Encounter in Space: Enomoto Daisuke

Anime Expo back at the beginning of the month saw a number of classic licensing and as personal affairs increased since then, the scene of classic anime has been thankflly quiet, so that is actually one area that hasn't been putting added stress upon me. However, even though there are moments that Akihabara Renditions may feel stressful, it certainly is a labor of love.

Since the news concerning classic anime in the US has been rather dry lately, I only have a couple of fun related articles.

The first article today concerns a bit of what could be described as taking the Otaku culture too far [slashdot.org]. This Slashdot article concerns a Japanese Internet mogul and anime fan, Enomoto "DiceK" Daisuke. Enomoto, who made millions with the Japanese Internet company LiveDoor, will be the fourth traveller of Space Adventures, Ltd . (SAL) to be a commercial traveller into space. As reported on Anime News Network and New Scientist Space, Enomoto's plan for a literal intergalactic cosplay has been approved by both SAL and the Russian Space Agency. During his 8 day visit to space, Enomoto will be able to cosplay as one of Mobile Suit Gundam's leading aces, Char Aznable.

Enomoto also has planned on constructing a model kit related to the series, assumibly also related to Char, in Zero-Gravity. For safety reasons, Enomoto will be wearing the typical safety suits for exit and re-entry. He also plans on releasing videos of his visit over the Internet.

It's this sort of thing that makes my inner-fanboy, especially the inner-Gundam fanboy, really happy but also demonstrates the oddity of the Japanese Otaku community, especially when compared with many of their Western counterparts. AkibaRen will certainly be keeping an eye out for videos of Enomoto portraying the Red Comet and this monumental piece of Otaku culture.