2023 Japanese animated film Spy x Family Code: White (劇場版 SPY×FAMILY CODE: White) in Pittsburgh from April 18.

The 2023 Japanese animated film Spy x Family Code: White (劇場版 SPY×FAMILY CODE: White) will play in Pittsburgh from April 18.

He's a spy. She's an assassin. Together, Loid and Yor keep their double lives to themselves while pretending to be the perfect family. However, their adopted daughter Anya, a telepath, knows both of their exciting secrets unbeknownst to them. While under the guise of taking his family on a weekend winter getaway, Loid's attempt to make progress on his current mission Operation Strix proves difficult when Anya mistakenly gets involved and triggers events that threaten world peace!

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront, AMC CLassic South Hills, and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson. Tickets are available online: please note, some shows are in Japanese with English subtitles and others are dubbed in English.

2024 Japanese animated film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom (機動戦士ガンダムSEED FREEDOM) in Pittsburgh, May 7 and 8.

The 2024 Japanese animated film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom (機動戦士ガンダムSEED FREEDOM) will play in Pittsburgh on may 7 and 8.

C.E. (Cosmic Era). An era in which there are human beings called Coordinators, born with superior physical and mental abilities thanks to genetic modification, and humans called Naturals who are born naturally. The “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” series depicts the conflict between Coordinators and Naturals within this C.E. setting. “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” (2002~2003), set in the year C.E.71~, and “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY” (2004~2005), which depicted C.E.73~, were broadcast as TV animation. The story then continued in various other media. Now “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM,” depicting an entirely new story set in C.E.75, will make its long-awaited theatrical debut featuring a special introduction from the director and voice cast.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monroeville, and Robinson. Tickets are available online: the May 7 shows play in Japanese with English subtitles, while the May 8 shows are dubbed in English.

Progress on Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill, coming soon to McCandless.

Permanent signage is up at Shabu Shabu Hot Pot and Grill, coming soon to McCandless. There is a sign in English and a sign that says "shabu shabu" in Japanese at McCandless Crossing in the North Hills, in an outparcel across from Laroche University (map). Work has been underway there since last summer, but there was recently some mild concern online when the temporary signage went down, leading some to ask if this all-you-can-eat BBQ and hot pot place were not coming after all. There is another location set to open in Robinson, too, totalling six AYCE hot pot and BBQ places coming soon to Pittsburgh.

Hana Vu with special guest Babebee in Pittsburgh, July 27.

Singer-songwriters Hana Vu and Babebee will perform in Pittsburgh on July 27. Doors open for the 21+ show at Club Cafe in the South Side (map) at 7:00 pm, show starts at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available online.

2004 Hayao Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle at Rangos Giant Cinema, May 17.

The 2004 Hayao Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle will play at Rangos Giant Cinema at the Carnegie Science Center on May 17.

In Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated masterpiece, journey beyond imagination and enter a “breathtaking fantasy world” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) filled with adventure, humor, and heart. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie. In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell. Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and Billy Crystal, Miyazaki’s artistry comes to life on DVD with inventive characters, unique storytelling, and richly detailed animation.

The show starts at 7:00 pm and tickets will be available for purchase four weeks before the event. The Rangos Giant Cinema, says its website,

is the most technologically advanced motion picture experience in Pittsburgh, boasting a 71-by-39-foot Certified Giant Screen, crystal-clear images, brilliant colors, and rich surround sound. It features two industry-leading Christie® laser-illuminated 4K laser digital projectors and a premium Dolby Atmos® surround sound system with 49 speakers.

The cinema and the Carnegie Science Center are located at 1 Allegheny Ave. on the North Shore (map).

Chia Kwa and "ASMR & How Strangers On The Internet Discovered It In Common" at Pittsburgh Humanities Festival, April 6.

Chia Kwa and their talk "ASMR & How Strangers On The Internet Discovered It In Common" will be part of the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival on April 6.

Chia Kwa, a specialist in immersive theater and experiential entertainment, leads a interactive demonstration and exploration on ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) with audience participation using silent disco headsets and additional audio technology.

ASMR is best known as a modern, online phenomenon where its fans watch hypnotic videos of brushing, tapping, waving, etc. in order to relax. But long before the term was coined online, people experienced it in their everyday lives... they just didn't know how to talk about it. Join Chia Kwa of Whisperlodge on an exploration of the power of words, and how finding the right ones allowed anonymous internet strangers to unite into a thriving community. This presentation will end with a live ASMR demonstration using binaural audio technology.

Whisperlodge has pioneered the practice and performance of live, in-person ASMR since 2016. They’ve completed 16 sold-out runs of their cult immersive show in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Singapore, and have been featured on Netflix, PBS, the New York Times, and more.

The event starts at 7:30 pm at the Greer Cabaret Theater in the Cultural District (map), and tickets are available online.

An Evening with Yunte Huang, Author of Daughter of the Dragon, April 3 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present "An Evening with Yunte Huang, Author of Daughter of the Dragon" on April 3.

A Guggenheim Fellow, Yunte Huang has taught at Harvard and the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is a professor of English. The author of “Inseparable” and the Edgar Award-winning biography “Charlie Chan”-both National Book Critics Circle Award finalists-Huang speaks frequently about American popular culture. At once a reclamation of Wong’s life and a trenchant social commentary, “Daughter of the Dragon”, with its lyrical writing and period illustrations, becomes a truly resonant work of history that reflects the raging anti-Chinese xenophobia, unabashed sexism, and ageism toward women that defined both Hollywood and America in Wong’s too-brief time on earth.

The lecture starts at 6:00 pm in the Alcoa Room of the Barco Law Building (map).

Miyazaki film The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか) remains in Pittsburgh-area theaters through (at least) April 3.

The 2023 Hayao Miyazaki film The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか), which opened across Pittsburgh-area theaters on December 7, will continue in local theater throughs (at least) April 3. A synopsis of the movie, from the distributor:

Hayao Miyazaki's first feature film in 10 years, The Boy and the Heron is a hand-drawn, original story written and directed by the Academy Award®-winning director. Produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, the film features a musical score from Miyazaki's long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. The theme song for the film "Spinning Globe" was penned and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.

. . .

A young boy named Mahito
yearning for his mother
ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.
There, death comes to an end,
and life finds a new beginning.


A semi-autobiographical fantasy
about life, death, and creation,
 in tribute to friendship,
from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

It continues to play locally at AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

Freshworks: Caroline Yoo and Davine Byon, April 5-6 at Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater will host "Freshworks: Caroline Yoo and Davine Byon" on April 5 and 6.

Prophecies & Soy Sauce Shots is an experimental performance with artists Caroline Yoo and Davine Byon. They dance together, rejecting the permanently aspirational future and reflecting on the consequences of ancestral dreamwork. The performance asks, are we dreaming in resistance of or within the confines of colonized standards of success? They move through three vignettes, using projections, sculpture, music, and the exchange of dreams. This new performance in process pieces together a messy, precious home in the diaspora, and asks whose dreams – past, present, and future – we are living for.

Freshworks is KST’s creative residency for Pittsburgh-based artists and collaborators. It supports playful exploration in performance through interdisciplinary work in contemporary dance, theater, music, and multimedia. The program provides artists with financial resources, studio space, production staff, lighting and sound design, professional development, and encouragement for creative risk-taking.

The shows run from 7:30 to 9:00 pm each night and include a post-show discussion. Tickets are available at "pay what moves you prices" online. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Ave. in East Liberty (map).

Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna, April 13 at University of Pittsburgh.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Music will present the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble and Gamelan Music and Dance of Indonesia: A Tribute Concert for Undang Sumarna on April 13.

The University Gamelan Ensemble plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people. Pitt's gamelan group includes students as well as community members. Participants in the gamelan program are encouraged to use Sundanese processes of learning as much as possible; oral transmission of musical parts is preferred over written notation and working together as an ensemble is more important than developing individual talent.

The event starts at 8:00 pm in the Bellefield Auditorium at 315 S. Bellefield Ave. (map) and tickets are available online.