Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
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Transplanting yourself into another country can help you learn the language, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll absorb every bit of the culture. This image is a perfect example of that: Your understanding will depend entirely on how familiar you are with Japanese culture and history. So, we’ve broken this package down into five degrees of cultural awareness! And don’t feel bad if you don’t “get it,” because quite a few Japanese people were lost as well.
Some people dream about being a superhero and other people just dream about being a video game character. But why dream it, when you can be it, like this stuntman who demonstrates his skills which exactly mimic a certain Tekken character’s repertoire?
The world’s biggest virtual idol is returning to the U.S. on a new concert tour, and also making her Canadian performance debut.
Living abroad is fun and exciting; hardly a day goes by when something doesn’t surprise, humor, or baffle you. Living in another country also gives you a chance to understand your own native nation and evaluate the good and the bad from an outsider’s perspective.
So today we want to share with you some things that we miss from our own countries—that is to say mainly the US and UK—that we never realized we’d miss! Because, you know, they just seemed so normal, we thought Japan would have them too.
When you’re looking for cute inspiration, you don’t have to look much further than Japan. As the birthplace of the world’s beloved wide-eyed, chubby-faced anime characters, the nation is full to overflowing with commercials, posters, sweets and goods that are so adorable even self-respecting adults can’t help but squeal like delighted children when they catch sight of them.
Now Japan’s cast of cute characters have found a home for themselves across the seas in a gorgeous little Airstream trailer in California, where they continue to pop up in limited numbers in the best way ever: as deliciously sweet macarons. Come with us as we take a look at some of the cute critters and adorable edibles in the collection after the break.
Love it or hate, there’s no doubt that many Dragon Ball Z fans growing up in the United States and other English-speaking countries got their start by watching Funimation’s English dub of the series. Once a staple of Cartoon Network’s weekday Toonami programming lineup back in the early 2000s, hearing the English voices of Goku and Vegeta, played by Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabat respectively, is sure to induce a wave of nostalgia for many present-day “kids” now approaching their 30s.
In fact, the two veteran voice actors were recently featured in reddit’s Ask Me Anything series of video interviews. Join us after the jump to hear the duo’s candid thoughts about a variety of topics, including being asked to sign babies’ diapers, texting in Vegeta’s persona, playing pranks with kazoos, and female Super Saiyans!
Think cat ears are only appropriate for cosplay and on Halloween? Think again!
Thanks to a highly successful crowd funding campaign, these amazingly awesome cat ear headphones are now, after what feels like an age since we first discovered them, hitting the market, and just begging to be worn just about anywhere.
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Hayao Miyazaki film buffs will appreciate the popular video documentary “Hayao Miyazaki – The Essence of Humanity” created by Lewis Bond, an English film maker. The 16-minute video, featuring a montage of Miyazaki’s much-loved animated films, beautifully explores human nature, Miyazaki’s vision, and the universal appeal of his movies.
We’ve been telling our fine readers for literally years now about Yo-kai Watch, the Pokémon-esque game/manga/anime series that’s full of adorable yet mischievous collectible yokai monsters. And now that the series has been newly localised and adapted for the West, you’re finally going to see for yourselves what’s been driving Japanese kids to ritually torch bonfires of old Pokémon goods in favour of worshipping the new yokai overlords. Okay, we’re exaggerating, but only a little bit.
Of course, the success of any Japanese import into the Western market hinges on a heartfelt and thorough localisation process. It happened to Pokémon—Satoshi became Ash Ketchum, and many Pokémon were entirely renamed—and now it’s happening to Yo-kai Watch, too.
But is the very Japanese charm of the new franchise about to be seriously lost in translation?
I’ve actually never seen any of the Toy Story movies. I hear they’re entertaining and poignant, but my extremely busy lifestyle only leaves me so much time for watching cartoons, and I generally prefer my animation to be hand-drawn and Japanese.
But I may just have to check out the newest Toy Story Blu-ray release, since it contains a piece of original animation from Trigger, one of Japan’s hottest anime studios.
Paris Hilton took a trip to China last week, hosting outrageously expensive parties in both Shanghai and Beijing. Her whole trip wasn’t as glamorous as we would imagine, or she would have hoped, however, as she got stuck in a crowded elevator for nearly an hour. You can probably imagine her reactions amid the incident, but just in case, here’s a video too.
What surprised us most, though, was what happened when she finally got out…
Do you know what day October 21, 2015 is? It’s the day that Marty and Doc come to the future from 1985! But, sorry Marty, hover boards aren’t quite what they were supposed to be, and we barely made it to five Jaws movies, let alone Jaws 19. One of the only prophecies that may still come true is the Cubs winning the World Series, but even that seems doubtful.
Okay, so Marty might not be overly thrilled with this real version of 2015, but hey, at least he’ll get to go to the limited time “Back to the Future” Cafe if he stops by Hill Valley Ikebukuro in Tokyo.
This year marked a huge change for American broadcaster CBS’ Late Show. After 22 years of hosting the program, David Letterman finally stepped down, and the reins of the show were handed to Stephen Colbert, who took over in early September.
The move instantly attracted fans who’d been hungry for more Colbert since the final episode of The Colbert Report aired last December, and as proof that the Late Show is hoping to be more relevant to this younger demographic, the new host recently welcomed the members of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses to perform music from the series live in front of the studio audience.
Death Note, the popular manga series turned live-action movie from Japan, follows the story of a bored young genius and his discovery of a supernatural book called the Death Note, which has the power to take the life of anyone whose name is written in it by the owner.
The sinister storyline has now influenced a real-life turn of events at a high school in the United States, where a self-styled “Death Note” was found, containing the names of 17 students, including the dates of their deaths and the manner by which they would be killed.
It seems that these days, Hollywood celebrities can’t get enough of appearing on Japanese TV. Just last week, Keanu Reeves treated the Japanese public to some karate moves on a chat show sofa, and this week it’s the turn of actor Hugh Jackman, who cut a gentlemanly figure as he appeared on hugely popular culinary gameshow Kuwazugiraiou (Food Prejudice King).
As part of the show, everyone’s favourite Wolverine was faced with a gauntlet of entrail stew, fishy sea grapes, and fried quail eggs, amongst other delights, as he fought to win the title of… Food Prejudice King! So, how did he get on?
Battle Angel: Alita, known as GUNM in Japan, is one of anime and manga’s highlights of the ’90s. The original manga, created by Yukito Kishiro, ran for about five years from 1990 to 1995 with a newer series running from 2000 to 2014, in addition to two OVAs produced in the ’90s. The post-apocalyptic setting and cyborg main character have ensured the property’s popularity for decades, both domestically and abroad.
It’s been long known that James Cameron is a fan of the series and has been trying to produce a Hollywood film version for around 15 years — but things are finally starting to take shape. Today, news broke that a new director is in negotiations to take on the project.
Fans of the internationally popular hit manga Naruto were dealt a huge blow when the series ended last November after 15 years of serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. Who would have thought that the story of a young ninja with high hopes and ideals (and named after a ramen ingredient, no less) would become such a success world-wide and go on to continue for 15 years?
Well, it did, and while Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has been enjoying his well-earned rest since finishing the series, fans will be delighted to know that he apparently hasn’t been completely idle, as he publicly commented on plans for his next manga recently at an Apple Store event in New York!
San Diego Comic Con is famous for getting all the big announcements and sneak peaks about new projects, but New York Comic Con is getting large enough that major news stories are being broken at the East Coast convention. Some of the biggest news over the weekend for anime fans was the announcement of a live-action Hollywood film adaptation of Tiger & Bunny. With such a mammoth announcement, it didn’t take much time for someone to come along and fan-cast the entire series. Judging by looks alone, we are pretty impressed with their choices and while we probably won’t see so many amazing actors come together for one movie, it’s always nice to dream.
As the more worldly wise of you will no doubt already know, New York City is not in Japan. Nor is it in any other part of Asia. But as you’re probably also aware, we at RocketNews24 just can’t pass up a bit of quality cosplay when we see it, especially when much of it is based on characters from the island many of our team now call home.
Sadly, our bosses refused to pony up the cash for a plane ticket to the Big Apple so we could check out New York Comic Con 2015 for ourselves, but our friends over at Pixable (you do know we’re on Pixable now, right?) were there with cameras in hand, and they were good enough to share their photos with us.
Check out 20 of our favourite cosplayers at New York Comic Con 2015, after the jump.
It seems that there is nothing you can’t create within Minecraft. For the uninitiated, Minecraft is a video game where players create things out of blocks in a 3D cube world. It is self-described on the game’s website as “a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.” One genius player has gone to the extreme by recreating the video game Pokémon Red within Minecraft. It doesn’t get any meta than that.
Starbucks Japan reveals new winter holiday goods to wrap up 2024
Ramen restaurant etiquette reminder follows altercation with angry couple: One person, one bowl
1,200 Japanese workers convert above-ground train to subway line in a matter of hours
Tokyo’s Super Mario Christmas decoration displays are super cool【Photos】
Miniature keychain versions of Japan’s Death Spray are coming to capsule toy machines soon
One of the most popular cosplays at Comiket: a kamehameha beam from Dragon Ball
Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
Japanese government will check and judge new baby name pronunciations, presents guidelines
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
Legendary Melon Bread by Tokyo Banana returns after 20-year absence【Taste Test】
This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the past
Station of despair: What to do if you get stuck at the end of Tokyo’s Chuo Rapid Line
Major Japanese city is abolishing extracurricular activities at all of its middle schools
Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glassesJapanese government will check and judge new baby name pronunciations, presents guidelines
Shakey’s is back! All-you-can-eat pizza chain returns to downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku
Japanese train station vending machine has the best souvenirs for rail otaku
Studio Ghibli showcases traditional craftsmanship with new wallet rangeTokyo’s Super Mario Christmas decoration displays are super cool【Photos】Ramen restaurant etiquette reminder follows altercation with angry couple: One person, one bowlPossessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
Uniqlo announces first-ever collaboration with horror manga master Junji Ito【Photos】
J-pop mega star Ado reveals she’s been living in the U.S., may not understand language acquisition
Starbucks Japan is calling it quits with paper straws
Japan’s most popular castle raising ticket prices by up to 200 percent for non-local touristsJapanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
Furikake rice seasoning sales are soaring, which is bad news for Japan as a wholeThis downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the past
Studio Ghibli heroine cardigans give you warmth and strength to face everyday challenges
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengersPossessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
One of the most popular cosplays at Comiket: a kamehameha beam from Dragon Ball
Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
Japanese government will check and judge new baby name pronunciations, presents guidelines
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
Legendary Melon Bread by Tokyo Banana returns after 20-year absence【Taste Test】
Find a red envelope on the ground? Here’s why you should never pick it up
This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the past
Don’t call them fat, call them Marshmallow Girls!
A carlator is shaking things up on our way to one of Japan’s last revolving restaurants
The 10 best hotel hot springs in Japan, as chosen by Japanese travelers
Telecommute with Pikachu! Over 250 Pokémon video chat backgrounds now free to download
Japanese curry pasta is quick to make, receives rave reviews
Don’t forget that the best convenience store in northern Japan has branches farther south too