Up-skirt shots dominate good portions of anime. This fan service is used for comedic effect and, of course, titillation. Have you ever wondered where this odd fixation originated? Well, it turns out that the West is primarily the reason why Japan has a panty obsession. It is also fairly new. It started in the Meiji…
Category: Culture
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
What does an American live-action children’s show from the 90s have to do with Japan? Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a mashup from a Japanese superhero show called Super Sentai. Being a kid of the late 80s and early 90s, I rode the Mighty Morphin fever for awhile too. It was everywhere in pop culture….
Coverage of Ohayocon 2013
Our con-man, Zach, brings us more anime convention coverage with Ohayocon! This time, it was not all fun and games, unfortunately… On January 18th-20th, I attended Ohayocon 2013 with my group of friends. As usual with everything, there’s both good and bad. Please read the disclaimer before reading my actual coverage. Disclaimer: To the owner…
Nuppeppo–The Blobby…Monster…Thing…
Japanese folklore is populated by many a weird critter. I am constantly amazed by the bizarre menagerie of monsters that Japanese believed populated their home country. Possibly the strangest I’ve come across so far is the Nuppeppo. The Nuppeppo is actually kind of cute, in a morbid, Tim Burton-esque way. It is a blob of…
Emaki Fart Battle – Yeah, You Read that Right
Back in the Edo period of Japan (between 1603 and 1868), an artist had a genius and hilarious idea: a Fart Battle. The scroll depicts a flatulent fight between, uh, “warriors”. We are not talking your average after dinner gas. No, this is the gas of the gods! Mighty men who can fart down walls…
Harvest Festival
Japanese harvest and fertility festivals look very odd to our Western eyes. Grounded in Shinto and stretching as far back as 1,500 years ago, these festivals help ensure a good harvest and promote human fertility. What makes the festival odd for us Westerners are the centerpieces: giant wooden penises and vulvas. So I guess you…