Writer, photographer and graphic designer.
COLLABORATIVE MANGA PROJECT AIMS TO REDRAW HARA’S KINGDOM
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
May 22, 2012
Professional and amateur mangaka have a chance to redraw a panel from the 26th volume of Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom as part of a manga campaign that launched in Japan last Friday. The project, titled “Social Kingdom,” commemorates the historical manga series surpassing five million copies sold.
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Square Pegs
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
May 9th, 2012
For most, the Rubik’s Cube is a nostalgic but frustrating time-waster. For Cube Works, it’s raw material for art.
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MANGA ARTIST KANATA KONAMI VISITS THE TORONTO COMICS ART FESTIVAL
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
May 8th, 2012
Last Saturday evening, The Japan Foundation played host to a full house of manga fans eagerly awaiting the first-ever North American appearance of Kanata Konami, mangaka of the critically acclaimed Chi’s Sweet Home.
In conjunction with the Toronto Comics Art Festival, the evening’s proceedings began shortly after 7 p.m. and included an on-stage interview by Ed Chavez, marketing director for Vertical Inc.
Along with an English translator, the two discussed her 30-year career in the manga industry, and the popular English translation of Chi’s Sweet Home published by Vertical Inc. The New York Times bestseller tells the story of a small, adventurous kitten that is separated from her mother and is eventually adopted by a Japanese family.
Towards the end of the interview, Konami-sensei discussed the dilemma facing those living in the Tohoku region, after the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan last March.
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Sorachi Hideaki’s samurai anime series is in dire need of an English dub.
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
Feb 24, 2012
Sentai Filmworks confirmed the “dreaded” rumours of a Gintama anime dub earlier this month. Well, more or less— the company released a statement confirming they acquired the licence for the Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-Hen movie, and plan to dub it in English for their Blu-ray release later this year. Although the Twitterverse is up in arms over the announcement, perhaps this is precisely the boost the Gintama franchise needs before it is completely wiped out of the North American market.
Based on Sorachi Hideaki’s side-splittingly hilarious alternate-history manga, the Gintama anime tells the story of a futuristic version of Edo-period Japan controlled by Amanto (read: aliens, samurai, badass technology and the Shinsengumi). The plot centres on Sakata Gintoki, a jack-of-all-trades trying to make a living in the Kabukicho red-light district. Along with his friends Shinpachi and Kagura, Gintoki encounters many people during his adventures.
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Waygoz: the gamer’s social network
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
Jan 31, 2012
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Concert Review: It’s back to the basics as Miyavi rocks Toronto
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
Nov 10, 2011
Read the full review here.
North American manga pioneer shuts down and fans are left wondering what went wrong.
By: Alisha Karim-Lalji
August 1, 2011
Not long ago, if you walked into a bookstore, chances are you would find a swarm of teenagers hanging around the manga aisle. More likely than not, they were reading a series published by Tokyopop. These past few years have not been favourable for the company however, and as layoffs continued, rumours of their closure began circulating around the blogosphere. These rumours became fact when Tokyopop announced the shutdown of their North American publishing division earlier this year. While this came as a disappointment to fans, the company’s demise is not surprising to say the least.