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Passing the anime torch

When we left our story last week about local anime clubs, the Japanese Anime Society of Hawaii had handed off the torch of anime fandom -- more specifically, its juice cooler -- to a new group.

The board of Oahu Anime Explorer, led by president Kell Komatsubara, had known for several months that their group would be JASH's spiritual successor. JASH president Milton Streeter, sensing it was time to close shop, wanted someone to start another club, and OAE fit the bill quite nicely.

Yes, the latest anime fresh from Japan will be screened. Classic series, too, to put the modern stuff in proper perspective. There's also a cosplay outing, with attendees dressing up as their favorite anime and manga characters, planned for Halloween in Waikiki.

But Komatsubara has an educational twist in store as well.

"We want it to be more than an anime club -- we want to get involved in the community," Komatsubara said. "Anime will become a vehicle for learning, teaching about the Japanese culture. We want to do things like the Honolulu Festival, Boys Day, New Year's at the Japanese Cultural Center, things like that."

The first meeting is set for 6:30 to 9 p.m. July 30 at HMC Academy, 555 N. King St. For more details, visit the group's Web site at www.oahuanimeexplorer.com.

DVD pick of the week

"Mermaid Forest" Vol. 1, from Geneon Entertainment. Take it away, Wilma J.: "This DVD is the first of a four-disc collection animating Rumiko Takahashi's mermaid saga, a dark series of short stories about a man named Yuta who became immortal after eating mermaid's flesh 500 years ago and who seeks to be mortal again. It includes the episodes 'A Mermaid Never Smiles' and the two-part 'The Village of the Fighting Fish.' The DVD comes in a regular edition and a limited edition with collector's box."