Hip Hop Meets Anime/Manga @ Kinokuniya!

Last week on Saturday I attended the Valentine's Day Manga/Anime event at Kinokuniya hosted by Hip Hop USA and Samurai Beat Radio.
I was most interested by this event because of it's anime/hip hop fusion. How many times do such "different" interests come together? There was even a sneaker designing contest that unfortunately I was unable to attend (the guy in front of me was the last person to get a shoe! >__<)

Although the idea as a whole was great, the execution wasn't. I was left pretty unsatisfied by the hip hop panel since their discussions of anime in American hip hop failed to include artists like Lupe Fiasco and Soulja Boy. Vice versa, they never mentioned contemporary Hip Hop Japanese artists like Crystal Kay, Exile, and Jero.  Besides sneakers and the panel, there wasn't much else that was very hip hop about the whole event. Most of the people that attended were yaoi-fan otakus or never-see-the-sun otakus and it was disheartening because I expected to meet other anime/hip hop fans like me. Still I found a way to have fun and forced Atomsk to volunteer in the maid dating game! :3

Check out some pictures of the event below and a video of what Atomsk won!

Hope you all enjoyed the post & stay tuned for more!

La Tenoli

EVENT: A Hip Hop Valentine's Day @ Kinokuniya

It's still pretty chilly in the Big Apple, but the sun's coming out and the weather's really looking up for the Valentine's Day weekend! 
Yesterday I came across some information on a Valentine's Day event being held at Kinokuniya this Saturday!  For all those hip-hop and anime/manga lovers - you're gonna wanna check out the details (below) and start scheduling your plans around this! 

Hip Hop Sneaker Art Workshop (2:00 PM): Officially kicking off the day, we start with something not too heart-shaped as Samurai Beat Radio, Hip Hop USA, and PJ Pop present a Sneaker Art Workshop. Attendees and artists will be given blank white sneakers to fill with their favorite anime and manga illustrations courtesy of Hip Hop USA. Participating fans will have a chance at prizes including having their work turned into a limited-edition sneaker.
Anime and Hip Hop Panel (2:30 PM): Following the Sneaker Art Workshop, Samurai Beat Radio will delve into the connections between anime and hip hop cultures in a discussion about the influence of hip hop on anime and manga art as well as notable Japanese hip hop artists.

( *** for information on other events not shown here, click the link*** )

Hip Hop Sneaker Art Reveal (4:30 PM): After an afternoon of work, Hip Hop USA's artists will present their work and they'll award the prizes to the most original and awe-inspiring designs from fans.

I'm really excited about this event! I've always wanted a chance to customize my own sneakers and this opportunity is a good excuse! ~ Anyone else going feel free to hit me up via twitter! @tenoli I'd love to bump shoulders with you guys!

La Tenoli