Japanese Businessmen Take Days off to Finish a Game…..

Okay, no one is innocent.  We all have taken a day off from work because we were “sick.”  “Sick,” as in, perfectly in a good health but taking a sick day off from work.  Whether it was because we wanted to go to a live concert, had a massive party the night before, or simply couldn’t wake up, we are all guilty.  But taking a day off to play a video game?

“Dragon Quest IX -The Protector of Starlit Sky,” which was sold on July 11, is the latest installment of the popular RPG series, Dragon Quest.  The series has become a societal problem in the past, as kids were bullied to give up their DQ copy.  Reportedly the fans queued up at the stores (which makes people wonder, “why?” and “don’t they have anything better to do?”), and it was announced that 3 millions copy were sold on 14.

Apparently, the term “Draque (abbreviation of Dragon Quest) day off,” started appearing on the web.  Blogs where fans announcing that they will take days off from work and school started popping out through out the Japanese blog site, and an iPhone application development venture company named “Yume wo Miru,” (meaning “dreaming”) apparently even implemented a system (!?).

It is a bit ironic that the game, despite its popularity, has spawned various harsh reviews, creating a storm on amazon.co.jp.  Some where annoyed with the constant delay, and the constant changes in the system before the actual sales date.  Some were annoyed with the fact that there is only one space to save, and that it was on DS.  The fairy that speaks Garugo (think Valley Girl speech) was not popular either.

It has been reported that it takes up to 40 hours to complete the game.  Few days off should be enough.

On an another note, I knew a guy who took several days off to read the new Harry Potter (psst….).  My friend told me of her friend of a friend that quit his work to play FF VII.  Later, when he went for a job interview for his next job, apparently he answered frankly that he quit his previous job “to play FF VII” when the interviewers asked why he quit his previous job.  And he got the job!  Ah- the beauty of working in a creative industry.

Fans Dish Out $27,640 to be on His Shoulder

Say, you have a place you would really REALLY like to be.  And say, ebay was selling the right to be there and take a commemorative photo.  How much would you dish out?
100 dollars?  200 dollars?  Try 27,640 U.S dollars.

As some of the readers might have already read about it, the real life-size 18m Gundam built on Odaiba to commemorate the 30th anniversary for two months only has been causing quite a sensation among geeky fans, Japan enthusiasts, tourists, and well, Tokyo-ites looking for some excitement.

On July 17, 17:00, the “right to get up to the height of the Gundam’s shoulder to take pictures” was sold.  As the bidding increased from 100,000 yen, 1,000,000 and soared to 2,000,000 yen (21,253 USD), different news source reported the bid price, making the readers wonder the final price.

As you know with Internet auctions, the bidding escalates, then stops, and culminates with the bidding war right before the cut-off time.  At 16:00, the bidding exceeded 2,500,000 yen, and the bidding stopped around 16:37.  Around 16:56, it started again, and swelled up to 2,509,000  yen, surpassed 2,60,000 yen, and finalized with 2,601,000 yen.   A total of 504 bids were made.

It is good to know that there are people out there who seems to be quite unaffected by the current recession.  But I guess the privilege to be the “only person to be able to come in proximity of Gundam and take a picture in the whole entire world,” was worth it.

The proceedings will be donated to the Tokyo Olympic Paralympic Invitation Committee by the GREEN TOKYO Gundam Project.

The winner of the bidding war will be able to climb up to the Gundam’s shoulder on August 1, 10:00 as a part of “Real-life size Gundam, Tokyo Olympic Invitation Logo 掲出 ceremony.”

More info and pictures can be found here:
http://news.walkerplus.com/2009/0717/30/photo01.html

If I go to sleep, everyone is going to die -Game Addiction, not a joking matter-

The Russians did again.

Whether it is dying from 12-hour sex marathon

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500645,00.html

or

a  hairdresser turning robber into her own sex slave:

http://indiehunk.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/russian-hairdresser-makes-a-sex-slave-out-of-a-robber/

it seems like crazy news is emerging from Russia every few weeks this year.

Now, a Russian teen got hospitalized after 40 hours of nonstop gaming marathon!

You can read more here:

http://www.mosnews.com/weird/2009/06/08/40hours/

Reported on June 8^th, a 15-year old was required to have medical attention after playing PC games non-stop. The shocking event happened because his parents restricted his gaming time.  Unlike most geeks, he wasn’t able to enjoy his geeky activity without lowered grades.  When his parents went away from the weekend, he did what any teens would do, and did whatever he pleased without parental supervision…. In this case, it resulted in extremely low blood pressure, then, say, hung over or engaging in an event that feeds the school rumour mill.

The most annoying thing about this article is that they don’t tell us what the game was!!  Which game is so addictive that you can play for 40 hours!!??

I was thinking of researching similar cases in order to write this entry, but the writer of the article has kindly done it for me.

“In 2007, a 30 year-old Chinese gamer dropped dead after a three day online marathon at a cybercafe. Earlier that year another Chinese, a 26 year-old obese gamer, died in a similar situation.

In 2002, a 27 year-old Taiwanese collapsed after playing computer games for 32 hours non-stop.”

Jesus.  I feel sorry for these guys dying, but think of their families!  How would they feel, knowing that their sons died from excessive gaming?  Think of the questions you get in the funeral!

Gaming addiction is not a joking matter.  Treatment centers that specifically address online gaming addiction can be found in South Korea, China, the Netherlands, and the United States.   In Korea, where the Internet is highly advanced – so advanced that vicious rumours spread over the net have been linked to suicide – special treatment centers with boarding facility for under-aged online game addicts are operated by the government.  Online gaming addiction has been a social issue in countries such as Korea, China, and Russia since the beginning of  2000s.  A book entitled “Netoge Haijin” (Netoge = abbreviation of Net game, haijin = cripple, a slang for addicts) which was published in Japan last May protests that the online gaming is starting to become a problem there as well.

Osamu Ashizaki, who wrote the book, details the youths that had their real lives ruined by their obsession with the game.  He describes a young woman, who lost the interests in friends, fashion, and the desire to go out, brothers that take turns playing games 12 hours a day, and a female highschooler that was hospitlized from too much gaming, the doctors being dumbfounded.

The author postulates that these people cannot stop playing games, not because they are fun, but because they feel the responsibility and pressure to keep on playing.  For example, in the popular “Final Fantasy XI,” players are teamed up in a group of six.  Playing without one person causes such a disadvantage that the party might disintegrate.  An addict was quoted in the book, sorrowfully saying “if I go to sleep, everyone is going to die.”

Games are made to be entertaining; in order to do so, the manufacturers create them in a way that fuels the player’s curiosity, sense of achievement, and eagerness to keep playing.  A video game nowadays can easily take up to 100 hours to complete.  Online games are made so that players who play more will have stronger characters.

Square-Enix recently announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be an online game.  The game manufacturers may not care as long as they make more money from the addicts, but the governments need to pressure the manufactures to implement rules that are more user-friendly.  Perhaps a system where a player can only log in for the maximum of five hours a day.  I’m not sure.  Saying that, if the current online games rewards the players for continuously playing, it will foster an environment where more addicts are made, paving for a way for a murky issue which the governments are forced to address.

Modern Day Gulag? Canon Factory is Bloody Scary!!!

WHAT THE….

From (those that can read Japanese):

http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/OPINION/20090518/330168/

For those that cannot read Japanese, let me explain.

See? Having no chairs in the office makes the workers bunch of working bees!

The article, published on a respectable Japanese website, begins with the excited reporter excited!!!  about visiting a factory of Canon Electronics.  Well, the CEO of the company, Mr. Sakamai, is the author of “Ditch Away Chairs and PCs to Improve Your Company’s Productivity.”  True to his words, the factory does not include any chairs at all!  Save for a few rooms, such as the waiting area, the president’s room, meeting room, and the offices do not have any chairs!  WTF?  Apparently, the big honcho believes that by eradicating the evil that seats are, productivity will increase by forcing workers to concentrate more.  Added bonus includes improved communication between workers and saving money on chair expenses.

The article then goes on to explain the “merit” of no-chair policy before moving to the next shocking revelation about this factory:

An alarm goes off if you walk too slowly on the corridor!  Some parts of corridor are marked with blue area, with (5m, 3.6 seconds) written on it.  CEO Sakamaki proudly explains his genius concept:

“Because the factory is really a big place, the amount of time spent on moving from place to place become a bit too much.  This is a device that will make the employees walk in a speedy manner.”

Erm……..

The article then explain how the no-chair policy benefited the company by showing profit rate, but honestly, is it

...and these floors come with the inspirational message printed: "Let's hurry up! Before we destroy our company and earth!"

worth it?  Think of how sore these poor workers’ feet must be by the end of the day!
Recently, the term “black” became quite popular in Japanese.  For example, “black company,” will refer to companies that treat their employees horribly, making them work hours with slave wages.  Although most of these black companies are start-up companies, this is def. one of those black companies, even if it is one of the better ones.

Shocking Break-Up Retribution Story from Russia

Wow!  It seems like a lot of crazy news are originating from Russia these days.

Whether it is hairdresser turning robber into her own sex slave:

http://indiehunk.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/russian-hairdresser-makes-a-sex-slave-out-of-a-robber/

or a Russian man killing his neighbor with hi-ya! karate skill over lice infection:

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090410/121047175.htm

or Russian tourists breaking the Florida law by having sex with a porcupine (ouch!) only to require medical attention (d’uh!  Poor porcupine):

http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/18-05-2009/107573-porcupine_sex-0

Now on May 29th, it was reported that ditched and furious Russian woman decided to take the ultimate revenge by blasting off her loser ex-boyfriend by blowing his penis off!!!!  Many spurned women may have thought of doing that, but not that many carry that off!

For those that are getting any wrong idea reading this, blowing your ex’s penis will end up with 12-yr jail sentence under the Russian law.

From

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/29/russian_firecrackers/

“A spurned Russian woman whose boyfriend declined to take her hand in marriage responded by blowing off his penis with firecrackers, Mosnews reports.

Victim Alik D. had been shacked up with Kira V. for about two years when she began to suggest that they should tie the knot. Mr D declined, and indicated he’d rather go back to his wife and child.

Ms V suggested a farewell dinner, and following “a hearty meal and some heavy drinking”, Alik crashed out. Kira then tied said fireworks to his todger and lit the fuse.

Intensive care operatives are fighting for Alik’s life. Kira faces 12 years’ hard time – even if her ex survives.”

Bye Bye “Six Days in Fallujah”

WOOOT!

Konami’s controversial “Six Days in Fallujah” is official canned.

The Japanese game company, most famous for Silent Hill and Metal Gear Series, decided to pull out from the ill-informed project.
Konami has been cited stating that “We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.”

Yes, I am pretty confident that a videogame can successfully present information from both sides to the gamer, and that the gamer will not identify with the protagonist who kills citizens.  Yeah- right!  I haven’t played the game, but something tells me that this game will not be informative as Konami painted it.

Videogame will never be an adequate resource for information.  Just look at the failed Mario’s educational games.

Source:

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2009/gb20090428_228395.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_global+business

Top 25 Anime Character You Wanna Have Sex With

This just in. The extremely bored… I mean people with lofty amount of time in their hands at Japan’s biggest forum 2 channel has compiled the list of top anime characters that you wanna do it with

http://news.ameba.jp/weblog/2009/05/35000.html

The eternally sexy Ms. Fujiko

The gal taking the first place is, no surprise, Fujiko Mine from Lupin the Third. This old-school femme fetal has vexed the titular character Lupin many times with her conniving charm, yet it is hard for any one to get mad at. She got the brain, muscle, and the skill to match her exuding sexuality.

In second place is the cool & deadly android that woo-ed Krilin, Android # 18. How can you not find a woman that can kill attractive?

The tsundere beauty that unwittingly yield an amazing power, Haruhi, the symbol of geek fandom, comes next. Proving the moe-factor is still strong, Mikuru Asahina from “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” comes next.

In the fifth place is Lum-chan, a girl who single-handedly made cosplay into mainstream.

My personal favorite is number 10, Honey Kisaragi aka Cutie Honey. A boxom cyborg that seem to be unable to fight without her clothes getting ripped off every time! A bit crass, and feminists may frown, but she is the first solo female action hero in anime.

Some of the names in the list come as no surprise. But as it goes on, you could tell that people were taking the piss towards the end. Maruko!? Really. That is just downright wrong. The girl’s supposed to be 11 or something.

Memorable characters are requirements for having a hit anime series. We know that they are not real, yet they manage to engross us, and dazzle us. Anime that you grew up will bring us back the fond memories that we had as a child. These sexy ladies have proven that they have what it takes to catch our attentions.

The complete ranking is as follows:

1. Fujiko Mine (Lupin the III)

2. Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z)

3. Haruhi Suzumiya (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

4. Mikuru Asahina (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

5. Lum (Urusei Yatsura)

6. Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

7. Yuki Nagato (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

8. Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangellion)

9. Haman Khan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)

10. Misato Katsuragi (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

11. Honey Kisaragi (Cutie Honey)

12. Ryoko Asakura (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

13. Bulma (Dragon Ball Z)

14. Ms. Machiko (Mai-ching Machiko Sensei)

15. Maya Ibuki (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

16. Ritsuko Akagi (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

17. Maetel (Galaxy Express 999)

18. Selene (Devilman)

19. Ai Amano (Dengeki Shoujo)

20. Shizuka Minamoto (Doraemon)

21. Maruko (Chibi-Maruko Chan)

22. Dorami-chan (Doraemon)

23. Jaiko (Doramon)

23. Noguchi-san (Chibi-Maruko Chan)

25. Wakame Isono (Sazae-san

There WAS a Suicide Note

Although I try not to be “quirky,” I cannot help but not to be normal. Besides the fact that I am gay, disabled, and biracial, I often amaze others by my lack of perception of cold when they are densely covered in layers of garments whilst I stroll by in a T-shirt.  Or my astonishing ability to multitask, enabling me to hold a conversation, watch a TV, and cook.

Likewise, my journal is not so average. Here and there, you can find a sentence that reads “although I sound very negative in this journal entry, it is because I process my anger/sadness by writing it, and when I had a great day, I do not feel the need to write, or came back home late.” It is an odd thing to write; reminding myself of my stress-coping mechanism. This is mostly to remind myself that not everyday of my life is depressing, when I happen to re-read my entry (which almost never happens). It might be hard to imagine, but because I mostly write to rid myself of trepidation, unpalatable anger, and despair within life by vomiting my emotions onto the word document, my journal entry resembles that of a person who seems to have an unjustly difficult life…. But that is not the case… And I write that just in case. Also, although I don’t think my existence will ever be as significant as that of Virginia Wolf (not anytime soon, at least… Hopefully in near future), when I see published books of someone’s diary (like V. Wolf), I feel the need to write the truth just in case someone cracks the password and read my entries. They mostly detail frivolous matters, but when the diary of some uni student that killed himself ends up being a bestseller, my paranoia of having my journal read by some complete stranger becomes unabated. If I die from a mystery manner that is hard to determine whether it was a suicide of an accident, people who read my diary might jump into conclusion that I have killed myself. Well, let me set the record straight. If I die in a mysterious manner, IT WAS A BLOODY MURDER! CATCH THE KILLER AND SEND HIM/HER IN THE WORST JAIL IN YOUR COUNTRY. Meanwhile, here are excerpts from my ever so dreadful diary (that I quickly skimmed through for the purpose of writing this entry) Although my closest ones know that I am a really depressive person, hope you enjoy my undiluted depressive narrative:

April 2nd, Sunday

Sunday came and went, just like a bad date.

July 19th, Saturday

Then I saw the beach, and how beautiful it looked as the sun was setting, and people were dancing freely to the rhythm of nostalgic dance-remix. It was worth going there to wash my sorrow away into it.

July 22, Tuesday

I love some of the Spanish phrases that exist out there. For example, “I am tired” is “estoy cansado.” And “I’m exhausted” is “estoy agotado.” I truly think that “esoty agotado” really convey the nature of exhaustion. The feeling you get where your whole entire body is begging to be laid down, yet in order to live a fulfilling life, you need to stay awake and keep proceeding in the daily activities in the day.

July 29th, Sunday

Great, I hate Mac for sure now. Not only is the usage of the lower section of screen still a mystery (largely my fault for thinking that ordinary average PC control should not require any need to read the instruction booklet), I cannot open my diary! Because the one that I have been using for a month is “in a wrong format.” Fucking bull.

I hate Sundays. First of all, do other people suffer from not having any prior engagements? I often find myself stuff to do on Fridays and Saturdays. But Sundays, I’ve got no plans whatsoever and have to spend it all by myself. Quality alone time… Because I never get that during the week.

August 20, Monday

The speed in which a day passes by seems to be so much faster then I would like it to be. There are so many things that I would like to accomplish (i.e., cleaning my room, doing some research, and reading) yet it seems like I am only able to do about 30% or so.

August 23rd

The good thing is the co-worker though. I got on really well with Nicola. Who reminds me of Fred! No, she really does. The way she speaks, her mannerism that betrays the timid and well-organized behavioral pattern! They are all the same as those of Fred from Angel. Although it was obvious from the beginning that she was a geek, we discovered that she is a proper geek! Tomoko, my co-worker (who dresses very nicely by the way), said that she could picture her wearing periodic clothes (i.e., 17th century). Then she admitted that she dresses in a gothic Lolita fashion. Lol

August 31st, Friday

The phrase TGIF is no longer applicable for I will be working during the weekends and evenings….

September 5th, Wednesday

I am playing with the notion of joining the sexaholic anonymous so I can go to their meetings and here their torrid sex stories. How can you be addicted to sex? And where do they get it?

November 4th, Sunday

Heck, because this entry is negative, I will continue with the theme. I hate the apartment that I live in. It is fucking crap. The walls are so thin that you get to hear your neighbor sneezing. I can’t believe some people thought it was okay to build such a crap apartment in middle of Tokyo! Why are housing in Tokyo so crap?

November 8th, Thursday

Time is a funny thing, really. When you are in a horrible situation (such as going to a fucking boring party), it feels fucking awful, but when it is done, you tend to forget how unbearable your life was a moment ago.

Nov 26th, Monday

He (Will) went on about how his lifestyle keeps him out of trouble. As in if he stayed in one country, he would go crazy, for he wouldn’t be able to take it. Makes me wonder why he doesn’t go back to Canada. He also stated that he doesn’t like Thai people that much because it is a third world country, and people aren’t that smart. They can only think of what is in front of them… And Japan is like that… Okay, it is only people like us that can afford to think about other things for we aren’t constantly worried about how to find food. I can afford to appreciate about art, because I have enough food. I think it was completely pathetic of him to be that judgmental. He also stated that Japanese people aren’t that smart either because if you ask questions like “why did you draw such painting” to an artist, they get shocked for asking such a question. Honestly, why does he stay? I guess I get tired from dealing with people from reasons like this. Even when you disagree with them completely, you can’t really say “that’s BS!” out loud. Brrr… Dumb people annoy me.

Nov. 27th, Wednesday

I really wish I could sink myself in an ocean somewhere. As for work, the newbies are annoying me.

The new guy I completely do not remember the name, who is fucking taciturn, is also a bit dim. He was like “I can’t afford to go eat lunch everyday,” but that is what he is doing… And when he missed the last train, apparently he stayed in a hotel! As opposed to manga kissa or taking a cab home. BS Then there is Takumi. He fucking annoys me. Naomi was saying that she realized that he was a freak after speaking to him for 3 min. He asks way too much questions. He is the question-asking machine.

Dutch People, Too Open-Minded for Me

Those people from the country above did it again. I thought I was open-minded – I support the women’s right to choose, am 100% for rights for transgenders, and love tofu – but next to Dutch politicians, I may be as closed-minded as Beenie Man.

From: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25402957-12377,00.html

“Dutch park unveils signs pointing to gay ‘cruiser’ areas A PARK near Amsterdam has unveiled information signs pointing out spots where officials say gay men are known to have sex – so no visitors are taken by surprise. The signs “clearly indicate what is happening in each zone; also those where gay men are known to practice ‘cruising’,” municipal spokeswoman Manon Koffijberg said. Cruising is a slang word used to describe the act of trawling for casual sex. “If you don’t want to be confronted by a vision of that sort, the signs allow you to avoid specific areas,” said Ms Koffijberg. The De Oeverlanden park in Slotervaart, southwest of Amsterdam, is known as a place where homosexuals from all over the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe go in search of sex partners. Ms Koffijberg said that while having sex in public was against the law, the park has been used for this purpose for so long that it has become “gedoog”, a Dutch word for tolerating unwanted behaviour. The sexual activities of cruisers, she said, kept mostly to the bushes in the park, and the new signs sought to ensure that they stayed there. “There are various groups of users of the park; people with small children who bathe on the beaches, those who walk their dogs, gays cruising and nature lovers,” said Ms Koffijberg. “Things are arranged so that each group can relax in their own area without intruding on each other.” There had been recent complaints of gay bashing in the Slotervaart area, populated by a large group of immigrants of Muslim origin, with reports of robberies and violence against gay men in De Oeverlanden park.”

Ewwwwwww……. Unless you are George Michael, “cruising” in park is gross. This coming from a man who didn’t know what that term meant until his co-worker used it. That park sure sounds like a busy place. Horny gay prowlers, granola-eating guitar-strumming health-conscious (40% of them wearing sandals) indie chicks/dudes, and parents with kids. It’s just like a disneyland. “On the right, there is the Buttlove World, right next to Nature World.”

I’ve been cruised once, in Japan. I was walking down Shibuya, around 10 or so in the evening, after saying bye to a friend. This latino looking men who was standing on the street made a blowing kiss gesture. It was strange. Being cruised at unsuspectingly leave you with a strange emotion. A mixture of disgust, flattery, and curiosity, I would say. As in, you wonder, “is this guy that sex-starved?” Or, “how could he tell I’m gay?” Yes, I am pretty obvious, and I would say 95% of accomplished gays would be able to tell that I am gay. But still. Having a guts to make a move on to some guy walking down the street?

I once was on a train, and this Indian guy placed his hand right next to mine on the train pole, and tried to hit on me. I was grossed out. Yet again, I was curios. There was a slight temptation for me to pretend to be interested, get out of the packed train together with him. He would follow my lead, walking behind with eyes glittering with hope. After taking few strides away from the platform, I would then turn around quickly, and shoot a barrage of questions: “So do you do this often? Do you get on a train and start hitting on guys?” “What is your success rate?” “Do you simply do it in the disgusting train toilet then?” “Are you too ashamed to go to gay bars? Or do you go to them, but your sex drive is off the roof, and you simply can’t contain myself?” “And please don’t tell me that you couldn’t help yourself cuz I’m ’special.’ Do I look like I’m 13?”

Talking about the Netherlands, open-mindedness, and park, last year, roughly the same time (March 10, 2008), the councillors over there decided that people can have sex in a popular park -provided that it is not in the proximity of the playground and is done in the evening – but banned dog owners to walk their dogs without a leash.

From http://www.orange.co.uk/news/quirkies/default.htm?rm=storyitem&storyId=2761207

Dog owners angry at public sex plan

“Dog owners in Amsterdam are angry after the city legalised public sex in one of the city’s most famous parks. Councillors agreed that heterosexual and gay couples could have sex in the Vondelpark which has ten million visitors a year. But they promised to clampdown on dog owners who let their pets walk in the park without a lead. One dog owner protested: “As long as the park has existed, we’ve been allowed to let our dogs run freely. It’s outrageous that we will be punished from now on but public sex won’t.” A spokesman for the council which runs the southern part of Amsterdam said: “When the dogs are not kept on a leash they pee on whatever they see and they cause a lot of nuisance for other visitors.” Alderman Paul Van Grieken defended the decision to allow public sex in the park from September. “Why should we oppose a rule on something you can’t oppose a rule on. Moreover it isn’t a nuisance for the other visitors and gives a lot of pleasure to a certain group of people,” he said. “There still are rules,” he added. “They must take their garbage with them afterwards and never have intercourse near the playground. The sex must be limited to the evening hours and night.”"

I think it is the first time in history, that a park which is popular enough to be listed on wikipedia (it even has a film museum and open air theater!) legally sanctions public sex!

HELL YEAH!

Being a film buff, I think it is cool that film fantatics are given a chance to recreate a scene from the indie-favorite “Wicker Man.” For those that do not know the story, the film is about a devout Christian cop goes to a f-ed up sexually charged island to investigate a missing girl case. In one particular scene, my fave scene of the film, he stumbles across a park where bunch of couples are having sex. In the evening, of course. It would be amazing if local film groups host an event trying to recreate that scene! Oh, of course they will clean up after their mess. Film fans have great manners, don’t you know?

Train with an Anime Character

I haven’t covered any geek news for a long while.  So here’s one.

I still remember when Billy’s Boot Camp, an exercise DVD, was a massive hit in Japan. Two years ago, if you went into any Japanese department store, you would see a section devoted to the hardcore DVD set that promises the consumers a quick and sure way to lose weight. Then came the popular WiiFit, where even my non-geek friends were persuaded to buy.

This brand new DVD is unique in the sense that it targets geek specially. Entitled “issho ni training,” or “Let’s train together.” (English subtitle: Training with Hinako), it is a DVD where you can train with an anime character. The character setting for the main character Hinako is pretty unique. She is 16 year-old, 153 cm tall, and weights 48 kg. She loves anime and exercise (yeah right! As if such person exist). She used to be a person, but was turned into anime character when she was in eighth grade! What the…? Judging from the DVD cover, it kinda looks dodgy. I think I can do squat, push ups, and crunches on my own, thank you.

I ain’t gonna post a big pic of this risque cover.  If anyone wants to see the bigger version of this image, click here:

http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/imgs/7/8/785ced37.jpg