A cute gif of anime character Renge Miyauchi, aka Renchon, chewing on some udon noodles. She’s a character in Japanese anime and manga series Non Non Biyori. It’s a light-hearted comedy about (school) life in the countryside. Image via Misaolikes.
Japanese anime
Lupin III movie trailer and pictures
Trailer and promo images for Japanese heist film Lupin III. It’s based on the manga series of the same name by Monkey Punch, first published in 1967. The manga has spawned into a media franchise which includes anime series, live-action shows and video games. It’s still popular these days.
This is the second live-action movie adaptation of the manga. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and stars Shun Oguri, Jerry Yan, Tetsuji Tamayama, Gō Ayano, Meisa Kuroki and Tadanobu Asano. The story follows the title character who lead a band of gentleman thieves. In cinemas in Japan on August 30.
That’s a lot of English for a Japanese trailer, got me confused for a moment. Bet the Japanese people will be just as baffled, if not worse, if the whole movie is like that. Can’t tell much about the overall quality of the film, but I think the main cast manage to capture the essence of the characters.
Doraemon turns minus 100 years old
Popular Japanese comic/cartoon character Doraemon is celebrating his “early birthday” on September 3, exactly one hundred years before he was born.
The character was created (as manga) in 1969 and has turned into a huge franchise (anime, movies, video games etc.) and culture icon in Japan and East Asia.
The series tell the story of a robotic cat (Doraemon) who was sent back in time by a young kid from the future to aid an incompetent schoolboy named Nobita, his great grandfather, in order to change the family’s continuous misfortune.
What makes Doraemon really popular among readers/viewers is his ability to pull out various futuristic gadgets from his magic pocket. Some of the ideas might seem extraordinary these days, but obviously amusing to people in those ages (yours truly included).
Photo from an exhibition in Hong Kong’s Harbour City shopping mall for the special occasion, via Doraemon’s official Facebook [Jp].
Rurouni Kenshin (2012) movie trailer
English subbed Japanese trailer for Rurouni Kenshin, a live action adaptation from the popular namesake anime/manga. The film is scheduled for August release.
The story revolves around Himura Kenshin – once a fearsome assassin in wartime era who turned into a wanderer who helped to maintain peace and help the needed once the war was over. I’m not a fan of live adapations from a manga/anime, but this looks ok.
The movie stars Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki and Yuu Aoi. Yosuke Eguchi, one of my favourite Japanese actors, plays a minor role as Kenshin’s old foe.
Japanese anime tattoo
Animax Asia brand spot – anime style
A recent brand spot by Animax Asia – a Japanese anime TV network operated by Sony Pictures. Love its tagline… “Some stories need to be told, anime style…”
The background music goes well with the video; it’s the instrumental version of Kpop singer Park Jung-min’s Not Alone which was released earlier this year.
