Papasan (Level 9)

I was at Viz Cinema in San Fransisco this weekend to catch the Gurren Lagann Movie, and I felt behooved to share something that not a lot of people have gone on about: How Rad Viz Cinema is!  
 

If you are within a few hours of SF, and you like Japanese movies, this truly is a great place to catch 'em. The folks who put together the New People center have accomplished an interesting feat, in that they have made a theater that is both appropriately small for it's niche audience, and comfortable enough, with a high enough level of technology to make it a venue completely worth going to.

I was immediately impressed with the decor of the interior. They have taken the avant garde feel of the rest of the center into the seating area with an interesting array of flourescent light bars across the walls and ceiling. My camera is CRAP, but here's a photo of a bit of it: 
 

The seats are also quite nice; a bit more compact than a luxury mega-plex's, perhaps, but well-padded and equipped with fold down arms. Cup Holders! I sat my worn out elderly bones in them for a double feature, and never once did I experience discomfort. Here is a terrible pic of the backs of said seats:
    

The only complaint I might be willing to profer is that the web portal through which they sell online tickets is a bit old-fashioned, and not well-connected to the theater itself. Viz Cinema was offering a discount for the purchase of tickets to both of the two films which I was seeing, but for some reason there was no way to get this discount on the ticket site. This could have been totally my fault, but my friend had the same problem, so there it is.

Another small gripe, and this is just the "power to the people" side of me: Viz Cinema does not have a dedicated box office. Tickets have to be purchased or picked up at the cafe, where the two poor kids working there had to make cup-dripped coffee, sell the bento and snacks, and then take care of everyone's ticket needs. This seemed like a bit more difficulty than these folks really needed. They were, however, perfectly friendly and accomodating in the midst of this difficulty, to their credit.

Actually, the staff at New People are all very professional and astute, and make sure that all visitors have a comfortable and pleasant experience. As a matter of fact, the fellow who was essentially the theater's usher, a nice guy by the name of Max, was very helpful in getting folks seated and ready for the film, even making sure before the beginning of the second film to inform everyone that there would be additional footage after the credits, and to be sure and stick around.

All in all, a real classy joint to check out a flick. If you get the chance, I highly suggest stopping by.

Oh, and who knew the Pagoda had a creepy, rusty ladder going up the middle of it?