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Is new “One Piece” plane awesome fan service or just a cynical cash grab?

Mike
Jul 2, 2014
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In what can now officially be called a budding trend, the Japanese domestic carrier Skymark has announced it will be painting over five of its Boeing 737-800 model planes with characters from the popular and long-running manga and anime, One Piece.

Two designs – presumably on the left and right sides of the plane – will feature group shots of some of the series’ most popular characters to date, including main character Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nico Robin, Nami, and that reindeer thing. A separate graphic of Luffy will greet passengers as they enter the plane near the boarding door.

Gundam water pistols turn squirt gun fights into galactic battles

Casey Baseel
Jul 2, 2014

At one point in the Gundam franchise, there’s a scene where cadets are shown training with the hit anime’s giant robots by shooting humongous paintballs at each other. Until today, you could have made the argument that it was the silliest use of guns in the hundreds of hours of animation that make up the complete saga.

But not anymore, because now there are Gundam water pistols.

This Japanese schoolgirl loves anime, lollipops, and competitive pistol shooting【Video】

Casey Baseel
Jul 2, 2014

In a lot of ways, 14-year-old Akari Aruga is like a lot of girls her age. She likes watching anime, enjoys the theme song from Attack on Titan, and says lollipops are her favorite food.

But you know what’s not par for the course for an adolescent girl in Japan? Being a crack shot with a pistol in target shooting.

We attend Sailor Moon’s birthday bash — and watch a preview of Sailor Moon Crystal!

Kay
Jul 1, 2014

Do you know what June 30 is? Well, it may be the day where you say to yourself, “Oh my gosh, half the year is over! How could it have gone by so quickly?” but you just might find yourself being punished in the name of the moon if you don’t remember one other important event that takes place on that day. Yes, June 30 is Sailor Moon’s birthday, or Usagi Tsukino’s birthday if you prefer to call her by her “human” name.

With the new Sailor Moon Crystal anime series soon to be released, this year’s birthday was bound to be a special one for our Usagi-chan. And special it was! A huge birthday event in honor of our beloved warrior princess, including a preview screening of the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, was held in collaboration with fashion magazine ViVi on June 30 in the Tokyo Odaiba area. And since it was supposed to be kind of a girls’ night out, the event was apparently only open to women, or men accompanied by women.

We definitely couldn’t miss out on this party, and we promptly sent one of our reporters from our Japanese sister site — we couldn’t wait to see what the huge do would be like!

Attack on Titan star Levi graces cover of Japanese women’s magazine

Mike
Jul 1, 2014

Well, the public has already come forward and said that Attack on Titan‘s abrasive, but secretly caring Levi is one the most dateable anime characters of all time (the public also said they love boobs… a lot), so it’s no surprise that Levi is getting the star treatment even outside of anime circles.

On June 27, Levi graced the cover of the popular women’s magazine, FRaU, for the magazine’s book and manga special edition that included a manga awards page – several of which, no doubt, Levi is now the proud owner of.

Artist and Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama drew the cover especially for the issue, which features Levi reclining in a fancy office chair, with a manga and a pair of classy loafers; a look the youthful hero probably doesn’t get to sport too often in the world of Attack on Titan.

Japan’s most successful manga artists draw their characters for the camera 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Jun 30, 2014

Although most manga artists have a team of assistants backing them up, compared to live-action films, comics allow for a much more direct transmission of the creator’s vision. Movie and TV programming are by nature a collaborative effort, and you can’t really watch a scene go from concept to finished version in real-time.

With manga, though, you can give a talented artist a pen, and within minutes see him or her transform the emptiness of a blank sheet of paper into a character that will inspire and entertain countless fans, like in this video featuring some of Japan’s most popular manga artists and characters.

Smush your favorite One Piece characters

Anime News Network
Jun 30, 2014

Luffy’s Gomu-gomu powers have gotten him into quite a few awkwardly shaped situations. Being made of rubber means that you can become pretty malleable when you’re in tight space, but does that make it any more comfortable? Well, Bandai’s latest line of gashapon toys delve into that idea, not just for Luffy, but for several other members of the Straw Hat crew. Presenting, the One Piece Hasamare Straps!

Norwegian metal singer covers Japanese pop songs galore

Krista Rogers
Jun 28, 2014

It’s nice to share some Japan-related news coming out of Scandinavia for a change!

Norway, along with its neighbors, is no stranger to the metal music scene. The northern European countries together constitute one of the world’s major strongholds for the various subgenres of metal music. But what do you get when you combine the vocal talents of a Norwegian symphonic metal singer with the catchy tunes of J-Pop?

Just listen to PelleK’s cover versions of the following anime songs to find out for yourself!

The Sailor Moon apron: practical cosplay for domestic adults

Casey Baseel
Jun 28, 2014

For fans of animation and video games who’ve formed a particularly strong attachment to their favorite fictional characters, there’s nothing quite like the escapist fun of cosplaying as one of the hobbies’ heroes or heroines. In the past we’ve seen college students, toddlers, and even dogs sporting creative getups, but what if you’re an adult human with a busy life?

Past a certain age, work and family start taking up the bulk of your time, and your schedule might not be able to accommodate a day of showing off your costuming skills at the local anime convention. Not to mention that if that’s the case, you’re probably too old to just dress up in costume at home without feeling silly. If only there was a practical cosplay outfit that you could wear around the house.

Actually, there is, in the form of the Sailor Moon apron.

Bandai asking anime fans to open their wallets again, this time for a Sailor Moon one

Casey Baseel
Jun 28, 2014

It’s been 22 years since the very first episode of Sailor Moon was broadcast, but that doesn’t mean sponsor Bandai has exhausted all of the hit anime’s merchandising possibilities yet. With everything from Sailor Moon dresses to perfume to lip balm available, over the past few months Bandai has been making plenty of compelling arguments for fans to open their wallets.

So perhaps it’s fitting that one of their newest items is just that, a stylish leather Sailor Moon wallet.

Poll reveals fans’ top ranking Gundam series

Anime News Network
Jun 24, 2014

One of the most legendary and enduring anime franchises of all time is the quintessential mecha franchise Mobile Suit Gundam. But which entry to the franchise is really the greatest of all? Fan informational site Akiba Souken recently ran a two week poll from June 6 to June 18, gathering votes from 3,025 participants to decide once and for all which series, OVA, or movie is really the fan-favorite Gundam work, the top of which are as follow:

Bandai to release super-mega-retro-robot made up of Doraemon and friends

Cara Clegg
Jun 24, 2014

Some of Japan’s most famous characters created by legendary manga-ka Fujiko F Fujio have been turned into robots by Bandai, which can then be combined to create an even more epicly-super-cool robot of retro awesomeness!

Fried Godzilla with a side of Mothra: a plate of epic proportions

Oona McGee
Jun 24, 2014

Since his first appearance back in 1954, Godzilla has cut his teeth on dozens of films and taken down a number of enemies in the process. When it comes to the battle of the batter, however, it seems Godzilla and his mate Mothra have walked away defeated, as there’s no shaking off a coat of oil and Japanese breadcrumbs.

Attack on Titan real escape game heads to Saitama

Anime News Network
Jun 23, 2014

The Attack on Titan real escape game series, “Escape from a Certain Fortress Town,” has proven very popular — no surprise given the popularity of both its tie-in manga and the real escape game series in general. The games scheduled for Tokyo in August have already sold out. To meet this demand, SCRAP (the games’ organizer) will hold two more Attack on Titan real escape games in Seibu Dome in the Tokyo suburb of Saitama on July 5 and 6.

Awesome anime marriage proposal simulator lets you create romantic scenes, dark comedy

Casey Baseel
Jun 21, 2014

The company Recruit is mainly known for its online job-hunting service, but that’s not the organization’s only business arm. Recruit also runs Zexy, one of Japan’s most popular wedding planning websites.

In order to help singles get into the marrying mood, Recruit has created an animated proposal simulator, where you can type in words for one of five dreamy anime-style guys to say. Ostensibly, you’re supposed to unleash your inner poet and dash off a smooth, romantic line. On the other hand, you can also use the system that allows you to make them say anything for a little bit of snarky fun.

Anime fans pick which Ghibli heroine they’d like to have as a girlfriend

Casey Baseel
Jun 20, 2014

Totoro may be the most instantly recognizable Studio Ghibl character, but the exalted animation house has produced a far larger number of memorable heroines than cute critters. From warrior princesses to ordinary schoolgirls who defy anime conventions by actually being ordinary, almost every Ghibli film has had a woman as either its central or most important figure.

Each has her own claim to fame. Spirited Away’s Chihiro remains the studio’s highest-grossing leading lady, Arrietty its shortest, and Princess Mononoke’s San the most violent. Now, a recent poll has bestowed yet another title by asking fans which Ghibli character they’d like to have as a girlfriend.

Always wanted to share a soda with your anime crush? Now you can

Casey Baseel
Jun 20, 2014

Poke around the murkier corners of anime stores, and you can find no shortage of lascivious merchandise such as huggable pillow cases, bed sheets, and waterproof “bath posters” plastered with images of the medium’s more popular characters. But what about the otaku who’s looking for a more chaste way to connect with his or her 2-D crush?

If your PG-rated date idea consists of playing miniature golf or going to the homecoming dance, you’re still out of luck. However, thanks to one creative fan you and your favorite anime character can now share a soda with two straws like a pair of 1950s lovebirds.

Men & women vote on which anime character they’d want as a little sister

Anime News Network
Jun 19, 2014

Japanese website Charapedia asked its visitors which anime character they would most like to have as a little sister. More surprising than the results is the huge voter turnout of 10,000 people. Men and women voted in the poll from March 6-12. About 65% of voters were male, 35% were female and 82% were between 13-29. About 18% were 30 years old or older.

Heads up, Aussie anime fans: Terror in Resonance to premiere at Oz Comic-Con

Philip Kendall
Jun 19, 2014

Hardcore anime fans will no doubt already be itching to get a look at forthcoming TV anime thriller, Terror in Resonance, which is being directed by none other than Shinichirō Watanabe, the man behind smash hits such as Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy.

You may have heard that the anime will be screened for the first time outside Japan at LA’s Anime Expo in early July, but our readers down-under will be excited to learn that just a few hours later, Terror in Resonance will premiere at Oz Comic-Con in Melbourne.

Attack on Titan movie looking for two extras to play the titular giants

Casey Baseel
Jun 19, 2014

Last month, anime, movie and travel enthusiasts all got excited over the Japanese tour company offering a package that included being an extra in the upcoming Attack on Titan live-action movie. Sadly, only 50 lucky people were chosen, and everyone else who had dreamed of stepping into the world of the most popular anime in decades is out of luck.

Or are they? Just like how Attack on Titan keeps viewers on their toes with plot twist after plot twist, there’s been an exciting development regarding the live-action adaptation, which is now looking for a new pair of extras to play two of the Titans themselves.