AnimeVice News

Japan knows all too well that anyone trying to learn Japanese is an otaku of some kind. To make full use of this fact, the Japan Foundation has just launched a new website that will help us learn the language. But the real kicker is that it uses anime and manga to help us learn (ie spoon full of sugar.) The site isn’t 100% up and running, but it does have some modes available for you to try out. Like the Character Expression module, which helps you learn sayings from popular character stereotypes, and Love Word Quiz, which is basically just a quiz about love words (7/10 bitches.)

I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but this site will and can not teach you how to speak or write Japanese by itself. This is a good tool for learning Japanese, but you need more than this to get by. Though it is nice to see Japan actually trying to help us learn their language.

[Via Ann]

Whew, we're still not done even with THESE ~50 figures-- also from Dengeki Online.
 
If you missed it: WonFes figures part one, figures part two, and cosplay!
 

A real-live K-On! apartment building isn't QUITE a reality, but only barely: Gigazine reports on the themed models of apartment buildings that were spotted at WonFes 2010, which I had not seen any mention of until now. 

Along the same lines of itasha (otaku-decorated cars), itachari (bicycles), and other such fan-decorated items, the idea is basically a standard apartment building...but with a big fat piece of K-On! art on the side, as well as on the water tower on the roof. (Well, it wouldn't HAVE to be K-On!, but the particular model being sold at WonFes was.)

In fact, it was really just a clever repackaging of a building model with a bunch of K-On! decals, if you look at it really closely-- but I bet it sold like hotcakes. And it'll soon be available online for you guys who want to start building your own otaku city. 

If it sells well, maybe before long you could have an entire K-On! branded replica of Akihabara or something. Would you WANT to own such a thing? And perhaps more interestingly: if you were going to live in an anime-branded apartment building, what anime would it be?

This time the photo collection comes from Dengeki Online-- and believe me when I say this is far from all of them... 



 




WANT!


 
Whew. We've got at least two more WonFes posts to go, kids, so stay tuned.

You know, I wasn't even totally confident that The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya would reach the top ten list at the Japanese box office for its opening weekend, given that it shared its opening weekend with WonFes and that some Haruhi fans have become rather disenchanted, but in the top 10 it is-- #7, to be exact.

The only other new entry on the list is Warner Bros. INVICTUS, and the two of them unfortunately bumped off The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Nodame Cantabile the Movie I. Poor Nodame. But on the other hand, it's hardly a surprise that everything else held firm, since last week exactly half of the films on the list were new releases.

An interesting thing to note: the #1 movie is Avatar and has been for seven weeks now. But #2 is a documentary from Disney/Buena Vista called OCEANS. I looked into it and the film has already made $10 million overseas, but isn't opening in the US until April 22 (my birthday!). I'm a bit of an ocean life buff, and hey, I already trust Japanese taste in a lot of things, so I guess I'll look forward to this too.    

Don't worry, we'll get back to the figures soon-- and if you missed it, what is probably a majority of them were posted here --but WonFes attracted a fair amount of cosplay too, much of which was fairly...well...attractive. From WalkerPlus! 
 
    
Aaaand from Kotaku Japan. 


So, who's got a new favorite? And how about that Bayonetta costume, eh? Ehhh?

Not only does Japan need more babies in the up coming years, they also need money. A great way to make this money is through tourism. JNTO, the Japan National Tourism Organization decided to help attract tourists by making an Evangelion themed map for the town of Hakone. They previously had a Japanese version of this map, but now decided to create an English version as well, to attract all of us Otaku.

This map, rightfully named, “Evangelion Hakone Instrumentality Map: English Version” will feature points of interest for overseas anime fans, all in glorious English. Why Hakone? According to Gainax, Tokyo-3 was actually placed in the Hakone area. Which means that you will walk on the ground that Rei walked on, and sleep on the bed Shinji never wept on, amazing! Now if Japan would only pay for our plane tickets, le sigh.

[Via ANN]

See the Live-Action Gantz Movie! Kinda!

Technically, you're seeing pictures of it. But hey, it's more than worth it, because one of those pictures is of Kishimoto. Insert wolf-whistle here.



Found via alafista.    

Surely you didn't think a Harutard like myself would forget that yesterday was the opening of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (aka Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu)? Of course not! <3 Go ahead, check out some of the crowd: 
     
And more (you'll want to jump to about 0:27) 
     
One more... 
       
And I'm  just going to throw the trailer out here again because I know John wants to fap to it more. I mean, watch it more. No, actually, I mean fap to it more.

The reports from WonFes are coming in, and I'm starting to compile what I can! This first batch of figure photos all comes from Japanese site GA Graphic, and this is not even their full report: this is Kotobukiya, Max Factory, and Good Smile Company-- which is a major chunk, mind, but far from everything. So there's more to come as other sites chime in! 




Wait a sec, was that-- 


Sure, I could spotlight the Black Rock Shooter pic, but I'm actually more interested in the woman on the end here. 
Oh hi there Mari Illustrious Makinami... 
One of these things is not like the others~! 





And I'll leave you with...