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<description>Updates on Akihabara and Japan</description>
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<item>
<author>Adrian A. Lozano</author>
<title>Nekomimi is so last year make way for Tatamimimi in 2009!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=229#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=229</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Well I seriously  don't think nekomimi 猫耳 is going anywhere in the near future, but I have to admit I like this poster of these two maids with Tatamimimi 畳耳. You would think these posters would be plastered around Akihabara, but I found this posted down the street from Bandai's main office in Kuramae. Even the tatami isn't immune to Moe 萌!!!!!!!!!!                 ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Adrian A. Lozano</author>
<title>Christmas spirit comes to Akiba early!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=228#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=228</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It's beginning to look allot like a Bousouzoku Christmas in Akihabara!     Here we have a group for friends that came to Akihabara to do something a little crazy before one of them flew back home the next day.  Their fun was short lived because an off duty police officer on his way to work let them know that Cosplaying on Chuo Dori wasn't allowed. The officer was very polite, and the girls packed up and rode off. Later that night I ran back into the horse mask wearing Otaku over at the Fujisoft HUB. Very cool guy, even game me some Moe buttons just for being a fellow Otaku.    [img0]            [img6] [img7][img8][img9]                                ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Otaku2 Interview: Anno Haruna</title>
<category>Features</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=207#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=207</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Anno Haruna (杏野はるな): In 2008 at the age of 20, Anno Haruna became widely known as the Queen of Retro Game Idols. She is undefeated in Street Fighter 2, spends her free time training and her income contributing to her private software collection, among the largest repositories for retro games in Japan. Born in rural Kumamoto and raised in the 64-bit console generation, her wholesome character, interest in the nostalgic 8-bit hits of the past and   incredible gaming skills have uniquely positioned her the charismatic new face of the gaming industry.      PG: You have been an idol since age 15, but started playing retro games at age 17. What was the appeal?  AH: I started playing retro games to distinguish myself among the many idols in the industry, but then I really got hooked on them! I study the history of games, the creators and the culture. There is just so much to learn. It’s a little strange, but this is all new to me even though it is old. I really love the dots in...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Klopz™</author>
<title>Silent Hill Homecoming Wallpaper</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=227#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=227</link>
<pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Nothing much but for fans of Silent Hill nonetheless relevant:   Konami released an official wallpaper for Silent Hill Homecoming on their japanese site.  It looks, just as Akira Yamaoka announced, as if SH5 will be in the same vein as SH2 because THAT is PYRAMID HEAD if I ever saw him. (° 口  °;      SILENT HILL HOMECOMING  ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Doll Review - Yamato's vmf50 Lynn Minmei</title>
<category>Reviews</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=226#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=226</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the original Macross series, Yamato produced a limited edition Lynn Minmay doll, utilizing the new Obitsu 50cm body.  Make no mistake, with brush-able hair and changeable clothes this is not a figure, but rather a complex and highly poseable doll.  With the boom in Asian Ball Joint dolls over the past few years, manufacturers are turning more and more to Obitsu and Dollfie Dream to model female characters.    Yamato's Minmay was made to order, with the application period ending in early May and distribution in late September. All of her costuming and accessories were modeled after Minmay's performance of "Do You Remember Love."  Those lucky enough to get their hands on her, if even for a moment, are in for a real treat.     [img1 right]Packaging:    A beautiful pink box encased the angel waiting to emerge.  Carefully unhinging the lid, and bracing for the shock of a naked doll, it was pleasant to find her modestly wrapped in a towel underneath all...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Anime golf goods - classic!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=221#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=221</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Club covers in a shop between Akihabara and the upscale Nihombashi area.   I guess the company president likes his anime and sentai - in addition to golf.          The characters are Kamen Rider, Tensai Bakabon, Astro Boy, Medama Oyaji and Ultraman.                   That rocks my my socks off.    ]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Adrian Lozano and Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Akihabara Enta Matsuri 2008</title>
<category>Features</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=216#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=216</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[It was good times in Akihabara this past week at the Enta Matsuri (Entertainment Festival), part of the Japan International Contents Festival, the world’s largest and longest season of comprehensive contents events. There is always a lot going on in the shops along Chuo-dori and so on, but we thought it would be fun to just see how much we could cram into one weekend. It took some planning, and even more standing in long lines for purchases and lotteries, but here is the run down.    October 24 was a Friday, so things were a bit slow. And we all had work until 5 pm, which makes getting out of the office a hassle. But we managed to take in a seminar on the use of characters and themes to assist in attracting tourists and developers to an area. This is a hot topic in Japan right now, and in Akihabara of course. Not a lot of new stuff came out of the talk, but the suits decided mascot characters could establish brand and get an area's name out there. Sure worked for the Commemorative...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Count and Fairy</title>
<category>News</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=225#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=225</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As of October 31, anime Count and Fairy can be watched for free by fans on either PC or cell phone, according to the official website.  The decision was apparently made as the program can only be viewed in three of Japan's eight broadcast regions.    As of today, the program will be made available at Yahoo! Douga for the PC, and Qlick!TV for cell phone users.  Though only one episode will be available initially, both sites are to be updated weekly, and in time all 12 episodes will be available for free online viewing.    Though it seems unlikely that all other titles will follow suit, in the past year Gonzo, Media Blasters, ADV, and recently Toei have all made titles available for free online viewing via Crunchyroll.  Indeed, things seem to be going in a positive direction, and it may just be a matter of time until most anime - if not all TV shows - can be viewed as streaming videos...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Ride Miku Ride!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=222#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=222</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As the following video suggests, have we all seen the Murata Boy commercial?  Murata was a bicycling robot developed by a company of the same name about 2 years ago.  He was very very cool in that he both balanced and pedaled a bicycle, utilizing a veritable rainbow of technologies.  The "was" part comes in earlier this year when his younger cousin did the same thing on a unicycle; he is still very cool nonetheless.    In the commercials which aired on Japanese TV around December of 2006, we see Murata Boy at work.  But suppose you wanted to build your own future cyclist?  Someone did exactly that, choosing Vocaloid Hatsune Miku as the pilot and building the whole thing from scratch.  As comedic distraction, we can see some of the failed attempts - or, better yet, the decision to go from high tech to feasible tech, as the former was "impossible."    The finished product, including the paper hair and origami skirt, is simply awesome. ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Adrian A. Lozano</author>
<title>My lunch date with the Lonely Soldier Boy!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=223#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=223</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Yesterday I meet up with Takashi from Over-Drive for lunch in Akihabara and he just happed to bring along Beagle's 1/10 scale VR-052-F Stick Type Mospeada Ride Armor (機甲創世記モスピーダ 1/10 VR-052F モスピーダ). Toynami will also be releasing it worldwide under their Robotech Masterpiece Cyclone toy line.  This is an early sample and show piece and is not the actual finished product toy but pretty dang close, I can't wait to see what the box art will look like....]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Eva Origami</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=219#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=219</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Not me, but the animation!  An origami master who redefines the term genius has created these instructional videos to assist the reader in creating their own EVA 01 and Ramiel paper arts... but let the beginner beware, this is pretty intense.                Please feel free to submit photos of your finished products to eva@otaku2.com... maybe we'll add them to the...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Aso in Akiba</title>
<category>News</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=215#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=215</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Aso Taro, leader of the ruling LDP and Japan's new Prime Minister, made a trip to Akihabara during the Enta Matsuri on October 26 to appeal for support in his efforts to curb economic decline. Aso has been embattled since taking office because he refuses to dissolve the Diet and hold general elections, which the LDP might well lose.     Aside from his usual talk of turning the economy around and solidifying Japan's position as the leading "nation of pop-culture," Aso praised otaku for maintaining their happiness despite the grim social and economic clime.     "Every time I come to Akihabara, I see people smiling (nico nico)," he said. "It must be from watching all that Nico Nico Douga."    The public address came on the heels of a host of antics earlier in the month, including taking a common taxi directly from dealing with matters of state to talk to folk at a supermarket.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Fujoshi documentary</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=214#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=214</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[As a preface, this is all in Japanese, but hopefully the topic is of interest enough to break out the old dictionary.    The documentary in question came out November 22, 2007 as "Fujoshi no saki ni aru mono" (Beyond Fujoshi) on Fuji TV, which has been making a name for itself with otaku and fujoshi coverage.    Fujoshi 1, Fujoshi 2, Fujoshi 3, Fujoshi 4, Fujoshi 5 and Fujoshi 6    For kicks, here's Shoko-tan trying to explain fujoshi to Wada Akiko, a very scary TV talent.    One last shot, check out James Welker's site for a ton of useful historic info on shonen...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Itai culture: A closer look at otaku vehicles</title>
<category>Features</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=212#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=212</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Opinion makers are calling otaku cool, and these newly christened trendsetters are stepping into the spotlight, invading public space with personal effects decorated with anime and game characters. This is called itai, literally “painful” in Japanese, and true to form this new cultural outbreak is so cool it hurts.    The term “itai” was first adopted in the ’90s to describe intense, cultish otaku associated with infamous serial killer Miyazaki Tsutomu. Self-evident examples of this trend became known as itai-kei, or itai style.     The first artifacts are still the most recognizable: the itasha, or itai cars. In the ’80s, when Japan was at the zenith of its economic might, Tokyo’s streets were a parade of luxury import cars. Among them, the “itasha” - originally Japanese slang meaning an imported Italian car - was the most desired. For otaku today, however, an itasha is a car decorated with anime designs or graphics. They often have matching interior decoration and...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Review:  Sha-doll Studio</title>
<category>Reviews</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=201#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=201</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Walking into Sha-doll Studio is like walking into someone's home. Slippers await at the door, the reception area is filled with tables and snacks, and you can help yourself to teas and coffees as you please. However, aside from the warm ambiance, there is something else rarely found in Tokyo that perhaps only Sha-doll can provide.    "We created this space as it never before existed," explains the manager of the shop, gazing at the dolls who also staff the studio.    Debuting in the fall of last year, Sha-doll has been providing dynamic photo spaces in the form of a rental studio for people and dolls of all types. With reasonable prices, in addition to excellent props and lighting, professional photographers, casual get togethers, and even doll clubs are lured into indulge themselves in lengthy photo sessions.    Given the popularity of ball joint dolls, it is surprising that most photo opportunities are currently dictated by Volks's invitation only events and limited to Volks's...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft puts out a book on Japanese arcades</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=211#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=211</link>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Brian Ashcraft, an editor at Kotaku, has a new book out on Japanese game centers.     "Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers" is pretty awesome stuff, with insider tips for gamers and general interest background info for everyone else.     Even better, there is a huge extract from the book available for free in Metropolis. It is a good survey of the book, so check it out if you are at all interested in the topic.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>JAM 2008</title>
<category>Features</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=205#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=205</link>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Japan has a five million dollar character goods industry, and captains of industry are betting it is because of the abundance of anime in the nation. In hopes of stimulating that market with new ideas, the Japan Anime Collabo Market (JAM) 2008 was held in Akihabara's UDX Building from October 16 to 18. It was part of the Japan International Contents Festival, the world’s largest and longest season of comprehensive contents events, and came on the heels of Tokyo Game Show and Tokyo Asia Music Marketand before the much anticipated Akihabara Entertainment Festival. It is described as a quasi-government event, and indeed can at times seem more a trade show than festival, but the level of innovation and creativity in some of the project proposals this year was pretty far out.    Almost all those with booths were amateurs and entrepreneurs looking for licensors or sponsors, though all the usual faces from Tokyo International Anime Fair and Suginami Animation Museum to Gamers and the...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Eva</author>
<title>Figure Review - Ena Ayase</title>
<category>Reviews</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=210#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=210</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Ena Ayase is the sixth figure released by Kaiyodo as part of their Yotsuba& Revoltech series.  Though it was officially scheduled for release September 1, the sexy idea of high profit margins from a cute shojo figure prompted most retailers to stock shelves the last weekend in August.  She sold out before the end of the week not only in Akihabara, but also on Amazon.com and the Kaiyodo online shop.    Following the big bang of Fuka, the second figure released in the series and which also sold out in a matter of days, many of the Ena purchases can be attributed to speculators.  However, unlike Fuka, demand has seemingly not increased.  Even at the time of this publication, the figure can be found at Yahoo! Auctions way below retail price.  (I'd even venture to say the price is going down...)  But, more on that later.    Packaging:    Ena comes in a cute but simple packaging, suitable for displaying the figure if that's your thing.  The design is reminiscent of the Yotsuba&! bound manga...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Patrick W. Galbraith</author>
<title>Tokyo Asia Music Market was a waste of time</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=204#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=204</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[But it was in my backyard, Shinagawa, from October 14 to 17. It was mostly just East Asian artists and some second-string Japanese performers. This was only its fifth year, so maybe it will get better...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<author>Adrian A. Lozano</author>
<title>Intermixi and Otaku2 Akihabara Tour Fusion!</title>
<category>Blog</category>
<comments>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=203#comments</comments>
<link>http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=203</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Aka-san's  Intermixi Japan Tours, once again returned to Tokyo for  Tokyo Game Show 2008 and Otaku2 was there to guide them through the true Akihabara. Aka-san is the originator and authority on Japanese pop culture tours and being that  we at Otaku2 were the pioneers who created  Akihabara's first Otaku English guided tour can only add to Intermixi's Japan experience. This group was hardcore!      ]]></description>
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