From Ningin: Okay, so the above picture isn’t actually the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library in Japan, but I’m guessing this is what a section of it may look like. There’s no doubt that manga and anime have become an integral part of Japanese culture, so it makes sense that Japanese libraries would start stocking manga- and anime-related material. More »

From Ningin: We all know that Japan has got some pretty crazy things going on over there. Did you know that there are video games in Japan that are “dating sims?” In other words, they are games designed to take you on virtual dates! Well, the popular dating sim entitled Tokimeki Memorial 4 is taking a trip from digital to print! More »

From Ningin: The Japanese parliament has been debating regulation of explicit manga material for some time now. One current bill in debate is known as the “Nonexistent Youth” bill, which prohibits minors to buy explicit manga or anime material that feature characters that look or sound under the legal age limit. More »

From Ningin: Who would have thought that Gundam and rap could go so well together? More »

From Ningin: Nana Osaki from the anime/manga series Nana has got to be one of the most badass female characters out there. So, of course, there would be plenty of badass cosplay of her like the one pictured above. More »

Prince of Tennis was actually the first manga that got me into Shonen Jump. Shonen Jump is basically boy manga (sports, fighting, etc.). It’s about a boy, Ryoma Echizen, who joins the Seigaku tennis team. He is a genius whose catchphrase is “Mada Mada Dane” which means “You have a way to go.” The manga follows the middle school team (although they don’t look like middle schoolers) all the way to the national championships. More »

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From Wirebot:

From the studio who brought us My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and most recently Ponyo brings us Ni no Kuni. The adventure game for the Nintendo DS follows Oliver, a young boy who just lost his mother, into a parallel universe called Ni no Kuni. More »

From Ningin: Bambino! is actually a manga about a college student who wants to open up his own restaurant. The manga isn’t actually about spaghetti, but it is a big part of the story. It starts off with Ban Shogo working in a famous Italian restaurant where he struggles to keep up with the daily grind. You can also learn some Italian while you read it. And the food looks delicious, I always get so hungry whenever they describe the dishes in cooking manga. More »

From Ningin: I really do enjoy behindinfinity’s cosplay galleries on deviantART. They’re so professional looking. This Death Note cosplay is no exception and is one of my favorites by her. More »

I’m going to start a series of recaps for the three most anticipated Jdramas of Spring 2010. First, Sunao ni Narenakute or Hard to Say I Love You stars Eita, Juri Ueno and DBSK’s Jaejoong. Second is Kaibutsu-kun which stars Arashi’s Ohno Satoshi and is based on the manga/anime, which I have sadly never heard of until now. Third, Takuya Kimura, whom I will refer to as KimuTaku, stars in Tsuki no Koibito (Moon Lovers). The all star cast includes Shota Matsuda (Hana Yori Dango; Liar Game), Keiko Kitagawa (Buzzer Beat), Ryoko Shinohara (Unfair), Tsuyoshi Abe (Hana Yori Dango), and newcomer Chi Ling Lin, who starred in Red Cliff. More »

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