A group of Japanese and Chinese publishers, gripping hammers, swung them down in unison to break the ice--literally--at a ceremony July 14 to launch a joint venture in Guangzhou, China.
The ice-breaking ceremony marked the start of Guangzhou Tianwen Kadokawa Animation & Comics Co., symbolizing a thaw in tight regulations in China on the inflow of foreign pop culture.
The joint venture between Japan's Kadokawa Group Holdings and Hunan Tianwen Animation & Comic Media Co., a subsidiary of a major Chinese publisher, comes as Beijing sees the need to tap Japan's expertise to sell its own manga and animation abroad.
While Kadokawa hopes to expand its Chinese-language market, the Chinese side apparently seeks to absorb Japanese know-how and nurture world-class creators.
China is stepping up its sale of cultural offerings, including movies, manga and animation, abroad with the slogan zouchuqu (Go global).
The goal is to make China a cultural industry power. Zouchuqu originally was used to promote Chinese business and investment overseas.
Now frequently heard in cultural fields, the term heralds a loosening of the once-tight regulations to protect the domestic culture industry.
China has banned the prime-time TV broadcast of foreign animation films. Translation of just one Japanese manga per year is allowed at best, according to a major Japanese publisher.
But Chinese manga and anime artists know that such state support alone will not lead to a phenomenal leap in their industry. They look to Japan for new opportunities.
Xia Da, a young Chinese manga artist, has run a serial comic called "Zibuyu" (Confucius Didn't Say) in the monthly Ultra Jump comic magazine of Shueisha Inc. in Japan since last year.
"Japanese editors always give me precise advice," Xia says. "In China, there were no such people."
Xia works for Summer Island Film, Television and Cartoon Production Co. in Hangzhou, whose president and comic artist Yao Feila plans to open a Tokyo office.
"China's manga market is underdeveloped. Publishers and editors lack experience and artists have few venues to publish their works," Yao says. "I want to find new opportunities in Japan."
The government appears to recognize the need to change its policy. It recently approved a Japan-China joint anime production based on a popular Japanese TV series.
Meanwhile, Kadokawa's new China venture is seen as a vehicle for mutual benefit.
"We aim to develop the market in multiple ways, including films and digital products in addition to manga and light novels," said Tatsuo Sato, president of Kadokawa Group Holdings.
Saori Yoshida, a veteran Kadokawa editor, transferred to the new venture.
"Chinese manga artists are unrefined and are lacking in techniques, but they have great potential," Yoshida said, adding that she hoped Japan's know-how will help nurture talented Chinese artists
The 29 years old Chinese manga artist - Xia Da mentioned in the article.
Here is a few links about her (also know as シャア・タァ. in Japanese) She kept asking people to read her manga and stop putting 美少女 behind her name in a few interviews in China, but looked like it is not really working. The Japanese links are also full of the titles "美人すぎる”
It's official!
This year's summer, one of Japan's legendary four seasons, has been the hottest ever recorded!
The records go back to 1898, or Meiji 31 if you insist on the Japanese version. Of course we have no way of knowing if there were hotter summers before 1898, although I kinda suspect it was pretty hot when the dinosaurs were around.
Model Kayo Sato revealed on TV last night that she was born a boy. Sato has featured in a number of magazine fashion shoots and appeared as a regular on some shows. There have already been examples of transsexual models, singers and actresses, most recently Ayana Tsubaki, but their background is usually known to all. In Sato's case, it seems her announcement was the first public acknowledgement and many of her fans are apparently still reeling. She's the one on the left in this video game TV show. There's a close-up around the two minute mark:
The news that lawyer Toshiro Igari committed suicide in Manila was always going to raise questions given that he took a prominent role in opposing mobsters. Igari helped bring about an investigation into yakuza infiltration of baseball. Police in the Philippines say it looked like suicide because his wrists were cut but his friends have said he had no reason to take his own life and had even spoken about buying a bulletproof vest just before his death. He also has a book about his experiences as a prosecutor and lawyer due out next month. ZakZak reports (Japanese) there are calls for a full investigation into his death.
Do you really need another excuse to splash booze on your face? If the answer's yes, check out Kyoku Sake Infused Shave Cream ($35). Apparently, sake "softens and intensely moisturizes the skin" ― which would have only served as more incentive to down a bottle of Wakatake Daiginjo ― and this mixture also includes silicone micro particles to help your blade glide across your burly, wind-hardened skin.
Well, sort of. Koko Hen Japan describes itself as a place to take a fresh look at Japan through intercultural experiences. There are only a few posts up right now and most focus on the Korean view of Japan. However, there is one about a French-Japanese couple where the Japanese wife lists three topics most likely to cause an argument:
(1) Which is more Americanized, France or Japan?
(2) Which country has the best looking girls, Japan, china or Korea?
(3) Which is the more difficult language, French or Japanese?
New York Times: New Dissent in Japan Is Loudly Anti-Foreign
...the emergence here of a new type of ultranationalist group...openly anti-foreign in their message, and unafraid to win attention by holding unruly street demonstrations...Local news media have dubbed these groups the Net far right, because they are loosely organized via the Internet, and gather together only for demonstrations. At other times, they are a virtual community that maintains its own Web sites to announce the times and places of protests, swap information and post video recordings of their demonstrations...more
Police are concerned about increasing complaints of credit card fraud in Roppongi, saying that they have already dealt with 100 complaints since last year. In one case, an Italian said he went to an establishment recommended by a street tout where he received a bill for 60,000 yen. He tried paying with two credit cards but was told neither had cleared so had to go to a nearby ATM to withdraw cash. When his credit card statements arrived, he discovered additional charges of 370,000 yen. He told police he was surprised that fraud was so rampant in a country which had a reputation for safety. So far, complainants have mainly been westerners but police are also worried that fraudsters may begin to target Chinese tourists.
Home
