Japanese Weekly Shonen magazine is releasing a new manga series, AKB49 ~ Renai Kinshi Joure, which is loosely based on popular girl group AKB48…
Japanese anime
Windows 7 Japanese anime mascot & commercial
Microsoft has created an anime character, Nanami Madobe, voiced by popular voice actress Nana Mizuki – as mascot for the Window 7 operating system in Japan. Below is a Madobe’s commercial targeting D.I.Y. computer users…
It seems that the commercial will not be shown on TV, but on billboards and shop-displays at Akihabara electronic town, Tokyo’s famous geek district instead.
A limited number of bonus DVDs of the anime will be offer to customers who purchase a special version of Windows 7. Story via ANN.
20th Century Boys (2008-2009) movie review
20th Century Boys is a Japanese scifi film trilogy based on a hugely popular manga series by Naoki Urasawa. The trilogy was directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi and starred Toshiaki Karasawa, Etsushi Toyokawa, Takako Tokiwa, Teruyuki Kagawa and Airi Taira etc. Trailer below is for the first instalment.
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Lucky Star anime brings 1 billion yen to Washimiya town
Japanese town of Washimiya estimates that the Lucky Star anime has brought over one billion yen (~ US$11 million) into the local economy after the town’s main shrine, the Washinomiya Shrine, was featured in the popular anime in 2007.
The full economic impact of Lucky Star cannot be determined for certain; but the sales of related goods alone have been pegged at 70 million yen.
Visitors during the New Year holidays – when Japanese would visit a shrine – increased from 90,000 in 2007 to 450,000 in 2010. That’s plenty for a small town with less than 40,000 of population. LUCKY star indeed. [Jp].
K-On! (2009) Japanese anime teaser
K-On! is a popular Japanese anime series by Kyoto Animation. Based on a manga by Kakifly, it tells the story of a light music club in an all girls high school. The anime aired in Japan between April and June 2009.
[Update] Teaser deleted from YouTube. I’m sharing the opening song instead, Cagayake GIRLS…
Kei-on
The title K-On comes from Japanese word keiongaku (軽音楽). It literally means light music, which can also mean pop music in Japanese context.
The plot starts with four girls of different backgrounds joining the keiongaku club in Sakuragaoka High School to save it from disbandment. The rest is about bonding, making songs and having fun etc.
The anime director is Naoko Yamada. The voice actresses are Aki Toyosaki, Yoko Hikasa, Satomi Sato, Minako Kotobuki, Ayana Taketatsu, Asami Sanada, Madoka Yonezawa and Chika Fujito.
The TV series only has 13 episodes. Kyoto Animation probably didn’t expect the show to be that popular; they usually produce anime series with over 20 episodes instead.
To make up for it, a second season is already in progress and will air later this year.
Ex Japanese Prime Minister to voice Ultraman movie
Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has found himself a new job… as a voice actor for an upcoming live-action Ultraman movie.
The full title of the film is Giant Monster Battle: Ultra Galactic Legend The Movie, to be precise lol.
Koizumi will lend his voice as the Ultraman King, an ancient Legendary Hero in the Ultra family. The film will open in Japan on December 12.
Koizumi is one of the most of popular postwar Prime Ministers in Japan. He retired in 2006, and the political arena has been in chaos ever since. The current PM Yukio Hatoyama, amazingly, is Koizumi’s 4th successor in just over three years.
[via Animenewsnetwork and Japanprobe]