Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a lot of effort putting this list together as all events are back and in FULL 🌪 FORCE 🌊 i might say 🥳!! It’s just crossed into February and we already got a number of awesome ‘firsts’. Among the buzz is the “First time outside Japan” FULL Metal Alchemist Exhibition thats happening now at Pavilion Bukit Jalil! 😅 More & much more to come in 2024. Here’s to the an awesome 🥂🍻🍾 2024… and the RETURN of The 🐲 Dragon!! 🐉 🔥
Enjoy the list everyone! Teacher, Coach, Captain, Daddy, selah -AllenYap-
So here is the spiffy new Geek Pop Events List 2024. Please share it out! Be sure to come back to check as it will be update from time to time as more events surface and dates are revealed.
*NOT ALL EVENTS* will make this list, which is why the word ‘curated’ is mentioned, because there are just too many events out there and we don’t know who the organisers are or what their agendas are. Some events are cash & grab, some want to ride the hip / hype train, some events are job opportunities because IP enforcement is lax or not available overseas 😅 And then there are those who are borderline criminal because of their ignorance, arrogance, greed and just plain laziness 😬
If you know of an event that hasn’t yet been listed, you can drop us an email: popculturefun.my@gmail.com or comment below 🙂
Stay safe everyone and be diligent to stay healthy!
As usual the events in grey are pending confirmation, where else those in BOLD ORANGE are good to go! Do check back from time to time for the new events added as the info becomes available. For quicker updates,
TBA July (Annual Cultural Festival) Bon Odori (Klang Valley) 5pm – 10pm Kompleks Suka Negara Panasonic, Shah Alam Organised by Japan Club, Kuala Lumpur
8 September (Annual Pop Culture date) Star Trek Day
8 September (Annual Event) Disney+ Day
9 September (Video game release) Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Focus Entertainment – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
12 September (Movie Release) Transformers ONE
JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2024 by Japan Foundation KL at Golden Screen Cinemas. Klang Valley: TBA Sept [Mid Valley, Pavilion, 1 Utama, Nu Sentral] PENANG: TBA Sept [GSC Gurney Plaza] JOHOR: TBA Sept [GSC Paradigm JB] Kuching, SARAWAK: TBA Oct [GSC CityONE Megamall] Kota Kinabalu, SABAH: TBA Oct [GSC Suria Sabah]
24 February (Official Fan event) Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Day Event 2nd Flr Orange Zone, Pavilion Bukit Jalil (home of the official exhibit) https://www.facebook.com/animangaki
Happy New Year everyone! Last year was the toughest of my entire life! I was about to give some details to see if people care but my wife talked me out of it. I wanted to see if the online media consumers gave a sh*t about actual human beings or just get online… take what they need and leave without a ‘like’, positive comment or even a ‘thank you’.
Anyways I listen to my wife & shan’t over share the details but I spent the first half of 2022 i was picking up the pieces of my life, preparing for mid life and making new plans for the future. Jobless, Incomeless & death taking kids lives… it’s very rock bottom. 2nd half of 2022 was where providence came, and the source is ever-so-fitting a tale right out of poetic philosophical wisdom – a friend from high school my days. Not just any ‘friend’ friend but one of the truest kind I know! It wasn’t about wealth, possessions, education or things you could get from each other but the kinship we shared, made each of us a better version of ourselves ☺️
I’ll borrow the MLP phrase because this experience of mine thru the years can be encased in this – “Friendship is Magic”… when our lives change for the better, is like the best magical occurrence that can ever happen for ones self. Such a blessing 🥹 💖 And I wish this experience for you all too in this new year & in your lives!!
*NOTE: there are some people who come here, cut and paste my 👇 list… put it on their social media as if it’s their own…. translate into another language like it’s their own… – I implore you to show some ethical courtesy to credit the ones who are actually putting time & effort to contribute something to benefit to the community. I don’t get paid a single cent for this service but I labour because I think Geeky Pop Culture is something positive, motivating, includes people and brings people together. I know there’s no law infringement here but like I said it’s an ‘ethical courtesy’, good for the maintenance of true & pure heart ☺️ Take this from me, as we get older… this is a really rare commodity that we all wish we have more of, so learn to spot this*
If you have read everything till this point, I thank you very much. I hope you’ve gain something for you life. My Swim coach taught me this last year – “Give without remembering, receive without forgetting”. Imagine if there were more people like this in the world 👍 💞
Enjoy the list everyone! Teacher, Coach, Captain, Daddy, selah -AllenYap-
So here is the spiffy new Geek Pop Events List 2023. Please share it out! Be sure to come back to check as it will be update from time to time as more events surface and dates are revealed.
*NOT ALL EVENTS* will make this list, which is why the word ‘curated’ is mentioned, because there are just too many events out there and we don’t know who the organisers are or what their agendas are. Some events are cash & grab, some want to ride the hip / hype train, some events are job opportunities because IP enforcement is lax or not available overseas 😅 And then there are those who are borderline criminal because of their ignorance, arrogance and just plain laziness 😬
If you know of an event that hasn’t yet been listed, you can drop us an email: popculturefun.my@gmail.com or comment below 🙂
Stay safe everyone and be diligent to stay healthy!
As usual the events in grey are pending confirmation, where else those in BOLD ORANGE are good to go! Do check back from time to time for the new events added as the info becomes available. For quicker updates,
JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2023 by Japan Foundation KL at Golden Screen Cinemas. Klang Valley: TBA Sept [Mid Valley, Pavilion, 1 Utama, Nu Sentral] PENANG: TBA Sept [GSC Gurney Plaza] JOHOR: TBA Sept [GSC Paradigm JB] Kuching, SARAWAK: TBA Oct [GSC CityONE Megamall] Kota Kinabalu, SABAH: TBA Oct [GSC Suria Sabah]
24 – 26 November (Region’s Premiere Anime Convention) Anime Festival Asia, SINGAPORE (AFASG) SUNTEC Convention & Exhibition Centre https://www.facebook.com/animefestivalasia
29 November (Streaming series) Marvel’s Echo Only on Disney+
TBA 2023 (Annual Book sale) Largest Book Sale in the World Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Mines International Convention Centre (MIECC) https://www.facebook.com/bbwbooks/
TBA End Year (Streaming Series Debut) We’re calling it now guessing 29 Nov hehe Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Only on Disney+
21 February 2023(Concert SINGAPORE) Crystalline Resonance : FINAL FANTASY Piano Concert Singapore (Esplanade Concert Hall) Buy your tickets : https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/ff0223
23 February (Movie release) The First Slam Dunk Exclusively GSC Cinemas
12 May 2023 (Video Game release) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch
1 May (Annual Pop Culture date) FREE Comic Book Day – 20th Anniversary
4 May (Streaming Series) Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 Only in Disney+ (9 Episodes)
4 May (Annual Pop Culture date) Star Wars Day (May the Fourth)
4 May 2023 (Movie release) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
5 – 7 May (Debut event – The 1st International showcase Commercial Illustration) Kuala Lumpur Illustration Fair 2023 Level 3A, GMBB KL https://www.facebook.com/klillustrationfair
23 March – 8 May Extended 11 June (Exhibition) ONE PIECE: The Great Era of Piracy Exhibition Asia Tour Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, Resorts World Genting https://www.facebook.com/onepieceasiatour
12 – 28 May (Comic Art Exhibition) P.L.A.Y @THE LEDGE The Ledge Art Gallery, 1 Utama Shopping Mall https://www.facebook.com/myccplay
ACG Matsuri is this weekend! The first ever anime event at the spiffy new LaLaport, Bukit Bintang City Centre and our friends from JCos Club are the organisers. The folks from #JCosClub hail from the Southern Tigers state of Johor & have been organising ACG events for many years as well as participate in Cosplay Competitions through out Malaysia! They are currently the largest & longest ACG event organiser in Johor and… what a Klang Valley debut to start off with ACG Matsuri at the newest Nippon Powered attractions in our country’s capital!! 💪😄
NEW MALL This LaLaport is short for Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport, and is located at Bukit Bintang City Centre. Yes, same Mitsui as the Mitsui Outlet Park!! So ours is known as LaLaport BBCC. It is joint venture development with Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd a real estate company based in Tokyo by the Mitsui Group (one of the largest corporate groups in the world). 130,000 square meters across 6 floors and approximately 400 shop lots. In always admire Japanese designs, inovation and style so this mall would be pretty cool!
TeamLabs Microcosms. This event will be just in time for attendees to check out the immersive interactive art exhibition by Japanese folks from TeamLab, Resonating Microcosms. What’s that? Check out the video (below)
FREE PARKING There will be free parking at the ACG Matsuri at LaLaport BBCC (5 -7 August). *All parking tickets need to be validated at any APS machine before exiting. Only applicable for physical tickets; not valid with Touch N Go. https://www.facebook.com/JCos.Club/photos/5975379422478251
SPACE Complainer, “new mall so few shops open” = True but it also means there will be more space to move around freely and hang out with friends. And also with more than enough safe distance when chilling in groups 🙂
PHOTO SHOOT Complainer, “new mall so few shops open, so few people” = TRUE but with more space & a darn cool designed mall it’s gonna be a pretty nice space to do mini shoots. There will be more than enough locations for everyone to photo shoot… and with natural light too!
Here comes our LaLaport first ever ACG(Animation, Comics, Gaming) event! On 5th ~ 7th August, 《JCOS Club @ LaLaport ACG Matsuri》will be presenting you a very unique japan matsuri style ACG event! This event will be totally free admission too!
Over 50+ various cosplay/doujin booths and ACG merchandise retailers will form several shōtengai in the mall. Our stage also will be having lots of wonderful performances brought by our very talented performers!
There will be a special game zone for you all to play some traditional japanese games such as Daruma Otoshi, Kentama and Fukuwarai. Collect your all the stamps after clearing the games, as well as participating in the stage challenge games, to exchange for some beautiful souvenirs!
Moreover, we are glad to have popular cosplayer + singer – Hayate and famous youtuber +beauty blogger Anima Jinx as our event’s special guest! They will be the judges for Saturday’s Cosplay Challenge, which has up to RM1000 cash prizes to be won! We are looking forward to the various marvelous characters brought up by the contestants on stage! Furthermore, Anima and Hayate will be bringing you wonderful performances too! Do bring your glow sticks to come and support them!
During the 3 days of the event, Friday will be the warm-up day. Stage LED will be available for all the attendees to play and challenge various PS4 games! Most of the cosplay/doujin booths and ACG merchandise retailers will open from Friday too! Please come and support them!
If you are cosplaying to this event, you could go to Miink Coffee to redeem your free drinks and snacks! Also, cosplayers and their buddies will get a 10% discount at LaLaport HookieDookie and Shabu-yo too! Last but not least, don’t forget that LaLaport’s parking fee will be totally free for the period!
Event highlights:
Digimon Card Game Tournament
Cosplay Challenge
Anima Jinx Sharing & Talkshow
Japan Matsuri Style Games
Free PS4 Gaming Session
50 + Cosplayer/Doujin Booths and ACG Merchandise Retailers
Happy New Year Everyone!! Hope you all are well and ready because physical events are BACK!! Yes the threat of Covid-19 is still out there but I think it’s really better now compared to the past two years. Personally I’ve had a lackluster Christmas 2021 and a New Year 2022 but it’s not how we start the race / journey (of life) but rather how we finish it right?
“Part of the journey is the end”, Tony Stark
From Avengers: Endgame (2019)
“Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered. Your time is short. You’d think after all this time, I’d be ready. But look at me. Stretching one moment out into a thousand… just so that I can watch the snow”, The Ancient One
From Doctor Strange (2016)
No, I didn’t experience a passing of someone dear but I just had a death of something ‘good’ where in common wisdom from history:
Voltaire: “The best is the enemy of the good.”
Confucius: “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”
Shakespeare: “Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”
James C. Collins: “Good is the Enemy of Great”
And I end this by a touch of Star Trek and a bit of “All Good Things Come To An End… to make way for better things?”. So I’m hoping that the ‘death’ of something was good for me will eventually turn out to be something better / greater / …bigger …happier …more productive (OK COMPUTER – Radiohead pun)… “Choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family….” (Trainspotting pun)
So here is the spiffy new Geek Pop Events List 2022. Please share and come back to check as it will be update from time to time as more events surface and dates are revealed. If you know of an event that hasn’t yet been listed, you can drop us an email: popculturefun.my@gmail.com
Stay safe everyone and be diligent to stay healthy!
As usual the events in grey are pending confirmation, where else those in BOLD ORANGE are good to go! Do check back from time to time for the new events added as the info becomes available. For quicker updates,
20 December – 2 January 2023 (Annual Book sale) Largest Book Sale in the World Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Mines International Convention Centre (MIECC) https://www.facebook.com/bbwbooks/
JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2021 by Japan Foundation KL @GSCinemas Klang Valley: 6 – 12 Jan [Mid Valley, NU Sentral, 1 Utama] PENANG: 13 – 16 Jan [GSC Gurney Plaza] JOHOR: 13 – 16 Jan [GSC Paradigm JB] Kuching, SARAWAK: 20 – 23 Jan [GSC CityONE Megamall] Kota Kinabalu, SABAH: 20 – 23 Jan [GSC Suria Sabah]
12 January (Streaming debut) ETERNALS On Disney+
13 January (Streaming series debut) Peacemaker HBO Max
13 January 2022 (Movie release) Sword Art Online: The Movie Progressive Aria of a Starless Night Exclusively in GSCinemas
19 January (Streaming debut) Marvel Studios ASSEMBLED: The Making of HAWKEYE Only on Disney+
January 20 Rainbow Six Extraction PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, Stadia
28 January (Video Games release) Pokémon Legends: Arceus Nintendo Switch
8 February (Animated movie digital release) Catwoman: Hunted
9 February (Streaming debut) Marvel Studios ASSEMBLED: The Making of Hawkeye Only on Disney+
10 Feb 2022 (Movie release) Uncharted
10 February (Stream series) Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 Only on Paramount+
16 February (Streaming debut) Marvel Studios ASSEMBLED: The Making of ETERNALS Only on Disney+
18 February (Video Game release) Horizon Forbidden West PS4, PS5
16 July (Annual Festival) Bon Odori (Klang Valley) 5pm – 10pm Kompleks Suka Negara Panasonic, Shah Alam Organised by Japan Club, Kuala Lumpur (No official event link)
8 September (Annual Pop Culture date) Star Trek Day
8 September (Annual Event) Disney+ Day
JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2022 by Japan Foundation KL at Golden Screen Cinemas. Klang Valley: 8 – 14 Sept [Mid Valley, Pavilion, 1 Utama, Nu Sentral] PENANG: 15 – 18 Sept [GSC Gurney Plaza] JOHOR: 22 – 25 Sept [GSC Paradigm JB] Kuching, SARAWAK: 6 – 9Oct [GSC CityONE Megamall] Kota Kinabalu, SABAH: 6 – 9 Oct [GSC Suria Sabah]
TECHNICAL DATA Cinema: TGV, 1 Utama Format: IMAX Running time: 155 minutes Malaysia MP Rating: P13.
Here is the short, quick, NO SPOILERS, TLDR:
DUNE (2021) was breath taking! I think its a modern day translation of what the classics were, those genre defining ‘sci-fi’ movies from the days of old. I also think this movie is a good reminder (again) of the multifaceted capability of movies to communicate to masses on so many levels regarding so many issues. (Reminds of Gene Roddenberry). This movie took a total of 5 years to envision, dreamed, designed and filmed and IMAX says Director Mr. Denis Villeneuve and was the only way to do justice to Frank Herbert’s vision. To every fan of the book, please give it a chance and watch it in the cinema. I would think it be a real travesty to experience this film on your home tv, via a streaming service (Pandemic Concerns aside).
DUNE – You’ve heard of the book (1965), you have seen the movie (1984) – and if you’ve haven’t it’s ok. Been transported to this strange new world, new life and new civilizations… the sci-fi representation of the world outside our window. (Combining the love from Gene Roddenberry & Stan Lee). This film is BIG, VAST, EXOTIC, DRAMATIC, relatable and alluring!
9 ST🌟RS of 10 – 🌟BRILLIANT!🌟
DUNE opens in Malaysian Cinemas 14 October. Sneaks on the 13 October. Catch it on IMAX at TGV Cinemas and other formats (D-BOX, Screen-X etc) at GSC. Dune is distributed by Warner Bros. Malaysia. Thanks to WBMY for the invitation.
FAN DEEP IMPRESSIONS
Well first off, let me start with my FAN standing – I like the sci-fi genre though I haven’t read the book. I’ve watched the David Lynch (1984) movie on VHS and played the game…. extensively Dune II: The Battle of Arrakis, Dune 2000. The Dune II game was definitive in popularizing the gaming genre – RTS (Real Time Strategy in which lead gaming company Westwood Studios to rise to Guinness Book of World Records status with it’s Command & Conquer title. Fans of the Dune II and Dune 2000, there’s some treats for you in this movie!!
I’m a big fan of the director, Mr. Denis Villeneuve. And it started from SICARIO… WOW! A brutal, realistic and gripping take on a familiar ‘drug wars’ movie genre but with visuals and story telling that’s way more visceral. Then I watched Arrival (2016) which was based on a short story but became this movie WOW (Oscar Nominated – Best Director). Then followed by Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Blade Runner 2049, was a legacy sci-fi movie because it was a sequel to yet another famous master piece of the time, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). I enjoyed Blade Runner 2049 too and by this time I can already recognize the nuances of his style, feel, story telling…. and I love it!!
So in short, “in DENIS VILLENEUVE we trust” to deliver on this sci-fi ICON – Frank Herbert’s DUNE ❤️ And so far he has been outstanding!! And he calls the chance to make this film “A dream” project. Nuff said!
Cast of DUNE at the 78th Venice International Film Festival 2021 – 3 September.
CAST – Right off the list, many familiar names. Fans of the book might recognise the characters and their fates just by their roles or they will compared to the current actor with the 1984 movie actor = Aquaman plays the character that was Jean-Luc Picard / Professor X did in 1984. I can barely remember the VHS movie experience for me to recall the cast so I won’t talk about it. I went in this movie, clean slate and waiting for Denis & team to deliver. I read that his choice for Paul Atreides / Muad’Dib was Timothee Chalamet and no other. “There was no plan b.” Timothee or bust 😅 And now having watched it, I understand. Brilliant performance by this young talented man who is the center of this epic saga… whether he liked it or not. I salute the casting director – Job Well Done! Whether the role was major or minor, they all delivered. Rebecca Ferguson (One Tough Mother get to strut her actor chops and action chops!), Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and many more. 👍🏼 Three Oscar nominees, one Oscar winner (for best actors). And try to spotting the MCUs Dr. Erik Selvig!! ‘Transformations!’
IN DENIS WE TRUST! – He has been know to prefer practical effects to CG and is one who does extensive amount of research & preparation before executing. So here are the quick facts that has me echoing this sentiment!
Director Denis Villeneuve & Javier Bardem on location
Denis (pronounced Deni or Danny) Villeneuve (pronounced Vill’n-Nu-wave) is a French-Canadian Film Director, Producer, Screen Writer.
Discovered the book in his teens. Total fascinated the poetry and the underlining that nature was the true main character of the book.
Had ambitions to be a film maker or a biologist.
It’s his life long dream to bring DUNE with its complex mythology to life.
Has always been known to prefer practical effects to CG, real locations to CG.
Ever since the first conversation to Direct + Produce DUNE, he began his research and practical*. Practical? Sounds like a high school science experiment. And yes, it was and more. His meaning of research and practical started 3 years before starting to film DUNE. The venture into the genre… Mr. Denis delves into sci-fi which resulted in Oscar nominated Arrival (2016) followed by legacy sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Now he felt he was ready for DUNE!! *Me, As a high school teacher & sport coach – I really salute this attitude, mentality and the respect for the source material.*
Mix this mentality & respect for source material with his own film making style – “brutal, realistic and gripping with story telling that’s more visceral than what we’re used too”. [SICARIO (2015), ARRIVAL (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017)]
Denis is an auteur. And I’m slowly recognising his style stamps on his films! Stunning wide angle shots of actual scouted locations (on planet earth) unique enough to give that right esthetic; representing an alien world, dystopian earth or just the dark side south of the border (Mexico). Practical locations mentioned: Hungary, Jordan, Abu Dhabi and Norway.
THE SCORE – The short down – maestro Hans Zimmer is also a kindred spirit with Denis as reunite again after Blade Runner 2049. When two creative greats come together on a passionate subject, the results are usually outstanding and it’s proven right again. The maestro traveled deep into the desert tp immerse himself and dream about the score. Hans and Denis quickly agreed in the mode & texture of the score and then further developed it to be complementing character through out the movie. Wow! 🥰
“Hans was inspired by the sound of the wind and the sand, because on Dune rhythm is everything. Rhythm is life and, most important, it can be death, too, because rhythm attracts the sandworms. So, the first thing we said was that the way we approached rhythm would be unique.” – Denis Villeneuve, Director DUNE.
FUN FACT – Hans Zimmer turned down scoring TENET (2020) with his long time collaborator / friend Christopher Nolan to score DUNE. Sample some of it here or just go straight into the cinema to experience it!
FUN FACT – The DUNE (1984) was scored by Toto. Yes the band named Toto. You wanna compare that with Hans Zimmer (ver 2.0 -post Nolan Batman trilogy) scoring his beloved childhood story
WHAT I LIKED
DENIS VILLENEUVE makes DUNE! Thank you Warner Bros Pictures for doing this!
DUNE in IMAX!! In all my years of watching movies in the cinema, never have I felt a more fitting movie for IMAX because it’s NOT only about the size of the screen but it is the format in which every shot is composed for. If there is lotsa empty space… that empty space is suppose to be there… it’s intended to be there for a purpose.
Clear storyline. Emphasis on the important plot, points, characters AND where it’s going!
A great ensemble cast of talented actors!
Gamer fans (like me) will recognise the vehicle concepts and designs 🤓Geek Fanboy moment
ORNITHOPTER!
It’s Part 1 = which means MORE to come!
Ethnic, Racial and Cultural diversity! How many accents can you spot through out the entire movie?
There’s a reason why Timothee and Zendaya were cast as the focal point of this movie… and yes their HAIR has got something to do with it! If you’ve watched it… you know what I’m talking about 😄
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I can’t say I disliked anything about this movie, when watched in the proper format IMAX 😏 Other then, for the second time, an the audio setting for IMAX presentation was a bit weak in the verbal / dialogue frequencies. But again, maybe it’s a localized issue or maybe it’s just my hear deteriorating 😔
In America and some other regions… this movie is going to open in the cinemas / theaters at the same time as streaming channel HBO MAX. With pandemic safety aside (i know this well because I’m from Malaysia… we’ve got super highest cases / deaths 😩), it’s a real lost for the appreciation of the artistic effort of this production.
Dune, for me, is a love letter to the big screen. That’s the way it was dreamed, that’s the way it was designed, that’s the way it was achieved. But the story is too complex to be put into only one movie, so for me, as much a challenge as it was—it was by far the biggest movie I’ve ever made, the most challenging—‘Dune’ is an appetizer for the second part still to come, which is the main meal,” Villeneuve teases.
Among the issues I might foresee people complaining about would be:
PACING – It’s Denis style of storytelling and may seem to be slow. Trust me, I’ve seen slower haha.
Denis’ MARVEL Comments – Being a big MARVEL and MCU fan… as well as the creative talents of Mr. Denis – I can totally understand what, why, where he said what he said and where he is coming from. These days a lot of ‘click bait’ media reporting because the world is changing, the people are changing and the media (as a medium) in itself is changing. Motives for media news change… agendas change. I don’t think he means any ill intentions towards MCU movies. In fact I think Marvel Studios themselves, just after recently celebrating 10th Anniversary & 25 movies later, realize that themselves and want to be raise their standards of movie making film-craft too in Phase 4. Just take a look at the choices of Shang-Chi movie, as an Asian hero character directed / produce by genre subject experts and hiring Oscar winning Director Chloe Zhao for a project like Eternals, the tale of God like beings predating Earth’s civilization.
The sequel has not been green lit yet. It will depend on the success of this movie.
So if you’re not going to watch DUNE because of these factors, then I ask that you reconsider, especially if you’re leaning towards the second point – you’re a huge Marvel fan and dislike what Denis said ☹️ Imagine the inspiration for DUNE turning into Secret Wars, Battleworld or even Annihilation Saga huhu 🤯 haha
Thank you for reading my long review 😊 (1,900 words) Have a good time returning to the cinema!!
Lotsa Love, -TheCaptain- Thanks to Warner Bros Malaysia for Invitation Images courtesy of Warner Media
Happy New Year everyone! 2020 was a real up & down roller coaster ride. I also think it was a year that we lost many many loved ones. Whether they were taken by covid-19 or by other causes, the bottom line is they are gone and we will miss them 😦 From on… everything of them will be deem archival media or footage. 😦
So NUMBER 1: If you are alive and well… and reading this now – REJOICE! CELEBRATE!! Don’t let your progress in life be held back by the lack of others or their short comings. If we ourselves are the problem or have a problem… get help! Ask a loved one… ask a friend… ask us even 🙂 – popculturefun.my@gmail.com
NUMBER 2: Times are uncertain… even more now then ever because of how volatile covid-19 has shaken the world. Many are saying and reminding to maintain – “SOCIAL DISTANCING”. Honestly, I think this is wrong English. “SOCIAL DISTANCING” simply, means “don’t keep in contact / touch /communication”. ‘No one is an island’ and social interaction is needed for every human being. If you’ve read the bible, In Genesis 2, it’s mentioned that God said ‘it is not good (sufficient) for man to be alone, I will make him a helper (complementary) for him. What it should be saying is “PHYSICAL DISTANCING” as in “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (The Police pun), the distance helps reduce the chances of catching a virus, which brings back to the importance of wearing a face mask. So maintain “PHYSICAL DISTANCING” but do keep in contact with friends… call each other… video call each other… start a WhatsApp chat group. Annnnnnndddd when you have the safe chance to meet up… take photos, take videos 🙂 YOLO TAKE LOTSA PHOTOS… TAKE LOTSA VIDEOS… You never know when is the next time you’ll see each other or be able to visit each other 🙂 Life is too short and uncertain to live with grudges & discontent.
Just wanted to get that off my chest and out of my heart to you all 🙂 ❤ Anyways, here’s all the NEW NORM Geek Pop Culture Events Malaysia for 2021 that we can look forward to this year. I’m looking forward to see what creative ideas the event organisers come up with to work inline with the covid-19 SOPs (standard operating procedures).
Stay safe everyone and be diligent to stay healthy!
As usual the events in grey are pending confirmation, where else those in BOLD ORANGE are good to go! Do check back from time to time for the new events added as the info becomes available. For quicker updates, LIKE & FOLLOW our Facebook page – Pop Culture Fun – Malaysia.
8 September (Annual Pop Culture date) Star Trek Day
9 September (Virtual Online Event) 8:30am, Thursday (Malaysia time) Star Trek Day Panel / Events https://intl.startrek.com/day
11 – 12 September 2021 (USA Convention with Online Content) POWER-CON Convention for Masters of The Universe fans
18 September (Virtual Event – Wrestling) 9:00am Malaysia Time Bret “The Hitman” Hart LIVE Virtual Signing By Big Time Wrestling FB page https://fb.me/e/19jezAqRk
18 September (Annual Pop Culture date) Batman Day (3rd Saturday of September)
22 Sept (Streaming Series debut) Star Wars Visions Only on Disney+
23 September Doom Patrol New Season HBO Max
23 September (Movie release) Postponed Venom: Let There Be Carnage
30 September (MALAYSIA Movie release) POSTPONED 25 November No Time To Die At your nearest GSC or TGV cinema!
11 – 15 August (Annual Icon Conventon) Star Trek Convention Las Vegas
12 August (Streaming Series) Star Trek: Lower Decks S2 Paramount+
12 August (New season) TITANS Season 3 Only on HBO Max
15 August (Virtual Event – Wrestling) 8:30am Malaysia Time Paul Wight aka The Giant / The Big Show LIVE Virtual Signing By Big Time Wrestling FB page https://fb.me/e/4hiVV1HNT
23 August (Streaming movie) The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Only on Netflix
25 August Disney Gallery: Mando Making S2 Finale Disney+
TBA August (International Convention) CANCELED Mini Event in Nov Comic-Con International Online
TBA August Toys R Us Clearance Sale ONLINE via Lazada
TBA September Hasbro Warehouse Sale Malaysia ONLINE Via Lazada
With the Covid-19 pandemic delivering a worldwide shake up resulting in a new normal lifestyle, folks in the entertainment industry = concerts, conventions, cinema, live sport had to shut down. Fans and friends, no matter what you think or believe, the threat is real. Be safe, follow the stipulated guidelines and we’ll get thru this together.
Thanks to the very generous folks, there have been numerous opportunities for folks like myself, the less financially fortunate, to experience some of the most live changing events or in a larger dosage! One of the first I caught wind of was 2000 AD Comics were offering free reads, 400 pages of Judge Dredd comics (read here), to the world so as to help ease the sudden stay-home mode forced on us by the pandemic. Then Hasbro started to post full episodes of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1984) on their official Youtube Channel (read here). This was followed by bands like Baby Metal, One OK Rock, Radiohead, Summer Sonic Festival premiering entire (previous) live performances shows on Youtube. Marvel Comics gave free comic issues (40 titles) to us to read for an entire month via their Marvel Unlimited app and many others followed suit in the days to come.
Now it’s 1st July, the day I like to call the middle of the year… and most of us have made it till here… and we are in the RMCO, the Recovery phase of Movement Control Order. Everything seems back to normal but the entertainment side of things didn’t make it. (Yes I know many businesses and individuals lost their jobs. I nearly lost mine too but this blog is on the topic of pop culture entertainment.)
So almost ALL the events they we knew about & were posting in this list… were K.O.ed (Knocked Out). In this short time some managed to evolve… some are waiting to see and are trying to evolve. Truly, these pandemic has change all our lives forever and what we do now is the new normal. It might not look like much but I can grasp what it cost to the owners event organisers / artists and the value to the fans / consumers… and I think it’s still very generous so I am thankful to have these events to look forward too!
So let me present the new normal of events list haha I called the KOed Geek Pop Events List! It’s got something for all of us Geek Pop Culture Fans in Malaysia, to look forward too! So here’s the the 2nd half of 2020! Stay safe everyone and be diligent to stay healthy!
Aloha everyone, I’m very very excited to share this find with you all! I got a lead from the folks at Geek Culture (The Baroness), which found out about Hasbro uploading 15 episodes of the G.I. Joe classic cartoon series from the 80’s. Then later I read about He-Man & She-Ra being available, FREE to watch… on Youtube!! ALL EPISODES!! How awesome is that! But this got my curiosity going… i wanted to find out what else is out there… and here is my finds after 4 days of research!
Earlier, I wrote an article on TOP 5 Things you can do during this time at home. Honestly I think this list is enough to last at least a month… as long as you have enough money stashed away… it should be easy. SO! I’m writing this article to add some more detail and colour to mix your already long list of things to do hehe
Now some of these titles are world famous, some are icons and there are some not so famous. However, my list is authentically made up of shows that were televised on my local TV stations here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! There weren’t many channels to choose from – RTM1, RTM2and the brand new TV3 aka TV TIGA (launched in 1984), which means before there were only 2 channels to choose from haha. Still, with each day having 2 cartoons series on each 30 minutes evening slot which adds up to at least 14 different series, excluding the weekend morning shows… better known universally as ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ ^^
So with great excitement I want to unveil to you my findings that took me a total of 6 days to put together! These are The Cartoons that Shape Us!! hehe Again these are NOT all the cartoons that shaped us, but the only ones that were shown in Malaysia and are not currently available to stream for free to watch huhu ^^
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – (All seasons, All episodes – so it states, but not in order) Official Youtube Channel
Wow, you don’t know about He-Man and the masters of the Universe, do try to watch the Netflix documentary The Toys That Made Us Season 1, Episode 3. Legendary title!
She-Ra Princess of Power – (All seasons, All episodes – so it states, but not in order) Official Youtube Channel
The creation of the character He-Man to compete with the likes of G.I. Joe (Hasbro) and Star Wars (Kenner) in the 80s was crazy but He-Man toys did so well they decided to create a “Twin sister” for his character and she is She-Ra, Princess of Power!
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – (Season 1, 15 Episodes so far) Official Youtube Channel
I previously wrote a short article on why I am so moved & taken with G.I. Joe, a brand that has MADE Hasbro a power house till today.
M.A.S.K. – (Season 1 & 2, 65 & 10 Episodes respectively) Unoffcial Upload / compilation
Now MASK is an awesome toyline and show that has an expert team of individuals called Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand (MASK) to battle against the criminal organisation called the Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem (VENOM). So hide their real identity, all the characters wear special powered masks / helmets which are synonymous with their code name. And then comes the amazing appeal of this series – each of these characters comes with a special vehicle + code name and at a touch of a button (the toyline) can change into an attack vehicle! After watching the G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra movie (2009), I can imagine how much more exciting a movie for M.A.S.K. would be!
Voltron: Defender of the Universe – (Season 1, 72 Episodes) Unoffcial Upload / compilation
That 80’s Voltron opening theme is so iconic and inspiring till today. I recently watched the recent Netflix Voltron: Legendary Defender hoping that would keep the same theme or even update the theme but to no avail. Voltron is an adaptation of the a Japanese “super-robot” anime called The King of a Hundred Beasts GoLion by Toei Animation. It was later licensed to an American company World Events Production and packaged (and dubbed) to the rest of the world as Voltron: Defender of the Universe! The art direction is very clearly a manga style of the 80s unlike the Filmation characters of He-Man / She-Ra / G.I. Joe etc.
Robotech – (Season 1, 85 Episodes) and Robotech II: Sentinels Unofficial upload / compilation
Is yet another animation series to have been licensed to the Americans and repacked (and renamed) to the English speaking world as Robotech. It’s based on the legendary Super Dimension Fortress Macross that as is a corner-stone of anime-sc-fi featuring a dark future, battling robot planes, space opera and alluring music tunes that has made their songstresses, idols! Till this day, it’s still going strong!
MOSPEADA – (aka Genesis Climber MOSPEADA) (Season 1, 25 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation
Now this is a spin-off from Macross / Robotech. And with only 1 season and 25 episodes, I think it didn’t really take off on an international level. However, those who I now have caught this show… still speak fondly of the futuristic cool way how the Japanese concept designers preceive an exo suit teaming up with man in the dark sci-fi military future. This was the 1980s mind you!!
Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs – (Season 1, 52 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation
This is yet another Japanese animation licensed & repacked by the Americans for the rest of the world! (Or else we wouldn’t get a chance to watch & understand, Thank You). Now this is one of the 3 space westerns on this list. Compared to The Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr, I like this better simply because it has a GIANT ROBOT finally… along with Peter Cullen’s voice xD Now he is a legend in his own right hehe!
Dungeons and Dragons – (Season 1 – 3, total 27 Episodes) Official Channel
This was a memorable one for me. The D&D board game was already taking America by storm and the company, TSR, decided to team up with Marvel Productions to make a cartoon series. This is a tale of Modern-day-Kids-Experiencing-Fantasy realm (modern meaning then, the 1980s). It’s pretty much has the narrative mode of Harry Potter… or rather more like the Chronicles of Narnia. Kiddos experiencing the fantasy realm, needing to work together to survive… and in return discover true friendship, team work and valour. I’d watch shows with this premise anytime!! 😀 I still say they should make a movie out of this… I meant a movie out of this narrative not the Dungeons and Dragons (2000) movie -__-
Spiral Zone – (Season 1, 65 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation
A famous Youtuber called this an animated Walking Dead on the 80s and I think that ticks a lot boxes in the criteria section haha This is an American series animated by Japanese and Korean studio… with Bandai as the toy maker! It’s a futuristic, post apocalypse, Mad Max ish Walking Dead series that had a very dark theme and narrative. And it was again the military guns & weapons that got me watching it. It was a lot darker (like how the DC Comics fans like it) that the other cartoons. I never got to see the toys arrive in Malaysia but they looked cool in the show. That uni-motorcycle was the bomb!!
The Real Ghostbusters – (Mostly full episodes, 200 in the playlist but not in order). Unofficial upload / compilation
Not a big fan at the time but enjoyed that they were more stories to tell and a different media to do it with.
Battle of the Planets aka G-Force (Season 1, 81 episodes + 1 movie) Unofficial upload / compilation
As I recall, this was one of the earliest cartoons I remember watching when I was young. Also, again it’s an American repackage of a Japanese Anime series called Science Ninja Team Gatchaman or just Gatchaman. The G-Force are protectors of the earth from alien forces. They have very cool space capable ship with a consistant theme uniform. The opening sequence got me hook when the ship had Phoenix likeness & capabilities!! huhu!
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers – (Season 1, 65 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation
Another Space Western with a bit of Star Trek premise haha This American made cartoon is considered revolutionary & ahead of it’s time from the point of story telling, character development. Since it came at the later end of the 80’s, I can say I wasn’t so into so deep to appreciate the efforts of the creators but I guess it’s certainly worth the re-visit now 🙂 But one thing I must say, that opening sequence song… hot-damn! “….NO GUTS NO GLORY….” i think is the best rock feel tune in this entire list!
BraveStarr – (Season 1, All Episodes but not in order) Official channel
Yet another Space Western cartoon but this time they made the lead character of native American ethnicity which is cool because they have a different mythos in which to draw from. They did this well with Bravestarr’s 3 super skill senses but I’m getting the feeling, westerns are not my bag! Haha!
Dino-Riders (Season 1, 13 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation
And at the end of this list is one of the more bizzare concepts for a 80’s kids cartooon series – high tech space traveling folks end up in prehistoric earth. Looks pretty close to that Toy Story: That Time Forgot, Trixie and the gang get mixed up in the land of BATTLESAURS!
BONUS ROUND!!
Here are a few GEMS we found that are not from the 80s. I saved the best for last! These will BLOW YOUR MIND!! Boom!! Here comes the Boom!
Mega Man – (Season 1, 13 Episodes. Season 2 in compilation) Unofficial upload / compilation
This is video game icon Mega Man (or Rockman) TV animated debut in 1994. You’ve got to watch this if you’re a Mega Man fan!
Ultraman 1966 – (Season 1, 39 Episodes) English dub Unofficial upload / compilation
Dear Friends & Fans, I believe Ultraman needs no introduction! This is the original Ultraman TV series from 1966 aka Hayata, the first man to receive the Beta capsule! Quality is amazing… it looks like a remastered HD version of some sorts. In the 80s I remember the BM dubbed version and the Japanese language version with English subtitles but this is my first time watching the English dubbed version. Here’s every all 39 episodes English dubbed! Enjoy!
Ultra Seven 1967 – (Season 1, 49 Episodes) Unofficial upload / compilation The follow up to the successful Ultraman comes another – Ultra Seven. Most are dubbed in English & remastered in HD quality, some are still in its original Japanese language with English subs.
Toei Tokusatsu World Official (New) Official channel
Oh my! What an extensive list of categories to choose from!
I’m still in WOW! To have access to watch all these amazing TV Series that shape our childhood lives! It is my greatest joy to present all this to you all, especially in this time of MCO! As the date keeps extending, the season becomes more challenging but we must stand together, to help each other and we will succeed!
Dengan sukacita dan hati yang ghairah, saya tak sabar nak POST article ini dan SHARE dengan kipas-kipas-susah-mati ditanah air kita! Semoga siri zaman bersekolah ini akan menaikan semangat perpaduan kita dan mendorong ketabahan hati kita semasa menghadapi cabaran musim pkp ini.
The Captain – is an educator by trait, sports teacher & coach. Spent 10 years working in the entertainment, marketing and advertising industry before switching to operations, administration in the education sector in 2006. Grew up in the glorious 80s! That means growing up in the boom of MTV (music videos), the prime of western comic books, the dawn of action movies, awesome toys and the next generation video games from Japan. popculturefun.my@gmail.comStream these 80’s Pop Culture Classics now!
The worlds largest gaming event is coming to Singapore! In 2018 gamescom had 370,000 visitors and 1037 exhibitors from 56 countries attending the show. In 2020, gamescom will partner with Southeast Asia’s Premiere Gaming event Gamestart Asia to bring the region it’s first gamescom asia! -TheCaptain-
Here’s the official press release!
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We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the inaugural gamescom asia, which will be coming to Singapore in 2020!
When we started GameStart in 2014, our goal was to create a gaming event that was inspired by the larger shows like PAX, Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom, where gamers could come to try the latest games and meet fellow gamers. We also wanted to put Singapore and Southeast Asia on the world map, as a region that was at the time seen as small and less important than the more developed countries in Asia. We were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from the gaming community, and each year we welcome visitors not just from Singapore, but also the region, for two days of gaming and fun.
GameStart itself has evolved over the years, at first catering only for the hardcore gaming crowd, but as gaming habits have changed, mobile has helped bring in a whole new segment of casual and core gamers, the rising popularity of esports and tabletop gaming have also allowed us to reach out to and work with new communities each year. We are happy and thankful for the various communities we’ve worked with this six years, and for our visitors who have all played a part in Senpai noticing us.
We will be looking for a new home for GameStart in the Asia region, and have plans to get back to our roots with more community-focused events planned in the region, so do watch this space for more news and updates!
In the meantime, our team is working hard to put together an awesome GameStart 2019 on 12 & 13 October, after which we will be working with the gamescom team to launch gamescom asia 2020!
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Have a feeling this years show will be awesome too! Stay tuned for more news on GameStart Asia and gamescom!
WOW! Sony Pictures… Sony Pictures Animation is really playing with our spider-senses man! Just in October they threw the movie VENOM at us in which had a mixed review… but the box office takings says other wise…as it is STILL raking in the MONIE$. It’s cross US$800 million. Fans were divided because everything was so Spider-man World… Spider-man Universe = Eddie Brock, Venom Symbiote, Planet of Symbiotes, Carnage, Riot, Daily Globe = all so synonymous with Peter Parker + Spidey… doesn’t have any mention in the entire movie. It’s like some horrible mistake that most fans would question or just blame Barry Allen for messing with the timeline!
Personally I didn’t care much for VENOM movie, because I felt they changed to much just too accommodate NOT having (Peter Parker) Spider-man in a live action movie – due to the agreement with Marvel Studios. After the first trailer the prediction was pretty straight forward – Eddie gets bullied, then unites with Venom.. then Venom vs. many armed guards… FINALE Venom vs. some other symbiote xD Done. Anyways, those who loved VENOM, the Blu-ray releases just before Christmas on 18 December.
SOOOOOooooo after a whole movie of Spidey teasing but no Spidey….. NOW Sony Pictures Animation throws us a Spider-man animated movie with not one but SIX Spider-man. Yes, not 1 but 6! “6”. Boo yeah! Spidey Fans! You didn’t have to wait long!
This movie is a WOW over load. It felt that the writers & producers were able to too fully utilize the advantages of story-telling with animation and optimize it. Thru out the whole movie, it did not feel like the ‘cartoon’ or ‘non real actors’ were ever a weakness to delivering an excellent comic book tale!
One Spider-man would be great but now they’ve upped the ante with Miles Morales, Spider-Ham, Spider-man Noir, Peni Parker and my favourite part of the debut – Spider Gwen! ❤
In short with no spoilers – the story was great! The voice actors were A-Class folks – 2 Oscar winners, 1 Golden Globe Winners, 2 Oscar nominees in my count.
THE SPIDEY & MARVEL FLAVOUR – Peter Parker is from Queens, Miles from Brooklyn… Steve Rogers is from Brooklyn. New York City – Daily Bugle… New York Bulletin, Manhattan – Stark Tower, Avengers Tower, Baxter Building… Hell’s Kitchen… Harlem…. all near by, all in the neighbourhood. NO, these places are not all mentioned. I’m just saying if you’re a Marvel fan, these famous comic landmarks will cross your mind when you mention this cities – NY, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan. I’ve never been to America but I’ve learn so much American Urban geography from the Marvel Universe 😀
THE HOMAGE
I love the outright homage to the earlier Spider-man stories. I have a soft spot it because paying homage is nostalgic firstly to the fans who remember. It also is like a public declaration of gratefulness – acknowledging the previous contributions as a way to honour them! And there’s lots movie fans, comic fans and even the cartoon series fans will be satisfied!
ACROBATIC ANIMATION
I’m not a hard core Spidey fan but I thought Spider-man (2002) and Spider-man Homecoming (2017) had great realisation in capturing the fluid acrobatic movements of Spider-man. It’s a battle of Science Fiction vs Peak Human Ability vs Physics… where is this line? The answer is there is none! It’s just left to all of us who have read countless issues of comics… to IMAGINE it. To put in motion those comic panels drawn by those visionary pencilers – Jack Kirby, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larson, John Romita Sr & Jr, Gil Kane, Mike Zeck and of course Steve Ditko the co-creator! I dare to say there may be some scenes / effects / moves done in this movie that probably could work in a live action MCU movie!! The Acrobtic movements the best I’ve seen than in any other Spidey rendition – ITS AMAZING & SPECTACULAR!!
MUSICAL MOOD
Did you know that Spider-man is so popular that it had a broadway musical? It’s called Turn Off The Dark 😀 I have the soundtrack on CD hehe. Anyways, as mentioned Miles is from Brooklyn and the music really met the mood. Aside of that the original score is also as AMAZING as the action itself! Original sound track by UK born Daniel Pemberton. Who? Well the guy who scored The Man from Uncle (2015), Steve Jobs (2015) and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017). If you’ve the recent King Arthur, you would realise that the movie was ok-ok-only-lah but the song choices… damn! A whole lot of mood of swag. Thank you Mr Daniel! I think the MCU is really lack this element 🙂Much hope was lost when James Gunn was lost.
FINALE TRIVIA
Nowadays I sort try not to read fan predictions, fan theory of a movie synopsis or other early movie info. On the other hand, with 3 kids, I’m kinda short on time too lah hehe. So honestly I just went into the premiere knowing it’s a Sony Pictures Animation movie of Miles Morales Spider-man.
After the movie – WOW! What an excellent movie… what an excellent feature film! This being an animated movie takes away nothing… and in some ways takes the awesome to another level! Story, fan service, homage scenes, voice acting, fluid animation, sound track, action sequences… OMG everything is awesome!! Lo and behold I dug up the names of writers / executive producers, producers, directors… and found this – Christopher Miller and Phil Lord… indeed EVERYTHING IS AWESOME. These are the visionary brains behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 1 & 2, The Lego Movie. These are the rising talent that even the Star Wars brand wanted a piece off. Unfortunately the Star Wars brand chickened out on their vision of what the Han Solo origin was supposed to be. I would think the Star Wars heads found asked for something adventurous, funny and stylo… but found it to outrageous / strayed too much away from what the bosses could brain. Chris Miller & Phil Lord can elaborate a children book into a feature length film and create an epic story about sets of yellow educational building bricks for kids… damn! They gotta have some talent haha.
So it is my opinion that these 2 guys had a big hand in making an amazing + spectacular character movie = AWESOME! Thanks guys!
LASTLY
Well if the movie Venom can gross US$800 million with not a single Spider-man… I hope this movie tops Venom six times over 😀 It’s really hard right now to think “WHY THIS MOVIE IS SO AWESOME?”. Could it be because we’re all MCU fatigue? All too familiar with the MCU formula? Could it just be a familiar characters made by some other folks like your restaurant favourite dish cooked by a different but talented chef?
At the moment, I would say – Don’t think so much… just go watch it and enjoy it. Honestly, I was wondering if this movie came in 3D format haha because I like 3D. The rep from Sony Pictures Malaysia gave me the sad truth, ‘No’. Well maybe if it does well, the next one might be in 3D haha
EXTRA SCENES = 2 !! One mid credits and one post credits…. yes after everything haas finished rolling. I’m not sure about this, but I think this may be the “longest post credits scene” yet?
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse opens in Malaysia 7 December in all cinemas. Thanks to Sony Pictures, Outpost Productions and TGV Cinemas.
Ding ding ding ding ding ding… the count down has already started. No Darkseid is not coming because the DCEU has been scraped. No it’s not the Doomsday clock or the Doomsday countdown from the WATCHMEN… Nor is it ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ hahaha just had to throw in some Iron Maiden trivia as it’s what I’m listening to as I write this.
Its the count down to the debut of Malaysia Comic Con…. or is it Comic Con Malaysia? Well the registry says its Comic Con Malaysia Sdn Bhd, however I’ve always read the logo as Malaysia Comic Con since it debut early this year with the tagline suggesting it is the most legit use of the ‘comic con’ name, possibly because they sort covering or permission or endorsement from the ‘comic con’ originators or trademark (TM) holders… which can only mean the SDCC folks aka San Diego Comic-Con aka Comic-Con International! This is just my 2 cent guess because no official information has been released to anyone and their event is just 3 months away. Well I guess if you’re friends with any of the 5 employees or the boss, you would probably know more than me 😀
Anyways, I guess 90+ days is still pretty far for Malaysia standards so the excitement continues to maintain at a benefit-of-the-doubt level. With that said there’s always that ‘Fear of the Dark’ feel…. (Maiden pun again)… or that “I have a bad feeling about this” (Star Wars pun). Personally out of about 7 promises of Comic Con events only has one has delivery a BOOM + post-BOOM effect after the event has passed. Best part was this event was so chill & humble that I thought it was SOOO BLOODY UNDER SOLD compared to all the over-hype* these days – supa exaggerated copy writing, or comic style funky graphics, uninformed claims / tag lines etc. The event in mention was this one called Malaysia Games & Comic Convention (MGCCon) held in 2012. This event had 4 Marvel / DC level artist guest and the most popular cosplayer in the world! You had to be there to experience it and then later experience life without it. Comics fans can testify 😀 At least I think they can. Please, go look it up!
Just some recent examples of over-hype* I mentioned above:
1) In 2015 – a new event used the tagline “Malaysia’s FIRST EVER” comic con. Good hyped tagline but what about Comic Fiesta? Around since 2002 – present. So did you mean western comics? What about MGCCon in 2012?? Recently I learnt that there were comic strip / newspaper comic strip events in KL held back in the 80s, so that was pretty cool to learn about 🙂
2) January 2018 – event boasting headline announcing “a World Class Comic Con experience”. Then later it mellowed down a bit to “The Unforgettable Pop Culture Experience”.
3) August 2017 – new event to highlight toys, games, anime, comics – with all this in the event name… later adopts the tagline – Malaysia’s premiere toys & collectibles… just redirecting emphasis to toys + collectible and not games, anime, comics.
4) October 2018 – debut events caption says it’s “the most exciting new event of the year” with just 65 Likes on their FB page since January 2018.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m not writing to slam copy writing or condemn events but rather to highlight some awareness. All the 4 case events (name withheld because that’s not the point) mentioned above were great and achieved commendable things individually. So for the organisers & con goers:
a) Most of us who have been around, are sorta immune to big claims, hot air… ‘Holy Smoke’ even (Maiden pun). Yes, there is a role for all this stylo writing. I call it the ‘marketing lingo’ which is much needed to be presented to corporate sponsors etc. So everyone should chill and not react at the first announcement of a new event. Give these folks a chance. They are choosing to make a difference by not just being a Convention Goer but now a Convention Organiser. And it’s no small task. The thought to organise a convention is like asking ‘Can I play with MADNESS’ and being firm you won’t have a mental breakdown while doing it. (Maiden pun again)
b) Our focus determines our reality – if you want to learn from events… when you go to an event you will learn some. If you want to compile facts to condemn an event… you will go there & come back with a list. We can learn much from each other.
So with this I’m looking forward at what cool things Pop-Con 2019 brings at a time of the year which is vacant of much events. Currently I am particularly interested for them to reveal who they’re 3 guest are going to be. The only hints are: Game Director, International Voice Actor and Comic Illustrator. I have a cynical guess but I’ll keep that to myself as I m doing my best to stay positive. BECAUSE… my 2 cents thinks that this announcement will be a major decider for the con-goers perception of the event.
LASTLY, some free wisdom thru the years I’ve been around the community… the pop culture community, be it Anime or ACG or Western Comics or Gaming, has progressed much thru the years… and it has also has not. However it’s not necessarily ‘Wasted Years’ (Maiden pun, last one) but I wanna put this new wisdom out there to those willing to hear – I think it’s time for the “FOR FANS, BY FANS” motto to end (speaks with a Kylo Ren voice). I have watched many groups, friends & entities achieve some… under achieve.. and very rarely – SCORE BIG TIME… and continue to take it to the next level!
It takes more than “For Fans, By Fans” for the event to be successful. Before let share wha I believe defines event-success = in my opinion true event success is:
The event has a true SOUL of what it’s suppose to be
Financially viable to continue (survive)
Have room to grow / expand.
No doubt, in the (Dream) TEAM you need people who are fans aka Subject Matter Experts, however you do also need a few more key skilled folks! You also need the Events experts (build up / logistics / lay out), then also the Marketing, Promotions & Sales TEAM. Don’t forget the master of the numbers. After that then it’s down to planning, like-minded+tested core support and EXECUTION. This is the super simplified peaNUT shell version. Further elaboration for another time…
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your events 🙂 Do write to us or comment below if you want to 🙂Cheers!
Previously I would start the narrative with “Blast from the Past” but now I will go with – the legendary home console ICON with the Legacy of Firsts, has been Rebirth-ed! (DC pun)
On 29 May 2018, it was announced that gaming industry veteran Tommy Tallarico, had acquired the rights to Intellivision from Mattel and will now head the console as CEO, just 7 months shy of the consoles 40th Birthday!
Here is the official press release and trailer video! It’s looks great. Personally I think it is coming out at a right time where retro gaming is on a rise! The response has be very exciting for the re-packaged release of the 8-bit Nintendo (NES) and also the 16-bit Super Nintendo (Super Famicon). Then followed by the SEGA Megadrive Neo-Geo has started working on theirs too with the trend setter PlayStation 1 aka PSX aka PS One repack named ‘PlayStation Classic’ arriving in Malaysia this December.
So looking forward to this AMICO… which means ‘friend’ in Italian. ‘AMIGO’ is Spanish for friend, just in case you wanted to ask 😀 GAME ON EVERYONE!
INTELLIVISION® REVEALS INITIAL DETAILS FOR THE UPCOMING AMICO™ HOME VIDEO GAME CONSOLE!
GROUNDBREAKING CONSOLE APPROACHES GAMING AND THE ENTIRE GAME INDUSTRY IN A COMPLETELY UNIQUE WAY
IRVINE, CA, October 22, 2018 – Almost 40 years after the release of the original Intellivision® home video game system which helped to redefine the video game industry, Intellivision® Entertainment is proud to carry on its “Legacy of Firsts” by announcing the brand new revolutionary family home video game console named Amico™ to be released on October 10th, 2020 (1010 2020). Amico is the Italian word for “friend” or “buddy” and encapsulates an element of the approach and dynamics for what makes the new console so unique and an exciting addition to everyone’s family.
“We are creating a console that parents WANT to buy, not that they were asked to buy,” stated Intellivision president and 30 year industry veteran Tommy Tallarico during his keynote address over the weekend at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. Tallarico went on to say, “Most every game being made for the home consoles these days is created with only the hardcore gamer in mind. We see a world where everyone is interested in playing at home and with friends, but this isn’t currently possible because the barrier to entry is nearly impossible for a non-gamer due to the complexity of the controllers, intricacy of gameplay, expense of the hardware and software and steep learning curve with an unbalanced fun factor for the beginner. Our goal was to create a console that both gamers and non-gamers are able to have fun with and play together. The Intellivision Amico is our answer to this gaping hole we see within the current video game industry.”
Intellivision Entertainment continues to build upon its gaming legacy with support and expertise from industry veterans and superstars, including longtime product manager/producer/marketer Jason Enos (involved in over 100 products launches, including the Metal Gear Solid®, Castlevania®, Contra®, Dance Dance Revolution®, Silent Hill®, TEKKEN™, Ace Combat®, Dragon Ball Z®, Monopoly® and PAC-MAN™ franchises), Perrin Kaplan (Zebra Partners, former Nintendo VP of Marketing & Corporate Affairs; launched the Nintendo Wii®, Nintendo DS®, Super Nintendo®, Nintendo Gamecube®, N64®), Beth Llewlyn (Zebra Partners, former Nintendo PR; launched the Nintendo Wii®, Nintendo DS®, Pokemon™), Scott Tsumura (Tozai Games, formerly co-founder and President of Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, and a pioneer in the early days of arcade game production, including Moon Patrol, Kung Fu Master, 10 Yard Fight, etc.), Phil Adam (Founder of Spectrum Holobyte, President & VP of Interplay Productions, helped introduce Tetris® to the world), André LaMothe (Hardware Evangelist, programmer, designer, author, over 750 products to market, artificial intelligence design for NASA) and advisor David Perry (Earthworm Jim™, Disney’s Aladdin™, founder of Shiny Entertainment and co-founder of Gaikai cloud gaming utilized in the Sony PlayStation®4).
Game industry analyst and Wedbush Securities Managing Director of Equity Research Michael Pachter commented, “I think it’s about time somebody focused on families with kid-friendly games. Intellivision has a long history of delivering content that everybody can enjoy, and with the revived console priced right, I expect it to be immensely successful. The company has the right leadership and is positioned in an underserved niche, I think the re-launch will be a home run.”
“Intellivision Entertainment is also proud to announce that it joins console manufacturers Sony®, Microsoft® and Nintendo® as the fourth game console company to be an active member of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The ESA’s mission is dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the video game industry as well as owning and operating the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3).”
NORTH AMERICAN, UNITED KINGDOM AND EUROPEAN RELEASE DATE
• October 10, 2020 (1010 2020)
SOFTWARE OVERVIEW
• All games are family friendly and rated “E for Everyone” or “E10+”.
• Every game version on the console is EXCLUSIVE.
• Quality over quantity! All games must past a strict quality control seal of approval.
• Balanced gameplay and design for Equal Opportunity Gaming™ for all.
• All games are downloadable and between US $2.99 – $7.99.
• No costly DLC (Downloadable Content) add-on’s or “In-App Purchases”.
• Launch to include several built-in reimagined Intellivision Classics (pre-installed in every console) and over 20 games including both reimagined industry classics and brand new exclusive titles via the Intellivision Online Store.
CONTROLLERS
• 2 wireless Bluetooth controllers (up to 8 player compatible and connectivity).
• 3 ½ inch (2:3 aspect ratio) Color Touchscreen.
• Pioneering tilting positional disc with surrounding interactive LED border.
• 4 arcade-style tactile feedback buttons.
• Gyroscope & Accelerometer.
• Force feedback.
• Controller to be used horizontally or vertically including dominant left or right hand usage.
• Qi (pronounced “CHEE”) wireless onboard charging.
• Speaker
• Microphone
• Free downloadable app enables mobile phones as additional controllers (up to 8 players).
HARDWARE & TECHNOLOGY
• State of the Art 21st Century 2D Image Processing and Graphics Capability
• Intellivision Prism™ Onboard Interactive Lighting Technology.
• WiFi/BT & Ethernet Connectivity.
• HDMI Video Output.
• Multiple USB Ports
• System Expansion Interface.
ONLINE
• Intellivision Online Store for the ability to purchase additional software.
• Multi-player online gaming and structured multi-tiered tournament play.
• Time & Space Leaderboard System™ which includes high scores by locations and calendar.
• Trophy/Achievement rewards system which awards unique accomplishments to each player.
REIMAGINED GAMES
• Includes updated graphics, modernized audio, additional levels, multi-player modes (local and online), tournament modes AND MORE!
• Intellivision Classics REIMAGINED and REMADE EXCLUSIVELY for the Intellivision Amico™:
Astrosmash™, Shark! Shark!™, Baseball, Night Stalker™, Skiing, Math Fun™, SNAFU™, Utopia™, Frog Bog™, Boxing, Bowling, Triple Action™, Tron Deadly Discs™, Cloudy Mountain: Crown of Kings, Star Strike™, Horse Racing, Auto Racing, B-17 Bomber™ AND MORE!
• Atari Classics REIMAGINED and REMADE EXCLUSIVELY for the Intellivision Amico™:
Pong™, Asteroids™, Centipede™, Tempest™, Adventure™, Missile Command™, Yar’s Revenge™, Breakout™, Lunar Lander™, Night Driver™, Sky Diver™, Warlords™
• Imagic Classics REIMAGINED and REMADE EXCLUSIVELY for the Intellivision Amico™:
Microsurgeon™, Atlantis™, Demon Attack™, Dracula™, Beauty and the Beast™, Ice Trek™, Swords & Serpents™, Dragonfire™, Truckin’™ AND MORE!
Other Games REIMAGINED and REMADE EXCLUSIVELY for the Intellivision Amico™:
• Miner 2049er™
• Super Burgertime™
• Bad Dudes™
• Caveman Ninja™
• Moon Patrol™
• R-Type™
• 10 Yard Fight™
• Lode Runner™
• Spelunker™
• Kung-Fu Master™
• MotoRace USA™
• Tropical Angel™
• Archon™
• ToeJam & Earl™
Not only will the Intellivision Amico™ bring the fun and simplicity of classic gaming to modern day, but an entire plethora of completely brand new games and franchises are currently being created by game developers and game publishers around the world using the same core principles of sensible, simple and fun.
“The average age of a gamer today is 34 years old, and the market reflects that with a broad array of games for people of all ages. Of course, some parents may find that many of those games are not age-appropriate for their children,” said ESRB president, Patricia Vance. “Intellivision’s policy to only offer games rated E for Everyone and E10+ for Everyone 10 and up on its new system makes finding the right games easier for busy families, especially those with young gamers.”
INTELLIVISION® History & Facts – “A LEGACY OF FIRSTS”:
• Intellivision was the first 16-bit game console, a full 2 generations before it became the industry standard.
• The original Intellivision system was so popular that it sold across 3 decades (1979 – 1990).
• The Intellivision control disc was the first game console to offer a directional thumb pad which was the predecessor to what later became the industry standard directional pad (D-Pad). It was also the first game console to allow for 16 directions while offering 4 action buttons and a 12-button keypad, which opened up greater game play options and control.
• The Intellivision was the first video game console that had a built-in PAUSE feature on the controller.
• The first console to have built-in screen burn-in protection by blacking out the TV after a few minutes of game inactivity. This vision and idea was the precursor to the entire “screen saver” concept.
• The very first video game to have speech/voice was the 1979 Intellivision release of Major League Baseball.
• Intellivision was the first console which incorporated professional sports licensing for its sports games, the boxes were emblazoned with official logos from Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), North American Soccer League (NASL), Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), American Backgammon Players Association (ABPA), the United States Chess Federation (USCF) and the U.S. Ski Team.
• Intellivision had the largest home console software library in the world with the release of their cross-platform “System Changer” device that allowed Atari® 2600 games to be played on the Intellivision system.
• 30 years ahead of its time, the Intellivision was the very first game console to offer digital distribution of video games through the PlayCable service. The PlayCable adapter connected to the Intellivision cartridge port and allowed the downloading of games through a cable TV subscription. New York Yankee legend and Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was the TV and print ad spokesmen for the product which was released in 1981.
• With the release of the Keyboard Component, Intellivision was one of the first video game systems that was able to be used and turned into a home computer.
• The Intellivision Music Synthesizer was the first game console or home computer to offer a musical synthesizer keyboard. This allowed people to play and create music using technology.
• The first home console and video games to use a tile based playfield which allowed for the display of detailed graphics and color with very little RAM.
• Intellivision was the first game console to have a complete built-in character font. Intellivision’s system font had complete upper and lowercase alphabets, numerals, and almost all of the punctuation and symbols found on standard computer keyboards.
• The Intellivision game Utopia™ was the very first “real time strategy” and city building/god game.
• Intellivision was responsible for the first “Console War” when it launched a national ad campaign against then rival Atari®, by using side-by-side comparisons with journalist George Plimpton as its spokesman.
Boom! This is the current hot topic….. the buzz around town among the Anime community fans now!! Meme & 9Gag worthy images are also on the rise haha
So far nothing positive, the most I’ve seen was something neutral xD haha
Comments of “Wah! Wanna challenge CF?”, “Whachu know about Otakus?”. Too much corporate marketing lingo on the front page maybe. Who knows… the folks have not reached out to us yet, no proper media launch yet… no official launch either but it’s rolling forward.
Since I am the one here suggesting that the possible negative or neutral response to the advert below (then again its common for most people response negative to new things or change) could be due to ‘corporate marketing lingo’, i should elaborate a bit more. Here is the text :
“BEHOLD! THE YEAR’S MOST EXCITING NEW ANIME, COSPLAY, E-GAMES & TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA IS AT HAND! A million sights & sounds as well as thousands of renowned cosplayers and enthusiasts from around the globe! Experience arguably the most anticipated comics event ever! OTAKUs UNITE!”
“The year’s most exciting new ….. is at hand” – The event Facebook page want started in January Yes. However as of today, there are only 65 likes on the page (one of them me & another is us, Cosplay Fun Malaysia). And since I realist (doing my best to an optimist) I’m gonna say that the 65 of us would be the only quantifiable ones who truly know / is excited because we clicked LIKE and want to know all announcements… all news. Since I only saw the advert last week, for the first time…. I personally am not incline to say that it’s ‘this year’s more exciting new event!’ From January – September 2018, I didn’t know it existed.
“A million sights & sounds as well as thousands of renowned cosplayers and enthusiasts from around the globe!” – I’m not so sure what this means or what the writer was trying to say other than it has a lot of adjectives. I don’t know how “a million sights & sounds” links to “thousands of renowned cosplayers & enthusiasts..”. Are they going to post a Guinness World Record of photos & videos of cosplayers from all over the world? Or are they anticipating thousands of cosplayers + enthusiasts from all over the world are going to come? If that’s what they mean, I’m excited and I wanna help promote 🙂
“Experience arguably the most anticipated comics event ever!” – personally, I feel that’s going to be difficult to take this first-time event as ‘most anticipated …event ever’. Also great due to point 1, I just found out about it last year.
OTAKUs UNITE! – I’ve read some comments taking this in a negative light. For me I’m neutral. But the general condenses from the origins, which is Japan, the term has a negative connotation. It’s like calling out NERDS UNITE! Some will be ok and some wouldn’t like this I guess haha. Oh well!
Ada apa dengan gaya in? From what I know, in writing there is a certain margin of flair & exaggeration that can be considered ‘style’. I view this ‘style’ as a marketing style lingo, as these words & visuals will also be used in materials (flyer, posters etc) during presentation to potential sponsors and clients 🙂 So sometimes if the words are not ‘gempak’ enough, it doesn’t excite the client… especially to those who do not know about ACG events.
Bottom line – I just think the up roar is about poor copyrighting. It was more exaggeration-fantasy than factual-realistic-expectation. I am a realist (trying my best to be an optimist too) but not a language expert. So it’s just what I think… 2 cents 😀
Suggestion – Now I don’t wanna leave this with out a suggestion of a solution 🙂 In my opinion, they should dial back a bit on the adjaectives and announce more objectively 🙂 Alternatively, if they came out with a BIG BANG BANG BANG announcement like Hideo Kojima, Hayao Miyazaki and Yaya Han coming to Malaysia’s ABCDEF Event – BEHOLD! THE YEAR’S MOST EXCITING NEW ANIME, COSPLAY, E-GAMES & TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA IS AT HAND! Experience arguably the most anticipated comics event ever! OTAKUs UNITE! Straight away blow peoples with a BANG, and your tagline + benefit-of-the-doubt = ALL VALID hype hehe Honestly, i think with this kind of announcement, most off the community won’t care what you write xD hahaha Half will be excited and the other half going “Sure or not?”, “Who are these organisers?”, “Sure not scammers?” xD haha
In conclusion, I’m truly excited to hear of yet another ‘big scale’ event! The organisers are of the Star Media Group, they’re legit *thumbs up*. Being ‘legit’ and credible (Star Media Group) and not a brand new company / entity they would have a reputation to keep so all in all… I’m excited & looking forward to it 🙂
With already 2 brand new events this year, TAGCC (Toys Anime Games and Comic Con) and Asia Comic Con (Malaysia), I think this little announcement / surprise will be a nice finale for 2018… the cherry on the sundae… the last Event Of the Year! Singapore has that event called EOY… and ours was CF… until now.
Lots of Love to you all! Be safe and enjoy your events!!
– The Captain –
Earlier this year, Eliphant Pte Ltd who are the organisers of Game Start Asia, made the BREAKING LEVEL UP news… they were locking arms with another home grown convention power house – SOZO Pte Ltd… the creators of Anime Festival Asia, then Anime Matsuri spin-offs as well as Japan Music Festival (JMF) among other signature events. It was MEGA TEAM as if the Avengers teamed up with the X-Men to take baddies from another galaxy!! South East Asia’s premiere gaming event joins up with South East Asia’s one stop Japanese Pop Culture Experience! EPIC just got multiplied!
After this big announcement… we’re expecting more from Game Start 2018 & they are already on track to deliver from what announcements they’ve already made. If you’re like me, I always excited to know who are the guest are… so here it is in short!
GUEST LIST
1) MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – Director = Yuya Tokuda
2) MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – Executive Director + Art Director = Kaname Fujioka
3) SOULCALIBUR VI – Producer = Motohiro Okubo
4) Celebrity Gamer – New Japan Pro Wrestling IGPW Heavy Weight CHAMPION – Kenny Omega (The GS folks have really gone over board this time!! OMG!!)
5) Celebrity Voice Actor – OVERWATCH (Mei) = Elise Zhang (I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry)
Whats NEW this year?
1) 3 HALLS in SUNTEC!
2) Shadowverse Contenders Cup 2018
3) Tekken World Tour 2018
4) ArcRevo World Tour 2018
5) Gaming Workshops: Build Your own Arcade Machine / Create Fun Animations
6) Masterclasses by Jax Jocson & Carlo Arellano
Here’s the official press release!
==============================================
GameStart 2018 (#GameStart2018), Southeast Asia’s Premier Game Convention, celebrates its 5th year on 13 & 14 October 2018 with the ultimate gaming content at Suntec Convention Centre. Organisers Eliphant announced a series of returning favourites as well as new and exciting content for everyone, including game showcases and previews, tabletop gaming, esports, indie games, retro gaming, and cosplay. Esports fans can gear up for exciting competition as SEA Major (SEAM) 2018 plays host to more international tournaments. Mobile esports also takes centerstage as SEA Mobile Major (SEAMM) plays host to the very first Shadowverse Contenders Cup for the Southeast
Asia & Oceania region.
An exciting guest lineup awaits visitors at GameStart 2018. Organisers revealed a guest appearance by voice actress Elise Zhang, who is best known as the voice of Mei, a character from one of the world’s most popular games, Overwatch. Please see Annex C for her bios.
New additions to GameStart include the debut of GameStart Masterclasses, where well-known creatives and personalities from the international games industry are invited to run specialised masterclasses. GameStart Workshops, developed in collaboration with No Average Joe, is a series of workshops and talks that focus on a range of general gaming-related topics. GameStart MasterClasseswill be held on 10 and 12 October while GameStart Workshops will be held during the convention.
Crowd Favourites to Delight All
In addition to previewing new games, visitors can immerse themselves in the action-packed halls with a slew of game-related returning favourites, including:
● Gather round and immerse yourselves in fantastic worlds of board games, old and new, as the GameStart Tabletop returns to bring gamers the discovery of new analog worlds.
● Doujin Market, Singapore’s largest community curated youth arts and illustration fair, is back for the third year with 43 artist tables. It is curated in partnership with Neo Tokyo Project, Singapore’s first dedicated pop-culture marketing collective.
● The 3rd Secretlab Grand Prix will be held for 2 sessions on 13 and 14 October, and the
competitor with the fastest timing EACH DAY gets to bring home their own Secretlab Chair!
● Cosplayers can put their best game cosplay forward at the GameStart Cosplay Runway on 14 October. Pre-registration is now open at http://bit.ly/gscosplay18
● Unwind, chill out and grab a bite in the fantasy-themed Sanctuary – A selection of awesome vendors, with great food and tasty beverages including specially selected craft beers, welcomes all within the convention grounds.
Celebrating Indie Talent
GameStart visitors will get to vote for their favourite indie game for the GameStart Indie Award, and play a part in helping the winners take their first steps to prominence. The winning game developer will win a sponsored trip to exhibit in Taipei Game Show 2019 in January 2019, as well as a high-end creative pen tablet sponsored by WACOM. Both 2017 GameStart Indie Award winners went on to clinch international awards in Taipei Game Show and beyond.
See what the future of gaming can offer at The Founders Base, GameStart’s special indie area, with subsidized booths to individuals, start-ups and small companies that create or work with games. Limited booths are still available on a first come first served basis, and interested applicants can find out more at https://gamestart.asia/landing/#exhibit.
World Class Tournament Action at Our Doorsteps
SEA Major (SEAM) 2018, one of the largest fighting game tournaments in Asia, returns to GameStart 2018 bigger and better! Expect to see high-level tournament action, as top players from around the world convene to fight for over USD 60,000 in prizes! This year is extra special, as SEA Major will play host pitstops for four major events – the Capcom Pro Tour Asia Finals, Tekken World Tour Master event, one of only 7 Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour SAGA events, and the only ArcRevo World Tour event announced for Southeast Asia.
The inaugural Shadowverse SEAO Contenders Cup, where the top 4 players in the South East Asia Oceania (SEAO) Region fight for the right to represent the region at the Shadowverse World Grand Prix in Japan, for a top prize of USD 1,000,000, will also be held during GameStart 2018.
More details of key highlights in the tournament line-up, announced to date, is available at Annex A. To join the tournaments, check out BeastAPAC.com.
Once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity to Learn from Legendary Game Artists
Take your Game Art to a whole new level with the GameStart Masterclasses on 10 and 12 October. For the first time, two acclaimed international game artists, will be in town to conduct exclusive intensive sessions for budding and professional game artists in Singapore.
Jacqueline A.X Jocson, Art Director, Concept Artist & Instructor at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco will share insights on visual storytelling and the concept behind creating iconic and memorable characters on 10 October. Carlo Arellano, Art Director at Super Evil Megacorp, will focus on Advanced Character Design on 12 October. Details of the speakers are available in Annex B.
The Masterclasses are organized by GameStart Asia and held at *SCAPE, the venue sponsor. Seats are priced at SGD120. Registration will open on the official GameStart site closer to date.
GameStart Workshops, powered by No Average Joe, will be held on 13 and 14 October within the GameStart halls. Sessions range from a hands-on workshop by Retrocade for those who are interested in building their very own mini arcade machine, as well as learning basic game animation. The full schedule will be available from 24 September onwards when pre-registration opens.
A Weekend of Fun, Games and More
GameStart 2018 will see its most diverse offerings to date, with mobile and PC games having a bigger presence at the convention. The first batch of exhibitors and sponsors announced for GameStart 2018 include The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, who will be exhibiting at GameStart for the first time, Japanese mobile giant Cygames; Mihoyo, publisher of popular mobile game Honkai Impact 3; WB Games, Taipei Game Show, Battlebrew Productions, 3DSense and gaming apparel brand Xmashed Gear.
HyperX leads this year’s sponsor list as Official Gaming Headset, Armaggeddon as Official Quest Sponsor, Wacom will sponsor the GameStart Indie Awards, and MyRepublic returns as Fibre Broadband Sponsor. Sponsors also include Monster (Official Energy Drink), Central City Brewers & Distillers (Official Alcohol Beverage Sponsor), Razer, Twitch and Xsplit, the official streaming software of the event. Tickets and official merchandise are available for sale at gamestart.asia/ticketing
“Esports has been garnering huge interest and publicity in recent years. Coupled with the popularity of mobile gaming and as celebrities openly play games such as Fortnite, gaming is now more mainstream than ever. In GameStart, we have seen a gradual shift in the demographics of GameStart attendees -from hardcore gamers when we first started to a wider variety of visitors, from esports fans, competitive gamers, to families with young children. Our content has also evolved to be more inclusive of different interest groups, such as our partnership with Doujin Market and the introduction of our
Tabletop area, which was very well received last year,” said Elicia Lee, Founder of GameStart Asia.
Annex A: Tournament Line-up (As of 20 September 2018)
[Please refer to the official website for the latest updates]
SEA Major (SEAM) 2018 Tournaments include
ArcRevo World Tour – 13 & 14 Oct
Announced at EVO 2018, the ArcRevo World Tour will make a pitstop in Singapore. Watch as participants in ArcSys’s marquee games, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and BlazBlue: Central Fiction, fight for the chance to call themselves the best of the best.
Capcom Pro Tour Asia (Finals And Last Change Qualifiers)
Last chance qualifier on 13 Oct, with the Asia Finals on 14 Oct. After a year of intense competition, Asia’s best descendon the SEA Major Stage to duke it out for a chance to
call themselves the best in the region.
Dragon Ball FighterZ SAGA Event – 13 & 14 Oct
The fifth in a line of Saga events, competitors from all over the world gather to decide who will go on to fight for the title of World Champion! at the pinultimate event in January 2019.
Tekken 7 – 13 & 14 Oct
With the Open Tournament, the stage is set for you to emerge the victor as you pit your Tekken skills against the best from around the region for the prize pool of USD$15,000!
Special Tournament Highlight
Shadowverse Contenders Cup – 13 Oct After a year of competition, the top 4 players in the South East Asia Oceania Region gather to prove themselves and fight for the right to represent the SEAO region at the Shadowverse World Grand Prix in Japan, and vie for the top prize of USD 1,000,000.
Carlo Arellano, Art Director, Super Evil Megacorp
Carlo began his career as a creature and character designer, working on such movies as Van Helsing, Spider Man, Evolution, Tremors 3, Hollowman and Tim Burton’s Planet of The Apes.
In entertainment design he has worked on amusement park projects for Universal Studios Japan, most notably the Water World Experience. Carlo has provided concepts, textures and models for many Video Game projects including: World of Warcraft, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, and God of War. His illustrations have been featured in Dungeons and Dragons, Dark Horse Comics and in the books Nuthin But Mech, MetamorFX and Costume Design And Illustration: For Film Video Games And Animation. He has taught Concept Art and Figure Drawing at Art Institute, Concept Design Academy, Concept Design Workshop, Computer Graphics Masters Academy and Laguna College of Art And Design.
Carlo Arellano’s teaching methodology concentrates on design and the use of it to efficiently communicate ideas and provoke specific emotional responses in the audience. By using proportion, form, storytelling, color and focused design creation rather than sprawling ideation, the student is shown how to create strong archetypes which resonate with the viewer. The student is given tools to communicate important storytelling ideas and skills to create production ready concepts which take into account not only artistic concerns but pipeline, animation and gameplay needs.
He is currently the Art Director at Super Evil Megacorp in San Francisco, California.
Jacqueline AX Jocson, Art Director & Concept Artist
Jacqueline Jocson is an Art Director & Concept Artist specializing in design and storytelling. Originally from Houston,TX, she moved to Los Angeles to work in the Entertainment Industry. She graduated from University of Southern California with a Masters of Fine Arts in Digital Art & Animation.
Over the past decade, Jacqueline has worked in film ,game, VR/AR ,television, advertising, and IP creation for the past decade with clients such as Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, SyFy Channel, Digital Domain ,Super Evil Megacorp, and Psyop. Projects include Capcom’s Lost Planet, Super Evil Megacorp’s MOBA Vainglory, Supercell’s Clash of Clans advertising campaign with Psyop, and creating and pitching IPs for Stan Lee.
Jacqueline teaches & writes courses for the BFA & MFA programs in the School of Game Development at the Academy of Art University San Francisco. Some of her courses include Monsters vs Mechs, Character Design, Digital Painting, & Digital Figure Painting.
Annex C: Elise Zhang, Voice Actress – Profile
Voice actress, best known as “Mei” in Overwatch. Being a Chinese voice actor, she dubbed for Mei in both the English and Mandarin versions, and Symmetra in the Mandarin version. She is Lily in Heroes of Storm, and Alleria Windrunner in HearthStone. She also voices a lot of cartoons in China, such as Power Puff Girls, We Bare Bears, P King Duckling, Lego NEXO KNIGHTS, Lily’s Driftwood Bay, Ruby Gloom.
Just as Bucky, T’challa, Spider-Man didn’t ‘feel so good’ in this years blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War, the 11 year old event STGCC has received the same fate. In Ep 4, Luke was “A New Hope” then in Ep 8, he became the last Jedi (or did he?)
No official announcement was made or delivered but from what I gathered — 2018 is THE LAST STGCC!
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Next year, it will be known as SINGAPORE COMIC CON.
For those of who feel like throwing something at me, please chill. In all my 8 years of blogging, (never got paid, and still not given a cent) this is one of my most witty post title ever! So please show mercy 🙂 Thank you.
It has been a question on my mind for the past two years because Reed Pop / Reed Expo does like to keep things consistent and has a uniformity for brands. I particularly noticed that when they launched a whole bunch on new Comic Con events in India & China.
If you go to their website you will notice all their comic shows are called “____ Comic Con” except the Singapore show, so I kinda knew this change was inevitable, it was only a matter of time. I expected the 10th show last year to be the celebration of a decade and also the birth of something new but I guess they were waiting to announce it this year 🙂
Anyhow, I had a great time at STGCC 2017. Was there with the Outpost Commander… who I was with for the first STGCC back in 2008. I had a great time this year to at STGCC 2018… which I will now dub as ‘The End of an Era… the beginning of something new”… in the flavour of the famous Star Trek TNG series finale – “All Good Things…”. I ‘m glad I was there for all this memorable milestones 🙂 It means a lot to me 🙂
STGCC 2018 Visit – blog coming soon. Here’s some classic STGCC footage to commemorate the great run of the name & the brand!
STGCC Chronicles (2008 – 2018)
In 2008, PI Events Singapore launch an event called Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention. Me and the Outpost Commander were in Singapore at the time and we will always remember it because there was all these temporary changes in bus routes, security checks and other changes, thanks to the first F1 in Singapore haha.
STGCC 2009
*TRIVIA – STGCC and F1 Singapore share the same anniversary… about a week apart!
Anyways, in 2009 we made it down again to STGCC because I was on a mission. Early STGCC announcements mentioned – HEROES (TV series) contest for a Super Fan! *Ting* *Light bulb*… so I went down to ace it.
STGCC 2009 – HEROES loot!
It was fun and had a whole lot of stuff but majority still being more Japanese then the ‘Comic Con’ it was supposed to be. Now if you take a step back and look at the Singapore events landscape then (2008), an event called Anime Festival Asia debuted and was impressive with much potential. AFA was always true to it’s goal – “One Stop Japanese Pop Culture Experience!”… and for STGCC they were sorta having a bit of everything for everyone or maybe undecided on their goals.
Anyhow after the 2009 STGCC show, Reed Exhibitions stepped in and acquired the show in April 2010. And since then, after being powered by Reed Pop, STGCC slowly took shape (thru the years) and has been come a monster of an event that we have today. In the early years of the Reed Pop era of STGCC, 2010 – 2012, many criticized that STGCC was more Japanese Pop Culture show than Western Comic Con style event. But now, it is certainly not the case. For western comic fans, this is as close as we can get to Valhalla and return alive… even with on a tight budget!
STGCC 2009 – With Mario & Luigi
In the past few years, STGCC has been bringing Marvel / DC guest artist that range from ‘Legendary’ to the currently ‘HOT’ topics in the comics scene! Artist example: 2015 had Adam Hughes (Babe expert!), Jim Cheung (AvX), Adi Granov (because of him we have MCU Iron Man)! 2016 Had “Hail Hydra Captain America” – Nick Spencer, Phil Noto (Marvel Star Wars covers), Brooke Allen (Adventure Time, Powerpuff Girls)! 2017 Had Arthur Adams (Legend), Frank Cho (DC Babe Expert), James C Mulligan (Disney FineArts Artist! 2018 Ryan Meinerding (Head of Visuals at Marvel Studios), David Finch (the man who married Batman), Mark Brooks (the man who married Spider-man?)… just to name a few.
Thank you STGCC for the memories and I am looking forward to the spiffy new SINGAPORE COMIC CON in 2019!! Thank you Reed Pop for powering this show and now… taking it to another level!! I hope to be there in 2019!!
Malaysia’s 2nd largest ACG event is back and this year marks the 10th ANIMANGAKI! What started out as a first time event for the Sun-U Anime Club (SUAC) on 27 – 28 June 2009, has now become a staple August month convention event that’s drawing 18,500+ people over 2 days (2017).
The first 4 years were tough, as the SUAC club kept changing presidents each year as the students graduate. And then from the 5th year on they made the jump from Sunway College hall to Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre!
Of the top 3 colleges (with ACG events) in the first decade of the millennium, only Animangaki remains consistent (without skipping a year) and thriving with their Sunway Anime Club roots in tact.
So I salute you guys! Keep up the good work team!! -The Captain-
Here are some of the highlights for this years event!!
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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
AniManGaki 2018 Theme: Role Playing Game (RPG)
Marks our 10th year in the scene, and is expected to be our biggest one yet. It will be held at the SUNWAY PYRAMID CONVENTION CENTER on 18th-19th August 2018. New expansions to the event include an LED screen on our stage and additional play space (Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall LG2 Central Avenue). We are projecting 20,000 attendees and 100,000+ foot traffic from Malaysia and its neighboring countries in 2018.
Activities
1) Cosplay Competition Sponsored by Warlord, Armaggeddon & TokyoNinki
An abbreviation of ’costume’ and ‘play’, cosplay is an increasingly popular hobby worldwide. Fans usually attend the vent in their own tailored costumes and role-play as their favourite character. One of our anchor activity as participants perform sketches on stage and make their best impersonation of the cosplayed character. Winning team of this competition will compete against other Malaysian cosplay champions at the annual Cosplay Invitational.
2) AniManGaki Idol Sponsored by Warlord & SonicGear
Another popular anchor activity in which contestants show off their singing skills and compete in front of a judge panel and live audience. The longest of its kind in Malaysian ACG events, also jumpstarted the career of many local ACG singers. This year, we will be doing a Battle Royale in which previous winners of AniManGaki Idol from years 2010-2017 will return to stage and compete for the ultimate AniManGaki Idol Champion title.
3) Art Competition Sponsored by Artisul
Pre-event activity in which participants submit their artworks online. Winning entries will be featured at our gallery area on event days. Champion wins a drawing tablet, and will have their artwork featured on the back page of AMG 2018 event booklet.
4) Doodle 4 AniManGaki Contest Sponsored by Sakura
For those who love to doodle, attendees may pick up a canvas from the Sakura booth and enter the contest for free. Winning entries may win up to RM1000 worth of Sakura products!
5) Omatsuri
Think of it as a mini fun fair, consisting of game booths. Attendees get to test their skills and try their luck at winning some prizes, by playing games like archery, shooting cans, and ball toss.
6) The Trading Card Game of Thrones
Organized by Yokozuna Card Game, attendees may participate in four special tournaments; Pokemon, Vanguard, Battle Spirits, or Weiß Schwarz.
Celebrating 15 years of Lawak Kampus by local cartoonist, Keith. Exhibition will be located at LG2 Central Avenue, Sunway Pyramid Mall.
8) Collectibles Display Hall
A collaborative work made possible by the Hobbies and Collectibles Community Malaysia, attendees can marvel at the large collection of figurines or action figures, learn from exhibitors about maintenance works or tips on starting their own collection, and even join a community that interests them.
9) Special Interest Panels/Workshop
A platform for collaborators to showcase their works and the opportunity to create awareness or educate the attendees on their company/products/services.
10) Doujin Alley (Artist Tables)
Artists set up booths to display their works, sell handmade crafts to attendees, and fulfil commission requests. We will have 120 artist tables at AniManGaki 2018.
11) Stage & Band Performance
Stage line-up includes Tokimeki JUMP (Singapore), Hayashiforest, Harmonia ACG, Nandemo ii, Mystical Mirage, The Crestfall Band, and 02 Pro.
12) Video Game Arena
A collaborative work made possible by Infinite Carnage Malaysia and Malaysian Touhou Brigade, participants compete live in several featured tournaments (i.e., games like Tekken and Street Fighter) to win prizes and earn the championship title of the year!
13) Exhibitor Booths
With over 60 booths, exhibitors consist of studios (gaming or animation), products/services, education institutions, merchandise sellers, and more.
Special Guests
▪ Donna Bruke feat. Ganime Jazz(Singer/Musician) Official Page: https://www.donnaburke.com/ – She is an Australian singer and voice actress based in Tokyo, Japan. Her works include titles like Metal Gear Solid, Tokyo Ghoul, God Eater, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles to name a few. – Ganime Jazz was formed in 2016, combined the free beauty of hazz with songs form the game and anime world.
▪ Serg Loki Mirage (Cosplayer) Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/serglokicosplay/ – Hail from Russia, Serg has been highly notable for his portrait of several characters specifically for Thranduil from the Lord of the Ring Universe and Loki from Marvel’s Thor. He has won many cosplay competitions.
▪ Moriyama Daisuke (Manga Artist) Official Page: https://twitter.com/dai_greyhound – A veteran comic artist from Japan. Best known for his work, Chrono Crusade series which was adapted into a 24-episode anime series by animation studio, Gonzo.
▪ Chinnie (Cosplayer) Official Page: http://www.facebook.com/chinnie.cosplay – Chinnie is a Malaysian cosplayer who’s highly praised for her ability to portray characters realistically and her hard works in numerous cosplay projects.
▪ Yugana Senshi Uon (Cosplayer) Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/yuganasenshi Presented by ColourVUE – Best known for her portrayals of scary characters, Yugana is no stranger to the cosplay community, this Malaysian cosplayer has been both a judge and guests at many events, local and abroad.
▪ #kendylife (Cartoonist) Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/kendylife Presented by Sakura – Born at Kota Kinabalu and raised in Sipitang, the Sino-Kadazan’s childhood interest in art matured into a love of comic by his early twenties. He started outputting his keen observation skills and humour to use as a cartoonist and created #kendylife.
• Rachelhofs (Illustrator) Official Page: Instagram.com/rachelhofs Presented by Pilot Pen – Rachel is a talented artist from Sabah, currently living in Kuala Lumpur. She specialises in visual development and illustration for animated films. Her drawings are heavily influenced by sights she sees in her surroundings, like street wear fashion & movies, which she then translates into her current drawing style.
• Keith (Cartoonist) Official Page: https://www.facebook.com/keith.kahhwee Presented by Gempak Starz – A Malaysian cartoonist best known for his work, Lawak Kampus.
“What is this?” The buzzing question on every fans mind since our announcement of the event back in February this year! Scam… another Comic Con-Job… it looks like a Western Convention but is it yet another ‘comic’ event full of Japanese anime stuff? Who are the organisers? who are these people?
So many questions and next to no answers what so ever.
Anyways, the fans & folks are generally very nice as long as you don’t take their money (very obvious by the results of the recent general elections). Then FB sponsored ads of calling for vendors of the Malaysia chapter started popping up… then local exhibitors & vendors really started to get weary.
So I joined forces with some ‘PRO’ people to do some Jessica Jones sleuth work and this is what we gathered. As this is what we think we can share => The organisers originate from Thailand. And over there they have been in this industry for a couple of years already. So their new brand / event will be called Asia Comic Con.
Thailand will debut in June and Malaysia will debut in July. The Malaysia chapter will be managed by a local advertising agency – iHub Advertising. We received endorsement by some reputable folks so ‘PRO’ folks were satisfied to proceed to get a booth at the event.
One fail safe that would protect our hopes and dreams was the fact that the Asia Comic Con would FIRST debut in the homeland of Thailand a month before our in Malaysia. So far Thailand’s version of the page was doing a great job in announcing and the guest was getting better and better by the day. One of the strongest factors was the announcement of I Love Anisong (an Anime Festival Asia brand), was to hold their concert nights there. If you’ve not heard of Anime Festival Asia – AFA is by far, South East Asia’s ultimate Japanese Pop Culture experience. Began in Singapore in 2008, has now expanded to 6 other countries.
Then later I spotted the Gyu Creative logos on certain promo material. So that is another strong vote of confidence. Who are Gyu Creative? They are the folks from Thailand who brought us Japan Expo Thailand & Japan Expo Malaysia! Nuff said!!
Anyways, if all this was still not enough I had to send my British Intelligence operative… Mr. Bond… James Bond …. or rather it was because he was already going to be there that I sent him xD hahaha Oh yea, and no his name was not James Bond or Simon Le Bon but John… John Gullidge! 😀
When Asia Comic Con Thailand announce their Hollywood guest, Ms. Nymeria Sand from Game of Thrones or as The Resistance Pilot Jess Testor aka Jessika Pava aka [Blue Three] from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and my favourite, she is one half of the Daughters of the Dragon – Colleen Wing from the Netflix Marvel Universe (NMU) Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders…the beautiful and talented actor on the rise – Ms. Jessica Henwick!! I didn’t know if I should celebrate or cry. But to save my heart from hurt I have to keep my expectations low. More on Jessica later!
What to expect at Asia Comic Con Malaysia?
1:1 scale Galore! Batman: Dark Knight Tumbler, Batman Ninja, Batpod, Predator Throne and Magneto Chair!
This is no statue prop guys! This is a real working movie used prop! They have to drive this monster in & out the convention area!This is no statue prop guys! This is a real working movie used prop! They have to drive this monster in & out the convention area!Thai Spider-man non included!
Former Chemistry Teacher turn drug cook, might be there!
1:1 Scale Batman Ninja Statue
IDOL GROUPs Siam Dream and SWEAT16!
SWEAT 16!SWEAT 16!SWEAT 16!SIAM DREAM
Nobuo Yamada (NoB-san) who is famous for the Saint Seiya anime series and Super Sentai series and Chie Nakamaru (mao-san) who is famous for Doraemon song.
In 1998 he formed P.A.F. (stands for Patent Applied For, named after the PAFguitar pickups) with X Japan guitarist Pata. In about one years time they released: two albums, one mini album, one live album and two singles.
She is a highly skilled singer with unlimited imagination, featuring a world of strong poetry message through a lively and powerful singing voice,
She made her major debut singing a theme song for a very famous animation “Doraemon” when the song was aired in TV Asahi in 2007 – “Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon.
Her voice is also famous for many anime songs such as Hakuoki, Tamagotchi and the latest one is Lego Friends!
Celebrity cosplayer Pion Kim and Aza Miyuko
And other guests.
For more info & updates, go to their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/asiacomicconmalaysia/
So, the big news was released by our friends at Toybox Projects that the man, the myth, the mystery…. The voice behind bands L’Arc En Ciel and Vamps -HYDE- would be making his way to Malaysia for a concert. The WOWs in my head couldn’t stop popping up think of what the fans would be feeling or anticipating.
Toybox Projects is famous in the local scene to be the longest standing entity championing the cause to bring top Japanese music artist to Malaysia. Their long experience in media, public relations and promotions are their strengths… include that x-factor which is that the boss lady is a Japanese herself, who calls Malaysia her home.
Anyways, my concern was that I could make it for the Press Conference no problem… but the concert night was another story. And for those of you frequent concert goers may know… it’s really difficult to get some nice photos of your favour band in action, so I was very short of solutions. Who could I get in such notice who has the expert skills for dim light photography, passion for music and the affluent command of the English?? Where can I find someone who can represent Cosplay Fun – Malaysia with dignity, professional conduct who also understands the protocols of professional media coverage?? Then while processing all these criteria needs… a face comes to mind. This face!
All flags on criteria – PASS! Next concern was… OMG would he be available?? Being in so high demand it was a long shot but the best shot. Long story short… I present to you the return of the gentleman known as Max Jackson aka Johnnie B Ghoul… Mr John Gullidge! Scream Park Ring Master, Skilled photographer, great taste in music, gentleman extraordinaire… and it doesn’t hurt to be dashingly handsome too? Haha!
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KUALA LUMPUR, 12 May: When The Captain at Cosplay Fun Malaysia asked me if I could take photos at the recent HYDE concert I jumped at the chance, I love doing live music photography and even though I had no idea who HYDE was, this was too good an opportunity to miss. The timing meant I was going to have to sacrifice attending an advance preview of “Deadpool 2” but I figured that was no big deal given the movie opened a couple of days later anyway. Then with a few hours to go before the gig, the Captain dropped the bombshell, their writer was unable to attend so in addition to taking photos would I be willing to write a review!
Bit of background here, the kind of bands I like don’t get to perform in Malaysia. I had to travel back to the UK last year to see my favourite singer Gary Numan and I’ve made frequent trips to Singapore to see the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie and even had to travel there and to Thailand to see the more mainstream Coldplay (thankfully Asians love Coldplay, at home most of my friends consider them far too mainstream and claim they never bettered “Parachutes” before selling out….which frankly is crap, you won’t see a better stadium show in the world than theirs…but I digress).
So anyway my response to the request was….”surely you want to get someone to review it who at least knows who he is”. As far as I’m concerned HYDE is the nasty half of one of horror literature’s better known double acts! Anyway a cursory glance at Wikipedia soon informed me that this guy is big, I mean Madison Square Gardens big, so my interest was at least piqued.
Arriving at the venue (extremely conveniently located right next to an LRT station, my preferred method of transport in KL!) I noticed a lot of the, predominantly female crowd, wouldn’t have looked out of place at a cosplay event and after eventually finding my allocated seat (wish I’d known I’d be given a spare ticket beforehand and I could have turned it into a date night, if I could find a date!) I immediately started fretting about how possible it was going to be to get decent photos from 8 rows back at the side of the hall but I needn’t have worried, the sumptuous lighting setup on a stage lit with candelabras, meant that it would have been hard not to have taken a half decent photo.
The term acoustic set conjured up images of a few years back when I was lucky enough to see my favourite band The Manic Street Preachers performing an “acoustic set” at a pub in Swansea. Incredibly pared back, it was basically the singer (James-Dean Bradfield) and guitarist (Nicky Wire) – they dispensed with the drummer -performing on just acoustic guitars. HYDE on the other hand was of what I would consider an orchestral set given he was accompanied by a pianist, guitarist, a wonderfully goth looking gentleman on a double bass, a drummer and four female violinist’s/cellists.
The first thing that struck me was how much I loved the whole look of the thing, very gothic and right up my alley (you should know that my full time job here in Malaysia is manager of the Scream Park at Sunway Lagoon and the annual Nights of Fright event so anything slightly macabre immediately gets my vote of confidence) and the second thing was the striking vocal similarity there was between HYDE and Japan’s David Sylvian (Japan the group, not the country).
This may seem irrelevant but when, half way through the gig, HYDE launched into a cover of Ryuchi Sakamoto’s “Forbidden Colours” (the theme to the movie “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence”) I couldn’t have been happier or more impressed. It’s one of my favourite songs of all time and performed live by HYDE it not only raised every hair on the back of my neck but also brought tears to my eyes. Music has the power to move us unlike any other medium and this certainly did it for me.
I’d like to be able to rattle off the names of other tracks in the set list but I am afraid they were all new to me but clearly not to the hardcore fans in the crowd who applauded / cheered at each consecutive hit not to mention crying out between tracks: “I love you HYDE” etc. I would never thought of HYDE as a comic genius but his mastery of timing when using the simple “terimah kasih” was a joy to behold. Long silence….”Terimah Kasih”…audience cracks up….pause…..”Terimah Kasih” audience cracks up and repeat. Very funny.
The aforementioned lighting was stunning and a photographer’s dream (why they have to restrict the taking of photos to the first three numbers alone in beyond me but them’s the rules) and when HYDE asked everyone to turn on their phone flashlights the hall was magically transformed. He got in on the act himself at the end of the show, not only filming the audience, but taking the obligatory selfie on stage.
I think it’s a sign that I’m getting old, but to be able to watch a gig seated is actually so much more of a pleasure than being crushed up against a crowd and the acoustic tone of the set lent itself to a much more relaxed audience experience, at times a bit too relaxed as I notice a few people in the media section quite literally spent the entire gig scrolling through their phones just taking the odd cursory glance at the stage (maybe I’m doing them a discourtesy, perhaps they were live blogging the event for all I know).
I for one left the gig a convert to Hyde’s music, no mean feat considering a lot of the songs were sung in, what for me was a foreign language, and a quick check at the Facebook statuses of some cosplay friends who I had seen there confirmed that not only was this the gig they had waited a lifetime for (his first time in Malaysia) but it had exceeded all their expectations and you can’t say fairer than that.
Now if you’re unfamiliar with“Forbidden Colours”check it out on You Tube and thank me later! CHEERS!
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 May 2018: If you are a huge fan of all things J-Rock and if you have not been living under a gigantic rock all this while, word around the grapevine is that front line of L’Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE will be having his first ever live show in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow on the 12th of May 2018 at the MCA Hall at 8PM.
HYDE’s Kuro Misa tour started off as an acoustic fan-club event has grown into a huge ordeal spanning concert tours in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. One would have hoped when would he step foot in our very own country but fan do not have to wait any longer as HYDE’s Kuro Misa tour is finally here in our very own Malaysia. Malaysia marks the only stop he will be making in his SEA leg so fan would definitely not want to miss this once in a live time experience.
The Kuro Misa tour is different from the previous lives HYDE has done and he promises to deliver an entirely different feel and experience to his fans all the way from his euphoric performance and to his amazing singing voice.
So what can we expect from the live tomorrow? One thing he hopes to achieve in this live is to be able to deliver music that will be fit for everyone. Compared to his high energy lives, HYDE wants the Kuro Misa experience to be able to envelop all the listeners there despite their age, or background. His set list will feature some of his older works and his news works and of course some amazing surprises that he hopes will please the fans.
Let the music flow through you he quoted.
Of course we have to give a huge shout out to Toybox Projects for bringing the HYDE Acoustic Concert Tour 2018 Asia Live in Kuala Lumpur. This gives an amazing chance for all fans to experience the spectacular performance of one of the biggest and most sought out after artist in the industry.
So what are you waiting for? If you still haven’t gotten the tickets to the live show yet, you can get it at www.ticketcharge.com.my or you can head to the concert venue to purchase them on the day of the concert itself. Tickets are priced at VIP RM698 / RM508 / RM338 / RM168. All prices exclude ticket processing fee and other online & credit card transactions.
Being a fan of HYDE and L’Arc~en~Ciel for almost 15 years, this is one experience not to be missed. Whether I am sick or bedridden, nothing will stop me from supporting one of my favorite vocalist of all time. Well I am excited and can’t wait for the concert. You can expect me there tomorrow cheering my lungs out and cleaning out my wallet for all the merchandise. Get excited everyone and let’s rock out at the concert!
It was the dawn of a new revolution. Toys, Anime, Games Comic Con (TAGCC) was announced 3rd quarter of 2017 and immediately sparked our imaginations.
“Wow new event?”, “Wow… will it be a western Comic-Con?”, “Who is the organiser”, “Sure or not? Not another scam event?”
Well as time went by it was revealed that it was going to be POWERED BY Comic Fiesta, and then everybody was more chill that it will be legit. As for me I was interested to see what the identity of this show was going to be.
As the title stated, it was going to be a show with Toys, Anime, Games and Comic. My first question would always be what does the ‘Comic’ there represent? a) is it Western Comics? Eastern Comics? Japanese Comics? Because Japanese comics are called Manga. Or is it all comics? b) so is the ‘Comic’ word meaning more towards a ‘Comic Con’ style event? With ‘Comic Con’ expectations being Hollywood guest (actors, creators etc)?
Then there is the issue of – WHY? Name your event blah blah blah Comic Con when just about 2 months back this happens – SDCC successfully sues another convention for using name ‘Comic Con’ It would feel like starting off on the wrong foot -__- Then in January 2018, TAGCC (tag-cc as how we pronounce it) unveiled their new tagline – “Malaysia’s Premiere Toys and Collectibles Show”. Ok, so now the focus is back on Toy & Collectibles. It’s clear now. But now I don’t know whether I want to pity the Anime, Games and Comic parts 😦
Anyways, these are the wanders and wonders of the event organising life! The only easy day was yesterday! This work genre is not for the faint of heart… and I think only a very special few can ever successfully navigate this as work and also a LIFEstyle. Thank you for organising shows! We appreciate you! -TheCaptain-
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Location: Mid Valley Convention Centre, all 3 Halls! Mid Valley is a great event venue with it’s strength being the ‘walk in’ crowd. Those of you who frequent Mid Valley on the weekends will know that it’s packed packed packed! If you’ve haven’t seen the crowd then just past by the parking signage which will tell how many parking spots left on a Saturday at 2pm 🙂 So some convention folks have told me that as much as 20 – 30% of their event visitors are actually walk-ins, meaning they didn’t know about the event but because they already at Mid Valley, they saw it … and there and then decided to go into the event, check it out.
The queue at a Mid Valley event is always a attention puller, especially when the folks in the queue are cosplayers! It was packed very early on. The atmosphere was great as you enter with anticipation. As usual, the crowd and queue were arrange well and orderly since the pros Comic Fiesta are the folks who set it up, operating it and also managing it.
shioktoys & Prime 1 Studio bid you WELCOME!!
It’s a really BIG booth!
As you near the entrance to the first Hall… all the feels and smells like that of entering Singapore, Toys, Games, Comic Con (STGCC) start to over whelm your senses. At STGCC we’re always welcomed by the GIANT Hot Toys (Hong Kong) booth fill with figures… models from Marvel, Star Wars and other pop culture icons. But over here… we’re welcomed by the Prime 1 Studios (Japan) and all their glorious premium format collectibles… followed by Beast Kingdom (Taiwan) with a giant 1:1 scale figure of the King of Wakanda, the Black Panther, T’Challa.
Beast Kingdom 1:1 Scale Black Panther
Check out our Walk Thru Video in which you will not miss a single section of TAGCC.
CONCLUSION: All in all it was a pretty awesome Toy & Collectibles show! I felt that was at least a good 5,000 folks in this first 3 hours that I spent here. You really don’t feel it’s a new event because everything is running pretty smoothly which I’m sure is thanks to Comic Fiesta who is running it 🙂 It was nice to see some other big time toy makers like Beast Kingdom, XM Studios, Ryu Studios, Infinity Studios, HMO Collectibles in Malaysia… in Kuala Lumpur.
Meet & Greet time with KEITH!
GEMPAK STARZ (Kadokawa Gempak Starz) had a big booth too celebrating their 15th Anniversary. And that was also pretty special. With this in mind makes it almost guaranteed the famous artists and story tellers from the brand would be there! Here’s a super candid shot of KEITH!
The stage content of Panel talks of designers, toy makers etc was pretty cool and very current… just like in STGCC. Most of the time we’ll have singing, dancing and bands playing for the most part of the entire day… or crowd interaction (which still means “make some noise”) or Cosplay runway or cosplay competition which still means ‘Loudness’. So for a change to have a few subject matter experts sit down and share insight… we can the crowd also sitting down and being attentive to what they are saying… seems more mature I guess haha (Y) *Also nice to have it conducted in English hehe
Ending with all the Kawaii-ness of Cosplay Guest Aza Miyuko!
UPDATE: The site announced that total visitors for 2 days was 15,000. Wow! Congrats and great job guys! Looking forward to the next one!
The REASON for the SEASON – this purple man is the BAD-ASS of the year 2018!
by The Captain.
Original link here – https://popculturefunmy.wordpress.com/2018/04/15/avengers-infinity-war-red-carpet-singapore/
After 2016 big big hyped Captain America: Civil War promo events, at Sunway Pyramid & Sunway Putra Mall, we were hoping for more of these events to come… primarily hosted in the Klang Valley of course huhu. Then 2017, we had our very first Hollywood Red Carpet gala… the movie Baby Driver, lead actors Ansel Elgort, Lily James and Director Edgar Wright making their appearance on the red carpet! All media from South East Asia we down to catch a few moments with the cast & director.
This year Avengers: Infinity War marks the culmination of 10 years / decade of Marvel Cinematic Universe and the beginning battle royal between Earth’s Mightest Heroes with the galaxy’s Mad Titan foe!! Every MCU movie took things to another level and the recent Black Panther movie has set the distinctive standard of how good the MCU can still get!
The Reason for the Season!
So, for the fans it was no surprise that South East Asia would get a red carpet fan event…. question is where? So far it’s been South Korea and Singapore. So, when this event was announced… friends & fans rejoiced especially in Singapore. They’ve been getting the Hollywood treatment for a while now (7 years), with the first one being the Green Hornet movie with lead actors Seth Rogan & Jay Chou in attendance.
As for fans in Malaysia… the “YAY!” celebrations were a little less…. until… PETRON MALAYSIA stepped in to give 30 lucky MALAYSIAN winners (and partner), the chance to attend this Red Carpet Fan Event!
And the winners are…… *drum roll* – list attached. Was glad to see many the folks from our new group –Marvel Fans Malaysia (https://www.facebook.com/groups/MarvelFansMY/) be making the ROADTRIP down for even greater glory. They’re gunning for the chance to meet RDJ or Mister Doctor (Benedict Cumberbatch) aka Sherlock aka Khan aka Smaug. Then there is our group co-founder and Outpost Productions Commander – Richard Chua who is a MEGA Iron man and Dr. Strange fan that dates all the way back to his youth!! haha Double the joy and even double the urgency to get on that red carpet!
It’s gonna be one heck of a road trip for them! I can’t wait to see the photos huhu!
So once again, a very big thank to PETRON MALAYSIA from all the Pop Culture / Geeks in Malaysia, for this one of a kind opportunity. Keep up the good work! (I’ve been filling Esso + Mobil for a long time and followed thru to Petron! Am very happy too!)
Avengers: Infinity War opens in Malaysia cinemas 25th April 2018
Check out the exclusive Avengers: Infinity War merchandise from Petron and Petron x MBO Cinemas.
Wait… isn’t crepe a french desert? Yes, you’re right… but here’s 2 things I’ve learnt from experience, A) the Japanese folks really really love their deserts and B) with this love and ‘kaizen’ the Japanese folks ALWAYS take it up to another level!!
So What’s This About? Marion Crepes is the most famous Harajuku Crepe in Japan. They started their crepe revolution in 1976 as one of the only crepe shops in Harajuku. YES, 40 years ago!! To me that 1976 is a special year!! huhu ^^ Since then Marion Crepes has been lovingly passed down over three generations from grandmother, to mother to daughter, and to date it has over 80 outlets throughout Japan plus 2 in Hawaii.
This first branch in Malaysia, Plaza Mont Kiara (Kuala Lumpur), is also the first ever outlet in the whole of Asia!! Now that’s a pretty BIG STAT-FACT for us Malaysians. Mr. Tsutomu Yumoto (CO Malaysia) shared a little heart warming testimony on why he pushed for the selection of Malaysia on being the FIRST country in Asia to have the privilege of getting one of Harajuku’s finest deserts. He said during the opening speech, “I really like Malaysia because of the people. I really remember them (people impression) well as they were always very helpful and caring (concerned). (Often) At the airport when I am in a hurry or not sure (of something / or somewhere), people will stop to ask me if I am ok, or if I need help. Some (would) also speak to me in Japanese”. *Malaysia airport -__- You know, I know lah ya haha*
I don’t know about you all, but to me that is very heart warming and honest. Even more when it’s being told by Japanese man of high position, in a language and a land foreign to him. Those who are familiar with Japanese culture and protocol will know what I mean. Personally, I have been to many concerts and countless events and I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard such an honest, concise and touching testimony.
And to all you folks out there who just honestly and quietly (without bragging / complaining) help tourist or just our fellow humans – This one is for you!KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Most of the time, we don’t who we help but after hearing today, let this be an encouragement to all of us! Little little things go along way!
Here’s the full album of the events of the day! Let the photos and your eyes be the deciding factor if you should go all the way to Plaza Mont Kiara to get a taste of Harajuku’s famous Crepe!
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 March 2018: The most famous and the pioneer brand for Harajuku crepe, MARION CREPES from Japan is opening its irst branch in Malaysia, at Plaza Mont Kiara, with its grand opening on Thursday, 1st March 2018 with popular Malaysian actress Koe Yeet who is the big fan of Japanese crepe to join the opening with the fun and carnival ska band FAZZ to add the entertainment. Several campaigns are lined up ahead, including the [Ambassador of the month] contest, which is to be selected from the Harajuku Themed Cosplayers, with exciting prizes (a portrait printed crepe, the Ambassador poster at the outlet, and up to 100 crepes at 50% off) attached. There will also be other campaigns to introduce Harajuku and Japanese cultures.
MARION CREPES originated from Japan and started the crepe revolution in 1976 as one of the only crepe shops in Harajuku. It has evolved over generations and have become the most famous crepe shop in Japan with 82 locations nationwide and 2 branches in Hawaii, serving delicious delicacies. MARION CREPES is illed with carefully selected ingredients like Chantily cream, chocolate and ice cream. Japanese youth love to walk around Harajuku with a crepe in hand while shopping. To date, there are still long que of fans lined up daily even in the winter!
In addition to its widely popular hot crepes, MARION CREPES offers a rich array of fruits and other illings for your tasting pleasure. They combine their unique dough, still true to its Parisian roots, with over 60 unique and original crepe options. In addition, the limited edition for Malaysia will be prepared. With tastes, lavors and fragrances for all seasons and moods, drawing customers to come back for more crepes. This irst outlet in Malaysia (and only outlet in Asia!) has carefully prepared the pork free ingredients and the recipes of the crepes true to the original taste from Japan. There are dedicated Japanese staffs all the way from Japan joining the local team ready to serve.
MARION CREPES (Malaysia) Lot D-G-2A, Block D, Plaza Mont Kiara, No.2 Jalan Mont’ Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Here’s what went down on opening day!
02:00 pm Arrival of Guests & Media 02:30 pm Arrival of Dato’ Seri Azman Ujang (Chairman, Bernama TV News) 02:35 pm Introduction of Marion Crepes 02:40 pm Speech by Marion Crepes Malaysia Rep – Mr. Tsutomu Yumoto 02:45 pm Special Guest – Koe Yeet 02:50 pm Speech by Dato’ Seri Azman Ujang (Chairman, Bernama TV News) 02:55 pm Ribbon Cutting 03:00 pm Demonstration of Making Crepe, Japanese Green Tea and Butterfly Pea
03:10 pm Band Performance – FAZZ
03:40 pm Food Tasting
04:00 pm Event Ends. Koe Yeet photo session with public begins.
KUALA LUMPUR, 20th February 2018 – As the all the Lunar Celebrations….visitations and feasting is starting to subside. I just caught wind that a legit “Comic Con” is gonna make it’s debut in Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre to be exact, 13 – 15 July 2018. (http://www.asiacomiccon.com/)
The Origins
Not to be confused with ComicCon Asia (https://comiccon.asia/), the Manila SUPER event that Stan ‘The Man’ Lee is headlining, Asia Comic seems to be hailing from Thailand… which in the past has a been another source for pop culture fans to rejoice – *WINK Thank you* Japan Expo Malaysia 2017 and *WINK Thank You* Japan Expo Thailand 2018 (which featured AKB48… fans went nuts). Despite Thailand having 2 existing ‘Comic Cons’ – Thailand Comic Con and Bangkok Comic Con, only the former has managed to survive since it’s debut in 2014 . Bangkok Comic Con ran from 2015 and stopped at 2016. In 2018… Bangkok Comic Con returns with a twist… they are joining forces with Thailand Comic Con for a mega event on 21 – 23 April!
IRONICALLY Part 2
So despite these 2 existing Comic Cons hailing from Thailand, this Asia Comic Con that’s being held in Bangkok and in KL is NOT organised by the initial two folks haha I mean that’s from what I can gather anyway. Anyone know more?
Which brings me to my first question? So who are these guys? And then my second question – how can I help them? The latter is kinda impossible since I don’t have the answer to the first question haha
Great Expectations
Anyhow from what it reads, the event is promising a “WORLD CLASS Comic Con” experience. For my expectations? I am expecting quite a bit!! Haha I am expecting (hoping rather) that missing element that even Singapore’s STGCC doesn’t have – Hollywood Star power guest! This elusive element is really what I think makes a legit “Comic Con”… especially if you are referring to San Diego Comic-Con aka Comic-Con International…. the longest running comic convention in the world.
Can’t Hardly Wait
With the event just 5 months away, I SO looking forward to the guest announcements in the days to come! Fellow friends and fans will be holding on to the dream of a legit Comic Con in Malaysia, REJOICE… and again I say rejoice! And to the organisers, whoever you are – THANK YOU!!
– The Captain –
Dear Asia Comic Con organiers – if you’re reading this please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you 🙂 We are fans, we are excited & we want to help. Thank you! 😀 = popculturefun.my@gmail.com
Kuala Lumpur, 1st February 2018: A fortunate stroll thru Toys R Us let to this discovery!
THE 2018 VALENTINE MOVIE: With the movie coming soon… I was wondering when was the new Marvel Legends series will hit shelves. I’m sure the specialty stores would have already got them but that’s not what I post about here anyways xD Of course if any of your speciality stores wanna work together with us, do let us know! Our email is PopCultureFun.MY@gmail.com
“..get this man a shield!”
We’ve already got friends posting photos of the Avengers: Infinity War ML figures from Australia… with the greatest reveal being, besides what characters / version, Captain America’s new shield …aka the Wakanda shield… aka “get this man a shield!”. *Honestly, as a Captain America fan I am guessing that this shield included in the Avengers: Infinity War ML figure is the shield that Cap initially uses to fan off wave 1 of the baddies… then later in the movie T’Challa will say “…and get this man a shield” – which will end up with the reveal (which MCU boss Kevin Fiege is saving for us) Caps new shield!! I am guessing it will be Caps Energy Shield or Caps ‘The Captain’ Shield (black, red, white)… or a bit of both… being Caps energy shield with ‘The Captain’ design or colours!! I think bossman Kevin Fiege is too intelligent to let something like Caps shield leak via Hasbro Toys / Lego!! After 10 years and 15 movies… their are very sneaky… very sneaky indeed! Haha Fun trivia. So you heard it first here as The Captain is calling it!!
Anyways… again, our post here at Pop Culture Fun – Malaysia is about a) What toys we can find straight on the retail store shelves b) Right here in Malaysia. 😊
So again, I was fortunate enough to walk into a Toys R Us only to see the new Marvel Legends Black Panther series about to be put on the racks!! Woo hoo! If you’ve seen the ML Civil War series Black Panther then you’re probably not all that curious to know what this figure looks like. And again since only 3 of the 6 new figures in this wave are actually from the upcoming Black Panther movie… the Hasbro guys are gonna split the ‘movie’ selection into two as they did with the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 figures.
SO, WHAT’S IN THE BOX
One of the happy feels to be present and actually see what’s in the box / case / carton is to know for sure what’s there. Knowing the methods of the Hasbro folks, they might do a switcheroo in the packing! The Americana reviews or intel could be different from the Asian markets… just as how pricing and selection can be different between Malaysia & Singapore. – see article: Star Wars Toys Malaysia Doesn’t Get!!
In the box are 2x Black Panther, 2x Erik Killmonger, 1x Nakia, 1x Black Bolt, 1x Invincible Iron Man, 1x Sub-Mariner. The Build A Figure (BAF) is Okoye.
IN THE BOX, THE FIRST LOOK
Looking at the Black Panther in the box, it looks pretty similar to the Civil War series version but if you put them side by side… then the details, patterns and ingrained textures become more evident. Surprisingly eve the silver lining on the helmet / mask is significantly different. The ‘movie’ version comes with an extra pair of hands (fists) and a unmasked head sculpt with beard / goatee… compared to the ‘civil war’ clean shaven head with no extra hands.
OUT OF THE BOX
From what I have briefly read online, fans have said that the newer version has better pose-ability compared to the ‘civil war’ version. This will be a crucial point for the collector fans… those who leave them in the box & those who take the figures out of the box 😀 I am the former, so it most likely means I won’t be getting this version or any of the characters from the movie.THE OTHERS IN THE SERIES
With that said, the other non-movie figures are looking very VERY nice! After revisiting the comics & watching the entire 8 episodes of the TV series INHUMANS… this is the Black Bolt, I know… and this this the Black Bolt I remember! Worthy to carry the title KING of the Inhumans!!
Some Jack Kirby art from Fantastic Four #83
Also, that Sub-Mariner figure! Fuyo! I think he might the least clothed Marvel Legends figure of the Hasbro era… and he is totally pulling of the buff bod compared to DC’s King of the Seas! Again, the Sub-Mariner is a of some royalty being the Prince of Atlantis.
Just like this figure, he doesn’t need some fancy shiny armour to make him look badass. It’s just naturally present! John Buscema and Sol Brodsky did a great job setting this precedence, SALUTE!
Sub-Mariner #1
Some trivia for non-fans… as a Captain America fan, I read a lot about Namor The Sub-Mariner because he was very tied with the rediscovery of Captain America in the ice. Later, he also teams up with Cap as a member of The Invaders against the axis powers! Then I also read the Fantastic Four whom also had a lot of encounters with the Sub-Mariner too… most notably kidnaping Sue Storm twice in attempts to court her. DUDE! What chu doing lah? Haha
The Invaders #1
Here at Pop Culture Fun MY, we don’t just want to post news of what the world is getting and what Malaysia is NOT getting -__- so as the titled says – this is the stuff that has LANDED here in Malaysia retail outlets… and we’re not talking about specialty toy stores either. They would have their own FB page website.
This article is not sponsored by store, supplier or even Hasbro themselves. However if any of you guys are interested to collaborate, do email us at popculturefun.my@gmail.com
Thanks for reading! Please LIKE and SHARE! 😊 Have a good week!