Weeb Life in Finland: The One Piece (Film Red) Is Real

You'd think that in a country where One Piece has a beloved translation and is the longest manga ever published and still ongoing after 17 years and 101 volumes, it'd be easy to get the franchise's new anime film in theaters, especially in an anime boom like this where more Japanese cinema is seeing wide theatrical releases in Finland than ever before. But, as it turns out, fans have had to fight tooth and nail to convince concerned parties that yes, it actually does have an audience that wants to see it. No such problems with Jujutsu Kaisen, Dragon Ball Super or Sword Art Online though! 

Well, all's end that ends well - One Piece Film: Red will open in theaters on the 20th, distributed by the ever-so-trusty Cinema Mondo for the film's European licensor Piece of Magic Entertainment. Interesting arrangement, by the way - CM's deals with Aniplex/Wakanim/Crunchyroll have not included any home media rights, only theatrical, so I wonder how it is with Piece of Magic. A Film Red Blu-ray would make a sweet addition to many fans' One Piece collections. Sure, you could import Anime Limited's inevitable collector's set from the UK, but what's the point of even experiencing One Piece if it's not in Finnish? 

Speaking of things Finnish fans have been waiting for, the Joe Hisaishi concert in Helsinki that was originally supposed to happen in January 2022 but was cancelled due to the pandemic finally happened last week. I went on Saturday and had a great time - seeing (and hearing) such a legendary composer conduct the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and play some piano too with my own eyes (and ears) was incredible, as was standing and clapping for him alongside a thousand other people in Musiikkitalo's concert hall. Hayao Miyazaki's next film will open in Japan this summer and I hope Hisaishi will once again be composing its soundtrack. 

I'll be going somewhere this Saturday too - to Desucon Frostbite, that is! I turned 18 last August so this is the first Desucon I'm able to go to. Knowing my introvert ass I fear I might just spend my time standing in a corner somewhere doing my best Bocchi impression, but I intend to have (some amount of) fun regardless of if I melt into a puddle the moment someone is within five meters of me. On the bright(?) side, at least the weather will be---- oh. 

So this is the "desusää" I've heard so much about. 

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