It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters:Wood Job

The end of January marks the start of the Japan Foundations acclaimed touring film festival. There is normally a theme and a collect of movies to match and depict contemporary and past of Japan. After the introduction an an anime called 'Colourful' featuring the famous director in attendance, Keiichi Hara, (directed, Shin Chan, Doremon). They have returned with two more anime's for there line up.

Wood Job! directed by Shinobu Yaguchi (directed Waterboys) brought a stir to the ICA London last night. With a sold out screening of the movie which held promise of comedy and foresting. Looking at the preview photos it is apparent the film is about nature and country life. We follow protagonist the city kid Hirano Yuki falling in love with a photo of a girl in a lumberjack magazine.

Unlike most boys, he decides to become a lumberjack in hope of meeting this beautiful girl - he has no idea what he is in for.  He has to learn the physics of trees and why people become forresters. This deters him from the start and before running away he actually encounters the girl from the advertisement and finds out which area she is from. Skip a intensive learning course and he has graduated and now embarks a year placement at a village to learn the physical ins and outs of felling trees. This again wouldn't be too bad if the region he chose (to find the love of his life) wasn't in the most treacherous mountain with the supervisor who hates his guts.

Yoki takes to the village introduces him to the people and tells him not to think of running away and Yuki tries but when he figures it's a 2 hour drive to the only bus stop he begins to realise he is needs to suck it up. For eating snakes to being munched on by leeches he grows up fast in the village and this becomes his way of living for a year. He appreciates the smell of the freshly cut trees, the money made for a finely kept log and even  gets to meet the girl of his dreams - a maid since she was dumped by the last trainee forester - ouch.

This film integrates so much comedy between Yuki and villagers from the culture clash and does so subtly as compared to Waterboys. The film strengthens the notion of looking after mother earth and making do with what you have. A group of Yuki's town friends come to spectate his new life and disrespect his lifestyle which makes him question going back home. Without spoiling the ending he has a lot to prove to the village before being considered a true mountain man.

Watch it on 3rd Feb at the ICA buy tickets here:

https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/japan-foundation-touring-film-programme-wood-job-qa-0

Otaku Themed Food

So Japan has all these themed cafes but is the fanbase worth the money, let's look at the best looking food and see if the taste and presentation is worth us going.

I personally went to the Gundam cafe and I never saw this... In all my life if I were presented a Gundam ship constructed dinner I would have rated this top. But since this was not available at I will have to query where this photo was taken. Looks a bit plain and possibly cold. Everything at the cafe was priced over 500 yen

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I love my desserts and cats so this doriaki made me squeal with joy with a pertruding kitteh trying to escape her pending doom. This looks yummy and a piece of art. It's hard to enjoy food in a hairy environment though....cats and all.

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This particular moomin dessert is christmas themed and looks lush. The food is as fresh as in this photo and the prices from when I visited Sky tree ranged from 330yen for a moomin art coffee to 1000yen for hot food. The art is done to perfection and you get a fluffy friend to keep you company on the table.

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Loving the simple ketchup drawing of the iconic cat warriors/feylynes from Monster Hunter - especially witht he release of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate soon :D

the omlette itself looks mysterious, wonder if the filling lived up to expectation.

Last but not least a Pikachu curry for the pop up Pokemon X/Y shop in Shibuya, enjoy munch on Pikachu's face as the mascot runs around the cafe. Impressed with the colouring even more so that the shaping of the rice.

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Shorts on Tap: Tokyo Calling Event

Following a last minute tweet I found on Monday the 19th January, I found myself attending a film makers event organised by Shorts on Tap.

These guys had a line up of seven Japanese shorts for keen enthusiasts to watch and enjoy in aid of a collaborative event also being held in Japan on 9th Feburary called 'London Calling'.

I was absolutely wowed by the hidden venue with great laid back atmosphere and the actually viewing room with own private bar. If you bought your ticket online (£3) you had earned a reserved seat and it was a must to turn up on time otherwise you'd be standing or sitting on the floor.

The event was absolutely rammed packed ! The night itself was hosted by the charming Pia who introduced us to the movies and possibility of Q&A with directors of the shorts. unfortunately none were in attendance but this did not take away from the event. With waves of applause after each short screening.

The line up was as follows:

RIGHT PLACE by Kosai Sekine

This follows a man with his quirks working at 7 Eleven convenience store in Japan but not quite getting the retail job spec right. He then get's fired and finds a flyer for a new job, not something all people would be good at but it was the RIGHT PLACE for him. Previously shown at the Asia House - Pan Asian Shorts film festival.

BLIND by Yukihiro Shoda

A short about  is about the Fukushima radioactive disaster in Japan, the world being infected with disease and humans being blinded by gas masks and therefore not really experiencing life? That's what I got. A really artistic short.

CHIRURI (animation)by Kawasaki

An animation mixed with hand drawn/water colour and 3D I wasn't sure what it was depicting apart from poverty and people becoming slaves to their jobs. The animation was beautiful

KONNICHIWA BRICK LANE by Saera Jin

Absolutely loved this, based around the area we were sitting - follows relationship if a Jpanese couple living in London, cheating and moving on. Makes a comment on braving the world and trying something new.

VALLEY OF DOLLS by Fritz Schumann

This documentary style short was both intriguing and creepy following the life of a lady living in a town of 37 people but inhabited by 300 + dolls she had made. I would love to see a feature film of this.

MEMORY SCULPTOR by Ken Ochiai

An action pack short staring Denden him and his mentor go into peoples memories and delete them. This particular client is having an affair, the wife wants to make her marriage work by removing all memory of the mistress.

HIDE AND SEEK by Kayoko Asakura

A great way to end the night with phscological thriller where a student turns up to learn how to play  the Koto. Where she is pulling into a game of ‘HIDE and SEEK’. To view all the shorts shown on the night go to the Shorts on Tap site,

I really recommend anyone who has an interest in watching films or film making to go t future events. A really enjoyable evening. I even got a few streetpasses.

Photo by Daniele Roversi

Not ear but an ACTUAL Cat headband

We all know how the staple accessories in each J-Fashion wardrobe includes a animal eared related item. Whether it be the new Axcent wear light up cat-ear headphones, fluffy bunny ears or psycom ears from the anime Chobits. Japanese designer Campanella has gone the next step by creating a cat hairband that will place a life-sized kitty on your head.


Though she does not produce the headband regularly, the outpouring of interest and support she received was phenomenal. She showed it off at Design Festa, an annual expo in Tokyo, Hopefully the positive reaction will encourage her to make more to sell to the public. I know I want one for sure !

more information here:

http://hiyorimimuseum.blog20.fc2.com/

Next part in "Fushigi Yuugi" Manga Series Launching Next Month

Fushigi Yûgi

Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play, also known as Curious Play, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase. Shogakukan published Fushigi Yûgi in Shōjo Comic in its original serialized form from May 1992 through June 1996. Viz Media released the manga series in English in North America starting in 1999. I first read this series in the manga anthology Animerica Extra which completely blew me away with a tale of time travel and legend.

This Bishounen (genre of show featuring lots of beautiful men) spanned over a whooping 18 volumes, Fushigi Yûgi tells the story of two teenage school girls, Miaka and Yui, who find a book and are sucked into The Universe of the Four Gods, and take the roles of priestesses of different dynasties.

A 13 volume Japanese light novel series also followed Fushigi Yûgi: Shōgakukan published the novels from January 30, 1998 to September 26, 2003. In 2003, Watase began releasing a prequel to the manga series, Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden, and ended in May 2013 looking at another district in the fictional world. Now another prequel to the manga series, Fushigi Yûgi Byakko Ibun will be published in February 2015. "Byakko Ibun" will feature the extremely young looking Priestess of Byakko written in Shi Jin Tenchi Sho.

This will be featured in the March 2015 issue of Shogakukan's Monthly Flowers, which is officially published today in Japan, announces that Fushigi Yuugi: Byakko Ibun, a new instalment of Yuu Watase's long running Fushigi Yuugi manga series, will start in the magazine's next April 2015 issue to be published on February 28.

 The total number of copies printed of the series has reached 17 million in Japan. I have so much feels for this series and I even went as far as importing the VHS anime series from america. This was the first Manga I had collected with all types of themes and with beautiful art.

Byakko Ibun

Cosplay in the Animal Kingdom - Meet Volkodav and Dante

A while ago Anime Picks shared an awesome Amaratsu (Okami) cosplay photograph on our Facebook page, I don’t mean a dude in a furry suit, I mean a dog with accessories! To google I went to search the origin of the cosplay to unmask the truth, was it a Photoshop masterpiece like the Pikachu cat? I found a deviantart profile with a full album of professional photographs of the same dog belonging to a chap by the name of Volkodav. I approached Volkodav about the cosplay and was pleasantly surprised.

Volkodav is American established cosplayer of about four years. Living in Boston with his wife, he actually picked it up from her, initially helping her obtain accessories for her outfits and eventually joining in and doing joint cosplays too. Whilst planning his Otakon trip in 2012 his wife suggested (semi-jokingly) to bring Dante the dog as part of the cosplay act. Their roommates at the convention loved the idea, and the hotel allowed dogs, so they did!

Dante is a Samoyed, which is a sled dog breed selected for friendliness, they also fed the weaker sled dogs. As a result, Dante adores attention from people. Surely I thought the accessories on his back must have aggravated him? Volkodav assured me as part of his personality he didn’t care about anything being on him, he was more interested in fuss from others. His fur is as soft as a cloud which can be sheared and used for wool (hypoallergenic too) it was natural to think of making the Ameratsu costume for him.

Amaterasu seemed like an ideal choice as Volkodav liked the game and he looked like the character too - apparently the custom made accessories weren’t at all too cumbersome to make for him. Hats off to Volkadav, this needed mechanics as well as paper-mache to make and the final results were amazing.

Basically, the costume was built in separate pieces which were then attached to a harness that buckles around him, and the marks on his head are made with food coloring- all animal friendly. It took about two months in total to make. Volkodav even made a detailed instructions of it on his blog for people interested and there was a lot of interest for sure: http://volkodavcosplay.com/okami-dog-cosplay/

Dante was oblivious to the costume being on him. In fact he only reacted when he noticed one of the 'wings' out of the corner of his eye. He must have thought it was a toy or a small animal? And tried to bite it off, however Once told to leave it he went back to whatever he was doing.

Generally, Dante doesn't care about anything so long as he's being played with/getting attention, and this time was no exception. He was (unsurprisingly) a giant hit at the convention. He wasn’t taken inside, since the convention center explicitly forbids non-service animals. So the couple walked him outside around the con on three short (30minute) outings, and he was surrounded by people pretty much the entire time.

Other than Otakon, he hasn’t been to any other cons - since it has to be in driving distance - most places don't allow dogs, and they have to make sure it'll be a good experience for him. However, they are always on the lookout for nearby cons that let dogs in, and they will definitely be bringing him to Otakon again this year 2012.

In addition to Otakon, they have taken Dante to his own private photo shoot Volkadav as Susano, and a friend as human-Amaterasu. That was the shoot from which they made a cosplay/comic: http://volko-dav.deviantart.com/art/Okami-Cosplay-Comic-Susano-and-Amaterasu-307990054

For more creative cosplay ideas go to Vokadav’s Facebook page: http://facebook.com/VolkodavCosplay

You can also find more images of dashing Dante on deviant art here: http://volko-dav.deviantart.com/

It’s great to see people come up with more and more creative ideas with cosplay as well as introducing new factors, and Dante was happy throughout, everyone wins.

One of the images above was taken by http://enchantedcupcake.deviantart.com/

Who are Short's on Tap ?

Shorts On Tap is a collective who showcase short films, from both up-and-coming and well­ established film­ makers, at venues all over London and Japan.

They provide a great opportunity for people to discover the best material from the contemporary independent short­film scene, a place for exchanging ideas and networking or simply a treat for a great night out.

Featuring great talent and sometimes special guests from the film industry including directors and actors. Shorts On Tap is striving to promote short film­making from a whole  range of genres and styles and in the most inclusive way: from narrative to experimental; documentaries to animation and also music videos. We always deliver a varied, eclectic, dynamic show.

Our themed events provide a platform that enables film­makers to actively introduce their ideas to the audience. They normally have a Q&A session after each screening, which everyone attending is welcome to join in.

At each screening a special Jury Panel is in charge of picking the 3 best films from the night: the directors of the films chosen are then invited to form the following event's panel and so on, in a sort of 'domino effect'. An external guest from the film industry will also contribute to the panel, such as a professional film critic, a director producer or distributor.

Feel free to submit your work - there's no deadline, no charge, no fuss

http://shortsontap.com/submit/

Idol Hands release date confirmed!

Developer:
Pocket Games Inc

Publisher:
Green Man Loaded

Genre:
Strategy

Platform:
PC

OS - Windows 8 or later

Green Man Loaded is proud to announce that the first game to be released from the new publishing label will be the godly strategy game Idol Hands by Pocket Games Inc. and will launch on Feb 18th 2015.

Idol Hands is a strategy game where you gradually take over the world by guiding your people and defeating other gods. You are a god in a time of many gods. Rather than having direct control over your people’s actions, your people will live their own lives; placing buildings, growing crops, and micro managing themselves.

Without you, your people are directionless!

Your powers will provide them with usable land, protect them from attack, and control nature to their benefit.

With your help they can grow and prosper allowing them to increase the bounty of their harvests. They will learn skills to eventually form an immense fighting force that you can unleash upon your enemy’s population to wipe them out, leaving any other god powerless and defeated.

Key Features:

Play God with a nation of followers ready to respond to your command.
Shape a beautiful and fully-3D land as you see fit, carving out your perfect world.
Feel the power! Unleash massive natural disasters, striking your enemies down before you.
Play the game in the way that you want to. Multiple strategies mean that no two games will ever be the same.

Birthday treats!

So normally people post photos of what they received and brag about everything but over the years the materialistic aspect wears off or maybe just for me.

Here are my top bday moments from past and today -

Memories can survive years on but photos are a nice reminder so you can capture that moment forever in your wallet or whatever. This particular time I took Purikura in LPSC for the first time in years and it was magical. First of all you need the right type of friends with patience for Photo Sticker machines but normal photos can take seconds.

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When the majority of your friends lurk your social network pages and never comment or like but come your birthday they say 'I didn't know what to get you but from Facebook I saw all your destroyed earphones, so I got you some Sonys.' I was chuffed to receive two pairs this year and a pre order for the new Axxent Wear light up cat ear ones that 6 people chipped in for. I think common sense and organisation wins it for this one.

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Cards, i can't explain how much i love receiving a card in the mail or in person. One friend without a doubt always posts me one and this year I thought she forgot as I got a whatsapp message. But in the late mail I got something but when I returned home it was from that person and even included a cute London travel mirror. 

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Art when someone takes time out of their life to personalise something for you -it is the most magical thing ever. Lots of artists out there commission things but when you know people with talent who share it for free you know it's worth more than anything store bought.

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I hate cooking so anything home-made is gold to me. Baking is only an option if I am in the mood and it's for special people in my life. So asking a friend to bring cake the weight of a child was a mission. From Croydon to China Town this American Victoria sponge delight traveled. It got to me at 11pm and I had to go home so without even a long conversation Foolish Overload went home. The deed was noble. I then cut it up the next day for people I was meeting on my birthday and it gave a nice touchy to the evening.

Gamerdisco x Kotaku Event

 Where: The Book Club, 

100 Leonard Street , EC2A 4RH London, United Kingdom

 Show me the money: Free

When: 21/01/2015 (always a wednesday)

Who are 'Gamerdisco' ?

The guys started out their events as 'Nintendisco' and became endorsed by them and toured at events. They then changed their name to encompass a variety of games "a spanking shiny new monthly club night' GamerDisco- a truly social video gaming event!

With multi-screen projected gaming from old skool Nintendo including Pacman - one of the higlights was whoever got the top score on single player mode got an instant prize announced straight at 8.30pm! In the next room near the lightbulb bar they had Bomberman people played competitively

After 9pm Sami Cetin representative of the UK for Mario Kart championships entered the scene to challenge people to Mario Kart tournament with lots of prizes to be won.

 Whilst the hardcore gamers got into their zone you had Jetset Rory spin some 90's tunes mixed with 8 bit; electro, hip hop and gaming themes including Pokemon and Street Fighter. Later relieved by Tom from Japan Underground playing the expected Kyari tracks back to back.

This is a night for both casual button bashers and seasoned pros alike - I saw a different sort of clientèle with more random bystanders than the usual gaming community.

Find more photos here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.761170733937377.1073741854.554115554642897&type=3&uploaded=7

Yippee Suikoden I and II available on the 4th of February on EU PS Store!

Update: 04/01/15 Suikoden 1 and 2 are avialbale to download from PSN today, both are individual games at £3.99 each in the Uk playable on PS3 and Vita only (currently). Support cult classics such as this being brought to the UK by buying the game :-)

Konami Europe announced at 09.55 today on twitter that #Suikoden I and II will be available on the 4th of February on the EU PS Store! As a fan and playing the original series on PSOne and having seen the Sega Saturn version i am thrilled to play this game again and complete all the endings - since I'm hardcore like that :-p

More information on the legendary series here:

http://aishaanime.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/suikoden-i-ii-releasing-on-vita.html

For more information on the Suikoden Revival Movement who sent numourous petitions to Konami Japan to re-release Suikoden go here:

http://aishaanime.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/suikoden-revival-movement.html

Cosplay: Viki

Series: Suikoden

Cosplayer: Aisha Anime

https://www.facebook.com/aisha.anime.ahmed

Club Nintendo is Closing in September!

Nintendo announced some shocking news today that Club Nintendo is to close on September 30th, 2015. Following this date, club members will not be able to access their account, earn Stars or spend any Stars earned from registered products.

This facility is famed for the many errors in codes and the website timing out and not being the most user friendly, however when you actually get the website to work you can end up with some nice exclusive merchandise in exchange for your buying Nintendo products and games.

There are a lot of technicalities to games being purchased between now and September as ther last date to register or use points will be April 20th. Stars will continue to be included with Nintendo titles until April 1, after which registration cards will be removed. Then from April 20, Nintendo will discontinue the registration of digital products purchased through the Nintendo eShop. If you've bought any digital games recently, be sure to complete the survey in your Club Nintendo account and earn any associated Stars before this date.

Stars included with physical products can still be registered and redeemed until September 30. Stars will not be included with the New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL (and were not with the Ambassador 3DS) releasing in Europe next month.

Don't rush to spend all your stars at once, though: Nintendo says that it will "keep adding more (items to the Stars Catalogue) over the coming months, so there's plenty to spend your Stars on before September 30th 2015". SO hopefully none of your stars will be wasted.

Club Nintendo first launched in 2002 and let fans register Nintendo products to earn Stars, a form of currency used to purchase exclusive rewards.

However do not despair a new programme to replace Club Nintendo will launch later this year, Nintendo says.

Those who sign up to the new programme during the launch period will be able to download 3DS illustration app Flipnote Studio 3D free of charge. Nothing has been announced officially about the new scheme yet

Watch Pokemon, kirby, Inzuma Eleven for free on 3DS Anime App!

In Europe, Australia and New Zealand, a new video-on-demand service called the Nintendo Anime Channel will be available for the Nintendo 3DS. It will be available as a free downloadable app from the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

In Europe, it will launch on Feb. 13, 2015 to particularly promote it on the New Nintendo 3DS, which is out on the same day. Available anime include the Pokémon anime, Kirby, and Inazuma Eleven.

In Australia and New Zealand, it will launch on Feb. 14, 2015. Available anime include the Pokémon anime and Kirby. No details have been released about this service in other regions.

Nintendo state it's "A new video-on-demand service kicks off on 13th February, offering fans the chance to stream anime series from the likes of Pokémon, Kirby, and Inazuma Eleven, with new content being added regularly. Access to the service is granted simply by downloading a free application from Nintendo eShop."

Originally Nintendo was keen to push the device as a video multimedia device, with the Nintendo Video channel providing a few short videos every week. That approach had dissolved until Nintendo released the Pikmin Short Movies late last year, and now Nintendo of Europe is following that up and bringing a rather attractive service to its region.

Voice Actor Chikao Ohtsuka Passed Away

Dr Eggman

Voice acting agency Aoni Production announced that Japanese voice actor Chikao Ohtsuka passed away at the age of 85. Ohtsuka passed away on Thursday 15th January due complications with Ischemic Heart Disorder..

For anime fans, he is best known for his role as One Piece's Gol D. Roger, Mobile Suit Gundam 00's Aeolia Schenberg, Gundam 0083’s Eiphar Synapse, Lupin III's Goemon Ishikawa, and Dragon Ball's Tao Pai Pai.

Gol D Roger, One Piece

As for gamers, he is best known for his role as  Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 4 and Sonic the Hedgehog's
Doctor Eggman. He also played played Maxwell in Tales of Xillia,: Guns of the Patriots, and King Gohtza from Lost Odyssey.

From all of us here, thanks for the memories. You will be missed.

For more adventures into anime, cosplay, gaming and events follow me on Facebook and twitter. 

^_^ Aisha Anime

Cadbury's Creme Egg Recipe changed?!

What is the world coming to? If it's not broke don't fix it !  Sadly 12th January 2015 it was announced the famous Creme eggs made from Dairy Milk chocolate recipe will now be changed.

“It’s no longer Dairy Milk. It is similar, but not exactly Dairy Milk,” said a Cadbury's spokesman. The technicality is due to Cadbury's being bought out by the US company Kraft in 2010.


being the only thing I look forward to every Easter (and my friends art and crafts) I have decided hhome-madecreme eggs are the way to go. However not being able to buy corn syrup which helps put it together I'm left empty handed unless I order direct from America.

Not only will the taste of this new inferior egg be affected by the size two as some of the different eggs have been released dint he market. From a glorious  40g of chocolatey egg glory we will now be getting a mere 34g of disappointment.

For those iterested here is the home-made creme egg receipe -

Tools:
Mixer
Scale
Egg-Shaped Candy Mold
Chocolate Melter (opt)

Ingredients:
170g (1/2 cup) light corn syrup (or golden syrup if you're across the pond)
58g (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
375g (3 cups) confectioner's powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
yellow food coloring
1 (12 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips

You're going to be really astounded at how easy this is.

1. Cream together the corn syrup, butter and vanilla. 
2. Sift in the confectioner's powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.
3. Ok yeah, that was it. 
4. Now to get fancy and separate the filling into whites and yolks!
5. Take out about a third of the filling and stir in some yellow food coloring.  Now you're done!
6. Put the two bowls in the fridge, as they're easier to work with once they're set.

Review: Wahaca

You are probably wondering since when did Aisha become a foodie? I've always have been but it's about having the time and experience to comment on food I feel. After two trips to Wahaca - I think things need to laid on the line I am bnot a fan of Mexican food - only Chilangos has me my tastebuds and my butt over.

There were two options to eating, whether it be picking a choosing a few small dishes like 'tapas' or a big meal.

You had a mixture of tacos, burritos and salads, they do not sell chips here. Ultimate disappointment - why? Since I can't digest rice and the green rice looked particularly revolting. I had no alternative, they said they could give me a 'little more salad' instead...I want my carbs replaced with carbs soI am actually full...They would not eve offer sweet potatoe chunks in place. Though a friend said it's worth spending £4,50 on.

Well since every meal came with rice I was stuck so opted for the seasonal 'off the boat' fried cod cakes which felt like more a starter than main meal. It was plain, so seasoning something I could of put in the oven from Youngs or Bird's Eye. I also had to wait a while as the others foods where considered starters and arrived first.

I then looked at the specials menu and was horrified to see crickets there and a justification to help with food shortages...I really want to know who orders this and is is tasty rather than a fetish or survival experience? #chapuliNo Poor Jumney...

Sadly I ate my main meal in a few bites and forgot to take a photo of this glorified oven meal which felt like air in my belly. Definitely for those watching their weight or hate taste of any kind. I feel I  should of bought something ooozzing with cheese this may have been comforting.

For drink I decided to choose something refreshing - a citrus & mint fizz which tasted like leafy water - i do not recommend anyone order this. Also the glass it came in looked over used and had an unusual uneven rim. On the plus size I used the mint leaves - all kinda brown to clean my teeth lol.

While we waited a while before the waitress returned to get our dessert order I introduced my friends to the world of 'Extreme cheapskates' and explained that's where I learnt people cleaned there teeth with mint instead of buying toothbrushes and toothpaste. Frankly it made my breathe smell good but I don't think it would be enough to defeat plaque, When dessert arrived the aroma was amazing and dessert was by far the more superior dish.

With mouth watering choices from fresh cheurros, fried plantain and ice cream, rich chocolate cake drenched in three milks and peanut butter ice cream. I was stuff between cheurros and plantain. I went for plantain as it was new to me and I was not disappointed it was crunchy and sweet which the ice cream complemented perfectly but I tried a friends cheurro which was surprisingly hard and I was overwhelmed by the dark chocolate dipping sauce.

As I felt disappointed and still hungry came across a 'Spoon Amnesty' flyer stating that 4,000 spoons go missing every year an if you return the spoon you get a free plate of tacos. I wonder if this futile offer works, I mean how cheap, they are plastic baby spoons!!!

Conclusion

Small portions make this place great if your on a diet or need a quick lunch. it was overpriced and I left hungry. The first time I came I had a burito which made my vomit. So I will not be coming here again. two chances are enough and I highly doubt I would queue up 30mins for just a dessert.

MH Community event: Special Guests!

Capcom hosted a community event in anticipation for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate release. They invited 100 people to the office who all received an exclusive demo code for the game and a chance to meet the Executive Producer and Series Director in the flesh!

After much excitement in the queue we were all led upstairs at 12.30 after being ticked off the VIP list. We were then stamped and received our demo. Next panic ensued as too many people using the Capcom HQ wifi was not a good idea but thanks to Jake's quick thinking who ever could turn their phones into hotspots got to play and relieve the poor wifi connection. All was saved ! Praise be to Jake (community manager)!

This event was about community spirit talking and fighting with fellow hunters and it was amazing to see a few ambassador 3DS's floating about !

One of the main features of the game were the two new weapons and people were happy to play co op or on their MH3 games or just street pass. It was all relaxed atmosphere and there was even a pop up shop to purchase Japanese figures ! You WERE ALLOWED to come and go as you please to pick up snacks or get cash to buy things.

Then the star guests arrived Ryozo Tsujimoto (Executive Producer) AND Kaname Fujioka (Series Director) accompanied by a massive Cat in Kirin armour. People were allowed to get one item signed (personal) or a provided poster. There were a lot of unusual items including a hip flask, meat plushie and leather pouch - they were shocked to see I had a MH4 Ultimate bag, which I got free for playing the game at Tokyo Games Show last year ^^.

In the spirit of the hunt and with my Birthday coming up, my code didn't work, so I've decided to give it away to a lucky Monster Hunter fan, all you have to do is answer the question - What armour was the cat warrior wearing at the event? Comment on my facebook page, Like 'Aisha Anime' on fb and share the post. Competition ends Friday 23rd midnight (London Greenwich mean time).

Good Luck fellow Hunters ^^ Aisha 

https://www.facebook.com/aisha.anime.ahmed

Update: I would just like to add Capcom contacted me regarding my code not working due to the internet and they have given my another, cannot express how much these guys look after there community. Thank you so much Jake ! I'm back in hunt tonight guys :D