Cel Shaded Jason Yadao

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‘nemu*nemu’ creators toast 2 years of fun

Hard to believe it's been this long already, but it was two years ago last week that plush pups Anpan and Nemu, the co-stars of the online comic "nemu*nemu," peered out of a box for the first time.

Much has happened since the pups, their owners Anise and Kana, and the rest of the cast debuted. As a matter of fact, much has happened since I wrote about series creators Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga soon after their comic strip's first anniversary. (In case you missed it, that profile can be found at tinyurl.com/2rcxap.)

The strip has gained further exposure in the East Oahu Sun, a community newspaper, as well as "Sugary Serials," a comics anthology with contributors working in the style that recalls the Saturday morning cartoons of youth.

In "Sugary Serials," Furuichi and Yoshinaga contributed a three-part side story, "Who Is the Crimson Scarab?" fleshing out a bit more of the mythology behind the "tokusatsu" (transforming costumed superhero -- think "Kikaida") characters of Henshin Rider and his arch nemesis, the Crimson Scarab.

Furuichi has also taken to the school lecture circuit, recently speaking to a class at Aiea Intermediate School about the process that brings "nemu*nemu" to life each week.

So it's time to celebrate. And when you're talking about big ol' anime/manga parties, Kawaii Kon looming later this month has to enter the conversation.

KimonoKitsy Studios will be represented in the dealers room, selling the second collection of "nemu*nemu" strips (containing 11 chapters' worth of Web site material, two exclusive stories and character profiles), a new "Art of 'nemu*nemu'" book and the three "Sugary Serials" issues in which their story was printed.

For fans who want to get their swag on, there will be new T-shirt and pin designs, Anpan and Nemu fleece hats and plushies, and perhaps even Nintendo DS Lite cases.

Kawaii Kon is April 18-20 at the Hawaii Convention Center; visit www.kawaii-kon.org. To follow the latest adventures of the "nemu*nemu" gang, published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, visit www.nemu-nemu.com ...

CONVENTIONAL BOOKING

Speaking of Kawaii Kon, a note crossed my e-mail in-box last week noting that the state public library system will once again have a table at this year's convention. The purpose: to promote various library services, including the anime and manga collections. Bring your library card to their table and get a free gift ... it's that simple. Last year, about 600 people talked to the librarians, according to a news release.

It's certainly a worthy cause. I've been looking at what exactly is archived within the library system, and I've found some pretty rare treasures that deserve a look. I'll share my findings in a future column ...

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Meeting roll call

» MangaBento: Remaining meetings this month for this group of anime- and manga-inspired artists are 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and April 27 at the Academy Art Center, 1111 Victoria St., Room 200. For more information, visit www.manga-bento.com ...

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