Art For Japan

Ransom Notes has a couple links to some interesting art prints you can buy and help benefit relief in Japan.
They include a red version of Alex Pardee's "Guilty Smurf":

I bought this one:


[via Boing Boing]

Enter Genki Sudo

I guess making the leap from MMA fighter to dance pop artist wasn't such a big stretch for Genki Sudo. He apparently brought that same style and showmanship every time he entered the ring:

Genki Sudo Presents World Order

World Order is a new music project by a retired UFC fighter, and it is my new favorite thing.
Oh, Japan. I love you.




[via Laughing Squid]

R.I.P. Satoshi Kon

One of my favorite directors has died. Satoshi Kon was the creator of the incredible visionary anime films Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and the series Paranoia Agent. All of which are required viewing for fans of animation or Asian film and television.

Most of his work deals with a blurring of dreams and reality. His movies capture the nature of dreams in amazing and visceral ways, at a level Christopher Nolan's Inception never comes close to.

Tokyo Godfathers is the one exception to this theme. It is the story of three homeless people on the streets of Tokyo who discover an abandoned baby, and their adventure to find the baby's parents. It's basically a heartwarming Christmas miracle story, turned on its head.

Satoshi Kon marries whimsy with the darker aspects of life and human nature in a way I don't think I've seen anywhere else. At least not to such an extent. But his movies also tend to suggest that no matter how bad things might get, the human heart can persevere.

[via A.V. Club]

Kaela Kimura - Moustache

The whole world is sprouting whiskers! I have no idea what she's singing, but this vision of a moustache utopia is universal.

I Continue To Love The Japanese

What happens when you pretend to shoot random strangers on the streets of Osaka? Exactly what you would hope, apparently:

JapaNoodle Fever Tour '08

Tuesday night saw the triumphant return of Peelander-Z at the Pilot Light. This time they brought three other Japanese bands with them. The result was a tremendously fun night.

1. Quaff
They performed their own music (a fusion of rock, metal, pop, hip hop, and traditional) as well as covers of "Beat It" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".







2. BAKUBENI
Great rock with a strong female lead.







3. Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re
All female band with a very unique sound. It was a mix of bubblegum pop, rock, and punk. Very peculiar. They currently have a crossover promotion with the Powerpuff Girls which was just recently released in Japan.







4. Peelander-Z
This was their wildest show yet. For the finale they hauled all the equipment, including the drum set, into the rafters. Lots of crowd surfing and moshing as well. Peelander Blue was mysteriously absent with Green taking over the drums.

What Is Miyazaki's New Movie About?

This clip from some morning show in Japan shows a trailer for Miyazaki-san's new movie, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.


It's the heart warming story of - sweet Jesus, what is that thing?!

It's Cute Until He Charges The Mound

It's been far too long since any bears were represented in this space. Especially crazy Japanese bears.

But now they've trained their bears to twirl bludgeons bats around.



Thanks go to Stephen for this one.

A Hair-Raising Horror Film!

Shoddy American remakes of original Japanese horror films have practically become a genre all their own. Now in response to this the Japanese seem to be challenging us. Remake this:


It's got Chiaki Kuiryama (Kill Bill, Battle Royale), so it can't be all bad.

Addendum:
Just remembered this upcoming film:

Ninja Warrior!

This show is four stages of the hardest obstacles ever. Here's a guy who makes it all the way through:

Best Sofa Ever

This is perfect for lofts with limited space. They should market it with some sort of brace on the end that will help it keep its shape.

Kuma!

So, the Japanese have awesome penguins. How are they for bears?

Example 1 - Commercial for the Noboribetsu bear park in Japan:


Example 2 - Some kind of sadistic television show:


Example 3 - YouTube description reads, "There are 2 bears in a Japan zoo. One of the bear is very like to eat cookie. It always loot another's cookie. Another bear always sad..."

This one is funny until you consider how emotionally traumatized that bear must be.

Final verdict:
Japanese bears not nearly as awesome as Japanese penguins.