Blog Archives

Good Smile Gallery & Mega Hobby Expo 2018

On Saturday, May 26th-27th, Goodsmile Company held a small exhibit in Akihabara showcasing upcoming products – among them Max Factory’s upcoming 1:20 Scale VF-1 in Gerwalk and Fighter mode, meaning that the SpeakerPODcast Crew was on the scene!

It just so happened that on the same weekend, Megahouse was holding their bi-annual showcase in the area as well. The following is some select pictures we took at both events.

Cowboy Bebop Cafe

Calling all Space Cowboys!

The Goodsmile x Animate Cafe is holding 2 pop-up cafes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Cowboy Bebop. The cafe’s are located in Akihabara and Osaka and will be open from May 15 to June 10.

The following is a selection of photos the SpeakerPODcast Crew took when we dropped by to check the cafe out on June 19. Full impressions will be included in an upcoming podcast.

Enjoy!

Sega Fes 2018 & 16-bit Models Exhibit

Sega Fes 2018 was held over 2 days, from April 14-15, at the Belle Salle event space in Akihabara. A celebration of all things Sega, the event featured games (plus a giant Megadrive controller!), announcements (Shenmue 1&2 HD remaster and a New Sakura Wars title), and an extensive display of Megadrive and Dreamcast hardware and software (although no Master System or Saturn, strangely enough). Looking through some of the Megadrive covers was a major nostalgia trip – there were a lot of familiar and influential titles in there.

During the first day of Sega Fes, Kotobukiya Akihabara also held a Sega-themed 16-bit model display. Participants paid tribute to everything from Virtua Fighter to the legendary Segata Sanshiro. While the display was held in a dimly-lit room, making photography a little difficult, the SpeakerPODcast Crew managed to get a few pics.

J9 Exhibit

Remember J9?

If the answer is no, don’t feel too bad, as most of the franchise never received an official release in English-language territories.

Made up of 3 separate series, Galaxy Cyclone Braiger, Galactic Gale Baxingar, and Galactic Whirlwind Sasurigar, the trilogy of super robot anime aired in Japan from 1981 to 1984.

Hakaba no Garo Gallery in Nakano Broadway (3F) is holding a small exhibit of artwork and design documents from the franchise from April 12 – April 27.

But for those who are curious, and can’t make it out to Tokyo on such short notice, the exhibit allows photographs so heres a full gallery. Enjoy!