An Athletic Pocky Commercial

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2007 in Japanese TV

Aragaki Yui stars in the above athletic themed Pocky commercial. Of course I like her previous Pocky commercial better (because it has an electro clash beat that much more easy to dance along with):

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Fifth Planet Orbiting Nearby Star

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2007 in Science

This artist's concept shows four of the five planets that orbit 55 Cancri, a star much like our own. The most recently discovered planet, and the fourth out from the star, looms large in the foreground. It is at least 45 times the mass of Earth, or half the mass of Saturn, and it orbits the star every 260 days. The system's three known inner planets can be seen in the background around the glowing star, while its most distant planet is not pictured. Fifty-five Cancri has produced a larger number of massive planets than our solar system. The colors of the planets in this illustration were chosen to resemble those of our own solar system. Astronomers do not know what the planets look like. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

You know more and more I wonder if within my lifetime we’ll see the discovery of Earthlike planets:

Scientists Discover Record Fifth Planet Orbiting Nearby Star

“Astronomers have announced the discovery of a fifth planet circling 55 Cancri, a star beyond our solar system. The star now holds the record for number of confirmed extrasolar planets orbiting in a planetary system.

55 Cancri is located 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer and has nearly the same mass and age as our sun. It is easily visible with binoculars. Researchers discovered the fifth planet using the Doppler technique, in which a planet’s gravitational tug is detected by the wobble it produces in the parent star. NASA and the National Science Foundation funded the research.”

 

ComixMix: Bookmarkworthy!

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2007 in Comic Books

ComixMix: Bookmarkworthy!

ComicMix is very much worth checking out if you’re a comic book fanboy, the site features free issues of full comic books that you can read online. I was quite impressed with the ease-of-use of the interface with the site (a sample of which is shown above) which allows you to navigate a comic without having to open Adobe Acrobat. I also liked the fact that the first wave of comic books that they’re showing are quite diverse in subject matter and style, a good example of this is Munden’s Bar #2 which featured some nice artwork by Marc Hempel. Also their comic book news coverage is worth checking out too…

 

A Plush Ichigo: How Humiliating!

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2007 in Animation

Ichigo-DX-Plush-Doll.jpg

Death Note is cute, but I’ve been missing watching the latest and greatest of Bleach every week on the Cartoon Network. Yeah I know I can catch up on YouTube, but there’s something nice about seeing the animation on my tv set. By the way shown above is the Kurosaki Ichigo DX Plush Doll which was originally distributed for UFO catcher game machines in Japanese arcades as a prize item.

 

Do the Darth Dance!

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 5, 2007 in Star Wars

This is a funny fan made video of Darth Vader dancing it up in Japan!

 

Space:1999 Deluxe Eagle Gift Set

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 5, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections

Space:1999 Deluxe Eagle Gift Set

You know I see so many Star Wars and Star Trek themed toys I get burned out after a while, so it was with delight that I discovered this Space: 1999 themed goodie! Shown above is the Space 1999 Alpha Moonbase Deluxe Eagle Gift Set which features three diecast metal Space 1999 vehicles: Laboratory Eagle with Booster Rockets, Alpha Moon Buggy and Alpha Laser Tank. But best yet they also include an Eagle Launch platform (bonus fanboy points for me):

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Neritan Anime Works

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2007 in Animation

Neritan Anime Works

I’d love to see this show get translated into English, even if it’s just a fansub on YouTube! Being a Yamato fanboy it would be nice to see an interview with Leiji Matsumoto:

Anime haven Nerima launches ‘Neritan Anime Works’ cable show

“The local government of Tokyo’s Nerima-ku, the birthplace of Japanese animation, started broadcasting its own anime-themed cable TV program this month, with a first run lasting until next spring. “Neritan Anime Works” will be aired via cable service J:COM Tokyo three times a day on weekdays, and twice a day on weekends. Program content will be updated every two weeks until its 12th and final installment.

Nerima-ku’s roster of anime kingpins includes the Toei Animation Company, their forerunners Toei Doga — producer of Japan’s first color animated feature film, “Hakujaden” — and the late Osamu Tezuka, Nerima resident and creator of Japan’s first animated TV serial “Astro Boy.”

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Lightsaber MP3 Player

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2007 in Star Wars

Lightsaber MP3 Player

Shown above is the Lightsaber MP3 Player which is available here in either two or four gigs of storage, and a built-in FM radio too! Of course for me I’ll always prefer my iPod:

lightsaber-mp3-player-02.gif

Found via GeekAlerts and Techfresh.

 

Japanese Video Game Commercials

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2007 in Japanese TV, Videogames

This collection of Japanese video game commercials is amazing! It’s like getting a compressed overview of the history of video games. Here’s part two:

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Jedi Academy in New York

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 3, 2007 in Star Wars

The Jedi Academy in New York is starting to get HUGE press! It was recently featured on ABC World News segment which had this great quote from Taryn Fireside, a student at the academy:

“My favorite thing about New York Jedi is not nerds trying to best each other. It’s about nerds trying to better each other. And make life better through the dorkiness that make them great!”

Found via Neatorama.

 

Ganguro + Goth = Sweet Lolita

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 3, 2007 in Fandom

Ganguro + Goth = Sweet Lolita

Tokyo sub-culture fashions are oh so fickle! I guess this means that Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook by Patrick Macias is pretty much obsolete according to this article:

Ganguro, Goth gals come together to close dark past with ‘Sweet Lolita’ trend

Ganguro gyaru, young women known for their deep tans, panda-like make-up and bright fashions are fusing with once bitter enemy “Gothic Lolitas” in their Goth garb and little girl look to create a new fashion mode in trendier parts of Tokyo, according to Weekly Playboy (11/5). “There were three rules that made up the definition of a gyaru: a tanned face, flamboyant make-up and hair dyed in the lightest color possible,” Kyoko, the girl once dubbed the Empress of (gyaru haven) Shibuya, tells Weekly Playboy. “Anyway, you’ve got to look as flashy as possible. Scary if need be, which gives you the mental strength that’s part of being a gyaru.”

Gothic Lolitas, however, have deeper, darker roots. “What defines a Gothic Lolita is the color black. Black can’t be dyed any darker than it already is,” author and self-professed Gothic Lolita Karin Amemiya tells the weekly. “The Goth look comes from Europe in the Middle Ages and its supposed to give its proponents a regal air.”Ada, a journalist who specializes in Tokyo teen girls’ culture, notes that the gyaru and Goths haven’t always been as receptive to each other as they appear to be now.

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A Japanese Documentary on Star Blazers

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 2, 2007 in Animation

Shown above is a clip from a Japanese Documentary on Star Blazers, NOT Space Cruiser Yamato but the American translation! It’s funny for me to see the American version with Japanese subtitles.

Just looking at that short clip I can see why I loved the series – within the first few minutes you find out that Wildstar is a little bit complex because his brother was killed off before the show started. I realize that in Anime today that’s a throw away device, but way back when in the 70s the most complex plots in animation were unmaking Scooby Doo villans. To me that’s just one reason why this series was revolutionary.

Credit for Star Blazers being seen by Americans should go to Claude S. Hill who was behind distribution of the show from the 70s and the 80s. Sadly Mr. Hill passed away in 2005, but it was because of him at an entire generation of fans got to discover anime for the first time. Claude Hill was very much a kid at heart which is why he got into the business, in addition to Star Blazers he also distributed a number of other shows including Rocket Robin Hood and the Steve Krantz Marvel Comics cartoons from the 60s. In addition to the above Claude Hill gave me first break as a graphic designer and was also just a real good guy (one of the rare ones in the business), so I miss him a great deal…

 

Gundam USB Ionizer Air Freshener

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 2, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections

Gundam USB Ionizer Air Freshener

So you’re a fanboy who is:
– A huge Mobile Suit Gundam fan
– Glued to your computer all day
– …and the air around you is polluted

Well you’re in luck: The Gundam USB Ionizer Air Freshener is your dream come true! While it’s not as a cool as some of the robots from the show the ionizer is based on the design of the “White Base” from the show. The ionizer is will come out next month from Banpresto, and you can read about it here (warning: link leads to an acrobat file which is in Japanese).

Found via akihabaranews.com.

 

More Hello Kitty Laptop Bling

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 1, 2007 in Hobbies and Collections

Hello Kitty Swarovski PC by NEC

It’s always Hello Kitty themed goodies when I surf the net! I ask you where is the Badtz-Maru laptop?! Shown above is the Hello Kitty Swarovski PC by NEC, which also comes with a matching USB flash drive and meow-mouse.

Found via GeekAlerts and Akihabara News.

 

Sailor Moon Cosplay Tragedy!

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 1, 2007 in Fandom

This video is like a car accident, you know you shouldn’t but you can’t help but stare into the horror! Although it looks like those Sailor Moon fanboys put quite a bit of work into it…

Found via Zaeega.

 

Happy Birthday Princess Apple-Momoka

Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 1, 2007 in Animation

Yuko Ogura, Princess Apple-Momoka

Today is the birthday of Japanese pop idol and model Yuko Ogura (小倉優子) who is known to her fans as “Princess Apple-Momoka” of the apple-shaped planet Korin. In terms of music Ogura is best known for her song “Onna no Ko♥Otoko no Ko” which is the ending theme of the anime series School Rumble:

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