london Archives - Page 3 of 6

StreetFest 2015

mayamada April 21, 2015 No Comments

We had such a great time at StreetFest last year we’re coming back in 2015! This bank holiday Sunday we’ll be collaborating with the StreetFest team at their new home at Tobacco Dock.

Our stall will be packed full of our original anime inspired clothing, comics and hats. That includes our Samurai Beanies and Snapbacks too.

We’re also bringing something new to StreetFest this year, Samurai Chef chocolate bars available in three flavours: Crunchy Noodle, Cherry Blossom and Green Tea. These bars were a sell out at London Anime & Gaming Con and they will be restocked for Sunday May 3rd.

As well as the StreetFest market, we’ll also be running two competitions for prizes throughout the day. You can win your choice of t-shirt, snapback or beanie hat by taking selfies with our cast of characters.

The first person to tag @mayamadatees and @streetfest on selfies with all six of our characters by 7pm will get the prize and a comic too! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #sfselfie so we can keep track of all your entries.

We’re also bringing some artist fun to StreetFest with our colouring wall. You can get creative and colour in our characters for a chance to win one of our new notebooks when they’re released in the summer.

It’s all happening on Bank Holiday, Sunday May 3rd so make sure you’ve got your tickets. We can’t wait, see you there!

MCM Expo Birmingham

mayamada April 7, 2015 No Comments

Last month we took a trip up north (well, north-ish) for our first visit to the MCM Expo at the NEC Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. After a great time at London Anime & Gaming Con, we were excited to get our second convention of the year off and running.

We set up in the Comic Village and manage to cover our table with regular and limited edition of the Samurai Chef manga as well as our new Samurai Chef chocolate bars.

It’s been a while since we’ve been to an MCM event, but we were quickly up to speed once we got our bearings.

There is so much to see at MCM. We only got to see a fraction of it from our stall, but we were treated to Robot Wars matches going on just behind the Comic Village – we loved watching that show!

We also got to meet up with some great exhibitors including Canime, Helenasia and Choizilla, who had one of the best presented tables in the Comic Village and a cool outfit too.

As always it’s about the cosplay and we saw a tons of great outfits over the two days of MCM Expo.

Even the security guards were getting into it…

So that’s two events down and many more to go in 2015. Not only conventions like Hyper Japan and London Comic Con, but we’ll also have our very own mayamada events starting with GamePad! in April.

Stay tuned to find out where to catch us after that one…

London Anime & Gaming Con Recap

mayamada February 14, 2015 No Comments

Our year of conventions got off to a great start with mayamada attending London Anime & Gaming Con earlier this month. LAGC is one of the more community focused conventions on the calendar and we joined some cool anime fans, gamers and exhibitors at the London Metropolitan University’s Rocket Complex.

We’ve been exhibiting at LAGC for a few years now and always enjoy the chance to spend more time speaking with the anime and gaming community. This time around was even better as we were given the chance to talk on stage about how we put together our manga books.

Of course we brought along our original anime inspired clothing, including a brand new kawaii t-shirt. The design features Hannah, one of the character from the 11th Hour story.

But the best treat was the thee flavours of Samurai Chef chocolate debuted at the convention! Green Tea, Cherry Blossom and Crunchy Noodles were a real hit at the convention with every bar gone by Sunday.

Cosplayers is a big part of any convention and LAGC is no exception. Check out our cosplay photos from the two days of LAGC and we’ll see you at our next convention, MCM Comic Con Birmingham.

Samurai Chef Creators: Editor

mayamada February 5, 2015 No Comments

In the lead up to London Anime & Gaming Con we’re giving you an insight into the making of our new manga title, the complete edition of Samurai Chef.

So far we’ve looked at the illustrators who brought the story and characters to life. But images are only half of any good comic, what about the words?

This week we’re talking to Lara-Lee, the editor of the book and the person who made sure the dialogue was accurate and made sense…well, as much sense as a monkey samurai chef on a fantasy television network can make anyway:

Which part of the book did you work on?

I edited the book – so if you spot any mistakes (not that you will…) Don’t. Tell. Anyone!

What was your highlight during the process?

Holding the finished product. Working with Nigel and seeing the story and characters come to life was a pleasure – my job would have been a whole lot harder if he wasn’t as receptive to the changes that needed to be made.

What was the biggest challenge for you?

The time constraints. We had a strict deadline to work to so the pressure was intense towards the end, but I’m a lawyer by day so I’m used to it!

What do you hope readers will take away from Samurai Chef?

Hunger – not just because some of the dishes could be quite yummy (before they come to life), but also a hunger for reading, anime and finding out more about mayamada!

Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

It has to be the Samurai Chef himself, specifically when he’s battling the Cherry Kitchen’s taffy cake. I couldn’t stop laughing at his face throughout this part!

What book are you enjoying now?

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer – I don’t read many books more than once but this is my third time round. I love the contrasting circumstances of the main characters and seeing them evolve throughout the book. I love any book that has ability to make my jaw drop!

Popup Runway @ The White Lion

mayamada December 17, 2014 No Comments

Last month we took part in the first Popup Runway fashion event arranged by Catch Project. It was our first major runway event and something we’re looking forward to being part of in 2015.

We quickly found out how different photoshoots are from runway shows. It’s a little like comparing films to theatre productions. Both take a lot of preparation and can get hectic once things get started, but with a live runway show you only have one chance to get it right. Add a live audience waiting and watching and it’s a whole other experience.

Thankfully, we had a great team of people organising the event to make sure everything went according to plan…90% of the plan at least! From models to hair & make up artists to everyone at the White Lion, everyone played their part to put together a fantastic evening.

As well as mayamada, other brands involved – Ounce Clothing, Strip Clothing, All Thingz Nice and See:Saw Clothing especially – put on a great show and a successful Popup Runway.

Hyper Japan Christmas Recap

mayamada November 21, 2014 No Comments

It’s been a week since Hyper Japan Christmas and we’ve just about recovered from an intense weekend! It was a great three days and although we didn’t get to take in all of the show (downside of being an exhibitor), we did get to see a lot and meet a lot of great people.

A big THANK YOU to everyone that stopped by the mayamada stall and check out or line of original anime clothing & comics. Especially everyone that picked up a copy of the new Samurai Chef manga book. It was brand new for the show and got a fantastic reception.

Expect to see us at more expos in 2015, we can’t wait. And until the next Hyper Japan, you can always reminisce with our photos taken at the event.

See you next year!

Mega Ran @ Brixton Hootenanny

mayamada September 15, 2014 No Comments

After missing him at Alcon we finally caught up with video game inspired hip-hop artist Mega Ran at the last stop of his UK / Europe tour.

It was great to hear more of his story. From how he started using video game influences in his music and caught the attention of Capcom, to how he used to be a school teacher in Philadelphia before his music took off!

The highlight of the show was the freestyle Mega Ran did on stage, taking random objects from the crowd and coming up with lyrics off the top of his head. Amazing!

Post by mayamada.

Tony Goff: Music & Creativity

mayamada September 14, 2014 No Comments

Earlier in the summer we met up with indie musician Tony Goff to ask him about his music and what creativity means to him.

Eargasm At Dalston Roof Park

mayamada August 12, 2014 No Comments

We’re excited to be a part of the upcoming Eargasm event at Dalston Roof Park on Wednesday August 27th.

It’ll be a night of fashion and music supporting up and coming local artists under one roof (figuratively speaking).

You can catch us throughout the night with a selection of products on sale including our new line of Samurai snapbacks and beanie hats.

See you there 🙂

Hyper Japan Summer 2014

mayamada August 9, 2014 No Comments

We were excited to return to Hyper Japan this summer and it lived up to our expectations.

Hyper Japan is the biggest Japanese culture exhibition in the UK and attracts everyone from hardcore anime and cosplayers to families to people just coming to see what Japanese culture is all about.

mayamada was there for all three days and we enjoyed meeting so many new faces and fans.

The show also saw the debut of our brand new “SAMURAI” snapback and beanie hats, both got a great response from the Hyper Japan crowd.

Here are some of our highlights from the show. We’re already looking forward to Hyper Japan Christmas in November too!