From manga and anime to movies, magazines, video games, advertising and music, Japanese schoolgirls are everywhere.

For years, schoolgirls have shown up in internationally popular anime such as Sailor MoonThe Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Blood: The Last Vampire. Films such as Battle Royale inspired Quentin Tarantino to include a fighting schoolgirl in Kill Bill; and recently, Rinko Kikuchi received an Oscar nomination for her role as a schoolgirl in the film Babel.

There are schoolgirl characters in video games such as Street Fighter. And the “Japanese Schoolgirl Watch” column in Wired magazine has long kept an eye on the trends emerging among these stylish teens. In effect, the Japanese schoolgirl has all but replaced the “geisha-girl” as Japan’s new female icon.

This is a “must have” for any serious Japanophile, anime otaku, or fan of Japanese school girls.

If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the sailor suit uniform, or are fascinated with the power these teenagers hold over the Japanese economy, this book is for you.

Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool

I just came across this site via Cartoon Brew.  It’s simply amazing.  Take your lunch break and spend some time watching some of these – it’s a great look into the history of Japanese advertising.

http://www.documentshowa.jp/

From Cartoon Brew:

Here’s one for the history buffs: a link to a fascinating online archive of fifty vintage Japanese animated commercials.

This site is part of an on-line exhibition showcasing domestic life in Japan during the “Showa” period (the Hirohito era, 1926-89). Japan’s Research Institute for Digital Media and Content (DMC Institute) digitized of a large collection of TV advertisements obtained from the Momoya Co., a leading food company. The collection consists of 218 animated TV spots that date back to 1953. Of the 50 pieces posted on-line, the earliest one was produced in 1958. These provide a glimpse at a rarely discussed early phase of anime history

Found this via Motionographer. Check out all the production storyboards here:

http://f.hatena.ne.jp/Tete/14.フミコ/

For an independent production – this is some amazing work.

Jul 312009

Honestly, I’m not that impressed with what I’m seeing so far.  It really seems to have lost a LOT of the Japanese feel, and looks much more like a PIXAR-wannabe film than anything else.  I think they would have been smarter to hire an actual Japanese company to do the animation on this project, but I guess we’ll see.

http://www.astroboy-themovie.com/

Astroboy_Wallpaper2_1680x1050

via FatWallet.com:

They just came out with Anime Studio 6, so Smith Micro is giving away Anime Studio 5 for FREE. Mac and Win versions, serial number key provided at download and you don’t have to give anything but your address and email.

http://my.smithmicro.com/freeanime/

The serial number is given to you just below the “download HTTP now” blue button after checkout. It’s also in the confirmation email they send you and is unique, so you need the one they provide with your transaction. It’s what you’ll use if you want to upgrade to AS6 for $20.

If you’re using a fake email be SURE to copy the serial number from the download screen or you won’t be able to install the full version!

raman amplifier

Overall it’s a fun spot, but I’m not too keen on some of the animation.  It’s really apparent it was done in 3D with a cell shader applied.  What do you think?

Well, I think technically the title alone would earn it a PG-13, so if you’re under 13 avert your eyes.

Director: Kazuya Sasahara
Original Manga (released in the USA as Apocalypse Meow): Motofumi Kobayashi
Format: 23 min. 12 episodes

What do you think?

Mar 242009

I’m sure many of you have seen the original Astro-Boy anime.  Here’s another trailer for the 3D remake.  What do you think?

Hi-res version HERE

From:  http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/14359.html

Best Buy is about to dramatically change its anime strategy, eliminating most anime from nearly half its stores, according to an industry source. The change will focus Best Buy’s anime efforts on those stores that have historically done best with the category, and nearly eliminate anime in stores that have produced a disproportionate share of anime returns.

The new strategy will kick off March 1st, when 50% off anime closeout sales will begin in over 460 stores nationwide. After the sales end on March 21st, those stores will offer only around 20 core anime SKUs.

Feb 232009

DA! Desktop Anime

Absolutely a phenomenal site that’s been around for years.  If you’re looking for good quality, high-res wallpapers, check them out.

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