Courtesy Night Gallery

"Made in Space" at Night Gallery

See also:
*Getty's Pacific Standard Time Series on L.A. Architecture: A Preview
*Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A.

This week, the painter who pushed for a "superflat" aesthetic brings his formerly 2-D monsters to the big screen, three artists clean an alt space from floor to ceiling, and a group show makes Night Gallery's big new space feel maze-like in a good way.

5. Mr. Clean as a conceptualist
Starting the morning of April 5, Human Resources, the vintage Chinatown theater-turned-art space, will be cleaned. The designated cleaners, who will use designated cleaning supplies (the press release mentions Mr. Clean), include Hailey Loman, whose wearable sculpture includes a blanket with a plastic sleeping compartment in the middle of it. Sleeping "wearers" of this sculpture look shrink-wrapped, safe in a sterile way. Cleaners also include Gaea Woods, who photographs objects of beauty, and Lucy Campana, who appeared in Opening Ceremony's ethereally clean "Spa Heaven" videos. Cleaning has been an art act before, but often to bring attention to labor hierarchies or gender roles. This time, the primary subject is the elusiveness of being perfectly clean. You can come to watch or help. 410 Cottage Home St.; Sat., April 5-7, starting 11 a.m.; free. (213) 290-4752; humanresourcesla.com.

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It's 2030. War has left its mark on the world, with newly powerful nations rising in the place of the old guard, but terrorism is still a threat and governments can still be corrupt. In the midst of this is Public Security Section 9, Japan's elite group of crime solvers now set with the task of tracking down elusive hacker The Laughing Man with cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi and police officer Batou taking the lead. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the anime television series derived from the popular manga and film Ghost in the Shell, presents a future troubled by many of the same ethical dilemmas our world has faced in recent years.

In the decade that has passed since its initial release, GITS: SAC has become one of the touchstones of the 21st century anime fandom. Like its feature-length predecessor and the manga upon which it is based, Stand Alone Complex is a frequently referenced, heavily influential work, not simply because of its art, plot or fantastic score, but because of the ideologies that inform the story. There's even a Wikipedia entry dedicated to "Philosophy of Ghost in the Shell".

Anime Los Angeles celebrated the 10th anniversary of this landmark science fiction series with a panel Saturday afternoon featuring stars of the U.S. dub (the version that has aired on Adult Swim repeatedly over the years), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Major Kusanagi) and Richard Epcar (Batou). Moderated by Otaku USA writer Matt Schley, the panel focused not just on the behind-the-scenes antics, but on why GITS: SAC is important. It's not just the technology available in this fictional world that's important, Epcar notes, but, "the questions they pose about technology."

"They got into the morality of this stuff," he adds.

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Topless Robot, home for "nerd news, humor and self-loathing" is looking to immediately hire a new chief blogger and editor.

Yes, really!

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Platform International Film Festival

Katsuhiro Otomo holding his "God of Animation" award and Irene Kotlarz, director of Platform International Film Festival

Nearly every seat was filled inside REDCAT's small theater on Saturday night when Katsuhiro Otomo took to the stage. The anime auteur was on hand to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for this year's Platform International Animation Festival. The crowd cheered for a screening of his latest short, "Combustible," part of a forthcoming omnibus called Short Peace that's intended to be released next year. (Otomo is one of five directors slated to participate in the film.) The student-heavy crowd asked him a multitude of questions. Irene Kotlarz, director of the festival, presented him with a hot pink "God of Animation" statue created by famed toy designer James Jarvis. Jerry Beck, the animation historian and producer, called him a "game changer." It was a reception that was well-deserved and, maybe, a bit overdue.

Otomo, who began his career as a manga writer and artist before delving into film world, is best known for Akira. He created the cyberpunk epic as a manga series before distilling it into a feature-length film. Akira was one of those crucial film moments that helped spread the popularity of Japanese animation across the globe. Devotion to Akira has remained strong over the years, with fans sparking a major outcry recently as rumors of a Hollywood remake of the film circulated. (Beck, who was instrumental in bringing Akira to the U.S., asked Otomo about this on Saturday night and the filmmaker said he was not personally involved in the proposed remake.)

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E.J. Rivera/Aniplex of America

Cosplying Puella Magi Madoka Magica characters at the Downtown Independent Theater

See also:
*Anime Expo 2012: Tiger & Bunny and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Draw Huge Crowds at AX
*More from our Cult Stars column

On Friday, the Downtown Independent Theater was teeming with anime fan for the premiere of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie, a film trilogy based on the popular Japanese TV series of the same name. The screenings, which will continue at the theater through Oct. 25, consist of the first two films, Beginnings and Eternal, retellings of the series with some new animation. A third film with an all-new story is due out next year and a trailer for it followed the double-feature.

Both the series and the films were hits in Japan and the U.S. anime community has taken to Madoka Magica with serious fanaticism. Last summer, I noted that the TV series was one of the biggest sensations at this year's Anime Expo, where fans turned out en masse for appearances from the U.S. voice cast. The reception for the films, which have only been released in subtitled form, was equally enthusiastic. Friday's 6 p.m. screening sold out in advance of the event. During intermission, a large crowd lined up to buy Madoka Magica DVDs, plush keychains, messenger bags and other merchandise.

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Liz Ohanesian

The costumes were superb inside Tiger & Bunny's Anime Expo panel.

What makes an anime series a hit? That's hard to say, but after years of hitting up L.A.'s thriving convention scene, one thing is certain. Amongst the slew of new shows that come out of Japan every few months, the ones that grab the most attention here are those that do something different. They play with genre conventions, tell stories in unusual ways and present characters that are not only visually interesting, but tug at your heartstrings.

That was the case for two of the standout programs at Anime Expo 2012. Tiger & Bunny and Puella Magi Madoka Magica are two very different series, but they have one thing in common. They drew large crowds at this year's convention panels.

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In the anime world, there are few franchises as beloved as Macross. The sci-fi epic is filled with outer space battles, complicated love stories and tons of pop songs. With three TV series -- The Super Dimension Macross, Macross 7 and Macross Frontier -- along with loads of other other related media, Macross has thrived since its debut in the early 1980s. It's a worldwide phenomenon and maintains an ardent following in the U.S., where the original series helped form the basis for the hit '80s cartoon Robotech. In L.A., there's even a fan convention dedicated to Macross.

Music is crucial to the Macross universe and, frequently, life imitates art when the voices of the fictional pop stars become pop stars in real life. That was the case for May'n, the 22-year-old performer who provided the singing voice for Macross Frontier's superstar, Sheryl Nome. In the world that encompasses this series, Sheryl is as much of a pop culture figure as Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga. For May'n, who plays at the Key Club tonight, the gig proved to be a turning point in her career.

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Liz Ohanesian

Holley Khuzaie of Holley Tea Time at AM2

See also:
*14 Essential Items to Bring to Every Fan Convention
*Homestuck Has Me Hooked

Last weekend, AM2 returned to Anaheim Convention Center for another weekend of anime, manga and music. The annual event is relatively new to the convention scene -- this is its second year in Anaheim -- but it's made a splash due to its unusual price structure. The main floor of the convention, featuring vendors and artist booths, as well as a number of events, is free. Attendees have the option to buy a convention passport to attend special events and get priority seating at the general events.

The arrangement appears to be working well for AM2. Let's face it, if you're at an anime convention, you're going to see the bulk of the crowd on the convention floor. Shopping in the dealer hall or artist alley is part of the convention experience. At anime cons, you'll find many of the same items you'll see at comic book and sci-fi events -- DVDs, plush toys, collectibles, books, fan art and T-shirts -- but there are some items that turn up more frequently in between aisles crammed with kids dressed like characters from Bleach and Tiger & Bunny. Check out our list below and let us know what you see most often at anime conventions in the comments.

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Shannon Cottrell

Panty and Stocking cosplayers at Anime Expo 2011

See also: Coverage from Anime Expo 2011

Anime Expo will take over downtown Los Angeles once again beginning on June 29. For four days, anime fans, often dressed in elaborate costumes, will gather at the Los Angeles Convention Center to check out the latest shows from Japan, take in a few concerts and party until late in the night.

At Anime Expo, the focus is typically on the latest hit anime series and features. If you aren't a hardcore fan of Japanese cartoons, it can be easy to feel a little lost. So before you head out to the convention, catch up on your anime viewing with these five shows. All of the titles listed below will have some sort of presence at the convention, whether it's an appearance from one actor or the bulk of the team behind the series. Also, every one of our picks is available to watch for free online. Check them out before you hit the convention floor.

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Courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery

The Cat Carrier by Shag/Josh Agle

"When [Mad Men] first started, all of my friends, everyone who knows me, said, 'You've got to watch it. You'll love the costumes and the sets,'" says Josh Agle, the artist best known as Shag.

Agle, though, wasn't necessarily interested in checking out the mid-20th-century costumes and interiors that mark AMC's hit series. And when he finally walked in on his wife watching Mad Men, it was the stories and characters that sucked him into the show.

"I hope that's the same thing with my paintings," he says by phone. "They might be set in the '50s or '60s or '70s, but the real content is in the characters and stories they're telling as opposed to the window dressing, the way they are dressed and the furniture that they're sitting on."

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