It costs around $500,000 to train a geisha. Most of this cost is found in hair styles and kimono. Until an apprentice (called maiko) becomes a geisha, she has to visit a hair dresser each week. Hair styles vary based on the geisha’s rank. Full geisha wear wigs for banquets and special appearances. The rest of…
Geisha: Beginnings
Geisha are an icon of Japanese culture. Mystique and stigma surrounds the profession. Being a geisha is a profession, just as librarianship is a profession. Geisha are not prostitutes. Although, prostitution has marred the profession. Becoming a geisha was one of the few means a girl in the Edo period could gain an education and…
Space Dandy Season 1
I’ve seen a fair split in the anime community when it comes to Space Dandy. There is a fair bit of disappointment. Expectations were high. Space Dandy is directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Many fans expected something similar to Cowboy Bebop. Space Dandy is not Cowboy Bebop by…
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 takes a page from Super Sentai, mixes in some power suits a-la Metroid, and throws in a dash of Final Fantasy. This anime retells an OVA called Bubblegum Crisis. Seven years after an earthquake almost destroyed Tokyo, androids with a fair level of intelligence are being used to rebuild the city….
Visu the Woodsman and the Old Priest
Many years ago there lived on the then barren plain of Suruga a woodsman by the name of Visu. He was a giant in stature, and lived in a hut with his wife and children. One day Visu received a visit from an old priest, who said to him: “Honorable woodsman, I am afraid you…
Origin: Spirits of the Past
Trees shattering the moon is quite a different idea. Origin takes place in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by genetically engineered plants. It is a rather novel idea, but the movie cuts the good and evil – technology verses environment too sharply. Agito is a rash boy at home in the ruins of the past. After…