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Arashi boys play New Super Mario Bros Wii in new CM
by Dale North, 03/18/2010

These guys are having fun with New Super Mario Bros Wii.

Arashi band members Satoshi Ohno and Kazunari Ninomiya are making their own game within the game, and they're having too much fun. I like how they're chanting Mario and Luigi's names to get the jump timing down.

Come to think of it, Ohno and Nino are kind of like Mario and Luigi. Hell, they're almost as popular. They get all the princesses, and they never have to go around picking up coins, though. 


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 Japanator AM records tonight: ASK US STUFF!!!!
by Karen Gellender, 03/18/2010
Japanator AM records tonight: ASK US STUFF!!!! photo

That's right, it's time for another wild and crazy listener questions episode! Or at least, it might be wild and crazy- I guess that depends on you guys, and what kinds of awesome questions you come up with. See, it's time for you guys to take RESPONSIBILITY for QUALITY PODCASTING.

Now you may be thinking, "Wait a minute- Japanator AM records episode 10? Where the hell did Episode 9 go?" Sorry, sick Karen makes for late podcast, at least this week. Ask us stuff to your heart's content, and Episode 9, "Special OPs", will be up later today.

I think there should be a moratorium on people getting sick from now on- it kind of sucks. Let's consider banning getting sick instead of loli for a bit, I say!


  8 comments Latest by AQua ng
"I think that the next podcast needs to be dedicated to unwrapping the enigma that is Mr Snyder. A time traveller? A professor with a degree in moe? Or just somebody who's a tad obsessed with Rits..."...read more



 Fanservice: Exactly what the hell is it?
by kindaaloser, 03/18/2010
Fanservice: Exactly what the hell is it? photo

[Editors Note: Let's take a breather from debating about moe, shall we? This is a promoted Community Blog, written by one of our readers. If you would like to see your own Cblog on the front page, warm up your keyboard and write something awesome! ~Jon Snyder] 

This may be a poor analogy, but this is what I figure a hefty majority of people who watch anime think of when it comes to fanservice.

"Fanservice is kind of like candy - it's fun and sweet in moderation, but too much and you simply get sick. A little bit can add some humor, awkwardness, or the lovely "eye-candy" appeal for the sake of entertainment. And also, I believe one of the reasons that writers, directors, and artists incorporate it is because, on paper, this is the chance to create a purely unrealistic person, especially in the culture of Japan."

I remember listening to the fanservice episode of the The Anime Counterpoint podcast with hbi2k and kaiserneko last year. Very few girls in the real world actually look like that, but in a fictitious world, it's completely possible for every girl to be perfect. It's a visual take on something that otherwise could only exist in imagination. And, I believe, that is why it becomes so entertaining - we get to physically see something interact in front of us that we will rarely come across in real life.

But of course, it can easily be overdone. However, this isn't about the current status of fanservice in anime today. This is about the current status of the anime fans who perceive fanservice today.


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  17 comments Latest by AQua ng
"I agree with Space Cowboy. Fanservice doesn't need to be all T&A. Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee aside, I feel that Macross Frontier is very fanservice heavy. With all the references to the past Macro..."...read more

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Yotsuba & PANCAKES!
by Ben Huber, 03/17/2010
Yotsuba & PANCAKES! photo


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  23 comments Latest by king3vbo
"I agree with Ritsu, it's totally Kampfer"...read more

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Right Stuf licenses Dirty Pair
by Jon Snyder, 03/17/2010
Right Stuf licenses Dirty Pair photo

HELL YES!

Nozomi Entertainment, the anime licensing and production branch of Right Stuf, has just made a huge announcement. They have licensed the greatest anime series of all time: Dirty Pair. That's the ORIGINAL Dirty Pair that aired on Japanese TV back in 1985, not the half-assed OVAs or the unmentionable 90's knockoff Dirty Pair Flash. Yup, we're getting the misadventures of Kei and Yuri in all their original beating-disco glory. Right Stuf, I freaking love you.

Dirty Pair will be released this in two "DVD collections" which are each currently priced at $37.49 on Right Stuf's website. They will include all 24 episodes of the series as well as two TV specials. No concrete release date other than "coming soon" has been given, but ANN is saying late Fall 2010. In the meantime, if you need a Dirty Pair primer, I suggest listening to the Bakacast episode where we reviewed the series, and checking out the clean OP embedded below the break.

Oh, and dibs on Kei.


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  16 comments Latest by Jon Snyder
"Does feature action girls in SPACE BIKINIS? If not, then it's not even in the same league."...read more



 Get some MangaGamer eroge goodness for less this spring
by Josh Tolentino, 03/17/2010
Get some MangaGamer eroge goodness for less this spring photo

You should be supporting the growing visual novel/eroge scene. Unfortunately, a lot of folks are cagey about buying adult games, and others are cagey about pricing, which, while still much lower than the average prices in Japan, are somewhat high for titles that some struggle to even categorize as "games."

Still, there are stories to be told, and you might enjoy playing them sometime. MangaGamer knows this, and is giving you (yes you!) the chance to get some hotness for less over the first week of April during their big spring sale!

From April 1st through April 7th, prices for MangaGamer's most popular titles, including Da Capo, Shuffle!, and KiraKira will be dropped significantly. Better still for those who shy away from adult content, the same price drop applies to KiraKira's all-ages version.

And if you've some euros to spend on March 20th, MangaGamer will also be releasing an Edelweiss bundle that contains both Edelweiss and its spinoff Edelweiss Eiden Fantasia.

Are you ready for some easter eroge action? Hit up the site to check out their selection, or their staff blog for hints at potential new releases.


  3 comments Latest by Kyogissun
"@Janaff: A company once asked Key what they want for Kanon, they got back 1 million... And then 2 million for Air. It's not happening anytime soon. The closest thing you're going to get right ..."...read more



 JapanaTen: 10 Reasons why J-drama is better than plain TV
by Dale North, 03/17/2010
JapanaTen: 10 Reasons why J-drama is better than plain TV photo

J-drama is its own thing. Some may think that it's just the Japanese version of primetime television, and...well, they're right. But it's totally different on so many other levels. I really think that the J-drama way is the better way. In comparison, "regular" television seems bland, long-winded, and silly.

I'm sure that I'm the only one that thinks this way, so I'm here to force my opinions on you in this JapanaTen list of The Top Ten Reasons Why J-drama is Better Than Regular Television.


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  26 comments Latest by eViLL97
"@DEEP was actually the first J-Drama I got into. I recommend it as well. The movie not so much. Also Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. I was a big fan of Hiro from Kamen Rider Kabuto and have been since..."...read more

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Hunt yet more monsters on PSP in Monster Hunter Freedom 3
by Josh Tolentino, 03/17/2010
Hunt yet more monsters on PSP in Monster Hunter Freedom 3 photo

Japan loves Monster Hunter. Every major multiplayer game coming out is finding a way to rip it off, and entire festivals are held to commemorate the wholesale slaughter of giant, ferocious animals and the conversion of their hides to crazy weapons and armor.

With Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii representing the first home console entry in a few years, one might think that the series would be coming backto stay, but that won't be the case with the latest game. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (aka Monster Hunter Portable 3), is once again coming to the PSP to delight Japanese commuters everywhere.

That's understandable considering that it those PSP installments led to the franchise's massive popularity (and made the PSP much more viable there than anywhere else in the world). Recognizing this, Capcom's taking over the whole of Greenland Amusement Park in Kumamoto and turning it into a Monster Hunter-themed wonderland.

This is surely great news to PSP fans, and I'm certainly excited for it, though if the game's going to be limited once again to ad-hoc only mode (which can only be bypassed using PC-based 3rd-party solutions or the PS3's Ad Hoc Party app), I may have to stick to Monster Hunter Tri, which features regular online play.

Check below for a trailer, which features the glorious return of gunlances!


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  5 comments Latest by ZeroArmada
"I really want Monster Hunter to return to its true console roots. Put it on PS3! That way, I can actually play with others because I own the console and there are people with PS3s. Trying to find..."...read more



 Gundam Unicorn sets new Blu-ray records in Japan
by Brad Rice, 03/17/2010
Gundam Unicorn sets new Blu-ray records in Japan photo

Time and time again, the high bar for Blu-ray titles keeps getting broken. The previous bar, set by Summer Wars at 54,000 discs in the first week, was broken by Gundam Unicorn, who sold 56,000 Blu-ray discs in its first week, along with another 30,000 regular DVDs of the show.

Gundam fans sure love their Blu-ray, that's obvious. And I suppose they're willing to pay any amount to get just a sliver of Full Frontal action.

While there's no word on just how well the sales of Gundam Unicorn did here over in the U.S., I'm sure the folks over at Bandai aren't doing too shabby with the release here. I've been meaning to pick it up myself, but just haven't had the money to go and snatch up the Blu-ray over on Amazon. Hardcore Gundam fans, what do you think of Unicorn so far?


  10 comments Latest by Treiz
"got it, loved it, can't wait for the next one. Wish ALL Gundam was this good."...read more



 Some breathing room: Tokyo anti-loli law vote postponed
by Josh Tolentino, 03/17/2010
Some breathing room: Tokyo anti-loli law vote postponed photo

Whew. It seems that cooler heads have prevailed regarding Japan's disturbingly general anti-loli legislative proposals, as the scheduled vote has been delayed to facilitate further deliberation on the issue. Maybe now that they have a little more time to think about it, supporters of the bill might notice that what amounts to a blanket ban on characters that random people think look "underage" doesn't exactly foster creative endeavor.

And it was worse than we originally thought. The law was to be applied to pretty much every form of 2-D media, including games, anime and manga, not just adult material. No wonder so many mangaka and publishers came out to voice their opposition to the measure.

Doubtless these cultural heavyweights had some influence on the decision to delay the vote to June. Even some Japanese politicians didn't quite appreciate their peers working the "moral panic" angle.

That doesn't mean we should get complacent, though. The fight to maintain artistic freedom is a neverending one.


  20 comments Latest by Hen na Otoko
"I hate loli crap, but to ban drawings makes no sense. It's ink on paper. No children are harmed in the production of it (unlike CP) so what is the issue? Just keep it socially reprehensible, no..."...read more






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