- Created By TrigunCat4
Interview Synopsis with Simona Stanzani
Simona Stanzani, a manga and anime translator, and self-expressed "professional otaku" from Italy was interviewed last Saturday, Nov. 21 2009, in Ikebukuro, Japan. She moved to Japan from Italy in 2007, and has translated to Italian several very famous titles including "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure", "Ghost In the Shell", and "Soul Eater."
She had the delight to be interviewed in a *Megane Suit Cafe, surrounded by, well, sexy dark haired young men in suits and glasses. The following is a portion of her lucky interview. click to continue maybeh?
They've got more talent in their 66 bodies than you have in your little pinky
As of 2005 Japan has featured a group of 66 dancing, singing females collaborating in the form of a pop group - the largest pop group in the world. They go by AKB48. The concept behind the group is "Idols you can meet everyday." Not everyone gets the chance to meet a super star face to face, but when one group has 66 members, your chances are much better.
AKB48 will be in New York city September 27 to do a free show. Keep in mind that free things make happiness go 'round, and I gotta say that these girls already seem pretty amusing, even when they are not singing.
In an interview with three members from Teams A and K (the group in broken into three teams of 22) they talked about what they wanted to do when they got to New York. Some of their highlights include:
- Speaking English to people there :D
- See a Broadway show (they are epic after all)
- Collaborate with Gaga-San (er, Lady Gaga) and Beyonce
I have to say, I was genuinely amused by the group from their fashion, to their music (most of it), and to their personality (not because they wear school girl uniforms - that doesn't work on me).
source: mtv iggy
Miyazaki is Made of Win - reason #85
Hayao Miyazaki, famous anime director of such epic things as, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (which is pure awesomeness by the way!), was awarded at the British Fantasy Awards at FantasyCon 2009 this last weekend. Specifically he won The Karl Edward Wagner Award, which is specially labeled as the “Special Award.”
What is really cool about him winning this award, is that it is not selected from any specific genre - so Miyazaki, and his more than pleasant interpretation of anime, stood out to the British Fantasy Awards, FantasyCon, and to the British Film Society. And Ponyo has not even been released their yet!
source: Anime News Network
Japanese Melon Museum you say?
Have you ever had the chance to eat a Japanese melon bar? Or melon bread? Well Japan has done more for melons than just process them into frozen and baked snacks of amazing amusingness.
About forty years ago Noriyuki Fujishita (former professor of Osaka Prefecture University, my pretend alma matar!) discovered probably the smallest melon in the world, the Weed Melon! (or MG 16 if you want to get technical and boring) The melon is native to Megi Island of the Kagawa Prefecture.
Since Fujishita’s historic discovery the Weed Melon has been mostly used for feeding livestock (because apparently they are bitter), but the tourism association of Megi Island, headed by it’s chairman, Yoshikio Kawai, has bigger plans.
They plan to sell them, not just to livestock, but to tourists! Human tourists! In the form of a pickle! How much cooler can you get you ask? Well if you read the first three words of the title then you already know - the tourism association of Megi Island plans to build a museum of melons... I repeat, a museum of melons! With melons, “from around the world,” Kawai said. As if there are not already four-hundred- and-nineteen reasons to visit Japan, they want to build a melon museum! If I were from Japan I would say, “On behalf of Japan, you’re welcome.”
I hope that was a productive first post for me, and I hope you find much excitement in melons. *gives you big thumbs up* 
source: Kyodo News
