emotional
Japanese movie depicts the blossoming mother-daughter friendship between a transgender woman, played by SMAP‘s Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and a neglected teenage girl.
A Twitter user talks of how his mother’s demonstration of love brought him back from the brink, and others share their own stories.
The story of an old man and a student whose only connection was taking the same train every morning has gone viral in Japan.
A few months ago, the world was left in tears after watching Furiko (Pedulum), an emotional flip-book animation hand-drawn by Japanese comedian, Tekken, and set to Muse’s epic track, Exogenesis. The video, which recounts the story of a couple’s life together and the heartbreaking efforts of the husband who tries to stop the pendulum of time, currently has 1,052,622 views on YouTube. As our writer describes, “the video managed to pack as much genuine feeling and emotion into three minutes as most hollywood blockbusters in two hours.”
Tekken and Muse are back together once again to give the world another four minutes of emotion with Follow Me, a story about the unborn child that brought a couple together and guided their fate.
We’ve all heard the stories of Chinese parents selling away their babies. Some do so because the government allows only one child per family, and they would rather have a son than a daughter. Some do so because they are too poor to support a child. Some do so in order to fund their online gaming habits.
But this 72-year-old Chinese man from Chongqing, he sold away his daughter in order to bring up someone else’s daughter.
Regular RocketNews24 readers may recall an article we did back in March this year that introduced us to Furiko (Pendulum), the flip-book animation hand-drawn by eccentric Japanese comedian Tekken that had us all welling up with tears.
The video, set to English band Muse’s symphonic track Exogenesis, told the story of a young couple’s life together, following them from the moment that they first met through middle-aged marital hiccups before they meet their inevitable mortal end. The video received deservedly high praise, not just because every one of the 1,038 pages that make up the animation were hand-drawn, but because the video managed to pack as much genuine feeling and emotion into three minutes as most hollywood blockbusters in two hours.
Months later, Furiko has caught the attention of none other than Muse themselves, who were so moved that they decided to make it the official music video for their beautiful track.












Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
We followed Tokyo’s mystery walking map and ended up creating our own bar-hopping adventure
Bamboo trees vandalized near Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari shrine, foreign graffiti prevalent
Pokémon Lego kits are finally on their way!【Photos】
Pizza Hut Japan’s hot lucky bags are perfect for a New Year’s pizza party
What’s inside Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2026?
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
New adults go wild at Seijinshiki Coming-of-Age ceremony in Kitakyushu, Japan 【Photos】
Freakishly muscular life-size statues of Grappler Baki anime/manga cast intimidate and amaze【Pics】
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Umamusume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have【Pics】
Princess Mononoke magnets return just in time to treat yourself to awesome anime decorations
Top Japanese cosplayer Enako returns to Comiket after 6 years, creates mayhem with admirers
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
We ate sushi made from Japan’s most expensive tuna ever【Taste test】
Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
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
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
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
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
What’s inside Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2026?
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
New adults go wild at Seijinshiki Coming-of-Age ceremony in Kitakyushu, Japan 【Photos】
Freakishly muscular life-size statues of Grappler Baki anime/manga cast intimidate and amaze【Pics】
We found possibly the quietest Japanese-style hotel in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Man arrested for violating Japan’s anti-dueling law in downtown Tokyo
Netizens hatch adorable baby birds from supermarket eggs, provide evidence
New Pokémon Seiko watch collection stars Pikachu, Eevee and Mewtwo
McDonald’s releases new Come on Baby New York Burgers in Japan
SO…MANY…PIKACHUS!!! 2019’s Pikachu Outbreak takes over Yokohama with cuteness【Photos, video】
New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals