News Nuggets - theOtaku.com
Bush, Putin, Koizumi.... And Mahjong? ~Dagger IX11
07
Jan
Canned Dogs takes a look (complete with pics) at a gag manga that brings over-the-top comedy to a whole new level. To wit, it involves real-life world leaders settling their differences through absurdly dramatic mahjong matches.
Tale Of Genji Anime Trailer ~Dagger IX11
07
Jan
The Tale of Genji is an uber-long saga of love and loss sometimes lauded as the first novel in the world. It recently celebrated its 1000-year anniversary, and now it's getting made into an 11-episode anime. Here's a peek at the visuals.
CLAMP Appreciation Fanbook In The Works ~Dagger IX10
07
Jan
To celebrate CLAMP's 20th anniversary (wow!), the people over at CLAMPNow are organizing an appreciation fanbook as a way to show, well, how much they appreciate CLAMP's work over the years. If you're also a CLAMP fan, don't miss your chance to participate.
A Very Happy New Year For Utada ~Dagger IX13
07
Jan
2009 is already looking like a good year for Utada Hikaru, whose album "Heart Station" just sold its millionth copy. Did any of you guys help the count along by buying it?
Ponyo Coming Stateside ~Lady Katana8
06
Jan
Studio Ghibli has announced that Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, will be making its way to theatres this summer. It'll have an all-star voice cast including the likes of Tina Fey, Matt Damon and, yes, Frankie Jonas. Be still, my thronging fangirls.
College Coach Channels Yu Gi Oh ~Hisaishi3
06
Jan
For all you Yu-Gi-Oh! junkies out there, here's a story for the ages. Remember in Duelist Kingdom when Kaiba flashbacks to the Bandit Keith vs. Pegasus match and Keith ends up losing to Sam/Tom, an eight year-old child? Well, Texas Tech coach Pat Knight employed the same strategy, using twelve year-old Stephen F. Austin, who was a spectator, to make the lay-ups his team wasn't hitting.
Snowboarding - EVA-style ~Lady Katana1
05
Jan
A post on the official Evangelion web site has stated that the Salomon sports company "received a special order" to produce some Eva-inspired snowboards and winter apparel to hit shelves in February. Both the board and snowsuit follow the Eva 00 model and feature some other things from the series, like the Spear of Longinus. And it's all yours for $800 USD. :D
FUNimation Licenses 12 new shows ~fallenangel822
03
Jan
FUNimation has announced 12 shows over the past 12 days that they'll be releasing over the next two years (belated 12 Days of Christmas, much?). On the block: Ikki Tousen, Gad Guard, Vandread, Nabari No Ou, Last Exile, Oh! Edo Rocket, Count of Monte Cristo, Slayers Revolution, Gungrave, Samurai Champloo, Evangelion 1.0 and Soul Eater.
King Of Fighter 12 Roster Announced ~xaos2
02
Jan
SNK Playmore has announced the character list for the upcoming King Of Fighters 12 which is due out in Japanese arcades in April 2009 and later on for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The question on everybody's mind though is this: where is Mai?
Legend Of Chun Li Japanese Trailer ~xaos7
02
Jan
The Japanese trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li has been released. Certain characters such as Robin Shou as Gen and Michael Clark Duncan as Balrog have been revealed along with Neal McDonough as Bison who instead of his usual red military suit walks around with tailored suits and a blonde trimmed beard.
Cosplayed Wrestler Defeated ~The Mask3
02
Jan
Kinniku Mantaro (Kid Muscle), or more accurately wrestler Akihito Tanaka, lost in his MMA debut match against top competitor Bob Sapp at the K-1 Dynamite!! 2008 event last New Year's Eve. Tanaka, who came out complete with a full costume and mask, was defeated by Sapp at 5:22 of the first round. Given that his mask had at one point covered his eyes and that his opponent outweighed him a lot, it doesn't seem like a total shocker that he lost. It would've been cool though if he won.
Boys Over Flowers ~The Mask2
02
Jan
After having Taiwanese and Japanese live-action adaptations, the manga series Boys over Flowers ("Hana Yori Dango") will now have a South Korean live-action adaptation. The show will still bear the same name and will remain faithful to the original story, although some details such as the characters' names will be changed due to cultural differences. It will premiere on January 5 in the Korean TV network KBS, and is expected to create fangirl madness in the country and around the world.
DTV Rescan Day ~Allamorph2
02
Jan
Remember, otakus, Feb. 18 is the day all television stations will switch over to digital-only signal. A few major stations are switching to higher frequencies, so if you're not receiving all the same channels after the 18th, you might need to have your television rescan for channels. Follow the link (and ignore the St. Louis location) to learn about analog-converter rescanning.
Druaga on YouTube ~Lady Katana3
29
Dec
Gonzo has launched a YouTube channel for their upcoming release of the sequel to their first Tower of Druaga series, this one subtitled "The Sword of Uruk". There's an English-dubbed trailer up that includes 10 seconds of new footage that hasn't been seen until now.
All Aboard for Parts Unknown ~Lady Katana2
29
Dec
The folks responsible for the Macross Frontier Project are really going for the gusto. Seems there's going to be a party to celebrate the launch that took place in the first Macross episode in Akihabara in February. Best part about it? Possibly the name: "Macross: The Super Dimension Space Launching Ceremony ~It's Really 2009 Already...It's 2/22 (Nyan Nyan Nyan) Deculture!~".
