Cosplay is all about slipping into a costume in order to assume the identity of a fictional character. But what do you do when the costume itself has become more famous than the character who wears it?

That was the problem faced by one attendee of the recent Comiket dojinshi event, who wanted to show his support not so much for the goddess Hestia from light novel and anime franchise Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, but for the boob-lifting string and impressive bust that the character is so closely associated with.

In case you haven’t been following Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, also known by its abbreviated Japanese nickname, Danmachi, here’s how Hestia appears in the series.

▼ Apparently Hesita was only allowed to pick one item from the list of bra, shoes, and gloves.

While Danmachi’s cocktail of JRPG elements and remixed Norse mythology has resulted in a modest but respectable hit, Hestia’s costume, or more specifically The String, went on to be a global otaku cultural phenomenon. Thanks to the outfit’s timeliness and relative simplicity to duplicate, Hestia cosplay quickly became a staple at anime events and online following Danmachi’s television debut last spring.

But with so many fans (of both genders) having already transformed themselves into the character, one Hestia supporter at Comiket chose to transform himself into the goddess’ breast-support itself.

例の紐 #C88 #c88コスプレ http://t.co/FvPhJDIW1M

—
イカすイカになりたい翔 (@sho_jinsei) August 15, 2015

Of course, it would be hard to recognize Hestia’s string without the proper context, which is why the cosplayer also crafted a pair of breasts to lay above his body, thus completing the set of the first three things people think of when imagining Hestia in their mind’s eye.

We’re a little curious about how this dedicated fan got around the convention, though. Did he periodically stand up, change locations, and then reposition the bust on top of himself? Or did he remain flat on his back, squirming and inching through the halls of the Big Sight conference center?

Either way, we’ve got to give him credit for showing Hestia cosplay isn’t entirely played out just yet.

Source, top image: Twitter/@sho_jinsei
Insert image: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? official website

Origin: Otaku cosplays as the costume as he transforms into boob-lifting String from Danmachi
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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For any guy with a romantic streak, the highlight of summer is no doubt a weekend getaway with the girl he loves. What could be better than a little sightseeing, a stroll on the beach, and a night spent together in a hotel?

But what if the girl you love happens to be a video game character? No problem! All you need is a life-size costume of your digital sweetheart and you’re all set, as this dedicated fan shows with his series of vacation photos starring one of the characters from dating simulator LovePlus.

It may not be on the itinerary of most international tourists, but Shizuoka Prefecture’s Atami has been a favorite destination of Japanese couples for generations. Atami literally means “hot sea,” and the town’s primary attractions are its coastal scenery and hot springs.

So it’s not surprising that before summer ends, Twitter user Menokomakiri wanted to take a trip to Atami with the girl who’s captured his heart, Manaka Takane. It wasn’t quite as simple as calling Manaka and asking if she would accompany him, though, since she’s one of the potential girlfriends in video game publisher Konami’s hit romance franchise LovePlus.

Still, that wasn’t an insurmountable problem. There are LovePlus titles for Nintendo’s DS and 3DS portable systems, so taking the hardware with him and switching on the game whenever Menokomakiri was craving Manaka’s companionship would have been one option. Menokomakiri chose to go several steps further, though, by travelling with a full-body costume, including head and hair, of his 2-D crush.

「あったよー！」 #loveplus http://t.co/gz1k5hrGtI

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

「ねぇ、こっちこっちー！」 「暑い、、、マナちゃんは元気だなあ。。」 　 #loveplus http://t.co/rjnjpczVC7

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

Despite the summer heat, the energetic Manaka was full of vigor as she and Menokomakiri made the rounds of the local attractions, including the city’s famous Omiya no Matsu pine tree.

お宮の松にて。 念願叶い、マナカと初の熱海旅行に行ってきました。 …でもおかしいな、マナカとは熱海に何度も行ってるはずなんだけどな（ #loveplus http://t.co/uVNdkShXy4

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

If you get up early enough and keep moving, you can actually do Atami as a day trip from Tokyo. However, considering that making the round trip in a single day involves several hours on the train, most couples choose to allow themselves a more leisurely pace by sending the night. So as the afternoon stretched on, Menokomakiri and Manaka made their way to the Hotel Ohnoya and checked in to their room, where they found complimentary green tea and Japanese confectionaries waiting for them.

ホテル大野屋にて。 「あれっ？おいしい…」 「はい、あーん♪」 #loveplus http://t.co/Jm0Y8vraxE

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

▼ Say “Ahh!”

Afterwards, the pair went for a stroll on the moonlit beach, and as is often done at hot spring resorts, Manaka chose to wear the light kimono the hotel provides for guests when she stepped out.

夜の浜辺を散策。 「綺麗…」 #loveplus http://t.co/SWTD9ONDVI

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

In Japan, it’s customary to bathe before going to bed, and that goes double when you’re staying in a city renowned for its hot spring waters. Menokomakiri even splurged on a private bath for himself and his date.

▼ Wearing a swimsuit in a Japanese bath is usually frowned upon, though.

◆家族風呂◆ 【ここは男ら　 【ここは水着を着るべきだろう】 　 「…入っていい？」 #loveplus http://t.co/VUhWaUINB8

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

Of course, any couple that’s in a committed enough relationship to share a hotel room is going to want to get in a little physical activity before going to sleep, if you know what we mean?

▼ We’re talking about a pillow fight, of course.

旅館といえば就寝前のまくら投げ！ 「きゃあっ♪お返しよ！えいっ！」 「ぶはっ！？…これは…効い…た（ばたっ）」 「…！？　だ、大丈夫！？」 　 ※まくら投げは熱海編のイベントではありません。 #loveplus http://t.co/wCweTEAzEu

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

Eventually, though, it was time to turn out the lights. The futon sleeping mats in Japanese inns are always single-sized, so couples that want to get cozy simply push theirs together. Gentleman that he is, Menokomakiri doesn’t reveal in his photos whether he and Manaka went that far, however.

おやすみ愛花。 #loveplus http://t.co/cd0DXe8teo

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 11, 2015

But the trip was only half-way over, so the next day the couple left their hotel and hit the beach for some fun in the sun before they had to head home.

「そろそろ夏休み、よね？」 http://t.co/VZ0RT7hUDG

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 06, 2015

「お待たせ！」 #loveplus http://t.co/vd7cdt3RGE

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 12, 2015

◆熱海サンビーチにて◆ 「ポーズ？ええと、こう、かな？ 　…水着、変じゃないよね？」 #loveplus http://t.co/vyszhFGjmo

—
メノコマキリ@コスサミ長門 (@menokomakiri) August 12, 2015

Believe it or not, it’s only now that we bring up the strangest part of the story. As we mentioned, that’s not a figure or doll of Manaka, but a bodysuit costume. While in certain shots it’s possible that Menokomakiri has simply stuffed it with wadded up towels or newspapers and propped the costume up…

…in others, there’s no mistaking that a real person is wearing it.

That means that we’re looking at one of two possible situations here. The first is that Menokomakiri has someone special in his life who’s accommodating enough to not only go away with him for the weekend, but to do some incredibly bold public cosplay to satisfy his tastes, which then begs the question as to why he’s so hung up on Manaka.

The other is that that’s Menokomakiri himself wearing the costume, meaning he loves Manaka so much that he doesn’t just want to be with her, he wants to be inside her, which in this case would be even more startling than what that phrase would ordinarily suggest.

Source: Jin
Top image: Twitter/@menokomakiri (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Twitter/@menokomakiri (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Dating simulator superfan takes romantic seaside getaway with bodysuit costume of his 2-D crush
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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NatsuComi, or Summer Comiket, is now over and done with for another half a year after bringing together anime fans from all over the Japan, and indeed the world, in the sweltering summer heat. Ridiculous amounts of money were spent, litres of sweat were released into the atmosphere, and bizarre and beautiful cosplays went viral.

For three days each Summer and Winter, the convention center Tokyo Big Sight is turned into an otaku paradise, but for people working in the area it can be a nightmare. Legions of volunteers make sure the con runs smoothly, but there’s also the regular employees working at the nearby restaurants, cafes, and train station who have to prepare for the huge influx of people.

Summer Comiket opened with the tradition we affectionately refer to as the Running of the Nerds. Station staff readied themselves each morning for the arrival of the first train of the day at 5.46am and were in position to tell people not to run; a thankless, and often fruitless, task.

▼ Apparently some of them were moving so lightening fast they couldn’t even be captured by the camera!

コミケ始発組 速すぎて残像しか写らないwww http://t.co/bKWeIpWoHR

—
2chooooo (@nitehu) August 13, 2015

▼ And you can see why they’re in such a rush to get to the front of the line when the line looks like this.

【コミケ速報】「コミックマーケット88」1日目待機列の様子！人の海やべぇｗｗｗｗ seiyufan.livedoor.biz/150814/8091120… #c88 http://t.co/Py3N5sTvBb

—
ユウ (@seiyufan) August 14, 2015

While camping overnight is forbidden, some people still do it, so even these early arrivers won’t be at the head of the queue. Speaking from personal experience, I arrived at 9am for the 10am opening and spent two hours in a huge carpark without a single bit of shade before finally making it in at around 11am. So why do people endure such conditions not even once, but twice a year? For the merch, of course! To the uninitiated it might seem ridiculous to put oneself through such torture, but trust me, it’s worth it all in the end!

▼ See more from both outside and inside the convention centre in this TV clip.

Did any of our dear readers attend Comiket this year? Or do you plan to in the future? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: KiniSoku, Twitter
Featured image: YouTube/コミケ最後尾
Top image: Twitter/@nitehu

Origin: Comiket queues aren’t getting any shorter and otaku aren’t getting any more patient【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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• Tokyo train station and convenience store roll out otaku welcome for Comiket attendees 【Photos】
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• Local man has choice words for Comiket attendees: “For the love of god, take a bath!”

Japanese marketing ploys of using popular characters to sell everything under the sun isn’t a new concept by any means, but when it comes to itasha, they’re almost always custom works created by otaku for otaku.

However, as part of a game-changing move, publisher VisualArt’s recently announced it would be auctioning off a BMW with an official Angel Beats! wrap job, posing the question of just how high fans of the series would go to purchase a one-of-a-kind, official item from their favorite series. The result, however, probably wasn’t what anyone was expecting. 

The car in question, an Angel Beats! Series 1 BMW 120i courtesy of Wordbank, was put up on auction site Yahoo!Auctions Japan on August 6.

Word quickly spread between fans of the series and itasha lovers alike, and soon bids were pouring in from hopeful otaku. But when you look at the awesome detailing of the car, can you blame them?

The pre-owned BMW dealership vehicle comes with a car navigation system, rear-view camera, and leather seats on top of its beautiful custom finish.

As you can see, no details have been spared. It also comes with two autographed signboards, one pictured below, and the other a custom drawing of your favorite characters by the original character designer Na-Ga.

But with so much going on, surprisingly it seems like the final bid didn’t go quite as high as expected. The auction ended two weeks after it began for 1,505,400 yen (approx. US$12,500), which we admit is no small sum of money, but considering non-custom models of the same BMW series are valued at twice as much, seems a little on the low side.

As of yet VisualArt’s hasn’t made any remarks about the result, but some netizens have commented that driving an official car like that would put a lot of pressure on the driver or that all the attention and people possibly taking pictures would be a little too distracting.

All we can say for sure is that the high bidder certainly got a good deal, and he or she is probably floating on cloud nine right about now.

Source: My Game News Flash
Feature/top image: VisualArt’s/Key
Insert images: Yahoo!Auctions/VisualArt’s/Key

Origin: Angel Beats! itasha auction wraps up for unexpected sum
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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You’ve probably heard of itasha before, otaku-owned cars that are so laden with designs of anime girls that they are almost painful to look at. Whether you’re a fan or a hater, you have to admit the owners of itasha are extremely dedicated to their passion. There’s only problem: you can’t flaunt your passion when you’re not in your car.

Thankfully there’s a solution! Ita-bags—bags that are so weighed down with anime girl pictures and merchandise that they may cause sudden pain in the beholder. And ita-bags are not a niche interest either; they everywhere. There was even an ita-bag contest held in Tokyo recently, and you have to see the winning bag to believe it.

The ita-bag contest was held in Tokyo’s Tachikawa City between July 25 and August 23. Apparently one bag was just so painful to look at that the judges immediately knew they had a winner, however, and on August 24, they posted the photo on Twitter: a Love Live! ita-bag centered on Minami Kotori:

▼ “Take a look at our winner from the ita-bag contest!”

「痛バッグコンテスト」優勝者の痛バッグをご覧ください seiyufan.livedoor.biz/150824/8115602… #lovelive http://t.co/Tkt6kW9I3r

—
ユウ (@seiyufan) August 24, 2015

Want a closer look? Here’s a tweet from the winning ita-bag owner himself. (Click images to enlarge.)

▼ “Seems like I won the ita-bag contest, so I’ll post my winning entry for everyone to see!”

痛バッグコンテスト(寒)また優勝したみたいなんで応募した鞄貼っとくますヽ(*´∇｀*)ノありがとうにゅ～んヽ(*´∇｀*)ノパァ！ http://t.co/d97WzhgmlV

—
みゆのらあ@ことりバッグの人 (@vicks2054) August 24, 2015

Oh. Ouch. Geez, it’s like looking at the sun. You can only look at that ita-bag for a few seconds before it really starts to burn.

While your eyes are recovering, here’s some more tweets from the winner who attended the recent Comiket with his epic bag:

▼ Wearing what looks to be a Minami Kotori watch, so that the non-bag carrying arm doesn’t get too jealous.

なう(^-^)／時計ぼけちゃったぺろ http://t.co/I7SFmMe76s

—
みゆのらあ@ことりバッグの人 (@vicks2054) August 13, 2015

▼ “Eight people asked to have their picture taken with me, so happy! Even cosplayers asked me, so happy! Got some compliments from the staff, so happy! Comiket is so much fun!”

鞄の写真撮らせて下さい今日だけで8人嬉しい＼(^o^)／　コスプレしてる人にもゆわれた嬉しい＼(あなた撮られる側でしょ)／　コミケスタッフにも誉められた嬉しい＼(じゃらバッグ危ないよって注意は？)／　そんな感じ！コミケ楽しいヽ(*´∇｀*)ノパァ！

—
みゆのらあ@ことりバッグの人 (@vicks2054) August 15, 2015

Of course Japanese netizens, most probably just like you, had some questions about this bag:

“How can you carry that around? It looks so heavy.”
“Is it even a bag anymore?”
“How much did all that cost?”
“I like how there’s even a picture of her on the bag itself… at least, I think that’s the bag….”
“You, sir, have my respect.”

So what do you think? Would you be willing to carry around an ita-bag of your own? Or is even the idea just too painful?

Source: Twitter (@seiyufan), Twitter (@vicks2054) via My Game News Flash
Featured/top image: Twitter (@vicks2054)

Origin: Otaku ita-bag contest winner a painful sight to behold: “Is it even a bag anymore?”
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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We’ve got the info on an upcoming event in Nakano, to be held on Saturday October 31; in other words, Halloween. The event will turn the area around Nakano Station, which includes Nakano Broadway, and Nakano Sun Plaza shopping areas, into anime heaven for the day. You’ll be able to get into the spirit of the holiday by dressing up in cosplay, snap some great photos of other people’s intricate cosplay creations, or just be content with watching the various costume parades and shows on offer.

Nakano Broadway may not be as famous as Akihabara, but any hardcore anime fan will tell you that it’s the place to go to find old-school manga, retro toys, and cool cosplays. This is the second MAG Festa event held here, the inaugural one being held last year, and it’s set to be a fun-filled day of manga, anime, and games, with the main features of the event being cosplay and stage events. 

Despite the prominence of cosplay within the Japanese anime community, it’s something that’s only done at conventions and special events, and even then people take their costumes with them to get changed at the venue. So the biggest draw of this event is that on the day the entire area around the station will be a cosplay-friendly zone. And what better time of the year get dressed up than Halloween? Cosplayers will be able to hang out, have photo shoots, and even do some shopping while in costume, and there will also be a big cosplay parade as well as lots of smaller collaboration events going on. Changing rooms will be available at a cost of 1,000 yen (US$8.30) and cloakrooms for 500 yen, and anyone is welcome to join in.

As well as participant-driven cosplay, there will also be performances on two large stages erected in front of Nakano Sun Plaza and Nakano Ward Office. Throughout the day they will be showing cosplay-related events and artist performances. They have yet to announce who they have on board, but last year they had a variety of cosplayers, Nico Douga let’s players, and a talk show with popular seiyuu (voice actress) Yumi Uchiyama. While there will be free performances, bear in mind that there will also be some that require a fee.

The website currently features a placeholder telling us that more info will be coming soon, and we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know more.

Main details
What: MAG FESTA Halloween event
Where: Around Nakano Station
When: Saturday October 31, 2015, from 10am to 7pm
Who’s it for: cosplayers, anime and manga fans, anyone looking for a fun & free day out

Source & images: MAG Festa

Origin: Tokyo’s Nakano to be transformed into cosplay heaven this Halloween for MAG Festa 2015
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Spend enough time teaching a foreign language, and eventually you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to stop and ask yourself whether your job, which ordinarily involves correcting how your students speak, also includes correcting what they’re saying. For example, I once had a teen pupil declare that “Being good looking is the only thing that’s important.” After a moment of consideration, I decided that trying to fix that shallow philosophy was above my pay grade, so I told her, “OK, nice grammar” and left it at that.

Still, when working with kids, it’s nice to impart a useful life lesson when the opportunity to do so relatively gently presents itself, as it did for one expat in Japan who reminded his young English-learning student of the difference between anime and real life.

Foreign vocabulary and phrasing always sticks better in your memory when it’s connected to a real experience, and shaking lessons up and letting students do something other than rote memorization or one-possible-answer drills is a good way to keep boredom from setting in. Those are both potential upsides to having students write about what they did over summer vacation, which is a pretty common assignment in English classes in Japan.

While we’re sure a lot of the resulting compositions are about hanging out with friends or taking a family trip, one English-learner in Yokohama came back from the summer break with a much more exciting story to tell. The English he used to convey the tale was pretty solid, too, and after a handful of corrections, reads:

“Then I crashed into someone.
I said, ‘I’m sorry’ then I noticed the person was a woman.
She had short red hair, almond-shaped eyes and she was wearing a black and pink colored yukata.
She said ‘I’m sorry too.’
I asked her ‘Are you injured? What’s your name?’
She said “Nothing. My name is Nishikino Maki.
My friend is waiting for me. See you!’
I fell in love at first sight with her.
It was my best memory.”

Wow, that sure beats “I stayed up past my bedtime every night” of “I ate all the ice cream in the freezer and got sick, but it tasted sooooo good!”

But a redhead, huh? That’s pretty unusual in Japan, since schools generally don’t allow students to dye their hair. And that name, which would be Maki Nishikino if it was said Western-style, with the given name first, is pretty dramatic. It sounds like the name of an anime character, or a pop idol.

▼ Or both!

Yep, it turns out that this love-struck lad’s object of affection was none other than the Maki Nishikino, one of the schoolgirl vocalists from mega-hit idol anime Love Live!

Popular as Love Live! may be, though, it’s a fairly recent phenomenon, with the franchise having just kicked off in 2010. Outside the otaku community, its characters aren’t as instantly recognizable as, say, the cast of Dragon Ball, Evangelion, or the films of Studio Ghibli. But while the enhanced reality of this student’s sentimental summertime story may have fooled a less pop culture-savvy educator, it wasn’t getting past his English teacher, who not only corrected his spelling and grammatical errors, but also added a special message to let his pupil know he was aware of exactly who Miss Nishikino really is.

Sitting here grading papers on "My Best Memory from Summer Vacation" and this shows up. Anime has gone too far. http://t.co/ZhvQE2zjLs

—
AMERIKAJIN (@jiyunaJP) August 26, 2015

The tweet and photo come from Twitter user @jiyunaJP, an American teaching in Yokohama. And while he felt it wise to remind the student that “Love Live is not real!”, odds are he’s not totally disapproving of the passion the boy has for his hobby considering that the teacher also has a YouTube channel dedicated to Japanese fighting video games.

And hey, while using real-life experiences can help language-learners retain what they’ve been studying, so can speaking about something they’re emotionally invested in and feel strongly about, and the student’s admiration for his anime muse seems to qualify. A non-native speaker slipping the phrase “almond-shaped eyes” into his prose, and even remembering the hyphen? That kid may have to add “linguist” to his list of titles, right next to “otaku.”

Source: Yurukuyaru
Top image: Twitter/@jiyunaJP
Insert image: Love Live! official website

Origin: American English teacher in Japan takes a moment to remind student that anime is not real
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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So we’ve seen mousepads intended for female-chest-loving otaku before. And we’ve also seen mousepads intended for male-rear-end-loving otaku before. But what about all the poor otaku out there who can’t get enough of their favorite female characters’ behinds?

Well the wait ends now. Japanese anime merchandise supplier Softgarage has started producing mousepads for otaku who are fans of female characters that are a little bit more, uh, rearly-endowed than others.

What do they look like and how do they make them? Make sure you’re in a place where it’s okay to look at some slightly-NSFW images, then read on to find out!

The Softgarage “butt-pads” each weigh in at a hefty three kilograms (6.6 lbs) and are made with medical silicone used for breast implants. The company has stated that the inspiration behind creating the mousepads is that “Ever since the dawn of time, men have loved butts!” Well you can’t really argue with that.

Here’s a video of a fan interacting with his Softgarage butt-pad, showing off how “lifelike” it is (Warning: slightly NSFW music/sound effects).

Every butt-pad is carefully crafted by hand, ensuring that each one is slightly different from the rest, just like in real life. Here’s the steps that go into making them:

▼ First you start with the silicone implants that are impossible to look at without giggling.

▼ Then you lay over your choice of bashfully suggestive anime character.

▼ Make a few nip and tucks, and then…

▼ Voila, the final product! Murasama from Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa is ready to bring some comfort to your internet clicking.

▼ Or if you prefer, Angela Balzac from Expelled from Paradise will happily rest your tired, aching wrists.

Oddly enough the website that makes the butt-pads contains this strange warning at its very bottom: “If you use this product as a mousepad, your elbow will be in the wrong position and it will be very uncomfortable to use.” So does that mean we’re not supposed to use these things as mousepads? What could they possibly be used for otherwise?

So what do you think? Would you risk elbow-injury to use one of these? Or do you have some other idea for their mystery usage? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Softgarage via withnews
Images: Softgarage

Origin: Need more cringing and/or comfort in your clicking? Try a big-booty anime girl mousepad!
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Although he’s one of the most respected figures of all time in the manga industry, Kazuo Koike isn’t typically associated with the otaku subculture. When his most popular creation, Lone Wolf and Cub, was translated into English it attracted as many international fans from among Western comic readers as from those who favored Japanese manga, and in general his works have a gritty, somber tone to them, unlike the brightly colored daydreams and self-insert power fantasies that are often associated with otaku-pandering fare.

There’s also the fact that Koike was born in 1936, and being old enough and of the corresponding gender to fill two-thirds of a “grumpy old man” bingo card, you might expect him to have harsh words for Japan’s legions of hobby-obsessed individuals, like those that often sputter forth from Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki.

But it turns out that not only is Koike accepting of the otaku life, but he thinks that being an otaku from the cradle to the grave makes for a beautiful life.

In another twist, it turns out Koike is quite the social media master, with a massive Twitter following of over 140,000 fans. Recently he shared his thoughts on the otaku condition, and whether or not it’s something that people ever really grow out of.

君たちねえ、８０の僕が言うと身も蓋もないけど、オタクに生まれついた者は一生オタクなンだぜ。足抜けはできないよッ！Natural Born　ＯＴＡＫＵ　！！！(koike　kazuo)

—
小池一夫 (@koikekazuo) September 09, 2015

“I’m 80 years old, so I’m just going to come out and tell you guys. People who are born as otaku are otaku for life. You can’t quit it! Natural Born OTAKU!!!” (Kazuo Koike)

There’s something quant about the way Koike makes a point of signing his tweets, and it’s also odd that he calls himself an 80-year-old, while online biographies say he won’t join the octogenarian club until next May. Still, when you’re showing that much passion, you can be forgiven for minor arithmetic errors, especially when you go on to show even more zest for life.

僕は、常々「オタク最強説」を唱えているのだが、周りを見ても年を取ってから楽しく過ごしている人は大抵何かのオタクだ。ほンと、オタクのまま人生を終えるのは素晴らしいことだよ。オタクとして生きて、オタクとして死ぬ。最高だね。(小池一夫)

—
小池一夫 (@koikekazuo) September 09, 2015

“I’m always saying ‘I am the greatest otaku,’ but when you take a look around, senior citizens who are enjoying their lives are generally some sort of otaku. Truly, being an otaku until the end of your days is a wonderful thing. Live as an otaku, die as an otaku. It’s the greatest.” (Kazuo Koike)

So there you have it. Feel like being an otaku is a stage of your past? According to Koike, you still are one.

But while this might, at first glance, seem like the chest-thumping of a fanboy crossed with the freedom to say whatever you want that comes from being an elderly man with a cemented legacy, Koike actually makes a pretty valid point about happy seniors being otaku. He doesn’t specify what kind, and is probably using the term in a much broader sense than the typical “anime/video games/idol singers” otaku holy trinity, but there’s plenty of medical data that suggests having interests and being involved in them keeps the mind sharp and the psyche healthy as we age.

So the next time you’re taking a moment to indulge in your favorite pastime and someone says, “Aren’t you a little old to be getting so into that?” just remember, there’s one manga legend who’s got your back.

Source: Jin
Top image: Wikipedia/RacialBender (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Lone Wolf and Cub creator says being an otaku for life is wonderful, key to happiness in old age
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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When you stroll into an anime specialty shop in the U.S., there are a couple of demographics you expect to see among the customers. Teenagers with brightly dyed hair. Thirty-somethings digging through discounted single-volume VHS and DVD releases for those elusive remaining episodes of Maison Ikkoku or Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. Maybe a handful of Japanese expats.

But if you happen to be shopping for anime goodies in Los Angeles, just a stone’s throw away from the world’s leading film studios, you also might spot a famous Hollywood actor, like these Californian otaku who ran into Nicolas Cage.

The Love Live! movie finally came to America last weekend, with one of the theaters screening the anime hit being the Downtown Independent Cinema in Los Angeles. Conveniently, the theater is located within easy walking distance of the city’s revitalized Little Tokyo Japanese enclave, so before catching the film, some anime fans decided to swing by the nearby Jungle (also known as Anime Jungle), one of L.A.’s most popular anime retailers.

While there, they ran into Cage, who was kind enough to pose for a snapshot.

Nicolas Cage saw the Love Live movie. What are you doing with your life, scrub? http://t.co/q86f3P92B0

—
  (@AkibaBlare) September 13, 2015

Contrary to what the tweet says, there’s no proof that Cage actually attended the Love Live! screening. Nor is this a sign that Cage, famously a huge fan of American super heroes, has switched his comic loyalty to Japanese manga, as some sources are saying the reason he was at Jungle is that his son is a fan of anime, not the actor himself.

Still, as someone who took half of his stage name from Marvel character Luke Cage, and who also named one of his children Kal-El, after Superman’s birth name, we think Cage felt a certain sense of kinship to the American otaku milling about Jungle. We’d also be willing to bet he appreciated the enthusiasm shown in their anime-inspired fashion, too, considering that at the time the photo was taken Cage seems to have been in the middle of cosplaying as Ghost Rider.

Related: Anime Jungle
Source: Jin, Brown Paper Tickets
Featured image: Twitter/@AkibaBlare
Top image: Love Live! official website

Origin: Star-struck American otaku run into Nicolas Cage while shopping for anime in L.A.
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Even among animation aficionados, it can sometimes be hard to justify spending the equivalent of a hundred dollars or more on an anime character figure. No matter how high the quality of the product is, that’s a lot of cash to shell out for something that’s going to just sit there gathering dust on your shelf, even if it looks pretty doing it.

But perhaps it’ll be easier for shoppers to pull the trigger on this particular figure. True, the subject being a busty and bikini-clad anime heroine isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but what makes this figure special is that it’s designed to let otaku cram a straw between its breasts to suck on as they enjoy a refreshing glass of milk.

The enduring fans of Sword Art Online seem pretty united in their love of the series’ leading lady, Asuna, and so much so that her popularity often outshines that of protagonist Kirito. So if one of the other female members of the cast wants to get some attention, she’s going to have to do something pretty provocative.

Yeah, that oughta do it.

That’s Leafa, one of Kirito’s traveling companions in the virtual fantasy realms of Sword Art Online. Ordinarily, the elf-like adventurer dresses in an ankle-length dress with medieval accents, but seeing as how the Sword Art Online anime has more than a dozen episodes, naturally at some point she’s also shown in a bikini, and that’s the outfit figure maker Junko decided to immortalize in this new figure.

Given the natural progression of thought from swimsuit to beach to beach umbrella, it’s not surprising that the figure comes with a tall parasol to help keep the fair-skinned Leafa from getting sunburned.

If you can tear your eyes away from Leafa’s chest, though, you might notice that the circumference of the umbrella looks to be ineffectively small, which is reason number one to just remove it altogether. And reason number two?

After taking out the shaft, you can instead insert a straw in there.

The figure, officially called the Leafa Sexy Bikini de Parasol Figure, doesn’t come bundled with a straw, but it seems that any normally sized variety will work. Likewise, the manufacturer doesn’t specify that you have to drink milk with it, but we can’t imagine anyone with a strong enough mammary fixation to buy an anime boob straw figure would choose a non-lactose beverage.

The figure is scheduled to ship in February, but can be preordered here from retailer Hobby Search for the discounted price of 11,664 yen (US$95). Again, please be aware that inserting a straw requires removal of the parasol, thereby exposing Leafa to the sun’s harsh UV rays, although we imagine most potential buyers can easily circumvent this problem by either lovingly slathering Leafa with sunscreen or simply inserting the umbrella into the pliable buttocks of other anime figures they’ve got lying around.

Source: IT Media
Images: Hobby Search (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Anime figure with straw-holding cleavage is the perfect way to enjoy a nice glass of milk
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Right before the internet entered a new millennia, Hiroyuki Nishimura launched 2channel, an online community website that would eventually change the face of otaku and internet culture in Japan. The simple layout and anonymity later went on to spark the creation of an English language version of the website, called 4chan, which would similarly impact the international online community as 2channel had in Japan.

In a curious turn of events according to a recent announcement by 4chan’s founder and former sole administrator, Nishimura has been named as the owner of the English spinoff community to his original creation.

4chan is an anonymous online forum created by Christopher Poole, nicknamed moot, in 2003. For almost 12 years, the community has provided a safe space for subculture fans to share information and connect with other users.

Even if you haven’t ever posted to the site, chances are your internet experience has been affected by it, considering 4chan is also responsible for many of the internet memes online users are familiar with today, like LOLcats, Rickrolling, and Rage Comics. Other humorous moments include the time when a made-up story of Justin Bieber appeared on the site and was re-posted by other social media outlets, which inspired a league of Bieber fans to shave their heads bald in order to show solidarity.

Despite the forum’s highly influential success, it wasn’t without multiple hurdles along the way. Upkeep costs racked up huge amounts of debt for Poole, and finding advertisers to support the site hasn’t always been easy due to some of the more questionable content posted by users.

Earlier this year on January 21, Poole made an announcement that he would be stepping down as the site’s administrator, and leaving responsibilities to a number of trustworthy 4chan volunteers.

Yesterday, exactly eight months later, Poole posted an update announcement informing the public that Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of 2channel, will be taking over ownership duties from here on out.

Though the announcement didn’t go into much detail about how the agreement was brokered, considering how the board was created as a direct result of Futaba Channel and its predecessor, 2channel, it looks like the community has finally come full circle.

At this point we’re not sure what kind of future plans has for 4chan, but considering the longevity of 2channel, we don’t doubt that the site is in good hands.

Source: 4chan
Top/feature image: 4chan
Insert image: 4chan

Origin: 4chan creator hands reins over to 2channel’s Hiroyuki Nishimura
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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The word otaku has a long and complicated history in Japan. Originally, it was strictly a pejorative, a label used to mark those with an unhealthily intense interest in anime and other bits of minutiae-heavy hobbies. But while there are many who still use the word in that scathing sense, “otaku” has slowly built up another image as a badge of pride worn by those with a strong and enduring passion for the specific niches of art or technology that appeal to them.

That means that Japanese society, for arguably the first time, is starting to accept that being an otaku can be either a positive or a negative force in a person’ life. But what’s the difference between a good otaku and a bad otaku? One Japanese educator has an answer.

Among his hobbies, Japanese Twitter user @yoshiya_448 lists such otaku-friendly pursuits as video games, Vocaloids, and illustration. So no doubt he was happy when, in his high school days, his homeroom teacher (an otaku himself) said this:

“A good otaku shares enjoyment and information with the people around him, so that everyone can feel happy. A bad otaku forces his tastes on others, picks fights with people who have a different way of looking at things than he does, and makes the people around him feel uncomfortable. All of you, be good otaku.”

高校の時のオタクの担任が言っていた。 「良いオタクとは楽しさを共有したり情報を発信して周りを幸せにする。 悪いオタクは好みを押し付けたり自分と違う価値観を攻撃して周りを不快にする。 君達は良いオタクになれ。」 この言葉はどんな教科書の名言より胸に深く刻まれている。

—
よし屋 (@yoshiya_448) October 09, 2015

On the one hand, the statement could be taken as no more than an esoteric rule of conduct in the sphere of fandom, but there’s actually a lot of valuable wisdom involved. Teens, by nature, are defined by their passions. For the most part, they haven’t lived long enough to compile a set of identity-solidifying accomplishments, and they don’t yet wield enough societal influence for their ideologies to be of significant import either.

So if kids can learn from a young age that everyone has different tastes, even within the same hobby, it should help them develop a sense of empathy, and also responsibility in how they pursue their own interests. Building that foundation should in turn make them that much more likely to grow into tolerant, conscientious adults.

“My teacher’s words left a deeper impression on my heart than any of the famous sayings in my textbooks,” says @yoshiya_448, and hopefully other otaku are taking notes.

Source: Hamster Sokuho
Top image: Anime Mirai

Origin: What’s the difference between a “good” otaku and a “bad” otaku?
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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It’s no secret that in Japan selling the fantasy of an anime or video game sweetheart is big business. But is everyone with a 2-D crush simply a lonely soul using the fictional character as a substitute for a lack of real-world interaction with the opposite sex, or do some people just prefer having a virtual romantic prospect? One Japanese technology company is aiming to find out, using the power of science.

CEATEC, the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, is an annual Japanese trade show. At this year’s event, being held in Chiba Prefecture’s Makuhari Messe convention center, one of the items on display will be the Tokimeki Sensor. Created by technology developer Techmac, the Tokimeki Sensor uses optic sensors from manufacturer Rohm Semiconductor to pinpoint “the moment when a person falls in love.”

Since the sensors are picking up physical reactions, rather than actually reading your mind, it seems that “falling in love” here actually refers to that spark of initial attraction. As part of its demonstration at CEATEC, Techmac will have attractive spokesmodels on hand to say kind words to individual participants. Actually, each tester gets a double helping of sweetness, as one spokesmodel is an actual person, and the other is an anime-style character.

In the video above, we see the 2-D girl telling the participant “I’m always watching you, and see you giving your best.” The real-life model, meanwhile, tells the visitor, “You look really cool.” Afterwards, the Tokimeki Sensor will determine which spokesmodel produced the larger effect on the listener, and crown a winner.

▼ The real-life female models: Yumi Hikichi, Sakiko Otani, Aoi Tsuruta

And since plenty of women in Japan also enjoy a little 2-D romance, there’s a male model, Kohei Munekawa, and an anime guy as well.

A pre-CEATEC online poll asking respondents who they think will win in the showdown between Otani and her rival has 64 percent of the votes going to the 2-D cutie. Techmac is expected to release the final results once the trade show is over.

Sources: Tokimeki Sensor official website, Techmac
Top image: Tokimeki Sensor official website (edited by RocketNews24)
Top image: Tokimeki Sensor official website, Techmac (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Japanese tech company seeks to measure if 2-D crushes are more attractive than real-life models
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Sipping a hot cup of tea can be an enjoyable way to relax and put your brain on auto-pilot for a few minutes. Waiting for your tea bag to steep, though, can be downright dull. Sitting there, staring at the bag’s string and tab, you might find yourself wishing for a view, and if your preferred view is a pair of large anime breasts, this Japanese company would be happy to oblige.

Muku is a design firm based in Niigata, with a specialization in manga, anime, and video game content. According to Muku’s website, its newest brainchild, the Beautiful Girl T Bag, is “a product born from the pure desire of wanting to drink a beautiful girl’s sweat,” which we guess isn’t quite as gross as some other bodily fluids, but is still pretty far in the corner of the fetish bell curve.

The Beautiful Girl T Bag’s unorthodox spelling is almost certainly to evoke thoughts of T-back panties, as “bag” and “back” are written almost identically in Japanese (bag/バッグ vs. back/バック). Muku’s promotional image, though, shows a deeper appreciation for the upper half of the female form.

If you’re thinking you don’t recognize that character from any titillation-heavy anime or video games, that’s because Beautiful Girl T Bag is still in its planning stages, and that’s just a proof of concept mockup. Muku is currently looking for creative partners who’d like to license their characters for use. The tea itself will be procured from “a top-class tea provider in the Kanto region [east Japan],” with the finished products being sold at local events or national anime specialty store chains.

Muku is also looking into the prospect of crowdfunding production, so keep an eye on the company’s website and Twitter account if your cup of tea is looking a little lonely without a busty anime girl in it.

Source, images: Chara Tea

Origin: Ever wanted to drink a busty anime girl’s sweat? These tea bags can make that dream come true
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Different people have different concepts of Japanese automaker Subaru. For motorsports enthusiasts, the first image that comes to mind is the company’s all-wheel drive cars doing sick jumps on rally gravel stages. Technology buffs, meanwhile, may think of their EyeSight automatic braking safety system.

Japanese animation fans, though, may best know Subaru as the major sponsor of animation studio Gainax’s celestial-themed magical girl anime Wish Upon the Pleiades (known in Japanese as Hokago no Pleiades). And while the series’ TV run is over, that doesn’t mean Subaru’s love for the anime has expired, as the car manufacturer has created, and is selling, an official Wish Upon the Pleiades itasha covered with graphics of the show’s cast.

The itasha began life as a WRX S4, the base model of Subaru’s turbo-charged all-wheel drive sedan.

But while the S4 can look a little dowdy in its plain form, there’s a long history of sprucing Subaru’s sports sedans up with flashy aero kits and wheels. And while the Wish Upon the Pleiades WRX checks both those boxes, the biggest eye-catcher is without question its exterior anime artwork.

Blue has always been a popular body color choice for WRXs, but the car’s sheet metal is actually silver. All of the blue and pink patches are wraps, as are the magical girls.

The Wish Upon the Pleiades itasha shuns the arguably played-out trend of gold or bronze wheels for WRXs, instead going for pastel pink rollers. The interior has also been dressed up with an assortment of shiny bits.

The car, a 2014 model, was originally displayed at promotional events for the series and itasha events around the country. As such, it’s not entirely brand new, with 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) on the odometer. There’s also a bit of a sticker shock in that the official itasha is listed at a prices of 5,550,000 yen (US$46,600), a substantial premium over the 3,348,000 yen that new WRX S4s start at. Even the hefty price is a crafty bit of fan service, though, meant to evoke the 555 livery WRX rally cars wore during their glory days in the World Rally Championship.

Since the Wish Upon the Pleiades itasha is a one-off, Subaru will be holding a drawing to determine the lucky fan who gets to buy it. Entries can be made online between now and noon on November 24. You can throw your hat in the ring here, and if you end up as the owner and are looking for someone to start a car club with, we think this guy would be happy to join.

Sources: Otakumu, Sankei Biz, Subaru Online Shop
Top image: Subaru Online Shop
Insert images: Subaru, Subaru Online Shop (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Love anime and driving? Carmaker Subaru now selling official itasha
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Even as the world of otaku becomes an increasingly co-ed one, many of Japan’s obsessive fans of anime, video games, and other forms of pop culture struggle in finding a romantic partner. That’s where Aeullura, a matchmaking company specializing in konkatsu (marriage-minded dating) events for otaku, comes in.

But conventional speed-dating can be intimidating for even ordinarily outgoing individuals, let alone otaku who might very well spend more of their free time watching fictional characters than interacting with other people. Add in the pressure of a ticking clock, and some might not feel confident in their ability to walk up to an attractive stranger, make a good impression, and then find out more about them.

That’s why Aeullura is flipping that sequence of events for its upcoming otaku matchmaking party by giving the speed daters access to a wealth of information about one another, and even letting them communicate online, before putting them all in the same room together.

The event is scheduled for next month, in time to help those looking for a date on Christmas Eve (considered the most romantic night of the year in Japan). Appropriately, it’s being called the Dempa Darake (“Heavy Digital”) Konkatsu Party.

Aeullura is recruiting 50 men and 50 women for the gathering. When registering, you’ll be asked to create a profile which will be visible by the other participants even before the party. Requested information includes your annual income, level of education/school graduated from, and occupation. The organizers would also like to know whether you smoke, drink, or have been married before. And perhaps most important of all in some participants’ minds, you’re asked to list the titles of the anime, video games, or other otaku-oriented works that you’re a fan of.

Prior to the event, participants are encouraged to sift through the profiles of other participants using their smartphone, and the system allows for searching by specified parameters. Should you find someone you like, you can send them a message saying that you’re interested in getting to know them better at the party.

▼ Concept photos of the party. We’re guessing the anime illustration with the earmuffs is a visualization of subsequent Christmas Eve date after hitting it off, and not an unspoken warning that the party space will not be heated.

Additionally, you can create and store a list of likely prospects for your personal use, making it easy to pull up their profile for a quick review of who’s who just before the start of the event. There’s also an online bulletin board set up for the party participants, so that they can become better acquainted before meeting face-to-face for the first time.

Aeullura points out that all this allows party participants to start laying the groundwork for a romantic connection before the big day. While some people might find such an extended campaign wearisome, many will no doubt appreciate the ability it gives them to take things a bit more slowly and let attraction bloom in a more natural manner, which is a definite positive.

It’s a little harder to see the benefit, though, in reminding participants that they can also use Aeullura’s online system to post reviews of people they’ve talked to during the event…while it’s still going on!

▼ The review screen

Granted, the system only allows you to rate your impression of your fellow singles as “very good,” “pretty good,” or “normal,” but diplomatic choice of vocabulary aside, those still break down as rating someone as a 1, 2, or 3. Unless you’ve got an incredibly thick skin, the prospect of being branded with the lowest possible ranking, which can then be viewed by the other 98 people you’re still at the party with, seems like it would cause plenty of stress, awkwardness, and discomfort.

▼ Come to think of it, the guy on the Dempa Darake Konkatsu Party website does look pretty tense.

Still, the rest of Aeullura’s unique ideas present some strong upsides. If you’re an otaku who’s looking for love, the Dempa Darake Konkatsu Party will be held in Tokyo’s Akihabara on November 21. Admission is 8,000 yen (US$67) for men, and a mere 2,000 yen for women. Reservations can be made through Aeullura’s website here.

Source: Aeullura
Top image: Aeullura
Insert images: Aeullura (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)

Origin: Otaku speed-dating party lets participants chat online before event, review each other during it
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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The international anime fan community has adopted a number of Japanese loanwords for concepts that originated in Japan and don’t have succinct, ideal vocabulary equivalents in other languages. English-language discussions between foreign fans are peppered with terms like otaku (fans whose enthusiasm for their hobby is so strong it affects their life balance), tsundere (a person whose expressions of emotion towards an object of affection run hot and cold), and moe (a feeling of devotion and protectiveness, often in response to a display of innocence or purity), just to name a few.

Now, though, the shoe’s on the other foot, as one woman in Japan with a soft spot for anime showing deep, emotional bonds between male characters is calling for the popularization of an English loanword to help her avoid being mistaken for a fan of homoerotic anime and fan fiction.

@emiko038 has a bit of a problem. See, she loves it when anime shows a close, devoted relationship between a pair of its male leads, as illustrated in this short comic she’s drawn.

私と同じ悩みを抱えている女子、絶対いる！ 貴女の好きな「それ」、「ブロマンス」ですよ!!! https://t.co/bV2ze2HIpD

—
えみこの極み (@emiko038) October 27, 2015

“I get so pumped up by hot-blooded friendship and love between comrades!” she shouts, which immediately triggers the response “You’re a fujoshi.”

Fujoshi is a Japanese word that literally means “rotten girl,” but refers to female anime and manga fans who’re entranced by the male homoerotic genre called Boys’ Love (see what we meant about lots of Japanese phrases making their ways into English anime discussions?). Lacking any better term, @emiko038 did indeed used to refer to herself as a fujoshi, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow it wasn’t the most accurate label for her particular brand of fandom.

“I’m happy when Boy A and Boy B are together, but it’s definitely not a romantic feeling, so I don’t think you’d call it Boys’ Love. But it just feels so good seeing that solid relationship they have with each other!”

“They’re more than friends, but less than lovers.”

“I want Boy A to get married with a woman…but I also want him to always be connected to Boy B…Hmm…”

“I mean, it’s not a romantic or sexual relationship I want them to have, so it’s really not Boys’ Love, right!?”

But while the sort of stories that hit @emiko038’s personal anime bull’s-eye have slipped through the cracks of Japanese linguistics, she’s found the perfect way to describe them in English, which is why she’s encouraging similarly minded fans to start using the term buromansu.

▼ Which is just the Japanese pronunciation of “bromance.”

Pedants may argue that “bromance” is actually a contraction of “bro romance,” not “brother romance,” and that “bro” carries a different nuance than “brother.” Still, @emiko038’s comic has racked up more than 20,000 retweets, and it’s nice to see so many fans find a new, more precise way to express themselves, as well as to see the cultural exchanges and influences of anime come full circle and cycle back from the international fan community to the Japanese one.

Sources: Twitter/@emiko038 (1, 2) via Jin
Images: Twitter/@emiko038

Origin: Don’t call it Boys’ Love! Japanese fujoshi finds a new term for her favorite anime trope
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Last week we took a look at a new brand of instant curry on sale in Japan that includes a DVD of a sexy model who pretends to be your girlfriend as you eat it. Now, who’s ready for some dessert?

In Japan, it’s not a proper Christmas Eve without a romantic date and some cake, so unattached anime fans will be thrilled to know that one of the industry’s most popular voice actresses is available for a dessert date this year. The only catch?

The date takes place in virtual reality.

Manufacturer Mega House’s BotsNew is a head-mounted VR system that uses a smartphone for its monitor. Simply download the BotsNew app, slide your phone into the housing unit, and you’re all set to enter a simulated world with stereoscopic, 360-degree visuals.

Among the BotsNew software that’s been created are roller coaster, sports car, and haunted house programs. But the newest BotsNew project aims to get users’ hearts beating not from adrenaline or terror, but from the stirrings of romance

Virtual Christmas with Haruka Tomatsu stars the 25-year-old voice actress of such popular anime heroines as Sword Art Online’s sword-swinging Asuna, To Love-Ru’s devilish alien princess Lala, and Cross Game’s fastball-hurling Aoba.

The date simulation package includes a BotsNew headset, the necessary software, and a selection of four cupcakes from Rolls New York. Start up the program, and you’ll find yourself alone with Tomatsu, who happily chats with and smiles at you. At certain points, she’ll instruct you to say “Aaah” and extend a hand to feed you a bite of your special Christmas sweets.

This being a VR simulation, though, you’ll have to actually handle the cupcakes yourself, as demonstrated by the BotsNew wearer in this promotional image.

But while the date is imaginary, the cupcakes are real, and there’s an eclectic mix of flavors in the bundle. The lineup consists of chocolate orange, peach, cranberry, and cheese pepper.

We honestly can’t say that last one sounds all that appealing, but just like with the swimsuit model DVD/orange curry combo pack we talked about above, this isn’t so much about the food itself as it is the companionship. And should you find one of the flavors irresistibly delicious, the fact that your date isn’t really there means you don’t have to save half the dessert for her.

If you’re interested in virtually asking Miss Tomatsu out, the virtual date package can be ordered here through Yahoo! Shopping Japan for 3,854 yen (US$32), with shipping scheduled for early December.

Source: Animate via Jin
Featured image: Mega House
Top image: Mega House
Insert images: Mega House, Yahoo! Japan Shopping

Origin: Need a date for Christmas Eve? VR headset lets you share cake with an anime voice actress
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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Following their conquest of Japan, the high school idols of hit anime Love Live! have their eyes set on the rest of the world, with an international release for their first theatrical feature. But even that might not be a big enough stage for the animated vocalists. They’re now on their way to taking over the skies as well, since you can now watch Love Live! anime on selected flights on, of all carriers, Qatar Airways.

As one of only of only seven airlines to be awarded a five-star ranking, Qatar Airways seeks to make its passengers journeys as pleasant as possible. Given that reputation, Japanese Twitter user @kazu67_ probably wasn’t too surprised when he settled into his seat on a recent Qatar Airways flight and found a seatback monitor with a selection of video programs to choose from for his in-cabin entertainment.

But what he wasn’t expecting was for Love Live! to be one of his viewing options.

カタール航空、ラブライブ（1話だけ）あって驚いた。機内のディスプレイに日本のアニメが映る衝撃。 https://t.co/ZcDI42i784

—
とっぺ (@kazu67_) November 04, 2015

Granted, it was only a single episode, but still, there were series centerpiece Honoka and two of her pals, all set to keep @kazu67_ company as he made his way across the skies.

Of course, it’s not completely out of the ordinary to see anime on international flights, and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso famously debuted inside Japan Airlines’ aircraft before it was shown in theaters. Still, when Japanese animation shows up in places like this, it’s more likely to be in the form of comparatively mainstream feature films, not single episodes of a series aimed dead-center at the hearts of otaku.

What’s more, this wasn’t on a flight going to or from Japan. @kazu67_ snapped these photos while flying from Turkey to Qatar, specifically Istanbul to Doha. And while there are several Japanese companies involved in infrastructure-building ventures in the region, travelling Japanese businessmen are no doubt the minority among the passengers Qatar Airways carries along the route.

Between this and the massive anime-oriented bookstore now found in the Dubai mall, maybe it’s only a matter of time before the Love Live! cast gets contracted to start doing in-flight safety videos for Middle Eastern air carriers.

Source: Togech
Images: Twitter/@kazu67_

Origin: Love Live!’s popularity continues to soar, anime appears in Qatar Airways in-flight entertainment
Copyright© RocketNews24 / SOCIO CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

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