Otacool 2
Interview with Danny Choo of Culture:Japan
Japan-based geek culture blogger Danny Choo is living proof that a niche personal blog can become a thriving multimedia empire. With DannyChoo.com as his primary platform, he’s branched out into everything from anime production to book publishing to toy manufacturing. His blog’s mascot is one of the top-selling figurines on Amazon Japan.
Danny even hosts a zany documentary series on Japanese pop culture entitled Culture:Japan. With one whole season aired so far on Tokyo MX TV, Culture:Japan is now set to conquer Southeast Asia through Animax.
I recently got to chat with Danny about Culture:Japan’s content direction as it debuts to non-Japanese audiences. From cosplay girls to ninja training, here’s what Japan’s king of geeks has in store for international viewers. Click here to continue reading “Interview with Danny Choo of Culture:Japan”…
Comic-Con 2010 Asian Cosplayers

Popular Asian cosplayers Linda Le, Jan Illenberger, and Alodia Gosiengfiao pose for the cameras at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Linda cosplays Juri Han from the video game Super Street Fighter IV. Jan cosplays Bayonetta from the video game Bayonetta. Alodia cosplays Amaha Masane from the anime series Witchblade. Photo by Erskine Manglicmot.
Since 1970, the annual San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) has served as one of the world’s biggest conventions dedicated to geeky passions of all kinds: from comics, to animation, to movies, to toys. One of those geeky passions is cosplay, and that passion was extremely well-represented at this year’s Comic-Con. Hundreds of cosplayers from around the world trooped to the San Diego Convention Center to become their favorite characters for four days, representing every genre at Comic-Con.
One particular cosplayer, Filipina cosplay queen Alodia Gosiengfiao, came to Comic-Con this year with a mission: to host a cosplay gathering for Kotobukiya, publisher of the new photobook Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers. Through the global crowdsourcing efforts of top otaku culture blogger Danny Choo, Otacool 2 brings together amazing cosplayers from around the world, including Alodia. How fitting, then, that Alodia’s cosplay gathering should unite four Asian cosplayers in America. Click here to continue reading “Comic-Con 2010 Asian Cosplayers”…