Tag: otaku | RocketNews24

otaku

Ultra-detailed Laputa figurine will make your friends fly into jealous nerdrage

4 days ago by Mike
0
Tweet

After teasing a release of “something” for a month on their website, Bandai unveiled this painstakingly detailed figure of the iconic robot from Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, to the delighted squeals of Ghibli geeks everywhere.

Jun 8, 2013 by Cara Clegg
0

Light novels (or ranobe for short, a portmanteau of raito and noberu) are popular in Japan as short, cheap reads for young adults. They often come with manga-style illustrations and feature many tropes from popular anime. This makes the transition between genres easy, and many light novels have been adapted into popular anime such as Ore no Imōto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (There’s no way my little sister’s this cute!) and the currently airing Date-A-Live.

And now, Book Off–Japan’s brilliantly-named used bookstore chain–has added to the the recent spate of interactive maps with their new “Light Novel Pilgrimage Map”.

May 28, 2013 by Mike
0

A Sapporo cosplayer found himself on the wrong side of the law recently after apparently putting together the world’s most realistic stormtrooper outfit. So terrifying was the costume that someone mistook him for a real life soldier and ransacker of peaceful planets and called the cops after spotting him strolling through JR Sapporo Station.

May 8, 2013 by Mike
0

Nothing says “luxury vacation” like staying in a hotel room dolled up like a little girl’s dream bedroom. At least, that’s what the Ikenotaira Hotel in Nagano is banking on with the “DokiDoki! Precure Stay Plan.”

DokiDoki! Precure (also known as Pretty Cure) is an anime series popular with elementary school-aged girls in Japan (and, inevitably, a number of creepy middle-aged otaku men) that focuses on a Sailor Moon-esque team of teenaged wizard girls. Read More

Akihabara Inspires a Rare Picture Jockey Performance

Apr 25, 2013 by Oona McGee
0

If you have an eye for detail, you might just recognize the place in the image above. It’s an awesome rendering of Tokyo’s Akihabara. And it’s from the skilled hand of a former quantum physics researcher turned picture jockey.

John Hathway (pseudonym), the Japanese artist who created the picture, is known as a picture jockey (PJ) because he builds images the same way a disc jockey mixes tracks; by improvising with new patterns and arrangements and blending backgrounds to create totally unique and exciting works of art.

Now he’s teamed up with Tokyo Otaku Mode, a popular site for all things otaku, to celebrate their 10 million-plus likes on Facebook. They thanked fans in a unique way, with the release of this gorgeous image, and a rare picture jockey performance.

Apr 16, 2013 by Jessica
0

If you’ve ever wanted to hang a classy oil painting of your favorite anime or manga character over the fireplace, it looks a gallery in Nagoya may have you covered. Gallery Egao, specialists in otaku oil paintings, get permission from the original artists to do oil reproductions of famous characters at their workshop in Fujian, China.

Mar 20, 2013 by Philip Kendall
0

Who says the office is no place for scantily-clad girls with blue hair? Now you can look smart and professional while staying true to your animé roots with the latest in clothing for discerning otaku- the itasuit!

Jan 29, 2013 by Master Blaster
0

Although the recent otaku marriage hunting party showed good results, millions of nerds still have to struggle with more conventional dating methods. Feeling ill-equipped in the social graces, these poor souls further entrench themselves in their obsessions lessening the chances of hooking up even more.

Luckily to the rescue comes Who’s Afraid of the Goukon? the latest book by Yoshi. This book is intended for mainly for otaku nerdy types but could be used by anyone feeling too socially awkward to take part in the Japanese group blind dates known as goukon.

Heavily-illustrated with manga examples, this how-to guide depicts the entire goukon culture assuming the reader knows absolutely nothing about them and provides hints as well as dispelling common misconceptions about these outings.

Jan 21, 2013 by Steven
0

Boy have we got a good dose of internet for you today.

The title of this article really explains everything there is to know about what follows below: a Switzerland-based YouTube user by the name of Melon Pan has uploaded a 25-minute video of himself licking his entire anime figure collection.

Dec 30, 2012 by Steven
0

Never underestimate the physical prowess of a nerd on the hunt.

Twice a year the first train of the day bound for Kokusai-tenjijo Station is packed to capacity with Japanese otaku (nerds) eager to be the first ones in line for the opening day of Comic Market, or “Comiket”, Japan’s largest comic convention held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center every summer and winter.

You would think that just managing to get on the first train would be enough, but the moment the doors open the peaceful morning silence is broken as everyone makes a mad dash to get out of the station and up to the front of the line. It happens every time, and this year’s winter Comiket, being held December 29-31, is no exception.

While most attendees can think of little other than beating the crowd, a few derive greater enjoyment from watching the mad scramble rather than participating in it. And now, thanks to YouTube, you can to!

Dec 29, 2012 by Steven
0

Today marked the first day of Comic Market 83, Japan’s largest comic convention held twice annually at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center.

As is the case every year, thousands of Japanese nerds rushed (very orderly) into the convention hall early in the morning with cash in hand and left in the evening with bags laden with spoils.

And, as is the case every year, some of the bags are really, really embarrassing.

Dec 28, 2012 by Philip Kendall
0

Now there’s a quote you don’t read every day…

After reading a love and romance article over on our Japanese site, one regular reader and Japanese college student got in touch to voice her opinion. We receive lots or emails from our readers and are always glad to hear what they have to say, but when someone gets in touch and makes the shockingly frank statement “Rather than working in the sex industry and sucking hundreds of guys, it’s way more profitable to suck one nerd,” it certainly stops us in our tracks…

Dec 28, 2012 by Master Blaster
0

For the Osaka otaku with cash burning a hole in their pocket, Nipponbashi is the place to be. Also known as Den-Den Town, this shopping district specializes in whatever nerdy obsession you have from vintage 1985 video games to knives that look like they came from a Klingon’s rec room.

The highest concentration of these shops can be found next to the main street in a lane known as Ota-Road (otaku road). Here among the crowded shops you can find extra treats like street performers (I once saw a one-man death metal band perform) and girls in maid outfits handing out flyers for the 30 plus maid cafés packed around this 300-meter strip of asphalt.

While these young women may help the wonderfully absurd ambiance of Ota-Road they may also be violating Japan’s Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Law (mercifully shortened to the less redundant Fueiho), the law regulating the sex industry in the country.

Dec 27, 2012 by Steven
0

While Gangnam Style never took off in Japan many people in the country are still well aware of its success.

However, given recent political tensions between Japan and Korea, and a general mutual loathing between the internet communities of both countries, Japan’s reaction to the Korean superstar’s rise to fame has been more cynical than congratulatory.

Normally, Korea wouldn’t care; after all, they’re the ones who produced the most popular video in the history of the internet. But when the Korean media discovered a Japanese manga that parodies PSY as a member of a Korean gang that abducts, tortures, and eventually rapes a group of Japanese high school girls, the internet masses erupted in fury.

Dec 14, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
0

Since the late 1970s, the Japanese word otaku has gradually spread to become known the world over. The term generally refers to a person so obsessed with their hobby—usually anime, manga, or video games—that it adversely affects their health and/or social skills, though it carries different connotations in different parts of the world.

Among those outside of Japan who are well-versed in otaku culture, there are many who proudly admit to being otaku themselves; like a cooler spin on the Japanese otaku, shipped abroad.

On the other hand, the word caries a more sad, perverse tone here in Japan, something that lends itself to the image of a “creepy geeky guy”, with “guy” being the key word. While there are no comparative figures on gender ratios, you could probably say overseas otaku women are much more forthcoming about their self-imposed label than their Japanese counterparts.

But the female Japanese otaku does exist. There are Japanese women who forsake sleep and, with bloodshot eyes, play erotic PC games deep into the night, oblivious to their own deteriorating health. In fact, there might even be more women otaku than men—maybe they’re just better at hiding it.

Numbers aside, what are some of the behavioral differences between Japanese otaku of different sexes? Is there any discrepancy between how deeply a male and female can obsess over anime, manga, or video games?

Wakako Takou over at Excite! Japan spoke with an otaku merchandise industry representative to tackle these questions.

Dec 11, 2012 by Jessica
0

As part of the end of year windup, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper has created a Facebook page where readers can discuss solutions to various issues facing Japan. The current topic of debate is the declining birthrate.

Takuro Morinaga, an economic analyst, weighed in with this controversial proposal: “If we levied a ‘handsome tax‘ on good-looking guys, that would serve to correct a little bit of the unfairness in dating, making it easier for homely guys to find a partner and the number of marriages would increase.”

I bet the ladies at the local tax office are all for it… Read More

【Nerdy Travel】 Anime Fan Treks the Globe with Cardboard Cutout Wolf Bride

Dec 11, 2012 by Philip Kendall
0

Eternal animé fan and Eurasian student Fabrice Requin is on a mission; a mission to transport his cardboard cut-out “bride” Holo around the planet and visit as many scenic locations together as possible.

Having already visited Singapore, Indonesia and China as well as many European locations, brave traveller Fabrice has recently caught the attention of the Japanese media who can’t get enough of his wacky adventures and admire his brazen, anime-loving spirit.

Nov 25, 2012 by Steven
0

Maid cafes have become a quintessential symbol of Japanese otaku culture and many foreigners who visit Japan make a trip to one an essential stop on their travel itinerary.

In recent years, some enterprising foreigners have even opened maid cafes back home, though some argue that they don’t translate well into other cultures and that foreign girls look awkward trotting about in stylized French maid costumes. In some cases, it is (see the video at the end of this article).

However, doubters need only look to Moscow’s first ever maid cafe, Otaky, which boasts a staff of young Russian maids so cute that even Japan acknowledges they’re doing it right.

Nov 17, 2012 by Steven
0

One of the most common stereotypes of nerds, or otaku as they’re known in Japan, is that they cannot cook and subsist on a diet of instant noodles and soft drinks.

Kitchen a la Mode is a new cooking school in Akihabara that hopes to get otaku off their chairs and into the kitchen by providing simple, hands-on cooking lessons with cute girls.

You may remember reading about Kitchen a la Mode on our site last month. Curious as to how the school has been doing since opening, RocketNews24 sent its handsomest American correspondent (me) to Kitchen a la Mode to experience moé cooking firsthand. Check out his (my) report below!

Nov 11, 2012 by Michelle
0

Thanks to popular anime, Lucky Star (Raki☆Suta), all of Japan has become familiar with the city of Washinomiya in Saitama prefecture. The Washinomiya Shrine in particular has become famous among fans because of its appearance in the opening credits of the anime. As a result, every year since 2007, Washinomiya Shrine has been invaded by hoards of otaku looking to ring in the new year; 2012 being a particularly busy year with 470,000 Lucky Star fans visiting the shrine. Cities associated with popular anime often see an influx of visitors looking to take pictures and recreate scenes from their favorite anime, especially those that have been featured in magazines highlighting popular anime and manga locales, like Washinomiya Shrine.

Recently, a different kind of otaku gathering took place in Washinomiya. Named “Crush Fest in Washinomiya 2012,” this event is arguably the most “painful” otaku athletic meet in all of Japan. At the same time, a “painful” car festival took place, bringing in anime otaku from far and wide.