Japanator

The Best Thing Ever: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

2009-11-08T17:00:00Z

[I always learn something new from you readers. And in the case of Irothtin, that would be about Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. I have a feeling I'll have to seek out a bunch of new series to watch and read by the end of this month. Thanks, guys. Got your own story to share? Post it in our community blogs section, and you might wind up on the front page too! -- Brad]

Tell me, dear reader, are you familiar with the concept of "mono no aware"? Probably not in such big, fancy words, no. But surely you've felt the nostalgia of examining childhood memories, the melancholic feeling that grips your chest whenever you think back to a simpler time, the simple sadness that comes with things passing in and out of memory, the wistful feeling of laying in grass and watching clouds roll by. That is what "mono no aware" is.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Yokohama Shopping Log) is a manga which perfectly captures the essence of "mono no aware".

There are no epic battles. There are no humongous mecha. No swords, no sorcery. Just a girl and the small, rural cafe that she runs alone.

Bon Jovi x Obama: The greatest musical power in Japan

2009-11-08T15:00:00Z

I've talked about my musical predilections over at Destructoid, but the band that really kicked off my love affair with music was Bon Jovi. These Jersey rockers still hold a special place in my heart, and I'm glad to see that over in Japan, they are the soundtrack for freedom and democracy.

Or at least that's what I'm taking away from this commercial that uses images of Obama and Princess Diana to promote the new Bon Jovi CD The Circle over in Japan.

It's not terribly unreasonable to see where this pairing might be made: Jon Bon Jovi has been a strong supporter of the Democrats for years, throwing fundraisers for Al Gore, Obama and even Governor Corzine (ugh). So, that's where this Japanese love affair comes from.

I wonder if Obama will help this album sell well?

Gackt publicly outs himself

2009-11-08T10:00:00Z

...as not only being a mortal man, but one likely to be a bit older than most would expect. But then again, who could blame anyone for thinking that Gackt, a shimmering slab of enigmatic man-meat, was anything less than a youthful sprite.

In fact, he's 36 years old.

So, OK, in a way, this does make him look pretty young considering that the singer/actor usually tries to sport the "I'm a vampire and at least 200 years old on a good day" sort of shtick. And let's not forget that some of his contemporaries, like Hyde of L'Arc~en~Ciel who will soon turn 40 and Takanori Nishikawa (aka TM Revolution) who is hovering around 78, aren't exactly spring chickens themselves. But it does come as a bit of a surprise that Gackt would public dash the hot hot hot fantasies of young girls (and boys, come on...admit it) after working the undead aristocrat angle for so long and considering the rise in supermodel vampire emo fiction as of late.

Oh, and let us not forget that this announcement came during a press conference in which it was reveled that Gackt would be taking part in a play called Full Moon Swordsman, as the character Nemuri Kyoshiro. Raizo Ichikawa played that role through 12 films from 1963 to 1969, when he died at the age of 37. In May of 2010, when Gackt takes the role, he will then be 37 himself.

2 new Ghost in the Shell manga this December

2009-11-07T23:01:00Z

Looks like Major's been busy. Two new manga series based off the hit anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will be making their way to Japanese shelves this December. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will launch on December 9th and 14th, respectively. The first, drawn by Masayuki Yamamoto, will be based on the CGI shorts that were packaged along with the GitS:SAC DVD, which centered around the Tachikoma AI tanks. The second will be based simply on the GitS:SAC anime series, drawn by Yu Kinutani, the creator of Amon and Shion. The former will be running in Kodansha's Monthly Young Magazine, and the latter will run in their Weekly Young Magazine. Talk about two new heavy-hitters in one month!

I've paid attention to Ghost in the Shell in the past and enjoyed it, but never really became a hardcore fan. Announcements like these are especially for the hardcore fans out there, and I know you guys are here. Now that Kodansha is publishing directly here in America instead of licensing, who thinks we have a better chance of getting some of this awesome stuff sooner?

[via ANN, via Pocket News]

Is Kipi wrong to use Photoshop?

2009-11-07T22:00:00Z

When it comes to cosplay, Adella is my lady, but I have to admit that Kipi does a fine job; in addition to looking great, she's extremely prolific. She's also worn every outfit Haruhi Suzumiya has ever sported, so maybe if we just politely ask her to look insane and get a bored-looking guy to stand next to her for a little while, we can pretend that we actually got a second season of Haruhi (not that I want one.) I only kid because I love.

However, as the above video demonstrates, some of Kipi's cosplay-goodness is created in post-production. It seems like the main thing she does digitally is doctor her eyes a bit to make her look more like an anime character. Kipi's digital-dolling up has prompted a divisive discussion on the ethics of cosplay- well, at least among cosplayers. I think everyone else is still in the process of wrapping their brain around the fact that cosplayer ethics now exist.

Personally, I cast my vote for Team Kipi. If she didn't look that great (and that in character) to begin with, no amount of Photoshop trickery would do much for her. I do understand that at some point, extensive photo-manipulation starts to defeat the purpose of cosplay, which is to see how much a real person (emphasis on real) can look like a fictional character, and somehow manage to look awesome instead of ridiculous. But I think if you have a zero-tolerance policy on that sort of thing, it can take you to a dangerous place. If touching up the eyes in a picture is enough to ruin the authenticity for you, then frankly you shouldn't be okay with cosplayers wearing much makeup either. I don't think it should all come down to what basically amounts to genetic bingo; that you just have to be born with the right features, because altering your own is considered cheating. What do you guys think?

[via Sankaku Complex]

Why Angel Cop sucks (but is still awesome)

2009-11-07T21:00:00Z

Ichiro Itano's 1989 OVA Angel Cop is anime at its absolute worst. It's an explotation piece attempting to masquerade as social commentary, rife with over-the-top violence, extreme gore, nationalistic jingoism and, worst of all, antisemitism. The absurd plot makes no sense, the characters are eminently unlikeable, and the animation looks like it was copied directly off a 16mm print. In other words, it sucks. HARD.

So, what could possibly make this unwatchable piece of sh*t "awesome"? The answer can be summarized in two words: THE DUB.

We're going to do a quick thought exercise. I want you to think back on all the dubbed anime you've seen, and pick out the worst one. Think of the dub with horrible voice acting... the one that made you cringe, cry and roll up into a ball on the floor in the fetal position. You got that in your mind?

The Angel Cop dub is WORSE.

Don't take my word for it. Experience a short sample after the break.

Mamoru Oshii's new film opening in San Francisco

2009-11-07T19:00:00Z

Musashi Miyamoto is the original dual-wielder. Founding the Hyoho Niten Ichiryu swordsmanship style and writing the strategy treatise Book of the Five Rings, Musashi is one of the classic great warriors of Japanese history. His travels and travails are the subject of legend.

Appropriately, legendary figures deserve cool film adaptations, and Mamoru Oshii, the famed dude responsible for the Ghost in the Shell films, Avalon, and The Sky Crawlers has penned the script for Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, billed as an "anime documentary."

Now Americans too will get the chance to see Musashi's exploits, as the film will be holding its U.S. debut at the San Francisco International Animation Festival, which kicks off next week on November 11th, Wednesday. The actual show date will be on November 14th, but the festival will also be hosting a ton of other films, many of which will be interesting for animation fans with interests beyond the otaku domain.

It seems that the SF Bay Area is really becoming a prime otaku destination. Is anyone interested in going?

[Via ANN]

The otaku gender gap: Guys like girls, girls like robots

2009-11-07T18:00:00Z

The otaku matchmaking service Otakuma recently conducted a poll which ranked the most popular anime series by gender... but, at first glance, it might seem like they got the lists switched.

Males
1) K-On!
2) The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
3) Lucky Star
4) Gundam (all series)
5) Saki
Females
1) Gundam (all series)
2) K-On!
3) Code Geass
4) Macross Frontier
5) Evangelion / Toradora! (tie)

Four out of five series in the male category are slice-of-life moe shows, whereas the same number in the female category are giant robot shows. It would seem as if mecha genre (originally aimed at males) now appeals more to the female demographic. Meanwhile, guys simply enjoy watching the antics of young teenage schoolgirls. Go figure.

So, does this mean we'll start seeing more giant robot shows with beautiful bishounen in them... or will a moe mecha show pop up first? In any case, Megas XLR's theme song (which can be viewed below the jump) now seems oddly prophetic.

[Via AltJapan]

InuYasha manga kicks it up a notch with VizBIG edition

2009-11-07T17:00:00Z

In what I'd consider a move to help promote their new Shonen Sunday brand, Viz is launching a VizBIG omnibus edition of everyone's favorite demon-dog manga: InuYasha. That's right, if you're looking to collect the manga all over again, and in a larger format, here's your chance.

Hitting shelves next week, this will collect the first three volumes of the series for $18, and as with the other VizBIG editions, will feature larger pages and a pretty, redesigned cover. This might help condense your shelf, or perhaps just present you with something new to look at on your shelf. Plus, you can enjoy the manga unflipped (I believe the earlier editions were.)

For the rest of us, it'll be a nice chance to actually jump into InuYasha, and see what the fuss has been about for all these years. Anyone looking to pick it up?

Japanator's Top 25 most popular anime characters

2009-11-07T16:00:00Z

[The results of your votes are in, and BGFUSAB tallied them all. They turned out pretty surprising, especially when compared with IGN's list. Read, enjoy, and discuss! -- Brad]

So the votes are all tallied, and 271 total character received votes from 63 people participating. There were a couple things I found interesting but maybe you all didn't.

The lowest ranked person getting at least 5 votes was Gene Starwind somewhere around 49. Haruhi Suzumiya was around 38, her 6 votes only got her 21 points. The list seems to me mostly to be a list of characters one could describe as "badass" with the occasional funny person thrown in. I suppose I expected more out of Konata and Kagami.

Enjoy. Debate.