#Akira Boch

[cannedpoo]

"The story of the Atomic Cafe (1946-1989) is also the story of Little Tokyo, forced to move twice due to Civic Center expansion and redevelopment. The building, now occupied by Señor Fish, will be demolished this year to make way for the Metro Regional Connector station. Nancy Sekizawa, daughter of owners Minoru and Ito Matoba, took over the business and became known as Atomic Nancy. Nancy Sekizawa, daughter of owners Minoru and Ito Matoba, took over the business and became known as Atomic Nancy. Little Tokyo folks are working hard to commemorate the story of both the Atomic Café and its successor, the Troy Café, which enlivened the building for some 20 years with down-home Japanese American food, a hangout for punk rockers, and an incubator for the then-burgeoning Chicano/Latino arts movement. The Atomic Café was established by Minoru and Ito Matoba and moved to Third and Alameda in 1961. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Matoba suffered a stroke and his daughter, Nancy Sekizawa, started running the café, bringing her own taste in music and fashion. In the early 1980s, musicians from across the nation and even overseas could be found hanging out at the Atomic Café after hours. Blondie, The Go-Go’s, X, David Byrne, Linda Ronstadt and David Bowie were just a few of the café’s patrons. Sid Vicious once started a food fight there. After Sekizawa’s departure in the mid-1980s, her parents retired and closed the business. The Troy Café — another locally owned small business exuding artistic energy — opened in the same building. Attracting many young Chicano artists from neighboring East L.A., including Las Tres and Yeska, the Troy showcased local music, spoken word, and visual arts. Grammy-winning artists such as Beck and Quetzal performed there. The Little Tokyo Community Council’s Transit Committee, Planning Committee and Cultural Preservation Committee have been in discussion with Metro about a public art piece to commemorate the two cafés once the building — which dates back to 1913 — is demolished and the Regional Connector station is built. Award-winning filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura (“Life on Four Strings,” “A Song for Ourselves,” “Pilgrimage,” “Yellow Brotherhood”) is working with the Little Tokyo Service Center and fellow filmmaker Akira Boch on a short documentary about the two cafes and their legendary impact on L.A.’s music scene. “The interview for the project have been fun so far,” Nakamura said on his blog (www.tadashinakamura.com). “Listening to stories about L.A.’s punk scene in the ’80s and the Chicano arts scene of the ’90s have expanded my appreciation for Little Tokyo as a cultural hub for the arts.” https://rafu.com/2014/02/atomic-nancy-to-appear-at-former-atomic-cafe-site/

[garadinervi]

Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience, (documentary, 56min), Season 10, Episode 1, 2019, Directed by Akira Boch, co-produced by JANM’s Watase Media Arts Center and KCET for the series ARTBOUND. Feat. Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita, and Gyo Obata

«It taught me not to be afraid of the unknown. The unknown is really the thing that frees you into the universe, I think.» –  Ruth Asawa

(image: Imogen Cunningham, Ruth Asawa with hanging sculpture, 1952. © 2019 Imogen Cunningham Trust Artwork © Estate of Ruth Asawa. David Zwirner, New York, NY/London)

[achraf1149]

The 30 Best Comic Books

These days, it's much not possible to ignore the growing prevalence of superheroes. every few months, it seems, some husky young lad slaps on the cloth and seems like a brand new iteration of attender or Spider-Man or one amongst the  Avengers. however let's not forget actuality origin stories behind these characters—or forget to pay our respects to the simplest comics of all time.

Though superhero movies clear Hulk-sized amounts of revenue (the Marvel medium Universe alone has grossed nearly $17 billion), mag sales square measure nothing to sneeze at, either. Some series have sold over a billion copies. Herein, we've gathered along with the popular mag series ever, in step with the knowledgeable counters at Guinness World Records and Education Week. We'd venture to mention several of them also are the simplest comics of all time. And for additional chart-smashers, investigate these thirty popular Novels of All Time.

1Micky Maus by Egmont Ehapa

Mickey Maus popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1951

Copies sold: one billion

The most painting and prolific best comics of all time, Micky Maus contained all of the foremost well-liked filmmaker characters and their daily dealings.

2The keno by DC Thomson

Beano popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1938

Copies sold: one billion

Beano is that the longest-running British comic series, that includes characters like Dennis the Menace, Minnie the flirt, and also the Bash Street children. Over the years, the comics are identified for glorifying immoral behavior like theft and bullying, tho' recently there has been a push to vary this message. And for additional immoral glee in text type, investigate these thirty Funniest Celebrity Books.

3Classics Illustrated by Elliot commercial enterprise Co., Gilberton Company, and Frawley Corporation

Classics Illustrated popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1941 (stopped printing in 1971)

Copies sold: one billion

Classics Illustrated is an associate Yankee mag series that has featured variations of classics like Les Miserables, Moby Dick, and Hamlet. The comics square measure most distinguishable for his or her colorful and elaborated covers.

4Superman by Boche Siegel and Joe Shuster

Superman popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1938

Copies sold: 600 million

This fictional superhero was created initially with this series. when its debut, Superman became a moment success with newspaper strips, video games, and numerous moving pictures and tv variations. Now, it's little doubt one amongst the simplest comics of all time. And for additional Superman trifle, investigate The much Story Behind The Death of Superman.

5Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1939

Copies sold: 460 million

Batman, the best superhero in a very cape, was created simply a year when Superman, in 1939. kind of like its forerunner, attender received instant success and crystal rectifier to any variations of the comic series. And for additional guy-friendly reads, investigate these forty Books each Man Over forty ought to wear His shelf.

6One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

One Piece popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1997

Copies sold: 440 million

This Japanese series, One Piece, follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a superhero in his claim when uptake a Devil Fruit that allowed for his skin to own rubber-like properties. besides his crew of pirates, the hat Pirates, Monkey searches for the world's final treasure called the "One Piece."

7Spider-Man by Marvel

Spider-Man popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1963

Copies sold: 360 million

One of the foremost well-liked and commercially roaring superheroes, Spider-Man, has maintained cult standing within the eyes of geeks (and even traditional people) for many years. That skillfulness makes it one amongst the simplest comics of all time.

8Asterix by Rene Goscinny, Prince Albert Uderzo, and Jean-Yves Ferri

Asterix popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1959 (stopped printing in 2010)

Copies sold: 352 million

Asterix, or The Adventures of Asterix, could be a French mag series following a village of Gauls as they resist Roman occupation in fifty B.C. they are doing this with the assistance of a magic beverage brewed by Druids that offers them powerful strength.

9Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

Peanuts popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1950 (stopped printing in 2000)

Copies sold: three hundred million

Perhaps the foremost painting comic series, Peanuts by Charles M. Charles Munroe Schulz followed the main character Charlie Brown and every one of his friends—each with distinctive and intelligent temperament traits that allowed the story to continue for fifty years.

10Lucky Luke by Morris, Rene Goscinny

Lucky Luke popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1946

Copies sold: three hundred million

Lucky Luke could be a Belgian comic series set within the Yankee previous West, following the adventures of torpedo Lucky Luke, or the "man UN agency shoots quicker than his shadow." Throughout the series, Luke has been cellular against numerous villains, either fictional or real (like the physicist Brothers).

11X-Men by Marvel

X-Men popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1963

Copies sold: 270 million

This Yankee series centers on characters like academician X and Wolverine—humans with supernatural skills. kind of like different Yankee classics, X-Men has been custom-made into multiple roaring films.

12Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1984 (stopped printing in 1995)

Copies sold: 240 million

This vastly roaring Japanese media franchise follows the adventures of Son Goku from childhood to adulthood as he trains in martial arts. In Dragon Ball, Son Goku explores the planet in seven orbs— called Dragon Balls.

13Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1999

Copies sold: 220 million

Naruto could be a Japanese series following a young ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, UN agency dreams of turning into the Hokage, or leader of his village. This series has additionally seen an increase in quality within the U.S., wherever it has been featured in the USA these days and also the big apple Times.

14Captain America by Marvel

Captain America popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1941

Copies sold: 210 million

Captain America was designed as a nationalistic supersoldier throughout war II, fighting the Axis powers and demonstrating pride in Yankee troopers. Captain America was the primary Marvel Comics character to look in media outside of the caricature once it was created into a moving picture in 1944 leading Dick Purcell.

15Golgo thirteen by Takao Saito

Golgi thirteen popular Comic Books, best comics of all time

Year released: 1968

Copies sold: two hundred million

Golgo 13, a Japanese mag series, follows the title character, an associate assassin for rent. a part of the charm to the current series is that the eerie mystery of the most character, UN agency carries out assassin missions with indifference and cold calculation.

[brkfstclubnyc]

Masters of Modern Design

Masters of Modern Design: The Art of the Japanese American Experience

directed by Akira Boch

2019 USA 56 min New York Premiere

Cinepolis

Fri, Oct 18th at 9:15pm w/ Q&A

(additional screenings: Sat, Oct 19 at 7:15pm and Sun, Oct 20 at 1:30pm)

Our friend Alexandra who had a book table during the opening night party (she sold many books!) recommended us - Nozomi and Adam - to watch the new film “Masters of Modern Design” on Japanese American artists, so we went to see the film.

The screening started with the festival director’s intro (as usual).

An overview of the Japanese internment camps was briefly offered with lots of footages from each camp (internment camps were often relocated to a different region).

Isamu Noguchi was the only one who self-internment...

Noguchi wasn’t really considered Japanese because he was mix (only one of his parents was Japanese). 

Note: You can learn more about his mother in the film “Leonie” < https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/12/22/national/film-celebrates-sculptor-isamu-noguchis-mom/#.Xa0ww-nQgWo >. We watched this right after its release.

Life in the camps.

Noguchi was already famous, was traveling all the time, and didn’t fit in the Japanese American community at the internment camp.

Ruth Asawa, California-based Japanese American sculptor. Her husband is Albert Lanier, architect. They were classmates in Josef Albers’ design, color, and drawing classes at Black Mountain College for 3 years.

They were also the Bauhaus people! Albers even brought a student group from Moholy-Nagy’s Institute of Design in Chicago (New Bauhaus) to Black Mountain.

Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier is HERE:

< https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-ruth-asawa-and-albert-lanier-12222 >.

* Listen to Lanier’s lil’ comment on Japanese American dating experience in Albers’ class....

Asawa’s daughter Addie describing her mother’s personality. 

A few other Japanese American individuals whose parents experienced internment camps appeared in the film and explained how they learned about the camps from their parents over time because the parents didn’t desire to talk about it at all or their parents were forced to publicly display their “happy life” that the camps couldn’t harm by dressing small children with upscale clothing. They were thinking that when their parents said they were in the “camp,” they went to a summer camp.

Asawa was typically the only Asian/Japanese American in her artist community and knew what was right. She fought for what she believed to be the right thing.

Director of David Zwirner Gallery explaining her development and process. 

Asawa traveled to Mexico City for an educational program and learned how to weave a Mexican basket. Someone suggested her to close off the end of her baskets and she ended up discovering the forms that could be a beginning of her suspended sculptures.

Curator of the Noguchi Museum describing Noguchi’s stone carving sculptures that are easily rearrangeable and transferable due to his internment experience/lifestyle that caused him to relocate a few times with large-scale standing sculptures.

Post-screening Q&A

The Director of the film, independent filmmaker and the Director of the Japanese American National Museum in L.A., is discussing his film directing experience for “Masters of Modern Design.”

reported by Nozomi Kato 2019

[uci-zotfest]

Check out The Crumbles, produced by UCI alum Gena Hamamoto, and written, directed, and edited by Akira Boch.

It will be screened at the Bowers Museum April 12 as part of the Vietnamese International Film Festival. Cast and crew will be there!

Deets here!