Tag: manga | RocketNews24

manga

J-World Tokyo: One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Attractions at Shonen Jump Manga Theme Park!

May 15, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Fans of the iconic manga periodical Weekly Shonen Jump should be clearing their schedules and marking down July 11 on their calendars. For on this day, the clouds will part and a shaft of light will appear as the doors to a new manga paradise will open, offering five Naruto, One Piece and Dragon Ball attractions, along with stacks of merchandise and themed food to save us all.

May 10, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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Wait, do ordinary Japanese schoolgirls really have superpowers? I guess 80 percent of all the anime ever produced wasn’t lying to us…

One day a high school student, known as Chanman on her Twitter account, was hanging out in one of her school’s classrooms with some friends. Just for kicks, one of them struck a fighting pose, while the others leapt into the air as if being tossed back by a blast of chi or psychic energy. One of the girls snapped a picture, which Chanman tweeted to her followers, starting the country’s newest Internet trend.

Chanman and her friends aren’t a group of photography auteurs. This was something they did for fun, so she felt the picture needed a silly, nonsensical battle cry to go with it. Of course, coming up with a funny sounding word from scratch isn’t quite as easy as it seems. Quiquiriqui? That’s now already accepted as the Spanish version of “cockle-doodle-doo.” Cucamonga? A city in suburban Southern California. Heck, I’m still surprised “jackassery” is listed in Webster’s Dictionary, although it is the single most succinct and accurate term to describe most of my life decisions.

In the end, Chanman settled on “makankosappo.”

May 8, 2013 by Mike
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Surprisingly, the majority of time and effort Japanese animators put into a typical anime may not be on the enormous, physics defying breasts of female protagonists, but on the one thing in any movie or TV show that we pay the least attention to – the backgrounds.

One Tumblr user set out to bring those underappreciated backgrounds to the forefront by displaying photos of anime backgrounds with the main characters digitally removed, and boy is it eye-opening. From real world Tokyo locations recreated in painstaking detail, to futuristic cityscapes that tower up and sprawl out as far as the eye can see, to almost photo-realistic close-ups of everyday items, this Tumblr blog showcases the unsung beauty of the best anime backgrounds.

May 7, 2013 by Rona Moon
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Desperate to master the power moves we’d seen so many times in our favourite anime (Japanese animated cartoon), we practiced them day and night. Nothing impresses friends and destroys enemies like a well-timed “Turtle Destruction Wave”. Sure of our eventual success and rise to glory, we eagerly followed in the footsteps of heroes, mimicking their warrior cries and poses. Our best efforts were doomed to fail, but we kept on trying. You did too, right? Probably. Hadouken!

MyNavi News asked 286 men and women in Japan which moves they practiced as children. Here are the most common (and surprising) responses.

May 4, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Your drink’s icy cold but the manga ice cubes in your glass are h-h-hot! Now taste the palpitating sound effects from your favourite comic books thanks to these new Manga Kōri, Comic Ice silicone molds from Runa Corporation.

Coming in three designs, ゴゴゴ (go-go-go, the sound effect for rumbling), ドドド (do-do-do, the sound of running, galloping and whirring machinery), and あ゛あ゛あ゛ (a-a-a, best translated as “Arrgh”), all appear in your glass in the same font that’s often scrawled over tense moments in a manga character’s storyline.

May 3, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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Since 2007, Hikaru Nakamura’s Saint Young Men manga comic series has followed the daily lives of two young men who just happen to be the revered central figures of Christianity and Buddhism. The divine figures have reincarnated, not so save the souls of humanity, but to spend some time enjoying a low-key lifestyle while sharing an apartment in the comparatively sleepy town of Tachikawa in West Tokyo. The story follows their day-to-day lives, including Buddha’s fascination with the manga based on himself and Jesus’ long locks and wispy beard getting him mistaken for Johnny Depp by schoolgirls at a local convenience store.

To celebrate the upcoming theatrical animated adaptation of Saint Young Men, publisher Kodansha is allowing the free reproduction and use of a portion of the series.

May 2, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Ah, it’s spring again – that time of year when young boys’ and girls’ thoughts turn to mayhem, destruction and chaos. Boy, this story sure takes me back to my preteen days.

On 1 May, Police in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture announced that they referred two 13 year-old girls to the Odawara Child Guidance Center after they were found to have caused approximately 490,000 yen (US$5,000) of damage to Sakawa Municipal Junior High School.

Apr 30, 2013 by Oona McGee
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It’s a good time to be an Eva fan in Japan right now. With Lotteria campaigns and Sega giveaways to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of Evangelion 3.33, we’ve been running around town with some serious Eva fever. And the only cure… is more Eva!

Coming to the rescue is Schick, joining the tie-in celebrations with four different razor holder figurine sets, seven earphone jack accessories, and a chance to win an Eva clock. Plus, an animated interview with Gendo, to get his take on the razor series.

Apr 29, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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Imagine you’re a comic book fan, browsing for something new to read. Intrigued by what you’ve heard about Japanese manga, you pick one up and open it to the first page. And wow, there’s a dead body in the first panel! What an intense opening. But wait, why is the corpse getting stabbed again, then suddenly standing up and running about? Is the character a zombie or something?

No, you’re just reading the panels out of sequence. Unlike the left-to-right flow of comic panels in the English world, manga are designed to be read from right to left, then top to bottom, starting on the right-hand page before continuing to the left.

Confused? Manga creator and critic Kentaro Takekuma says you shouldn’t have to be, and he has a plan to change all that. Read More

Parents Group in Russia Deems Death Note ‘Harmful Matter,’ Requests Ban

Apr 27, 2013 by Master Blaster
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On 24 April in the Ural region of Russia, a parents group published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin asking that the popular Death Note manga series be regulated in all its forms (print, anime, live action).

Death Note was a Shonen Jump series that ran from 2003 to 2006 and centered on Light Yamagi, a student who stumbles upon a magical notebook which has the power to kill people simply by writing their names in it.

Apr 25, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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Instruction manuals: the last bastions of hope when your new toy doesn’t seem to be working properly. For those of us who grew up around gadgets like iPods, PCs, games consoles and TVs, the instruction books that come with our latest purchases are rarely even glanced at, often doomed to spend the rest of their days in the back of a dusty cupboard or quickly stuffed into a recycle bin. If all instruction manuals were as cute as Toshiba’s latest offering, though, perhaps a few more of us would be inclined to break them open every once in a while.

Bundled alongside Toshiba’s dynabook series of notebook computers, this illustrated instruction manual features cute and cuddly anthropomorphic seal character Para-chan and school uniform-wearing Mana-chan, who guide us through everything from set-up to getting the most out of our machine.

Reading attentively and following the steps like we’re supposed to just got that little bit more otaku.

Apr 22, 2013 by Oona McGee
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April 24 is a special day for Evangelion fans, with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the 2012 movie Evangelion 3.0. To commemorate this exciting event, popular burger chain Lotteria is offering up a nine-level monster cheeseburger that cleverly plays on the “Q “ in the Japanese part of the home release title: Evangelion: New Movie Edition Q (Q sounds like kyuu, which is nine in Japanese) and the English part of the home release title: Evangelion 3.33 (3+3+3=9). Cheeky puns with buns! While the burger looks like something only Mr. Sato would eat nine of, the free present with purchase and the chance to win a 158cm-tall Rei doll has us very excited.

Apr 20, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Ita (痛), meaning pain, is the latest buzzword doing the rounds in cool Japan. It’s used to describe something emblazoned with an anime or manga design, so bright and out-there that it’s painful to the eye. A suit with a cute anime girl pattern inside? That would be the itasuit. A car completely covered in graffiti-style tags and wide-eyed characters? The itasha. And what about nails with different character designs on each nail? That’s itanail. And according to a recent online survey, itanail is becoming more and more popular by the day.

Apr 16, 2013 by Oona McGee
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One Piece is the hugely successful comic book and animation series about a team of friends who go in search of the famous treasure of the same name. When the writer and illustrator, Eichiro Oda, recently revealed that many of the One Piece characters are based on real-life public figures and celebrities, he created a different type of treasure hunt for his legions of fans. Who was which character? Where did he draw inspiration from? After what must’ve been hours of research, one fan came up with this concise gallery.

But some of these pictures show way more than a passing resemblance. It’s almost as if he sketched every detail of the real-life figure into his One-Piece character, from their pose to their jewellery and accessories. The inspiration for Paulie is even wearing an identical shirt and jacket! Twitter users are now arguing over the fine line between homage and rip-off. What do you think? Check out the characters in more detail below… Read More

Spend a Day with Ice-Cream, Ramen and 30,000 Comics at Tachikawa’s Amazing New Manga Park

Apr 15, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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One Piece, Dragon Ball, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure; whatever your paper-based poison, Tachikawa City’s Manga Park has you covered. With an incredible 30,000 comics to relax with for just 400 yen (US$4) per day, the only way this could possibly be better for manga fans would be if the staff also dressed as your favourite characters and gave free foot massages.

Apr 6, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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Yuki Jirushi Coffee is a brand that pretty much everyone in Japan is familiar with. Available in supermarkets, convenience stores and even vending machines all over the country, Yuki Jirushi (lit. “snow mark”)’s sweet and creamy café au lait has been delighting coffee lovers for 50 years.

In celebration the country’s undying love for the chilled caffeinated beverage and wanting to spruce up its familiar yet somewhat uninspired packaging, Yuki Jirushi Coffee’s makers have teamed up with pixiv to launch a contest asking fans with a passion for doodling to come up with a mascot character to adorn the coffee cartons.

Apr 5, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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In an effort to raise awareness and attract younger donors, the Japanese Red Cross has been giving animé and manga fans in Hiroshima Prefecture the chance to get their hands on a limited edition poster in exchange for a single blood donation.

Mar 23, 2013 by Michelle
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It seems that Chinese artists are fans of tiptoeing through the two-dimensional world. It wasn’t long ago that we first introduced an art gallery in Tianjin that featured 3D versions of famous works of art. Gallery patrons were encouraged to interact with the works by sitting on, touching, and in some cases, sticking their heads in the middle of paintings.

The newest 2D-3D hybrid photos from China have been gaining popularity on Japanese internet sites, especially delighting fans of Dragon Ball and Naruto. It looks as if this artist managed to slip into the two-dimensional world, or maybe the 2D world came to him. Either way, the cleverly photoshopped images are very cool and extremely clever.

Mar 21, 2013 by Michelle
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Ita-goods have been gaining popularity amongst Japanese anime fans, starting with the itasha and continuing the painfully embarrassing rampage with the ita-in (painful stamp) and itasuit. This fad has now infiltrated nail salons, with the itanail: beautiful images of anime and manga characters painted on women’s fingernails.

The itanail is featured in Akihabara specialty nail salon, ita color’s [sic] yellow. The salon has been churning out some amazing nail designs featuring the likes of Sailor Moon, Evangelion, and many more.

Mar 19, 2013 by Master Blaster
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are joining forces on the Global Precipitation Measurement Project (GPM Project).

Now that all the abbreviations are out of the way, the two space agencies are holding a manga character contest to find some 2-D spokespeople (or spokesthings) to represent this project in promotional and educational materials.