Tom Baker interviews sci-fi notables Charles Stross and Sharlto Copley
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. He usually writes for DYWeekend, the paper’s arts and leisure section. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
Recently he interviewed two notable figures from the world of science fiction: novelist Charles Stross, the Hugo Award-winning (and Seiun Award-nominated) author best known for his “Merchant Princes” series, and actor Sharlto Copley, who plays the lead role in the movie “District 9.” Stross in now in Japan to attend the newly launched Hal-Con science fiction convention in Saitama, while Copley was there to promote his film, which just opened in the country. Here are some excerpts:
Charles Stross photo by Sjbradshaw at en.wikipedia
CHARLES STROSS:
Stross has also written “hard” science fiction, such as his novels Saturn’s Children and Accelerando, which imagine technologically advanced futures in deep detail. Readers of those books may notice a sprinkling of Japanese vocabulary, such as “bishojo,” “chibi” and “kawaii.”
“There were particular reasons for wanting to use it [Japanese vocabulary],” Stross explained. “One issue is globalization of culture. Japan is unusual in that it’s one of the few societies other than North-American-stroke-Anglosphere ones successfully exporting its culture globally. You will find Hello Kitty in shops in the U.K., you will find her in Germany, you will find her all over the world. There’s far less in the way of, for example, German cultural exports. So if you’re going to portray a near future, it is one that is going to be Japanese-influenced to a greater or lesser extent.”
Saturn’s Children is about a robot created to serve humans who must get on with her life in a universe where humans have gone extinct. She’s one of a long line of nearly identical “sibs” who sometimes share their memory chips with each other, blurring distinctions between the individual and the group…
Read the rest of Tom’s interview with Stross here. (And read his review of Saturn’s Children here.)
Sharlto Copley photo by Natasha Baucas
SHARLTO COPLEY:
As Wikus [Copley’s character] works for a heavily armed private company called MNU, another big issue in District 9 is the movement of military power into the hands of corporations, a phenomenon that has been prominent in recent world news due to the involvement of U.S. contractors such as Blackwater in the war in Iraq. In the movie, MNU is portrayed as a menace, which made Copley’s comment on the topic a bit of a surprise.
“That started with Neill’s fascination with [a South African military contractor called] Executive Outcomes,” Copley said. “That’s actually the start of modern-day privatization, when the South African government changed, and you had incredibly high-level professional soldiers…that had nowhere to go. They weren’t going to work for the new government, and they formed a private military company that went and sorted out various conflicts in Africa–and did amazingly well, actually. It was very controversial, but you couldn’t argue that when 50 guys went in and solved a problem that the United Nations couldn’t with 5,000, that there was definitely something to be said for that.”
Read the rest of Tom’s interview with Copley here.
Roland Kelts to speak at “Anime Boston” – Sat., April 3
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Hey JETAA New England! Join Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, at Anime Boston this coming weekend for a Japanamerica talk and book-signing session Saturday, April 3, @ 1:30 p.m. in the Hynes Convention Center in downtown Boston.
JET alum David Boling to run for Congress
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Thanks to JET alum Harlan Rosacker of Washington, D.C. for passing along this information:
JET alum David Boling has announced his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional seat in Arkansas. You can see David’s website at: www.bolingforcongress.com and you can follow his blog at: www.bolingforcongress.com/blog.html.
Harland adds:
“We have known David since the mid-1990s. Our association grew as a result our having lived in Japan ourselves from 1969 to 1976. Our son Andrew (born in Tokyo) was a JET in Kanagawa-ken from 1996 to 1998.”
Here are a few JET-relevant snippets from David’s bio:
- David Boling, 45, is a fourth-generation Arkansan. He is a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Justice; a one-time lawyer at the Mitchell Williams law firm in Little Rock; and, until last month, the Chief of Staff to Congressman Vic Snyder (D, AR-2).
- Boling is married to former Fuji Television reporter Mine Sasaguri; he and his wife are the parents of two children, Christopher (7) and Ellen (5).
- Fulfilling a desire to learn more about the Japanese educational system, David took a one-year break from law school, 1988-1989, to teach English to students in Fujishiro. He was later selected for a competitive Rotary scholarship which he used to master the 1800 character Japanese language, visit Pine Bluff’s Sister City, Iwai and, most importantly, gain an understanding of the Japanese legal system and trade between Japan and the United States – specifically, about trade between Japan and Arkansas.
- David passed the Arkansas Bar Exam in 1993 and then completed a Masters in Law (LL.M) at Columbia University School of Law in 1994, where he focused on international and Japanese law.
- In 1995, David joined the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division as a lawyer. He worked there for 10 years, spanning both the Clinton and Bush Administrations. As they increasingly litigated cases against Japanese firms, David’s background was a strong asset to the Justice Department, but he also worked to investigate alleged illegal monopoly behavior in the concert ticketing business and on criminal investigations to crack down on international price-fixing cartels, which steal from American consumers. He helped prosecute a Japanese executive and Japanese company for obstruction of justice in two separate antitrust investigations. In 1999, Janet Reno signed an international antitrust agreement between Japan and the US to further open the Japanese market and improve antitrust enforcement that Boling helped to negotiate.
- Boling was selected for a Mike Mansfield Fellowship at Justice, during which he worked in the Japanese Justice Ministry and other government agencies, deepening his understanding of their legal system.
David-san, ganbatte kudasai!
Tom Baker reviews “Sherlock Holmes,” interviews Jon Foo
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. He usually writes for DYWeekend, the paper’s arts and leisure section. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
Last Friday he had two movie articles in the paper: a review of “Sherlock Holmes,” which you can read here, and an interview with martial artist Jon Foo, who stars in a new movie based on the “Tekken” series of video games. Here is an excerpt:
“My mom, she does judo, and my dad did karate, so I learned a lot from them growing up,” Foo told The Daily Yomiuri in an interview in Tokyo last week. “My mom used to do throws; tomoenage was her favorite. She’d pick me up, kick me in the air and I landed on the bed. And I’d do conditioning. And then I moved on to kung fu, tae kwon do, Muay Thai. Just take the best from each and mix it [considering] whatever suits my body, and I’ll take that and I’ll use that to perform to my best.”
Foo, 27, has had supporting roles in action movies in several countries, but Tekken puts him in the lead for the first time.
He plays Jin Kazama, a young man who makes a living as a fleet-footed courier in a postapocalyptic world ruled by corporations, one of which is Tekken (a name that translates as “iron fist”)…
…Tekken’s top boss, Heihachi Mishima, is an elderly man–but a mean fighter–whose shiny bald dome is framed by an erect ruff of gray hair that looks like a set of tail fins from a 1950s Cadillac. The hair and makeup people did a hilarious job of replicating this look on actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, but they were more restrained when it came to just hinting at Jin’s swept-back hairstyle with Foo. We’re probably meant to laugh at some parts of this film, but Jin has to hold the audience’s sympathy.
Read the rest of the article here.
Roland Kelts column in Daily Yomiuri: Censorship of manga – What’s ok?
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, has published his latest SOFT POWER/HARD TRUTHS column for The Daily Yomiuri–this one about last month’s sentencing of American Chris Handley for possession of ‘obscene manga’ in Iowa–and this month’s proposal by the Tokyo Government to censor ‘virtual porn’ (read: manga and anime) in Japan.
Is this another example of ‘gaitsu‘–Japan being affected by foreign pressure?
Column is here: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100319TDY11101.htm
Roland Kelts to give Tokyo Otaku talk at Temple U. – Thurs March 18 (Tokyo)
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More details here: http://japanamerica.blogspot.com/2010/03/tokyo-otaku-talk-temple-this-thursday.html
Tom Baker reviews “I Love You Phillip Morris”
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
He also writes movie reviews. Here is an excerpt from a recent review of “I Love You Phillip Morris,” in which Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor play Steven and Phillip, the lead characters in a gay romantic-comedy/prison-break film that is based on a true story. It opens March 17 in Britain and April 30 in the United States, but is already playing in Japan.
McGregor’s sweet and naive Phillip is totally believable. Harmlessly meek and far too trusting, yet somehow uttering the lion’s share of the laugh lines, he makes you want to protect him, which is also how Steven feels. “You only see the good in people,” marvels Steven, whose own outlook is far more cynical.
Carrey, who does appear in good movies now and then, is not always as believable in his role, but this is appropriate since he plays a chronic fake who is always trying on new identities and tells lies to everyone he meets. Late in the movie, when Steven tries to prove his love by revealing his true self to Phillip, he can’t really do it.
Steven is a criminal who went to prison because he belonged there. But his scams are amusing because his wealthy victims are entertainingly depicted (fairly or not) as crude, pompous fools. And his various prison escapes are amazing. In one, he uses felt-tip markers and toilet water to dye his prison uniform green, enabling him to walk right out in the guise of a visiting doctor…
Read the rest of the article here.
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (March 2010)
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The March 2010 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online.
Roland Kelts to speak at Kinokuniya (NY) on March 6 as part of “Ponyo Day”
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Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, will be speaking at Kinokuniya in NYC as part of “Ponyo Day.” The event is this Saturday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and Roland will be speaking at 4:00 pm. (This appearance hot on the heels of his Atlanta book signing on March 4!)
All the JETAA Southeast alums will have a chance to meet and hear Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, speak at Keenesaw State University in Atlanta, GA on Thursday, March 4 from 6:30-8:00 pm. If you happen to go and say hi, let him know you heard about the event on JetWit. Also, email JetWit (jetwit [at] jetwit.com) to let us know how the event was so we can share it with the rest of the JET alum community.
Here’s the flyer with all the relevant info for the event:
Asian American Writers’ Workshop: MATCHMAKER – Speed dating hosted by author Kavita Ramdya and comedian Jen Kwok
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I received a wonderful request from author Solmaz Sharif, Managing Director of The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, regarding an event that she thought might be of interest to the JET alumni community:
Matchmaker:
Speed dating hosted by Kavita Ramdya and Jen Kwok
Saturday, March 6, 7-9 PM
- Location: The Asian American Writers’ Workshop16 W 32nd Street, Suite 10A btwn 5th Avenue and Broadway
- Cost: $20 for members / $30 for non-members
- Purchase your tickets here before March 5, 2010 and give us an idea who we should set you up with. For more information you can also visit aaww.org or call 212.494.0061.
Tired of making eyes at readings and not approaching the hottie next to you? Wondering how you can meet people that’ll compliment your bookcase? Interested in hearing more about love in Asian America? Keep it in the family and let the Workshop help you find the one at our first ever speed dating event. The Asian American Writers’ Workshop presents MATCHMAKER, a special event about how we meet, mingle, and marry in Asian America.
Kavita Ramdya, author of Bollywood Weddings: Dating, Engagement, and Marriage in Hindu America, discusses how second-generation Indian Americans get hitched, a tricky negotiation involving arranged meeting, Mom and Dad, and, of course, lots of dancing.
The event will be hosted by stand-up comedian Jen Kwok, the hilarious mastermind behind Date an Asian, her self-described comic ode to “the awesomeness of dating an asian guy.”
You will receive the following premiums:
- A month’s worth of dates squeezed into one night as you move table to table closer to the one
- Finger foods to keep the attention where it counts
- A signature Workshop cocktail
- A horoscope reading to predict your compatibility
Tom Baker interviews “Coraline” Oscar nominee
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Tom Baker (Chiba-ken, 1989-91) is a staff writer for The Daily Yomiuri. A big part of his beat is the Pop Culture page, which covers manga, anime and video games. You can follow Tom’s blog at tokyotombaker.wordpress.com.
He also writes about movies. Here is his interview with stop-motion animator Henry Selick, whose film “Coraline” is a nominee for best animated feature in the Academy Awards to be presented on March 7:
When the nominees for best animated feature film are read out at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood next month, there will be one computer-graphic animated film (Up), two traditional 2-D animated films (The Princess and the Frog and The Secret of Kells) and two stop-motion films (Fantastic Mr. Fox and Coraline).
“I feel very lucky to have lived long enough to still be making films in this era,” Coraline director Henry Selick told The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo last week. His two previous features, Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996) came out before the Oscars introduced an animated feature category in 2001.
Coraline has already won several other prizes, including an Annie animation award for Japanese production designer Tadahiro Uesugi.
Coraline, based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, is the story of a young girl who discovers a secret passage to an alternate universe where all the things that annoy her in the real world have been changed. But like a gingerbread house in a fairy tale, this seemingly delightful place turns out to be a trap from which she must escape.
Read the rest of the article here.
Roland Kelts sought as commentator on Toyota by major media outlets
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If you’ve been following Toyota’s problems of late, then you may have also noticed JET alum Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, popping up a lot as a commentator.
He recently appeared on ABC’s World News Tonight. And even more recently he was commissioned to write an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor to clarify some of the vast cultural misreadings evident in the Congressional Toyota/Toyoda hearings.
- Toyota and trust: Was the Akio Toyoda apology lost in translation? Stung by Toyota recalls, Toyoda had to convey sincerity – and bridge the gulf in communication styles between Japan and America. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0225/Toyota-and-trust-Was-the-Akio-Toyoda-apology-lost-in-translation
- Roland is also quoted in this AP article on Toyota: “Toyota President Battles Crisis in Family Company“ http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/02/19/toyota_president_battles_crisis_in_family_company/?page=full
And addressed the topic of Toyota in an interesting way in his recent Daily Yomiuri column on The Super Bowl, Toyota, Anime and Hollywood:
- SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS / Anime must eventually transcend Japan ‘national’ brand http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20100219TDY11003.htm
And if you’re looking for commentary on non-Toyota topics, then you can listen to Roland’s recent appearance on NPR discussing a wild relic of Japanese popular culture, a viral video of Japanese ‘Jazz Opera,’ produced in 1986 by Tamori, the great comedian:
Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99), author of Japanamerica, is interviewed on ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Brian Ross and Diane Sawyer.
Sake World e-Newsletter by John Gauntner (February 2010)
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The February 2010 issue of the Sake World E-mail Newsletter by JET alum and leading sake expert John Gauntner (aka “The Sake Guy”) is now available online. In this issue:
- Special Confusion
- Did you know? Moto methodology
- New section: Sake basics – daiginjo
- Sake professional course
- New! Japanese for sake lovers
- New! iPhone app: The Sake Dictionary
- Odds-n-Ends
Additional links:
