While we're waiting for Nico Nico USA to cover more than just the Space Shuttle launch, the Japanese Nico Nico continues to get awesome stuff in the way of official channels -- the latest and greatest is from Madhouse. If you've got a NicoNico account, you can check out some of their listings, which include the likes of a trailer for the Trigun: Badlands Rumble film. It looks pretty boss, I must admit.

Of course, if you don't have an account set up for Nico Nico video (we'll walk you through how to do it one day), then you'll just have to sit tight and start adding your own line of "wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" on YouTube annotations for the videos you're watching.

We here at Japanator can't leave you hanging, though. We've got some stuff waiting for you after the jump.

[Via AnimeAnime]

This is from the anime adaptation of an ero-ge, Mad Teacher: The Birth of the Punishment School. What the hell, Japan? I cannot see this turning out well in any way shape or form.

Again I am at a loss for words. Even Banana Street seems to make sense compared to the video below, which we found on Japan Probe.

All we know is that it's a commercial for elementary school "Randoseru" backpacks, and that the words the lady is shouting, "fuwarii" and "karuku," both mean "light.

Also, those backpacks? You can get one for $360. Three hundred sixty dollars. 

[As posted on Destructoid]

It might be telling that the first time I heard of tri-Ace's newest RPG was when it had its name changed from End of Eternity to Resonance of Fate for the international release. It was strange to me at the time since both names were in English and made about the same amount of sense, but I shrugged it off and went on with my life. With this new uber-trailer out in the wild though, I'm thinking that I might have to pay more attention, because the game looks goddamn nuts.

Fumiko's Confession is an independent anime short that's been all the rage on Nico Nico and YouTube lately. Cute characters and great animation aside, this clip's most exceptional quality is its production: it was entirely animated by one person, the up-and-coming Japanese artist Tete. Keep an eye on this guy... he's headed for big things in the future.

The short can be viewed after the jump. For those of you not fluent in moonspeak, here's a short summary of the dialogue: Fumiko asks the boy to date her, but he refuses, wanting to spend his time practicing baseball. At the end, she offers to make him miso soup every day (essentially a marriage proposal), but he once again refuses.

Poor Fumiko...

[Via Japan Probe]

Of all people to join the Softbank family as that "crazy uncle," I did not expect Quentin Tarantino to be that man. While I'm not a huge fan of the man's works, I was really impressed with Inglorious Basterds and am excited to see just how these commercials will look when they air on TV.

Softbank has a history of using foreigners in their ads, both as directors and actors. So, it's no huge surprise to see Tara-chan (yes, that's his name in the family) join the ranks. I can only hope that we'll see Otousan make an appearance in one of Tarantino's later films thanks to these commercials.

Well, if you're wondering how it might look, check out a video of Tarantino hamming it up during a rehearsal for one of the commercials that was shown at a promo event. I'm rather giddy for this.

[Thanks to J-List for the news tip, video via JeanSnow]

Now you might be wondering what Jean Grey, and '90s Jean Grey at that, is doing on Japanator. X-Men isn't an anime, is it?

Well, no, but I'll bet I'm not the only one here who was all about the X-Men before discovering the wonders of anime. The original cartoon series was appointment television for me in elementary school, and while I'm not too keen on what Marvel's done with the franchise lately, I'm still an X-fan at heart. 

That's why it was so cool to find out that Japanese fans got an anime-style intro for the show, complete with speed lines and Jrock. Hit the jump to see this neat little footnote in anime history.

[Via Daily Bento]

 This shouldn't be erotic, should it?

...in the LOTTE Fits's commercial above.

Like Colette, I'm confused as to why they're calling this newest chunk of jailbait "the new Leah Dizon." I mean, when Leah started out at 19, she was already legal, so the connection is somewhat tenuous on that front.

In any case, Beckii's obnoxiously cute webcam antics paid off among Nico devotees, and landed her a DVD deal. Now she's doing her thing on a series of commercials for the second season (!)  of  LOTTE Fit's dance contest, all of which are about 19 seconds long and involve Beckii doing the exact same dance over and over, in front of different backgrounds and in different costumes.

Her school uniform edition is below, but there are yukata, ninja, and street clothes versions. You can visit the Youtube page, or check the other video below for someone I think is more interesting to watch. This idol can play a mean bass, so it's the next best thing to Mio.

I've talked about my musical predilections over at Destructoid, but the band that really kicked off my love affair with music was Bon Jovi. These Jersey rockers still hold a special place in my heart, and I'm glad to see that over in Japan, they are the soundtrack for freedom and democracy.

Or at least that's what I'm taking away from this commercial that uses images of Obama and Princess Diana to promote the new Bon Jovi  CD The Circle over in Japan.

It's not terribly unreasonable to see where this pairing might be made: Jon Bon Jovi has been a strong supporter of the Democrats for years, throwing fundraisers for Al Gore, Obama and even Governor Corzine (ugh). So, that's where this Japanese love affair comes from.

I wonder if Obama will help this album sell well? Judge for yourself after the jump.