It began with a little movie about a boy and his giant robot, and it has ultimately become a respected and loved outlet for Asian popular culture. The Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 Years retrospective at the Japanese American National Museum includes 15 years' worth of Giant Robot magazine founders Eric Nakamura's and Martin Wong's mania for manga, anime, cosplay and daikai;, including the one that influenced them both: 1967's Japanese TV superhero drama Giant Robo, repackaged as Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot. They've come a long way from the little photocopied 'zine that only the most with-it of 'heads in the know would pick up — now it's a magazine, copies of which you can find at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores that haven't closed because of the recession, an onslaught more cataclysmic than anything Emperor Guillotine had available.

Wednesdays-Sundays, 6 p.m. Starts: Oct. 24. Continues through Jan. 24, 2009

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