Some enterprising and creative soul has gone to the trouble of etching a refrigerator and a Nintendo DS with characters from Rozen Maiden, and the items are currently up for auction, with a starting price of ¥30,000 for the fridge and ¥20,000 for the DS. For some reason buyers have been slow to pick up on this most creative offering. Images of the items are below.
Some interesting results from a survey emerge: the number one Japanese word understood overseas is thought by respondents to be “otaku”. “Anime” comes in at 9, “manga” at 16 and “Nintendo” at 17. See the full list (with English). See below for the vastly superior Sankaku Complex list of Japanese words with international currency.
I loved the "“maybe these results would be different if we asked people overseas”" bit, myself. Seriously, they think Karoshi is more prevalent than Sushi, Ninja and (maybe) even Gundam? REALLY? And I think Outside of Japan,... More
wait what no kawaii? I'd bet that in reality only anime, tokyo and ninja beats it.... More
Couldn’t resist posting this rather impressively comprehensive compilation image of more than a hundred dakimura… myriad pillows to relieve your roneriness. This version is high resolution (4mb), and a little censored, unfortunately. There are also some sheets, towels, etc, in there. Bottom right appears to be the ladies corner. Grabbed from here.
Keep your mobile or iPod safe in true lolicon otaku style, with a holder mimicking the form of a school issue swimsuit. Calling it a “moe item” may be a bit of a stretch, especially with its quad-amputee styling, but it is strangely amusing. Currently being distributed as a sample with Champoin Red magazine. See more at AkibaBlog if you are of a mind.
DO WANT... More
The release details for the Lucky Star OVA have emerged. It will go on sale on August 29th, with the DVD having a list price of ¥6,090. The OVA runs for a marathon 30m. The sales spiel runs: “The OVA includes an original episode which couldn’t be portrayed on TV, following a real time axis”. So, a linearly arranged story? Extras include a Lucky Channel recording and event images. Dare I say, a tad expensive? Via 2ch, visible here.
The excellent erotic manga Love Selection, by 如月群真 / Kisaragi Gunma, is due to get an anime adaptation for release at the end of August, produced by Pink Pineapple. This potentially great news somehow got buried at the bottom of one of Heisei Democracy’s ever informative updates.
I must admit that lately I have not been impressed with the output of some of these studios – it seems the need to appeal to a common denominator means less original works find themselves adapted, and those that do often suffer inferior or mediocre animation which hardly recommends itself over the original manga. Still, it is quite possible this will turn out well.
The otaku scene in China seems to be developing well, and, notably, is gradually abandoning the shameless commercial piracy which unfortunately has come to associated with China. Here we have some fine examples of Chinese made dojinshi (see below for images and translation), which exhibit some evident talent and are not just mere knockoffs.
Perhaps as a natural consequence of steady Chinese development, the otaku scene there appears to be thriving, and not just in an atmosphere of disregard for intellectual property; I am reminded of my earlier article on the figure and otaku scene in China, where we hear that otaku are not subject to opprobrium there, even as they are in Japan, and that they are capable of rejecting commercial piracy.
The antics of otaku and their manic “otagei” are now the subject of some scrutiny; there is a catalogue of unhealthy incidents stemming from this hyper-enthused fandom, and we also had the pleasure of hearing an assertive voice demand their restraint (that of Yui-nyan).
But what constitutes otagei, and are the concerns about it legitimate, or mere media froth? Below there is a representative sample of “normal” otagei performances (no running amok), as compiled by Gigazine. It definitely looks as though the performances are in the eye of the beholder.
NHK, one of Japan’s larger TV networks, seem determined to stop unauthorised online distribution of their broadcasting, and to this end have announced digital fingerprinting technology intended to thoroughly curb the practice, though it seems it will be limited to their upcoming download service.
The apparent use of the Koran in popular and long running anime/manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has aroused umbrage amongst some in the Arabic speaking world, it would appear.
>morally bankrupt Oh the irony, to hear that from a Muslim.... More
It's Islam. Everyone walks on eggshells when that religion is discussed since its most well known and publicized followers kill others who defame or disagree with it(them in reality)... More
The festering genre of Japanese AV which incorporates cosplay seems to be riding the wave of Eva resurgence, and is set to get some new and truly tawdry looking NGE action. I suppose it cannot be helped that the same system which gives us copious dojinshi also allows us these kind of derivative works. Via NekoAreBlog.
Another Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei DVD, another DVD versus TV comparison: DVD 2 and now 3 (see below). What is really striking about these is how much extra effort has gone into the already gorgeous visual quality of this fine anime; a good enough argument for waiting for the DVD release over watching the TV broadcast.
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