TAKII presents Cinemazement
A unique and exclusive Asian screening experience featuring Bleach, Princess Tutu, Excel Saga, and Gekijouban Sengoku Basara: The Last Party!
6:00pm - 10:00pm
So many of us have fallen in love with Asian culture fandom by watching but a few episodes of our favorite imported Japanese favorites & we were hooked! Racing home after school, tossing aside the homework we had weeks to do, just to spend 30 minutes watching anything from Bishoujo Senshi SailorMoon to Pokémon & any other anime under the sun. For others, Asian-themed cinema was a guilty pleasure; fingers trembling as we'd purchase the latest volume of our "must see" Korean & Chinese dramas with an intimate circle of friends who understood our passion for such masterpieces. The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational brings memories of yesteryear & visions of the future together with its own TAKII Family & other casual Asian film fanatics to bring to you our newest TAKII World Tour exclusive, Cinemazement!
And in the historic & spacious venue that TAKII has been able to call "home" for the last few years, fans of Asian cinema will be able to enjoy a wide variety of video favorites (on a rotating basis), with our inaugural kick-off screenings comprised of the following (domo arigatou to the volunteers at Wikipedia for providing us this vital series info):
- Bleach: a Japanese anime series based on the manga of the same name by Kubo Tite. The anime ran for a total of 366 episodes, including 111 episodes of original material not based on the manga. Bleach was produced by Studio Pierrot & directed by Abe Noriyuki. Bleach's Japanese & English voice actors include some of the most credited & well known voice actors, including Johnny Yong Bosch. Its music was composed by Sagisu Shirou, who also composed the music for Shin Seiki Evangelion. A total of 15 opening themes & 30 ending themes are used throughout the series featuring a diverse group of Japanese artists.
- Princess Tutu: a metafictional, ballet-themed magical girl, dramatic-musical anime series created by Itoh Ikuko in 2002 for animation studio Hal Film Maker. The 1st season of the anime series was broadcast in Japan in 2002 & the 2nd season in 2004. The anime series was also adapted into a 2-volume manga. Both the manga & anime series were licensed by ADV Films in 2004 for distribution in North America. The series explores the concepts of fate & free will in a way rarely seen in any animated series produced today.
- Excel Saga: a manga series written & illustrated by Koshi Rikdo. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1995 & its individual chapters were collected & published in tankoubon volumes by Shounen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city of Fukuoka as a 1st step towards world domination. The titular character of the series, Excel, is a key member of the group working towards this goal, while the city is defended by a shadowy government agency led by Dr. Kabapu. The manga was adapted into an anime television series by Victor Entertainment. Directed by Watanabe Shinichi & featuring animation from J.C.Staff, the series premiered on TV Tokyo in 1999.
- Gekijouban Sengoku Basara: The Last Party: an anime film that portrays the end of the Sengoku period. Japan is once again in turmoil as subordinate of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Mitsunari Ishida, cuts a wrath of fury across the land while other leaders rally for an era of peace. Masamune Date & Yukimura Sanada must fight Mitsunari again & bring the country together in harmony. It is the last in a series of anime known as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings. The film was released on June 4, 2011. The opening song is "FLAGS" by T.M. Revolution & the ending song is "The Party Must Go On" also by T.M. Revolution.
Cinemazement attendees will be treated to a unique viewing experience as can only be provided by the creators of "the world's most extreme Asian culture fusion festival". In lieu of the FREE entrance fee, we will be taking donations & selling Asian snacks/drinks at the door to raise funds necessary to support the mission of The Rotunda in bringing more arts-positive programming into the Greater Philadelphia area.
As a special treat, those who attend will get to participate in a special edition of "Raffle Royale" featuring prizes provided by Team TAKII Coalition Sponsors & Affiliates! As with most happenings that combine the forces of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational & The Rotunda, this is an all-ages, family-friendly screening that EVERYONE will be able to enjoy.
Due to the anticipated popularity of this stop on our TAKII World Tour (& it, you know, being FREE), we ask that you make arrangements to arrive ASAP, as the screenings will begin promptly at 6:00pm. A few episodes from each of the anime listed above will be shown & presented by Team TAKII Co-Coordinators. Before the anime movie screening of Gekijouban Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, we will break for a momentary intermission (a great time to fill out cards for "Raffle Royale" & donate a few dollars to The Rotunda or buy some Japanese snacks/drinks). And before the night ends, we will raffle off some of our amazing prizes we have in store.
Again, Admission is FREE, but donations will be requested at the door. All proceeds raised at Cinemazement will go directly towards The Rotunda, which has offered a safe & affordable place for creative minds of all shapes & sizes to bring their artistic dreams to life in the Greater Philadelphia area on an (essentially) 24/7 basis for over 15 years. Now is the time that we show the world how much venues & organizations such as The Rotunda are loved by donating money to their honorable cause while enjoying awesome Asian screening fellowship at the same time. Get ready to be cineMAZED, minna-san!!