Archive for August, 2010

Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie

It looks like Hayao Miyazaki might be making a sequel to Porco Rosso:

The next Ghibli film by a young director has a girl as the leading character, and Suzuki suggested that Miyazaki can make a film after that one as a “hobby.” Miyazaki wants to make “Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie,” his previously introduced sequel idea which would be set during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Miyazaki’s first Porco Rosso film was set between World War I and World War II.

The July 2009 issue of Model Graphix magazine described the “Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie” concept in which the title character pilots a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bomber from Italy. Miyazaki drew an irregularly serialized collection of manga and graphical essays called Zassō Note (Daydream Data Notes) in the same magazine from 1984 to 1992. Viz republished “Hikōtei Jidai” (The Age of the Flying Boat), Zassō Note’s 1990 prototype manga story for Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso film, in English in Animerica Magazine.

A picture of an SM.79 bomber, which would replace the red plane used in the original movie:

The SM.79 bombers that participated in the Spanish Civil War were used by Italian “volunteers” fighting in support of Franco’s nationalists. In the first film, Porco said, “I’d much rather be a pig than a fascist,” so I’m guessing he won’t be fighting alongside the other Italian pilots.
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Fuji-Q Highland: Fat Bellies

One way to break into the entertainment industry in Japan: be so fat that your belly can be used in a commercial like this one for Fuji-Q Highland.

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Japanese Cops Arrest Iranian Drug Dealer

FTV’s “Super News” embeds a reporter with narcotics “G-men” in Nagoya to see them take down a foreign drug dealer:

During the day, Nagoya’s Central Park may seem like a nice place to take one’s kids. However, according to word of the street, at night it becomes a place where “rough-looking” Middle Easterners deal drugs. FTV sends an undercover reporter there to confirm the stories. He asks two foreigners if he can buy drugs, and they tell him the dealer isn’t around. They get suspicious about his bag (which contains a hidden camera) and they quickly leave the area.

Later, FTV joins a group of cops as they arrest an Iranian drug dealer. The 37-year-old man sells stimulants on the street, and they’ve been investigating him for months to figure out his routine. After arresting him, they cannot find any drugs in his car. However, the inspectors happen to know the location of his stash. They retrieve it, finding drugs such as marijuana and MDMA. Although the man initially claimed he had no connection to drug dealing, he has since admitted his guilt.

According to the program, the man was part of as Iranian drug dealing organization (see the diagram at the top of this post). He carried out street level deals while several other people higher up on the food chain handled the supply of drugs and the communication with customers.

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Creepy Japanese Water Park

Osaka’s Spa World Onsen/Water Park advertises itself using creepy male comedians doing creepy stuff:

[hat tip to Ken Y-N of What Japan Thinks]

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Smiling Cat

Here’s a cat named Tomato. Tomato can “smile” when resting:

If you want to meet Tomato, just visit the Nyancy Cat Cafe near Shiki Station in Saitama prefecture. Here’s its location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

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A Keyboard for Long-nailed Women

Have you got long nails (or chubby fingers)? You might want to get a keyboard like the one shown in this news report

There is more space between the keys than on a regular keyboard, making it easier to type without accidentally hitting other keys. This kind of keyboard is apparently selling well, especially among women with long painted nails (the report doesn’t give any concrete sales figures).

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