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19-year-old high school student busted: Kiddie porn site
by Dale North, 02/09/2010
19-year-old high school student busted: Kiddie porn site photo

Starting 'em young, aren't you? This guy was so young that it almost wasn't creepy that he was lusting over children.

A student from Souma City was arrested yesterday for being the one that heads up a child pornography BBS website. He did his "work" on free computers available in the city’s culture center. Not the brightest perv ever.

What does he have to say for himself? Get this:

“I like looking at nude boys, and had a collection of about 1,500 photos. I wanted people with similar interests to share the same joy.”

Japan Today says he was busted specifically over six photos of naked boys under 10 years of age, posted on the site between July and December 2009.


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 Japanator AM now has an RSS feed, iTunes coming soon
by Brad Rice, 02/09/2010
Japanator AM now has an RSS feed, iTunes coming soon photo

That's right, people, we've got what you've been waiting for! Finally, we put together an RSS feed for you to easily subscribe to Japanator AM. We're also working on getting the show onto iTunes, so you don't even need to think about it when you want to listen to the podcast.

I hope you enjoy this quick update, and can return to listening to jaded assholes talk about anime.


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 GEOS shutters Australian branches, says everything is OK
by Brad Rice, 02/09/2010
GEOS shutters Australian branches, says everything is OK photo

GEOS, one of the many eikaiwa schools in Japan that teach kids how to speak English, is in the headlines. The company runs a number of profitable businesses overseas, notably in Australia, where many Japanese will go to visit or study abroad. Well, their Australian branch, which has been a profitable enterprise, was suddenly shuttered, leaving thousands of students without classes or refunds.

The president of GEOS says that the problem was due to the management within Australia, and has nothing to do with the rest of the company, which is doing just fine. Of course, they won't answer peoples' calls and are hiding in their building, which raises more than a few eyebrows.

Like NOVA before it, GEOS seems to be hitting some seriously hard financial times, draining all the money from its outstretched entities in order to keep the company alive. Which, if that's the case, means that the company is entering its death throes, and will likely leave a lot of foreigners out of work.

With what appears to be a massive scaleback of the eikaiwa business, I'm beginning to wonder what other ways there are to enter into Japan? For the longest time, this has seemed to be just about the only way to get there. Now that it's disappearing, I would hope that some new avenue would show itself, but I feel like it won't.

  1 comments Latest by Tokyogetter
"Last week GEOS' SF branch was supposed to have drinks with my alumni group, as we all taught in Japan, but they canceled out. Innerestin'."...read more



 Releases of the week - 02/09/10
by Brad Rice, 02/09/2010
Releases of the week - 02/09/10 photo

Looking for some action? Some adventure? Some souls for the gathering? This is your week, then. To coincide with the release of the game Dante's Inferno, a compilation of animated shorts from a number of Japanese studios has been released alongside the game. So if you want to see Production I.G. do something other than Kimi ni Todoke right now, here's your chance. If you're hungry for some souls, then put your money down on the first part of the Soul Eater anime.

On the manga front, a wave of One Piece is hitting our shores, as well as the latest volume of Ikigami and the debut of Biomega. I know Zac'll be happy with that one.

The most important title, though, is the reduced price version of the Gao Gai Gar box set -- a must own for every anime fan. Sure, it's aimed at seven year old children, but that doesn't matter! Nor does it matter that the show was just a shill for toys! It has President Taiga.

Check out the full release list after the jump.


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  2 comments Latest by Ben Huber
"Pretty much. Soul Eater was great until it diverted from the manga. Great music too."...read more



 Dolled up fashion coming back in Japan
by Brad Rice, 02/09/2010
Dolled up fashion coming back in Japan photo

...and not in that "haunt your nightmares" sort of dolled up. Recently, some of the fashion trends in Japan have been pulling away from the more assertive and active girls, to ones who "don't want to live so much as to exist, preferably on a metaphysical level,” at least that's the quote the New York Times got.

While still a small minority, some girls are starting to rebel against the cultural message of the last ten years by dolling themselves up and avoiding the idea of a strong and powerful woman, taking one of two forms: Forest girls (mori) and swallowtail girls (ageha).

The forest girls have a natural feel about them, as they're strikingly similar to the eco girls, except that they don't really want to stand for anything important, just look pretty. Meanwhile the swallowtail girls are so dolled up that they're almost impossible to approach, and according to the NYT, the girls rarely go on dates because of their look.

I guess the plan backfired for them, then?


  1 comments Latest by HoodedMiracle
"The one on the right looks like she has more hair than Bayonetta. The one on the left is kind of cute, though."...read more

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These Katawa Shoujo figures are cute enough to kill you
by Brad Rice, 02/09/2010
These Katawa Shoujo figures are cute enough to kill you photo

Like Josh, I'm a big fan of Katawa Shoujo, the dating sim from the folks at Four Leaf Studios, and am eagerly anticipating a full release of the game. It was my first adventure into the world of dating sims, and I really want to give it a shot once again in the near future.

Colette, knowing of all the strange things I love, sent me a link to these cute little custom figures of the girls from Katawa Shoujo. Made out of resin clay, the artist Ryu-yo went ahead and tackled all of the girls from the game. Sadly, they're not going up for sale or anything like that anytime soon, but maybe in the future, said ryu.

Now, if only the game took off in Japan, and they started making professional figures...oh how I would buy them up! Of course, it'd be just as hard to explain why I own figures of crippled girls as some of the other figures that'd be in my collection.

Still, great job Ryu-yo! Keep up the great work!


  6 comments Latest by MPHtails
"Shizune actually is relaly cute in this style, and Hanako is too, but the rest of them, it really dosent fit.Not a bad try, though."...read more



 PHP Institute branches out with Smash Bunko light novels
by Karen Gellender, 02/09/2010
PHP Institute branches out with Smash Bunko light novels photo

Publisher PHP Institute has started their own light novel label- and not just any light novel label. Apparently the company is referring to the titles published under it's Smash Bunko division as "super-light", or illustration-heavy as opposed to text heavy. Three titles have been announced, and my favorite title of the bunch- Oshiete! Mermaid- is already listed on Amazon Japan. Actually, all three of them are- I just wanted an excuse to single that one out. Me likey mermaids.

Seriously, the "super-light" concept is interesting to me; it's like they're trying to get the best of the manga format and the best of the light novel format into one shiny little ¥500 package. I didn't used to take much of an interest in light novels, but one day I woke up and found that every freakin' anime is now based on a light novel as opposed to a manga (okay, not EVERY SINGLE ONE, but a lot.) I don't know if the new offerings from Smash Bunko will turn out to be my cup of tea, but I'm definitely going to pick up a few light novels the next time I find myself in Kinokuniya.

If you're interested in Smash Bunko, their first group of titles- Oshiete! Mermaid, Shiken ni Deru Dragon Taiji, and Hakouji Neruno to Daten Ressha Jikan, will drop March 9th.

[Via Lightnovel.org]

  2 comments Latest by Strey
"That's a very endearing idea. While I love manga and try to read light novels, it's simply way to wordy for me to truly enjoy the later. Not having a close to fluent command of the language, I st..."...read more



 Japanator AM Episode 4: Love and Durararararararara!
by Karen Gellender, 02/08/2010
Japanator AM Episode 4: Love and Durararararararara! photo

Surprisingly, our Valentine's Day episode isn't really all that sappy; I'm kind of torn as to whether or not that's a good thing. You can listen to it here.

This week, we discuss the news on Gundam, Dragonball, and Sailor Moon like the minted-in-the-90's otaku that we are, and dip into something a little more eclectic with Katawa Shoujo. Also, love it or hate it, you have to say this for the winter season: it gives Jon and I plenty to argue about (and we cover Durarara!, so please don't kill us.) Finally, Tim and Colette give everybody a primer on the best of Jdrama from the last few years, which is really quite useful- I certainly know what I need to watch now.

Hit the jump for some especially impressive show notes and addendum.


view full story & comments

  21 comments Latest by Klllok
"when speaking of couples, why didnt you mention Taiga and Ryuuji?! That shit warmed my cold stone heart into a golden happy mush. Durarara FTW also, i totally love this show. gets better EVERY E..."...read more

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Endless Eight gets an R1 box set
by Jon Snyder, 02/08/2010
Endless Eight gets an R1 box set photo

The ASOS Brigade has posted another viral video... this time, revealing that the second season of Haruhi will be released as a single complete box set.

And that's it. No release date, no info on pricing. Thanks for the non-annoucement, Bandai.

Slow news day? What makes you say that?

[Via Anime Vice]


view full story & comments

  12 comments Latest by The-Excel
"I haven't watched the video, but I do have to admit that the header image is one of the smartest ads I've ever seen. A popular character advertising a product with a picture of her using it on t..."...read more



 Apple iPad may be especially useful for Japanese study
by Karen Gellender, 02/08/2010
Apple iPad may be especially useful for Japanese study photo

Want to know what I carry around with me on a daily basis, now that I'm studying Japanese? I have my Tuttle Kanji Cards, blank flashcards for making my own vocabulary cards, writing utensils, oh and a few notebooks for writing practice. Oh, and also my MP3 player for listening to Japanese dramas and things at random times. Oh, and sometimes my DS for My Japanese Coach (and hopefully for one of the better Japanese programs soon). So when an editorial on Japundit addressed the idea of Apple's new ipad potentially lightening my load, I stood up and took notice.

Now, there's nothing the iPad does that can't be done with a tablet PC, but the idea of having everything I need in a comfortably light 1.5 pound package really is pretty appealing. I've noticed that the greatest impediment to doing something that requires consistent effort (like learning a language) is the logistical complications factor. I've been good about doing my flashcards and such lately, but that's because I finally idiot-proofed my system for learning so that my cards are pretty much in front of my face all the time. With my flashcards, Kanji-writing software, MP3's, and Japanese ebooks all at my finger tips, won't that just make studying even easier still?

I'm not completely sold on it yet, but I'm seriously considering buying an iPad for this reason- also, the fact that I can use it as a digital sketchpad doesn't hurt. It may sound silly, but I can't emphasize enough how much organizing your study materials can affect your productivity; when you make it so that you can study while still being pretty damn lazy, you'll find you tend to study more.

[Via Japundit]

  15 comments Latest by Reibooi
"@Rangoric Assuming you get the Ipad with 3G capability then you still have a contract and that makes no no longer cheaper. Considering the thing is nothing but a giant Iphone 3G is likely some..."...read more






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Anime news got news? tips@japanator.com
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An Ode to the GARtender: the most manly man among men!
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Arrietty the Borrower now dated for Japanese theaters
Sailor Moon Returns! (kind of)
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Japanator AM Episode 3: Harem Hijinks
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FUNimation licenses Dragon Ball Kai, to release this year
Highschool of the Dead getting an anime adaptation!
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Multiple Gundam series streaming online now



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