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DPJ and Hatoyama proving to be a big letdown in Japan
by Brad Rice, 03/16/2010
DPJ and Hatoyama proving to be a big letdown in Japan photo

Six months into the historic win by the DPJ, sweeping out the Liberal Democratic Party out of office, life in Japanese politics has been less than glamorous. In fact, I'd call it a downright flop. Mismanagement of the newly elected by Ozawa, scandal rocking Hatoyama and other senior members of the party, and a disagreeable coalition are just some of the problems facing the Japanese government.

The Japan Times has a recap that's worth reading, covering everything from the budget shortfall to the relationship between Ozawa and Hatoyama, along with a wishlist of goals for the DPJ to achieve. It deserves your time.

As a bit of a double whammy to this recap, the latest bit of election news is that Prime Minister Hatoyama's younger brother, Kunio, is leaving the LDP and is planning on forming his own party, saying, "This country is entering the path of collapse...That cannot be halted by the LDP alone. I decided that it would be good to recruit colleagues and create a new party so I can work hard in a powerful opposition party."

That's a lot of faith in his brother's party exacting change. Splinter groups are nothing new in Japanese politics, but I usually hear about them being formed by an organization -- an external force -- rather than coming out of disgust with the current system.

Not all is doom and gloom, though, as Banyan, The Economist's Asia correspondent, points out that there are some maverick voices in the government championing real change. The sum of Yoshito Sengoku's, the Strategy Minister, plans are to have the Japanese government keep its hand out of the Bank of Japan's affairs and let bad businesses fail. Let's hope he makes his voice heard.


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 Ikkitousen Xtreme Xecutor trailer is lacking in underboob
by Josh Tolentino, 03/16/2010
Ikkitousen Xtreme Xecutor trailer is lacking in underboob photo

Ikkitousen is a show/manga about girls beating each others' clothes off. That is a truth as reliable as the sunrise, and as absolute as the Absolute Territory.

Why is it, then, that the latest season of Ikkitousen - obnoxiously titled Xtreme Xecutor - is sorely lacking in vital underboob? Sure, there are flashes of underwear and a lot of screen time for that new (?) character, but Kanu Unchou and the twins are curiously subdued. Given the devastating quantities of quality Kanu underboob available on the figure market, this is an unforgivable oversight.

Click here to see just how much is missing from these 108 seconds of promotional non-underboob.


  3 comments Latest by Fireaxe
"I guess they just wanted to make it clear that Xtreme Xecutor wouldn't be just a fanservice-fest like Great Guardians was (to my disappointment, since GG was my favourite of the 3). That being sa..."...read more



 Just what goes on at those all-girls schools in Japan?
by Brad Rice, 03/16/2010
Just what goes on at those all-girls schools in Japan? photo

It's a common enough trope in anime and manga -- the all-girls high school where all sorts of mysterious romances are sure to spring up. It's a far cry from the American version of the all-girls high school, that's for sure. Lesbian romances, mannerisms, and rabid factionalism are all things we wonder about.

Over at What Japan Thinks, we get a look at just what sort of questions the Japanese wonder about themselves. Of course, we don't get any answers to them, but we can see which tropes probably get the best response from viewers.

Naturally, most of them revolve around love -- falling in love with the male teachers, popular girls getting love letters, soliciting boys, etc. What I find most interesting are the social and personal behaviors, though. The top question on everyone's mind, of course, was if there was constant factionalism amongst the girls, seeing as it's, well, a bunch of girls confined to a single building all day.

I'm curious about the speaking stuff, personally: do they all really greet each other with "gokigenyou," a very formal greeting, and if they regularly use sweet praise on each other, even though they probably don't mean it or have barbed comments.


  1 comments Latest by Analognub
"datass.jpg"...read more



 Jersey Shore in Japan: The Macaroni Bastards
by Brad Rice, 03/16/2010
Jersey Shore in Japan: The Macaroni Bastards photo

Aw yeah, baby! I'm stoked to see the pride of New Jersey, MTV's Jersey Shore, is making its way to Japan. Now you can expect Japanese women to start picking up the social sensibilities of Snooki and the fashion trends of JWOWW. It'll be a glorious day, I assure you.

CNNGo clued us in to the new title, which they decided to translate as the more family-friendly MTV Jersey Shore - The New Jersey Life of Macaroni Rascals, using "rascals" as their word of choice for the pejorative "yaro." As odd as the term "Macaroni Rascals" sounds, it's got some history in Japan -- the term appeared in the Japanese subtitles in The Godfather. Still gives the idea of "guido," doesn't it?

Well, the show hits Japanese airwaves on March 21st, and I cannot wait to see how it's received over in Japan. I expect the show will resonate well with the yankees and gyaru types, seeing as they seem to fit in with Snooki and The Situation already.

Yes, I know Jersey Shore highlights some awful people, but I must say I enjoyed the show immensely. As someone who lives near the Jersey Shore and runs into these types more often than I'd like, it's endlessly amusing to watch them under a microscope.

If you haven't been introduced to the magic of this show yet, check out the intro after the jump. And then it's time for some GTL, baby. Gotta look fresh.


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  14 comments Latest by Satokoji
"These people are everything that's wrong with the human race."...read more



 Releases of the week - 03/16/10
by Brad Rice, 03/16/2010
Releases of the week - 03/16/10 photo

Looking for some HD love? Well, this is the week for you, FUNimation fans! They've got the first and second seasons of Gunslinger Girl coming out on Blu-ray, along with the latest batch of One Piece. Besides the big FUNi, a complete box set of Genshiken 2, along with Tayutama are hitting shelves, so you'd best pick those up.

On the manga side of things, there's only one thing you need to buy: The Twilight manga. Do it. If you've got money to spare after that, there's also Dorohedoro and Ristorante Paradiso, both of which will not disappoint.

It's a bit of a quiet week, but considering most of you are busy blowing your money down in New Orleans or Cancun while on Spring Break, it's not the worst time to hold back on your purchasing. For the rest of you who are trapped in the working world, let us know what you picked up this week!


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  4 comments Latest by CJHolic
"Mmmmmmmmmm One Piece"...read more



 Sentai Filmworks announces Clannad dub, upgrade program
by Brad Rice, 03/16/2010
Sentai Filmworks announces Clannad dub, upgrade program photo

For all of you who have been waiting for it, Sentai Filmworks has finally recorded a dub for Clannad, as well as Blue Drop, Ghost Hound, Legends of the Dark King - A Fist of the North Star Story and Tears to Tiara. Now all of you who were waiting for dubs on these titles have no excuse!

But, what if you just recently bought one of these series, only to find out that you've been screwed out of a dub? Well, not to worry. Apparently Sentai Filmworks is setting up an upgrade program where you'll be able to trade in your DVDs for ones featuring the dub as well. The specifics haven't been outlined yet, but will be soon.

The DVDs won't be hitting stores for a month or two, but they'll be rolling out online, on VOD, and in stores soon enough. Are any of you going to finally buy Clannad now that there's a dub? Will you trade in? Or are you happy with your superior Japanese-only discs?


  15 comments Latest by Chris Taran
"Dubbing Clannad is about the highest insult you can pay to that show. As it is in its natural form, it's the best anime (of course including After Story as well) ever produced. A pox on all in..."...read more



 The Four Laws of Moe
by Jon Snyder, 03/16/2010
The Four Laws of Moe photo

It seems one of the biggest problems in the ongoing moe debate is the lack of any concrete definition for the term "moe." Therefore, after doing much research on TVTropes, Wikipedia and various anime sites, I've decided to expand on one of my earlier comments and propose the creation of The Four Laws of Moe. This system is designed to strictly define what traits make a character 'moe' in the context of modern otaku culture. Hopefully, with all of your help, we can refine these laws and settle the moe definition question once and for all.

Read more after the break!


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  44 comments Latest by skeletalknight
"ohthanksforclearingthatup -___-"...read more

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Get me results: How to solve the JRPG Grind
by Josh Tolentino, 03/15/2010
Get me results: How to solve the JRPG Grind photo

[As posted on Destructoid]

If you haven't noticed, a big JRPG launched recently - Final Fantasy XIII. Even with the last couple of years chock-full of big RPG releases, this is one of the biggest. And it's also one of the most divisive JRPGs, in part because, as a Final Fantasy game, it represents what JRPGs are to pretty much everyone not familiar with Dragon Quest (i.e. people not in Japan).

You've probably heard the arguments for and against JRPGs, here or elsewhere, but suffice it to say that one can't help but acknowledge that they're need of more diverse design philosophies, its audience a bit too fond of tradition and comfortable conventions.

The most distasteful of those JRPG conventions - and the biggest obstacle to its critics' ability to enjoy them - is, without a doubt, The Grind. At its worst, grinding is entirely a matter of numbers, with tactical brilliance or skill mattering for naught in the face of the enemy having one level higher than yours, a speed bump along the road to the next cutscene.

Mind you, at the core of the matter, grinding is relative, and depends largely on the perception and individual preferences of the player. If it doesn't feel like a grind, it isn't. The problem, then, is that it does feel like a grind more often than not, and especially not in an environment wherein the Japanese-style RPG is no longer the only type of storytelling-focused game available.

What do we do about it, then? What can developers do to minimize that feeling of tedium in their games?  How can grinding be fixed?


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  13 comments Latest by skeletalknight
"This should have been posted in parts."...read more



 360 owners rejoice: MikuMikuDance getting ported to XNA
by Josh Tolentino, 03/15/2010
360 owners rejoice: MikuMikuDance getting ported to XNA photo

Here's some good news for Miku fans who don't live in Japan or own a PSP with which to enjoy hot Project Diva goodness: MikuMikuDance (MMD), the fantastic freeware dance animation program, is being ported by dedicated Miku-maniacs into a model database compatible with XNA, the game design framework used, among other things for developing Xbox LIVE Indie Games.

What can gamers hungry for some hot dancing CG action? Well, since XNA is not limited just to the Xbox LIVE Indie Games, you would be justified in anticipating a variety of MMD-oriented indie projects all over the different MS platforms. And not just limited to Miku properties, but to all kinds of crazy-ass memes and custom models.

At the very least, you might see more gems like the machinima below. Or some of the ones in our video window to the right of the site. On your Xbox 360. 

Truly, it is an age of wonders.

[Thanks to Ko for the tip!]


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  7 comments Latest by planetarian
"for free works, it should be okay. Crypton likely would not like people selling stuff using their mascot images."...read more



 California sushi bar investigated for serving whale
by Tim Sheehy, 03/15/2010
California sushi bar investigated for serving whale photo

Ever wonder what whale tastes like? Well, up until a short time ago, you could have found out for yourself--assuming you had $600 to spend on sushi. Recently, the FBI is began investigating the high-end Santa Monica sushi bar known as "The Hump," after producers for the recent Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, conducted a hidden camera sting.

A producer for the film had two animal activists use hidden cameras to film themselves ordering a $600 omakase special. For those who don't know about ordering omakase, it's like letting the chef decide what to serve you--it can be very expensive, so if you plan on living a little, it might help to know the chef before requesting it yourself. After watching the preparation, one of the activists pocketed a piece of the sushi to send to a lab where it was later confirmed to be an endangered Sei whale. A second sting was conducted shortly after with federal agents present.

I'm sure that if this happened in Japan, the response probably wouldn't have been so severe given their general views on whaling, but considering the location of the restaurant, you'd think they'd know better. The city of Santa Monica is rather liberal, with plenty of environmental and animal activists. It honestly doesn't surprise me that they were eventually busted, but are any of you as bothered that this was happening as I am?

[via JapanToday]

  11 comments Latest by JapanFan
"Is whale made out of meat? Why, yes it is! Is meat edible? Why, yes it is! Does whale meat taste good? Why, yes it does! Now as far as endangered animals go, yeah go ahead. As far as the l..."...read more






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