Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

Saying Goodbye to Japan’s Otaku Penguin

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
8 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

Saying Goodbye to a Kemono Friend, Japan’s Otaku Penguin

Saying Goodbye to Japan's Otaku Penguin

Two announcements. First, we’re happy to report that the Megumi Halloween stickers are available again, so if you want one, put in an order soon before they sell out again. Also, J-List recently upgraded our website, and we are experiencing some off-and-on issues with orders. If you made an order and didn’t get an automated email about it, please open a ticket so we can check on it. [EDIT: The site issues are fixed, so feel free to browse and buy!]

One thing I love about anime and related popular culture is the way it unites the world. I could visit a country like Russia or Iceland or Estonia and have no connection to the people there, yet if I could find an anime convention, I know I’d be able to geek out with local fans about cosplay, figures, and whatever. While otaku culture crosses international borders with ease, it’s far more rare that it cross interspecies barriers. But it happened to a penguin named Grape-kun at the Tobu Zoo, who made headlines around the world when he fell in love with a cutout of the penguin character Hululu from Kemono Friends. To promote the anime and encourage otakus to get out and see some beautiful animals up close, cutouts of various Kemono Friends characters were placed around the enclosures. One penguin, Grape-kun, loved looking at the Hululu cutout so much that he became known as “Japan’s otaku penguin.” Grape-kun’s obsession reportedly got so great that he stopped eating, and he had to be isolated for a few weeks until he returned to normal. Fans feared something might be up when a notice was posted by the zoo staff that the “Fall Grape-kun Festival” event had been cancelled and the penguin removed from his enclosure for medical treatment. Then the bad news was delivered that the elderly Humboldt penguin had passed yesterday. Thanks for all the fun times, Japan’s otaku penguin, and goodbye to our true Kemono Friend!

I started watching the second season of Love Live Sunshine, the latest in a long line of idol-kei anime that stretch back 35+ years, providing large doses of bubblegum and cotton candy to fans in a way that lets us forget our troubles for a while. I did some research into what the “first” idol anime was, and came up with some interesting candidates, like 1971’s Sasurai no Taiyou (if groovy folk singers with acoustic guitars can be called idols), a Pink Lady anime I’d not known about, and the classic Creamy Mami, the first show to combine the magical girl and idol genres. Personally, I will always link 2D idol culture with 1982’s Super Dimension Fortress Macross, which took real-life idol Iijima Mari and turned her into character that could alter the destiny of the galaxy with a song. Idols (either 2D or 3D) are fun because they’re a harmless obsession, and the songs you listen to in a given era will be treasured forever. I’ll never forget hours lost listening to Matsuda Seiko’s album Strawberry Time back in 1987, or riding my bicycle to 11 different CDs shops to hunt down the single for Shinohara Ryoko’s Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Tsuyosa To, the theme song to the Street Fighter II animated movie. If you’re a fan of idols, either solo or group or 2D, which one was your first?

Happy Birthday Sonico!

For Halloween this year we decided to print limited Megumi stickers which customers will receive with their orders. The stickers proved so popular that we ran out for a few days earlier this week. Happily, we’ve got the stickers back in stock now, so if you want to get one, make sure to get your orders in soon as they will sell out again. Since October 14 is Sonico’s birthday, we’re also having a flash coupon, with $5 off $30 or more for everyone through the end of Monday. Use code SUPERSONICO to get the $5 discount.

Tags: AnimeBlend Scalendarshentai

More Posts Like This

7 Anime Influenced By Western Science Fiction
Your Friend in Japan

Beam Me Up, Senpai! 6 Anime Influenced by Western Science Fiction

by Peter Payne
3 days ago

I'm a huge fan of science fiction and have read hundreds of books in the genre. And since I'm also...

11 Top Trash Anime Blog Post
Your Friend in Japan

Certified Trash! 11 Garbage Anime We Can’t Stop Watching

by Peter Payne
3 weeks ago

As with so many things in life, I believe the anime industry follows the Pareto Principle, also known as the...

Happy News! J List's Fiscal Year End Sale Gives You The Best Anime Deals

Don’t Miss the Best Anime Deals in J-List’s Fiscal Year-End Clearance!

4 weeks ago
Anime Reverse Image Search Ultimate Guide

Find That Anime! The Ultimate Anime Reverse Image Search Guide

1 month ago
Otaku Quiz How Many Anime Oppai Can You Identifu?

Otaku Quiz! How Many Anime Oppai Can You Identify?

2 months ago
Can A Boy Girl Friendship Survive? Blog Post

Here Are 5 Reasons To Watch ‘Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?’

2 months ago
Next Post
Girlfriend Is A Shobitch

Why You Should Watch 'My Girlfriend is a Faithful Virgin Bitch'

Trending Today

Stellar Blade Cosplay
Featured

The Hottest Stellar Blade Cosplay—Just Before the PC Release

4 days ago
The Top 11 Anime Sex Scenes Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Happy Sex Day! Let’s Rank the 11 Most Surprising Ecchi Scenes in Anime

7 days ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

2 months ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

3 months ago
Please Put Them On Takamine San PV2 5
News

The Power of No Panties, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san

4 months ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
The Top 10 Jav Actresses Article
Your Friend in Japan

The Top 10 JAV Actresses to Browse During J-List’s Sale!

by Peter Payne
June 15, 2025

The Top 10 JAV Actresses to Browse During J-List’s Sale!

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 7 — Peeking Through the Thin Veil

Blank Slate Hero in The Beginning After the End

Lily Flowers Bloom in There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…

Nukitashi the Animation Premieres This July

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.