoc) are considering hosting a
mini-anime convention. It would be a one day event and as far as we know
Edinburgh's first anime convention! We will definitely be showing a feature
screening at the Pleasance Theatre on Friday April 23rd, however we are
thinking about turning this into an all day event. We plan to show various
anime and have other activities going on too. The idea is to have an
opportunity for anime fans to meet up and join forces. ^_^ If this were to
go well, we'd be able to make plans for a bigger convention next year! Right
now, we'd like to hear whether people are interested in coming along and
what you'd like to see happen at the convention, because we'd like to have
an idea of the number of people to plan for. We welcome all suggestions.

Here are our details:

aasoc@hotmail.com

http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/aasoc/convention.php

We hope to see you in April!

Cheers!

Clare Huxley
Events Organiser
Edinburgh University Anime and Animation Society (aasoc)



P.S.

We found your details at the following websites. Sorry if our information is
incorrect:

http://www.anime.org.uk/aorguk.nsf/Clubs!OpenView

http://www.ryouko.demon.co.uk/ukclubs.htm

[Thalia]

Sounds like fun to me...although aprl's too far in the future for me to know what i'mup to i guess i could make plans around the anime ^_-

[hr][s]A Question
A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.
---Robert Frost[/s]

[Dee]

Bump! Was anyone planning on going?

And is anyone still reading the message board, or have I gone the way of Shinji?

[hr]Crank up the Beethoven, it's time to kick some butt.

[Shandy]

I'm going with my other friend from animesoc... I think it sounds a lot of fun, they put all the events up on their website:

http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/aasoc/convention.php

Thanks for letting us know about it!

[Leo Comerford]

Have fun. Tell 'em who sent you, if the opportunity comes up. Also, if you could write up a short con report for us when you get back, we'd be very grateful.

Leo.

[Dee]

Hmm, events look good. Kinda wish I was going now.

If they show anything good in the Anime Room do tell. Hope you enjoy yourselves.

[Shandy]

Had a good time at the Con! Here's some info on all the animes we caught:

"Pugyuru"
Edinsoc commentary: WTF?!?
My thoughts: This was a 10 minute short about a schoolgirl whose mother leaves her in the care of a maid while she's away. But the maid is a tiny girl with... how to describe it... some sort of squidgy white rectangle for a body? She gets into humorous situations because of her size... and ends up trapped in the bath pipes?? It was actually really funny, but any more than ten minutes of it would have been too much...

"Sensei No Ojikan"
Edinsoc commentary: Lots of short stories about a teacher and her students during school time. Reminds me of azumanga somewhat, but not as cute and the humour is slightly different. The teacher reminds me of Chiyo-chan though.
My thoughts: I found this really funny (especially one of the boy's tap-like nosebleeds... err... you have to see it) but it felt like it went on for a little too long and was very very quick to switch between stories so that sometimes it was hard to follow. It was just a bit of harmless fun, I think, but I know my friend didn't think much of it.

Kyou Kara Maou
Edinsoc commentary: Shounen Ai. Don't be put off though, the 1st ep is quite good and features one of the more amusing forms of interdimentional travel I have heard to date.
My thoughts: Boy gets sucked down toilet while being given a swirly by school bullies and ends up in an alt. dimension where he is hailed as Prince by some extremely goodlooking knights. Funny in places.. especially the ending credits. Personally speaking, it didn't really seem my type of thing though, but it was hard to tell from one episode.

"Shura No Toki"
Edinsoc commentary: Reminded me of samurai/sword fighting Animé, but the main protagonist uses an unarmed fighting technique. Fans of such Animé will like this one.
My thoughts: This one reminded me a lot of Berserk, though the main character wasn't at all like Guts. But there was a Griffith-like character who wanted to tutor him, and a lot of onlookers going "Ooh, ahhh, how does he do that, I've never seen anything like it before-and so on" and the main female acts and wants to be like a man. I actually quite enjoyed it though.

Monster
Edinsoc commentary: Looks to be a serious Animé. We follow a genius surgeon who has to make a decision on whther to save the life of an insignificant boy, which only he can do, or to save the life of the mayor (whose operation isn't that hard and others can do). I have a feeling there is a lot more to this than meets the eye, but we shall have to wait and see.
My thoughts: This one was heavy compared to the previous animés... it was very dramatic but at the same time felt a little predictable. I didn't think much of it but I think it's definitely a matter of taste...

Kono Minikuku Me Utsukushii Sekai
Edinsoc commentary: "This Beautiful and Ugly World". The latest Animé to come from GAINAX (Eva, FLCL, Mahoromatic etc.). Violence and Fanservice galore (more fanservice than violence though) with a bit of twisted plot mized in.
My thoughts: We really liked this one! I'm just going to rush the plot here... troubled guy and his friend come across a girl who has fallen to earth in a giant glowy pod. Monsters, drama and confusion ensues. That doesn't do it much justice but this was one of our faves!

"Millenium Actress"
Edinsoc didn't have a commentary on this in their leaflet, but here's the imdb description:

"A movie studio is being torn down. TV
interviewer Genya Tachibana has tracked down its most famous star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who has been a recluse since she left acting some 30 years ago. Tachibana delivers a key to her, and it causes her to reflect on her career; as she's telling the story, Tachibana and his long-suffering cameraman are drawn in. The key was given to her as a teenager by a painter and revolutionary that she helped to escape the police. She becomes an actress because it will make it possible to track him down, and she spends the next several decades acting out that search in various genres and eras."

Thoughts... we both really, really enjoyed it. It was made by the creators of Perfect Blue, but I much preferred it. It was both beautiful and funny ^_^ You should think about showing it, if you haven't already in the past.

"Puni Puni Poemi"
Oh dear lord. They put this on after the film, apparantly someone requested it. Has anyone ever heard of it? The guy warned us that it might be offensive to some people. Afterwards I read:

"Puni Puni Poemi will either make you
laugh very hard, or not laugh at all, there really is no middle ground" and it's so true.

Anyway, it was a spoof anime in which a young girl finds out she's destined to save the universe... you don't want to laugh, but I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. From what me and my friend spotted, it parodies Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, Gundam, Fruits Basket, DBZ, Escaflowne... maybe Kenshin? It got a good reception from everyone else in the theatre too, so it obviously struck a chord.
But the second ep I found a little too
disturbing to be funny...

They showed quite a lot of others in the morning which we missed due to shopping ^^;;... Memories of Oblivion... Madlaz... Midori No Hibe... The Mars Daybreak?

[Rezo]

[s]Shandy wrote on 22:14, 28th Apr 2004:[i]
"Puni Puni Poemi"
Oh dear lord. They put this on after the film, apparantly someone requested it. Has anyone ever heard of it?

Has anyone heard of it? Its only the sequel to Excel Saga, which was shown during last year's session. ^_^ So Dee and the others should be familiar with it (well, except Per, who I think use to walk out before it started... he only stayed on for Cowboy Bebop anyway).

Midori no Hibi looks interesting. I've only seen the first episode, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on it.


[hr]
Project Anime quotes.
"Fine, I'll be Hellmaster..." - Me
"Kimi o kimi o aishiteru
Kokoro de mitsumeteiru
Kimi o kimi o shinjiteru
Samui yoru mo" - Everyone singing along to the Escaflowne opening

[Rezo]

[s]Shandy wrote on 22:14, 28th Apr 2004:
"Puni Puni Poemi"
Oh dear lord. They put this on after the film, apparantly someone requested it. Has anyone ever heard of it?

Has anyone heard of it? Its only the sequel to Excel Saga, which was shown during last year's session. ^_^ So Dee and the others should be familiar with it (well, except Per, who I think use to walk out before it started... he only stayed on for Cowboy Bebop anyway).

Midori no Hibi looks interesting. I've only seen the first episode, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on it.


[hr]
Project Anime quotes.
"Fine, I'll be Hellmaster..." - Me
"Kimi o kimi o aishiteru
Kokoro de mitsumeteiru
Kimi o kimi o shinjiteru
Samui yoru mo" - Everyone singing along to the Escaflowne opening

[Dee]

[s]Rezo wrote on 16:19, 30th Apr 2004:
It's only the sequel to Excel Saga, which was shown during last year's session. ^_^

*evil grin*

[hr]
Crank up the Beethoven, it's time to kick some butt.

[Dee]

Thanks Shandy.

Kono Minikuku Me Utsukushii Sekai sounds cool.

Monster does not. From what you say it does sound hideously predictable.

Want to sleep now. Say more later.

[hr]Crank up the Beethoven, it's time to kick some butt.