Author Archives: Jon

About Jon

Jon is a Japanese culture enthusiast, professional pervert and roleplaying fanatic who appreciates flexible gender identities. He enjoys science fiction, Gunpla, classical music and Red Stripe.

K-On! and Haruhi DVD Sales

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According to the latest Amazon Japan DVD sales rankings, both the Haruhi and K-On! DVD releases are performing quite well. Of particular interest are the K-On Blu-ray releases, with the Volume 2 Blu-ray (August 19 release) occupying the #2 ranking, Volume 1 at #16, and the Volume 3 (September 16 release) at #21.

The first Endless Eight Haruhi DVD (September 25 release) is currently ranked at #11, but has accrued quite a few negative one-star reviews, for a cumulative score of 1.5 stars. This would seem to indicate that Japanese fans are just as frustrated with Endless Eight as we are, but are still willing to purchase the DVDs.

Japanese Anime Industry Shrinks

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ANN is reporting that the Japanese anime industry has shrunk for a second year in a row, with revenues down over $2 billion in 2008. Drops in both box office revenues and DVD sales contributed to this downward trend. Yasuo Yamaguchi, the director of the Association of Japanese Animators, thinks he knows the problem.

“The spread of free Internet downloading is having a deadly effect.”

Of course, that MUST be what’s wrong. I’m sure this industry decline has NOTHING to do with endless moe filler, ill-advised publicity stunts or ridiculously overpriced DVDs. Good call there, Yasuo!

Meanwhile, while the Japanese anime industry is floundering, the American industry is thriving. Must be a fluke.

Endless Eight and the DVDs of Despair

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The eighth episode of the new Haruhi ‘season’ has aired, and (suprise) it’s another repetition of Endless Eight. The common wisdom now is that next week’s episode with be the last E8 loop. We can only hope.

Meanwhile, in even more depressing news, the DVD release details for Endless Eight have been revealed. It seems that E8 will be released across 4 DVDS, with two episodes per DVD. Each release will retail for ¥6,930 (approximately $72 USD).

Yes, you read that right. That’s seventy-two dollars for two episodes. That means buying the entirety of E8 on DVD will cost $288.

I think I’ll wait for the box set.

–Via Random Curiosity and Sankaku Complex (NSFW)

Greenscreen: Behind The Scenes

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Our British friends, the SOS Brigade Seitenkan, have updated their Youtube with a video showing the construction of their greenscreen. (Note: the video is a bit choppy at the beginning)

For those of you who wish to participate in the Brigade’s activities, there’s still a week left on our greenscreen challenge!

K-On! Music Tops Charts

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K-On!’s most recent release, Hōkago Teatime, has become the first character album ever to top the Japanese charts, selling 67,000 copies since its release last Wednesday. With Maddy Caddy set to release in a few weeks and hype at an all-time high, K-On! looks set to fill the void left in otakus’ hearts by Endless Eight…

–From ANN

Lucky Star: Net Idol Meister announced

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According to Japanator, the game Lucky Star: Net Idol Meister has been announced for the PSP, and is slated for a December 24th release in Japan. The game challenges the player to raise a Lucky Star girl to become a popular net idol, via a series of minigames. In this respect, it seems to be either an homage or a parody of the Idolmaster series. Your girl will be able to visit Akihabara, Bukuro, their own hometown and (naturally) the internet.

–Via Japanator