Looking for Miku’s Hollywood Premiere! [2018]

Thank you to everyone who attended AGC Pictures‘s award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku‘s red carpet Hollywood premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres as part of HollyShorts Monthly Screenings! Thanks also to those who supported us by sharing and promoting the event!

We led off the block and then, for some reason, we were followed by four foreign films (guess they were confused because we have subs, lol). Most of them were pretty slick-looking and seemed to have high production values — no doubt due to the cooperation they got from their country’s film offices. I was awed that I was able to show my low-budget, guerilla-style, rough-around-the-edges first film alongside them! After a few other shorts, there was a very brief Q&A session. The previous block had run over so the host kept it short; even though he said he had questions for each of the creators on-stage, he actually only asked one of us a question.

Back in the lobby, everyone submitted their vote for Audience Favorite, aka “the filmmaker who did the best job of packing the audience”. (I think more honest results would’ve been achieved if they’d asked everyone to vote for their top two — basically, their friend’s film and their actual favorite). I didn’t expect us to win so I wasn’t disappointed, but I was very, very happy that everyone seemed to enjoy the film even though they had never heard of Hatsune Miku or Vocaloids!

Hopefully there will be more screenings in the future! Keep updated by following the blog (by clicking the “Resistance is Futile” button) or Liking any of my Pages (jimsha, The Vault/Beginning Story, and agc pictures) on Facebook to be instantly notified!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Miku Arrives in Hollywood This Thursday! [6/28/2018]

Just a reminder that Looking for Miku will being making its Hollywood debut this Thursday, 28 June, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Auditorium 4, during the HollyShorts Monthly Screenings!

Come in your best Hatsune Miku cosplay, introduce Dat Vocaloid Lyfe™ to the normals, and take photos on the red carpet!

Once again, our award-winning* anime fan film will be screening during the 9:30 PM block of HollyShorts Monthly Screenings in an actual theater with proper video and sound! Buy your tickets at the door or online here, then vote for us at the end of the 2 hour block so we can start our next project with the production prizes awarded to the winner of Audience Favorite! Let us know you’re coming by RSVPing on our Facebook Event Page!

There are sure to be lots of great films; hope you can make it! Otherwise, follow the blog (by clicking the “Resistance is Futile” button) or Like any of my Pages (jimsha, The Vault/Beginning Story, and agc pictures) on Facebook to be instantly notified of new screenings!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Looking for Miku Screening in Hollywood! [2018]

Miku finally makes it to Hollywood! Looking for Miku will be screening at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Auditorium 4, during the HollyShorts Monthly Screenings on Thursday, 28 June!

I’m really happy and excited that people outside of the con/anime/Vocaloid scene will be able to see the film and maybe get a taste of the things you and I are so passionate about!

Now’s your chance to watch this award-winning* anime fan film in an actual theater with proper video and sound! We screen during the 9:30 PM block (if the flyer is accurate, we actually lead it off) and you can buy your tickets at the door or online here. Be sure to stay for the entire 2 hours because there will be a Q&A afterwards as well as voting for Audience Favorite — the winner will get prizes that’ll help make another film!

There are sure to be lots of great films; hope you can make it! Otherwise, follow the blog (by clicking the “Resistance is Futile” button) or Like any of my Pages (jimsha, The Vault/Beginning Story, and agc pictures) on Facebook to be instantly notified of new screenings!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Looking for Miku’s “Best Three-Way Ever” Screening! [2018]

Thank you to everyone who attended AGC Pictures‘s Looking for Miku panel at Ronin Expo and who otherwise supported us by sharing and promoting the event!

Great to have my friend Jackson Chong (one of the film’s stars) share the stage with me. It was an intimate affair, but I wanted to thank each of you again for attending, especially our repeat attendee who brought along her friends! That made me so happy, you have no idea. ❤ Thanks also to those who helped promote. Hope to see you all again soon!

In the meantime, follow the blog (by clicking the “Resistance is Futile” button) or Like any of my Pages (jimsha, The Vault/Beginning Story, and agc pictures) on Facebook to be instantly notified of new adventures. See you again soon!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Looking for Miku at Ronin Expo [2018]!

We’re returning to Little Tokyo for the third time to screen Looking for Miku at Ronin Expo!

We premiered the award-winning* anime fan film in an unfinished state at Ronin Expo’s predecessor so even though this is only Ronin Expo’s second year, it’s the third time we’ve shown it at my fellow Tomo Neko alum D-boy‘s con. Stay after the show to talk with the filmmakers about the film, con crushes, and other topics! (Admission to Ronin Expo is required to attend.) RSVP on Facebook, and hope to see you there!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Looking for Miku’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” Screening! [2018]

Thank you to everyone who attended AGC Pictures‘s Looking for Miku panel at Anime Los Angeles and who otherwise supported us by sharing and promoting the event!

Very happy to have my friends David Infante (the film’s producer) and Jackson Chong (one of the film’s stars) join me! Even though this version of the screening was titled “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, it was a reference to our last attempt to screen at ALA; it wasn’t our original intent to show the film twice. ^^; While I’ve considered a double-screening for a while, I’d envisioned the second showing would be of the annotated version (which highlights references, in-jokes, and behind-the-scenes trivia). Maybe next time!

In the meantime, follow the blog (by clicking the “Resistance is Futile” button) or Like any of my Pages (jimsha, The Vault/Beginning Story, and agc pictures) on Facebook to be instantly notified of new adventures. See you again soon!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Looking for Miku at Anime LA [2018]!

Happy new year!

Apologies once more for the lack of updates; 2018 has been busy beating me up so haven’t really been able to do much in the way of editing photos or writing posts, but I’m happy to report that we’ll be at Anime Los Angeles this weekend to screen Looking for Miku! (Hopefully. We all know how they screwed us last time.)

Come watch the award-winning* anime fan film then stay after the show to talk with the filmmakers about the film, con crushes, and other topics! (Admission to ALA is required to attend). RSVP on Facebook, and hope to see you there!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

In everything give thanks!

Thank you for your continued support! Wishing all our friends a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

(Photo of Monster Hunters cosplayer originally appeared in my Anime Expo 2015, Day 4 post.)

Achievements Unlocked! [2017]

While I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to get these in person, I’m happy to have them nonetheless! These were two of my favorite authors when I was growing up (Dr. Seuss is another but he’s been gone many years now) and I’ve taken great pleasure in collecting, revisiting, and discovering their works as a grownup. If you’ve seen Looking for Miku, you might have caught the onscreen shout-out to these two authors!

If these two names don’t ring any bells, you were a deprived child and you need to Drop Everything And Read!

Lois Lowry won the Newbery Medal for Number the Stars and for The Giver — the latter ostensibly her best-known work. Growing up, however, I primarily knew only of the Krupnik series of books (Anastasia Krupnik being the first), which followed the adventures of young Anastasia and eventually included those of her younger brother Sam. I’ve since discovered Lowry’s wide-ranging oeuvre and, at 80 years old, Lowry continues to write.

Beverly Cleary is a Library of Congress Living Legend and one of America’s most successful living authors. Her books, which include the Henry Huggins and Ramona Quimby series, have sold 91 million copies and have been translated into over 25 different languages in the nearly 70 years they’ve been in print. She will be 102 years old next year, and her birthday is celebrated as National Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day. She retired in 1999 after the release of the final book in the Ramona Quimby series, Ramona’s World.

Get updated first by Liking my Fan Page on Facebook and learn about my not-so-mysterious past by Liking The Vault on Facebook!

About Looking for Miku
Indecisive lead character? Check. Tsundere best friend? Check. Confessing to senpai? Uh…. We’ve all had (or have) that crush we wish we could confess to! Shy geek Kitty has a crush on her best friend Minnie’s brother, Jackie. While at an anime convention, however, Jackie falls for a cosplayer and enlists their aid to find her. Will Kitty be able to face her fears and confess her feelings to Jackie before they find the cosplayer? Find out in the award-winning* anime fan film Looking for Miku! Watch the trailer and learn more on FilmFreeway!

*Runner Up, Best Childrens/Young Adult Film: Action on Film International Film Festival 2017

2016: The Year in Events

Even though I actually got out of the house more in 2016 (at least, I think I did ^^; ), I only went to three actual events.

The Little Mermaid in Concert: Photos [2016]
The Little Mermaid in Concert: Videos [2016]

First up was The Little Mermaid in Concert Live to Film, which was at the Hollywood (Fish) Bowl! Long-time readers will know that I love The Little Mermaid, so of course I had to go check out this event, which combined the classic Disney film with live performances of the music from both the film and the Broadway musical by original cast members and others. We had such a great time despite the ordeal of getting there.

TOM LA SALE! [2016]

One of my favorite on-line figure vendors is Tokyo Otaku Mode (I should really add a review of them at some point), who offers a point reward system to get you to buy more figures. They moved their offices up north (because, I suspect, California isn’t very business-friendly) but before they did so, they held a huge sale! I actually left work early to go check it out and as an added bonus I ran into some friends there.

Kouraku and Canine & Feline Charity Art Show [2016]

Finally, managed to check out this cat and dog-themed art show in Little Tokyo! It was put on by Q Pop as a charity event to raise funds for North Central Animal Shelter. I’m always impressed by the talent on display at these shows!

Make every day a special event!

Check out the posts linked above for expanded event coverage from 2016, see full albums on my Fan Page on Facebook, and be sure to Like The Vault on Facebook, where I’m finally caught up through 2010! 😀