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Joan Coello

Native to the sweltering lands of Singapore, Joan spent a substantial amount of her teenage years gnawing through translated versions of Japanese manga and dubbed anime. Picking up the language sparked off something in her to abandon years of education and experience in design to pursue a career in translation instead. After spending a couple of years localizing Japanese product packaging and mobile games for the English-speaking population, Joan gave in to her longing for the magical land of Japan and leapt into the arms of Tokyo (missing by a bit and landing in Kanagawa prefecture). In her free time, she continues to nibble on Japanese manga and anime, now savoring them in full authentic flavor.

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Posted by Joan Coello (Page 6)

12 creative packaging designs to loosen your purse strings

What makes or breaks your decision to purchase something new and unfamiliar? For some shoppers it may be the peculiarity of a product that loosens their purse strings. Others may be won over by the low price or high quality of an item. And then there are those who have a weak spot for clever packaging.

Of course, price and quality matter, but the packaging of a product plays a significant role too despite the sad fact that it usually ends up in the trash soon after the product has been taken home. If you’re fond of interesting, creative, unique packaging designs, take a peek at this little collection!

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Now you see it, now you don’t! Korean artist creates amazing “empty” sculptures out of paper

Our faces are not symmetrical, and that’s probably why some selfie lovers spend hours on end getting into odd poses and taking shot after shot in order to find their best angle. Some of us might have entertained the thought of perfecting our appearances to be like dolls or sculptures so that we’d look perfect from every angle. But lo and behold, sculptures have their “photogenic” angles too!

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Chinese sand artist tickles the heartstrings of manga fans with stunning sand manga drawings 【Videos】

Many of us can’t even draw a decent manga portrait on paper, but there are talented individuals who manage to replicate character illustrations on food, and some using just their bare hands and sand.

Chinese sand artist Zhao Ying Li creates portraits of manga characters from titles such as Slam Dunk and Detective Conan that are so detailed it’s hard to believe they were drawn with sand. See the creation process after the break!

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Anime-loving mum takes kyara-ben to a new level with these well-drawn anime bentos

We’ve seen quite a number creative character bentos here on RocketNews24, some cute, some educational, and some that didn’t turn out as well as expected. The most common way of creating character bentos we’ve seen so far involves decorating with pieces of seaweed, ham, egg, sausages and the like.

But Japanese Twitter user Akiran takes a different approach to creating anime character bentos for her two sons. Read on to find out how she does it!

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Japan’s prince of tennis gets his own Prince of Tennis manga portrait

Earlier this year, pro tennis player Kei Nishikori became the first Asian man to make it to the finals of the U.S. Open Championships, and was subsequently the first Asian man to qualify for the star-studded tennis event, the ATP World Tour. He was also the first man in Japanese tennis history to place 5th in the world rankings.

To add to his list of “firsts”, Nishikori is also probably the first tennis star to receive a manga style portrait illustrated by The Prince of Tennis mangaka (manga artist), Takeshi Konomi. Check out the stylish piece after the jump!

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The weirder the better? These Japanese zakka are hot sellers in Korea

There are many Japanese products that are popular overseas, such as Japanese snacks, beauty products, character goods… the list goes on. Character franchises aside, some of the more common reasons why people living outside of Japan purchase Japanese products is because they generally tend to be produced under higher quality and hygiene standards, and more often than not come in temptingly beautiful or cute packaging.

Japanese zakka (sundries/miscellaneous goods), however, are popular for entirely different reasons. Check out these Japanese zakka that a Korean retailer has picked for their website to get a clearer idea of what tempts the purse strings of Korean consumers!

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Creative 15-year-old artist makes characters pop out of “notebooks” like magic

If you’re looking at the picture above and wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you, yes, they probably are.

15-year-old Brazilian artist João Carvalho creates these simple yet amazing 3-D illustrations of famous characters, among other things, that seem to have emerged from the back of the page of a ruled notebook. See his brilliant creations after the break!

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The 9 types of basketball players in Slam Dunk – which type are you?

Playing sports brings out a different side of us. This is especially so in sports that require cooperation within a team in order to go up against an opposing rival. It’s easy to put on a front at normal times when you’re composed and in your comfort zone, but it’s a battlefield out on the courts. That’s probably why some people say that you can tell a person’s personality by the way he/she plays on a team.

Here’s a personality analysis derived from the play styles of the characters from a certain popular basketball manga and anime series. Which type of athlete are you? Read on to find out!

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Joker weds Harley Quinn! Guess who walked the bride down the aisle

Hey comics fans, check out this plot twist of the year! Apparently, Joker and Harley Quinn tied the knot, and Batman officiated the ceremony for his nemesis. And that’s not quite the biggest twist yet…

Well, the top image has probably given it away, this isn’t a real plot twist in the authentic DC Comics series. This happily-ever-after ending came from a comic fan’s dream wedding; a totally awesome Marvel/DC Comics-themed wedding that is just a delight to look at even if you’re not a fan of Batman or Harley Quinn or I… oops! Nearly let the cat out of the bag! Unveil the big twist after the jump (there are no titans this time, we promise)!

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All hail the mighty “muggle magic tape”! 24 awesome ways to use duct tape like magic

We’re sure you know that duct tape is not just for taping ventilation ducts. With its superb adhesion and strength, duct tape works like a magic spell for holding things together, and is a savior around the house as a quick repair solution.

If you’re an avid duct tape user, or haven’t realized what else you can do with duct tape besides fixing pipes and ducts, here are some creative (and some outrageous) ideas for using the powerful tape!

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The secret lives of stationery unveiled! What happens when a pencil and eraser wed?【Video】

Have you ever twirled a pencil between your fingers, drawn on an eraser, or chewed on a pencil? Most of us have done at least one, if not all, of the above-mentioned things when we were in school. But have you ever considered the feelings of these objects? If inanimate objects had any feelings, that is…and we bet you can’t guess what happens when a pencil and an eraser tie the knot! See the humorous vid after the jump!

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It’s Pikachu! No, it’s Jibanyan! No… what IS that?

Rumored to be the new wave to take over the long-running multimedia kid’s series Pokémon, Youkai Watch and its various colorful characters can be seen all over the streets in Japan. Just as how Pokémon posters and merchandise used to be visible almost everywhere, the streets and shelves are now occupied by Jibanyan and his fellow youkai counterparts from the hit series Youkai Watch.

Pokémon has yet to back out from the race though, as loyal fans who loved the series since they were kids continue to shower their love (and money) on Pikachu and his hundreds of mystical friends. What are fans to do? Cling on to the old, or embrace the new? Check out the ingenious solution Twitter user @umeko_kj8 came up with after the break!

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Poor bunnies! Chinese news program makes rabbits wear contact lenses to test what we already know

In recent years, contact lenses are used not only as a means of correcting eyesight, but also as a fashion element as colored lenses, also known as circle lenses, gained worldwide popularity for their iris enlarging effects which give the illusion of bigger, brighter eyes.

An article from ETToday suggests that the annual sales of circle lenses in China exceeds one hundred million pieces. Where there is demand, there is supply, but it’s no secret that Chinese manufacturers do not have a good track record where quality and hygiene standards matter. In an attempt to find out if circle lenses are safe for everyday wear, one Chinese news channel put the contact lenses to the test, however not on human subjects but on rabbits, enraging many animal lovers online.

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Yowamushi Pedal set to delight fangirls with karaoke rooms, mocktails and men’s boxers

Anime series Yowamushi Pedal has set off on its second season, titled Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road, and its creators have shifted gears with new goods and collaborations to up the game.

Starting with a collaboration with karaoke chain Karaoke no Tetsujin (AKA Kara-Tetsu), the series’ makers also have plans to release men’s boxer shorts, however ironically, at an event targeted for girls. Whether they expect their fangirls to wear men’s undies themselves or are hoping the girls will buy them for their boyfriends, we haven’t got a clue, but we have all the details about this peculiar collaboration after break!

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Taiwanese YouTuber’s punny pick-up line gets him a girl’s number in just 36 seconds

Many people think that good-looking guys get all the girls, but many a time, a guy’s creativity and sense of humor is more charming than a handsome face.

As if first impressions weren’t tricky enough to deal with, pick-up lines make things even more challenging. Instead of going halfway around the planet in an attempt to hit on a girl in a not-so-obvious but not-too-subtle way, a Taiwanese YouTuber demonstrates that making a humorous approach is the fastest way to get a girl’s contact details.

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More ways to magically trap a cat (or dogs who think they’re cats)【Photos】

So we’ve previously found out that cats have a certain fixation with circles, and have the tendency to plop their furry bottoms down in one, which basically goes to say that you can easily create a cat trap just about anywhere you want, as long as you’ve got some tape on hand.

Cat owners of the Internet went on to experiment and proved that you don’t even particularly need tape. Here are some of the tested and proven improvisations of “cat circles” that seem to work just as well! Check them out!

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Korean cosplayer’s gender-bending costumes confuse us for a moment, then leave us mesmerized

I like looking at beautiful things, and bishounen (which literally means beautiful youth/young man) characters in anime and manga are one of my favorite types of eye candy. Cosplayers, whom I like to think of as mysterious fairies capable of transcending past the boundaries of gender, age and reality, are the amazing people who bring these beautiful 2-D characters into our 3-D world.

Here at RocketNews24, we’ve seen many male cosplayers who sometimes look even prettier than actual girls when they’re dressed in their costumes, so we’re turning the tables this time for a change. Meet Lita LY, a South Korean female cosplayer who looks cute dressed as female characters and bishounen characters as well!

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Transform a sushi mat into a stylish makeup tool organizer in just a few steps!

Sometimes, people are subconsciously bound by their cultural habits and traditions, and fail to see beyond the appearance of things. To the Japanese, a bamboo makisu (sushi mat) is used to make sushi, but in the hands of someone outside of Japan, the traditional culinary item is transformed into something completely unrelated to food. If you’re looking to add some Japanese element into your daily life, read on for the simple DIY instructions to make your own sushi mat brush organizer!

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Korean tattoo artist’s small, simple, stylish “line tattoos” change our impression of getting inked

In many cases, less is more, and that rule perhaps now applies to tattoos too. Minimalistic designs seem to be all the rage among young Koreans, and their passion for simple beauty extends to the permanent art they ink themselves with. Heavily shaded dragons and skulls are so passé, youngsters these days are getting themselves miniature tattoos that are simple and chic, and probably won’t cost a bomb to laser away if they decide they don’t want it anymore. Seoul-based tattoo artist Seoeon, in particular, seems to be gaining some popularity with her neat “line tattoos”. Check them out after the break!

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For whatever reason, there seems to be an increasing demand for versions of men’s products that are traditionally meant for women, particularly in Japan. Perhaps some of you might be wondering, now that Japanese men have their very own lacy bras and panties, panty liners, and even sanitary panties, what else do they need? Here’s what’s up next: nipple pasties.

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