Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Anime News Network (Page 8)
Sony Pictures Entertainment revealed its tie-in film posters its upcoming action comedy film Pixels. The film will feature the video game franchises Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Galaga, Frogger, Q*bert, and Space Invaders. Several video game companies and license-holders — including Atari, Konami, Bandai Namco Games, Nintendo, Columbia Pictures Industries, Taito, and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment — are collaborating with Sony Pictures on the film.
There’s a whole side of anime fandom dedicated to pairing their favorite characters together in romantic relationships, be it a male harem lead with one of his five adoring female friends, or two volleyball players who can’t stand each other (I’m talking about you, Haikyu!!). The pairing of two male characters is considered the realm of fujoshi, and series creators aren’t ignorant of their female fan’s hobbies, sometimes playing up subtext to increase a series’ popularity. The poll did have a higher turn out of female voters (66% overall).
Charapedia asked 10,000 fans what their favorite same-sex pairings are and got a lot of interesting results. While these couples aren’t always canon, they’ve accumulated their fair share of admirers.
The world of anime and manga has plenty of noteworthy costumes, from battle armorto team jerseys and school uniforms galore. But sometimes when the characters are just hanging out with their friends in everyday clothing, or gracing the covers of CDs and promo posters, their wardrobe choices aren’t so fashionable.
Japanese portal site Goo asked its readers which anime series had the un-coolest everyday clothing.
Here’s the top ten:
Ellusionist has released the ultimate cosplay accessory—the Pyro Fireshooter, which allows you to literally shoot fireballs from your hands thanks to a $174 gadget that is “definitely not a toy.”
After a stage event, voice actress Marina Inoue snapped the ultimate selfie, one that included herself, fellow Attack on Titan actors Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman) and Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger), and series director Tetsuro Araki. While the picture itself is already pretty cool, Attack on Titan mangaka Hajime Isayama took it one step further, drawing the cast as their respective characters, along with a manga-fied version of Araki.
A factory accident has made one Metroid fan very happy, albeit a couple thousand bucks poorer. An eBay auction for a factory-sealed, defective Samus Amiibo recently ended at $2,500, with an original starting price of $50.
Bandai Namco Games began streaming an introduction video previewing its demo software “Summer Lesson,” which utilizes Sony‘s Project Morpheus virtual reality headset to simulate interactions with a high school girl. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia hosted a user experience meeting for the software this Saturday and Sunday, allowing around 700 users to test the software.
Shoppers at Singapore’s One Raffles Place can get into the holiday spirit with the help of Doraemon. Or rather, dozens upon dozens of Doraemon, which have been turned into a cute and wonderful Doraemon Christmas tree, complete with Santa hats.
Kodomo Eiga Plus, an entertainment web portal that specializes in children’s films and children’s film events, asked 132 film industry pros which movies they’d recommend the most for children to watch before they turn 13. Unsurprisingly, Ghibli movies took the top three spots, as well as many positions on the Top 15.
The designers at the mail order fashion site SuperGroupies are at it again with some Magic Knight Rayearth short boots for the wet, wintry season.
Each design is modeled after one of the main heroines from Clamp’s manga and anime series. Hikaru Shidou, Fuu Hououji, and Umi Ryuuzaki are represented in their respective red, green, and blue colors. The pairs are now available for pre-order for 21,384 yen (about US$181) and are made from genuine leather.
The Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya, Japan has a distinctive mannequin outside its men’s department. Nana-chan is a popular meeting spot because she’s easy to spot in the shopping district — she’s 20 feet tall. The staff change her outfits monthly, but recently she’s wearing an orange jumpsuit that fans of a certain ninja will recognize.
The Attack on Titan and Marvel crossover comic that Magazine House‘s Brutus magazine is publishing on Saturday features characters from Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers as they battle the Female Titan, Colossal Titan, Armored Titan, and others in New York City.
It seems that regardless of the place, age, or circumstance, vigilantes will always be met with some sort of resistance from the officials. That was the case this week when the Chiba Prefectural Police Department announced that they would not be allowing the mysterious masked citizen, known as “Chibatman,” to participate in next year’s Chiba Kenmin Marathon.
Gift giving season is around the corner and what better way to wrap up the mounds of Moonie merchandise than with Sailor Moon cards, gift bags, decorative tape, and boxes? All the above andmore are available for order as part of Bandai’s fourth round of Sailor Moon paper goods. Let’s take a look.
This year’s 50th issue of Shueisha‘s Shonen Jump magazine is a legendary one with the final twochapters of its mega-hit series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. In this issue, the 766th chapter (“Smile”) of Eiichiro Oda‘s One Piece manga seems rather normal. However, fans have found a secret message embedded into the One Piece chapter’s title page.
An autopsy performed on Darrien Hunt, the 22-year-old man shot and killed by police in Saratoga Springs, reveals that Hunt was shot five times from behind and had no drugs in his system.
The autopsy report shows that Hunt was shot once in the back, two times in the left hip, and three times in the upper arm. Five of the shots entered from behind, and one of the shots in his hip entered from the side toward the back. A total of seven shots were fired by police, six of which struck Hunt. The fatal shot to his back traveled in an upward direction.
The Teesside Crown Court of Middlesbrough, England convicted 39-year-old Robul Hoque of 10 counts of possessing prohibited images of children. However, the children depicted in the images were all drawings. Hoque is believed to be the first man in the country brought to court solely over manga and anime images. The court sentenced him to nine months in prison, but the sentence will be suspended if Hoque maintains good behavior and follows the court’s requirements for two years.
Nintendo fans may not be familiar with the name Xander Mobus, but they probably know his voice when they hear it. He’s the announcer for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and WiiU, as well as a few other voice roles, but his talents apparently don’t just end there. A fan asked him to please sing the Pokémon theme song, and he obliged.
Starbucks Japan releases two new seasonal drinks that blur the line between summer and autumn
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Dog-friendly Wanwan Liner bus to begin operations between Tokyo and Osaka this fall
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
12-year-old foreign tourist missing in Japan, police asking for help finding her [Video]Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariumsStay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
The Japanese city where ordering grilled chicken doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get chicken
Japanese airlines set to cut fuel surcharges for international flights in September and October
Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in JapanJapanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japanese convenience store sunglasses just became our newest Convenience Wear obsession
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Dog-friendly Wanwan Liner bus to begin operations between Tokyo and Osaka this fall
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan
Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home
Tokyo pub prohibits talking or keeping your phone out, only lets you drink in morning on weekends
Kyoto shop turns traditional Japanese kimono into teddy bears, with special meaning hidden in their patterns
Totoro shaved ice wows Studio Ghibli fans in Tokyo for a very limited time
A practical guide to freezing your boss’ hat in a block of ice [Photos]
Heavyweight ramen-style cheese fried chicken bowl appears in Tokyo, but is it genius or madness?
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
These Japanese contact lenses let you put anime characters on your eyes [Photos]
Teen girl in Japan refuses to be victim, personally escorts train pervert to police for arrest
Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meals are coming to McDonald’s, but not in Japan [Video]
