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May 1, 2015

Ghibli’s Spirited Away film shrunk into 5-minute, 8-bit video

CineFix’s 8-Bit Cinema feature has turned plenty of popular films into video game-style videos likeTitanic, The Fast and the Furious, and The Walking Dead. On Tuesday, the group uploaded a version of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli‘s award-winning film Spirited Away, with a MIDI-version of Joe Hisaishi‘s score to boot. Much of the film’s story is condensed into a quick five minutes and is transformed into 8-bit and “a little bit of 16-bit” art.

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Takashi Miike’s live-action Terra Formars anime adaptation casts its lead actor

As Japan’s biggest anime and manga hits become increasingly mainstream in their popularity, more and more of them are getting live-action adaptations. One of the latest series tapped for the transition is Terra Formars, the sci-fi action manga from writer Yu Sasuga and Kenichi Tachibana.

The first major news about the project came in February, when it was announced that Takashi Miike will direct, and now the live-action Terra Formars has found its star.

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Halal ramen comes to Tokyo with Asakusa restaurant, and it’s so good anyone will enjoy it

For decades, the international perception of ramen was that it was something for lazy college students to buy in bulk for when they wanted a quick, hot meal, with only minimal thought given to flavor or presentation. And while ramen does sometimes take that form, assuming it’s all like that is sort of like basing your whole image of pizza on microwavable frozen varieties.

Thankfully, there’s a ramen renaissance going on, as the rest of the world is getting onboard with just how delicious Japan’s favorite noodle dish can be. In response, some restaurants in Japan are adapting to make their food more accessible to foreign visitors, such as this restaurant in Tokyo that serves halal ramen.

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Squid ink toaster oven pizza released by Nippon Ham

I’m sure we can all remember those happy childhood days when Mom would go into the kitchen to wrestle a squid. The sound of tentacles swishing through the air and muffled curse words could mean only one thing: Squid Ink Pizza for dinner!

But now, having grown up into the cold world of adulthood, that simple joy of Mom’s homemade squid ink pizza has fallen by the wayside. Luckily, Nippon Ham has stepped in to help take us back to those days with their new Squid Ink Pizza.

Could a toaster oven pizza from the supermarket capture such a familiar taste of home? We bought one to find out!

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Galaga x Tekken crossover app previewed in video

The official YouTube channel for the Tekken franchise began streaming a promotional video for Galaga Tekken, a free smartphone game app that was first teased as an April Fools’ Day joke.

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It’s said that barbers’ poles, with their interlaced contrasting stripes, are a holdover from the Middle Ages, with the red and white symbolizing blood and bandages. In those days, the field of surgery was still at such an early stage in its development that the guy who cut hair would also handle operations and amputations. After all, cutting was cutting, right?

In our modern era, though, you’d never think of asking your doctor to take a little off the sides, nor would you trust your hairdresser to remove a tumor. So isn’t it time for barber shops to get a new symbol, like this one in Aomori with a compliment of giant Gundam statues hanging around outside?

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