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Copies of Keiji Nakazawa‘s Barefoot Gen manga were temporarily removed from 13 elementary and middle schools in Osaka’s Izumisano City. Nakazawa’s manga that tells the story of survival after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The copies were removed at the request of Izumisano mayor Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu for what he says are “many expressions in the manga that impact human rights,” including derogatory terms for beggars and the unemployed.
Anything that gets published is prone to typos at any stage of the process, and manga is no exception. From using the wrong kanji to misprinting page numbers, any number of mistakes can happen. Readers haven’t always proved to be understanding of these, but when it comes to a matter very dear to many hearts — bra sizes — errors can be especially unforgivable.
Thanks to the patient translation efforts of AltJapan Co., Ltd. co-founder Matt Alt, readers can now read, in English,most of the 90-page study on robot anime made available by the Japanese government. Titled “Nihon Animation Guide: Robot Anime-hen,” the original document was written by anime critic Ryusuke Hikawa, Sunrise head of cultural promotion Koichi Inoue, and writer Daisuke Sawaki, and compiled by Mori Building Co., which has previously also compiled reports on Japanese live-action special effects shows, movies, and other pop culture topics. In addition to these reports, the company also promotes media arts information, hosts symposiums, conducts surveys, and works on archive projects.
North American anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment began streaming a second clip from the dub of Attack on Titan on Monday. The clip was previously released last Tuesday to subscribers to accompany the second round of voice cast announcements.
J-Stars Victory Vs., the crossover fighting game that pits characters from 32 Shonen Jump manga against each other, debuts on Wednesday, and to celebrate the launch, Bandai Namco Games erected life-size statues of Dragon Ball Z‘s Son Goku duking it out with One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy on the streets of Tokyo.
The first teaser trailer for the Ju-on: Owari no Hajimari (The Grudge: Beginning of the End) horror film began streaming on Saturday.
Hirofumi Watanabe cites jealousy as motive & vows to kill himself when released
Hirofumi Watanabe, the suspect in the Kuroko’s Basketball threat letter case, admitted to all the charges in his first day in court on Thursday. He added that he will accept the court’s judgment and any punishment without appeal.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested the 36-year-old Osaka temporary worker on December 15 and accused him of sending threatening letters to convenience store chains and other establishments linked to Tadatoshi Fujimaki‘s Kuroko’s Basketball manga.
TV Asahi aired the 2013 Doraemon film Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dōgu Museum on March 6 with a censored scene. In the scene, the character Shizuka encounters the secret tool “hyper vacuum,” and the vacuum sucks up the clothes she is wearing, including her underwear. In the TV broadcast version of the scene, lines of light were used to censor Shizuka when her clothes were sucked up by the vacuum (see image above).
FUNimation Entertainment announced on Monday that it will reveal the dub cast for Attack on Titan in several installments over the next few days. Elite video subscribers will see the news every day at 11 a.m. EDT, while the general public will receive the news later in the day. The first round of cast members is:
Suzuki takes less hands-on role at studio he co-founded with Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata.
Have you spent years mastering the arts of ninjutsu and poring over ancient scrolls, learning secret techniques and studying under august masters, and practicing stealth tactics over and over and over again…. only to find out, to your horror and despair, that there just aren’t any jobs out there for a ninja? Well, don’t worry! The Japanese government has a job for you.
You could teach elementary school kids!
With today’s economy, even colossal titans need extra work. Luckily, their tall statures make them a perfect fit for construction.
A certain custom-made itasha van, modeled after Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, has been drawing attention in the the Fukui Prefecture. Taking a look at the realistic detail put in to it, there’s no question as to why that is.
The first iteration of the van was built in 2009, and was a black van with the disembodied lower half of a person sticking out of the trunk and numerous character decals. According to Shiren Amakusa, the vans’ owner, he ran into problems when customizing the first van, due to the fact that it was black, which would make the blood less visible against it. The latest version of the van solves that problem, as well as adding a human hand sticking out of the front hood.
Hello Kitty is turning 40, while Playboy is hitting 60, but neither show any signs of slowing down. In fact, the two look better than ever… together.
A Wednesday press conference at Tokyo’s Akagi Shrine announced that Masayuki Ochiai (Parasite Eve, Shutter, live-action TV The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) will write and direct a new Juon/The Grudge horror film. Juon: Owari no Hajimari (The Grudge: Beginning of the End) will begin shooting on Tuesday and will open in Japanese theaters on June 28.
A recent poll was conducted on the streets of Akihabara to see which pink-haired anime heroine is the best. Pink-haired characters have gotten a bad rep among otaku on the internet where the phrase “Inran Pinku” (lit. Slutty Pink) is thrown around. Apparently, pink-haired characters are seen as promiscuous, so the question was are there any likeable and “pure” pink-haired anime girls? Here are the answers according to 100 fans:
Hokka Hokka Tei, a Japanese bento food chain, announced its “Attack on Titan Lunch” collaboration with Attack on Titan to create limited-time lunches. So, what exactly goes into a lunch for giant appetites? The answer is a lot of meat and vegetables.
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
61-year-old Japanese fisherman falls off boat and defies odds to swim to safety
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japanese Godzilla looks set to attack New York in teaser for Godzilla Minus Zero[Video]
Police in Japan warn of scam artists posing as cops to collect fines for breaking new bike rules
Pikachu to cuddle with kimono-clad beauty on Tokyo street as part of flower art event
Japanese sangria is the most refreshing drink you’ll have all week【Recipe】
Pringles Chocolate, but with a Japanese twist, is the snack hack you should be trying right now
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
Drink vending machines disappearing in Japan as number drops to lowest in 30 yearsWisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to TokyoInjuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flawLawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration eventsWisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Pikachu to cuddle with kimono-clad beauty on Tokyo street as part of flower art event
Japanese sangria is the most refreshing drink you’ll have all week【Recipe】
Pringles Chocolate, but with a Japanese twist, is the snack hack you should be trying right now
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
Drink vending machines disappearing in Japan as number drops to lowest in 30 years
16 Things I Learned From Dressing in Drag: Confessions of a One-night Crossdresser
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
These ambiguous objects create such mind-blowing optical illusions, we almost believe it’s magic
Downtown Tokyo’s meaty monster Kaibutsu ramen will challenge your stomach, thrill your taste buds
New ‘floating’ 3-D signs at this Japanese train station make you feel like you’re in a video game
The 10 most attractive Japanese women’s names, as chosen by dating app users
Japan’s “Galapagos Phones” Strive to Survive in a Smart Phone World
Five things you need to know about Obon–one of Japan’s biggest holidays 【Videos & more】
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
