Thor 2: villain poster
The truthfulness of facts 9/4/13
The truthfulness of facts 8/24/13
Maid Cafe New York Grand Opening
Maid Cafe NY grand opening
On August 18th, Maid Cafe NY officially open to a packed crowd.
But have they given the fans the true Maid Cafe experience? Or at least made changes that we had so desperately asked for?
Lets first explain what an actual maid cafe should be: Maid cafes (メイド喫茶 / メイドカフェ Meido kissa / Meido kafe?) are a subcategory of cosplay style restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafes, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants and treat customers as masters (and mistresses) in a private home, rather than as cafe patrons.
Maid cafes come in all shapes and sizes. Most provided a vivid depiction of master and servant without crossing the ecchi line (creepy). Usually, the cafes aren’t about the level of food but more about the experience. It’s a little weird to Westerners because you’re basically waited on hand-and-foot.
Here’s a link to a bunch of sample maid cafes:http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2133810394961862001
So, our correspondents attended the grand opening only to find that nothing has changed at all.
Still no awning…
Still no TV screens…
and no actual “Maid” service.
They had J-Pop music and girls on stage but this was just for the event and held in a separate restaurant above. Plus, there was a 5 dollar cover charge, for a cafe grand opening?
They did nothing to bring the true experience of a Maid Cafe to life. Most of the girls looked as if they didn’t even want to be there. This is a grave mistake and we feel the owner, who is Japanese, is “phoning it in” just to make a quick buck and figured Americans wouldn’t even know the difference, but we do.
The Japanese Curry was sub par and the lack of decor was still uneventful and empty.
If they would have called this an Express Maid Cafe or something else, fine, but making a Maid Cafe without the interaction is like going to Disney and not meeting Mickey or Goofy or riding on any rides.
In the end, we were hoping to recapture the unique and wonderful experience we had in Tokyo, but all we got was a watered down sweet shop with some young women dressed in maid outfits. This is not the same thing as an actual Maid Cafe.
So to all the Otakus and Japanese fans looking for something you only read about in Manga or seen in Anime and J-Dorama, look somewhere else. The best thing to do is to buy a plane ticket and head to Akihabara or Ikebukuro.
Final thoughts: Hopefully, if Maid Cafe NY wants to keep their doors open for a long time, they simply need to add something truly authentic that could only be found in Japan. Unfortunately, many other Maid Cafes have tried but could not keep their doors open for very long: click here
Agree? Disagree? let me know follow me on Twitter @AltMindz
Maid Cafe New York
On August 11, 2013, my wife and I went to Maid Cafe New York, the first attempt of trying to bring the very popular Maid Cafe’s from Japan to the States.
In the past, makeshift maid cafes have been set up at the Anime and Comic Book conventions.
We have personally been to ones in Akihabara so, for the most part in our minds, we have this expectation of what should be done.
Each cafe has their own unique take. Some host as a Manga/Anime place where you can read Manga and even do voice over work in a sound booth. Some treat you very mean. Yet, most have this very traditional style of the servant/master relationship.
Mixing all the awesome Otaku flair with this very hands-on approach makes maid cafes a must-stop attraction while visiting Tokyo.
I never thought in a million years something so different as a maid cafe could be brought to the States. Yet, here we are for our 13th wedding anniversary with the hopes of getting a little taste of Tokyo in our collective tongues.
Now let me first point out that the shop has not done it’s official opening so we attended a “beta” test of the shop. They haven’t even officially placed an awning
above the shop yet.
The decor is pink and white and at least one of the servers was actually Japanese (which we feel should be a must since this is an import specialty shop).
The other two servers where not readily able to speak Japanese. The owner spoke Japanese as well, so we are thankful that the person behind the shop is Japanese (Is it necessary for him to be? No, but it helps).
The shop is rather small for a maid cafe (not all maid cafes are really that big anyway). This shop could only legally hold at max 25-45 people standing. The tables are made of solid wood with green chairs which gives a nature feel to it.
I do feel at this stage of the game that maybe having a LCD screen showing Anime like Maid Sama or just cute Anime characters would add more to this experience. This could bring a lot more fanboys and fangirls to shop. Maybe even having some Anime or Manga artwork of the Maid Cafe girls around the shop would boost the atmosphere.
Also, the music playing was smooth jazz while we where there. Once again, to get that awesome feeling, adding Anime soundtracks or famous J-Pop music or any modern Japanese music would add a new level of fun. I believe it would showcase the shop as something more than just a sweet shop and something very modern Tokyo.
With the decor aside, how was the food?
Unfortunately, I can’t speak about the Japanese Curry since it was not ready at the time we arrived. So my wife had a matcha green tea cheesecake with a green tea flavored bubble tea.
I ordered a crepe with bananas and ice cream while drinking a famous Japanese soda, Ramune. The menu also consisted of shaved ice, hard boil eggs, different cakes and yogurt.
With all this in mind, we shall wait until the official grand opening to give a full verdict as to how Maid Cafe NY measures up.
Follow me on Twitter @AltMindz
Masters of the universe classics makes 2014
Review: Yuki Vs Panda vol 1
By Robert “Rob Base” Greenwood
Comixology has supplied us with so many interesting independent comic books that sometimes I just don’t know where to begin. So, since I am a huge sucker for anime and manga, I look at what other people consider manga.
That brings me to this very different looking comic book that should be more of a spoof on anime and Asian culture than just a Gaijin knocking on the outside doors of manga. Yuki vs Panda’s cover is a little misleading in terms of what we get on the inside. The cover seems to fall flat and depend on a lot of Photoshop. Regardless, this did not deter me from reading this comic which, for a better lack of description, is a great mix of Project Ako/DragonBall/Teen Titans and Family Guy. All this makes for a fun story and something more than a knock off.
You are thrust right into a young Yuki basically tormenting a baby Panda with her ice cream. This semi-violent exchange turns into a future rivalry that will make the Chicken vs Peter Griffin feud look like a kid’s schoolyard fight.
I usually hate this cartoon-style of comic book artwork but with Yuki vs Panda, I felt like I was watching an Adult Swim future hit. And with all of this, I just can’t overlook all the non-Japanese elements in this story. They claim that Yuki is a Japanese schoolgirl but her last name is Lee (not Japanese). Her teacher/Grandfather, Master Lee, hits on a woman and says “Ni Hao you doing?” which is most certainly not Japanese at all. But other than that, I highly recommend you read this book. I give Yuki vs Panda a solid 3/5 and hope Vol. 2 is just as much fun and as well produced as Vol. 1.
Written by Graham Misiurak
Written by Nick Dunec
Art by A Jones
Comixology description:
Welcome to the twisted journey of Japanese schoolgirl Yuki and her Panda nemesis. Yuki Lee is your average everyday martial arts prodigy with mystical powers. Despite her awesome skills and fantastic strength, all she really wants to be is…well, normal. This is something her grandfather and instructor Master Lee neither understands nor condones (after all he’s trained Yuki to be a fighter all her life, not some perfumed “girly-girl.”) But as teenagers tend to do, Yuki starts a subtle rebellion against her rigid and structured life and begins to dabble into the world of shiny lip gloss and boy bands. All is not as it seems however, for an evil omen is in the air and unbeknownst to Yuki, a mysterious figure from her past is about to make his presence known… like BIG time. If you haven’t guessed by now it’s a giant panda bear named Panda. He has returned to exact sweet sweet ice-cold revenge. Volume 1 will introduce us to our many main characters and set the stage for Volume 2: THE CONFRONTATION!
Follow me on Twitter @AltMindz
The truthfulness of facts 8/16/13
My favorite gadgets from the James Bond movies
Guess who? its me again. Julian Cannon is here for a new post. not only I am a WWE/video game/ Marvel and DC boy, I am also a fan of the James Bond movies. here are my picks for my favorite gadgets from the James Bond films
Camera gun (the living daylights)
The camera gun is a 2 in 1 gadget. Other than it takes pictures, but it is also a sniper rifle that can be used for a long range assault. Also the gun has an touch I’d so if anybody else other than bond uses the gun. it will not work at all. This is very interesting since the same idea was eventually used in metal gear solid 2 :sons of liberty with the guards on the big shell storyline that all of their ak-47’s have an ID system. now if the government does this, then our gun control laws will be set.
Underwater gun spear(thunderball)
I would not know if this count as a gadget because everybody else in the movie uses it too. But it counts in my list. The spear gun was something I have never seen before until I have seen this movie years ago. The spear itself after it is shot from the gun travels at a very fast speed. Even underwater it is pretty damn useful to not only get the bad guys out the way, the sharks as well. If there was a contest between a dart and that spear,I would like to see the outcome. But I would not use this underwater because if I miss my target, then I will get angry
Cigarette rocket (you only live twice)
This Bond gadget kills enemies and helps end cancer! Bond is introduced to a special brand of cigarette in this scene that, when lit, launches a rocket up to 30 yards. Cigarettes and cigarette cases have a special place in the Bond gadget universe—they’ve been used to detonate explosives, assemble microfilm readers, unleash stun gas, and help assemble the eponymous golden gun. These rockets can and will hit an unexpected target at any time. can we thank Q for this
Yo-yo saw (octopussy)
This gadget should be in a horror movie. The yoyo saw gave me goosebumps when I was a kid but now when I look back,I think this is the best yoyo ever made. Duncan cannot even top this. Think of the possible ways to take an enemy down with just one cut from the yoyo. It would be very hazardous if you would try to do tricks with it. But you would only see that in a circus or if captain America decides to switch his shield for the yoyo saw
Ghetto blaster (the living daylights)
Like some of the gadgets on this list, this was only seen in Q’s lab. That doesn’t make it any less awesome. It’s a rocket launcher that is shaped like a pretty sweet looking jam box. I’d finally feel safe walking to the store for candy bars in my neighborhood if I had this on my shoulder. I am assuming that this was here because of the rise of the boom boxes in the 1980’s
Pen bomb(goldeneye)
Never one to shy away from a pun, Pierce Brosnan starts strong in his first outing as Bond by telling Q that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword when the quartermaster produces a Class 4 grenade disguised as a Parker Jotter. The pen in question is eventually put to use in a brilliantly tense scene where the captured 007 is forced to watch programmer (and nervous pen clicker) Boris Grishenko click through the arm/disarm cycle of the Jotter multiple times before, once armed, Bond slaps the pen out of Boris’s hand with explosive results.
Golden gun(the man with the golden gun)
The iconic golden gun that Francisco Scaramanga used in The Man with the Golden Gun only shoots a single bullet and takes too long to assemble to be of any use in a real fight—but look at how shiny it is! The gun’s handle is a cigarette case, attached to a lighter that serves as a firing chamber, a pen that serves as barrel, and a trigger made from a cuff link. And it shoots 24-karat gold. now if we had a gun battle between this and a revolver, lets see who would win. Also the gun appears in most of the James Bond video games, as well as the call of duty series ripping off their version of the golden gun too
This I believe is the greatest handgun ever made
industrial laser(goldfinger)
If there’s one thing 007 enjoys more than ending the pitiful existence of nameless lackeys it’s having meaningless sex with awkwardly named vixens. So when boss baddie Auric Goldfinger straps Bond to a table and sets an industrial laser to ‘neuter’, 007 understandably gets a bit squeamish. Naturally, Bond makes it out of the fix with both heads undamaged, but what you might not know is there was a man beneath the table slowly moving a blow torch towards Connery’s crown jewels to produce the laser burn effect. There was no need for Connery to ask ‘What’s my motivation?’ on that day of shooting. But then again, many other TV cartoons or show has used this laser and have escaped the trap in many ways so it works for me to
Bowler hat(goldfinger)
The first time I have seen Oddjob threw the hat,I was thinking about Kung Lao from the Mortal Kombat video game. When you trowel is like a disc, it goes with rapid speed. The bowler hat from Goldfinger wasn’t actually Bond’s gadget but that of Goldfinger’s henchman Oddjob. It had a razor sharp steel rim that could slice through flesh and bone when thrown like a Frisbee. Now try to have your dog catch this if thrown and see what will happen. but then again I would rather use this than a ninja star.
Rolex wristwatch with laser (never say never again)
Before Brosnan used a laser wristwatch in GoldenEye, Connery put it to use in his unofficial return as 007 in the curiously titled Never Say Never Again (the title is derived from a quip made by Connery’s wife in response to him saying he’d never play Bond again). Bond puts the inbuilt laser in the already classy Rolex wristwatch to good use, zapping his chains when he’s caught in a bind. The best part is that the watch is a prototype created by an ex-KGB defector; from Russia with love, indeed.
credit card(a view to a kill)
If you, like us, have watched way too many movies, you’d know that opening a stubborn locked door is as easy as getting a credit card and jiggling it in the gap between the door and the frame. Hmm. At least in A View to a Kill 007 is armed with a credit card that has a tech excuse for why it’s able to open doors: it has the electronic ability to do so, dammit! At least, that’s what we’re told. To prove it works, Bond uses it to break into Stacey Sutton’s home. I used to use my library card as a key to sneak into my living room at night just so I can stay up and do whatever I want. its the most simple gadget ever created
follow me @julianexcalibur