Cats and dogs in anime and Japan

There’s certainly no shortage of cats in anime, whether as major or minor characters. Disregarding the ever popular cat-girl, I can list quite a few anime cats off the top of my head. When it comes to anime dogs however…I have more trouble thinking of some. I wonder why that is since, according to a recent Japan Times article, both cats and dogs seem to be equally popular in Japan as pets, with dogs outnumbering cats in some cases…

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What I’ve learned from fan translating

As some of you probably know, for the past couple of months I’ve been part of a translation group that’s been working on providing an English release of the latest Haruhi novels (volumes 10 and 11). We finally completed the project earlier this week. Baka-Tsuki, the group that had provided fan translations for the previous nine novels, could no longer work on the series, so myself and a few other dedicated individuals took on the task. I translated and edited one chapter myself (72 pages) and edited two that were translated by someone else (222 pages). Since this was the first major translation project I’ve worked on, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about the experience…

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Anime and Japan’s culture of “cuteness”

Something that’s always fascinated me since I’ve been able to follow Japan’s anime fandom in real time thanks to the advancement of the Internet, is the proliferation of “cuteness” in the country – not just in all genres of anime, but in real life Japanese society as well. And what’s even more interesting to me is how this acceptance of cuteness can’t help but carry on to American anime fans…

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My condolences to Japan and reflections on natural disasters


I’ve never seen Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 but I know it’s appropriate right now

I rarely do news posts since I can’t get them out promptly and there are many others far more skilled at gathering up-to-date information and links than I am. But since the recent disaster in Japan hit so close to home (in my heart I mean), I just couldn’t ignore it…

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Don’t get discouraged when learning Japanese (because it’s easier than English)

I’ve been studying Japanese at college, abroad, and on my own since mid-2004. The most common reaction I get from people whom I talk to about it, or who are beginning to learn themselves, is that it must be an extremely difficult language. But over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that Japanese is actually a relatively easy language, and there are in fact numerous ways in which it’s easier to learn than English…

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Communal Japan vs individualistic America


Not a Hetalia post, just used some screencaps X)

Now that I’ve had some years of experience studying and being immersed in Japanese culture, one particular thing that’s always fascinated me about Japan when compared to America is the sense of communality that permeates many aspects of the country. Japan’s emphasis on the communal is quite contrasting to America’s emphasis on individuality…

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How do you keep up your Japanese studies after graduation?

I have now gone half a year without any formal Japanese study after taking it up to advanced level at my university. Although I don’t feel like I’ve forgotten too much yet, what with my daily exposure to anime and my sheer willpower to keep it in my head, I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep it up…

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The first 2-D marriage?

Anyone remember the controversy from a while ago when a petition went out in Japan to legalize 2-D marriage? It was started by a man who wanted to marry Mikuru Asahina, but it didn’t pass. However, a few days ago, another Japanese otaku actually went through with a 2-D marriage, regardless…

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Amusing Japan videos

For want of a better post to write today, here are some cute, funny, and/or disturbing Japan videos that I’ve come across on YouTube over the years…

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Koge-Donbo’s Harry Potter fan art


*Click the image for a larger version*

Famous manga artist Koge-Donbo is best known for her “cute” character designs, especially in her popular series Di Gi Charat, Kamichama Karin, Pita Ten, and others. It’s also well known that she’s a Harry Potter fan. About nine years ago I came across some of her Harry Potter illustrations and saved them to my computer. And now, since I recently saw the new HP movie and am currently reading the final book, I decided to look back at these old, but still pretty, drawings of Koge-Donbo’s…

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