Fist of the North Star‘s Kenshiro got a life-size statue last year. It was covered in 500,000 Swarovski crystals, apparently worth ¥10,000,000 or $130,000. More »
Japanese anime, manga and game characters sometimes have blonde hair. Sometimes they have blue eyes. But that’s merely cosmetic, no? There must be some sort of analysis that cuts closer to the bone. Literally. More »
There are 64 volumes of popular Japanese manga One Piece. Each copy is about half an inch thick and weighs 5.30 ounces. All 64 volumes stacked are over three feet high and weigh nearly 22 pounds. You’d be insane to try to steal all 64 volumes at once. More »
Elffi is the pride of Finnish cosplay. The 23-year-old, who is currently studying business management, represented his country at the World Cosplay Summit in Japan — which is like the Olympics of cosplay. More »
Slam Dunk, first a manga and then an anime, was instrumental in popularising basketball in Japan, as well as other parts of Asia. Students at the National Taiwan University of Arts paid tributed to the anime’s opening with this brilliant shot-by-shot recreation. More »
I’m not trying to be mean here. There is good art. And there is bad art. The art for Samurai & Dragons is, well, yeah. More »
When you think of Japanese pop culture today, schoolgirls with big eyes probably come to mind. It wasn’t always that way. More »
