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Dragon Ball Z theme park, financed by Saudi Arabia, to be built in France

“You know of my interest in mangas,” says French president.

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We stroll down memory lane while actually strolling down Sazae-san-dori in Fukuoka City

The city’s street dedicated to Japan’s beloved Sazae-san characters evokes a feeling of warm nostalgia.

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Titles from Final Fantasy and Attack on Titan franchises also on list in wake of deaths thought to have stemmed from online bullying.

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Iranian female soccer fans cross-dress to get into soccer stadium, netizens cheer

In Iran, women are forbidden from stadiums, but for fans of soccer, drastic times call for drastic measures.

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Genghis Khan-insulting manga pulled from major book stores amid further Mongolian protests

Three major bookstore chains in Japan stop selling CoroCoro Comic after an image defacing the ancient ruler was published.

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Children’s manga apologizes to sumo wrestler for drawing penis on Ghengis Khan’s face

A juvenile joke led one publisher to face the wrath of Khan.

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Illustration features decades of Western animation icons drawn in Japanese style.

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Following their conquest of Japan, the high school idols of hit anime Love Live! have their eyes set on the rest of the world, with an international release for their first theatrical feature. But even that might not be a big enough stage for the animated vocalists. They’re now on their way to taking over the skies as well, since you can now watch Love Live! anime on selected flights on, of all carriers, Qatar Airways.

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There’s nothing that says a good-looking woman can’t be a successful politician or accomplished shogi player. However, there’s no reason to expect a greater-than-average ratio of beauties in those walks of life either, so when a particularly pretty individual makes an appearance, she tends to get a lot of attention.

On the other hand, it seems like there should be a lot of overlap between the demographics of “professional athlete” and “attractive person.” Being among the best at the sport you play requires plenty of practice, and all that exercise generally results in a toned body and bright aura of healthy vitality. Still, it’s not like there’s any concrete corollary between athletic prowess and practically perfectly balanced facial features or luxuriously flowing, seemingly never out-of-place hair. That’s why this recent addition to a Japanese professional team is being called “the most beautiful volleyball player in the world.”

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Enter the double! This is “Afghan Bruce Lee”, and he’s a high-kicking sensation【Pictures】

A 20-year-old Afghan man is being described as “the reincarnation of Bruce Lee” after photos and videos of him striking iconic poses and wielding nunchucks were posted online.

Abbas Alizada, who goes by the name of Afghan Bruce Lee due to his striking resemblance to the star, hopes to show another side to his war-torn country. “The only news that comes from Afghanistan is about war,” he said in a recent interview.

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The giant iPhone 6 Plus is most popular in Asia

Asian consumers are in love with the iPhone 6 Plus, according to a report published Thursday by AppLovin, a mobile ad network.

AppLovin looked at data from the more than 25 ad requests it processes every day, and found that the global split between iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users is about 80/20 right now.

But in some Asian countries, the 6 Plus is much more popular.

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Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox One console will not be released in Asia until late 2014, despite the fact that it will launch in the West in November this year, it was revealed last night.

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Abu Dhabime? Middle Eastern mech anime ‘Torkaizer’ turns Japan’s heads with trailer

Japanese animation has over the course of its evolution branched out into several sub-genres based on the proliferating light novels and manga series. While this is great, it seems as though the once-loved era of giant fighting robots seems to be slipping away.

Gundam‘s still chugging along and Evangelion has been enjoying its reboot, but there hasn’t been a whole lot new going on. Enter Abu Dhabi-based Alter Ego Productions with their trailer for Torkaizer which offers a fresh look on a classic genre.

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Close your eyes and find yourself in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by the cries of tropical birds and laughter of monkeys in the treetops. But wait! Suddenly you’ve jumped to the barnyard, the clucking of chickens and neighing of horses filling the air. Now open your eyes because you’ll miss the great facial expressions it takes for these two master mimicers, one from India and one from New Zealand (kinda), to produce these animal sounds. Read More

Iran has always fascinated me. A rich history inherited from one of the world’s oldest civilizations, cities filled with beautiful Islamic architecture, delicious cuisine—and the people!

Okay, while my acquaintanceship with Iranians has been limited to a few Persian friends back home in America, they’ve always been some of my favorite people, which is why it’s a shame our respective countries just can’t seem to get along.

Japan, on the other hand, has maintained a favorable relationship with Iran over the years and travel to the country is perceived to be easier for the Japanese than it is for Westerns. Our own globetrotting Japanese corespondent Photographer Koach recently wrote to us about his recent travels in the country, in which he affirms my positive impression of the people with a list of ten reasons why Iranians are the kindest people in the world.

Check his report below! Read More

How Your Old Videogames, Books and CDs Could Help Educate a Child

Take a quick look around your home. See anything gathering dust? Any old books sitting on the shelf unloved? That AKB48 CD you bought last year but are too embarrassed to listen to? How about those Playstation2 games that you never got around to playing before your console died?

Well now’s your chance to have a good old clear-out. Grab a cardboard box and turn that stuff into an education for a less fortunate child.

Japanese recycling giant Book Off is working in conjunction with Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA) to provide books and learning materials for children who have found themselves homeless as a result of war or natural disasters. As well as donating the in-store buy-back value of any books, CDs, DVDs and videogames donated by regular folk like you and me, Book Off is pledging an extra 10% of that value to the charity.

In short, some less fortunate kids get an education; you make some space in your home and get to feel warm and fuzzy. Read More

In my career as a journalist, never have I seen such a debacle. The match in question was a bantamweight match, between Azerbaijan’s Magomed Abdulhamidovand Japan’s Satoshi Shimizu. On five occasions in one round, Shimizu knocked down Abdulhamidov, who also received a two-point penalty. The judges ended up awarding victory by judgment to his opponent, who was the one who spent more time on the canvas, and the referee didn’t stop the match as he would reasonably expected to during one of these downs, nor did he even start counting down a single knockdown. What exactly is going on with refereeing in the London Olympics? Read More