Contest for foreign artists held annually in Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the winners of its 10th Annual Japan International Manga Awards on Tuesday. The awards recognize foreign manga creators, and anyone outside of Japan can submit their work for consideration. There were a total of 14 winners: one Gold, three Silver, and 10 Bronze.
▼ Joël Parnotte and Xavier Dorison of France won the Gold Award for their work “The Master of Arms”
The three Silver Award winners are as follows:
▼ Han Zuzheng of China for his work “scavengers”
▼ Laura Iorio, Roberto Ricci, and Marco Cosimo D’amico of Italy for their work “The Heart of Darkness”
▼ Can Tieu Hy of Vietnam for her work “Gateway to Underworld”
The Bronze Award winners are as follows:
Mangkorn Soraphon and Wipaporn “Usagi” Rutchote of Thailand with “King of Vampires”
Wiroj “Beast” Ruengsiri of Thailand with “Evil Discus”
Akiko Shimojima of Japan and Seàn Michael Wilson of the United Kingdom with “Secrets of the Ninja”
Zhao Ze and Guo Qiang of China with “TsangyangGyatso”
Ann Maulina of Indonesia with “Raruurien”
Toledando and Robledo of Spain with “Tebori”
Zuo Hsuan of Taiwan with “Summer Temple Festival I”
Young-Oh Kim of Korea with “Tussles Against Spectres”
Patrycja Kicyla of Poland with “Dream About Japan”
Dimaz Sadewa of Indonesia with “Woelan”
The contest received 296 entries from 55 countries. The regions with the most entries were Taiwan with 41, Thailand with 33, and China with 27.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan established the International Manga Awards in May 2007 and it has been held annually since then. The jury included manga artists Machiko Satonaka, Yoshimi Kurata, and Kimie Shiga and publishers Tsutomu Fujita and Kouichi Yuri.
This year entries were accepted from April 1 through June 30. Gold and Silver Award winners will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in Japan, where they will also be able to meet Japanese manga artists and visit publishing companies. The ceremony will take place on February 6, 2017.
We got a lot of mail from folks telling me that they like this blog more for its info on manga and anime than topics like underwear and Ultraman…. If we weren’t a small business than all I’d like to do is writing about manga and anime…however..time and a noisy boss often forces me to choose the commercial road. But..I’m hearing you, my fellow otakus. Unfortunately with little time on my hands I have to resort to the web and less on my own investigative skills…but if if I find a nice story deeming worth your interest than I’ll swallow my pride and share that piece of information….
They might be bad guys, but they’re not baaad guys.
Rivals: you love to hate them and hate to love them. The relationship between two opposing characters can really raise the emotion and heart in stories. You feel not only for the protagonist, but also for the antagonist because they’re both just trying to accomplish their own goals, albeit in a different fashion. Sometimes your rival is a complete jerk, but that’s because they’re hiding all their pain. Other times your rival helps you because you push each other to be the best that you can be. Here are the Top 10 rivalries as chosen by Japanese pollsters. (Beware! Slight spoilers ahead!)
10. Jimmy Kudo vs. Harley Hartwell (Case Closed)
The first pair on the list are dueling detectives that rely on each other to push their analytical skills to the extreme. Two of the four great young detectives, Jimmy and Harley often find themselves investigating gruesome mysteries with unbelievable outcomes.
9. Kenshin Himura vs. Hajime Saito (Rurouni Kenshin)
While Kenshin was haunted by his past, Hajime reveled in it. Their rivalry began before the series officially started when Kenshin was the “manslayer” and Hajime was a member of the Shinsengumi. During the series, their epic battles almost forces Kenshin to become a killer again, but he never crosses that line.
8. Kenshiro vs. Raoh (Fist of the North Star)
This mighty rivalry began when Kenshiro was chosen as the successor to the Hokuto Shinken and Raoh broke 1,800 years of tradition and refused to give up his power. Killing their master, Ryuken, made sure that Kenshiro would fight with a vengeance when the truth was eventually revealed.
7. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
Naruto and Sasuke each had what the other unknowingly wanted resulting in an intense rivalry that drove most of the story. Their battles also led to an extremely powerful friendship.
6. Light Yagami vs. L (Death Note)
Light and L played so many mind games that it was hard to figure out who to cheer for, but their match of wits will forever be remembered by Death Note fans.
5. Jimmy Kudo vs. Phantom Thief Kid (Case Closed)
One’s a thief, and the other is a detective, so naturally they are at odds. However, no matter how much the Phantom Thief steals, you can’t help cheer for him as he constantly outwits the police, but rarely Kudo.
4. Amuro Ray vs. Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
What begins simply as warrior pride turns into a back and forth that tries to answer the question of the meaning of war and violence. These two mech pilots do their best to give their answer on the battlefield.
3. Hanamichi Sakuragi vs. Kaede Rukawa (Slam Dunk)
Even though these two play for the same team, their rivalry is at the forefront of Slam Dunk. One is motivated to be better than the other, and one barely gives him the time of day. But without their passionate rivalry, their basketball, and the series, wouldn’t grow.
2. Goku vs. Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
The Prince of All Saiyans may have once tried to kill Goku and his friends, but since that time, they’ve had a spectacular rivalry that has kept Earth safe and ensured that the two of them were the strongest beings in the universe.
1.Lupin the Third vs. Koichi Zenigata (Lupin the Third)
The infamous thief needs a detective to chase after him. Much like Kudo and the Phantom Thief, Detective Zenigata spends most of his time trying to catch Lupin the Third. But as slippery as Lupin is, we highly doubt Zenigata will ever really be able to establish himself as Lupin’s equal.
Is your number one rivalry on the list? The original Japanese poll counted submissions in order to create a list of the Top 50 best rivalries. So if your favorite isn’t here, chances are it probably appears somewhere lower down. If you are interested, definitely check out the full list to see where your raging rivalry ranks.
It’s May, the flowers bloom, the birds lay eggs, the smell of fresh green grass tickles your prefrontal cortex….memories from happy times are triggered and a feeling of nostalgia flows through your body. Life is good. But May isn’t just a month of memories, it’s also a month of renewal, new wallpapers are chosen, Ikea is busier than ever and websites get a sunny make-over. Japanwebshopping has been sporting a very dark look, yeah we are freaks and we’re proud of it! Problem is that it was maybe a bit too otaku and scared away the casual shopper. We went to work and created a lighter and easier accessible site, while still holding on to our beloved black and gray (that we are great Yohji Yamamoto fans is something that goes without saying).
Let us know what you think about it, your opinion greatly matters to us.
For those you who have dreamed of wrapping yourself in Young Black Jack‘s warmth or falling asleep with him by your side, we have just the thing!
It seems like all of the full-sized huggable anime character body pillows are only of female characters. That’s all well and good if you’re attracted to cute girls or lovely ladies, but what about the other half who prefers some male companionship? Well, now there are sheets and pillow cases available with a dreamy, seductive-looking Young Black Jack for you to wrap yourself in and snuggle with.
First we have the sheets, which features Black Jack sprawled out suggestively on his back, his shirt partway undone and his tie completely untied, just waiting for you to fall into his 100-percent polyester embrace.
If cuddling with pillows is more your thing, you can get these equally suggestive full-body pillow cases, one with Black Jack giving you a dreamy look, and the other with Black Jack giving you a “sneak peek”.
▼ Someone’s too sexy for their shirt
These goods will be on sale at this year’s Comiket 89, and are also available for pre-orderonline until Wednesday, December 16! The sheets cost 7,020 yen (US$52), and the pillow cases are 9,720 yen ($79). Which one would you choose?
Let me first thank you all dear customers/friends who have been putting your trust in our service, without your help we’d all be working for other companies and we wouldn’t enjoy our jobs/lives as much as we do now.
We’ve been getting the most surprising and unusual requests and thereby expanding our horizon in what you want and we learn what makes our fellow human being tick. Communicating with folks from all around the world has been a challenging at times (we had to bring in a part-time Spanish speaker/translator and on a rare occasion a Russian translator), but besides these rare hiccups, chatting with you through Skype/WordPress/mail and Facebook has been a blast.
We also value your input a lot, and a common complain was that our website loaded like snail…our mistake was that we tried to put as much information and connecting links in it as possible, thereby creating a headache for those without high speed internet access.
So we went a bit simpler this time, and changed the look to a more material/metal look. The pages load a bit faster and it’s definitely easier to the eye. Our love for manga and anime are also more present this time around.
This dark metallic look continues in the separate product pages.
We still haven’t completed the whole site yet though(especially the Japanese section), but we’re working hard to have it finished before Christmas.
Thank you all so much for your patience and in the meantime we will continue to be the best/safest/cheapest (and most personal) personal shopper for you.
The world of intimate apparel has taken an animated turn recently, with online fashion retailer SuperGroupies creating bra and panty sets inspired by the female pilots’ plugsuits from Neon Genesis Evangelion and popular lingerie and women’s apparel brand Peach John releasing Sailor Moon lingerie.
Now Peach John is coming out with its own Eva-inspired line of roomwear and intimates, featuring matching bras and panties with gorgeous Evangelion details, a nightie and even a Pen Pen onesie to lounge about the house in.
On sale from October 5, this special line of Eva apparel and intimates will be available for delivery from the end of January 2016.
First up in the range, we have two lacy dresses which retail for 7,538 yen (US$63) each. Now you and your bestie can choose to role-play in either Rei Ayanami’s light-blue garment or Asuka Langley Shikinami’s darker one.
▼ The Eva Model lacy bra sets come in five designs for 7,538 yen ($62.83) each. Clockwise from top left: Shinji (blue), Rei (white and orange), Asuka (red and green), Mari (pink) and Kaworu (purple).
▼ We love the fact that we can dress in the blue colours of the male protagonist Shinji Ikari.
▼And the Eva unit numbers on the backsides are a nice touch.
▼ Spear of Longinus Bra sets come in red, white, or blue for 6,458 yen each.
▼ The Spear of Longinus pattern is absolutely adorable!
▼ There are also two soft cup bra sets without underwire. Featuring the AT-Field print, these retail for 5,378 yen each.
▼ Get in touch with your flirty side in a sheer blue and white “doll” set reminiscent of Rei’s school uniform for 7,358 yen.
▼ And for lazy days at home, stay warm in an adorable Pen Pen onesie for 8,618 yen.
Be sure to get in quick so you can take your pick from all the gorgeous Eva items on offer! The range will be available online from Premium Bandai from October 5-30 and Peach John from October 5-14, but if you’d like to see the items in-store, there’s only one outlet that will be stocking them – the Shinjuku San-chome Peach John store.
But to be honest, I prefer these Evangelion sets….but hell I’m just a guy..
Up first is Rei, whose intimate apparel features the slogan, “Sleeker. Cuter. Lingerie that excites the heart.”
Of course Ayanami blue is used as an accent, along with the red and orange of Rei’s Evangelion Unit-00.
Finally, Mari, the newest addition to the sisterhood of Eva pilots, is the basis for this “Cute, adult lingerie” that will help to “Make every day special.”
▼ The collected underwear of Rei, Asuka, and Mari, piled on the floor. Is this what Shinji’s dreams look like?
Unfortunately the first sets are already sold out… but they will accept orders for the second batch, however delivery won’t be till February 2016..
Japanese fans of the Sword Art Online light novel series know all about the importance of attending the seasonal Dengeki Bunko festivals in Tokyo. This is the main stage on which Japanese publisher ASCII Media Works and its Dengeki Bunko imprint make all their big announcements regarding the series, and it was no different at the Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival held in Akihabara on Sunday, where it was revealed that Sword Art Online will be made into a new anime movie, with an all-new storyline from its creator Reki Kawahara.
The hugely popular collection of light novels made its first appearance as an anime series in 2012, followed by a year-end special in 2013 and another anime season for the small screen in 2014. Now, the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) in which the characters are immersed will finally be getting the big-screen service it deserves, with the announcement of the first Sword Art Online animated film.
Take a look at the special announcement video released by Dengeki Online below. Featuring highlights from the anime series, the short clip is a tantalising reminder of the characters, the action and the relationships we’ve fallen in love with over the years.
Next is…? What a way to leave us wanting more! Further information about the upcoming movie will be revealed in the next issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine on October 10.
What we do know is the new film will be an entirely original work, directed by Tomohiko Ito, who was also at the helm for the anime TV series. Shingo Adachi, who also worked on the anime adaptation, will be in charge of character design once again.
The January 27 release of a new soundtrack collection was also announced at the event. Called Sword Art Online Music Collection, it will feature 131 songs spread across four discs, including Yuki Kajiura’s music from the series, along with previously unreleased tracks and a bonus Blu-ray Disc featuring footage from Kajiura’s performance at the “Sword Art Online: Sing All Overtures” live concert. Fans will also be able to vote to decide which characters appear on the cover of the disc set.
With the movie’s release date yet to be announced, we’ll be waiting to check out Dengeki Bunko Magazine on October 10 for more information. Just a few more sleeps and we’ll let you know what we find out!
Even within the world of Japanese pop music, anime songs are their own special breed. Unabashedly sentimental, bombastically energetic, or sometimes both, not just anyone can grab a mike and belt out a performance that will capture the hearts of legions of otaku, which is why one Japanese music college has just announced a brand new course, aiming to provide students with the education and training they need to become anime vocalists.
Oh, and the school also offers a scholarship for international students.
Last year, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music was celebrating its 90th anniversary, but while it was taking a moment to remember its past, the school’s primary focus was the future. Searching for new fields into which it could expand, Senzoku’s administrators decided to craft a series of classes focusing on anime songs, and thus its AS Course (Anime Song Course) was born.
In particular, the program’s development was spurred by the market demand for anime voice actors and actresses who can also sing. As such, the AS Course is taking an integrated approach that also covers subjects such as narration and voice acting. Senzoku is also industry-savvy enough to realize that the most popular anime singers are equally skilled in Internet/social media promotion and live performances, so students in the AS Course will also study dance and web content creation.
While there are a number of specialized voice acting schools in Japan, this is the first time a music college in the country has created a curriculum for would-be anime singers. Classes will be taught at Senzoku’s campus in Kawasaki, Tokyo’s neighbor to the south.
Masataka Matsuo, director of the Japan Society for Contemporary Music, will serve as the AS Course manager, and has stated that “We welcome those applicants who want to spread their wings and reach the world through their voice, acting, and music.”
Although not specifically mentioned by Matsuo, that invitation apparently includes non-Japanese students as well. While the anime song courses will be taught in Japanese, Senzoku has an English-language website that includes an outline of the AS Course here, and the school’s scholarship page, found here, mentions a 300,000-yen (US$2,500) scholarship for international students.
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