Happy Harry Potter Day!

Twenty Years ago yesterday, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Sorcerer's Stone was first published

The above Hedwig and all the items that follow were acquired around the time of the release of Fantastic Beasts thanks to an Ichiban Kuji contest (and fortunately most of these were snagged at half price!).
The "A" Prize

Harry's wand with a display case.

The "B" Prize is a Gryffindor Blanket with hoodie.

  

Similarly, the final prize (received after you buy the last kuji ticket) is a Hufflepuff blanket with hoodie.

  

The "C" prize is Hedwig above and the "D" prize is this pouch.

This is the last of my "E" prizes. I gave away one of these hand towels plus a mini wand ("F" prize) on New Year's Eve to anyone who bought me a belated birthday beer. Needless to say, I got fairly drunk that evening.

In addition to the HP loot, I managed to acquire some Fantastic Beasts swag via UFO Catcher. First up is the platypus-esque Niffler who has its own little pouch.

As you can see, it's resting on a muffler. It is longer than I am tall.

This little pouch is good for holding a few potions, yet the briefcase can amass a multitude of Magical creatures!

Finally an acrylic charm.

I'm not sure whether some of the above items will be used in a makeshift Potterish costume or whether I'll give them away as gifts.
Happy 20th Harry. I'm looking forward to more Fantastic Beasts...

Hello Wonder Kitty!

Frustratingly, we have to wait until August 25th to see Wonder Woman. Sigh...
Fortunately I was able to purchase some advanced tickets and as a gift, I received this rubber strap:

It's Kitty-chan cosplaying as her favourite Amazon,Wonder Woman.

There were two different prizes, so I had to buy two tickets. I'm sure I'll be able to find a date.

The second present is a reproduction of WW's first appearance in All Star Comics.

After a quick word from Jim Lee, our Wonderful heroine is showcased. This is a sneak peak, if you want to see the whole thing, you'll either have to buy a ticket or track down the issue on ebay for 18,000$!

There's also an ad for Season One of WW on Blu-Ray. At 200$, that seems a tad pricey.

Several weeks ago, there was a handy dandy Wonder Woman guide available in the cinema.

And this is the latest flyer to come along:

   

Here's a sneak preview:

Based on all I've read while still remaining spoiler-free, this promises to be a great flick!

Speaking of advanced tickets for movies featuring strong female leads, I also bought a pair for
メアリと魔女の花 or  Mary and the Witch's Flower.

The premium with this ticket is an original piece of artwork. Sweet!

 Here's a trailer:

 Here are some photos I've scammed from flyers and movie magazines.

 If it is as good as Arietty, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Not So Innocent.

Last night I saw a new J-Horror movie by Takashi Shimizu (most famous for Juon or The Grudge) entitled Kodomo tsukai or Innocent Curse.

To give you some perspective, here's a teaser...



and a trailer.



Anyone who's ever worked with 4-year old kids, realizes just how creepy they can be and how capable they could be of murdering their abusers. Add in a Pied Piper who controls the little urchins and it just enhances the creepiness. I'm not going to reveal the secret behind him, but he did remind me of Gorgan from the Classic Star Trek episode, And the Children Shall Lead. 

The kids even attacked me, fortunately I escaped in time to go see the movie.

This movie has everything, creepy kids and their mentor, a circus, clowns, a dummy, a horrible gaijin, a plucky day care worker, an intrepid reporter and an eerie earworm. It's a ton of fun and due to the director's clout and its success at a few film fests, I have no doubt that this movie will be released overseas, though most likely it'll be remade in a whitewashed version.

Here are a bunch of photos I scammed from a promo site.

These two child actors were really good. Chances are pretty good that they'll either become great little actors, or be traumatized for life.

 Ring around the director.

This is Mugi Kadowaki, the plucky Day Care Worker with a haunted past.

These cats play an important role as well.

It looks like I'm going to have to haunt the UFO Catcher machines and seek out these straps!