Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
anime (Page 259)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In Japan there’s a company called Bourbon. Rather than specialising in alcoholic spirits though, Bourbon in Japan is famous for sweets, chocolate and natural mineral water. This summer, they’ll be adding something really sweet to the water: bottles adorned with Disney Princesses in ethereal watercolour designs. In addition to the series, they’ll be releasing Anna and the Snow Queen from Frozen too. You know these girls will want to live in your freezer this summer because, well the cold never bothered them anyway.
Attack on Titan has such a worldwide following that many visitors to Japan can’t help but keep an eye out for possible sightings of the Colossal Titan as they travel around the country. Chance encounters with the steaming giant are now more real than ever, thanks to a new series of souvenir straps featuring the hungry beast at famous locations throughout Japan. Now you can see him dressed up as a samurai, devouring Tokyo Tower or reincarnated in the form of a giant gold Buddha. If you want the whole collection, you’ll have to do some travelling as each souvenir is limited for sale only at the local tourist hotspot it features. From Tokyo to Osaka, check out the Colossal Titan posing like you’ve never seen him before!
For any serious anime fan making a trip to Tokyo, a visit to the Ghibli Museum should be at the top of their list. Not only is the design of the building bursting with subtle references to the works of esteemed director Hayao Miyazaki and his compatriots, the on-site theater also screens Ghibli shorts you can’t see anywhere else, such as the heart-warming follow-up to My Neighbor Totoro.
This summer, though, two more Tokyo museums are getting in on the act with special exhibits focusing on the architecture of Studio Ghibli plus artwork for the animation house’s newest film.
If there’s one thing every human being has in common with some of anime’s most beloved friendly monsters, it’s a love of being super, super lazy. Mei found Totoro sleeping one off in the forest, after all, and who can forget that obviously lazy (though somewhat creepy) daikon-monster in Spirited Away?
Then there’s perhaps the most famous lazy anime monster: Snorlax from Pokémon; who I always want to call “the Snorlax” because it sounds like a Dr. Seuss character. The bear-like Snorlax is known throughout the Pokémon universe as an exceptionally lazy, docile – though voracious – creature. Heck, its first appearance in the anime was in a story that revolved around Snorlax falling asleep in a river somehow and blocking up an entire town’s water supply for months.
Now you and Snorlax can block up lazy RPG towns’ water supplies together with this exceedingly comfortable-looking Snorlax bed!
Japan’s national soccer team floundered through the first several decades of its existence before finally earning its first World Cup berth in 1998. Since then the squad has shown steady improvement, with an impressive performance in South Africa in 2010 that saw it reach the Round of 16.
But while expectations and confidence are both running high, that doesn’t mean Japanese soccer fans don’t wish there countrymen could receive a little help from the world of comics and animation, as shown in a poll asking which manga characters they wish were a part of Japan’s team competing in Brazil.
In science fiction, 25 years may as well be an eternity. The genre is littered with visions of the future that were initially compelling, yet suddenly felt overwhelmingly dated and dull just a few years later.
That said, it’s been a quarter-century since the first manga installment of Ghost in the Shell was published, and Japan’s most successful cyberpunk franchise is still going strong. Ghost in the Shell succeed where others failed because the story’s true focus isn’t on shiny, imaginary technology itself, but rather on the question of what it means to be human in a rapidly evolving society, and how an individual’s personal answer to that ties into the concepts of identity, free will, and interconnectedness.
Those are concepts mankind has grappled with for centuries, so it’s only fitting that this live performance of the anime’s most iconic piece of music feels at once both modern and ancient.
Things I can do that impress Japanese junior high school students: touch my nose with my tongue; recite the lyrics to ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’ on cue; whistle the Benny Hill theme inconspicuously during class and then blame it on the Japanese sensei.
There’s one thing I’ve never mastered though – one thing that would hugely augment my repertoire of “odd things the English teacher can do”. I can’t whistle with grass. Or any kind of plant, in fact. Clearly, I should’ve taken some lessons from this guy, who can play entire tunes with a single pea pod.
Unlike a lot of children, I never doodled in my notebooks because I was bored at school. This wasn’t because I was consumed with the beauty of education or absorbed in what my teachers were saying. I was simply such a bad artist that listening to them drone on was still more enjoyable for me than trying to draw a picture, even if the lectures ended up putting me to sleep as often as not.
If they’d only had these Attack on Titan notebooks when I was a kid, maybe I would have stayed awake more often.
With their dramatic posing, frenetic accessorizing, and manic shouting, you could easily arrive at the conclusion that the cast of long-running manga and anime Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures is one seriously over-caffeinated set of super powered bare-knuckle brawlers.
Don’t expect Jojo and company to settle down anytime soon, though, as the characters created by artist Hirohiko Araki are set to grace cans of Coca-Cola Japan’s Georgia coffee this summer.
While TV and movies seem to have a hard time grappling with the evolving role of women in society, animation has been delivering strong female leads for decades.
Sure, some of their empowering swagger is tempered with skimpy clothes and breasts so large they’re almost certain to cause major chiropractic problems, but animation has been surprisingly progressive when it comes to depicting women in comparison to film and live action television.
So it was only a matter of time before someone put together a list of the most badass female characters in animation, and it makes sense that the list is heavy on the anime; Manga and anime artists infamously have a bit of a fetish for strong female leads, after all.
There’s a unique challenge for anime professionals working on a franchise with as long a history as Gundam, which aired its first episode 35 years ago. Since each new series does away with the war mechs of its predecessors, designers are always under pressure to come up with giant robots that look more powerful, technologically advanced, and, in the case of the villains’ machines, sinister than what fans have seen before.
With Gundam Unicorn’s NZ-999 Neo Zeong, piloted by baffling-named antagonist (and Toyota owner) Full Frontal, we think the animators did a pretty good job. From its sharp, angular lines, blood-red paint job, and the crevices in the sheet metal produce murky shadows, the mobile armor appears immediately menacing and dangerous.
Unless that is, you remove the head unit and replace it with a cute anime girl or kitty cat.
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Tokyo teahouse serves up a sakura matcha dessert you won’t find anywhere else
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro 2026 Corn Gift to its anime store for Mother’s Day
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenshipPokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
Totoro and Calcifer become little light-up lanterns for Ghibli-style excursions or at-home decor
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the countryPokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenship
Senkoji: The Japanese temple that’s more like a theme park to heaven and hell
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Daiso has giant new branch in middle of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood (and another beneath it)
A Kyoto factory vending machine sells gourmet mystery meals at bargain prices
The Almost All Lettuce Burger from Dom Dom Burger really lives up to its name
Every weekend is an itasha car show at Akihabara’s UDX parking garage
Starbucks Japan unveils epic Frappuccino hunt with five to find in new Star birthday campaign
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Electric conveyor belt sushi kit brings the fun of a revolving sushi restaurant into your home
