modeling
Japan usually has no complaints about swimsuit modeling, but this time is a little different.
Shunichi Matsuba, a self-proclaimed diorama artist, creates extraordinarily detailed miniature scenes of Japanese life past and present — often using models smaller than a fingertip.
Model Saya Kagawa takes the women’s crown, distracts everyone from a bunch of ripped dudes flexing in the background.
Usually people equate high fashion with a hefty price tag, but the truth is real style is only limited by your imagination, not by your bank account.
Take this boy in Thailand, for instance, who is breaking both gender and conventional boundaries by incorporating familiar items to achieve that perfect vogue look. With a portfolio of outfits that range from minimal to whimsical, he’s showing the world that sometimes less is more.
20-year-old model Dong Lei was apparently declared to have the longest legs in the (modeling) world recently, measuring in at an incredible 45 inches, meaning her legs alone are, like, we don’t know, the height of a very large dog or maybe a very small horse or something. We’re not very good at comparisons like this.
Anyway, over on our Japanese sister site, this caught the attention of a female writer who, in her shock at Lei’s gorgeous but startlingly long legs, declared that she’d like to be kicked by them and then went to investigate more about this amazing model (disclaimer: our Japanese writers are kind of weird).
Apparently, the Okinawan branch of oft-despised broadcaster NHK (Nihon Hoso Kyokai or Japan Broadcasting Corporation) had been receiving complaints, starting around 2008, from concerned parents about a morning host who was boasting some exceptionally large assets and making men and teenage boys feel all funny and conflicted while tucking in to their morning cereal.
Former announcer Tomoka Takenaka says viewers would regularly call in to complain about her (Japan size) G-cup breasts, with such gems as, “I can’t concentrate on the news [with those things in my face]!” and “It’s not good for kids to see [huge breasts] first thing in the morning”.
After additional on-set bullying from co-workers, Takenaka decided she’d had enough and called it quits to ironically pursue a career where her endowment would be more appreciated: modeling.
What happens when you take the merits of both 2-D and 3-D animation and combine them to make a new hybrid form of animation technology? Unfathomable as it may seem, that’s precisely the type of technology that Japanese company Live2D is in the midst of developing. Their latest achievement, known as “Live2D Euclid,” is software that is able to transform your 2-D drawings into a 3-D reality while still retaining the look and details of a pen and paper illustration. In other words, it looks like “a hand-drawn picture that will move in the way you want it to.”
Still confused? Check out the introductory video after the jump to see this new technology that is revolutionizing the way we animate characters in anime and video games!
Japanese comedian and former pro-wrestler, Masaki Sumitani, better known by the name Hard Gay, has been struggling to find a new outlet for fame and success. Ever since being outed as a straight man, Hard Gay’s comedic mockery of gay flamboyancy has fallen from popularity in Japan. And, after a severe foot injury in July of 2009, his wrestling career has also been forced to a close. According to an interview conducted by the online news site Owarai Natalie, while Sumitani is still interested in continuing work as a comedian, he has decided to revamp his public image. We’re not sure how easy it will be to replace the image of Hard Gay’s tight, leather booty shorts, aviator sunglasses, and frantic hip thrusting that’s been burned into our mind’s eye. However, the comedian hopes that by starting a second career as a professional model he can achieve even greater success as himself and not his character. And hey, if these test shots are anything to go by, we think he may be on to something!