マクロス超時空進宙式典～ほんとに2009年になっちゃった…2.22だよデカルチャー！～ event

Aka Macross Super Dimension Fortress Launch Festival ~ It really has become 2009…. February 22nd, DECULTURE!~ event

So Macross…. what exactly is Macross and why are people so crazy about it?  Macross is a science fiction mecha anime that started in 1982 (4 years after Gundam)  with the first 36 episode TV series known on Super Dimensional Fortress Macross.  Funnily enough, the original series timeline starts in 2009 and ends in 2012.  This explains why the title of the event is “It really has become 2009”

Since then the franchise has spawned multiple animated series, OVAs, movies, and manga series.  Most of these were released under the merged franchise “Robotech” in North America, but several series such as Macross 7, never made it over to the United States.  Today, the ownership of the Robotech and Macross franchises are a mess in the states, and it is very unlikely that the newest 25 epic series Macross Frontier will ever make it to North America.

I personally only remember seeing Macross 7 in VHS fansubbed format, boy were those the crazy old days of fansubs.  Anyway onto the event news…

To start the event, you have to do something not immediately obvious (Ok, so it says so on the posters, but I read posters slowly because my Japanese stinks).  You need to head to the Tokyo Anime Center at the Akihabara UDX building.

Next you have to purchase a special Macross Event Poster for a whooping 1,099 Yen.  The poster looks identical to the event poster and the cover of the leaflet.  Along with this poster, you get the event leaflet (it’s pretty sturdy cardboard).  It’s limited to 4 posters per person, at 1,099 yen, I would never get more than one anyway.  Though I definitely saw otaku groups buying stacks of these things.  So why do you want more than one of these things anyway.  Well you would if the prize was one of 500 tickets to either the Macross Launch Festival Concert or the Macross history talk show with the creators.  The remaining 1000 prizes are limited edition versions of not for sale Macross Frontier Blu-ray and DVD posters (stuff I could care less about).

The leaflet grants you entry into the stamp rally competition.  As you see in the leaflet below, there are three upper squares.  What you need to do is purchase anything (I mean anything as long as it involves a cashier, this includes 360 yen cheap ass To aru Majutsu clear folder) from a partcipating store, and then request a stamp from the cashier.  Each partcipating store has a different stamp of a Macross character.  I visited Gamers, Animate, and Tokyo Anime Center for a clear folder, Little Buster’s Poster, and a Macross cup, for a Sheryl Nome, Alto Saotome, and Lin Minmay stamps.  Finally, take your leaflet back to the Anime Center to get your final stamp.  Each completed leaflet gets you one chance at the lucky draw.  See why otakus were stacking these things up like mad?

Below, you can see the map of Akihabara and all the stores partcipating in the stamp rally.  They’re all over Akihabara, and they really helped set the festive mood as otakus ran all over the place to visit these shops.  Shops included:

Tokyo Anime Center – Official Shop 東京アニメセンター オフィシャルショップ
(東京都千代田区外神田4-14-1 秋葉原UDX4F　/2/7～2/22の期間中のみ、11:00～20:00)

Animate Akihabara – アニメイト 秋葉原
(東京都千代田区4-3-2　/10:00～21:00)

Akihabara Gamers Headquarters AKIHABARAゲーマーズ本店
(東京都千代田区外神田1-14-7 宝田ビル　/11:00～21:00　※ 1階のみ 9:00～22:00)

Hobby Lobby Tokyo ホビーロビー東京
(東京都千代田区外神田1-15-16 ラジオ会館4F　/11:00～20:00　※水曜定休)

Yellow Submarine G-Shop G-SHOP 秋葉原店
(東京都千代田区外神田1-15-16 ラジオ会館4F　/11:00～20:00　※年中無休)

GEE Store Akiba ジーストア アキバ
(東京都千代田区外神田3-15-5　/平日:11:00～20:00、日祝:11:00～19:00　※年中無休)

Dosupara ドスパラ 秋葉原本店(PC Parts shop)
(東京都千代田区外神田3-11-2 ロック2ビル1、2F　/平日:11:00～20:00、土日祝:10:30～19:30　※年中無休)

Yurindou Book Store 有隣堂 ヨドバシAKIBA店
(東京都千代田区神田花岡町1-1　ヨドバシAKIBA7F　/9:30～22:00)

Family Mart ファミリーマート　秋葉原富士ソフトビル店 (Convenience Store)
(東京都千代田区神田練塀町3番地　富士ソフトビル1F　/7:00～23:00　※年中無休)

Family Mart (different branch)ファミリーマート　秋葉原駅中央口前店 (Convenience Store)
(東京都千代田区神田佐久間町1-13　/24時間営業　※年中無休)

Cure Maid Cafe キュアメイドカフェ
(東京都千代田区外神田3-15-5 ジーストアアキバ6F　/月～木/11:00～20:00(ラストオーダー19:30)、
金・土/11:00～22:00(ラストオーダー21:30)、日・祝日/11:00～19:00(ラストオーダー18:30)、
※祝日前夜11:00～22:00(ラストオーダー21:30))

QUEEN DOLCE (Also a maid cafe)
(東京都千代田区外神田3-15-6 4F　/火～金:14:00～22:00、土日祝:13:00～22:00　※毎週月曜定休)

Akiba Beach アキバ海岸 (Restaurant)
(東京都千代田区外神田4-14-1秋葉原UDX2F　/月～金/11:00～23:00(ラストオーダー22:00)、
土/17:00～23:00(ラストオーダー22:00)、日/17:00～22:00(ラストオーダー21:00)
※ドリンクのみの注文はスタンプ対象外となりますので、ご注意下さい。

I was very fortunate to win a ticket to the concert itself.  It was great seeing the two singers who play the main heroines in Macross Frontier singing and performing live!  Unfortunately, the event was super crowded inside and I was unable to get pictures.  However, I will say this much  星間飛行…. everyone doing キッラ　at the same time is FREAKY.  Without pictures, any further recollection would be kind of boring I guess, so onwards!

The other main attractiion is the shopper’s corner, as with everything in Japan the line was massive, took me a whole hour to get in.

Merchandise on sale included some of the stuff included in my loot post.  Other things included dakimakura covers, Macross exclusive branded CURRY, telephone cards, t-shirts, jackets, specially packaged blu-ray box sets.  As with everything in Japan, everything that was sold at this event is exclusive.  Obtaining any thing sold here will be near impossible overseas, but usually turns up at K-books, Gee Store, Kotobukiya for up to 10 times the original price.  For example, GSC 1/8 Hatsune Miku Figure, 6800 yen, saw her at K-books the other day with an asking price of nearly 20000yen for an open box Miku.

Finally, there were the standard plastic model displays that must be present for all Mecha anime events!

Other displays included an event run by ETC to tell people not to go through toll booths at high speed!

Also, a Macross bike and an Itasha creation demonstration

Well that’s it for now, the Macross event as tons of fun.  It made me feel really really glad that I was in Japan and was able to partcipate.  Oh, and, for the nth time awesome concert was awesome!  Stay tuned tomorrow for another post on locations in Japan!