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In a rare public appearance, filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki spoke to Tokyo University lecturer and author Roland Kelts in front of a sold out audience at Zellerbach Auditorium on Saturday, July 25. This was the grand finale to a two week Miyazaki retrospective which included a Bay Area premiere screening of his latest film, Ponyo on the Cliffs, to be widely released on August 14.

Miyazaki received the 2009 Berkeley Japan Prize from the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley in a separate ceremony earlier that day. He is the second recipient of this award, originally established in 2008 as part of the Center for Japanese Studies’ fiftieth year anniversary. The prize is awarded to people in all fields who have influenced the world’s understanding of Japan and Japanese culture over their lifetime. Author Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore, After Dark) was the first recipient in 2008.

During the nearly two hour long conversation, Miyazaki and Kelts discussed (via a translator) some of the themes of his films and thoughts on the industry. Miyazaki gave a little commentary on creating Ponyo as well as his own thought processes when creating films. This was then followed by an audience question and answer segment.

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This post was submitted by Ira Goodwin.

Anime Expo, the largest anime and manga convention in North America, was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2 through July 5.

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Pre-Panel Protocol

I woke up on the morning of Saturday, May 23^rd, 2009 with my head stuck in a cloud. It took me a short while to realize that I’d spent the night with BAAU members at the Crown Plaza Hotel across the street from the Fanime convention center. Although I had barely gotten any sleep the night before thanks to the 24-hour party people across the hall, I was focused… I knew that if there was one thing I absolutely had to do that day, it was to check in on time for BayAnime’s “Local Bay Area Anime Fans” panel!

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Sign Up Wars: The Online Registration Menace

Out of 35 total spots for this year’s Fanime Karaoke Contest, 25 were made available for online pre-registration about 3 weeks before the convention. The word around town was that pre-registration for the Karaoke Contest grows more and more competitive each year. This year, looking at how the online sign-up system closed about 20 minutes after going live, I’d say “competitive” could be an understatement. On the evening of Sunday, May 3rd, 2009, hordes of eager contestants sat at their computers with their eyes glued to the Fanime Forums and the Karaoke Twitter page, waiting to sign up at the first sign of a registration form. How do I know this? Well I was one of those people! I believe that I only managed to obtain the last spot available because two other registrants before me didn’t fill out their forms correctly. Here’s hoping that everyone who missed out on the online sign-ups still managed to get a spot on the day of the contest. I knew that I had caught a lucky break that night. I was happy! But whenever I catch such a glimpse of good fortune, fate somehow never fails to come back and bite me in the toes with its twisted sense of humor.
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She stepped in front of me as I was rushing into the Artists Alley — a lady in a princess’ gown. With a playful smile she asked, “Are you my prince?” I stood there for a second, stumped by the random occurrence. But basing it on the atmosphere of where I was that day, I took a chance and casually replied, “Yes, I am!” Although perhaps not quite the answer she was looking for, she paused to think for a second before raising her arms, yelling “YAY!” and giving me a hug. I bowed, and she returned with a curtsey. As we parted ways I continued into the Artists Alley with one eyebrow raised, both puzzled and amused by the peculiar incident. Strange as it seemed, I realized it was all part of just another day at Fanime.
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BayAnime staff member Jason Lee braved the heat and crowds in San Francisco’s Japantown this past Sunday to deliver these amazing shots of the 2009 Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Parade and anime cosplay award ceremony!

BayAnime hit its first convention ever — San Francisco-based “Animation on Display” (AOD) — on Valentine’s Day 2009! AOD is an annual fan-run not-for-profit event celebrating animation in all its forms. Drawing a smaller crowd of mostly younger locally based anime fans, the club-like atmosphere facilitates close interaction between con-goers and provides an especially welcome venue for local artists and cosplayers to share their creations. In this article, BayAnime staff member Steven Lim weighs in on his AOD convention experience!
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