Tokyo Station’s Character Street, two minutes away from Tokyo Station’s Yaesu exit, inside First Avenue Tokyo Station, you can find the shop named Donguri Kyōwakoku. Find more info at the link, including detailed instructions on finding the shop: https://matcha-jp.com/en/2039
In the Akihabara shopping hub of Tokyo there is a shop called Kotobukiya that has many of the same items that you would find in the other Ghibli stores listed here, you can find them on the first floor in the back corner http://en.kotobukiya.co.jp/kotobukiya-akihabara-store-floor-guide/
In Tokyo Shibuya area the Mega Don Quijote has a decent selection of stuff on the second floor toy area. 28-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 154-0042 03-5428-4086 https://g.co/kgs/oyPDNv
In Kamakura Komachi Dori Shopping Area, the Ghibli shop technically has two floors but they are two side-by-side boutiques. Here there are a few items that I didn’t see elsewhere どんぐり共和国 鎌倉店 〒248-0006 Kanagawa, Kamakura, Komachi, 1 Chome−5−6 松秀ビル 0467-24-7705 https://g.co/kgs/baHm32
In Nakano Broadway And of course if you are at Nakano Broadway you wont need to go far to find some truly outstanding stuff both new and vintage. Start on the second and third floor. I saw a large, extremely rare hebikera (flying centipede) toy/model from Nausicaa and Laputa: Castle in the Sky robot stackable game
In Kyoto
Google “Ghibli shop Kyoto.” Two locations will pop up in Gion neighborhood. They both have unassuming store fronts but are surprisingly large on the inside, especially the one with the cafe (the Northernmost of the two). They have many wonderful items at various price points that puts the Tokyo Ghibli Museum gift shop to shame. It is a short walk between the two shops and I found unique items in each so visit both if you can! And if you’re not interested in Ghibli then disregard. Happy to answer any questions
Donguri Address: 363-22-2 Masuyacho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0826, Japan
This year the theme for my annual Saturday Morning Cartoon Party was… Dungeons and Dragons! I included cartoons in which the characters played D&D (in some version or another) but also some cartoons that were set in a fantasy world similar to D&D (Visionaries, Gummi Bears, Korgoth of Barbaria). It’s a long list and there were actually some cartoons on theme that I didn’t include due to time constraints (Voltron “Monsters and Mana”; My Little Pony “Dungeons & Discord”
Here’s the final schedule:
Visionaries “The Age of Magic Begins”; Reboot “Wizards, Warriors and a Word from Our Sponsor”; She-Ra and the Princesses of Power “Roll With It”; Home: Adventures With Tip and Oh “Lords & Lasers”; TMNT “Mazes and Mutants”; Teen Titans Go “Riding the Dragon”; Gummi Bears “A New Beginning”; Adventure Time “Dungeon”; Dexter’s Laboratory “D&DD” ; Wander Over Yonder “The Hero”; Gravity Falls “Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons”‘ Spongebob “Dunces and Dragons”; Amazing World of Gumball “The Master”; Dungeons and Dragons “Day of the Dungeon Master”‘ The Superfriends “Lord of Middle Earth”‘ Regular Show “But I Have A Receipt!”; Harmonquest “The Quest Begins”‘ Korgoth of Barbaria “The Golden Goblin of the Fourth Age”‘ Home Movies “Renaissance”
Here’s the cereal buffet!
At about the halfway point I did trivia. Here are the questions – how did you do???
In the Dexter’s Laboratory episode “D&DD”, Dexter’s character is Hodo the Furry Footed Burrower. To what D&D race is this a reference?
2. In the Futurama episode “How Hermes Requisitioned his Groove Back” which iconic D&D monster guarded a corridor in the Central Bureaucracy Headquarters?
3. In the episode “Mazes & Mutants” the ninja turtles LARP in the sewer tunnels, perhaps an homage to which 1982 movie starring Tom Hanks?
4. The classes of the children in the D&D cartoon are: ranger, barbarian, magician, thief, cavalier and acrobat. Only one of these is a class that’s available to play in the Basic Set of D&D (1977). Name that class.
5. IN the D&D cartoon, Venger has a sycophantic servant. The type of creature and the name it goes by are the same two words. What are they?
6. In the Adventure Time episode “Dungeon” Finn comes across an ooze that resembles which classic 6-sided monster from D&D?
7. In the Simpsons episode “Home Goes to College” Homer plays D&D with his new geek friends. His character was slain by what creature/race?
VOICE ACTOR SECTION:
8. In the 2012 TMNT series, Raphael is voiced by an actor who famously played a hobbit on the silver screen. a) Who is the actor? AND b) What is the name of the hobbit?
9. In Futurama episode #216 “anthology of interest 1” which creator of D&D guest starred?
10. Zummi Gummi is voiced by Paul Winchell, He is better known for voicing which cartoon tiger?
Donny Most
11. Eric the Cavalier was voiced by Donny Most, who is best known for playing “Ralph Malf” on which live action TV sitcom?
12. Brendan Small co-created Home Movies. he went on to create and provide voice and music for which cartoon series featuring the heavy metal band “Dethklok”?
Dethklok
13. Name the comedian who guested on the premiere of Harmonquest who also voiced Mr Peanutbutter on Bojack Horseman, Deputy mayor Cunningham on Bob’s Burgers, and Gladstone Gander on the new Ducktales.
14. This actor voiced Uni and Tiamat in the D&D cartoon, but also voiced Elminster and Korax in the Baldur’s Gate video game. Who dis? Hint: he is probably the most prolific voice actor in cartoon history – his most recent imdb role is in the 2020 film Scoob
TIE BREAKERS…
Dirk the Daring, Princess Daphne and the evil dragon Singe are characters in a 1983 arcade game that went on to become a short-lived saturday morning cartoon. What is the name?
In Stranger Things season 1, what is the name they give the monster which they borrow from the D&D game they’re playing
ANSWERS BELOW!
HALFLING
BEHOLDER
3MAZES AND MONSTERS
THIEF
SHADOW DEMON
GELATINOUS CUBE
ELF
A: SEAN ASTIN; B: SAMWISE GAMGEE
GARY GYGAX
TIGGER
HAPPY DAYS
METALOCALYPSE
PAUL F TOMPKINS
FRANK WELKER
TIE BREAKERS Dirk the Daring, Princess Daphne and the evil dragon Singe are characters in a 1983 arcade game DRAGON’S LAIR
In Stranger Things season 1, the monster name which they borrow from D&D: DEMOGORGON
Now that the 2019 Atomic D&D Tournament has concluded (Congratulations Kim, Ren, Carolina and Kieran!) I thought it might be fun to look at some of the best cartoons that feature Dungeons & Dragons!
1983: Dungeons and Dragons (Marvel/TSR) – The series featured six everyday 80s kids who rode a D&D carnival ride into another dimension, are given the coveted (by Venger, voiced by Peter “Megatron” Cullen) Weapons of Power by the enigmatic Dungeon Master, and joined by Uni the unicorn. Lots of great eps but “The Dragon’s Graveyard” in which the kids stop running and face Venger (with the aid of Tiamat the 5-headed dragon) is intense!
1994 : Reboot “Wizards, Warriors and a Word From Our Sponsor” (Mainframe) – Bob, Dot, Enzo and Mike the TV must learn to work together to overcome traps, giant spiders, and battle carrots in a game called “A Dungeon Deep.”
Dexter’s Laboratory “D&DD”
1997: Dexter’s Laboratory “D&DD” (Cartoon Network) – As Game Master for the game “Mazes & Monsters,” Dexter cheats dice rolls and is obsessed with killing his friends’ characters. When his sister Dee Dee takes over the game the kids have a lot more fun, except Dexter who is forced to play the role of Hodo the furry-footed burrower.
2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Mazes & Mutants” (Nickelodeon) Paul Ruebens (Pee-Wee Herman) plays a nerdy mutant who makes the heroes’ LARP (Live Action Role-Play) into reality…or does he?!?
2016 Teen Titans Go “Riding The Dragon” (DC/Warner) – Robin’s adherence to the rules of “Dragon’s Fire” sucks the joy out of the game for the rest of the team. An important lesson for all Dungeon Masters out there!
SPECIAL MENTION:
Superfriends “Lord of Middle Earth” 1979
1979 “Lord of Middle Earth” – Superfriends Season 4. Not good, but definitely notable as a very blatant “homage” to Tolkien, as the heroes quest for a magic ring so they can defeat the evil wizard who has turned them into ‘trolls’ (hobbits).
Other notable shows: Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh “Lords and Lasers” SpongebobSquarepants “Dunces and Dragons” My Little Pony Friendship is Magic “Dungeons and Discords” She-Ra and the Princesses of Power “Roll With It” VoltronLegendaryDefender “Monsters and Mana” Gravity Falls “Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons” Regular Show “But I Have A Receipt” Amazing World of Gumball “The Master” Harmonquest (any episode)
Beware – the season of forest fires in BC is nigh. FIRE BAD… unless it’s portrayed in a movie for our entertainment. Here are my top 3 fire scenes in film AND the top 3 takeways from wildland firefighting training that my firefighter friend Allan wants you to know
#3 fire tip: Never ever EVER throw cigarettes from car windows. #3 movie scene: A young girl with telekinetic powers loses it at the prom, and starts an electrical fire in Carrie (1976)
#2 fire tip: If you live in an area where evacuation is possible, keep an emergency evacuation kit in your vehicle. #2 movie scene: after a few false starts, Kurt Russel deals with the titular monster in the Thing (1982) in the original “kill it with fire” moment.
#1 fire tip: When given an evacuation order, comply immediately. #1 movie scene: John Goodman runs down a blazing hotel hallway shouting “I will show you the life of the mind!” in the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink (1992)
So you’ve decided to watch Enterprise, but you’re not sure you’re ready to commit to all 98 episodes? Just want to get the gist of it?
I’m here to help!
These are the episodes that I deem worth watching, either because a) they’re an important part of the main story, b) they set something up that will become important, or c) they’re just plain good episodes!
SEASON ONE: 10 episodes to watch (or 11 depending on how you count the pilot)
E1-E2: Broken Bow Parts 1 and 2. In which we learn that Vulcans in the Enterprise era are assholes. This is fine. They are also very emotional. Introduces the Suliban and the ‘temporal cold war.’ Also there’s Klingons. WATCH IT.
E3. Fight or Flight. I like it, gives a sense that space is dangerous. But also sets up that Hoshi is useless. WATCH IT.
E4. Strange New World. Skip it E5. Unexpected. Trip gets pregnant, there’s a holodeck of sorts, plus Klingons. Your call. E6. Terra Nova. Skip it.
E7. The Andorian Incident. The Andorians claim a Vulcan Monastery is a spy post. Are they paranoid? Introduces Commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs). WATCH IT
E8. Breaking the Ice. Skip it. E9. Civilization. Skip it. E10. Fortunate Son. Watch it if you like Nausicaans. Otherwise, skip it.
E11. Cold Front. Remember the temporal cold war? WATCH IT.
E12. Silent Enemy. Skip it.
E13. Dear Doctor. Lots of Phlox and the rumblings of a Prime Directive. WATCH IT.
E14. Sleeping Dogs. Has Klingons. WATCH IT
E15. Shadow’s of P’Jem. Political stuff between Vulcans and Andorians. Jeffrey Combs! WATCH IT
E16. Shuttlepod One. Skip it.
E17. Fusion. The origin of the mind meld? WATCH IT
E18. Rogue Planet. Skip it
E19. Acquisition. It was established in TNG that no species from the Federation had contact with Ferengi before the Enterprise D encountered them in the first season of TNG. This episode mostly contradicts that, but it’s a fun episode with Clint Howard (Balok from TOS), Ethan Phillips (Neelix from VOY) and Jeffrey Combs (DS9). WATCH IT
E20. Oasis. Skip it. E21. Detained. Skip it E22. Vox Sola. Skip it E23. Fallen Hero. Skip it E24. Desert Crossing. Skip it E25. Two Days and Two Nights. Skip it
E26. Shockwave Part 1. The Enterprise kills everyone and the world goes to shit. Temporal cold war episode! WATCH IT.
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