A few notes

Hello!
It's been a while since I've updated this blog, mainly because I've not had time to be in sync with the Kpop/Jrock community for a while. However, there's a couple of things I'd like to mention in this post:

Otaku House

I'm really starting to like http://www.otakuhouse.com/. I've never actually brought anything from their stores, but I really prefer the community much better to Tokyo Toys. If, and more likely when I buy something from Otaku House I'll be sure to review it - but I guess the main reason is that they are firmly against SOPA. It's quite obvious why - they'd lose a heck of a lot of business - I guess I just liked their vocal detest against it. Even if they stole someone elses' meme. If you're fine with frequent FB posts and a heck of a lot of cosplay competitions, you might wish to check out their FB Page.

Concerts and Conventions

In London at least, there's a lot of jrock/anime action coming to town!

Starting with the closer events.... Two interesting conventions will be held in London in February.

With their tagline as "London's Anime and Gaming Convention" London Anime Con will be taking place next weekend. With an 18+ requirement and an interesting 'clan system' does this look to be the new alternative to 'London Expo'?

No.

The London Anime Con is part of the AnimeLeague, which is run by the famous "Mr Towers", who is infamous among the anime community. Their general miscommuication and drama usually seed events to fail before they bloom, so I wouldn't count on this convention to compete at all with the famous London Expo.

Is it worth attending?
Maybe - If you are happy to part with £10. If not, you might want to check out Hyper Japan instead.

For an extra £2 on the ticket price you get professional quality and a real alternative to London Expo. If you're fed up of walking up and down the crowded Excel Centre for an empty seat that does not exist and staring at overpriced merchandise you can't afford - Hyper Japan may be able to rekindle your love for conventions. What makes its stand out is that it is a Culture Convention. That means delicious cuisine, traditional and modern art, films and various other aspects of Japanese culture will have their own stalls. So this time you'll be able to walk down the event looking at overpriced objects you can't afford and won't ever see again =)

Hyper Japan does have a few stars visiting that some readers may find interesting, such as Natsuko Aso. I am not a fan of j-pop but I've heard she's quite popular, which might be enough to persuade you to go.

But because I like Jrock so much, I can detect an awesome presence coming to the UK... Yes, I am certain that L'Arc~En~Ciel will be in London on the 11th April, £56.50 for a ticket.
--What?
You heard me right. According to Dada-san from Versailles, (Seriously he's awesome, go add his FB and understand what I'm referring to) Jrock isn't doing too well overseas, and to cover up the costs? Scary ticket prices. The band is amazing though, so is it worth it?

Out of London, there is also Cam Con which some people are quite excited about, as it means finally a local convention in Cambridge. I'm not too sure about it, and as it's so close to London Expo - So I won't be attending, but I'll be looking forward to see how it goes. I hope it goes well, simply because Cambridge isn't too far away from me back at home - it'd be nice to meet some local anime fans.

Not to mention Music Bank in Paris on Tuesday! May not be in London or the UK (well duh) but I know a lot of you UK folks are coming.

Hope the snow doesn't cause any problems...~! And be safe fellow k-pop fans v_v;

Viewers

One last thing to mention, how on Earth did I get so many views?? 873 hits all time is something pretty cool, even if they were google image searches for visual kei pictures.

Essential Links for the Korean and Japanese idol fan

Ever struggled to find your daily Kpop and Kdrama news and glamour? Couldn't find the name of Miyavi's second child? Well fret no longer, this post includes a selection of essential links for everything Korean and Japanese, and reviews the best links in the list. So whether you're new to the scene, or an oldie fan, hopefully this post will be useful to you. Don't forget to keep checking back to Yellow Kokoro of course~!

South Korean~

1. Allkpop
Probably the biggest and most useful website to catch up on your idols, whether they be singers or actors. There is a bias to the news site that I'm sure regular viewers have spotted, but despite this, the news is very good quality and the forums are always buzzing.
Rating: 4.5 / 5

2. Tumblr
There's a lot of K-fanism on Tumblr. I have to recommend Kpop Expressions at THE N#1 place for gifs. I mean... Come on...

  

You could stare at them all day. O_O
Rating: 5/5

3. Eat Your Kimishi
Ever wondered what going to South Korea is like? Simon and Martina can tell you! Their website, http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/ is full of their Youtube videos of their trips,
Rating: 5/5

4. PopSeoul
This website used to be my favourite, until it started to diminish three and a half years ago. They still may have some extra info that Allkpop has missed, which might be worth your time.
Rating: 3/5


Japanese:

1. TokyoHive
I don't actually use this website. I do like Jpop, but I'm not too interested in the latest idol who's at a random press confidence advertising a Japanese version of coca cola or whatever. If you're interested in the Jpop scene to the extent that you must know every brand and the birthday of every cast member of a recent drama... Then you'll find this website useful.
Rating: 2/5

2. Shattered Tranquility
I've got better news for you however, if you're a Jrock Visual Kei fan. Meet Shattered Tranquility, the ultimate home of the Visual Kei and Jrock scene. Expect daily news of a huge variety of all things Kei, from An Cafe to The Gazette. This website also frequently introduces new bands to the scene. I haven't found any other website that gives new Visual Kei bands such a warm welcome.
Rating: 5/5

3. Jrock Revolution
Not really into Visual kei as much as you are Jrock? Jrock Revolution focuses slightly away from the Visual Kei scene. It updates regually.
Rating: 4/5



Korean and Japanese Links:

1. Twitter
Did you know there's a lot of South Korean and Japanese idols out there with real twitter accounts?
I said real twitter accounts!
I'll be updating this post soon with as many as I can find. Unfortunatly, most of these South Korean and Japanese idols do tweet in their native languag, like JaeJoong's. So unless you know Korean or have a translator near by this may not be so useful to you.

2. MySoju
Most likely the best place to find all your dramas and films on one page. This website updates their links regually, and it has a brilliantly clear layout. Whether you're into mystery or horror, you'll find something here. The website contains a variety of dramas from Japan, Korean, Taiwan and more.
Rating: 5/5

Hope you found this post useful!