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Yeah, so this happened...
by Dale North, 02/03/2010
Yeah, so this happened... photo

Beeeekkkkkii, Beeeeekkkkiiii... [sour note]


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  55 comments Latest by The Amazing Shenazin
"WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THIS? also white people in my Japanese ads? it's more likely than you think..."...read more



Idol of the Week: Ami Tokito
by Dale North, 02/03/2010
Idol of the Week: Ami Tokito photo

Name: Ami Tokito
Birthdate: September 25, 1987
Home: Tokyo
Sizes: 90/58/86 cm

Mmmmm. Meganekko. Glasses: that's Ami's thing. Well, she has other things going for her, but the glasses thing is what she's known for. That's what I like her for. In fact, Ami's very likable. She's a regular cosplayer, which is a plus in my book. She did the theme song for the second season of School Rumble, my favorite anime ever. Singing, cosplaying idol?

Also: Hello!? Look at her~

You're Welcome.

Also be sure to check out our past Idol of the Week posts.


  33 comments Latest by Mad March Harris
"I love seeing her face every time I scroll around on this site."...read more

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Japanator Recommends: A.B.S' Abingdon Road
by Tim Sheehy, 02/03/2010
Japanator Recommends: A.B.S' Abingdon Road photo

If any of you have been following my music posts, you'd probably know by now that Abingdon Boys School is one of Japanator's favorite rock acts. In fact, I might go as far as to say that they were personally my favorite Japanese rock outfit of the last decade, though I can't speak for everyone on the staff. A few other bands might also be worthy of that honor--Mucc for example. For me though, there really was no question about it.

After numerous singles--many of which were used as anime or video game tie-ins--and a tour of Europe, Abingdon Boys School has finally released their new album with a healthy mix of old and new material. Abingdon Road, the follow up to their 2007 self-titled album, Abingdon Boys School, has been a long time coming, but has it been worth the wait?

Hit the jump to find out.


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  12 comments Latest by Kiraiya
"One of the best J-rock bands out there,sadly not many people know of their greatness."...read more

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New Naruto Shippuden game looks awesome, believe it!
by Josh Tolentino, 02/03/2010
New Naruto Shippuden game looks awesome, believe it! photo

My nine-year-old nephew told me that if I added "believe it!" to the ends of my statements, I'd be cool.

"You'll be cool, believe it!" he said.

Am I cool now? Don't answer that!

Whatever the case, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 looks like a damned pretty fighting game. I say "pretty" rather than good because the fighting game snobs I know hate it to high heavens. I personally liked the first despite my near-complete apathy towards Naruto, mainly because it was simple, fast and dynamic. I pressed buttons and my screen blew up with screaming fireballs and shuriken and dudes who use bugs as weapons. I never even needed to do a quarter-circle.

Anime Vice called it "sex in motion," and if I didn't play eroge I'd certainly agree. Every damn super move in the first was almost its own cutscene, and stuff was always happening.

This looks like another dose of that madness, except the characters are all grow'd up, and the pink-haired one looks cuter.

Check below for a trailer. Now, I hope they add online multiplayer, trophies and achievements (I believe it's not a PS3-exclusive anymore), and strip out all that tedious, terrible minigame grinding. That's something I do not want.

BELIEVE IT


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  12 comments Latest by Geo Pyro
"@undyingstorm Probably because they have to pay Sony to make a game for their system might have something to do with it."...read more



No Valentine's Day plans? Why not play a dating sim?
by Brad Rice, 02/03/2010
No Valentine's Day plans? Why not play a dating sim? photo

It can be a hard and lonely life for an otaku. The massive buildup and subsequent celebration doesn't make things much more fun, either. Yet, for some reason, you find yourself sitting in a room all by yourself watching your favorite romantic comedy, crying along with Taiga in those heart-wrenching moments of Toradora, or cheering on Emi as she tries to confront her feelings for Haruma in School Rumble.

Well, there's always another way to spend your time on the most ronery of holidays: Our friends at J-List are offering a sale on their dating sim titles. If you buy Bazooka Cafe, they'll give you $5 in store credit, plus an additional $5 for each title you buy with Bazooka Cafe. If you grab 4 in total, you get 15% off the purchase in addition to the $20 credit.

Not too bad of a deal, now is it?

So why not head on over to J-List and pick yourself up a few dating sims so that you can *ahem* enjoy the day in your own special way.


  8 comments Latest by FifthDream
"If playing a dating sim on Valentine's Day doesn't make you feel more more "hard and lonely", not much else will."...read more



Animekaki means anime oekaki which means I'M VERY BUSY
by Karen Gellender, 02/03/2010
Animekaki means anime oekaki which means I'M VERY BUSY photo

I have found the procrastination tool to end all procrastination tools. If you have any inclinations towards drawing and find that you just aren't spending quite enough time procrastinating, come over to Animekaki, an oekaki site themed around anime fanart, and draw yourself some Sabers and Mios and whatnot. Hell, I think I'm going to do sketches based on all the cool anime PVCs I can't afford to buy.

When I first heard about web-based drawing tools years ago, I didn't really see the point; after all, if I wanted to draw and paint, I had plenty of tools available to do that entirely on my own. I didn't need to use someone else's program, complete with limitations. However, left to my own devices, I never think "Hmm, maybe I'll do a headshot of Saber from Fate/stay night"; the limitations of the format just make me think differently. I may not produce anything high-quality, but that's not really the point- it's about letting go of all the expectations you have whenever you're armed with your full palette of tools, and just having some fun in an art playground.

And yes, I did in effect post TWO drawings of Saber on Japanator within a 24-hour period; Is drawing excessive fanart one of the telltale signs of the onset of a girl crush?

 


  9 comments Latest by runimina
"Wather or not they would admit it, I think everyone default has a crush on Saber. xD I used to haunt some oekaki boards in middle school and HS, OH THOSE WHERE THE DAYS. T___T Lol. I might check..."...read more



Japanator Radio 121
by Zac Bentz, 02/03/2010
Japanator Radio 121 photo

Previously, on LOST...

Oh, sorry. Uh, what now? Oh yeah, here's the new Japanator Radio. New music from L'Arc~en~Ciel, Miki Furukawa, GPKISM, The Brown in the Artist Spotlight and a lot more.

...

Oh, you're still here.

...

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 121

DIRECT
TORRENT

RSS Feed

Random updates via Twitter.

Track-list and links after the jump!


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  12 comments Latest by Zac Bentz
": Yes. I try and keep the file size smaller because we do have limited space. I'm also hoping to get older shows up, so the smaller size will allow more shows to go up sooner. Sorry if it offends..."...read more



Japanator AM Episode 3: Harem Hijinks
by Karen Gellender, 02/02/2010
Japanator AM Episode 3: Harem Hijinks photo

This week, our official shonen correspondent makes his debut, and we all discuss Harem anime. You know, I should have a lot to say about this episode, but I just got done listening to it about four times and now it's like I'm so close to it I can't SEE it, or something. Eh, I suppose there's no real point to spoiling it for you beforehand anyway. You can listen to it here.

Hit the jump for the show notes- and I worked really hard on them and stuff, so you'd better!


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  38 comments Latest by Karen Gellender
"@Stilts: shoot, you know I was so concerned about the audio levels that that whole issue totally slipped my mind. Thanks for bringing it up."...read more

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Is Christina Vee the new Haruhi?
by Jon Snyder, 02/02/2010
Is Christina Vee the new Haruhi? photo

Remember that god-awful English version of "God Knows"? No offense to Wendee Lee, but that song made my ears bleed. That's why I was so excited when I learned that the highly talented Christina Vee might be the new English voice of Haruhi Suzumiya. Well, another bit of evidence has surfaced supporting Christina's claim to the Haruhi throne: TV size English language versions of "Super Driver" and "Tomare!", in which Miss Vee captures Aya Hirano's vocal style almost perfectly. Seriously Bandai, if you make her the new Haruhi, the resulting nerdgasm from American otaku will measure on the Richter scale. Hell, you might even convince me to buy Endless Eight. Such is the power of Christina Vee!

Videos of this English Haruhi awesomeness are embedded below the break.

[Via HaruhiSuzumiya.net]


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  49 comments Latest by runimina
"Didn't Vee start off as an amateur/fan VA online? (I may be thinking of someone else.) That is pretty cool if that is the same girl! :) Even though I think her singing is better than Wendee, I ..."...read more



Man gets swindled out of 4 million yen by a Ji-san
by Tim Sheehy, 02/02/2010
Man gets swindled out of 4 million yen by a Ji-san photo

It's not uncommon for people to be swindled out of their hard earned cash. In fact, phone and e-mail scams have become more and more common in the last few years. While I'm sure everyone has gotten an e-mail from a Nigerian prince by now, the scams going on in Japan can be a bit more convincing. Often times, people receive calls from criminals and Yakuza posing as relatives. 

What's so unusual about this specific case, aside from the insane amount that the man had lost, was the fact that he lost it to someone twenty years his senior. The victim in this case was in his 60s, and he was swindled by a man in his 80s, posing as his elder brother. 

The scam was actually pretty clever. The criminal reportedly told the victim that he had accidentally impregnated a 17 year-old girl and needed the money to pay a settlement. The victim transferred the money, making him promise to pay it back by February 1st. When his "brother" failed to pay him back on time, he contacted his real brother only to find out the whole thing was a hoax. There was no girl and his brother never placed the call. 

I can get that you might want to help out your family, and that maybe you might have a brother whom you've been out of contact with, but to blindly send over 4 million yen without at least talking to him in person about this? Add to that the fact that the his brother might be nearing his 90s and probably doesn't have that much time left, and you've gotta wonder why he'd agree to it. Seriously, how many of you have relatives in their 80s who might get a 17 year-old pregnant?

 

 


  6 comments Latest by Eloarei
"@ Euricaeri S: Oh goodness do you know how much you just made my day?! XD Personally, I think Garp is perfect for this article. =D "...read more






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