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January 25th 2026! It's the 25th anniversary of Felney! And the self-published comics community of the Kansai region turned out to celebrate in style!
...OK, actually Kansai Comitia being on the same day was a complete coincidence, but a fun one all the same. I intended, for only the second time ever, to get there in time for the opening at 11:00. But I was also up late sorting out stuff for the Felney 25th anniversary page, and forgot to set an alarm! I woke up naturally (a rare occurence) and looked at the clock. It was 8:30, so I said "Well, that ain't 'appenin'", and snoozed for another 45 minutes, anyway. Get sleep where ya can!
Look at this giant, double-decker bridge. Imagine something like this being built on Censorship Island, eh? There would be national protest campaigns against it, with professionally-made bumper stickers and all sorts. When it finally got built, it would be opened by the king, regarded as a symbol of national pride, would become the main, prominent landmark of whatever city it was in, and would feature in TV idents for a decade... This bridge isn't even in the top ten of landmarks of Osaka. There's probably people who live in Osaka who don't even know it exists. Britain really is a fucked, failed state, isn't it? I finally set off at about 11:30, taking the green subway line, which is very un-sub for most of it's route. It used to go to Yumeshima, site of Expo 2025, back when that was on, but now most of the trains stop at Cosmosquare, like they used to. Oddly it seems like some do still go to Yumeshima... just in case anybody feels like looking at a windswept demolition site.
Anyway, I got to Cosmosquare, and walked over to Intex, taking various snaps to use as the background to the 25th anniversary celebratory pic for Felney. As I write this (in Shake Shack after the con!) I've still not decided which one to use.
Shake Shack does a cracker of a burger, it must be said.
Marchnote: I sat on this report for ages and didn't do anything with it! I forgot most of what happened / the order I went round. Let's just crap out a haul review so I can get this uploaded, already. After paying me sen and going in, I went to the "reading area" for comics, which I often neglect, planning to look through a bunch, and decide what I want, then head directly to those tables. However many people had the same idea, so it was a sod to get to the tables. Also the tables are really big, so you have to reach right in to get "deeper" comics.
Soo I just decided to wander the aisles, note down which ones contain interesting-looking stuff, then do a second walk to buy it. If I remember rightly, I was going to aisles A, B, D, F, G, J and I. The rest of the hall was artbooks. I made my buys, then went around again to visit the "one shy person with thier head bowed and a single copy-bon" tables. That's been me, and I know what it's like! Time had got on, so I left the con for Shake Shack, and an inspect of the merchandise... which I then left in a bag in my room for weeks upon weeks, until finally getting it out to take some pics. It was sunny when I got them out, but when I started taking pics, it got cloudy. Not much light gets into my room, anyway, so enjoy the "World Comics Review circa 2011"-quality photos. This Story Does Not Continue Eniiairu (Any Aisle?)
I forgot to actually take a pic of the front cover, oops. Anyway this is about demons coming from hell to invade the earth. Pura Pura Petera Max Yasuhiro
A cute comic about a woman and her pet pteradactyl, some good artwork, especially on the covers. There's not actually that many interior pages. He should do more! 12pa
This one is about girls at school who want to learn how to... decorate fingernails! Also there's some black slime monster. Possibly a metaphor for the inability to do nails well. Hitohashi Nijyo Sannomiya Sasimikabto
There's some wordplay here I'm too much of a gaijin to get. I beleive these girls are named after stations on the way to / in Kobe... and obviously there's also a play on 1, 2, 3. Anyway, it's yonkoma gag strips about a school. Maybe a school in Kobe! Ghost Eaters Re:Boost 2 Tsuchika Takakazu
This seems to be a little like Ghostbusters, but in a world where ghosts and other supernatural entities are fairly common, and the characters can "level up" in rank. Videogames proper did a number on fantasy in Japan, didn't they? Anyway, this is about two characters, who don't like each other all that much, teaming up for some reason. Eruvin To Ki(?) Tachito
This appears to be about an alchaemist / potion maker in a fantasy world... arguing with his sentient books, which won't cooperate, or stay on the shelves. There's also a talking bird... and photography. Because like 90% of オリジナル doujinshi at the moment are set in "a medieval fantasy world, plus whatever technology is needed to get the plot moving". I guess digital natives literally can't wrap their heads around not having a camera and instant means of contact on you at all times. Delta Buddy
This is about "two elites" at a "certain research institute" who have to work together. The setting is a mixture of Regency-era-based fantasy with some Victorian stuff, too. Other than that it's pretty slice-of-life-y. One of the stories revolves around a forgotten umbrella! Anyway the stories are in black and white, but there's also colour world-building, character-bible type pages, too. Dunno Dunno
A free piece of paper with two short comics I got from somewhere. They seem to be about working in a cafe or small shop. The boss buys the waitress hexagonal "mitsuboshi" pencils, so they don't roll off the tables! Love of Roses Rina Aratsuka
A romantic story... maybe. A guy is possibly trapped in a rose garden, a woman who loves him becomes a rose, so she can "be seen" by him. "But what about the other roses in the background?" asks a "hints" page, for interpreting the story, at the end. Anyway also it's printed with a brownish-reddish ink, and the art itself is really small, with a huge acreage of white around the edges of the pages. Doubtless as some metaphor for being trapped in a small, confined world. Traverse Ototo Inurii
Adventurers in a fantasy world (but with modern technology when it helps the plot) are on a quest when they meet a dragon. But it doesn't seem all that bothered by them. The dragon is telepathic and only one member of the party can talk to it. I think. Short Story Collection Doghouse
Three stories, two romantic ones, and one about food. It's ...alright. Sorcerytopia Shinobia
Subtitled "Met A Wounded Unicorn" because, er, they do. Anyway it's about a day in the life of a "certain couple" in a dark-fantasy-but-cute world, where "the only human male" has a hot monstergirl girlfriend. She can turn into various other forms, but her tail is a snake with a will of it's own. Basically it reeks of 2008-ish British small press comics, by the sort of person who actually liked that Invader Zim shit. Pick 'N Mix Various artists
I bought this because it reminded me of blowing my money in the "Pig 'N Mix" in Woolies, back in the day. It's an anthology book which mostly contains slice-of-life school strips. One of them's about a girl in class "2B"! My Mistress Wants me to Decorate Densan Kitiro
Well, actually, the camera-translate said the title was "The Master is I Want to Decorate", but I paraphrased. It's part of a series about an apprentice witch, which I have been collecting. Partly because it actually has a distinctive art style, and partly because that style reminds me of Jenika Ioffreda, a UK Small Press regular. Anyway, this time the mistress wants her apprentice to either decorate the house, OR to "be decorated", by wearing a more feminine outfit. As it is, As it is Daff Ray
A girl at school is doing a "blurred", impressionistic painting of an apple, despite being told to paint it "as it is". Still, other students think it's an interesting interpretation, and want to exhibit it at the school's cultural festival (an event that high schools do, mostly different classes just set up "challenges" for parents to do). Actually she was painting it blurry because she'd forgotten her glasses. How to Develop Virtual Heaven Kuragari Tsushin ("Cloud Communication")
A computer-obsessed boy who lost his parents in a car accident at a young ages studies computers and neurons. He starts to wonder if neurons can be recreated on a computer, thus allowing the consciousness of dead people to be recreated, by "copying" their brains. Maybe It's Me Shina Fumi (flavour)
This is mostly an art book, with basic-high contrast colouring and cute art. Something about angels... Suicidal Thoughts and Sleep Uchi-no-Ume
A book of yonkoma gags, about a suicidal woman constantly tormented by visons of talking nooses, and even a "suicide-chan" character with nooses tied in her hairstyle. She'd have blown up on /b/ in the days of "do it, faggot".
Chiisai Okai Neko Ki
It's an art book. With cats! Manga Works Collection Pieruson
A collection of short manga stories, completely hand-made, then simply photocopied to make the book. Unsophisticated, but it works... I should know, my first print comic was made in exactly the same way. That was an interesting afternoon in Staples... PS-no-Pi Ley Yumeno
What's this? Something educational?? Comitia has it's share of informational doujinshi, too... in fact, somewhere in Osaka there's a con dedicated entirely to them! Anyway, this one's a bit 1950's Eagle, lots of cutaways and information on vehicles and other machinery, ranging from everyday kitchen appliances to bullet trains and F1 cars. Bug Comics Yuki
A very short "call to arms" of sorts, encouraging people to make more comics. Hmm, that'd be a good set of marching orders, that would. |
