Japanese pop culture expert Patrick Macias takes you on a illustrated tour of astonishing people, places, and things found inside Tokyo's underground art, music, fashion, and otaku scenes.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Masked BAKUC is a Bandai employee who seeks to promote the company's famed Mobile Suit Gundam plastic model kits in the best way possible: by donning tights, a cape, and a lucha libre style wrestling mask.
BAKUC's name is an acronym for "Bandai Action Kit Universal Cup", a competition held to determine the world's most dangerous model kit builders....
Around 2007, BAKUC roped in myself and translator pal Matt Alt to spread the word about a human-sized Gundam model kit Bandai had developed and to promote the beast in the pages of the then-new Otaku USA magazine.
We had a fun day at Bandai's office in Tokyo assembling the big guy together, and the memory sticks in my craw as the beginning of a long relationship with the B-Club, which would pay off in many other surreal adventures involving Gundam and Otaku USA.
Pardon the nostalgic interlude, but as 10 years of editing OUSA start to creep up on me, some looking back and wondering WTF is bound to be expected.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
