Even though I can’t read a decent amount of it, I adore the Neko Rahmen manga . And while it’s not likely to get an English translation, you can see the subtitled anime version for free on Vuze. (And I have. Several times.)
You can imagine my happiness when the Neko Rahmen movie live-action movie trailer was released this weekend. Puppet cats? Real people? A cameo by Tama the Stationmaster Cat?
People, I would almost make a Thanksgiving trip to Japan just to watch this movie. Check it out below.
Anime fans aren’t anything like the stereotypes, and it’s not just Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco proving the point any more. People from all walks of life are stepping forward, the latest being the manliest man yet to admit his love for anime: Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode. The massively massive player (6′4″ and 316 lbs, y’all!) stated that he enjoyed watching Bleach and Naruto as an after-game wind down in an interview with the Yucatan Beach Club after last week’s St. Louis match. Sadly, the interviewer did not seem to know what those shows were.
OK, most of you kids won’t be big fans of Ultimate Muscle/Kinikkuman, but it’s huge in Japan. Here’s some video from TAF of the Ultimate Muscle booth, where a gigantic professional wrestler struggles to pull attention away from the hundreds of tiny pro wrestlers next to him. It’s all a promo for the 30th anniversary DVD box set coming out later this year in Japan. And while it will come with all of those tiny figures, it sadly won’t include the full scale replicas in the glass case. Too bad–these puny biceps could probably use that “Muscle Prophecy” book.
In case you were wondering what happened to my Tokyo blog right when it was getting good… Due to some technical difficulties, I wasn’t able to post videos or pics for most of my trip to Tokyo. Thanks, Windows Vista! I knew I never should have accepted a non-Mac laptop from IT. I never have luck with them. Long story short, I’m back and picking up where I left off.
Not only will I be posting belated pics and videos from Tokyo and TAF 2008, I’ll also be sorting through the mountain of literature I picked up and TAF. There’s some good stuff in there that I can’t wait to share with you.
To start things off again, here’s a pretty sweet up-close look at a real-life replica of Lupin III’s car from the TAF floor. Note the awesome attention to detail, like the ashtray stuffed with cigarettes. Don’t smoke, kids!
I was late for a meeting, but I couldn’t resist shooting a fast video of the NTV booth on the TAF floor…well, just one small side of it, really. The whole booth is pretty large. Get ready for a giant creepy Ryuk, the shinigami from Death Note.
It’s day one of the Tokyo International Anime Fair! While it’s not as big as, say, Anime Expo, what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in sheer innovation and amount of money poured into the displays. I meet with a lot of companies on the first day, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time to appreciate this anime peacock, but I did catch some gems while running between meeting rooms. Let’s start off with this baby, from the upcoming anime Real Drive, which is being written by Masamune Shirow (creator of Ghost in the Shell) and animated by Production I.G.
Seriously, that thing is practically stuffed with cash. Believe it or not, you can have a Holon of your own. Kokoro (part of Sanrio) is making these as a product tie-in. And while the product sheet listed weight and voltage, it did not mention a price. If you have to ask…
Welcome to the brand spanking new Anime Insider blog! I (that’s me, Summer, A.I.’s editrix and fervent weiner dog lover) am going to kick this thing off in style by blogging direct from Tokyo on my annual pilgrimage to the Tokyo International Anime Festival. Jet lag or no jet lag, in between mad anime shopping sprees on Nakano Broadway (the new rock under which otaku are hiding) and navigating the flashy floor of TIAF, I’ll be hooking you up with a taste of Tokyo–the unusual, hilarious and downright incomprehensible.
Let’s do this thing. I’ll get you started with a taste of the magic and wonder of pretty much the first thing anyone heads for fresh off the plane–Japanese toilets. You don’t need to read Japanese to get the gist of it, but being able to does let you know that there’s also a seat warmer on this little slice of heaven. Keep in mind that this is one of the simpler (!) models. TOTO, the leading manufacturer of these beauties, actually has a showroom in Tokyo where the public is invited to come…er, try the goods.
