Miyavi rocks London

There are gigs and then there are GIGS, and leaving the Islington Academy on Tuesday night, I felt that I had just seen and been a part of something special. Rewind a few hours earlier and I had joined the long queue of j-rock fans, dressed in punk rock and Gothic Lolita gear to see Miyavi. Picture neon pink, gothic fashions and amusingly, even steam punk anime kids wearing vintage oversized goggles. His fans are as diverse as the man’s music himself.

When Miyavi appeared onstage later that evening, at first all we saw was a geisha’s pink parasol. A quick flip around revealed Miyavi hidden beneath, mixing traditional with modern, which is what makes him so interesting. Launching into some of his classic tunes and awe-inducing guitar solo’s, the samurai rocker was on a mission to rock London. It was the anthemic songs like Freedom Fighters and tracks from This Iz Kabuki Rock that got the kids (and grown ups) jumpin’. I was squished into a 20 row moshpit, but it was ace! Miyavvi knows how to rev up a crowd, his poise and swift hand movements were more reminiscent of a traditional Japanese dancer than a rocker. It’s near impossible not to fall under such a magical spell.

One surprising element to the show was the fact that he spent just about the same amount of time talking to the audience as he did singing. You get the feeling that things have changed for Miyavi. Gone are the once famous dreadlocks and piercings’, but the person standing before us still embodies that punk-rock spirit. The move from a big label to going independent has been hard, but despite the challenges he said:

"Even if my wings are clipped, even when it’s tough, I won’t give up my dream"

And I must confess, this admission of his made me like him just that little bit more. Nobody ever talks about the other side of dreams: that times can, and will be, hard. Often, this is something that is left unsaid, but here was Miyavi admitting these things, openly and honestly to his fans. And I found this admirable. If I learnt anything from Miyavi that night, it’s to keep believing in my dreams, no matter what life may throw at me. Miyavi has this incredible fighting spirit, if he’s going to fight for his dreams, then I will too!

Married life has changed him, he says he can no longer go clubbing. Surprisingly, he even tells people that they don’t have to join his fan club, whispering that it’s expensive. He would rather people come and see him live. Later on he says that it doesn’t matter where you were born, it doesn’t matter the colour of your skin, music can pass any barrier. And it shows. In the audience that night, along with us Brits, were many people who had travelled from across Europe just to hear him sing. A love for music had brought us all together. Miyavi rocked London, and London most certainly rocked back!

From FMA to Ouran Host Club, Vic Mignogna talks about playing the Host Club king

Last weekend I attended the London Film and Comic Con and was lucky enough to interview FMA's Vic Mignogna about being Edward Elric and playing the delightful Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club.

In the interview he talks about FMA (Full Metal Alchemist), an anime show which has been hugely successful the world over. There was a comical moment in the interview where I asked about how he felt about the transition from playing an alchemist to suddenly being the Host Club king.

That was when Vic told me the surprising story about how his best friend had seen Ouran and told him that he is Tamaki, pictured above. This made Vic curious about the character and he then went on to check out the show - however, he didn't know whether to be flattered or offended! For those who haven't seen Ouran High School Host Club, the character Vic play's, Tamaki is er... how do I say this... a bit of an idiot. (But he is a lovable idiot.) I have been reading Bisco Hatori's manga for a very long time and somehow Tamaki has won me over. He is kind and loyal and protects his friends, even though he also gets them into all sorts of foolishness too. But from just talking with Vic, it was clear just how much he cares about Tamaki.

He did make the surprising revelation that he doesn't think he is as smooth as Tamaki, which made us both laugh. Whether you are an FMA or Ouran fan, please do check out the article here

London anime expo: Code Geass, gaming and Take That karaoke! (Naruto style)

How on Earth do I describe this year’s London expo? Picture a car crash scene of gaming cosplayers. Imagine a walking Death Note. Chuck in a troupe of all-singing, all-dancing Naruto fan boys doing Take That karaoke, and you have the most surreal expo I’ve ever been to!

I would like to say this was a one off occasion, but anyone who is a regular at expo will tell you, this all passes off as worryingly ‘normal...’

The day really started for me when I met up with my friend Meg, a J-rock cosplayer. Last year I bought a Gackt CD in Tokyo but due to my journalism commitments, the CD has been gathering dust for the better part of a year. This meant Meg had the great honour of being the first person to hear the music direct from Tokyo. As she returned it to me, I casually asked who she was cosplaying as. She gave me a big hug and put her head on my shoulder. Turns out she was Gackt. Oops, my mistake! My excuse was I haven’t seen Moonchild. I really am a bad fan girl. Sorry Gackt....

So here is a picture of Meg dressed as you-know-who getting cuddly with Miyavi. The Kabuki rocker acquired a large army of fangirls throughout the day.


Forget the free huggers, this year I even spotted a ‘free kisses’ sign. On another note, even anime fans are feeling the credit crunch pinch. A Light cosplayer manged to halve the cost of a Death Note wallet with some very clever haggling. I had only done a little bit of Pocky shopping before I was, rather unwittingly, kidnapped by the Gothic Lolita group. It happens...

Escaping into the hallway, I came across some rather surprising cosplayers. Proving you can cosplay just about anyone or anything (phone box, anyone?) I stumbled upon no other than J.D and Turk from Scrubs. They were my favourite cosplaying duo this expo.


As I'm still suffering from the shock ending of the anime Kuroshitsuji, here's a picture of Grell, the chainsaw swinging Grim Reaper of death.


After taking some pictures of Code Geass cosplayers, (the top photo), I narrowly escaped being run over, when a runaway Dalek zoomed past. Doctor Who wasn't joking, they really are dangerous! Out in the forecourt, the largest gathering of people dressed as games characters took place, with 376 games fans dressing up as Lara Croft, pointy eared elves and every one's favourite plumber, Mario!

Code Geass: Friendship, betrayal and the end of Rebellion

It took me a long time to decide on a picture that represents Code Geas: Lelouch of the Rebellion, despite a huge cast, I wanted to select an image that represented what the show meant to me. In the end, I choose this simple image of the two best friends turned enemies, Lelouch and Suzaku, because despite the epic storyline about justice and politics, Code Geass for me, was fundamentally a story about friendship, betrayal and atonement. This post will look at the friendship between Lelouch and Suzaku and asks the question: Can enemies ever become friends? It will also contain spoilers for the ending, so if you don't want to know how the series ends, turn away now.

Code Geass follows the story of Lelouch, a high school student in Britannia who inherits the power of Geass from a mysterious witch called C.C. Lelouch uses the power of Geass, the ability to control others, in order to create a peaceful world in which his sister Nunnally can live. In order to do this he becomes Zero, a masked hero (or villain, depending on your interpretation), the leader of the Black Knights, a rebellion group who are trying to reclaim Japan from the clutches of the Empire of Britannia. Doing so, however, brings him up against his childhood friend Suzaku.

As young boys, Lelouch, the thrown away prince from Britannia, vowed to destroy the empire whilst Suzaku wanted to change the world from within, by joining the Britannian army. Years later the two become enemies, as they are not always aware that they are in fact fighting each other.

But the path of friendship is never a smooth one. Lelouch, as Zero, offers Suzaku a chance to join him but their conflicting ideologies mean fate takes them down different roads. It's not until the start of the second season, R2, that we learn that Suzaku sells his best friend to become a knight of Britannia. But sadly, this becomes the first of many betrayals for Lelouch as the series progresses.

So what is the meaning of friendship if it only leads to betrayal? Lelouch begins to loose his faith in people, seeing them as pawns for battle. However, in a touching scene further into the series, Lelouch asks a young C.C how to heal the pain one feels inside. And her surprising response is with the help of allies, her alternative name for what we would call friends.

In a heart breaking telephone call, Lelouch calls Suzaku and begs him to protect his sister when he realises he cannot, and despite the increasing space between them, he agrees if Lelouch meets him in person. But this encounter leads to another betrayal, Lelouch betrayed a second time no longer believes in friendship and with a fierce determination finally conquers Britannia but at a price- losing the trust of his sister. Alarmingly, Lelouch becomes Emperor after killing his own father, but instead of creating a better world he appears to be following in the footsteps of the father he despised, making a world full of fear.

But it's not until the shock ending that the truth is finally revealed. Emperor Lelouch has ordered the execution of his former Black Knights, but before this can take place a masked man appearing as Zero kills Lelouch. In flashbacks we find out the truth- Lelouch tells Suzaku that in order to create a unified world, he must become the enemy of the world. Only after he is gone will there be the peaceful world that he wanted to create. With tears in his eye's, Suzaku, dressed as Zero, kills his best friend. Lelouch's final words to his friend are that Suzaku can no longer exist, he must live on as Zero.

The series in no small way, blew me away: The bond of friendship that bound Lelouch and Suzaku to the tragic end. Suzaku's struggle to isolate his conflicting feelings for his childhood friend, as he tries to stop feeling nostalgic about Lelouch. Of hope and of sacrifice, and Lelouch's realisation that he must sacrifice himself to create the better world that he wished for. That even when he was feeling hurt, the one person he could talk to, was his sworn enemy.

Lelouch and Suzaku are only one small part of the Code Geass story, but over the last few days watching this series has made me rethink about the nature of friendships. Friends do betray each other and the longer two people know each other, the more they will know how to hurt the other and be hurt themselves.

But it's that basic understanding that can change a friendship, in essence change enemies and save friends even if you can't forgive. Although much of what Lelouch did would be considered unforgivable, the showdown between the two at the temple, saw an angry Suzaku demand that Lelouch continue until the very end, which he does. No one would want their best friend to become their enemy, but Code Geass paints an interesting portrayal of how two best friends who walk down opposing paths can one day become friends again.

Need cheering up from the Credit Crunch?

A little video I stumbled across today for anyone who needs cheering up from the Credit Crunch blues. Its a song called Namida from a band called 2BACKKA, which also happens to be the ending theme tune for the anime series I last blogged about.

The video tells the story about a young man who is trying to find a job who is given a helping hand by his sister and letters of encouragement from his mum (who also sends box fulls of oranges from their home town.) The guy even dyes his hair back to black in the hope that it will help him fit in at interviews. But in the end he realises it is better just to be himself, so he dyes his hair back to normal. And was much happier for it!

It's a nice video about accepting yourself as who you really are, even if it means standing out and being a bit different from everyone else. I remember going through the interview process very well and my worries about thinking that I have to look a certain way to fit in. I think everyone feels that kind of pressure at times.

But watching this video made me realise it's best to just be yourself, even if that means changing your hair colour for a second time!

If you are job hunting at the moment, I wish you all the best of luck.

Revenge Anime: the Skip Beat effect

If the person I loved asked me to ditch everything and move to Tokyo, I would be on the first plane out of here! I'm a hopeless romantic, hopeless being the key word here and Kyoko from Skip Beat is no different. When her childhood sweetheart, Shou, leaves to become a rock musician, he asks Kyoko to come with him.

Anywhere Shou would go, Kyoko would surely follow. Giving up school she worked numerous jobs supporting Shou as he reached for his dreams, doing all these things as an expression of love for him. All until the day she finds out that he simply invited her along as a sort of personal servant. Yeah, Shou's really that horrible.

Overhearing the conversation, Kyoko rightly loses it and as she is being chucked out the building, Shou says that if she ever wants to get back at him, she will have to enter the entertainment industry and become a star like him.

And this is where the real story starts. Kyoko wants to be an idol out of revenge, but she is so hurt by Shou's betrayal that she loses her ability to love others. Despite her many failures, Kyoko eventually gets her first break and learns about how to survive in showbiz and understands how important it is to love yourself.

Skip Beat takes the traditional 'boy verses girl' storyline and gives it a very interesting twist. Kyoko is not the lovey dovey heroine that you find in all girl's shoujo manga, but show's what would happen when the love runs out, something that doesn't really appear that much in manga, when I think about it.

I must admit, I really hated Shou at first, but after I got the Skip Beat bug and read the hundred or so manga chapters out there, I'm finding I really like him. (This blogger quickly dives behind the sofa before people chuck cyber rocks at her.) Perhaps I'm just a fangirl who likes J-rockers or maybe I can understand Kyoko's idealised notion of love. But even naive girls have to grow up sometimes. Kyoko eventually realises how tough the world is but she doesn't give up no matter how many times she fails.

How to cut the cost of Christmas

I swung by Oxford Street on my route home after work yesterday and unsurprisingly the street was packed with shoppers dashing around to find the perfect Christmas present. Zipping in and out of shops, the main thing I found was how expensive everything was, even with the VAT reduction. It can be a challenge to find a thoughtful gift, and usually the perfect gift = expensive present in most people's minds but there are ways to have a cheaper Christmas without being a Scrooge.

It was with that thought in mind, that I co-wrote an article called Ten ways to cut the cost of Christmas which ran in The Independent recently to help shoppers find thrifty ways to save some money during what is the most expensive time of year. This year, shoppers will be forking out £400 each.

The article gives a range of tips including how to make the most of cashback, using online vouchers, redeeming loyalty points and a whole bunch of other ways to save some cash, so do check it out!