Genki Japan Blog はじめまして。

Before I start this review, I have a confession to make: I’m scared of whales and other large sea creatures. I’m not talking about orcas, belugas, or even those right whales – I’m talking about blue whales, sperm whales, whale sharks, etc. Needless to say, this game shouldn’t be frightening for anyone, but it scared the crap out of me. It’s an amazing game, though, and I’m happy to review it! Can’t wait for the sequel! The plot is basically this: you’re a diver whose boss takes you to a place called Manoa Lai to explore. She (your boss) is very interested in the local legends from natives and you eventually wind up on a quest to discover the Ancient Mother. The plot isn’t amazing, and completing it isn’t even the game’s main objective. It’s simply something you can go back to if you want something to do other than immerse yourself in the game’s tranquil oceanic atmosphere, which is exactly what the game sets out to do. I’ll get the bad out of the way first, at least concerning the artw...

This is a very difficult anime to judge. Billed as a horror story, the anime (made in 1988) offers a whole lot more than that, and it’s probably one of the best vampire stories I’ve ever seen, period! I don’t like vampires (I’m a werewolf fan, myself), but Miyu’s story is enduring, tragic, and invokes a sense of awe. Himiko is a spiritualist who arrives in Kyoto in order to exorcise a girl whose parents believe to be possessed. Tied in with this odd case is a rumor of people whose bodies have been turning up completely drained of blood. While trying to solve the strange case, Himiko encounters Miyu, a vampire in the form of a young girl, probably aged thirteen or fourteen. She can survive in broad daylight, is immune to crosses and Holy Water, and even sports a reflection! Himiko learns from Miyu that the girl in question has invited in a Shinma, a supernatural, demon-like creature, into her soul, and that it’s Miyu’s fate to hunt down every last Shinma and seal it back in the Dark fro...

I'm sure many of you have probably already seen the trailer, but in case you haven't, here it is: I was inspired to do this by the live-action Avatar movie coming out. Like pretty much every animated show to get the live-action treatment, Dragonball doesn't look so great. Now, I'm going to admit that I'm not the franchise's biggest fan, but after years of being forced to suffer through episode after episode, I can safely say that I'd rather watch any episode of Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT rather than this movie. First of all, it looks like it's going to utterly kill the story, and there wasn't too much of that to begin with. In fact, this looks like it's going to be a coming-of-age, keep your teenage sons busy for a night kind of movie. As far as Goku goes, well, he probably shouldn't look like a little skinny guy. He's a big, buff fighting dude whose hair turns blonde when he gets all pumped up. I mean, even those Ember...

I was trying to decide what I should do for my first Friday Review series, if that name even sticks. At first I thought, "Everyone watches anime, so I'll do that!" However, then I thought, "If this is going to be unique, I should start out with something other than the usual anime or video game review," so I decided to do a combined review for 1 Litre of Tears , both the drama and film because they're both amazing. I was planning on doing GTO , but I'll have to do that one next time. Firstly, both of these are different adaptations of the same true story. That is, our story's heroine, Aya Kito (Aya Ikeuchi in the drama) was a real person who suffered from the disease spinocerebellar ataxia. For as long as she was able to hold a pen, she consistantly wrote in her diary. After her death at the age of 25 (she was diagnosed when she was 15), her mother published the diary. Well, I've also read that she actually had it published shortly before Aya...

Okay, Japan is always leading the world's innovated thinking ciriculum, churning out both amazing stuff no one would ever think of, and also stuff that is just a sorry excuse for lazy people who lack motivation to stay right where they are. This one falls into the latter. It seems that there are now chopsticks for around $21, if anyone wants to actually spend that kind of money on an eating utensil, that will dispense sauce on your food for you. What does this mean? Since it's such a pain in the rear to pick up your sushi, dip it into some sauce, then bring the peice of fish to your mouth, the Japanese have taken it upon themselves to now allow you to skip half that process! Just let the chopsticks do all that work for you and you'll be on your way to a lazier lifestyle. Now, I'm probably one of those people who would actually buy something like this just for the novelty of it, that is, if I had the money to just toss away like that. I suppose it's a good thing t...

Hello and welcome to the Genki Japan Blog. I am a self-taught Japanese student who hopes of becoming a teacher one day, although I can't afford any schooling at the moment. I've read lots of blogs that discuss either just Japanese politics, just video games, or just anime, and I thought, "Why doesn't anyone have a blog that encompasses all of these topic plus more?" Thus, Genki has been born. Just for the record, I am not affiliated with the Japan Times. Here at Genki, I strive to bring you the most interesting information I can find on Japan. This includes topics that range from culture to language, from anime and video games to quirky happenings in Japan. I will include reviews for both old and new titles alike, although I will try and keep political topics current, and I will also provide a link to articles in English if a translation exists. I hope that you all will find Genki to be both informative and entertaining. Now, I've actually got a great site wit...