08.06.2009 · by Adrian A. Lozano
Akihabara Incident one-year anniversary
Today marked the first year anniversary of the Akihabara stabbing incident leaving the intersection where everything happened flooded with news casters and cameramen. If it had not been for the events that happened a year ago, Sunday would have been a perfect day to have enjoyed the walkers paradise. Unfortunately that era of Akihabara's innocence has long since ended.
Camera crews were set up on all four corners of the intersection since Sunday, taking footage for Monday night news casts.
By early Monday morning the news media had taken over the Sofmap corner of the intersection where the memorial service would take place later in the afternoon.
Prior to the memorial service another location was set up across the way where local and government officials took part in additional services.
Photos by Adrian A. Lozano.
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31.05.2009 · by Adrian A. Lozano
Otaku court room TV drama Samayoi Zakura aired
Tonight Fuji TV aired "Samayoi Zakura" a fictional one off television court room drama adapted from a weekly serialized manga of the same name. An otaku played by Takashi Tsukamoto is accused of murdering three ladies with a survival knife for harassing his family, and a jury is selected to decide if he is in fact the killer that will get the death penalty. The main character is a juror named Keiichi Aiba a fellow otaku who shares the same interested of the accused killer. Keiiichi is played by Atsushi Ito who played the down on his luck love struck otaku from Densha Otoko. It was like watching a Densha Otoko mirror universe episode, it even had a Getsumento Heiki Mina (月面兎兵器ミーナ) type character in the plot named Kyoukotan from a fictional anime series called "Forest Gal". Kyoukotan just seems thrown together over night she is badly designed and visually unappealing, looks like something I would have seen in the artist alley of Anime Expo back in 90's.
I couldn't believe Fuji TV would air a drama like this since we are about a week away from the first anniversary of the Akihabara stabbing that lead to seven deaths. I'm not saying it wasn't an interesting drama but come on this was just not the right time.
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06.10.2008 · by Patrick W. Galbraith
Akihabara murder suspect fit for trial
Kato Tomohiro, 25, the suspect from the random killing of seven and injury of 10 in Akihabara June 8 of this year, has been deemed fit for trial. After three months and an extensive battery of pyschological tests, Kato is said to know what he did and can face the consequences in court.
Kato has admitted that he committed the crime because his "existence was not recognized" working as a part-time laborer in a automotive factory. He was apparently bullied. He turned to online communication, posting complaints about his life some 3,000 times, but was seldom answered.
"This was my revenge against the people on the Net," he said. "They ignored me and caused this crime. I wanted them to feel that guilt. ... I wanted to make an appeal for my existence. For that there was no other way than to commit a large crime."
Kato was moved to the Manseibashi Police Station in Akihabara this afternoon, and will be brought up on murder charges from June 10.
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