Supanova Pop Culture Expo

Here are some highlights from our weekend in Melbourne marking our first show for 2015. We’d like to thank the fans for their support and Volunteers for all their efforts.

We’ll be heading on to the Gold Coast this weekend at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre.

There will be more photos posted from the April tour across Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram so be sure to Like and Follow us!

https://www.facebook.com/supanovaexpo
https://www.twitter.com/supanovaexpo
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/supanovaexpo
http://instagram.com/supanovaexpo


Melbourne Supanova April 2015
Photographer: Steven Yee

Welcome to the last day of Brisbane Supanova 2014. It’s the last day and your last chance to catch Supa-Star Guest Appearances, Q&A sessions, Photo-ops, Autographs, Activities, Competitions, Anime screenings, Exhibitors and much more!

We are open until 6pm today. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Download the Event Programme PDF or Guidebook Update for your mobile device for the full schedule:
http://www.supanova.com.au/show-information/guidebook/
http://www.supanova.com.au/news/adelaide-brisbane-2014-event-programmes/

Need assistance? Please approach Volunteers or Supanova Staff and we’d be happy to assist you!

Check out these fun shots from today at Supanova Brisbane 2014!!

Today was so great, let’s do it again tomorrow!

We’ll be back for our final day of Brisbane Supanova Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre with Supa-star Guests, Q&A sessions, Activities, Exhibitors and much more!

We’re open from 10am to 6pm with tickets available at the door.

Welcome to our first full day of our 3-day Expo here at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. We’re open until 6pm tonight and 10am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday with Q&A seminars, Supa-Star guest appearances, Photo-ops, Exhibitor floor for shopping plus loads more. 

Have you bought your tickets to Supanova yet? Don’t worry, there’s still time to take advantage of our online prices today at www.moshtix.com.au/supanovaor you can buy your tickets at the door. 

Don’t forget we are now offering Children’s wristbands at every Expo. Be sure to collect yours from the Information Desk (see event map online, in the Guidebook app, or in the printed event guide) and find out how to use them: 

www.supanova.com.au/tickets

It’s going to be a blast!!

[Photograph by Steven Yee]

Join our Event here:
Brisbane - https://www.facebook.com/events/812318045466635/

Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram: @supanovaexpo

Welcome to the last day of Adelaide Supanova 2014. We’ve got programming for folks of all ages with Guest Appearances, Q&A Seminars, Photo-ops, Autographs, Activities, Supanova Cosplay Competition, Presented by Madman, Exhibitors and much more!

We are open until 6pm today. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Download the Event Programme PDF or Guidebook Update for your mobile device for the full schedule:
http://www.supanova.com.au/news

Need assistance? Please approach Volunteers or Supanova Staff and we’d be happy to assist you!

[Photographs by Steven Yee]

The Tale of Princess Kaguya: Love, Loss and Line-art

A film review by David Quinn

The Tale of Princess Kaguya, released by Studio Ghibli in 2013, recently opened in Australia. The studio is known for its extraordinarily whimsical animated films, such as My Neighbour Totoro,  Howl’s Moving Castle, the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away, and – possibly their biggest international hit – Princess Mononoke. Seen by many as the brainchild of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, there were concerns that his recently announced retirement could mean the demise of Studio Ghibli, or at least a noticeable drop in the quality of their films. If this film is anything to go by, however, there is no need for concern!

Princess Kaguya retells one of the oldest known Japanese narratives, a 10th Century folk tale called  "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter". A story that is, in some ways, a precursor to science fiction, though here it is seen through a magical, almost spiritual and religious lens. An ageing bamboo cutter happens upon a tiny, beautiful princess embedded in a bamboo shoot. He brings her home with him, assuming that she is a blessing from Heaven. However, she suddenly transforms into a seemingly normal baby, whom the bamboo cutter and his wife raise as their own. The baby grows unnaturally fast, visibly increasing in size each time she learns something and gains a new experience. This draws the attention of the local children, who initially mock the little girl, but soon grow to love her.

Through a series of magical interferences, the bamboo cutter and his wife become rich and decide that their child should be raised as a true and noble princess. Tales of her beauty spread and she is courted by many, including noblemen and princes. Her life becomes progressively more complex and she longs for the simplicity and freedom of her childhood. The film changes pace and shifts in tone, with a melancholic conclusion of a type rarely seen in animation made outside Japan.

The plot is simple, but emotionally engaging. The lead character can be quite reactive, which would not be an ideal focus point for the story, but eventually finds agency and seems to take control of her destiny, while occasionally, others around her can range from aimless caricatures to fully fleshed-out and motivated people. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a slow burn, and at times has the potential to feel a bit wandery and unfocused.

The true standout is that visually, this film is beyond stunning. It looks like an animated combination of watercolours and pencil, which gives it a feeling of a children’s book, or an old painting or scroll, and it is achingly beautiful. There are also moments where the visual style changes to echo the action taking place, from rough scratchy pencil in an emotionally charged chase sequence, to a more traditional wood-cut style to demonstrate a switch to a completely different time, place, or character’s point of view. At every turn, the visual language is effortlessly classical and technically brilliant without ever being ostentatious or overwrought.

The soundtrack throughout is subtle and at times very beautiful, though most notably the music at the story’s climax is astonishing in its incongruous inappropriateness. It stands out like a funeral march at a wedding, yet somehow it works as an almost ironic counterpoint to the emotional message being delivered. Done differently, it could easily have broken the scene, but miraculously manages to support the narrative and increase the emotional impact.

Even if the plot does not completely engage you, the beautiful visuals will almost certainly entrance you. If The Tale of Princess Kaguya is any indicator, Studio Ghibli is still producing wonderful, challenging films and has a strong future ahead.