J-list Blog

The other day I went into the living room to see my kids glued to the TV even though it was thirty minutes past their bedtime. They were watching Shrek 2 on Japanese television, which surprised me because like most kids aged 12 and 10, they'd seen the movie on DVD about a jillion times. "But this is in Japanese!" my daughter said. "It's so funny -- Shrek is speaking Osaka-ben!" This is the dialect of Osaka, about as different-sounding to the ear from "standard" Tokyo speech as New York or Massachusetts English sounds compared to standard American English, defined as whatever the newscasters speak, since we don't officially tie our language standard to a physical location like many other countries. Osaka-ben (or more accurately, Kansai-ben) is the dialect of laughter, and it seems that virtually all comedians in Japan are fluent in it; Tokyo's dialect is much less colorful, more "we're not gonna fall for the banana in the tailpipe." The added flavor of the Osaka dialect added humor to Shrek's jokes and made the film more interesting for Japanese viewers.

How you pronounce Appatomatox, the town where the American Civil War officially ended? Or Diplodocus, one of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth? These two words are among hundreds of others that are nearly impossible to say correctly until you've heard them spoken by others. "Pneumonia" was another hard one for me, and for some reason, it took me eighteen years to learn that you don't pronounce the "p." Although there are plenty of pronunciation issues in Japanese -- it can be very difficult to read certain kanji characters, unique names of people or place names from Northern Japan, which usually derive from the Ainu language -- at least words written in katakana can always be pronounced more-or-less spot-on because the system is syllable-based. I've heard many anime fans pronounce Evangelion with a soft "g" as in "angel." While this is understandable given the abundance of angels in the series, the katakana doesn't lie: the correct pronunciation is evan-GELL-ee-on, with a hard "g."

Once again I've made the very long jump between Japan and the U.S., and have had to force myself to switch gears from "Japan" to "America" mode. I've flitted between the two countries so often that it becomes second nature, although driving on the other side of the street always takes some care -- remember, always make sure you, the driver, are nearer to the center of the road than your passenger, no matter what country you're in. Right now I'm attempting an experiment involving massive jet lag, a bottle of Bass Ale and some interesting color hallucinations. I'm in the U.S., of course, for the upcoming Anime Expo event June 29-July 2 in Long Beach, which is going to be a huge party. We hope you'll be at the show, and look forward to seeing you there! If you can't make it, remember that J-List is always online, operating 24/7 to make sure you never want for anything wacky or cool from Japan.

J-List has been involved with evangelizing Japan's amazing "dating-sim games" for years, and today we've got a new announcement for you: the next upcoming "mystery title" to come out from G-Collections, which is Amorous Professor Cherry. A fabulous game created by the artist of The Sagara Family and Virgin Roster and with a story by the scenario writer for Crescendo, we think this will be one of G-Collections' best titles yet. The game is in translation now and will be released in the coming moths. Fans can show their support for English bishoujo games by preordering the game now! Thanks, as always, for supporting our efforts to build a market for these games in the English speaking world.

Here are today's "really cool products" that I thought were especially noteworthy. Note: the J-List links below may be for adult products and should probably be considered "not safe for work." To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

Geki Maga Sukuran - Extreme Magazine Edition

OKS Comix brings together a gathering of eight hentai artists in this fantastic adult comic from Japan. Eight short stories are featured in this collection which revolves around a female slave pet that's used to satisfy her masters sexual desires, a female art student who uses sperm on her paintings, being fondled and bound on a train, plus much more. Other hardcore themes include shaved pussies, anal sex, double penetration, bukkake, paizuri (titty fucking), futanari (hermaphrodites), and...

First Lesbian Play of a Young Sexless Wife

Although being a housewife is a challenging task, it can also leave one very lonely, especially when a husband is forced to work late at night and sacrifice their personal lives. When a woman gets lonely but still wants to be faithful to her husband, the only people that she can turn to for comfort is that of her female companions. In this eye opening production by Hibino, a young wife experiences the pleasures of female on female on female loving that is ripe with 3P lesbian themes. This very...

Clown Lesbian

Ringo and Rin are best friends who are suddenly discovering their fascination with the female body. Rin notices that her friend Ringo has quite a gift with I cup breasts, which she finds herself wanting to inspect closer and closer with each visit to her home. Without realizing it, both of them find that they enjoy the feel of each other's bodies held in an embrace that keep them locked by a passionate kiss. This fanastic production about the discovery of lesbianism is a great fantasy for fans...

Lapin - Elegant Personal Massager

From ToysHeart of Japan comes this silent but enjoyable novelty item from Japan. This Lapin vibrator is a total 22 cm (8 inches) and equipped with a cute rabbit shaped rotor with two prolonged ears made of soft silicon. Both the rotation of the shaft and the rabbit head vibrate can be easily controlled with a touch of the button located on the control panel. Fully waterproof, with silent operation! Multiple speeds for personal attention to pleasure. Requires 3 AAA batteries to function...

Basic Kanji Drill New -- 3rd Grade

For students of Japanese who want another way to increase their kanji skills, or for those who just want a good way to practice, here is a kanji workbook to get you up to speed starting from the Japanese third grade school level. This workbook takes you through step-by-step exercises that give you writing practice for the basic kanji characters learned by lower level Japanese elementary school students, with basic-use words that are probably familiar to second or third level Japanese language...

Domo-kun Square Plush Strap G -- Eyes Half Shut

NHK's lovable, squeezable, hugable mascot character Domo-kun is back again, rolling into our hearts this time as a prefectly sized cube plush strap, with a cute yet simple variation: stylized eye motifs. A plush Domo-kun with a strap you can attach to anything with a loop -- your cell phone, backpack, car mirror (get two for the Domo-kun fuzzy dice effect!), you could even use it for hypnotizing your cat. This is the "mellow" droopy-eye version with semi-closed, psuedo-aware, half-lit eyes and...

Rei Ayanami BMX Trick Figure

Rei in her EVA suit, Rei in her nightgown, Rei trick riding a BMX bike? It's surely something new for the ubiquitous character from Neon Genesis Evangelion, possibly a "Girl Next Door kind of casual/accessible concept -- in any case this nicely cast high grade PVC figure sculpted by Tsukuru Shirahige from Kotobukiya. In her casual clothes, doing something you might want to see her doing, having fun (as opposed to being depressed), being...normal? It's a wacky slice of life Rei figure that you...

Rozen Maiden Kunsterk Illustration Book

Rosen Maiden is a dramatic story about a boy named Jun, who seeks refuge in his home, away from the rest of the world after failing an admissions exam into a prestigious jouniour high school. A twist of fate finds him with a mystical box, that upon opening reveals a small doll that suddenly takes on a personality of it's own. The doll is a special doll known as a Rosen Maiden, who has their own unique personality, and supernatural ability that comes from a source known as the "Rosa Mystica...

Lapin - Elegant Personal Massager

From ToysHeart of Japan comes this silent but enjoyable novelty item from Japan. This Lapin vibrator is a total 22 cm (8 inches) and equipped with a cute rabbit shaped rotor with two prolonged ears made of soft silicon. Both the rotation of the shaft and the rabbit head vibrate can be easily controlled with a touch of the button located on the control panel. Fully waterproof, with silent operation! Multiple speeds for personal attention to pleasure. Requires 3 AAA batteries to function...