April Fools’ Day
Edible watches, Nintendo characters and a handy Lego app all make an appearance on this year’s roundup of fantastic news we wish was true today.
If you guessed the prank is that the model in this picture is actually a man, he makes no secret about that, and the real trick is something else.
Instead he’s been tweeted all over the world for his (partially) convincing transformation into a pretty girl.
What could be a better way to pass the time than singing your favorite songs with your friends?
Our roundup of the country’s craziest April Fool’s Day products and services we actually wish were real.
April Fools’ Day has really taken off in Japan over the past few years, with major companies getting in on the action too. One of our Japanese writers, the one and only Mr. Sato, sifted through the Internet to find products worthy of his time. That is how he came across the “Princess Urine” drink. You better believe that he bought it, examined it and took some hearty gulps, all for our entertainment, of course.
There’s nothing like kicking back in a theater and watching the latest movie release. With so many new flicks coming out every month, it’s hard to choose the best ones. That’s why the humble movie poster is really handy. Every once in a while a poster will jump out at you and catch your attention. Maybe it features a sexy image, or it shows a cool movie star, either way, the movie it is advertising wins a small spot in your memory.
In the case of this movie, the studios are having a little bit of fun at your expense, however. Behold, Will Smith’s new movie, Focus, starring NOT Will Smith! Who could possibly pull off the swagger of the former Fresh Prince of Bel Air?
You may remember Google’s April Fools’ challenge last year, since it was pretty epic. If you missed it, Google came out with a game where you could search for Pokemon on the Google Maps app on your mobile device. It got rave reviews and it’s such a shame that it was only available for a limited time.
This year, Google is reaching out to a slightly older generation of video game lovers, letting us play Pac-Man on real streets of Google Maps!! Of course, being Google and April Fools’ Day, there is a catch, but more or less, you can transform neighborhoods into Pac-Man game screens.
April Fools’ Day, every prankster’s favorite event of the year, is just around the corner, but what kind of amusing tricks will we see this year? Fast-food chain Burger King seems to be well prepared already, announcing a delicious meaty smelling perfume for their burger-loving customers, to be sold exclusively on April 1.
Google Maps‘ elaborate April Fools joke got even better. On April 1, Google launched its Pokémon Challenge game, where users could search real world locations on Google Maps and catch the original 151 Pokémon to complete a Pokédex.
Players who successfully completed the Pokédex received a message from Google Maps to fill out a form for a “surprise.” It turns out their efforts weren’t for naught, as several players, including Reddit user “tinygrump” received a congratulatory letter from Google Maps software engineer Tatsuo Nomura and 10 business cards with the title “Pokémon Master.”
It’s April Fool’s Day, which means that plenty of anime companies are having a good chuckle with fake announcements, quirky crossovers, and more. Here’s Part 1 of our round-up; check back later in the day for more!
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Weekly
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Olympic media dismayed by their subpar and overpriced food and drink
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TV audiences in Japan surprised to see “Pikachu,” “Raichu” as members of U.S. Olympic team
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Monthly
Engrish mistake turns innocent sign into X-rated notice at Japanese store- Canadian reporter’s love for 7-Eleven steals the show at Tokyo Olympics
- The young girl starring in this cool retro-style McDonald’s Japan video is actually 62 years old!
Japanese idol goes viral for display of superpowers at train station【Video】- Japanese manga lovers vote for top 10 shonen manga with the best endings
- The crazy ordeal of putting together Japan’s 366-piece sushi plastic model kit【Photos】
World Record? Japanese trainer holds gym for 1,422 days and counting in Pokémon GO- Japanese sandwiches give foreign reporters culture shock at Tokyo Olympics
Zelda hacker arrested by police in Japan for selling modified Breath of the Wild save data
After 40 years, Hayao Miyazaki’s first solo-directed anime is finally coming to North America
Yearly
Nintendo puts out important notice for casual gamers who’ve bought a Switch during the pandemic
Studio Ghibli releases 400 images from eight movies free to download online
A Pokémon glitch no one discovered in 18 years has been found…by a pet fish in Japan?!?【Videos】
Man sheds half his body weight, looks like a handsome model in just one year
Top 10 anime women with biggest, most impactful breasts, voted by thousands of Japanese netizens
Akihabara saying goodbye to landmark as giant Sega arcade announces it’s closing for good
Man loses 200 times at crane game, calls police to investigate, staff member loses 300 times too
Hayao Miyazaki has a gripe against Japanese female voice actors
Japanese wife/artist solves “I don’t know. What do YOU want to eat?” problem in an awesome way
Totoro discovered in Japanese forest【Photos】
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