Hey, Watch That Tentacle!

They think they’re turning Japanese

Comments (0) By Margaret Griffis Thursday, Mar 16 2006

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Do you know where your otaku is hiding today? At the Japan Anime Festival 2006 at Florida International University, naturally. What’s anime? Most Americans first encounter it by watching old Speed Racer and Gigantor cartoons. It’s not terribly esoteric, simply Japanese-produced cartoons. Speaking at the event is Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, president of Production I.G., arguably the most familiar of the Japanese anime houses. The company is known for its own feature films, such as the popular Ghost in the Shell; the animated sequence in Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1; and the IGPX series, which aired on the Cartoon Network. The festival features an unnamed anime film that hosts promise will be a PG-13 presentation. That’s a good thing, because on rare occasions anime can get a bit pervy. You wouldn’t want your kid dragging you to see a picture involving tentacle sex between sea monsters and schoolgirls, would you? Maybe you would. Either way, feel free to enter the anime character costume contest (but no tentacles, please!). Now what’s an otaku? Oh, you’ll find out. The festival runs from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Greene Library. It’s free. Call 305-530-9090 for details.
Sun., March 19