TV
Aika Okita surprises everyone with a very different look offscreen.
Kids are spreading the word that a “magic button” on some remotes opens a gateway between the living and the dead.
A lot’s been said about how foreign audiences feel about Japanese TV dramas, but what if we flip the script?
The forgotten tactile pleasure of turning a clicky dial to change the television channel can be had again!
The production house behind Korea’s hit kid’s show Pororo the Little Penguin recently announced a partnership with a developer to release an augmented reality game called Pororo Go.
Caution: Watching this deliciously bizarre ad may cause your entire head to turn inside out and your knees to violently explode.
Panasonic showed off a transparent display seemingly straight out of Tony Stark’s lab at this year’s CES in Las Vegas.
Eighteen years after making its serial debut in the Weekly Shōnen Jump Magazine, Eiichiro Oda’s internationally popular manga/anime franchise One Piece is still going strong, even being turned into a Kabuki performance this year.
Well, with the Holiday Season approaching, it seems One Piece fans will have a huge treat to look forward to just in time for Christmas. Yes, a brand new feature-length One Piece anime will air on TV next month, and details have just recently been released. The anime, titled One Piece — Adventure of Nebulandia, will be broadcast on Japanese national TV on December 19, and fans should be thrilled to see some familiar enemies from the past!
We don’t know what it is about huge companies these days, but they really like to make us feel the feels recently. When did they all have a financial meeting and decide to spend money on making us cry? These commercials are emotional, beautiful and give us hope that even with all the bad in the world, moments of undeniable good can still be found and cherished.
Inspired by true events, this commercial really gives off a “Humans of New York” vibe even though it’s an advertisement for life insurance. Get your tissues ready because, when children show how much they care about their parents, it really warms the cockles of our hearts.
Despite media coverage, Japanese TV tends to lean towards the tame. You’ve got your History Channel-type stuff, your basic daytime dramas, your variety shows that are invariably focused on people eating food and the reactions of people watching said people eat food (spoiler: it’s delicious). You’ve got your movie re-runs and your weather forecasts.
But then, sometimes, you’ve got stuff like this: a man willingly, inexplicably letting a machine paddle him in the family jewels over and over again for what appears to be no reason at all.
Here at RocketNews24 we’re pretty big fans of funny and unpredictable Japanese TV ads, whether they’re for Cup Noodle, Batman dubs, or English schools.
And just by looking at the thumbnail for this Japanese ad for World of Tanks, the multiplayer online game that just announced that it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year, we knew we were going to be in for a treat.
Wang Sicong, the son of the richest man in China, did an incredibly frank interview with the BBC for its three-part documentary on Chinese youth.
We caught the interview via Shanghaiist.
He said that for people in his generation, escaping China’s strict political system “would be suicide.”
There’s a lot of anime shorthand that, while perhaps a little hard for Westerners and non-nerds to decipher (just kidding, we love anime as much as the next guy), actually works really well to convey a scene’s mood once you understand the visual jargon.
One such shortcut we’ve talked about is the random spewing of blood from a character’s nose, which is used to represent lecherousness and lust, especially in male characters; probably because a comical boooiiing! and a sudden pants-ripping erection crowding out the rest of the screen is both a little too obvious, even for Japan.
Another is ubiquitously used to show a character sleeping and we’ll be damned if this real-life Japanese cat doesn’t nail it.
Recently, the popular Internet Movies Database (IMDb) released their list of the top 250 TV series of all-time, based on user reviews. Japanese net users were curious to see which of their country’s shows would make the final cut, and as it turns out, 28 Japanese anime series were included in the list! How did your favorite anime stack up against some the most masterful television series in the world?
MOST POPULAR
Now
Distressed about heading to the vet, this kitty breaks into fluent Japanese
KitKat Pairing Bar, manned by AI pairing sake with Kit Kats, to appear in Tokyo this month
Popular coffee brand and Mobile Suit Gundam team up to make limited edition Gundam can designs
Sakura train ride plays out like a magical scene from a Japanese anime movie
Dog valiantly saves owner from an uncomfortable prank 【Video】
Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts designer shop to open in Osaka for a limited time!
Japanese high school will suspend students who don’t reveal their social media account names
Busty cosplay sisters send heartwarming, chest-exposing cosplay salute to deceased manga creator
The time someone pooped next to us on the train during Tokyo rush hour, and we tried to be nice
Cats in Japan say “nyao,” except for this one that says “ololiloliloliloliloliiiloli”【Video】
Weekly
Chinese couple’s wedding crashed by groom’s ex-girlfriend, dressed in her own wedding dress【Vid】
This nonconformist Japanese schoolgirl is ready for any bullies who tease her about her backpack
Japanese reporter laughed at for asking black hole photo team for more on Japan’s contributions
Man stops train from leaving station in Japan, video goes viral online
All-new World of Thighs Photography exhibition opens in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood this month- The time someone pooped next to us on the train during Tokyo rush hour, and we tried to be nice
Starbucks Japan releases cat tumblers as part of new drinkware range for summer 2019
Pink sakura and baby blue eye flowers team up for gorgeous views at this seaside park in Japan【Pics】
Hayao Miyazaki still looking for talented staff to join Studio Ghibli for new anime production
Japanese collector shows off 31 Pokémon cards in collection worth a total of… how much?!【Video】
Monthly
The train station that stayed open for a single school girl finally closes down- Chinese couple’s wedding crashed by groom’s ex-girlfriend, dressed in her own wedding dress【Vid】
Japanese Twitter community shocked to learn that train timetables are made with Microsoft Excel
Immigration raid at anime convention ends with five Japanese cosplayers being arrested overseas- All-new World of Thighs Photography exhibition opens in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood this month
Disney is making an anime-style dating simulator where you meet handsome villain boys- This nonconformist Japanese schoolgirl is ready for any bullies who tease her about her backpack
Japanese net users speculate on a subtle design feature of the Toyota Prius…related to booze
Shiba Inu boss lazes around in flowers while winning Japanese workers’ hearts
Zelda fan’s Sheikah Slate turns charging his phone into a scene from Breath of the Wild【Video】
Yearly
New Pokémon dress shirt line lets you dress like an adult in the company of all 151 Kanto species
Prominent boob-centric manga artist shocks fans by revealing she’s a beautiful buxom woman
Ariana Grande “fixes” her 7 Rings Japanese kanji tattoo, but it still says tiny charcoal grill- The train station that stayed open for a single school girl finally closes down
You have One Piece creator’s official permission to have sexy fantasies about his characters- Chinese couple’s wedding crashed by groom’s ex-girlfriend, dressed in her own wedding dress【Vid】
Japanese Penis Festival 2019: Everything you need to know for this year’s Kanamara Matsuri- Japanese Twitter community shocked to learn that train timetables are made with Microsoft Excel
Sonic the Hedgehog creator gets one last blow to his pride on final visit to Sega office in Tokyo
Decorate your whole house like Sailor Moon’s Moon Castle with the new Isetan collaboration
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts designer shop to open in Osaka for a limited time!
Japanese high school will suspend students who don’t reveal their social media account names
Busty cosplay sisters send heartwarming, chest-exposing cosplay salute to deceased manga creator
The time someone pooped next to us on the train during Tokyo rush hour, and we tried to be nice
Cats in Japan say “nyao,” except for this one that says “ololiloliloliloliloliiiloli”【Video】
This nonconformist Japanese schoolgirl is ready for any bullies who tease her about her backpack
Maid cafe maid is in no mood to put up with complaints about guys who have girlfriends
Toyota goes full otaku, makes 40 kawaii mascots for every part of the car
These gross ukiyo-e pictures showcase enterprising uses for really huge tanuki balls
Lawson 100 to sell three disgusting-looking baked goods that they’re sure we’ll love
Japanese reporter laughed at for asking black hole photo team for more on Japan’s contributions
What’s in a name? The 10 most common surnames in Japan (and their meanings)
Ninja laser tag tournament being organized at Japanese castle in the domain of the Iga ninja clan
-
