Well, this didn’t surprise me.

I always knew that somehow Paprika, in one way or another, influenced some of the ideas behind Inception. For those who have already seen Paprika, I think you already know what I’m talking about. But for those who haven’t seen this groundbreaking anime yet, you owe it to yourself to watch this, especially if you liked Inception.

I have to warn you though, Paprika is more mindtrippin’ compared to Inception. To call Paprika a sensory overload would be an understatement. ^^;

Via ANN:

The French film site Excessif reports that Nolan has acknowledged the influence of Satoshi Kon’s anime adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui’s Paprika novel, although does not quote him directly:

“Christopher Nolan cites [Paprika] as one of the principal influences and was inspired by its main character to flesh out his character played by Ellen Page, a ’spirit architect’ named Ariadne.”

Paprika Trailer:

Seigen no Ihan

Nandarou Etto

Kids doing some artwork at the TOEI Animation booth.

Just some of the toys and figures at the TOEI Animation booth.

TOEI is best known for their Dragonball series.

The last contestants to perform is Project M.

The Embassy of Japan’s No Plan Band.

Fin. Arigato Gozaimasu! ^_^

Once again, I was late in coming to the J-Pop Anime Singing Contest. ^^;

But unlike last year, where I came near the end of the event, I came here much earlier than that and I was able to see the 1st group, Saigo no Tsuchi, perform.

BTW, I have to apologize for the 1st few pics I took. It was a bit underexposed ‘cos I haven’t set up my camera properly yet. Baka! >.<

The emcees for the event.

While I was taking pics during the event, a Japanese guy (probably with the Embassy) came up to me and asked if I was “Press“. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say but I realized that having a blog is already part of being the New Media “Press“, so I said “yes” and told him I was with PhilAnime.com. LOLZ!

He then gave me a Press Kit containing some write-ups about the event and a couple of magazine-type newsletters. One of the newsletters is particularly cool ‘cos it talks purely about Manga. I’ll try to do some scans of this and post it in another article. ^^

He also asked me if I had a calling card. Good thing I still have some with me in my wallet and gave him one. Thing is… you see this all the time in J-Dramas, Movies, Anime, etc. where some Japanese businessman gives somebody their card and its always in a particular way, like holding the card with 2 hands and giving a short bow while handing it to the recipient. How come I didn’t do it this way is beyond me. I’m still kicking myself over it! >_<

Anyway, back to the program. ^^;

The emcees interviewing the 2nd performers, Morning Star.

A.J.A., which stands for “A Joyful Act”.

XOR

It was a surprise seeing Monique a.k.a. “Geisha Girl” here. She’s just one of the few cosplayers that I saw at the event.

Anibeat Rocks!

An intermission number from the Nihongo Language Teachers and Trainees of the Japan Foundation’s CJH (Course on Japan for High Schools).

Whew! That’s a mouthful. XD

4th Edition Family Band.

And yes, they really are a family.

Himitsu.

Himitsu’s guitarist doing his best Jimi Hendrix impression.

To be continued…

つづく

After getting a sneak peak of the Redline anime movie thru its teaser trailer released last month, we now have 3 new trailers for Redline on YouTube!

Damn! I can’t wait to see this movie! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Via ANN:

The YouTube website’s official channel for Takeshi Koike and MADHOUSE’s Redline anime film began streaming three 37-second trailers in high definition late last week. The film, which follows the deadliest car race in known space, will open in Japan on October 9 after advance screenings at international film festivals. Koike (The Animatrix’s “World Record”) is collaborating with writer Katsuhito Ishii (Piroppo, Trava) on this project. Leading the cast are SMAP’s Takuya Kimura (Howl’s Moving Castle, live-action Space Battleship Yamato), Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer, Tokyo Zombie), and Yuu Aoi (Honey and Clover, Tekkonkinkreet). According the film’s oficial blog, Ishii personally edited the trailers.

Now, who says only the Japs can make life-size robots, eh?

Via Engadget:

Some Chinese dudes decided they couldn’t wait a year for Michael Bay to drop his next 3D Transformabomb, so they went trowling around the local junkyards until they came up with the 10,108 car parts needed to erect this 33-foot Optimus Prime. We heard that 10 minutes after this picture was taken, OP tried to do a mating dance for the Olympic Stadium, but she didn’t bite. Better luck next time!

This is EPIC!!! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Via ANN:

Japan’s Fuji-Q HighLand amusement park has unveiled the world’s first life-size bust of the Evangelion anime’s EVA-01 unit before members of the media on Thursday. The public grand opening of the “Evangelion: World – Life-Size EVA-01 Construction Project” pavilion will actually take place next Friday, and the theme park plans to stream the event live on the Ustream website.

The pavilion’s main attraction recreates the scene where the anime’s main character Shinji Ikari encounters the EVA-01 unit in its 7th Cage hangar for the first time. The bust measures 9 meters (about 30 feet) tall and 16 meters (52 feet) wide. The pavilion also has a life-size Entry Plug cockpit of an Evangelion unit (from where visitors can pay to have their photos taken), life-size figures of the character Kaworu Nagisa and the SEELE monoliths, a miniature video theater, a museum, two studio galleries for taking photographs, and a shop. The construction costs of the whole facility eventually added up to 150 million yen (US$1.6 million).

Win a date with the Cosplay Queen! ^^

For Globe and Sun subscribers, time to switch to Smart. =p

This is just…. *words escape me at the moment*

Via Styleite:

Lady Gaga’s wider-than-life eyes were most likely generated by a computer, but teenagers and young women nationwide have been copying them with special contact lenses imported from Asia. Known as circle lenses, these are colored contacts — sometimes in weird shades like violet and pink — that make the eyes appear larger because they cover not just the iris, as normal lenses do, but also part of the whites.

Weird, yes. But dangerous too. Apparently the circle lenses that are all the rage are not being sold legally in the United States, where selling any type of contact lens without a prescription is illegal. But for $30 a pop, you can find the lenses all over the web.

“In the past year, there’s been a sharp increase in interest here in the U.S.,” Joyce Kim, founder of Soompi.com, an Asian pop fan site, told the NYT. “Once early adopters have adequately posted about it [on forums], discussed it and reviewed them, it’s now available to everyone.” Available to everyone, and in every shape, size, and color. Unlike the legal lenses which have doctor prescribed strengths and sizes, the circle lenses sold online ask you to choose the details of your lenses.

Culture:Japan by Danny Choo
premieres 25 July 2010 Sunday 9pm

Hosted by popular Japan-based blogger Danny Choo, Culture:Japan by Danny Choo will be about all things Japanese Pop Culture ranging from anime, manga, music, fashion, figurines, dolls to gadgets and more. Hear from the blogger himself as he chats with top anime voice actors and actresses (seiyuu) while he brings us on tour. Expect visits to rooms of ‘otakus’ – fans of all things anime, manga and videogames; Japanese high schools; as well as popular spots at electronics, anime, manga and figurine shopping mecca Akihabara. Also, go behind the scenes of an anime production studio as well as the work that goes on at a manufacturer of figurines.

Source: Animax Asia

The second season continues after the events of the first season, with the luckless Ayasaki Hayate now working permanently as a butler to the incredibly wealthy Nagi Sanzenin, to pay off his debt to her. In addition to fulfilling Nagi’s many demands, the hapless Hayate finds himself the object of affection for Student Council President Katsura Hinagiku, as well as his childhood friend Nishizawa Ayumu, as he remains oblivious to Nagi’s growing feelings for him.

Continuing seamlessly from the first season, expect new characters to add to the comedy, drama and romantic developments in the 26-episode romantic comedy anime series. The direct sequel to the first season, Hayate the Combat Butler 2nd Season is based on the popular ongoing Japanese comedy manga of the same title, with 24 volumes published to-date. It is produced by J.C. Staff the studio responsible for anime hits including Nodame Cantabile and Shakugan no Shana, with director Yoshiaki Iwasaki (Love Hina) at its helm.

Source: Animax Asia