>>PREVIEW
OTAFEST 2006
May 21 and May 22
Science Theatre Building
MacEwan Hall (U of C)
Hey folks, it’s the Victoria Day long weekend! And what better way to celebrate the memory of the beloved British monarch than with two days of Japanese cartoons? (Er… just go with me on this one.)
Otafest – Southern Alberta’s premier Japanese animation festival – is back for its eighth year this holiday weekend (May 21 to May 22 in the Science Theatres building and MacEwan Hall at the U of C campus). What? No fest on Saturday? Stupid "room availability issues"! Grrrrr.
If you’re an Otafest regular, you’re probably already planning your viewing schedule, making a costume and licking your lips with anticipation. If you’re new to the Otafest experience, just think of it as an inexpensive way to see two days worth of incredibly varied cartoons in a cheerful environment full of special events, game shows, auctions, prize giveaways, and hyper Otaku (obsessive fans) who purchase toys and videos while dressed up as giant pandas and whatnot. The festival is family-friendly, with plenty of all-ages programming available. If you want to get into the more mature-rated stuff, bring photo ID.
The event’s five screening rooms will be showing a wide variety of anime from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. both days, and for $12 you’ll get to come and go as you please for the entire festival. (Bring a non-perishable food item to knock a dollar off admission – the entire non-profit event is a fundraiser for the campus food bank.)
This year’s schedule includes such popular titles as Full Metal Panic!, School Rumble, the reportedly hilarious Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu (or simply Hare and Guu), the plotless but delightful high school memoir Azumanga Daioh, the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and, of course, that hysterical adults-only Otafest perennial, Golden Boy. Try to get into the funnier shows, even if you’ve seen them before. There’s nothing like yukking it up with a big, noisy audience.
Otafest’s popular Cosplay (costume play) event continues to expand each year, this time offering such new offshoots as "Iron Cosplay" (competitive costume improvisation on the fly) and "Otafest Walkoff" (a Zoolander-inspired catwalk battle). Most Otafest patrons don’t wear costumes, but those who do tend to get a lot of attention. Costume themes range from anime to video games to Japanese snack foods — last year, I saw somebody dressed as a box of Pocky!
For more information, maps and schedules, go to www.otafest.com. |
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