Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru

Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru is a long name for a show. Anyway, it’s about a kid studying to get into a public medical school. He seems to be living with his aunt and he has a little girl sidekick who follows him around. She’s his childhood friend. He’s very serious about his studies and not looking for romance at all but he ends up having his classroom seat reassigned right next to the most beautiful and popular girl in school.

As far as production values and style, everything is pretty solid, but nothing really stands out either. It’s good, but nothing really unique or different. The turning point in the first episode is pretty hilarious and after that point the show becomes a lot more interesting. It seems like this one could be good for at least a few more episodes, but past that we’ll just have to see. Pretty solid, this one.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNN8FaC1UDM']

Who should watch this show: People who like shows about atypical romances with funny surprises.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Really good. I might not finish this series, but it deserves a few more episodes at least.

Cuticle Detective Inaba

This show is off to a pretty strange start. It’s about a pseudo-werewolf detective who takes down criminals and solves crimes by using strands of hair. I was expecting a different sort of show based on the first scene, but the show is surprisingly weird. The main characters all have some sort of goofy fetish. For example, the main dude the Cuticle Detective has a hair fetish.

I think the show is funny, but it’s more like a way over the top this is too ridiculous to believe kind of funny. It’s just lolwtf all over the place here. For me, this is not really a good thing. I don’t think I would be able to handle any more episodes of this show, but I can understand how some people would enjoy it.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB_l2qYBwy8']

Who should watch this show: People who like shows about weird fetishes, unexpected characters, and hair.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: No thanks. One episode was enough for me.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

I saw a captioned picture of this anime and that was what reminded me that it was about that time of year again. Anime roundup time! However, the scene they used was a bit questionable, but I try to go into these shows without too many preconceived notions. Anyway, I like the animation and colors in this one. It’s one of the better looking shows this season from a purely artistic standpoint I think.

I was expecting more action from the show, but the first part of the first episode was pretty much all about the benefits of war, in this case between demons and humans. It’s actually more interesting than you’d think, so I was pleasantly surprised. The negotiations that take place are pretty funny. There’s definitely a lot of wiggly boobs to be seen here though, so be prepared.

This show seems like it might actually be pretty cool. The whole first episode was all talking between the two main characters, but it was still really interesting. I’m actually pretty excited to see what happens once they get out into the world and start adventuring and stuff. This show might be one to follow.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIxxnkhFYE']

Who should watch this show: People who like shows about the economics of war, or demon/human romance? I’m actually not sure what direction this show is going in.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Most certainly. I don’t know what to expect from the next episode, but I really like the feel of the show so far.

Senran Kagura

Haha, boobs. No, but seriously, fanservice all over the place right from the get go. There are plenty of “OH COME ON” sort of sexual innuendos to be found in Senran Kagura. Anyway, the show is about five busty modern day ninjas and their day to day lives.

This show has lots of female on female boob grabbing. There’s actually so much fanservice in this show that it made me a little uncomfortable. Definitely do not watch this show if there is any chance of someone walking in on you. The animation is fine and the characters are pretty. The story is vaguely interesting, but the over the top fanservice is actually a bit distracting. I don’t plan on following this one, but if ecchi is your thing, this anime is for you.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShuWDdMPRS0']

Who should watch this show: People who like ecchi.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Bad. Pros can’t outweigh the cons for this one.

Tamako Market

This is a really pretty looking anime. I really like the colors and the character designs. I think it’s by the same people that did K-ON. It’s just a nice show to look at. The show looks like it’s going to be centering around a girl and a strange talking bird. Past that, I dunno what to expect.

I was hoping that this show would be a bit more interesting since it has such a nice look to it, but it seems to be moving along kind of slowly. I found myself getting a bit bored while watching it, just waiting for something redeeming to happen. Some parts are pretty funny, but overall it was a ho-hum sort of viewing experience. This show was unfortunately pretty disappointing. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just not so good.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqmYAXijlJ4']

Who should watch this show: People who like pretty looking shows with colors and talking birds.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not good. This show was too slow and not interesting enough for me.

Amnesia

The show gets off to a sort of confusing start with not much being explained right away. The main girl seems to have some sort of amnesia, hence the title. Other than her having a sort of spirit guide only she can see and that she needs to remember who she is again, there’s not much story to go off of so far here.

The way the characters’ eyes are colored in this show is really interesting. They’re simple, but different enough from the usual run of the mill anime eyes that they seem really cool. It’s a nice touch.

Unfortunately the show has kind of a strange feel to it and wasn’t as exciting as I was expecting it to be from the opening scene. I kept waiting for something cool to happen because I felt like the show contained promise somewhere, but nothing really cool happened at all. This show was a pretty big letdown.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcSY4zkQgY0']

Who should watch this show: People who like characters with pretty eyes and girls with amnesia.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not so great. This show was slow and pretty boring.

Vividred Operation

Within the first minute there were two very gratuitous female butt shots. Anyway, the show is taking place in the future focusing on an inventor’s family. An unidentified weaponized machine is approaching the island they’re on, and the military is having trouble dealing with it. The grandfather makes a hilarious mistake, and the show really gets going from there.

The colors and animation style are very pleasing to the eyes, however Vividred Operation does like to show female butt shots for no good reason every once in a while (but really, what anime doesn’t?). Besides that, the show gets off to a pretty cool start. I was kind of surprised, for whatever reason I wasn’t expecting much from this one but it actually seems like it might be worth watching. I’m interested in seeing what happens next.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI83MmQUSBY']

Who should watch this show: People who like ermines, technology, and butts.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Very good. This show seems pretty interesting and I like the feel of it so far.

Mondaijitachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?

Here’s another show with a name I think is too long. The show on the other hand gets off to a pretty interesting start. I like that. The show is about a few individuals with extraordinary powers that get transported to another world. The three main characters are invited to participate in something known as the Gift Games where people with such powers compete for fabulous prizes.

This show is pretty funny. From the stills I was expecting something a little less impressive, but the show actually seems pretty neat. The animation is nice as well and the pretty colors are always appreciated. The characters are interesting and the show has a very light and enjoyable feel to it. This could be another good one.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0L3XXJ4JeI']

Who should watch this show: People who like otherworldly powers and bunny girls.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Good. The show grabs you right from the start and stays interesting throughout. I want to see where this one goes.

Shows that Made me Vomit and Bleed

Yes, this is an actual still from Ai Mai Mi.

Every season there are a few shows that just don’t sit right with me and I abandon them before they’re done. Some are unhappy to see that I treat some shows this way, but these are just my first impressions. If a show doesn’t grab me and get me engaged within the first 10 minutes or so, I’m moving on. Sorry.

Also either I found a type of show that didn’t exist before or I somehow missed these in earlier seasons, but some shows are only like 3 minutes long. Each episode is only 3 minutes long! All of the “shows” like this that I saw were bad. Why would they do this to me?

Sasami-san@Ganbaranai: The way this show is colored is very interesting. I’m not sure how much I like the style, but it’s definitely different. The main character seems to have a strange relationship with her brother. He feeds her, bathes her, and dresses her. Also, the brother never shows his face, he always has something in front of it or something on his head covering it.

This show doesn’t really feel like my thing. I got about 10 minutes in before I decided to just shut it off. Sorry guys, I just didn’t feel like seeing this one through, but this was the only full length episode I abandoned this season. That’s better than usual.

Ai Mai Mi: Anime about 3 aspiring mangaka girls. Pretty generic anime fare, but kinda funny. If it was a full episode I don’t think I’d be able to handle it.

Mangirl!: Magazine club with 4 girls. This was even less interesting than Ai Mai Mi, so – pretty bad.

Yama no Susume: I felt kind of interested in this one, but I don’t understand why it’s so short. I might have liked it if it had been a normal sized episode, but with it being this short I just don’t care for it much.

And as usual, there were also a handful of shows that I just didn’t check out and a handful of sequels that I never watched the original for (sorry!).

Bottom Line: This season is pretty so-so. Unless I managed to miss all the other good ones, Maoyuu Maou Yuusha and Mondaijitachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru Sou Desu yo? seem like they might be the only ones worth seeing all the way through. Maybe. Vividred Operation and Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru showed some potential, but only time will tell if those will be worth it or not. Did I miss all the other good ones? Please, if I missed any other good shows let me know!

So tell me, how do you think this season compares to the last one? Any new shows look good to you? What’s your favorite one so far? Share your thoughts down in the comments!

Sony Xperia Promos

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ydeY0tTtF4']

If I’m not mistaken, the live performance came first and then Sony asked them to be part of a commercial to promote their new Xperia phone. That’s understandable given how cool the act is. I’d never even thought of doing something like this. I’ve never really been too big on dance groups, but this just takes things to a whole other level.

You can do so much more with implementing this technology and it really makes the show all that more interesting to watch. There are different special effects one can emulate, eye tricks, and just tons of colors and patterns sparkling across the stage. It’s really entertaining.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLFdL3nj1g']

Like I said before, these guys have been featured in a CM (commercial message) for Sony’s new Xperia phone. The above video is the 60 second version the below is 30 seconds.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wTnd6TfEMk']

Pretty cool, huh? I think I like the live performance video more though. Even if the video quality is lower and there aren’t any fancy edits, I think you just really need a couple of minutes to get the full effect. I wish they had more lighted dance numbers I could watch.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y233PDhBkGY']

And here’s another video that shows how the commercial was made. It gives a bit more insight into all of the work and preparation that must be done in order to create these performances. I wonder how many times they had to shoot the CM before they got it just right. Not only does the performance depend on the dancers, but also the light crew and sound technicians making sure everything syncs up correctly.

Wreck In The Floor 2011

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNiN_n0KPbs']

As I mentioned before, Wrecking Crew Orchestra is a pretty popular dance crew from Japan. Here I’ve included two videos from one of their more recent performances available on YouTube.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg6Dpopcmak']

There are quite a few of their dance routines available for watching online, but these two are definitely of higher video quality than most of the others. So how did you like their dancing? I think it’s pretty good, but after watching them perform in those TRON suits, anything else just kinda pales in comparison.

Dr. Popeye’s Crazy Lights

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iWHcAGC_5U']

Minoru Fujimoto is an engineering Ph.D candidate at Kobe University, enjoys dancing on his spare time, and has even won multiple awards for his lighting choreography works. Sounds like a pretty cool guy to me. Just look at him go!

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7ET8hSuNbc']

I’m pretty sure that Minoru Fujimoto is the same guy as Dr. Popeye, but in the credits of some of his videos it has his name listed as the dancer and then Dr. Popeye listed as the lighting choreographer.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J77-euN2OVw']

I really like this last video a lot. I think it’s really cool with the dynamics between the two dancers. All the timing involved with getting the movements to sync up with the lighting effects is pretty impressive. Which video is your favorite?

And for those of you interested, you can check out some of his other videos over on his official YouTube page.

So, have these videos inspired you to rethink your path in life and aspire to become a light up fashion dancer? Which performance did you like best? Let us know in the comments!

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!

A Force to be Reckoned With

Ask me to make you a sandwich, go ahead – I dare you.

Onna bugeisha (lit. female master of martial arts) were more or less the female equivalent of samurai and a type of female warrior way back when in the olden times of feudal Japan. They belonged to an upper class of warriors known as bushi and even fought alongside male samurai in righteous battle.

These fierce females played a very important role in the time of feudal Japan but for some reason they don’t seem to get much recognition in the history books. Not once do I recall learning about these girls in school, and one of my majors was Japanese. What gives?

I’m not quite sure as to why they seem to get the short end of the stick here, but perhaps the male writers of the history books didn’t like their manliness being challenged by these femme fatales, or perhaps the answer lies somewhere else, who can say. Either way, I think these female warriors are pretty awesome and definitely worth learning about. Let’s move on, shall we?

Early History of the Onna Bugeisha

Even before the emergence of the legendary samurai and the bushi class, Japanese villages needed to be protected from all sorts of attackers. Since the men of the village weren’t always around (hunting, fishing, travelling to Fuji-Q Highland) the women needed to be able to defend themselves and the village should the need arise.

Even so, women warriors were definitely not a common sight on the battlefield. The Japanese idea of what a female should be like and what role she should fill in society were not much different from many cultures at the time. A woman was expected to be obedient, frail, and powerless when compared to her male counterpart in society. This traditional view of women did not rub well with the idea of a female warrior slaying enemies on the battlefield or wielding a deadly weapon.

In these fierce and bloody conflicts, male warriors most often used swords and spears and were highly trained with them. The women, however, were more likely to be trained in the naginata (pole-arm), kaiken (dagger), and tanto (knife) for use in battle. These weapons were easier to use and conceal in the case of the short blades, and the naginata’s length made up for most any strength the onna bugeisha’s female frame may have been lacking.

Weapons of the Onna Bugeisha

Probably the most popular weapon of choice for onna bugeisha was the naginata, a long rod with a curved blade at one end. Due to its length, it became very popular as it was easy to keep attackers at bay and counter attackers riding on horseback.

Because of this, it was easier for the onna bugeisha to fight male warriors at a bit of a distance which allowed them to make up for any lack of strength. Since the male attacker was unable to get into hand to hand or close quarters combat, they were unable to overpower the well trained naginata wielders and most likely brought much shame upon their families for getting owned so hard.

Even though other weapons were commonly used as well (kaiken, tanto, bow and arrow, etc) the naginata ended up becoming synonymous with the onna bugeisha image. Because of this, many onna bugeisha schools were founded in the beginning of the Edo period and focused mainly on the naginata for their training.

The Edo Period and the Fall of Onna Bugeisha

However, and unfortunately for the onna bugeisha, the Edo period also brought about a lowering to the status of onna bugeisha in society. This was due mostly to the influence of Neo-Confucian thought and the established marriage market of the time. As samurai’s focus changed from war and battle to issues of politics and bureaucracy, the onna bugeisha’s role in society drastically changed.

No longer were they fighting fearlessly in battle, these once mighty women were relegated to housemaids, trophy wives, and bargaining chips in deals of succession. Their once burning spirit was placated and pacified into one of quiet, passive obedience.

With the advent of the 17th century, the woman’s role in society had been cemented as a role of childbearing. With this new mindset the image of a female warrior was even more out of place in society than it might have been before. As such, the idea of females fighting in battle any longer was more or less snuffed out and the traditional onna bugeisha was no longer. Women were now viewed as baby machines and not much else.

But while their progress may have been halted by bureaucracy and the changing role of women in Japan, their legacy lives on in legendary tales of their power and bravery. And one of the most legendary and impressive onna bugeisha was one Empress Jingu.

The Legend of Empress Jingu

Empress Jingu (c. AD 169-269) was consort to Emperor Chuai and served as regent of Japan from 209 when Chuai died until 269 when her son Ojin ascended. There is much mystery and legend surrounding Empress Jingu as a historical figure. As there is insufficient records available concerning her and her reign in Japan, many are unsure as to how much of the legends are true. Regardless, the legends themselves are pretty awesome.

Aided by a pair of divine jewels allowing her to control the tides, legend has it she led a successful invasion of Korea in the year 200 without shedding a single drop of blood. However, the belief that Korea was invaded during this time is widely rejected historically, even in Japan. This is because there is debatable historical evidence of Japanese rule in Korea during this time. However, sources state that Japan had at least developed some control over southern Korea by the 4th century.

Legend also states that her son Ojin was born upon her return to Japan in 203. As he was conceived before she went to battle in Korea and born upon her return, he remained in her womb for three years. The legendary explanation for this is that he son was actually Hachiman, the god of war, and he willfully remained in her womb those three years to give her the time she needed to conquer Korea.

A Lasting Legacy

Doesn’t look very Japanese on the bill, does she?

Empress Jingu has been depicted in many vernacular narratives, paintings, and sculptures. Many regarded her as a living goddess, mother of the martial deity Hachiman, and the mighty conqueror of the Korean kingdoms. These powerful aspects represented all of Japan’s newfound colonial aspirations. It just made sense to choose Empress Jingu as the new face on Japan’s paper money.

In 1881, Empress Jingu became the first woman to be featured on a Japanese banknote. However, since no actual images of her are known to exist (only woodcarvings and the like), the artistic representation of Empress Jingu is entirely conjectural as I’m sure you can tell from the above picture.

Although the final resting place of Empress Jingu remains unknown, her officially designated tomb is located at Misasagi-cho in Nara. This sort of kofun tomb is characterized by a keyhole-shaped island located within a wide, water-filled moat.

But regardless of the validity of the stories surrounding this legendary figure, she no doubt has inspired many generations of Japanese people, both men and women alike. Along with the rest of the onna bugeisha, she fully represents the strength and resolve of Japanese women everywhere.

So tell me, have any of you heard of onna bugeisha before? Am I the only one who’s surprised that they aren’t mentioned more in Japanese history? Let us know in the comments!

[Header Image Source]

Works Consulted:
Jingu Wiki
Onna Bugeisha Wiki
Encyclopædia Britannica

For those of you unfamiliar with Vocaloids, they’re basically software that people can use to produce vocals. You type in the words and the note and the pitch and all that jazz and just like that you have a professional singer belting out your catchy lyrics. There are many different Vocaloids, but Hatsune Miku is hands down the most popular. If you want to learn more about them and how they will one day conquer the known world, you can read more about them in my post here, or Koichi’s post here.

But anyway, Livetune formed in 2007 and have been making catchy electro J-pop ever since. So far they have one regular album, one remix album, and a single CD that just came out earlier this week. I really enjoy their work and I hope you will too.

Hatsune Miku at Her Best

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqJNc9KVIZE']

Unfortunately this is the only official PV (promotional video) that Livetune has out for their tracks. It’s also the song that was released on single earlier this week and featured in a Japanese Google Chrome commercial. Not bad, eh?

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh0dqDK9yEM&feature=relmfu']

This song’s a bit more chill and laid back than the others but I still think it’s pretty good. And by chill and laid back I mean as compared to the other Livetune tracks.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l62uUZqz0Z8&feature=relmfu']

I like this song. It makes me happy. I never really had anything against Vocaloids before, I just didn’t think that the music going along with their singing was that great (most of the time). I think Livetune does a great job implementing Miku’s vocals into their songs.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5kUd72R_tg&feature=relmfu']

Livetune used to be a two man gig (Kz and Kajuki P) but Kajuki P ended up leaving the group in March of 2009. You can check out Livetune’s Last.fm page here.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6mMMYSqlM4&feature=relmfu']

This song is definitely more chill than the other ones. I’m not really a huge fan of it myself but I figured I should share it anyway for those who like slower more laid back songs such as this. I like the music just fine, but I think the Vocaloid voice just isn’t the greatest choice for this sort of tune. What do you think?

Remixes

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7509SHAozs&feature=relmfu']

Livetune even does remixes! I really like this one a lot. Electro J-pop remixes are always a good thing. The above song is probably my favorite out of the three I included here.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DK5NhcXEps&feature=relmfu']

Orinially, Livetune was signed with Victor Entertainment (the same label as Sakanaction) but recently made the switch to Toy’s Factory in 2012. You can also check out Livetune’s official site over at Livetune.jp.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phlv8x2Tosg&feature=relmfu']

I’m not sure if they have any other remixes floating around somewhere but these were the best ones I could come up with. Which remixed track do you like best?

Full Length Album

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DePHBA0raeM']

Remember that remix album I mentioned earlier? Well here it is in its entirety. Listen! Enjoy! I’ve yet to check out the original, un-remixed album, but I usually like remixes better than the original songs anyway. How do you like it?

I also enjoy the heavy play on words for the name of this album. It’s called Re:Mikus. You can take it a couple ways – like, a reply to all Mikus, or read it as “remix” with a Japanese accent (remikusu). Pretty clever, huh?

So, have any of you heard of Livetune before? Whatcha think? Have any other favorite bands that make good usage of Vocaloid talents? Share in the comments!

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!

[Header Image Source]

Building Up The Hype

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOSmIJCHqcQ']

Movie trailers sure used to be a bit different back in the day, huh? This trailer seems more like a promotional advertisement for a product than a traditional trailer by today’s standards. Most trailers today just try and give you an idea of what to expect from the movie and show some of the good stuff you can expect to see more of in the theater. This trailer has a narrator that basically just tells you how cool the movie is over and over again.

A really interesting thing about the movie though is the amount of non-Japanese actors in it. I watched the dubbed version of the movie, so everyone was speaking in English – but for the Japanese version, they must have just had subtitles for the English actors. The hype certainly focuses a lot on its international cast, but it really is interesting to see something like this coming from Japan in the 70s.

Along with Vic Morrow (famous American actor), the film also features Sonny Chiba who was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills as a martial artist. However, he does not perform the insane action sequences we’ve all come to expect from him as he unfortunately injured his ankle during filming.

I really think someone should do this to the whole movie.

Another crazy thing about Message From Space is that they actually got the Japanese government to delay the release of Star Wars in Japan so that its inhabitants would be sure to see Message From Space first. Star Wars was delayed for an entire year. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

As for the film’s plot, IMDB describes it as such: “The peaceful planet of Jillucia has been nearly wiped out by the Gavanas, whose leader takes orders from his mother (played a comic actor in drag) rather than the Emperor. King Kaiba sends out eight Liabe holy seeds, each to be received by a chosen one to defend the Gavanas. Each recipient, ranging from hardened General Garuda to Gavana Prince Hans to young Terrans Meia, Kido, and Aaron all have different reactions to being chosen.”

The reason I had to borrow this from another site is due to how hard the plot is to follow in the movie. It moves along way too fast that eventually you just realize you’re watching and seeing people do things, but you aren’t really sure why they are where they are and what led them to that particular situation. The movie really is packed full of action, but most of the time you’ll be kind of confused as to what’s really going on.

This is another reason I think it might be best to enjoy this movie in dubbed form. The plot is hard enough to follow as it is, and there’s always action happening on screen that begs your attention – throw a bunch of reading into the mix and you’ll have no hope for following along with what’s going on. Plus, a good amount of the cast is speaking English anyway, so it’s no big deal.

Why This Movie Deserves Attention

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doGCOuSUBk4']

I found this video on Cinemassacre and I think the reviewer does a really great job discussing the highlights of this movie from the perspective of people watching it more than thirty years later. He focuses mainly on its similarities to the original Star Wars, but watching the video really gives you a much better idea of what to expect from the film itself.

Today this film garners more attention due to how similar it is to Star Wars rather than its qualities as an original film. There have been many films released after Star Wars that were similar to it, but Message From Space really stands out. It doesn’t have lightsabers (unfortunately), but it does take a lot from the film and it’s really interesting to see how these ideas play out in Message From Space.

Unfortunately the ideas in this film are less inspired by Star Wars and more so stolen. The film’s plot also moves way too quickly and is hard to keep up with. Your ability to enjoy old movies and things that are similar to Star Wars but definitely not Star Wars will determine how much you enjoy Message From Space in my opinion.

The characters, the premise, and even the music borrows heavily from the original Star Wars. But the most incredibly obvious rip-off has to be how they destroy the main enemy ship at the end of the movie. Remember how they took out the Death Star by having to fly through a trench and hit a small target with space fighters? Yeah, the same exact thing happens in Message From Space. Good thing they got the real Star Wars delayed, otherwise it would’ve been way too obvious how much they ripped off Star Wars here.

That being said, the film definitely has a Japanese touch to it. The bad guys all look like alien samurai and there are even a few sword fights to be seen. The main bad guy’s mother is even made up like an old-style Japanese actor, which kind of makes sense as the mother is played by a dude in drag and pretty much all traditional Japanese performing arts had males playing all of the roles.

But Should I Watch It?

Nah. Nobody would fault you for passing this one up. I watched it at a friend’s place and we both agreed that the movie was bad, boring, and kind of hard to follow. Both of us really enjoy goofy movies and we’re both big fans of Star Wars, but this movie just didn’t cut it. Like the video before said, the best part about watching it is waiting for the next blatant Star Wars rip-off. But if you watch his video, you pretty much know what all of them are going to be.

I’d be more inclined to recommend it if the movie were shorter. However, with a run time of 105 minutes, the merriment gleaned from the blatant Star Wars rip-offs are not nearly enough to set off the movie itself being boring and entirely too long.

So, bottom line – I’d say skip on this one. Unless you are a hardcore Star Wars fan and need to see all the films it inspired, or have some deep interest in old Japanese films, it’s no big deal if you never see Message From Space. However I would definitely recommend watching the trailer and a handful of clips because they are indeed hilarious. The movie is also on Netflix, so if you ever do feel inclined to watch the film in its entirety, it’s not that hard to do.

As for Japanese movies from the 70s, you’d be much better off with something like House from 1977. You can read more about House along with a list of other must see Japanese films in my Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need to Watch post.

So, have any of you actually seen this movie? What did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

The enjoyability of the following CMs may vary depending on your level of Japanese, but basically it depicts the two actors as the reincarnations of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the end of their journey they arrive in Tohoku and meet the one-eyed dragon and ancient warlord of Tohoku, Date Masamune.

Kimura Takuya keeps referring to Beat Takeshi as Saru (meaning monkey) because as legend has it, Oda Nobunaga gave that nickname to Toyotomi Hideyoshi because of his facial resemblance to a monkey. This recognition directly contributes to the popular image of him being monkey-like, both in appearance and behavior.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VKOgzMWCDE']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OMEvOfcRHQ']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzJbuXHH7FM']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f1jjQMAjo4']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLr2o_XB84']

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4402tTz1M']

Could you follow along okay? If you have any questions about what’s going on feel free to inquire in the comments below. Toyota hopes these commercials will help promote the recovery of the region as well as promote their vehicles which in turn helps Japan as a whole.

For those interested, you can read more about Toyota’s endeavors in Tohoku here.

And Now A Message From Arashi

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTT1O2VtrSY']

Even though this video is from last year, I still find it appropriate for today’s post. And for those of you unfamiliar with Arashi, they are a very popular music group in Japan and the members frequently appear on variety shows and TV dramas.

And from all of us at Tofugu, thank you so much for keeping Japan in your hearts this past year and helping them to rebuild for a better tomorrow.

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!

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