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Episode 200 – The Big 2-0-0

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The Anime Addicts Anonymous celebrate their 200th episode with you!  We take callers and chat about our favorite moments in doing the show.  It’s been a crazy four years but it’s been well worth it to make the show for all the addicts out there!

 

Favorite Podcast Moments:

 

Favorite Convention:

Florida Anime Experience – Mitsugi

Otakon – Chiaki

Favorite Guest:

Melissa Fahn – Mitsugi

Steve Blum – Chiaki

Favorite Forum Thread:

Pitch me an Anime – Mitsugi

Ask me Anything – Chiaki

Favorite Anime of the last 12 months:

Space Brothers – Mitsugi

Chihayafuru – Chiaki

Most important thing we’ve learned or Area of personal growth:

Learned how to more effectively manage time and how to milk every minute – Mitsugi

Website management and design – Chiaki

Least Favorite Thing About Podcasting:

Editing – Mitsugi

Haters – Chiaki

In a Perfect World Dream Wish:

Addict Con – Chiaki

Just a thank you to everyone who has been a part of the show, donated, participated on the forums and live episodes etc…

 

Impressions: Gundam Build Fighters, Gingitsune, Hajime no Ippo: Rising, and Arpeggio of Blue Steel

1169

Episode 199 – A Hauntingly Good Episode

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The Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast does their annual Halloween Episode!  We talk about what Japanese people find scary and how that plays into anime, along with some of our favorite anime in the horror genre!  Also, impressions on the new season, what passed, what failed?

 

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – Especially every 4th episode for some reason

Hell Girl – I haven’t seen this anime but the premise is interesting and I’d like to see it.  Somewhere in the vast sea of the Internet, there’s a website that can only be accessed at the stroke of midnight. Known as the Jigoku Tsushin, rumor has it that if you post a grudge there, the Jigoku Shoujo will appear and drag whoever torments you into the inferno. Very little is known about the girl—all we know for sure is that she lives with her equally enigmatic grandmother, that three magical straw dolls accompany and serve her, and that whenever a posting on the Jigoku Tsushin moves her, she becomes the Jigoku Shoujo.

Attack on Titan – Recent, fun watch for those that haven’t seen it.

Elfen Lied – This is obviously a classic that most people have seen.

 

Mononoke – A story of a medicine seller who expels evil spirits.  Based off of the “Mononoke”

arc in Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales.

 

Denpa Teki na Kanojo – A really nice 90 minute ova.  Easy to watch with well constructed, well paced stories that make for a fun, and aggressive watch.  Very strong stuff.

 

High School of the Dead – This anime is fun fun fun.  Starts off with the action immediately and doesn’t let up on the zombie action!

 

Devilman – Classic from the 70s

 

Aoi Bungaku – Some are more “horror” than others in this anime but it ranges from gory, to disturbing, to both.  My favorite is the story arc of the bandit in the woods who kidnaps women and his most recent acquisition has him cutting off heads and her keeping them as prizes.

 

GeGeGe No Kitaro – You gotta mention a classic right?  Not traditionally “scary” but the depictions of Yokai are fantastic and it is by the “god” of the Horror Anime Genre – Mizuki Shigeru.

 

Abandon the Old in Tokyo (manga) – This one is also not “traditional” horror by western standards but makes the list for me based on how psychologically disturbing it is.  Originally 8 stories published by Gekiga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Abandon the Old in Tokyo follows and “average” man as his stories exposes the dark and gritty underbelly of tokyo.

 

Perfect Blue – While arguably more in the psychological thriller genre space Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue perfectly sells the dark foreshadowing and impending sense of dread found in the horror genre.

 

Vampire Hunter D movies – Although they frequently feel more like action movies with a horror motif, these movies belong in any list of best “horror” anime.

 

Blood: The Last Vampire – A fun little experimental movie from Production I.G. The first anime film to be completely animated with computers. At 45 minutes, it’s short and sweet and gory as hell.

 

Magnetic Rose – Probably the best installment in Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1995 anthology film “Memories,” and one of the scarier anime I’ve ever seen.

Impressions: Yowamushi Pedal, Yuusha ni Naernakatta, Kuroko no Basuke, Samurai Flamenco

kyoukai no kanata

Episode 198 – The 4th A.A.A. Character Battle

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The Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast discusses the match-ups for the 4th ever character battle.  We talk about who we think will win, literally and for the contest, to give you the best chances for success.  What matches do we find interesting?  Also impressions on new shows, what will pass and fail?

Round 1:

(5) Spike Spiegel vs (12) Joseph Joestar

(4) Light Yagami vs (13) Alucard

(1) M.D. Geist vs (16) Goro Shigeno

(8) Saber vs (9) Rei Ayanami

(6) Saeko Busujima vs (11) Fujiko Mine

(5) Haruhi Suzumiya vs (12) Madoka Kaname

(6) Roy Mustang vs (11) Totoro

 

Round 3:

(4) Guts vs (16) Goemon

(3) Faye Valentine vs (2) Revi

(1) Mikasa Ackerman vs (13) Kagero (Ninja Scroll)

 

Round 5:

(10) D vs (13) Alucard

(9) Asuka Langley vs (9) Rei Ayanam

Impressions: Kyoukai no Kanata, Kill La Kill, Diabolik Lovers, Yozakura Quartet, Coppelion

Senki Zesshou Symphogear G

Episode 197 – The State of the American Anime Industry

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The AAAPodcast has a discussion on the American Anime Industry.  We pull up numbers, market data and trends to discuss where the industry is at and where it is headed in the future.  Is it a happy future?  Or do we see grim things on the horizon?

 

Reported by the Market Research Firm Oricon on Japanese Book Sales –

  • Sales of Compiled book volumes (Tankobon) of manga has dipped 1.5% to 267.5 billion yen in 2012 compared to 2011

  • This is the first recorded sales drop since Oricon began taking annual statistics on book sales in 2009

  • Shueisha was the publisher with the highest market share with 14.5% of overall books sold

    • Market share dipped by 0.2 points compared to 2011

  • Kodansha increased its market share by 0.1 points to 10.8%

  • Shogakukan also increased 0.5 points with 7.9%

  • SOURCE:

 

Final 2012 TV Anime Top Sellers Rankings, Reported by Oricon –

 

Jetro’s Report on the North American Anime Market –

  • US Dollars Sold according to Nielen Videoscan, Box Office Mojo, and Wowmax Media’s estimates: DVD SALES, VHS SALES, MOVIE RECEIPTS AND OTHER MEDIA

    • 2002: 428 million USD

    • 2003: 390 million USD

    • 2004: 367 million USD

    • 2005: 376 million USD

    • 2006: 375 million USD

    • 2007: 325 million USD

    • 2008: 312 million USD

    • 2009: 321 million USD RECESSION (US household income at 67,976)

    • 2010: 200 million USD (decline of 34.6%) (USHI at 67,392 decline of .86%)

    • 2011: 196 million USD (decline of 2%) (USHI at 67,677 growth of .42%)

    • 2012: 217 million USD (growth of .5%)

      • NOTE: These numbers do not include merchandise

      • Leading the box office receipts was Arrietty (distributed by Disney) with 19.29 million USD.

      • However, removing the Ghibli film box office receipts does not affect the 2012 numbers in a large way.

  • Market Breakdown by organization:

    • 43.8%: Funimation

    • 22.5%: Disney

    • 12.6%: VIZ Media

    • 06.3%: Section 23

    • 04.6%: Bandai Entertainment (stopped producing videos in 2012)

    • 02.5%: Sony

    • 01.5%: Media Blasters

    • 00.9%: Manga Entertainment

    • 05.4%: Other companies

  • Home Video Market: Market for DVD AND VHS VIDEOS

    • 2009: 306 million USD (US household income at 67,976)

    • 2010: 200 million USD (decline of 34.6%) (USHI at 67,392 decline of .86%)

    • 2011: 196 million USD  (decline of 2%) (USHI at 67,677 growth of .42%)

    • 2012: 197 million USD (growth of .5%

  • The top 20 anime titles in North America for 2012 were mostly Ghibli, Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z

  • Consumption Methods

    • Amazon is the highest for both American and Japanese produced Animation

    • The next three for Japanese Animation are:

      • Netflix

      • Hulu

      • Crunchyroll

  • Manga Sales (In Millions of US Dollars)

    • 2008: 1.75   (American Comics: 4.37)

    • 2009: 1.40 – 20% Decrease (American Comics: 4.28 – 2% Decrease)

    • 2010: 1.20 – 15% Decrease  (American Comics: 4.19 – 2.2% Decrease)

    • 2011: 1.13 – 6% Decrease   (American Comics: 4.14 – 2% Decrease)

    • Market Share:

      • Viz Media: 30.7%

      • Yen Press: 8.5%

      • DC Comics: 8.2%

    • Top Selling Manga:

      • Naruto

      • Black Butler

      • Vampire Knight

      • Pokemon

        • All of these are published through VIZ

  • Original Source:http://www.jetro.go.jp/jfile/report/07001194/us_animation_comic.pdf

  • English Summary: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rlg8e3

 

US Market total Merchandise Sales, Reported by JETRO –

  • Total US Market GDP of Anime Goods (Figures in Billions USD)

    • 2001 – 4.46

    • 2002 – 4.36

    • 2003 – 4.84

    • 2004 – 3.3

    • 2005 – 3.0

    • 2006 – 2.78

    • 2007 – 2.83

    • 2008 – 2.66

    • 2009 – 2.74

    • 2010 – 2.58

    • 2011 – 2.53

    • 2012 – 2.51

    • CAGR 2001-2012 of -5.1%

  • According to NPD’s retail tracking data, about 60% of the anime characters goods market in the United States belongs to Pokémon-related items.

  • Of that US$2.741 billion in 2009, character goods made up US$2.420 billion, while DVDs accounted for US$306 million.

  • SOURCE: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-15/america-2009-anime-market-pegged-at-us$2.741-billion

 

North America & other regions

Europe exclusive

  • Kazé (France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom)

  • Dybex (France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland)

  • 101 Films (United Kingdom)

  • Anime Limited (United Kingdom)

  • Manga Entertainment UK (the main branch of “Manga Entertainment”)

  • MVM Films (UK)

  • StudioCanal UK (UK)

  • Universum Film GmbH (Germany)

Australia

  • Hanabee (Australia)

  • Madman Entertainment (Australia: Madman overwhelmingly dominates the Australian anime market, for many years through the 2000s controlling approximately 90% of all sales)

  • Siren Visual (Australia)

Defunct

  • 4Kids Productions (US) (subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment Specializing in dubbing anime,shut down in 2012 due to continued lack of profitability).

  • ADV Films (U.S., U.K.) (shut down in 2009, selling off its assets and intellectual properties to four other Houston-based companies, such as Section 23 (see above)).

  • Bandai Entertainment (U.S., owned by Namco Bandai[3])

    • Bandai Visual USA (U.S., previously a subsidiary of Bandai Visual Japan and not affiliated with Bandai Entertainment, now folded into Bandai Entertainment[4])

  • Beez Entertainment (EU, owned by Bandai)

  • Central Park Media (de facto defunct since mid-2007 when new DVD releases ceased, even though they continued to license their titles for TV and VOD, they entered a state of limbo.[5] Officially declared bankruptcy and assets liquidated in mid-2009.[6] Several of their titles have been acquired by other anime distributing companies prior to and following Central Park Media’s bankruptcy and liquidation, such as ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, Media Blasters, Nozomi Entertainment, etc.)

  • Family Home Entertainment (U.S., renamed Artisan Entertainment) in the 1990s, then acquired by Lions Gate Entertainment in 2003).

  • Geneon Entertainment (U.S. branch “Geneon USA” (formerly “Pioneer Entertainment”) defunct September 2007. Parent Japanese company ceased in-house distribution of its own titles, many of which have been re-licensed by Funimation[7][8] and Sentai Filmworks. Parent company “Geneon Entertainment” then sold off its own ownership to NBC Universal subsidiary UPI, which then merged Geneon with its own “Universal Pictures Japan” division on February 1, 2009, renaming the new company “Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan”).[9][10]

  • Saban Entertainment (U.S., acquisitions either went to The Walt Disney Company or just expired, succeeded by Saban Brands)

  • Streamline Pictures (U.S., Canada: stopped producing new anime releases in 1996, folding into Orion Pictures, which in turn folded into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayerone year later, in 1997. The Streamline brand name officially went defunct in 2002).

  • Synch-Point (U.S., A subsidiary of Broccoli (company), defunct when parent company Broccoli International USA shut down their operations in 2007)

  • Urban Vision (U.S.)

  • U.S. Renditions (U.S., A subsidiary of Books Nippan, defunct mid-1990s)

Tokyopop (U.S.)

Reviews: Senki Zesshou Symphogear G and Servant x Service

ro kyu bu ss

Episode 196 – Mitsugi’s Gender Theory

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Mitsugi’s theory on how gender affects the quality of an anime has been brought up a number of times on the show.  The addicts decide to finally take it on and discuss if the number of women in an anime has any direct correlation to the quality of the show.

Theory: Anime that have a character gender ratio of 3:1 in favor of female characters have a lower content quality than more balanced anime. I would like to point out that this is not my opinion in life.  This view only applies to anime.

– Mitsugi

 

Reviews: Ryo-Kyu-Bu and Eternal Family

Free!

Episode 195 – The 2013 Fall Anime Season

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The Anime Addicts Anonymous hosts make their pics and discuss the fall anime season.  What is coming out that you need to watch?  What is coming out that you need to be paying attention to.

Our Selections:

Mitsugi:

Pupa – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbXHxAgTaw

Director – Tomomi MOCHIZUKI – House of Five Leaves, Ocean Waves, Princess Nine

Animation Production – Studio DEEN

Hajime no Ippo – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu-zsBsE4Dc

Director – Jun Shishido – Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger, Saiunkoku Monogatari

Original Creator – George Morikawa

Animation Production – Madhouse Studios

Kuroko no Basuke S2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCpeG6V2Ms

Director –

Original Creator – Tadotoshi Fujimaki

Animation Production – Production IG

Yowamushi Pedal – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33yw5EijUsg

Director – Osamu Nabeshima – Zetman, Saint Tail, Hamtaro, D. Gray man

Animation Production – TMS Entertainment

Gundam Build Fighters – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB9Q3JtdqaY

Director -Kenji Nagasaki – No. 6

Original Creator – Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate

Animation Production – Sunrise

Ace of Diamond – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZRQYHHmSgA

Director – Mitsuyuki MASUHARA – Chii’s Sweet Home, Kobato, Polar Bear Cafe

Animation Production – Madhouse Studios, Production IG

 

Chiaki:

Arpeggio of Blue Steel – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30GHXmIyWJk

Kyoukai no Kanata – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIcptxBYXeY

Magi 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vo4D3b0Tzc

Gingitsune – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpv639zbnc4

Yozakura Quartet – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7wCD51UkA

 

Kram:

Kyousouginga

Yuusha ni Narenakatta

Kill la Kill

Samurai Flamenco

Valvrave 2

 

Kimiko:

Ace of Diamonds

Coppelion

Diabolik Lovers

Infinite Stratos II

Koroshiy-san: The Hired Gun

Reviews: Majestic Prince and Free!

genus party

Episode 194 – Morality in Anime

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Definition: principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. Syn: ethics

Anime presents us with a multitude of moral dilemmas if we’re willing to look for them.  Themes of right and wrong, good and evil, the forces of society on the decisions man makes.  All of these things present moral dilemmas which are engaging and make us want to watch more.  We discuss some of these themes and the anime which exemplify them.

Defining morality by philosophical theory:

 

Immanuel Kant (1724 — 1804)

-considered to be central to modern philosophy, especially in the schools of reason and morality

-believed in the “Categorical Imperative,” a concept that suggests morality comes from duty

-posited that all morality comes from reason, which is to say common law or discovered law

 

David Hume (1711 — 1776)

-challenged Kant’s ideas of the “Categorical Imperative”

-believed that human reason and sense of duty were trumped by personal passions

-suggested that “true” morality was not in what one “should” do, but rather in what one actually does

 

BASIC DIFFERENCE: Kant says morality is a product of reason and is adhered to on a wide social scale. Hume says morality is personal, can differ within the individual, and may change based on fluctuating desires.

 

In Anime

 

Basically all anime deal with moral dilemma at some point or another. If a character must make a decision, however basic, it must be considered on a moral level. Here are some good examples of anime that focus on the moral dilemma:

 

(Putting recent anime examples in bold)

Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales

Code Geass

Dance in the Vampire Bund

Death Note

Eden of the East

Eve no Jikan

Ghost in the Shell

Gundam Age (half of mecha seemingly)

Kite

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinsekai Yori

Maoyu

Monster

Now and Then, Her and There

Rio – Rainbow Gate

Suisei no Gargantia

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S

Train Man

Any Ghibli film with an environmentalist theme (Mononoke being the best example, probably)

 

(Side note: necessary themes of morality were notably missing in Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises,” which became one of its core thematic problems.)

 

Really good science fiction is rife with moral quandary, and thankfully, anime has a long and rich history of sci-fi genre entries.

 

Some of the greatest examinations of human morality come from narratives in which the protagonist and antagonist cannot be clearly labeled as “good” or  “bad.” The more gray area you have in a moral question, the better the conversation will be.

 

Cultural differences color ethics very differently for different audiences. Consider how the Japanese portray these ideas versus those in Western media:

 

Individualism

Groupthink

Incest

Pedophilia/Ephebophilia

Feminism

Homosexuality/Transgenderism

Suicide

War

Nationalism

Race/Ethnicity

Tradition

 

Questions from Reiji:

 

1.when x does something moral not because he wants to but because the person he feels in dept too or wants to be liked by, would have done it

2. absence of morality due to ignorance or other factors (phantom requiem for the phantom ,etc)

3. use of amoral means for survival/betterment ( in mjp they use mind wiped kids to save the earth,bokurano,btooom ,etc )

4. morality of star driver

5. abandoning/endangering all life for a beloved

6. absence of lines in anime ,often in anime if a guy does 1 bad thing he will do anything (a thief will turn into a murderer at the drop of a hat)

7. when the good and bad guy just have opposite views on a subject with no clear answer and the author forces the bad guy to do something bad/atrocious to give the good guy the moral high ground

8. inability of the good guy to present an alternative course of action when asked “what would you have done “

9. morality of playing both sides of the war in the name of peace .

10 .was the ending of code geass morally correct ?

11. is keeping secrets in the name of protection moral ?

12. when 2 sets of equally alien morality fight, how does one pick who to side with if you have a set different from them both.

13.conformism

14. individual morality vs social morality and disenfranchisement born of it.

15. how good guys action /inaction due to his morality can bring about disaster .

Reviews: Genius Party and Shinsekai Yori

sake

Episode 193 – The Drinking Game 2.0

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Uh oh, the Addicts are at it again!  By request we’re bringing it back, the infamous AAAPodcast drinking game.  We watch an episode of anime and drink at a specific point that occurs throughout it.  Find out the rules, and drink along with your friends!

Reviews: A Letter to Momo and Glass no Kamen Desu Ga

dennou coil

Episode 192 – Japanese Holidays

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Holidays in Japan are very different than America, even the ones that are the same!  We decided to give the less well known holidays some airtime and talk about some holidays in Japan that you may, or may not, have heard of.

 

How holidays are handled in Japan

  • Naturally, many western holidays (or American) don’t apply here:

    • Christmas – people know what it is but it doesn’t look like what you think christmas looks like or mean what you think it means because this is Japan

    • Thanksgiving – though, Japan does have their own Labor Thanksgiving Day like most countries.

    • Easter – yeah they have no idea on the easter thing

 

Laws for Holidays

  • The public Holiday law didn’t come about as it is today until 1948

  • There are provisions of the law that say if a public holiday is on a Sunday you get Monday off

  • There is also a provision that says if a normal day is between two public holidays then you get that day off too – pretty sweet!

  • Holiday dates changed when Japan adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1873

 

Here are some of the holidays we didn’t talk about in Episode 111:

  • Obon (Hanasaku Iroha)

    • What it is: A celebration of one’s ancestors in the Buddhist faith.  It occurs on the 13th-15th days of the 7th month of the year in the lunar calendar but is still normally observed in August in many regions.

    • What you do: People hang lanterns outside of their homes to guide their ancestor’s spirits back home.  There is dancing and grave-visits.  At the end of Obon floating lanterns are put into rifers, lakes and seas.  This is the celebration that is most famously known for the big burning symbols on the mountains of Kyoto known as Gozan no Okuribi.  They are meant to guide the souls of the ancestors who visit the world during the Obon period back to the afterlife.

    • What people think about it:  Obon normally signals a period of time off as standard for most companies.  While it is not a public holiday officially many companies give their summer time off over the obon period.  Like many things in the world of Japanese spirituality it is often something that is observed without an extreme amount of reverence on many people’s part.

    • Anime that shows this:

  • Coming of Age Day

    • What it is: A day that celebrates people reaching maturity (20) during the year.

    • What you do:  People who have turned 20 go to a city hall, park, or other public place for a ceremony where the mayor equivalent of the town says some important things about being a responsible adult now in society.

    • What people think about it:  Most people I know love it for what it is, a day off.  People who have been through it say it’s a day that normally ends up in a big party as 20 is also the legal drinking age.

    • Anime that shows this:

  • The Summer Holidays

    • What it is: Not national or public holidays but a period of time in which students have off for the Summer.  Normally starting at the end of July and lasting through the month of August.

    • What you do:  Students will spend summer holidays attending summer matsuri – festivals – in traditional summertime clothing – yukata.  Shaved ice is a standard point of nostalgia for summertime.

    • What people think about it:  Most students kind of get a hard bargain over the summer holidays as teachers will give a lot of homework to account for not being in school.  As a result I have heard it is not uncommon for a student to have 4-7 hours of homework a day.

    • Anime that Shows this:

  • Doll Festival – Hinamatsuri (Hayate the Combat Butler, episode 11, “Around the time of the Hina Festival.”, Gokyoudai Monogatari, episode 19 “Hinamatsuri”, Urusei Yatsura, episode 18 “Girl’s Day! Introducing Ran”, Shin-chan episode 40, Sazae-san, episode 2079, Hanasaku Iroha)

    • What it is: Not national or public holiday, the Hinamatsuri or doll festival falls on Girl’s Day on March 3rd.

    • What you do:  Many-tiered special platforms are covered in red carpet on which special dolls and items are placed.  The dolls represent a more traditional period of Japan where at the top is an emperor and empress and going down from there are other important members of the family and imperial court.   Businesses and homes alike will display them in a public window, or invite people in to see them, during the festival.  Attendees walk around and look at the, in some cases very very old, displays of dolls and eat festival food.

    • What people think about it:  The superstition behind the festival is that if you have a girl in the family and you display the dolls it will bring her luck in finding a suitor young.   If you have a girl and you do not display the dolls then she will grow up to be an old maid.  Many people kind of laugh at this notion now, but, there is still a feeling of “it couldn’t hurt” surrounding the belief by most people.

    • Anime that shows this:

  • Tanabata (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tanabata) – Hidamari Sketch, Keroro Gunsou, .hack//Legend of the Twilight, Ai Yori Aoshi, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, sazae-san episode 1981, 2442, 4842, 5928, 6047)

    • What it is: A star festival that evolved from a Chinese folk legend about two stars who were said to be lovers but could meet only once in the heavens during the year.  Named Tanabata after a weaving maiden from a Japanese legend, Orihime, who was believed to make clothes for the gods.

    • What you do:  People write wishes and romantic aspirations on long narrow strips of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches along with other small ornaments for the week leading up to July 7th.  On the 7th these branches, filled with the wishes, will be given to local shrines to be ceremonially burned.

    • What people think about it:  This is a sweet festival that most people observe but it means little in the day to day lives.  It is not a public holiday and no one receives time off but many people do this at home to celebrate and even local stores will have a place where people can put their wishes.  Even starbucks had one!

    • Anime that shows this:

  • Children’s Day (kobo-chan episode 23, Chibi maruko-san, episode 70, Sazae-san, episode 6020)

    • What it is: Placed right at the May end of the Golden Week holidays in Japan childrens day is literally that, a day for kids and celebrating the happiness and future of children.

    • What you do:  Many supermarkets and local stores will have fun events for children to participate in.  Even the Train Stations had some put on by the conductors and official rail staff.  Activities include the normal: coloring, give aways, bag tosses.  To things that are really really Japanese like catching the fish with a paper net.  This is also the holiday where people hang the colorful Koi/Fish wind socks.

What people think about it:  Most adults have a nostalgia for children’s day I feel.  It’s also kind of sad being at the end of Golden Week!

Reviews: Dennou Coil

iron man rise of the technovore

Episode 191 – Jobs in Japan with Gaijinpot

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Anthony Joh, a representative from Gaijinpot joins the addicts to talk about finding a job in Japan and the process of job hunting, living, and working in Japan.  Get insights from an expert on what companies look for on resumes here and what you need to consider before getting yourself over here.

Reviews: Ironman Rise of the Technovore

Impressions: Gin no Sai “silver Spoon”, Monogatari Series second season, Makai Ouji: Devil’s and Realist, and Rozen Maiden 2013