The MAS Log
News of the past (Click here for the absolutely most recent news.)
14 June 2008
It is now official. The Melbourne Anime Society ends with the 28 June screening. There may be a new anime club called South East Anime, but it will not be screening at Northcote. It is not even definite that it will exist, yet. If you are interested in retaining your regular Saturday anime fix, please front up to a meeting at room 2 in the Clayton Community Centre, Cooke St., Clayton, at 1 p.m. on Saturday 21 June 2008. There should be some idea of what, if anything, will be happening afterwards. Note that if nobody shows up in Clayton on the 21st, then that is IT for anime screenings of this type in Melbourne. Well...after the final MAS screening in Northcote on the 28th, anyway.
There was an idea raised of some sort of party on the 28th, possibly with anime being screened after the usual closing time. With all that can go wrong with this idea, there is nothing definite on this front.
People coming to the last two or three meetings will have noticed a purple splodge on the screen. This is a fault in the one of the assets whose final fate is yet to be decided, namely the projector. It will not be repaired for the final screening. The purple-thing began as a mysterious sprawling "tree" in the middle of the screen, which contracted over the course of the screening to a single line. Next screening it appeared as an annoying purple "tree" in the upper left of the screen. Again, it shrank over time -- to a mere "bush" that was almost unnoticable. Almost. The upper-left "tree" contracting to "bush" happened again last time. Exactly what the cause is, and why the self-repairing nature of the problem, is unknown.
31 May 2008
Note that there is a special meeting on 14 June, regarding the wrapping up of the Melbourne Anime Society, at least in its present form. (See 23 February below, for more details.) With a new anime group in the works, which may possibly take over the name, library, and etc., I had some idea of continuing these MAS web pages as if nothing was happening. However - as noted on the 23rd - it will be more complicated than that. For input, suggestions, and to find out just what the heck will be happening, please show up on the fourteenth.
Anyone interested in forming a new anime society in Melbourne is invited to attend a meeting at room 2 in the Clayton Community Centre, Cooke St., Clayton, at 1 p.m. on Saturday 21 June 2008. Note that Clayton is nowhere near Northcote. Note also that the last June screening is the FINAL meeting of the Melbourne Anime Society, (at least as an incorporated body,) and if nobody shows up on the 21st, then that is IT for anime screenings of this type in Melbourne.
In summary: 14 June Northcote for the winding up of the MAS. 21 June Clayton for starting a new anime club. 28 June Northcote for the final MAS screening. Note the venues.
30 March 2008
Due to Easter, the second screening in March was on the 29th, which was the fifth Saturday of the month. After this, screenings reverted back to the normal second and fourth Saturday pattern.
23 February 2008
People attending our regular screenings will notice a big change from March until at least June. The door fee will be a flat $1.00 for members, and $2.00 for non-members (down from prices between $6.00 and $4.00 with various discounts). Club membership will be $1.00 (down from $15.00). How can the Melbourne Anime Society afford this? It can't -- at least it can't as an incorporated body. Herein some changes are going to occur.
Until the end of June 2008, everything will be just as it is now, apart from the reduced fees. Where when and even if meetings will be held after that is yet to be decided, along with what happens to the video projector and the loan library. We all have ideas on what should happen, but what occurs when an incorporated body like the Melbourne Anime Society ceases to be an incorporated body is not simple. It is designed to be not simple.
Why is this happening? Basically, we are a victim of our own success. The M.A.S. was formed with a number of goals, but mainly to foster interest in anime at a time most people had never heard of it -- including those familiar with shows like Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer -- and to provide a venue where people who had heard of it could actually get to see it. That was then. Now there are anime sections in video libraries and even book stores. Anime movies and t.v. series pop up frequently on SBS. It appears in mainstream cinemas. It can be purchased in stores, with a choice in the menu between subbed, dubbed, and original Japanese. People can and do download anime from the internet. Japanese manga is so popular now that translations (even with artwork unflipped) outsells local comics. At the beginning the MAS met in a living room, grew so big halls became essential, and now in a time of anime-plenty is small enough to meet in a living room again -- which may or may not happen. (At the present it is also gradually losing money, but can afford the new discounts at least until the end of the financial year. Even if, as somebody tongue-in-cheek remarked, the reduced fees suddenly boost membership to the point where the MAS is profitable again, the argument "why keep on being an incorporated body?" will remain.)
To summarise: anime was rare once, now it is coming out the wazoo, and there's no real reason for the M.A.S. to continue as an incorporated body, which the people in charge find is time-consuming and hellish to run.
Maybe, when the dust has settled, the average MAS attendee will not notice anything basically different. Or possibly will. As previously mentioned, disincorporating is complicated, and any major predictions may prove to be inaccurate.
26 January 2008
As advertised, the second screening for January did not happen, due to Australia day. Now screenings are completely back to normal again...until Easter. (The second screening for March will be one week later than normal, on the 29th. We could not do the same fiddle for January, due to the lack of an extra Saturday.) February screenings will be as normal, though.
30 December 2007
There was no meeting on 22 December, due to the M.A.S.'s normal policy of not holding second screenings in December, during the Christmas break. New members please note the fact that there will be no second screening in January either is not part of a new trend, but the fact that the 26th is Australia day when the entire hall is closed.
8 December 2007
Although the "forums" links remain on these pages, clicking on any of them will get you nowhere for the time being. At some time in the past, whether by hacking or sloppiness, acceptance of people logging-in was changed to "automatic", resulting in us apparently having around 8,000 members, a lot of them with names along the lines of "debbi@hotsex.com.whatever". Forums will be reinstated after an extensive de-porning.
24 Nov 2007
Melbourne Anime Society Committee 2007-2008
| President |
Andrew Dynon |
| Secretary |
Matthew Lescich |
| Treasurer |
Louis Patterson |
| Librarian |
Chad Walker |
| General Member (DVD sales) |
Neil Murray |
| General Member |
Alex Norman |
| General Member (Web monkey) |
Bruce Barnes |
9 Nov 2007
A new contribution for the events page has been received for the first time since 2004.
5 Nov 2007
The old "white" version of the MAS website has now been totally shut down. (Well by "totally" the old pages are actually still there for now, it is just the new "black" version comes up by default. If you really want to see the old version again, type http://www.mas.org.au/OLDindex.php into your browser -- just remember no effort is being made to keep any of the old pages updated, and the PHP programs are running without supervision.) The only reason it has taken this long to shut down was my being unable to figure out how. It turns out browsers look for "index.php" before they look for "index.html".
3 Nov 2007
Advance notification: There will NOT be a MAS screening on Australia Day, Saturday 26 January 2008.
26 Oct 2007
Screenings will be back to the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, as of November.
I have started to replace the table of links at the foot of each page (like this one) with a javascript table. It looks much the same, works the same, and helps preserve my sanity when it comes time to modifying all the links. The only problem is I am now going to have to go to every single page to replace the existing table, giving myself more work to save work in the future. (Sigh.)
11 Oct 2007
New-look web-page goes into action. (Chief differences: Black background, as opposed to white, and a lack of frames.) Problems with dead and obsolete links may persist for a while. Please advise of any problems, such as outdated information (please include the name of the page it is on -- you can do that with this frameless version), or even if you just want black-on-white back.
Sep 2007
No second screening at Northcote due to the annual MANIFEST. See their website, www.manifest.org.au for details.
26 May 2007
The cancellation of today's meeting caught us by surprise too. We have been able to cope with last-minute changes before, but finding out about the Town Hall's all-rooms-encompassing function AFTER the official starting time was a little too last minute. Things will be back to normal 9 June 2007.
7 Apr 2007
Sorry for the late notice. There will be no shift to the April screenings due to unexpectedly early advent of Easter. Instead, please consider coming to the day long Minifest at Melbourne University. More details at the Manifest website, www.manifest.org.au
10 Mar 2007
Please note that the April screenings may be shifted one week to accommodate Easter. We'll keep you updated.
11 Nov 2006
Melbourne Anime Society Committee, for 2006-2007
| President |
Louis Patterson |
| Secretary |
Chee Kin Lee |
| Treasurer |
Rebekah Webb |
| Librarian |
Matthew Lescich |
| Member (DVD sales) |
Neil Murray |
| Member (Screening Coordinator) |
David Robb |
| Member |
Andrew Dynon |
| Member |
Alex Norman |
24 Aug 2006
Thanks to a member's suggestion, MAS has found a stable home. After a bit of hoop jumping, we will now be holding screenings at the Northcote Town Hall -- (see map). If you have information about any bus routes in the area, we'd love to hear from you.
In other news, Manifest 2006 is about a month away. MAS will have a screening theatre there with all the latest titles, oldies you haven't seen in ages, as well as any thing else that tickles our fancy.
11 Jul 2006
MAS will be holding a social outing instead at the next meeting date (22 Jul 2006). We will be meeting up at 1pm at McDonalds in the Box Hill shopping centre located just outside of the exit of Box hill train station. Itinery includes checking out the new venue we will be at from the first meeting in August and a movie somewhere. Manifest memberships will also be available for MAS members with a $7 discount to the weekend pre-registion membership. Please note that this is the last chance before pre-registration is closed.
26 Mar 2006
Sorry about being al little behind on the news.
Please note that MAS is considering shifting dates next month (Apr). Please keep an eye on the forums, here or your email regarding meetings next month.
In other news, Manifest has asked us to make the following announcement:
Announcing, yet again - an event not to be missed: Minifest 2006!
News date: 16 March 2006
Celebrating the hard work of our volunteers, we invite you to come along, kick back and enjoy this one-day anime convention.
If it's for a Manifest fix, or just a taste of what's to come, join in on the festivities.
When: 2006 Saturday April 8th. Doors open at 10am
Where: The University of Melbourne, Old Arts Building (Don't know where that is? Check out our map.
Cost: $5
Those who volunteered for Manifest 2005 will be glad to know that we will give them free membership to thank them yet again for their tireless efforts!
Get in on the action with the following events planned:
Anime Screenings
Video Games
Cel Painting Classes
OzTaku Drawing Room
OzTaku Art Classes
Karaoke
And announcing an all new challenge . . . Iron Artist~!
We will be announcing the dates and venue for Manifest 2006 at Minifest this year. Be there to register membership early for Manifest 2006, or you'll just have to wait till we open it officially!
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17 Mar 2006
1 entry has been added to the Shopping Guide.
Manga Arts - Wonder how you'd get those implements you find in those How to Draw Manga books? Manga Arts is wholesale art supplier of Japanese manga/comic related goods.
9 Feb 2006
Two stores have been added to the Shopping Guide.
Ozanimart - An online market where you preorder items from most of the month and get stuff sent to you during the few days in the month they are open. See the Shopping Guide for further details.
Hondarake - A secondhand bookstore in Sydney dealing in primarily Japanese books but also handle English and Chinese books as well. They also sell lots of random things from Japan. See the Shopping Guide for further details. Hondarake has offered free Hondarake memberships to MAS members. Please see the Discounts Page for details.
6 Dec 2005
A minor clean up of the website. automated a couple of things...
18 Oct 2005
Third meeting at the new venue is an Annual General Meeting. An hour of officialish reports and election of members of committee. Members interested in a position need to fill out a form available from the registration table and hand it to the secretary before the start of the AGM. Please be aware that official members have to be over 18 years of age due to legal requirements.
30 Aug 2005
Due to renovations at our usual venue changing it from our requirements, we are moving our screening venue to Ashwood Hall at 21A Electra Avenue, Ashwood 3147 (Melway map reference 61 A11). A map of the area is also available here. If you have any questions, send them to masinfo@metva.com.au or visit our forums at forums.mas.org.au.
3 Jun 2005
Received the following recently from Melbourne Anime Festival:
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The Manifest 2005 Great Debate!
Do you have the gift of the gab? Are you a comedian or a master debater? Here's your chance in the spotlight!
This year Manifest will be bigger and better than ever before, including the resurrection of the famous Great Debate. Like years gone by the topic will be anime-orientated, however this year's debaters will have to juggle argument with humour if they hope to win.
So if you feel up to the challenge, send along a submission to manifest-debate@metva.com.au and in 250 words (approximately) tell us why you think you should be chosen.
Note: You must be able to contact your fellow debaters (by phone or internet) and be willing to work as a team with them ahead of time in preparation for the event. Please forward any further questions to the above address. Debating experience strongly recommended.
Submissions close June 30.
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25 Feb 2005
Sorry for the late notice. For the Feb 26th screening, we will be meeting in Building 32, marked in green on this map, theatre E1, again.
10 Feb 2005
For the Feb 12th screening, we will be meeting in Building 32, marked in green on this map, theatre E1.
19 Jan 2005
We will be meeting in Building 32, marked in green on this map, theatre E1.
14 Jan 2005
Sorry about the delay, folks. There was a little technical difficulty on my part. For those who found MAS on the 8th of Jan at R5, I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle.
Please be aware that MAS hasn't been given confirmation of which room we will be in for the meeting on the 22nd of Jan. We are actively attempting to get E1 or E3 in the building marked in green on this map if the Rotunda is unavailable. Stay tuned for any news.
1 Jan 2005
Happy New Year everyone.
MAS is proud to finally present an official Anti-Harassment Policy and Screening Code of Conduct to help members understand where MAS stands on such things and what to do when it happens. Please note that we are aware that we may have overlooked something you consider important so don't hesitate to comment or make a suggestion about it to me via email or to a committee member.
28 Dec 2004
Apologies to all for the recent down time. The server the MAS website was on was recently taken out by a trial worm that went terrorising around the net. A couple of days ago during final patching to the forum software, the server was again infected with the real worm and had to be taken off air once again. Today, thanks all to the efforts of Sam and Neil, we are back on the net infect the world with anime, muahahahaha- *croak, cough, sputter...*
4 Dec 2004
Another late mention that MAS will not be screening in R4 for the next meeting (December 11th, 2004). We will likely be moved to H4 like the last meeting, a short walk past the dry water feature next to the Rotunda, or one of the E rooms in the engineering block in the middle of the Monash campus some way away. There should be signs at R4 and possibly a guide or 2 as well so you shouldn't get lost. If you think you'll have problems, visit the forums and arrange for someone to meet and guide you.
6 Nov 2004
A little late mention that MAS will not be screening in R4 for the next meeting (November 13th, 2004). We have been moved to R5 so don't get lost.
4 Nov 2004
We need a webperson. At least someone to build this website from the ground up to incorporate the magical powers of php. Email me with "Interest in Webperson Position" in the subject field, or speak to a member of the committee at a screening if you are interested.
9 Oct 2004
The all important AGM. A new committee has been elected. Well... sorta. It took some engineering for there to be an actual election but there was not one but 2 of a possible 5 categories. Feel free to spam up their emails with praise and congratulations or just plain comments on their masochistic tendencies. Please see the Information Page for details on who got what so you can send tapes of YAOI accordingly.
1 May 2004
After some deliberating, the Logo and 2004 Mascot competitions have been extended to June 7th due to a lack of entries. Please see the Competitions Page for details.
23 Mar 2004
MAS officially now has its own forums. Sign on and stay in touch between screenings. Argue well into the night about whose taste is better without worrying about having to get home from screenings or missing out on a show cuz the break's over. Just head over to MAS Forums and sign up.
21 Mar 2004
Manifest is still seeking suggestions for Panels. Please see Call for Panellists page on the Manifest website for more information.
14 Mar 2004
MAS is holding a Logo Competition and a 2004 Mascot Competition. Please follow the links for details.
In other news, Manifest has a poster poll running, closing on the 25th of March. Vote for which you think will make the best poster and enter the draw to win an A3 laminated ver of the winning poster. Details here.
9 Feb 2004
IMPORTANT!!! Screening on 14th Feb WILL NOT be in the Rotunda. We will be in Building 32, Theatre E2, in the middle of campus. We have been moved there a number of times before. It is marked in green on the directions map here.
10 Dec 2003
Collectors Edge added to Shops Page. Some addresses also fixed up. Started adding email addresses to that page.
7 Dec 2003
This update temp site is placed on the net stage. Open to public, and closed to no one.
... Well that was cheesy... *cough*
19 Nov 2003
Events Page updated.
11 Nov 2003
Site is commandeered by the most current MAS committee due to the mysterious disappearance of the webmaster in the name of Pocky.
For older news, visit Site News (pre 2003).
If you do not see a list of links between a colour bar and these words, you have javascript problems
of one kind or another, and should go here.
E-mail website enquiries to masweb@metva.com.au (C) 2006, Melbourne Anime Society, Inc. Org No.: A0038233Z
