Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
anime (Page 215)
Ahoy, landlubbers! The Thousand Sunny, the preferred vessel of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, is paying a call at the port of Laguna Ten Bosch, a theme park in Gamagori, southeast of Nagoya. Interested fans are invited to board the ship for a few hours to partake in a cruise. They will be treated to a stage show, music and a toast to the Straw Hat crew. Commemorative mugs and certificates will be given as souvenirs.
If you were just looking at the clock and smiling because you’ve reached the end of your workweek, but have since switched to frowning and looking at the Tokyo weather report (clouds or rain all week long), cheer up, because it just so happens there’s a great indoor event going on.
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2015 kicked off earlier this week, and until June 14 will be showcasing the works of talented short film makers from around the globe at venues in Tokyo and Yokohama. Best of all, admission is free, and today we’re taking a peek at some of the festival’s amazing computer animated shorts that are screening this weekend.
Have you ever wished you could stick to your long-lost New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, kick those bad habits and take better care of your mental and physical health? Well, June might be the time to turn things around because Pikachu is here to help kick you into shape!
Whether it’s getting your eight glasses of water a day or downing that bright green shot of spirulina, this special series of Pikachus will cling to the side of your cup and keep you company while you stay healthy and hydrated this summer.
With six different poses available, we’ve been lucky enough to catch ’em before their official release in Japan. Come with us as we take a very special sneak peek at the coveted little critters after the break.
Sometimes, you can’t help but be impressed with the laser-like precision shown by admirers of the female form in Japan. Take, for example, the county’s fascination with zettai ryoiki. While it literally means “absolute territory,” it actually refers to the strip of exposed skin on the upper thighs between the top of knee-high socks and the hem of a skirt or shorts, and the less-is-more approach to sexiness that some find more effective than just showing off the whole leg with a plain old miniskirt of pair of short shorts.
As appreciation of zettai ryoiki has spread, we’ve seen a number of variations, including its equivalents in men’s and robot fashion. Now, zettai ryoiki is expanding into untested territory, with one artist’s proposal of what constitutes ponytail absolute territory.
Ever wonder what type of bait you should use when hunting for your very own Pikachu? Apparently the answer is ketchup, at least if we’re going by what Japanese food and beverage company Kagome is telling us about the preferences of the most famous of all Pokémon.
Kagome just kicked off its Pikachu Loves Ketchup promotion, and shoppers who buy the company’s sauces can redeem proofs of purchase for adorable Pikachu ketchup bottle toppers plus a chance to win an exclusive Pikachu plate or stuffed animal.
Calling all anime enthusiasts and obsessive collectors! Today we have a very special announcement that will put a big smile on your face and have you doing flappy hands like a sugar-rushing toddler in a toy shop. Thanks to the good people at Stone Bridge Press, we have one hardback and three electronic copies of the incredible The Anime Encyclopedia 3rd Revised Edition to give away!
Join us after the jump to find out how to make this book your own.
For many who grew up watching western cartoons on TV, their first experience with anime can make the world of Japanese animation seem impossibly dynamic and artistic. But while anime usually boasts more complex designs, varied perspectives, and generally more polished visuals than its western counterpart, it’s not like Japanese animation is a purely artistic endeavor. As with any other commercial product, the final quality of the project is limited by time and budget constraints.
In other words, sometimes mistakes turn up in the art, like this subtle yet chilling gaffe one Prince of Tennis fan spotted.
Time and time again we have professed the end of Naruto. While the original manga has certainly finished, there always seems to be something new for Masashi Kishimoto’s ninja clans. If you haven’t gotten your fill of Naruto yet with the new manga featuring Naruto’s son or the live-action theater production of the series, you should ninja run to the Adores building in Tokyo’s Akihabara. Their collaboration cafe is currently featuring the boisterous boy ninja and all his sneaky pals, but you better get there quick before the whole cafe ninja vanishes!
The new wave of Eevee merchandise continues with a series of necklaces. There are nine necklaces for each of the evolutions represented on a silver, gold, or rose gold pendant with a semi-precious or precious stone. The price varies depending on which metal the buyer chooses. The jewelry is being made in a collaboration with K Uno.
Every now and again, some outspoken fan of Japanese animation, distraught over what he sees as a decline in quality among the art form’s offerings, will hold up the shining example of some new title that shows promise, billing it as “the show that will save anime.” But if this tweet is to be believed, it’s too late. Anime is already dead, as proven by a mysterious, Ghibli-like carcass that washed up on the beach.
Quick! What do Jackie Chan, Lee Min-ho and Akira Kamiya have in common? They have all played Ryo Saeba, the main character of action/comedy series City Hunter. What better way to celebrate the acclaimed manga by Tsukasa Hojo than a 30th Anniversary Edition of the City Hunter comic along with a brand new original animation DVD to go along with it?
Fans should break out their wallets, though, because it’s not going to be as easy as walking into the shop and buying the disc.
Have you ever wondered what life as one of the “pretty guardians” in the hit manga/anime series Sailor Moon might be like? Well, the lovely Sailor Soldiers may be fictional creations, but toy maker Bandai is coming out with a line of delightful miniatures that give us a glimpse into their everyday lives. Yes, from the precious transformation pens to more mundane school items, objects from the Sailor Soldiers’ world will be recreated in miniature, and judging from the pictures, the miniatures are incredibly detailed, not to mention utterly adorable!
Sekai no Owari is one of the most popular groups in Japan right now. The clown-faced, top hat-wearing rock band is managing to thrive in a Japanese music industry saturated with seemingly endless three-letter-48-style girl groups.
So what better to combine with one of the most popular music groups than one of the most popular manga/anime, Attack on Titan? It was just recently announced that the upcoming live-action Attack on Titan movies will feature two original Sekai no Owari songs produced specially as theme songs for the films.
Two manga high school students, one boy and one girl, stand face to face in a deserted hallway. The guy pounds his fist into the wall behind the girl, executing a perfect kabe-don as he stares into her eyes with a serious look on his face and asks her an earnest, possibly life-changing question. After pausing for a second, the girl gives him her answer: yes.
Is this the birth of another girls’ manga couple? Nope, not this time, as the question the boy just asked isn’t as romantic as “Will you be my girlfriend,” but is no less important.
Even though spikey-haired Goku is undeniably the protagonist of classic (and soon to be new) anime Dragon Ball, we’re not sure it’s entirely accurate to call fellow Saiyajin Vegeta a “supporting character.” That’s because the widow’s peak-sporting martial artist would tell you that he’s actually the strongest fighter in the Dragon Ball universe, and his prideful insistence on doing things his way means that “supporting” others isn’t something he’s particularly amicable to doing.
Maybe that’s the reason that while Goku and the villainous Frieza are hawking cola, Vegeta is instead endorsing Cup Noodle’s new vegetable-packed variety of instant ramen, and starring in an action-packed, cabbage-crushing commercial while he’s at it.
By giving people a voice that can reach anyone else in the world, the Internet can be a powerful tool for change. Online petitions can draw attention to, and offer solutions for, issues that negatively impact us all, such as unjust laws and inappropriate use of public funds.
And also, as one displeased Digimon fan is doing, call for changes to anime character designs we don’t like the look of.
Some hardcore anime fans try to spend as much of their lives as possible watching Japanese animation. But what if it’s not enough to eat, sleep, and breathe anime? What if you were going to die anime, too?
That’s the question Japanese website Charapedia posed when it asked “What anime do you want to be watching during the final moment of the last day of your life?” The results are in, and here are the 20 shows respondents consider the truly ultimate anime.
Maybe this is an Internet writer problem and all you people with real jobs won’t understand, but a major snag we often run into in this line of work is not being able to find images of the right size and/or copyright status.
A lot of the most relevant, high quality images tend to belong to wire services and newspapers, while pulling stuff from the less copyright-protected corners of the net is kind of a crapshoot; you might find a beautiful pic that’s perfect for your story, but then again you might also discover that the only remotely related image that you can find is a thumbnail that’s only clearly visible under a magnifying glass.
Now, however, there is a solution!
Anime magical girls lead busy lives, especially Cardcaptor Sakura’s Sakura Kinomoto. With 50-plus magical cards to track down, plus all of the study responsibilities of an ordinary elementary school student, the young heroine must have her days planned down to the minute.
Likewise, being too young for a driver’s license, Sakura is in for a lot of walking around outside in the elements on her quest to find the mystical Clow Cards. And if you find yourself in similar need of a way to keep track of the time while keeping the sun and rain off yourself, anime fashion brand Super Groupies has got you covered with a new Cardcaptor Sakura wristwatch and umbrella.
Today, we’ve got news about a newly unveiled anime-themed “Bath Time Collection.” And while things can usually get pervy in a hurry when you combine the words “anime” and “bath,” we’re not talking about an inflatable waifu cushion to take in the tub or a waterproof anime boy toy poster to hang in your shower.
That’s because this is Sailor Moon we’re talking about, and Japan’s most successful magical girl is keeping things as classy as she always does with this new line of scrunchies, hair bands, and hair clips.
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
Starbucks Japan saves the best for last in our fukubukuro lucky bag haul
Starbucks unveils new Valentine’s Day Frappuccino in Japan
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Nintendo and Godiva team up for fancy fun chocolate line【Photos】
Can Japan’s yami kawaii fashion still work without the yamu? We find out with this lucky bag【Pics】
Is Oni Koroshi sake in a drink box wino fuel or a hidden gem?
Studio Ghibli releases Ponyo donburi bowl to bring anime ramen to lifeJapan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Let’s go open a Lego Japan lucky bag…oAnime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
McDonald’s Japan has a fukubukuro lucky bag that everyone wants to get their hands on
There’s an official PlayStation lucky bag, but what’s inside?【Photos】
Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Snake
What’s in Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025?
Starbucks Japan’s Lucky Bag #3: A fukubukuro surprise we weren’t expecting
Square Enix releases a Final Fantasy fukubukuro lucky bag for New Year’s in JapanJapan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Bear breaks into house in Japan, quickly begins spending winter exactly like Japanese people doHayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Snake
Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the pastMcDonald’s Japan has a fukubukuro lucky bag that everyone wants to get their hands onWhat’s in Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025?
Station of despair: What to do if you get stuck at the end of Tokyo’s Chuo Rapid Line
Starbucks Japan reveals new winter holiday goods to wrap up 2024
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
Possessing 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 societyJapan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
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
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
Nintendo and Godiva team up for fancy fun chocolate line【Photos】
Can Japan’s yami kawaii fashion still work without the yamu? We find out with this lucky bag【Pics】
Is Oni Koroshi sake in a drink box wino fuel or a hidden gem?
Studio Ghibli releases Ponyo donburi bowl to bring anime ramen to life
Onikun: Epic onigiri so big they’re half demon, half rice ball
There’s an official PlayStation lucky bag, but what’s inside?【Photos】
Savor the sass in Osaka’s new obachan-inspired buns
Japanese cheater learns why you should never try to lie to your train otaku girlfriend
Yoshinoya, Japan’s biggest beef bowl chain, is now serving fried chicken in Tokyo
What’s so special about Japan’s Muji “Fukukan”?
Defying gravity and common sense with the lowest-rated tensegrity table on Amazon Japan