Things of Note:
1) The Bean Poll to remove any, either or both of the 5 minute shows around the Dinner Break (“Chibi Devi” and “Nyanpire”) was very close to even. We are lost without “Chi’s Sweet Home”.

All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

Things of Note:
1) Warning! JAFWA committee elections coming for June 16. To be a valid nominee you need a current financial memberships from now on.
2) The recent Bean Poll was 25 to 3 in favour of retaining “Tiger and Bunny” in the JAFWA program. Please do not hurt the 3 dissenters. For fans of this series, be aware that Siren Entertainment have the Australian licence so they are likely to bring out a DVD set sometime soon.

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
From 14 April 2012 is the suggestion:

SAKAMICHI NO APOLLON
(Kids on the Slope)

Great animation, directing and music compositions by the same people who worked on Cowboy Bebop.

I have not yet had a chance to see this anime, which apparently started screening in Japan in April. However with Shihichirou Watanabe directing and music by Yoko Kanno, this anime sounds like it has a top class pedigree. Once more Jazz shall rule!
I command my JAFWA minions to obtain me a copy so that I may be properly educated. And then maybe we will show the rest of the JAFWA audience.

From 21 April 2012 is the unsigned suggestion:

Play Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon – Roberta’s Revenge

JAFWA did try screening the first episode of “Black Lagoon” back in 2008 but there was not enough interest to put it as a regular item in the JAFWA program.
Since then Madman has picked up the Australian licence and have released the first 2 seasons locally. However, I have not heard if Madman has the rights to the 3rd season -”Roberta’s Blood Trail”.
I am always reluctant to screen a later series of a show if JAFWA has not screened the first season, mainly because so many JAFWAites will simply not be familiar with the story and characters. Still, I will ask the programming committee if they might find room in our crowded schedule for a preview item, if a preview copy can be found.

From 21 April 2012 is yet another unsigned sheet, this time from Greg labelled “Suggestions”:

I suggest Black Rock Shooter the TV series be shown by JAFWA. It has very good action scenes with incredible backgrounds. It would be good to replace ‘c’ when it finishes.

I must admit that the original “Black Rock Shooter” OAV was intriguing.
And I know it was Greg who wrote this Suggestion because he was so kind as to provide JAFWA with the first several episodes of the TV series. SO few people have any idea as to how useful that is.
Hopefully the JAFWA committee will soon be entranced.

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

Go out and enjoy Life, visit the Kingdom of Characters free travelling exhibition, or even attend The Doctor Who club

JAFWA returns Saturday 12 May 2012

After the Event Afternoon, the tentative JAFWA program for Saturday 28^th April 2012 is below. To be held in the Collins Street Community Center on Collins Street just off Canning Highway in South Perth.

Things of Note:
1) Movie Night! We have the fourth work by Makoto Shinkai, whose 1st work was “Voices of a Distant Star”.
2) JAFWA elections coming in June, You need to be a current member to vote or nominate.

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
From 14 April 2012 is the suggestion”:

SAKAMICHI NO APOLLON
(Kids on the Slope)

Great animation, directing and music compositions by the same people who worked on Cowboy Bebop.

Apologies.
I will have to answer this in a couple of days time, after I absorb enough jazz.
Stay tuned.

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

Things of Note:
1) Warning! JAFWA committee elections coming up in June. To be a valid nominee you need a current financial memberships from now on.
2) Kingdom of Characters travelling exhibition organised by the Japan Foundation, Gallery Central and the Consulate-General of Japan in Perth will showcase characters from anime and manga that have been popular in Japan since the 1950s. Featuring life-sized figures of Ultraman, Hello Kitty, Mobile Suit Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Pokemon, the exhibition will also have information panels on display and film on show, providing a window into the world of Japanese characters and the impact they have had on Japanese society.
Gallery Central, Central Institute of Technology, 12 Aberdeen St, Northbridge
Tuesday, April 17 – Thursday, May 3
Weekdays: 10am – 4.45pm, Saturdays: 2pm – 4.45pm, Sundays: Closed
Admission: Free.

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

The tentative JAFWA program for Saturday 14^th April 2012 is below. To be held in the Collins Street Community Center on Collins Street just off Canning Highway in South Perth.

Things of Note:
1) Because Swancon and Easter are on the weekend of April 7 this year, Westlodge is wanting to do their session on afternoon of April 14 before JAFWA. In fact they are asking if they could get about 30 minutes of our session so that they can finish up. So JAFWA will be a little short that evening. We are looking to make this week a themed night rather than a regular program. Nephi has been designing the program, and he has revealed that the theme is going to be Comedy/Silly.

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
From March 31 was an unsigned feedback form entitled “Anime Suggestion – Recorder & Ransell“::

3 minute anime about a brother & sister.
Brother is 11 years old but is 180 cm and looks like an adult. Sister is in high school but 137 cm and looks like a grade school student.

Thank you!
I had heard of this title and heard good things about it, but then lost all my references. Now that I have the name again, I can look further into this.

And another unsigned feedback form labelled “New anime“:

Plez poot on
kuromaja-san Touru
Kore wa Zombie Desuka of the Dead
Medaka Box
AKB0048
UPOTTE!

I am going to be generous and interpret “Plez poot on” as “Please put on”. Other interpretations don’t bear thinking upon.

The first title you mentioned is probably “Kuro-Majo-san ga Touru”, which roughly translates as “Here comes the Black Witch”. I am not aware if this children’s manga has been turned into an anime.
The second title you mention appears to be a combination of two titles – “Kore wa Zombie desu ka” and “high school of the dead”. JAFWA has screened the first episode of both of these series to a somewhat lack-lustre response. The “High school of the Dead” anime is currently available locally from Madman.
“Medaka Box” only just started screening on Japanese TV last week or so. Which means the JAFWA providers might soon get a copy. So stay tuned for a future preview sample.
“AKB0048″ is an anime that hasn’t even been screened in Japan yet, based off of the pop group AKB48
Is “Upoote” the original net animation based on cute girl anthropomorphised guns?

Actually, examining your list makes me feel disturbed. An anime based off of pop singers? What will they inflict upon us next…

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

NOTE: Because Swancon and Easter are on the weekend of April 7 this year, Westlodge is wanting to do their session on afternoon of April 14 before JAFWA. In fact they are asking if they could get about 30 minutes of our session so that they can finish up. So JAFWA will be a little short that evening. But we are looking to make it a themed night rather than a regular program. Nephi is still designing the program, all will hopefully be revealed shortly.

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
From Greg McLeod wrote on 24 March 2012 on the Topic “Suggestions“:

Yes you must show Zero no Tsukaima F.
The first episodes are looking good.

I must, must I?

There was only room in the JAFWA program for either “Zero no Tsukaima F” or “A Certain Magical Index II” as a regular series, and the other as a preview, being as they could be considered the same harem type dating-sim derived genre. It sounds like you object to the choice we made.
Well, you could raise a petition to remove the second series of Index, then we would have room for Zero’s hapless familiar.

After the Event Afternoon, the tentative JAFWA program for Saturday 31^st March 2012 is below. To be held in the Collins Street Community Center on Collins Street just off Canning Highway in South Perth.

Things of Note:
1) Movie Night! We are showing the latest Full Metal Alchemist movie in the evening after the Event afternoon. There is a chance that all this goodness may have to be balanced by some evil.
2) Only one person indicated they were interested in the idea that JAFWA try re-instating a pizza run fot the new $5 Mia Pizzas.
3) Because Swancon and Easter are on the weekend of April 7 this year, Westlodge is wanting to do their session on afternoon of April 14 before JAFWA. In fact they are asking if they could get about 30 minutes of our session so that they can finish up. So JAFWA will be a little short that evening. But we are looking to make it a themed night rather than a regular program. So please give us suggestions as to what them we should go with (Note JAFWA is mostly family friendly, so don’t even bother with any adults only theme)
We have received the suggestion “Ninjas – but not Naruto”

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
From 24 March 2012 entitled “Idea for theme night“:

Ninjas = but not Naruto

Aha!
Finally a suggestion regarding what we might screen on April 14. For those of you who aren’t aware, JAFWA is having an abbreviated session that night due to Westlodge using the Hall into our normal time. Thus JAFWA is thinking rather than do a normal screening program for that evening, we could instead try a themed anime night.

So, what anime theme do you want?

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

Things of Note:
1) Because Swancon and Easter are on the weekend of April 7 this year, Westlodge is wanting to do their session on afternoon of April 14 before JAFWA. In fact they are asking if they could get about 30 minutes of our session so that they can finish up. So JAFWA will be a little short that evening. But we are looking to make it a themed night rather than a regular program. So please give us suggestions as to what them we should go with (Note JAFWA is mostly family friendly, so don’t even bother with any adults only theme).
But we are thinking of holding a themed night. What do people think of “worst of anime” as a theme?
2) A Japanese Film Festival to be held by the Hyoga Prefectural Centre at Perth Library later this month. Details here.
3) Last week’s episode of “Dantalian no Shoka” proved less family friendly than usual, so as punishment we are putting it on later in the night.

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
A JAFWA feedback form from 17 March 2012 with nothing other than:

Soul Eater

Obviously JAFWA is succeeding in it’s mission to introduce Japanese culture to us round-eyed barbarians. A feature of the Japanese language is that, between people who are aware of the underlying context, it is typical that large portions of a sentence can be omitted.
In English a sentence is generally constructed along the lines Subject-Verb-Topic phrases, such as “I give you advice”, where “I” is the Subject, “give you” is the Verb phrase, “advice” is the Topic. Japanese grammar is organised such that sentences usually go Subject-Topic-Verb phrase, and context between speakers often means Subject is dropped, and not uncommonly either Topic or Verb can be dropped, leaving only a Topic or Verb phrase, which can be incomprehensible to a 3rd party who is not aware of context.

Which seems to be what has happened here. “Soul Eater” appears to a Topic (I certainly hope it is not meant as a Verb phrase), but I am lacking Subject and Verb, so I do not know what is meaning is to be implied. There is not even any punctuation like a full stop, question mark or exclamation.
For all I know you are asking that JAFWA do a repeat screening of the entire “Soul Eater” TV series. We last did this a couple of years ago, screening the last episode in June 2010.
Or perhaps this is a suggestion that JAFWA’s upcoming theme night be “Soul Eater” related, but is this a request for a night of “Soul Eater” episodes, or for a night full of episodes of the same genre as “Soul Eater”. Actually, what genre is “Soul Eater”?
Or are you just giving the world your general disapproval of “Soul Eater”, on the principal that the least said the better. Elegant, but I may not agree.

And also from 17 March 2012 is a simple suggestion signed only by something that looks like a cross between an onigiri and a flying egg from “Angelic Layer”:

oven roasted Baked Potatoes

This is apparently a fundraising suggestion for JAFWA.
In Japan during Autumn it is traditional that vendors would push around carts that provided baked potatoes.
So our angelic onigiri writer is apparently suggesting that JAFWA provide oven roasted Baked Potatoes for fundraising sale this autumnal season. Well, the Collins Street hall does have a kitchen with oven attached, but who knows how to bake a potato properly and deliciously? Perhaps we could ask Ella or Jacqui who have produced so many sumptuous delights from that kitchen previously….
Signing off now. Drooling too much over keyboard.

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles

Things of Note:
1) No more Chi after tonight! And there was a gnashing of teeth and rending of cries…

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Dale’s Suggestive Remarks, based on suggestion sheets handed in at JAFWA:
A JAFWA feedback form entitled Constitution Suggestion received from Steve Gunnell on 25 Feb 2012

After 3 years (or 5 or whatever) continuous service, committee members must take a year off. Suggested to prevent burnout & foster the flow of new ideas.

I am of mixed opinion over this.
On the one hand it appears eminently sensible. On the other hand, as the longest serving committee member this would affect me the most and I am so reluctant to give up my position of near-absolute power. If I did so, I would need to find a Life, and I did not shop around for one at the Geek Swap Meet (if anybody was selling such a thing).

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All items in the original Japanese language with English subtitles