Pizza Hut Japan-Style!

I have no idea why I decided to get on a food kick. Not a normal food kick either. In this post, I became fascinated with corporate advertising. Although we're all familiar with advertising in our American shows (30 Rock and Arrested Development came to mind). I've never seen it in an American cartoon. Well, that's not true. I must have. This is AMERICAN television, after all. I just cannot think of any major example. After all, we create televisions based upon toy lines (transformers and GI Joe, for instance). However, I noticed this in Japanese animation too!


"Darker than Black" offers a simple example of in-show advertising. In this case, animators drew in Pizza Hut restaurants into a background. It doesn't interrupt any plot or contribute to any character development.

Now, we get to "Code Geass." Notice that Pizza Hut box next to green haired anime girl in a boy's uniform? Well, the pizza actually contributes to her character/personality! She's like 500 years old and first defined by her addiction to Pizza Hut pizza. Not convinced?

They even bothered to show scenes of her accumulating points on an application card! What is Cheese-kun though?
That is Cheese-kun! He is a giant piece of mozzarella specifically designed for Japanese advertising. Pizza Hut in Japan made me start Google searching.

Danny Choo's blog offered a very interesting investigation into Pizza Hut's presence in Japan. I borrowed some images from him to showcase how different the Pizza Hut experience is in Nippon!

It is important to first remember that Japanese people live in neighborhoods that are pretty packed together. The primary vehicles for delivering pizzas lies in these Vespas. These are also depicted in "Code Geass" as well.


According to Danny Choo, this pizza's "crust is filled with prawns and mayonnaise and the main body can be filled with whatever you want. A large one for 3,550 yen (31 USD)."

I'd recommend looking at this pizza menu by clicking on the image to zoom in. It's pretty extraordinary. Pretty interesting...

The "Yes, I still watch Anime" Series Spotlight!

You may remember when I posted about watching a baseball anime a while back. It's true. I still watch anime. I find it difficult to pass this interest on to everybody because the anime genre has been stagnating and there really aren't any original ideas. However, I still enjoy the shows that I come across. From giant robots to ridiculously over-the-top romantic stories to the end of Tokyo Tower, I will keep watching because there are anime out there that manage to really push the envelope of what I expect out of visual media. Either that, they are ridiculously entertaining. Anyway, here is a look at one recent show that I loved.

Teppen Toppan Gurren Lagann



I initially avoided this show. Upon reflection on this matter, I have no idea why. Well, I sort of do. I avoided this show because it seemed like too much energy and not enough substance. However, I was wrong. No matter what, this show will always have more energy than substance. Without getting geeky about this show, I think the best way to describe this show is through the theme itself. What's the word of the day? DRILLS. That's right.

The theme of the show is about the human ability to create and use their "own drills." This theme/motif sounds ridiculous which it is. I cannot argue with anyone about this matter. I can't take this series seriously myself at times. However, I cannot remember the last time that an anime show could be so INVOLVING despite being so unbelievably over-the-top. Usually, the over-the-top shows are loved because the shock value. In the same way, horror fans will embrace films like Hostel and Saw despite the fact how terrible the film is because it opened up a new level of gore. We will watch these series, but they don't necessarily stick with us. There are exceptions to this rule (Excel Saga for instance), but it does affect a majority of shows. Even if they stick, they may stick because we just remember how ridiculous the show is.

In this case, Gurren Lagann sticks to my "soul" because it is just ridiculously empowering. It's the kind of show that leaves you smiling and hoping that the protagonist wipes the floor with his enemies. Yes, Virginia, I know that the protagonist is going to win. Yes, the visuals are absurd and the action defies even typical cartoon physics. However, combined with the well-structured story and likable characters, this is easy to love. It's just that everything in the show is meticulously paced and plotted. Like a great story or film, a good pace and plot can keep the audience entranced. At this point, you probably want to know about the plot...I hate writing summaries. I don't want to. God, I hate you (not you! Don't want to burn that bridge).


Alright, people are forced underground by a race called Beastmen. The main character, Simon, is a 14 year old digger who keeps...uh...digging. One day, a giant Beastmen robot comes down and goes shit-crazy on the village. Along with his "aniki" (Kamina), they meet a really hot big-breasted female sniper named Yoko who ends up introducing them to the surface world. These guys end up getting robots and start fighting for the human race. This is just a snippet of the plot. Once again, it sound typical. However, the execution is top notch. In addition, there is a huge scale to everything. The show goes from being underground to going to the ends of space. EPIC. The animation is high quality (except for one specific episode which was just a black anomaly) and the music is like a hip-hop-era (hip hop + opera).

Btw, the above picture has my favorite line in the series. This is high quality s*it. I don't know why I bleeped myself that time. It just felt fitting. It is not for everyone. However, if you like robot shows or just want to have a fun time with a cartoon, you cannot go wrong with this. Easily a B for a casual fan, but an A++ for anyone who like robots and Michael Bay films. Below, is somewhat a spoiler, but it lacks subs and showcases the craziness of the series (and the hip-hop-era music).



Grade: B/A++

Wait, some Trailers!

Tomorrow, Justice League: New Frontier will be arriving from Amazon on Blu-Ray! To commemorate, I embedded two trailers. One is for the film itself and the second is for the new Batman Animatrix-Esque Project coming out prior to the Dark Knight arriving in theaters.


Justice League- New Frontier

I'll reserve a post about this Blu-Ray when I watch it. However, I did watch a screener for this film and it was EXCELLENT. It is a great adaptation of the work. Highly recommended. Although it does feel choppy and a little short at the end, I think Bruce Timm and his buddies did a stellar job with this work. Clearly, there was a ton of love for the original work by Darwyn Cooke.


Batman Anime Project. This looks interesting. I loved the Animatrix, but disliked the actual films. Hopefully, I will like both movies. I recognize some of the designs here, but I am too lazy to figure it out.

My relationship with my long time friend, ANIME.

During the Writer's Strike, I relied heavily upon downloaded episodes of my favorite television classics for sustenance. Granted, I am almost always satiated by shows such as Arrested Development and Seinfeld. However, I always found myself looking for fresh stuff. During this time, I sort of went back to an EX-girlfriend.

When I say "Ex-girlfriend," I mean "Anime." For the uninitiated, anime is Japanese Animation. Starting from my high school year, I began on a spiral toward loving practically EVERYTHING japanese. Trigun Chocolate Bars? Check. NERV notebook? CHECK. Action Figures? DOUBLE CHECK. However, as Anime grew in the United States, I became more distanced and noticed all her little flaws. Although she sometimes looked pretty, she almost always ended up being predictable and boring. Worst of all, she always had a really bad ending. God, what terrible endings. In fact, the best part of Anime is actually the CLIMAX. The actual SHOWDOWN always made me reevaluate our relationship.

With the Writers Strike, I went back. Surprisingly, she was still attractive to the eye. The lineup has been good. Most of my favorite shows won't be coming back till April so I'm still watching these shows. I decided it would be cool to highlight my picks. In order to not create an overly long post, I'll just pick a few to mention every so often.

MAJOR

"See this dynamic pose? This animation pops up at least three or four times in a single episode. Gotta love Anime."

I love BASEBALL anime. Hell, I love Baseball movies. I don't want baseball on a regular basis unless teams are in the playoffs though. I think I love this shows (now going into Season 4) because the characters are easy to cheer for. Although the show has become more SHONEN (a term referring to Boy's Comics) in terms of learning a new move or just surpassing one's limits, the environment is just a beautiful playground. I don't find myself recommending this show to people because it is a particular kind of show that appeals to me. I don't watch it for animation (mediocre at best), the incredible storytelling (actually pretty generic at times, or the ladies (mostly testosterone). This is a guilty pleasure. PURE and SIMPLE.


Mmmm...Racism. I also love how Americans are perceived by the Japanese public. Fun Fact. Japanese people think all Americans drink every night and carry at least ONE firearm. I'm just Chinese though. It only gets awkward when that darn textbook issue comes up. Luckily, you can always ask for ice cream to calm both sides down (or buns with paste). On a side note, "Yellow Monkey"? Really? C'mon, Japan. That was SO World War II.