It’s sakura time in Japan right now, as cherry blossoms around the country explode in beautiful fireworks of pink. Being the symbol of Japan, sakura are very common here, and virtually every city has parks and avenues with beautifully landscaped cherry trees in order to promote itself as the “best” place to take in the fleeting beauty of the flowers before they scatter in the wind. In addition to weather forecasts, the TV news issues “sakura reports” that give information on the state of cherry blossoms in every prefecture, so people can plan their 花見 hanami or flower-viewing parties, an excellent excuse to spread out a blanket and have a party with friends. Flower-viewing season is a big social event for the Japanese people, but it’s also important economically, since there are many stands selling everything from canned beer to choco banana to takoyaki. Every few years local economies take a hit when rain causes the cherry blossoms to wash away before people can spend money on food and drink. While there are countless places to enjoy cherry blossoms throughout Japan, my favorite is Ueda Castle in Nagano, which was used as the setting for the film Summer Wars.
The other day a graphic appeared on the Internet that offered an interesting question: why is a room full of basketball memorabilia considered a cool thing by society at large, while an otaku’s room filled with figures and manga is presumably not? I posted the images to J-List’s Facebook page and Twitter feed to see what feedback people would have. While followers of J-List are obviously more likely to prefer an otaku room to the one dedicated to “sweaty men playing with balls,” there were some good comments, for example someone who pointed out that sports celebrate athletic achievement, which is one reason sports fandom is usually seen in a positive light. Also, having a collection of basketball memorabilia might be viewed as “okay” because it likely has an easily calculated value to collectors, rather than large only having value to the owner. One female reader wrote, “I could care less. I prefer a man I can watch anime with. Also I can steal and read his manga.” Another popular comment was, “Screw anyone that tries to change your passion for the things that you loved and cherish. Why the hell should we live to please other people?” I’m personally a big fan of obsession – my main two have been Star Wars and Japan – and think there’s nothing wrong with it as long as you’re not using your kids’ college savings to buy AKB48 CDs, which some obsessive fans occasionally do.
It never rains, it pours: hot on the heals of Littlewitch Romanesque, the Kana Okaeri ~ Welcome Home Kana and the release of Hanachirasu, we’ve got new games from MangaGamer in stock for you. First there’s Imouto Paradise, a great game for fans of the imouto anime genre, with gorgeous art and characters to get to know better. Next up, we’ve got a cool physical release for HuniePop, the fun dating and puzzle game you’ll love playing. All games are fully translated and 100% DRM free! Browse the new games now!
