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Eric Nakamura
Founded by UCLA alumnus Eric Nakamura, Giant Robot began as a photocopied zine in 1994 and its eclectic focus on alternative Asian and Asian American culture quickly attracted a like-minded readership, growing the magazine into a full-page glossy until its 68th and final issue in 2010. The magazine’s work and spirit lives on at the Giant Robot store and GR2 art gallery on Sawtelle Blvd. in Los Angeles. To celebrate Giant Robot’s 30th anniversary, the UCLA Film & Television Archive teamed up with Nakamura to co-curate a screening series, A Film Series for You: Celebrating Giant Robot’s 30th Anniversary, which continues through November 17, 2024, with Nakamura and other special guests in person.
How do the films/TV shows in the series connect with the overarching ethos of Giant Robot?
The screenings are amazing. It’s like a personal DVD collection and each film hits a note that represents facets of Giant Robot. For example, the anime choice. Tekkonkinkreet might be one of the most influential manga to indie artists and the movie version most definitely is true to the pages, and was directed by a Southern California native, Michael Arias. All of this is very GR.
Tekkonkinkreet
Were there other films/TV shows that you wanted to highlight but couldn’t fit in the series?
Most definitely, had to edit a list of ideas down to what we have. There’s not enough days, but it leaves the door open hopefully for more in the future! One of the best parts of this series is having a non-screen component which makes each screening special. Guests including directors, actors and more.
Nakamura introducing a screening at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum on November 1, 2024.
Nakamura, magazine co-editor Martin Wong and actor-filmmaker Daniel Wu signing copies of Giant Robot: Thirty Years of Defining Asian-American Pop Culture at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum on November 1, 2024.
Do you recall any films/TV shows that strongly resonated with you while you were a student at UCLA?
I think John Woo movies like The Killer were wild and seeing a lead actor like Chow Yun-Fat fill the screen as the star was life-changing. I think at that point I was trying to survive educationally, but I think seeing Asian faces on screen like Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung was important since there was a lack of Asian Americans on screen at that time.
Giant Robot magazine issue #9, 1997.
Giant Robot is 30. Looking back on its history, what are some of the things that you are most proud of?
Making a zine that turns into a magazine sold internationally is something that's happened maybe less than five times. We were one of them. The manifestations of the long hours of work put in, especially with the magazine and then art, have both strongly grown their respective categories. From some of the public, we’re rewarded with more thanks than we deserve.
With Giant Robot/Sawtelle Japantown and UCLA just minutes away from each other (when there’s no traffic), how do you think these communities have influenced each other?
When the Giant Robot store opened in 2001, the area was super different. It was quiet, parking was plentiful most of the time, and there were just a few restaurants including one ramen shop, no dessert spots, and maybe one boba shop. The decline of Westwood from back in the heyday of the later ’80s also left students with less choices and Sawtelle became a welcomed area for students, especially Asian Americans, and now just about everyone. It’s a small area, so it’s easy to see things, and the food is great.
The Giant Robot store and art gallery on Sawtelle Blvd.
For students new to the area, what would you recommend checking out on Sawtelle Blvd. and the westside (besides the Giant Robot store and gallery, of course)?
This is dangerous since some of my neighbors will be bummed that I didn’t list them, but Yamaguchi Nursery has a great Bonsai section that’s free to check out. The Hokkaido milk ice cream at 7 Below is amazing when they have it. It’s as if they’re McDonald’s and the machine is often broken. The Tenkatori fried chicken cartilage, I hate to say, wins the low-key fried chicken battle of the area. Croissants at Artelice has a line of folks and they’re great. But I’d say, come down, try these, and try the rest. Most everything that’s around is solid.
I’d say check out the classic Apple Pan for their Hickory Burger. It’s been around for decades. Your parents probably ate there.
Watch the series trailer:
