It’s not as good as having your own sushi robot, but this automatic sushi roller from toymaker Bandai Namco is amazing! Here are the instructions thanks to Google translate:
1. The boiled rice tool material is set to the transparent seat part of the substance.
2. The steering wheel is turned round and round.
3. Inserting the paste, when it turns the steering wheel again, the paste keeps being sucked.
4. It is completion! (Size of the kanpyo roled in rice and seaweed is length approximately 9.5cm)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 15, 2007 in Japanese TV
Shown above is Nicholas Cage in a somewhat silly Japanese pachinko TV commercial. I may date myself but I still associate Cage with the 1983 film Valley Girl which had an amazing new wave soundtrack.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 15, 2007 in Star Trek
These classic Star Trek action figures are made for action! Nope you won’t see a wussy Jean-Luc Picard figurine holding a cup of Earl Gray Tea with his pinky sticking out, nah this set features Kirk with a phaser set to kill and a Klingon pal ready to rumble:
“Ah, the 70s. So many things happened which affected Geekdom forever. Perhaps the most important thing to happen was the introduction and proliferation of Mego action figures. There were tons of cool figures to choose from, but the Star Trek figs held a special place in our hearts. And now the great folks at Diamond Select have made wonderful reproductions for a whole new generation of Mego fans.”
“Japanese comic book shops have been the surprise beneficiaries of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s shock exit. Shares in retailers selling the “manga” cartoon strips surged on belief that manga-fan Taro Aso is the leading candidate to replace Mr Abe. Mr Aso, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is a big promoter of manga cartoons abroad.
While the main Tokyo market fell after Mr Abe’s resignation, manga-linked stocks like publisher Broccoli rose. The Nikkei 225 index of the largest Japanese shares fell 0.5% as political uncertainty led investors to drop out of the market until the situation became clearer. But investors pounced on manga publishers and bookshops selling the fantastical cartoon strips.”
I don’t know if the film will be as good as the promotional artwork shown above (sort of reminds me of a cross between King Kong and the Towering Inferno) but Dragon Wars will be hitting theaters today. The trailer below looks cute, although I have to admit that the Korean subtitles may make the film seem more interesting than it may actually be:
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 14, 2007 in Japanese TV
Chiaki Kuriyama is best known to me for her role as Gogo Yubari from the film Kill Bill, but shown above is a recent ad she did for Glico Ice Cream in Japan. The commercial is sweet, but as a fanboy I wish it had some martial arts action!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 13, 2007 in Television
Between the era of Star Trek re-runs (maybe 1974?) and the dawn of Star Wars (1976) my favorite show in the universe was Space:1999. I must have only been nine years old when the show came out, but man did it make an impression on me for years to come. Every year when it’s September 13th I always think of the first episode which was titled Breakaway.
“If you want to check out a very welcome new trend in science fiction fandom (assuming you’re a huge geek), then Google the word “Femtroopers”. This is perhaps the most celebratory development for horny Star Wars fans since Princess Leia became Jabba the Hutt’s barge ho.”
“The second series of Star Trek Minimates, this Classic Star Trek assortment features Battle Damage Kirk & Gorn, “The Cage” Spock & Uhura, Sulu & Chekov and the limited Swashbuckling Sulu!”
…Captain Pike fans will have to order Minimates Series 1.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 12, 2007 in Animation
I lived on the Moon is an animated short created by Yannick Puig who draws inspiration from Tim Burton and Hayao Miyazaki. Yannick works as an animator in Europe (France and Spain), here is his explanation of the film:
“In ‘I lived on the moon’, a father speaks to his son. He explains how was his life on the moon. A place filled with flying snakes, fireflies and three tailed monkeys. A beautiful place, safe and far away from the human culture. A place for imagination, a place in which you’ll find the entrance only if you open your mind.”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 11, 2007 in Comic Books
Shown above are the cover and some interior panels from Parade with Fireworks by Michael Cavallaro. What I like about the book is that it features a film noir feel to the storytelling, yet the artwork has a very colorful illustrational looking style to it. Cavallaro came up with the story as well, and took a page from his own family history:
“These are tales that I grew up hearing from my relatives. The basis of the comic spans decades of my family’s history on their journeys from an Italian countryside lost between two World Wars, to the coal mines of the American south and the factories of the Northeast. Parade is the beginning of these stories.”
…there’s a good hint above for all of you aspiring writers out there, always write about what you know (special thanks to my Mom for always reminding me of that every now and then).
Located in Thailand Yumi Modal makes amazing large scale fine art sculptures inspired science fiction films like Alien, Terminator, Mobile Suit Gundam and Star Wars (which is shown above). Looking at the craftsmanship you can tell that the artists love what they’re working on.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 10, 2007 in Comic Books
The September issue of Nickelodeon magazine features cartoonists doing their individual take on the Mona Lisa. Shown above are illustrations by Greg Clarke, David Sheldon, James Kochalka, Hal Mayforth, Jef Czekaj, Calef Brown, Gary Clement, and Sam Henderson.
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 9, 2007 in Comic Books
Casanova (published by Image) has a more playful look that I’d like to see in more comics these days. Shown above is the cover of from issue #9 illustrated by Gabriel Ba which has a wonderful graphic quality to it, and below that are some interior panels by Fábio Moon which remind me quite a bit of French comics from the 60s. Fábio and Gabriel are from São Paulo. Brazil and you can check out their blog here.
“Woo-hoo! It’s completely practical, honest. Plug in with up to four extra USB ports and every time you do, Homer celebrates with a quick spin and his trademark celebratory howl (you can turn off the sound and/or spin action if your office is not hip to Homer humor).”
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 8, 2007 in Pulp Fiction
On September 6, 2007 Madeleine L’Engle passed away. For many a young fanboy (and fangurl) Madeleine’s novel A Wrinkle in Time served as a early introduction into the world of science fiction. She wrote the book between 1959 and 1960, but after at least 26 rejections from publishers the book came out in 1962 and went on to win many awards and serve as an inspiration to generations of kids. Thank you Mrs. Madeleine!
