Anime instinct By Tals Diaz
Publisher:Philippine Daily Inquirer - Publication Date: 08-04-2008

A girl with seaweed-coloured, gravity-defying hair and knee-high space boots casually strolls alongside Astroboy. A gigantic bear wearing an enormous, donut-shaped pink hat waves at samurais in the distance. Floating high above in a steely stratosphere are PacMan and Pokemon.
A magic mushroom trip in outer space? Hardly, though if Lewis Caroll were an android that had fallen through the wormhole, this would’ve been his wonderland. Welcome to the Tokyo International Anime Festival. Or another planet, it’s hard to tell the difference.
It comes as no surprise that this alternate universe is wholly inspired by anime, a visual celebration of fantastic storylines and extraordinary characters. Anime has grown into a creative force to be reckoned with, seeping into our pop culture consciousness, perhaps even more than we are aware of. Yep, long gone are the days of Road Runner dodging Wile E Coyote. For what sets anime apart from the typical cartoons of the old world are awe-inspiring, complex and cerebral storylines. Today, anime transcends age groups and breaches global boundaries. If in the past, the West has carpet bombed the East with its Disney ethos, today we see the Orient striking back, sharp as a ninja blade. Anime has inspired Hollywood producers, TV networks and even highbrow fashion labels like Louis Vuitton and Prada. Just when you thought anime was only for kids!
Animazing
Now somewhere in this futuristic bazaar peddling ideas and dreams, I search for a man to give me answers. Past the Japanese cosplayers, toy robots and giant one-eyed stuffed fruits, I find him.
His name is Gregory Ho, proud member of the Voltes V generation and known in the real world as the vice president of Animax Asia, an enterprise of the mother ship of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Gregory is quick to dispel a common misperception of what anime is all about. “A lot of people think it’s just for kids, or it’s extremely violent, or just for fans who are absolutely nuts. The truth is that anime is really no different from live action. It touches on anything from politics to economics to the future to love, there’s really something for everybody. Younger people get it. It allows them to discover something about themselves—a lot of the anime characters go through issues that younger people can relate to.”
Fashion-ime
Inspiring the youth—that is Animax’s battlecry. In fact, it sees itself as a 'youth brand' and not merely an anime channel. Going beyond the TV screen, Animax has actively encouraged young people to cultivate their wild imaginations via anime-themed competitions.
One such endeavor is 'Fashionability', a yearly fashion competition for aspiring young designers, who are tasked to create outfits inspired by anime. It’s a perfect fit, so to speak, when you think of haute couture as fashions hailing from a faraway world. Today, we see top international designers riding on the anime craze. Anna Sui created the outfits for The Count of Monte Cristo, Japanese designer Atsuro Tayama offered his POV for Paradise Kiss, and even Prada gave a nod to anime for its 2007 Fall collection. Ever seen the classic LV logos looking like it played paintball? That’s Marc Jacobs’ collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton. It’s Nippon-tastic!
In Fashionability 2006, young Filipino designer Allan Lorico bagged the top prize and was subsequently selected for the International Asian Design Competition.
Aside from Fashionability, Animax also launched the Animax Awards, which called upon young writers to create their own original anime movie script. Over 3,000 entries were sent in from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

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