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One Piece to Add to Your Computer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 12, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Yes I know on the surface that this USB Oshaberi Talking Chopper seems like a typical superficial useless office toy — but the reality is that it’s highly educational linguistic device! This talking Tony Tony Chopper can not only blink his eyes and move his cheeks but he can also speak up to 70 lines (in japanese of course) from One Piece. Read more… What Would a Japanese MTV Take on Disney Look Like?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 11, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
It would look like this! Designer Satoshi Fumihara the genius behind the Japanese MTV series Golden Egg designed these funky Cubic Mouth Disney Key Cover which look cutting edge yet retain the cute qualities of Mickey and Mini. I’ve always admired how Disney has adapted to local culture in Japan by taking chances and this is always reflected in the merchandise — something which I wish Disney would do more often in the United States where the brand play it a bit too safe. Read more… Eleven Yummy Reasons to Love Totoro
Only children are supposed to be able to see Totoro, Miyazaki’s friendly furry forest spirit, but it looks like exceptions are made when he’s crafted of fondant. Carolyn Lengel made these adorable cupcakes with her daughter Harriet to celebrate Harriet’s 11th birthday. Seeing all eleven together will likely make you use the word “cute” several hundred times, and you might even want one for yourself, but alas — you can’t have your Totoros and eat them too. Read more… Anime Images for Your Amusement
We wasted many hours trolling the net to find interesting and amusing anime inspired images so that you don’t have to! Most of these images were found via Twitter although the above screen shot is from this Japanese blog. My personal favorite is the parody below which makes fun of the typical charts that showcase what new anime shows we can expect to see in the new season: Read more… Five American TV Shows That Should Be Turned Into Anime
Posted by Guest Author on Aug 29, 2010 in Animation, Television
Over the last couple of years, the pop culture exchange between America and Japan has blended together more than any other time in recent memory. American studios have been more than happy to take anime to turn into terrible movies and in exchange we’ve begun to give them anime based on super heroes, video games and TV shows. Now that we seem firmly locked in this trade off though, I was left thinking about all of the great shows from American TV history that is being left completely untouched and as a favor to the American studios out there wondering what should be the next title to export east, here are a few suggestions: Read more… A Yamato Themed Bicycle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 25, 2010 in Animation
This wonderful late 70s Japanese commercial features a Space Battleship Yamato bicycle — a show which was known to early day anime fans as Star Blazers. What I love about this bike is that it seems to have included a faux wave motion gun and came with its own uniform too: Read more… Otacool 4 Might Actually Be Cool
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 24, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Just the other week, I ranted on how I felt the latest book in the Otacool series had dropped the proverbial ball with its return to otaku-based interior design, and even shared my fears about the direction the series may have been headed. Thankfully those fears may have been addressed, as Kotobukiya has recently announced the theme for their next installment — worldwide illustrators. This time the Kotobukiya has teamed up with Pixiv, rather than Danny Choo, to help them pick which art will be published. For more information on how to submit your art for consideration, check out the Pixiv website. One Piece Kawaii Keychains
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 23, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
The character designs in One Piece are already quite cute to start with however these PansonWorks keychains really take kawaii quality of the manga up to the next level. There are ten designs in all with this series including Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Zorro, Ace, Shanks, Nami and Sanji. I really love the fact that they have two poses for Luffy and Chopper: Read more… Good Smile Serves Up Some Black Rock Curry
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 19, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
As far as Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid goes, Black Rock Shooter is still the craze in Japan. The popular franchise has been churning out everything from cosplay and figures, to a series of OVAs. No doubt as a result of their fortune, Good Smile Company has recently announced plans to open a cafe in Chiba. To celebrate the opening, they’ll be featuring a special Black Rock Shooter theme. Customers who attend will be receiving a Black Rock Shooter DVD, food mat, and tea coaster. The menu will also feature a special Black Rock Curry, which looks kind of scary but probably tastes amazing. To be honest, I’m just curious what they’ll be putting in it to make it so dark. For more details, and images, check out Danny Choo’s recent blog here. Read more… Cool Cosplay Picks from the Past Week
Shown above is the coolest cosplay photo that I ran across this week on Twitter — and below are my other top nine picks: Read more… Hinako III: Our Top Ten Title Suggestions
Posted by Guest Author on Aug 13, 2010 in Animation
This Kobato Figurine is soooo Kawaii
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 13, 2010 in Animation, Comic Books
If you’re a Clamp fan and are lucky enough to be in japan this August you may be able to get your hands on this very cute Kobato Hanato figurine from the manga (and anime) series Kobato (こばと。). Also included in the package is the blue stuffed dog Yogisanmo and a handy traveling bag which will set you back 1890 yen: Read more… A Designer iPhone Case Fit For an Otaku
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 12, 2010 in Animation, Videogames
If you’re reading this, you probably own an iPhone, and if you pride yourself on being an otaku, there’s a good chance that you love Touhou Project too. If you’re not really sure what that is, don’t worry, I can explain. The Touhou Project is series of indie games developed in Japan that has immensely grown in popularity over the last decade. The series later evolved into a franchise with everything from light novels, to doujinshi. It’s primarily popular amongst Japanese otaku, making this iPhone case a must have accessory for those of you who want to show off to your otaku friends — that is, assuming your still own an iPhone 3G ,or 3GS. What Does Anime Look Like Next Year? Here’s a Preview!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 10, 2010 in Animation
Yes I know that the furthest thing from your mind is celebrating a happy new year — but for hardcore otaku in Japan it’s the season to start thinking about which anime calendar to select for 2011! Shown here are a preview of a few of the calendars which will be available for pre-orders in Japan on September 26th. Shown above is One Piece and below is Naruto: Read more… This Gatchaman Teaser Has Me WorriedWhen I first heard about the upcoming Gatachman film back in 2008, I was excited. The series, known as G-Force here in the states, is in part responsible for my love of anime today. Alongside series like Robotech, Speed Racer and Voltron, it was one of the many anime that somehow managed to make its way to network television in the 80’s. Of course, the series was re-aired in the mid-90’s thanks to Cartoon Network’s Toonami, but was never shown unedited. The upcoming film should stay true to the original Japanese, though I have to admit this teaser has me a bit worried — not that the plot or visuals will be toned down for a younger audience, so much as that the animation itself might be a bit lacking. I guess we all have to understand that Imagi isn’t Pixar, and with their various financial issues — some of which are responsible for the film being delayed until 2011, instead of being released back in 2009 as planned — we should be happy the film is even happening. Until then, we’ll be left wanting a bit more. Read more… The Angry Manhole Monster: My Anime Pick of the Week
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 31, 2010 in Animation
This very cute short film by Hiroki Mori should serve as proof to many a fanboy that anime doesn’t always have to look like anime (or feature ladies running around in maid outfits chasing giant robots). This film also illustrates what I love about animation itself which is that for really good animation you don’t need a translation as what’s going on the screen quickly communicates the story. Read more… Marvel’s Iron Man Anime Gets an Official Teaser
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 27, 2010 in Animation, Comic Books
Last year, Marvel Animation discussed their upcoming forays into the realm of Japanese animation by debuting several concept trailers featuring two of their most popular characters, Wolverine and Iron Man. I had enjoyed the trailers, but we were left wanting more, and there had been no updates regarding either series — that was, until last weekend. We have yet to hear more regarding Wolverine, but Marvel debuted the first official teaser trailer for their upcoming Iron Man anime, which will debut on G4HD next year. In it, we briefly see a mid-air battle between Iron Man and his government owned counterpart War Machine. There are still no details regarding the plot of the series, but I imagine we’ll learn more in the months to come. Read more… Chi’s Sweet Home Can Now Be at Your Place
You’ve read the manga, you’ve watched the anime — but is there a way to actually have Chi as your pet? Most likely not, but this Chi’s Sweet Home Futari Plush is pretty darn close and doesn’t require you to clean up a litter box. Meow! Read more… Guess Who These Two Serious Suited Guys Are?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 26, 2010 in Animation
This public relations photo was taken in 1967 by McFadden, Strauss, Eddy & Irwin-Public Relations. The white haired man on the left had to drop out of high school because of the Great Depression, and the man on the right worked as a banker before teaming up with the gentleman on the right. These two worked their way up from the bottom of the biz and by 1957 (ten years before this photo was taken) they took a huge chance and went out on their own and started their own company. By the time this photo was taken their company would dominate their industry — and their two names are still household names today that every fanboy knows. So who are these two gentlemen? Read more… Betty Boop as a Dope Dealer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 25, 2010 in Animation
Betty Boop, M.D. (shown above) is an amazing animated short by the Fleischer brothers from 1932. Before you look at this its important that you understand two things: The film is making fun of the era of patent medicine which was brought to an end in 1906 with the Pure Food and Drug Act — that and the film is really just an excuse for the Fleischers to have a showcase for pushing animation to the edge. This short was only made a few years after the introduction of sound, unlike Disney the Fleischers would record the sound after the animation was done which is why there’s no lip syncing (and which also adds to the surrealism of the film as well). Read more… One Piece Pirates for Your iPad
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 24, 2010 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Of course you can safely assume that as an anime fanboy I’m impressed with anything with One Piece artwork on it — but what impresses me about this is that it’s the first time that I’m seeing really accessories for the iPad start to emerge from Japan! This One Piece Hard Shell Jacket for the iPad protects your Apple gizmo from scratches with illustrations of Luffy, Chopper, Nico Robin and many more: Read more… Mechacon: Cosplay New Orleans Style
Mechacon was held this past weekend in New Orleans and we captured some of the best cosplay going down in the big easy! While there were many sexy cosplayers (see above) this young lady below in the Lucky Star outfit wins our award for cutest cosplayer: Read more… 80s Puppets Predict the Housing Crisis
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 19, 2010 in Animation
The above video is from the 80s British television series Spitting Image which ran from 1984 to 1996: The show never made it over to America however the characters did get some exposure with the Genesis music video Land of Confusion. What amazed me about this segment (aside from the parody of Madness) is how much the 80s are like today — I knew there was a serious unemployment crisis in England at the time but I don’t recall hearing much about a collapse in the housing market. The Miffy Netbook: Cuter by a Hare
Shocking as it may seem Miffy isn’t Japanese, but in fact is the creation of Dutch artist Dick Bruna who drew the cute little bunny back in 1955. However the graphic cuteness of our bunny friend has always done well in the land of Hello Kitty — and the recent evidence of this is the Miffy Netbook by Onkyo show above. The coolest thing about this netbook is that it features its own Miffy user interface: Read more… |
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You can talk all you want about what you think is the biggest anime surprise to occur in the last year. For me, that debate starts and ends with the popularity of Hinako. Produced by Primastea and launched in the spring of 2009, Training with Hinako became a hit with fans for reasons I’ve chosen not to think about too much. A few months later the sequel, Sleeping with Hinako, became another surprise hit. 
