JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – ‘DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE,’ LiSA, George Takei
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
After an unusually warm spring, it’s finally starting to feel like summer. Enjoy some seasonal events this month that celebrate the best of both fine and pop art.
This month’s highlights include:
Monday, June 2, 7:00 p.m.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Future Boy Conan
Japan Society, 333 47th Street
$14-$18
4K digital restoration! Japan Society presents the first three episodes of Future Boy Conan on the big screen. Before becoming globally beloved for films including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki worked in television animation, and Future Boy Conan holds a significant place in anime history as his first project as a director. Created in 1978, this 26-episode series was never officially licensed in the United States until now and remained unavailable to U.S. audiences for over 40 years. Based on Alexander Key’s 1970 novel The Incredible Tide, it was reimagined by Miyazaki and can be viewed as a template for much of Miyazaki’s later work. Set in a world after a terrible war that destroyed civilization, created massive floods, and caused the Earth’s axis to shift, Conan lives an isolated life on an island until a mysterious girl named Lana washes ashore. She’s pursued by shadowy operatives who seek to use her in a scheme to control what’s left of the planet, and Conan soon embarks on a daring journey to save Lana and uncover the secrets of his broken world. Future Boy Conan’s environmental theme, family tone, strong female characters and sense of wonder would be revisited again and again throughout Miyazaki’s career, and we invite audiences to discover where it all began.
June 5-12
Various theaters
Various prices
In celebration of the return of DAN DA DAN, the theatrical premiere, releasing as DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE, kicks off the thrillingly eerie EVIL EYE arc, which began in the last episode of the first season. The DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE theatrical event screens last season?s start of the EVIL EYE arc, along with the first three episodes of the new second season, in addition to an exclusive interview with series co-directors Fuga Yamashiro and Abel Gongora. DAN DA DAN follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult geek. In this new arc, Momo and Okarun set out on their latest adventure, traveling to a hot springs town home rented by Jiji, Momo?s childhood friend and former crush, with the goal to solve the mystery surrounding his family. When they arrive, strange locals derail their investigation before it can properly begin, and the group soon learns there’s more lurking under the surface of the town than they could possibly have imagined.
June 5 & 7, 7:30 p.m.
Shun Ishiwaka: Jazz Transcending
Japan Society, 333 47th Street
Confidently straddling the jazz, pop and classical worlds and slipping into all the spaces in between, Shun Ishiwaka is rapidly becoming a worldwide percussion sensation. Recognized for his exceptional versatility, Ishiwaka has been summoned by many prominent international jazz musicians, such as Federico Casagrande, Tony Allen and Jason Moran, for their sessions in Japan. Now, it’s his turn to come ashore to the U.S. to place himself front and center in two distinctive events. Save 20% when you purchase a ticket to both Jazz Transcending programs. Offer only valid for tickets purchased in the same transaction.
SILENT FILM WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 pm
$24, $33
Dir. William Worthington, 1919, 61 min, silent with live accompaniment. With Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Edward Peil, and Toyo.
Last heard performing the drum score within the 2023 megahit jazz anime film Blue Giant playing alongside jazz legends Hiromi and Tomoaki Baba, percussionist Shun Ishiwaka gives his onstage debut at Japan Society in a live film-screening “concert.” Playing an improvised, original score on drum set and vibraphone, Ishiwaka infuses bursts of jazz-inflected color and dreamlike grooves into the classic silent film The Dragon Painter.
Shun Ishiwaka with Adam O’Farrill: Improvisation Duo
JAZZ CONCERT
Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 pm
$36, $48
Trailblazer Shun Ishiwaka and “blazing young trumpet talent” (The New York Times) Adam O’Farrill join forces for an evening of transcendent, uninhibited music and improvisation. While both share the luminous status as recent collaborators of the jazz virtuoso Hiromi (Ishiwaka performed with her in the mega-hit jazz anime movie Blue Giant; O’Farrill is a member of her Sonicwonder project), this concert is the first time for these new talents to light a spark together.
June 18-19, 8:00 p.m.
Terminal 5, 610 W 56th Street
From $37.04
Dubbed as J-Pop’s “Rock Heroine” by the media, Japanese pop sensation LiSA is breaking down genre and language barriers with her powerful live performances and catchy melodies. Known best for lending her voice to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s “Gurenge,” Sword Art Online’s “crossing field,” and most recently, the second season of Solo Leveling for “ReawakeR” (ft. Felix of Stray Kids), LiSA is a beloved icon for J-Pop and anime fans across the globe.
“My first NORTH AMERiCA TOUR is here! This is my first solo show in NY and LA, and my first show in Mexico in nine years,” said LiSA. “I’m so excited! Thank you so much for waiting for us! For those who will see me perform for the first time, looking forward to seeing you! We will be bringing a lot of our precious songs with us. Let’s have a great time! Today is another great day.”
Having gained prominence through the anime series Angel Beats! in 2010, LiSA has since sung theme songs for other fan-favorite titles such as Fate/Zero and My Hero Academia. She also instantly sold-out legendary venues in Japan such as the Nippon Budokan and Saitama Super Arena. In summer 2024, she toured Asia with over 40,000 attendees in total. The J-Pop Rock Heroine isn’t done yet—get ready for her next electrifying chapter! All tickets for the Another Great Day North American tour are available for purchase here, and fans looking to keep in touch with LiSA can stay updated here.
Sunday, June 22, 2:00 p.m.
It Rhymes with Takei: George Takei Author Talk & Signing
Japan Society, 333 47th Street
$12-$15
Following his award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, George Takei’s new full-color graphic memoir It Rhymes with Takei (available June 10 from Top Shelf Productions) reveals his most personal story of all. Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing. There was one very intimate fact he never shared. Now, for the first time ever, Takei shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68 and the way that moment transformed his life. Takei reunites with the They Called Us Enemy team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott and Justin Eisinger for a true story that follows from his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the conformist 1950s, to his global fame as an actor and the terrible fear of exposure, to becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet. Looking back on his own astonishing life on both sides of the closet, George Takei presents a charismatic, candid and deeply personal witness to how far America has come…and how urgently we must fight to defend that precious progress. Attendees of the talk and signing with George Takei will be able to purchase copies of It Rhymes with Takei at the event for a signing session following their talk.
June 22-24
Various theaters
Various prices
From the creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award-nominated director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, comes a gorgeous and adventure-filled adaptation of The Borrowers, one of the most beloved children’s books of all time. In a secret world hidden beneath the floorboards, little people called Borrowers live out of sight of humans. But when brave and tiny Arrietty is out gathering supplies, she is discovered by Shawn, a human boy, and they begin to form a friendship that blossoms into an extraordinary adventure. This sumptuously animated and heartwarming story features the voices of Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Moises Arias and Carol Burnett.
Tuesday, June 24, 8:00 p.m.
The Theater at Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza
From $64.35
As Babymetal celebrate their 15th anniversary this year, the band will also be embarking on a world tour which will include their first-ever headline arena shows in the UK and Europe, playing 12 concerts across eight countries and concluding at The O2 Arena. Babymetal have also signed to Capitol Records, making them the first Japanese act to sign a frontline deal with the label. The group will be releasing their new album, Metal Forth, globally via Capitol on June 13. The band will kick off the North American leg of their tour on June 13, which will include a show at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York with Black Veil Brides and Bloodywood.
“Babymetal’s groundbreaking sound and compelling artistic vision have not only cultivated a worldwide following, but have also demonstrably shifted global music culture,” said Tom March, chairman and CEO of Capitol Records. “We at Capitol Records are privileged to join them in this next chapter as we continue to amplify their international reach and influence with the upcoming release of Metal Forth.” Key “Kobametal” Kobayashi, producer and manager of Babymetal and CEO of Babymetal World, said: “This year, Babymetal celebrates its 15th anniversary and embarks on an exciting new chapter. With Capitol Records as our global partner, the sound of Babymetal will resonate across the world as we take on bolder, more dynamic endeavors than ever before. Stay tuned for what’s to come.”
Thursday, June 30, 7:00 p.m.
Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Plaza
From $66
Scandal is an all-female Japanese rock group hailing from Osaka. Formed in 2006 by four high school girls, band members include Haruna on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mami on lead guitar, Tomomi on bass guitar, and Rina on drums. With a number of international performances and anime theme songs under their belt, Scandal has built a massive global fanbase. Celebrating their 18 years together with the same lineup (a Guinness World Record), and awesome songs like “SCANDAL BABY,” “LOVE SURVIVE,” and “DOLL,” it’s no wonder that this fashion-forward band has been listed among the top ten of the “Most-Requested Artists” category of the J-Melo Awards every single year since 2010, clinching first place in 2014. Now, with the release of their new EP LOVE, SPARK, JOY!, they’re turning up the excitement once again in New York City!
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