Japan National Tourism Organization made a simple map showing the locales of some popular anime titles and the major anime retail hotspots across Japan.

While an interesting initiative, the map itself is rather light on details, so this is more of a standard tourism brochure with a twist than an actual guide for people looking for information.

Incidentally, I have been to all the areas indicated in the pink section of the map excluding Sapporo, and there seems to be a lot of marketing hyperbole involved for everything that is not in Tokyo or Nipponbashi, Osaka.

Toranoana at Otemachi, Hiroshima

Otemachi, Hiroshima is a just regular shoutengai that happens to have a few shops like Toranoana (large chain of doujinshi speciality shops) and Yellow Submarine (chain hobby store with outlets selling everything from Magic: The Gathering to anime figures to model trains) scattered across it. You can find such loose shop clusters in nearly every major Japanese city and there’s nothing remarkable about the one in Otemachi. Hiroshima is a nice city to visit though.

Yokohama Landmark Plaza has the mainstream brand-name stores for Ghibli and Shueisha that serve as a convenient focal point for the brochure, but you can find a lot more real anime stuff elsewhere scattered around the main Yokohama station, such as a decent-sized Animate and smaller Gamers (the large anime chain store whose mascot spawned the Di Gi Charat series) and Melon Books (doujinshi speciality chain store) branches hidden away inside random buildings. But ultimately, you are better off enjoying the sights and sounds of Enoshima if you find yourself in Kanagawa prefecture. Save the anime stuff for nearby Tokyo. There isn’t much in Yokohama.

The Animate branch in Nagoya stands alone behind Nagoya Station, but everything else is found in Osudenkigai

I didn’t spend much time at Nagoya’s Osudenkigai, but I thought it was about on par with Eastern Ikebukuro and Otome Road in terms of number of shops and level of activity. It’s worth checking out if you are in Nagoya, but it’s definitely not worth travelling to Nagoya for. Well, basically there is no real reason why anyone should visit Nagoya. It’s a boring place.

Classy underpass at Tenjin

The Tenjin area in Fukuoka is a major shopping area with many large vertical shopping centres. If you are in Hakata, you will definitely end up there. As Hakata is the centre of commercial activities in Kyushu/Western Japan, it has the largest regional outlets for Kinokuniya, Animate, etc. The caveat being that they are the largest in Kyushu, which is not really saying much. As far as I remember, there isn’t really any single location where the anime stores are clustered together, so you will just come across some of them as part of normal tourist shopping.

Look for the giant Melon Books sign to find Ota-road

Nipponbashi, Osaka is definitely worth visiting. It is much smaller in scale than Akihabara, but significantly larger than Ikebukuro Otome Road. The important thing to know is that the main road, where the exit for Nipponbashi subway station is located, has nothing but regular electronics stores. You need to find your way to a smaller parallel street, colloquially known as “Ota-road” to find outlets such as Gamers and Toranoana. I believe that K-Books (nationwide chain stores specializing in second-hand manga, doujinshi, goods and collectibles) is the only one with presence on the main road.

And of course, Akihabara, Otome Road and Nakano Broadway are the classics you shouldn’t miss. I find it interesting that the Akihabara blurb features the maid cafe Mai Dreamin, which seems to have materialized out of nowhere and cornered a huge share of the market with multiple outlets in Akihabara and Ikebukuro. I had always thought that @home cafe was much bigger, given that it has a longer history in Akihabara. Perhaps Mai Dreamin is more savvy at marketing. I did notice that they have an “English” version of the pre-recorded advertising blurb they play at their outlet next to Akihabara station.

When it comes to visiting real-life location of anime settings, it is important that you only do it if you enjoy sightseeing by itself. Most anime titles are set in boring, unremarkable small towns and some of them can be quite mind-boggling rural for an urban dweller. For example, Summer Wars is set in Nagano, an entirely unremarkable prefecture as can be surmised from its Japan Guide article. If you travel there just to visit the anime locations, you’d better learnt to enjoy looking at mountains and fruit farms.

On the other hand, the ones set in easy-to-access parts of Tokyo usually feature no landmarks distinguishable enough to actually visit, other that the standard tourist fare: Tokyo Tower, Shinjuku area and Shibuya scramble crossing. That said, I did enjoy how Durarara!! featured Eastern Ikebukuro — one of my favourite places in Tokyo — with many of its familiar details.

Source: scion_cho on Flickr

Also, I love going to the Starbucks on the second floor of Tsutaya across the scramble crossing from Shibuya station. It was featured in an episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and it just looks so iconic.

This is where Kagami and Tsukasa work as miko

Outside of Tokyo, the easiest locations to visit are probably Lucky Stars scenes set in Omiya, Saitama and Washinomiya Shrine. You can cover both in a day trip from Tokyo. Well, and there’s School Days too.

I have been to Hakone a few times, but I have somehow never made the mental connection to Evangelion. Hmm.

There is no way my post title is so long. Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, or OreImo as it is commonly abbreviated, is an interesting twist of the quintessential tsundere anime genre popularized by titles such as Shakugan no Shana and Zero no Tsukaima.

And beyond that, it, like Genshiken, is a testament to the subculture that has sprung up around bishoujo anime and games.

Despite its suspicious title (“There is no way my sister is this cute”), OreImo, at least the anime adaptation, is not about incest. There is certainly some suggestive tension between Kyousuke Kousaka and his tsundere sister Kirino Kousaka that does not usually exist between siblings, but arguably the masterful execution keeps it within tastefully platonic limits.

This can be disappointing if you walk into it hoping for another Koi Kaze, but on some level the setup is oddly appropriate given the personalities of the two main characters and the theme of the story. Nevertheless, the show does contain enough emotionally-charged moments to make the viewer blush excitedly like a giddy school girl.

Kirino Kousaka is a typical teenage girl who hates her brother Kyousuke Kousaka. But one day, Kyousuke accidentally discovers that Kirino is actually a huge closet otaku who has a pile of eroge tall enough to touch the ceiling hidden in her otaku closet and an ironic fetish for little sisters. Kirino, who has thus far kept her double life secret from even her closest friend, is initially horrified but slowly realizes that having someone share her secret may not be such a bad thing. With Kyousuke’s help, Kirino gradually overcomes her self-loathing and decides to be more honest with her passions (perhaps in more than one way). Of course, with Kyousuke around to help her buy 18+ eroge, she also descends farther into oblivion… めでたしめでたし。

That stack of games cost a few thousand dollars

As with any anime dealing with otaku, things get really meta. There are many allusions and references to real-life anime and game titles and Kirino’s many dilemmas (usually, which girl to kouryaku first) probably strike a chord with many of the show’s viewers. Every commercial break eyecatch contains a imouto-themed parody of an actual anime or game and every episode has a unique ED song along with a unique illustration provided by a well-known doujin or eroge artist. As with Genshiken, it gives you a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside to know that this perverted little niche has grown to become a substantial subcultural force of its own.

Eyecatch

Kirino practising sexual grooming on virtual lolis

In a way, OreImo is really just Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, except that Haruhi is Kyon’s little sister and she likes to play pornographic games about little sisters instead of searching for UFOs or aliens. Haruhi herself has some maniac tendencies (e.g. making Mikuru dress up as a bunny girl to provide fan service) that endear her to the audience’s inner selves. Kirino takes that concept one step further by being a full-blown closet otaku. And like Kyon, Kyousuke gets to clean up her mess afterwards behind the scenes.

@_@

To be honest, while combining Haruhi and Genshiken does make for an interesting concept as it is, the real draw of OreImo for me is the complicated relationship between Kyousuke and Kirino. There’s a popular saying in Japanese, tomodachi ijou koibito miman 友達以上恋人未満 (more than friends, less than lovers), which on a side note actually has an eroge named after it. You can probably call Kyousuke and Kirino kyoudai ijou koibito miman 兄妹以上恋人未満 (more than siblings, less than lovers).

Kirino cries knowing that she can never be with her brother…

Even though Kirino fits the typical tsundere heroine archetype that has proliferated throughout the industry over the years as part of its moétification, and even though Kyousuke is more or less an exact replica of Kyon, the fact that they are siblings serves as an insurmountable absolute barrier against potential developments. All tsundere characters have their barriers (e.g. the master-servant relationship seen in Zero no Tsukaima) to prevent the relationship from escalating beyond the status quo until the season finale, but the one between Kirino and Kyousuke is real and indestructible. There isn’t even the usual wriggle room of “siblings unrelated by blood”.

There is no way my family has so many different hair colours

Having not read the novels, I spent most of the 12 episodes wondering how the show intends to give a satisfactory ending to the web that it has weaved. An actual incestuous ending would be, in my opinion, oddly out of place — too straightforward and simple for a story that so carefully dances around the issue. And yet, a tsundere setup without a teredere ending just feels wrong. This sense of dilemma, I feel, is where OreImo truly differentiates itself. Wherein most works of similar genre a happy ending is predictable and welcomed, in OreImo it is uncertain and emotionally complicated.

Indeed, I personally find that OreImo’s “Good Ending” is the non-controversial compromise that is decent but somewhat hollow. Perhaps this is why OreImo will have 4 extra DVD episodes that will form 2 alternate endings to the series. Will I be condemned if I say that I am looking forward to the “True Ending”?

^_^

>:(

Ahh… Toranoana at Akiba. Nostalgic.

Kirino’s awesomely psychotic best friend

There is no way my otaku meta-anime doesn’t feature a Comiket episode

This proves it. Kirino is Konata!

Kuroneko, cat-eared dweller of the eternal darkness

Mutually-Assured Tsundere

KIRA☆

Also looking forward to the OreImo PSP game… >_>

A fire engine just drove by. I wonder where it’s heading to. But anyway, read on for photos from Kaminarimon, Nakano Broadway, Shinjuku and nighttime Akihabara.

Asakusa

We went to Sensouji near Asakusa Station in the morning. I tried the omikuji. It took forever for a stick to fall out, but my fortune is apparently good.

Tourist traps

Spot the odd one out

Tsuruya-san’s family business

Ruined symmetry

Small boat town

Kanji

Paying for protection

Shake, pull and match

Roses are red, violets are blue. All my base are belong to you

They need to add a foliage-penetration mode on cameras

I want one

Nakano

Next stop, Nakano Broadway. I already covered this place in a previous entry so I shall save the explanations. More pictures!

Still in the mood for X’mas

Fraulein Revoltech Rei for 1485 yen

The only other picture I took inside Nakano Broadway

In the back alleys

Japanglish

Reminds me of FLCL

Shinjuku

I spent the afternoon alone wandering around Shinjuku. I walked around 4km. I bought a light novel called Bungaku Shoujo to Shinitagari no Piero (“文学少女”と死にたがりの道化). I have no idea what it is about, but I bought it anyway because I liked the little prose in the page before the prologue, and because it’s in some kind of “Top 10” list so it has to be somewhat decent.

Pink flowers added just in case you miss the message

Outside the Shinjuku Station’s New South Exit

New South Exit

Shinjuku Station is about the size of a small city with exits that are hundreds of metres apart. It’s a hell load of walking.

I don’t know where this place is but whatever

Shinjuku Station serves a few dozen lines

Takashimaya used to be a cloth shop

One line

Two lines

Three lines

Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world with over 3.3 million passengers a day.

Compensation

Random building

Kinokuniya South Shinjuku Branch

My membership card doesn’t work here…

Walkway connecting Kinokuniya to Takashimaya

Kinokuniya is actually a grocery store in Japan!

Walking towards the Metropolitan Government Office (800m away)

Hey, is that…?

Yeah it is.

Bureaucratic zone

One of Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s buildings

Taxpayer yen at work

Fuji News Network news truck

Push the button for audio signals

Akihabara

Finally, I met with Don777 in Akihabara. He’s a pretty nice guy, especially since he likes Maaya too. He brought me to @home cafe and Cafe with Cat (Toranoana’s new cafe). Cafe with Cat seems to be a pretty standard maid cafe deal except with cat-inspired uniforms instead of maid costumes, whereas @home is definitely on the manic side of things. The waitress who brought us our drinks actually did this heart-sign action to inject a “moé” flavour.

But I shall not go into that because I am falling asleep anytime now… A few more pictures and we are done.

Fortune Arterial is the latest game by August, the makers of Yoake Mae yori Ruri-iro na. Basically it’s the exact same game except the hair colours get shuffled around a bit and the Feena-lookalike is a loli. It’s also the most anticipated upcoming game according to Comptiq magazine, so expect it to sell a gazillion copies and be turned into a cabbage an anime.

Eva coffee

The second Kara no Kyoukai movie will be out on Saturday

Well, that’s it for today. I need sleep.

By the way, in case you didn’t know yet, all the photos (and more) can be found in my photo gallery.

After leaving our luggage at the hostel, the group of us proceeded to take a long walk (longer than it should be due to various detours) to Akihabara. Pictures after the break.

Photos are in chronological order. (More or less.)

Airport to Hostel

Train to Tokyo from Narita Airport

Miscellaneous buildings near our hostel

More miscellaneous buildings

Fallen leaves

Look, it’s sakura!

The source of the fallen leaves

The twilight zone — or when I forgot to set white balance

Train tracks

Camera over shoulder

Camera is heavy

Kitties!

Coffee

Nice boats

Traffic accident tallies for yesterday

Akihabara

Robots in disguise!

Lost hope

Akihabara main street closed to traffic due to holiday

But not many cosplayers as it’s not Sunday

Sofmap; new Yamigawa building to be photoshopped in soon

The Akiba wanderers

Animate — now in orange!

The pathway to heaven

Child abuse

aipoddo

Flesh sin and general decadence abound

The giants of Akiba

I want to catch this in cinemas

Konata is big

It’s 4pm and the sun is setting

Nyo~

Those signs are each about three-floors tall

toki wo kakeru konata

Back in Asakusa

JR Asakusa-bashi Station

Anpanman

Doraemon

Ultraman

Kamen Mask Rider

SD Gundam

Nighttime

Bandai’s headquarters used to be in Asakusa and they still maintain a presence here in the form of two office buildings. We happened to pass by them during our after-dinner stoll. May drop by again later during office hours to look at their showcases.

As for the title of this post: we lost our way for 15 minutes or so during our little night stroll. It was an interesting experience…

Heading to Tsukiji fish market in the morning tomorrow.

First performance:

Second performance:

Rehearsal session:

They didn’t do the full 4-minute dance. How disappointing.

[ Via 萌えよ！アキバ人ブログ ]

They only printed a selected few of the questions while the full set of hundred is included on a CD-ROM that comes with the magazine.

Continue reading for the printed questions and translations.

1. お名前と、もしあるならば別の呼び名。そしてその由来をæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
こんにちは、DarkMirageと申しまãã€‚小学校のごろオンラインゲームを始めたæ‚に作ったんでãã€‚たまたま二つの英語単語で作り出しただけで、意味はありません。

Please tell us your nickname and its origin.
Hi, my nickname is DarkMirage. I made it up for an online game back in primary school. It’s just a combination of two words and has no special meaning.

2. 年齢をæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
１８歳。

What is your age?
18 years old.

3. どこにお住まいでãã‹ï¼Ÿ
シンガポール。

Where do you live?
Singapore.

4. 職業についてæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
高校生。

What’s your occupation?
High school student.

5. 身長は？
１８１センチ。

Your height?
181cm. (I realized that I overestimated it by 2cm.)

6. 好きな食べ物をæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
刺身。

What’s your favourite food?
Sashimi.

7. 嫌いな食べ物はなんでãã‹ï¼Ÿ
にんじん、ブロッコリ。

What food do you hate?
Carrots and broccoli.

8. なにか特技があればæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
耳を動かãã“と、それとジャッグル。

Do you possess any special talents?
I can wriggle my ears and also juggle.

9. 自分を動物にたとえるなら、なんでãã‹ã€‚
猫かな、éã‹ã§æ€ ã‘者。

What animal would you compare yourself to?
Probably a cat. I’m quiet and lazy.

10. 自分をオタクだと思いまãã‹ï¼Ÿ
はい、オタクでãã€‚

Are you an otaku?
Yes, I am.

11. あなたにとってのヒーローまたはヒロインは誰でãã‹ã€‚
科学者のスティーヴン・ホーキング。

Who is your hero/heroine?
The physicist Stephen Hawking.

12. 尊敬している人は？
元アメリカ大統領å€è£œã‚¢ãƒ«ãƒ»ã‚´ã‚¢ã€‚

Who do you respect?
Former American presidential candidate Al Gore.

15. 座右の銘は？
“God’s in his heaven, All’s right with the world.”

What’s your personal motto?
“God’s in his heaven, All’s right with the world.”

21. 理想のガールフレンドってどんな人でãã‹ï¼Ÿï¼ˆå®Ÿåœ¨ã®å½¼å¥³ã¯åˆ¥ã«ã—て）
ToHeart2のタマ姉みたいのがいいｗｗｗ　冗談は別として、趣味が合うのは一番大切だと思いまãã€‚明るくて大人っぽいのもプラスでãâ€¦â€¦ã£ã¦ã‚„っぱりタマ姉かな。(笑）

Describe your ideal girlfriend. (Not your current girlfriend.)
I want someone like ToHeart2’s Tama-nee! Jokes aside, I guess having someone with compatible interests is quite important. Cheerful and mature would be huge pluses too…… Wait I guess that is Tama-nee after all. LOL.

30. 好きなアニメ作品についてæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱、エヴァンゲリオン、ナデシコ、星界の戦旗、気まぐれオレンジロード。

What anime titles do you like?
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Evangelion, Nadesico, Banner of the Stars and Kimagure Orange Road.

54. 知っている、または好きな日本の単語をæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
神無月。

Please tell us your favourite Japanese word.
Kannadzuki.

59. Ramblings of DarkMirageを簡単に紹介してください。
最初は自分を話題にして書いてたブログだったが、二年前からアニメやアキバ系のサイトに変更しました。ビジターはアメリカから一番多い、それからシンガポールと日本。

Please introduce us to “Ramblings of DarkMirage”.
It started off as a random blog about my daily life but slowly transformed into an anime related site two years ago. Most visitors come from America, followed by Singapore and Japan.

66. いま、注目に値ãã‚‹ã‚¢ãƒ‹ãƒ¡ä½œå“ã‚’æŒã’てください。
「コードギアス」……って言うかもう皆観てまãã­ã€‚じゃ、「京四郎と永遠の空」かな。

What series should people look out for now?
“Code Geass”……but I guess everyone’s already watching that. “Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora” then.

69. アニメで、いちばん好きなシーンについてæ•ãˆã¦ãã ã•ã„。
「涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱」の第１２話で、ハルヒが「God knows…」を歌ってるところが大好きでãã€‚

What’s your favourite anime scene?
The scene in episode 12 of “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” where Haruhi sang “God knows…”.

79. 「アニメオタク」と「アニメファン」の違いとは、どういったことだと思いまãã‹ã€‚
あるレãƒãƒ«ã«é”成ãã‚‹ã¨ã€ã‚¢ãƒ‹ãƒ¡ãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒ³ã¯ã‚¢ãƒ‹ãƒ¡ã‚ªã‚¿ã‚¯ã«é€²åŒ–しまãã€‚ポケットモンスターみたいに。

What do you think is the difference between an anime otaku and an anime fan?
Upon reaching a certain level, anime fan evolves into anime otaku. Just like in Pokemon.

80. サイトへのクレームなどもありまãï¼Ÿ
最初はなれなくてãã”く気にしたんでããŒã€ä»Šã¯ç„¡è¦–しまãã€‚

Do you get complaints about your site?
Yes, I was quite bothered by them at first, but now I ignore them. (Speaking of which, Doremi just sent me an e-mail a few days ago…)

85. 尊敬している、字幕職人っていまãã‹ã€‚
Anime-KeepのDeathWolf。

Do you respect any fansubbers?
DeathWolf from Anime-Keep.

88. オススメのYouTube動画ってありまãï¼Ÿ
「Ask A Ninja」というシリーズ。まぁ、英語でãã‘どね。

Do you have any YouTube videos to recommend?
The “Ask A Ninja” series, but it’s in English.

92. 一番人気があるアニメサイトといえば？
darkmirage.com…というのは嘘でãã€‚多分animenewsnetwork.comだと思いまãã€‚

What’s the most popular anime site (in English)?
darkmirage.com… Just kidding. Uh, animenewsnetwork.com I guess.

93. マジコンって知ってまãï¼Ÿã€€ä½¿ã£ãŸã“とありまãï¼Ÿ
知ってまããŒã€DSは持っていません。PSPでカスタムファームウエアと使ってまãã‘ど。

Do you know what’s a Magicom? Have you used one before?
I know what it is, but I do not own a DS. I do use homebrew software on my PSP, though.

97. ひとことでいうと、アニメはあなたにとってナニ？
生き方でãã€‚

How would you describe anime in one phrase?
It’s a way of life.

100. 日本の読者にメッセージお願いしまãã€‚
いつかアキバで会おう！

Please end off with a message for the Japanese readers.
May we meet in Akiba someday!

You can view the rest of the questions that came with the CD-ROM here.

Alternatively, you can purchase the magazine itself from Amazon JP. The CD-ROM contains a few pictures of me which I shall not post here. :P

P.S. I have been without Internet access for the past few days due to a series of incidents. So yeah, I’m still alive.

Mirai-chan, dannychoo.com’s new mascot
Illustration by Yuuko Azami
I want one too…

You can view the episode on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I translated the portions of the show that feature him. You can take a look after the jump.

~ on-screen text.
// translator notes

BlogTV Episode 30 Part 1/3
(Danny appears at around the 2-minute mark)

Tokyo, Akihabara. Here walks a living urban legend.

Good evening to everyone watching BlogTV. I am reporter Danny Choo.

~ Danny Choo
~ Possesses indepth knowledge of anime, manga and otaku culture.
~ Revered as a god-like figure by Western fans.

Today I shall bring you into depths of Akihabara.

The legendary cosplayer: The God, Danny Choo.

~ Danny Choo Akiba Report
~ Illustration: Yuuko Azami

Danny, with his huge collection of figures, is creating waves across the net.

The first store we are visiting is called Kotobukiya.

~ Hobby Shop Kotobukiya (Radio Kaikan)
~ Tokyo-to Chiyoda-ku Sotokanda 1-15-16 Akihabara Radio Kaikan 1F2F

They sell many different figures and they have a lot of the latest stuff.
You can find many types of figures inside, such as Star Wars, Gundam and anime ones.
I just bought this one this week.
It’s a figure of Mikuru-chan from an anime called Haruhi.
Isn’t she cute?
I think she’ll look perfect on my desk at work.
You can even consider giving it as a gift to your superior.

And next we have Mirei-san.
It’s a Kotobukiya-exclusive figure.
A lot of my blog readers are awaiting her release.
I want her too.

Here we have various mecha models.
Like Armored Core and things like that.
These are pretty cool.

BlogTV Episode 30 Part 2/3
(Danny appears at around 5:41)

~ Danny Choo Akiba Report

~ Exclusive to Akihabara
~ Akiba Cookies
~ 800 yen

Well, the next shop is Asobit City.

~ Asobit Character City

This particular branch focuses on figures and toys.

// ZOMG Younha‘s Houkiboshi playing in the background!

~ Danny greeting a pair of girls who have come for interviews to be Akiba maids.

Why don’t you introduce yourself?
I came from England, my name is Danny.
Right now, I am studying the Way of Otaku.
That’s why I am learning about cosplay, figures and maid cafes.

~ Danny walking to the maid cafe with the two girls.

This is my regular outfit.

Eh?
Show us your face.
Oh! Umm, I’ll take it off later.

// ZOMG Mai:lish. I love that place!

~ It seems that filming isn’t allowed inside.

Danny told me that although there are still more footages left unaired, he isn’t sure if they will be shown in next week’s episode. We’ll see. Maybe Danny Choo Akiba Report will even become a regular section of BlogTV… LOL.

妄想ボイスCD第二弾「おしかりCD」
Mousou Voice CD Vol.2 “Oshikari CD”

Do you love tsundere girls? Especially when they go tsuntsun? Well, here’s the perfect CD for you then!

This is the second instalment of Ciffon‘s 妄想 (mousou) series. Basically each CD has a specific theme and 12 seiyuu (mostly newbies) each read out a 101-line script based on that theme. The theme for this CD is “Oshikari” or “scolding”. Yeah, you read that right. This CD contains 1200+ lines of girls scolding you. :P

The best part of the CD is that it has Shizuka Itou (Tamaki Kousaka from ToHeart2) voicing the first track. That was all it took to convince me to buy this CD from Neowing with my remaining membership points. Here’s Shizuka-sama’s track:

Below are all 101 lines with my translation. All twelve tracks use the same 101 lines.

1. さあ、はじめるよ。私の気持ち、しっかり受け止めてね
   » Alright, let’s begin. Please accept my feelings, okay?
2. ばか、ばか、ばか
   » Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
3. 分かんないわよ！
   » How should I know that?
4. いいかげんにしてください、もう知りません
   » That’s enough. I don’t know you anymore.
5. もう知らない、せっかく信用してたのに
   » I give up! And to think that I trusted you!
6. 絶対許さない、一生忘れないんだから
   » I’ll never forgive you! I won’t ever forget this!
7. あー、もうやだ
   » I’m sick of this.
8. いいかげんにしてよ！
   » Stop that nonsense!
9. あんたばかじゃないの！？
   » Are you stupid!?
10. わたしガキは嫌いなの
    » I hate brats.
11. 変なの、信じられない
    » What a weirdo, unbelievable.
12. 気持ち悪い・・・
    » Disgusting…
13. いや～
    » Yuck~
14. 一生地べたにé€ã„つくばっていなさいよ
    » Keep crawling on the ground for the rest of your life.
15. こんな人だとは思わなかった
    » I never knew you were such a person.
16. もーやだ、死んじゃえー
    » I’m sick of you, just die.
17. なんてことしてくれるのよ、もうありえない
    » Look at what you’ve done! I can’t believe this.
18. もうキライ
    » I hate you!
19. ばっかやろー
    » You idiot!
20. ちょっと頭おかしいんじゃないの
    » Is there something wrong with your head?
21. 口で言っても分からないなら体で覚えてもらいましょうか
    » If you can’t comprehend my words, how about I tell it to your body?
22. 叩くよ、ぼっこぼこにãã‚‹ã‚ˆ
    » Don’t make me hit you, I’ll make sure it hurts.
23. こらっ。いつまで寝てんの。早く起きないと踏みつけちゃうぞ！
    » Hey! How long do you plan to keep sleeping? I’m going to kick you if you don’t wake up now!
24. アホーーー
    » Moron.
25. こら、だめでしょ
    » Hey, don’t do that.
26. バカにつける薬はないわね
    » There’s no remedy for stupidity.
27. だから言ってんでしょ、もうついてこないで
    » I warned you before, don’t come close to me!
28. 顔もみたくない、二度と声かけないで
    » I don’t want to see your face. Don’t talk to me ever again.
29. わたしと話ããªã‚“て１００年早いのよ
    » You are 100 years too early to speak to me.
30. もー、怒っちゃうよ
    » Jeez, I’m getting angry now.
31. 好きと嫌いはç´ä¸€é‡ã€ç§ã®è¨€è‘‰ã‚’しっかりと受け止めてね
    » Love and hate are two sides of the same paper. Please remember my words, okay?
32. おやじくさーい
    » You are so square!
33. いいかげんにして、あやまりなさい
    » That’s enough, apologize now!
34. なんでそんなに卑屈なの
    » Why are you such a wimp?
35. ずっと信じた私がバカだったのね
    » I was a fool for believing in you all this time.
36. 何度でも言うからね、やっちゃだめ
    » I’ll say it as many times as it takes. Don’t do that!
37. いいえ、違いまãã€‚注意してるの、私は
    » No, I am merely giving you a warning.
38. 無礼者！なにをしておろう！
    » What insolence! How dare you do that!
39. うつけもの！私をだれと心得ておる！
    » Fool! Who do you take me for?
40. わたしばっかり頼らないで、自分でãã‚‹ã®
    » Stop depending on me and do it yourself.
41. 悪い子にはおしおきしちゃうわよ
    » Naughty boys require punishments.
42. 世間様に申し訳ないと思わないの？
    » Don’t you feel remorse for letting down humanity?
43. 大好きだったのに・・・
    » And to think that I loved you…
44. 大っきらい
    » I really hate you!
45. パン、パン、パーン
    » *punch* *punch* *punch*
46. どっちがいいのよ、はっきりしなさいよ
    » Which do you prefer? Hurry up and pick.
47. ふんっ。もう口聞いてあげないんだから
    » Pfft. I’m not going to listen to your anymore.
48. オタクっぽい
    » You look otaku.
49. そんな目でわたしを見ないで
    » Don’t look at me like that.
50. 今度やったら許さないよ
    » I won’t forgive you if you do it again.
51. どうしょうもないわね、あなたは
    » You are really hopeless.
52. そんなにデブデブ太って、知らないわよ
    » You just keep putting on weight. I don’t care anymore.
53. 別にあんたのために心配してるんじゃないんだからねっ
    » I am not worrying for you sake, got it?
54. もう取り返しのつかないことになってしまったね
    » This has reached the point of no return.
55. うるさい、だまれ
    » Quiet, shut up!
56. 二度と関わらないでください
    » Please don’t come near me ever again.
57. いい加減にしてください、お断りしまã
    » That’s enough, I am not interested.
58. まるでなってないわ、もう何をしてもだめなものはだめ
    » Why don’t you get it? It won’t work no matter how much you try.
59. 呆れてなにもいえない
    » I am too appalled to respond to that.
60. だーめっ、そんなことしちゃだめ
    » No! You can’t do that!
61. 近寄らないで、汚らわしい
    » Don’t come close to me, you’re filthy.
62. 君のせいで大変なことになったわ、責任とってよね
    » You are the cause of all this. It’s your responsibility.
63. お前、いいかんげんにしろよ
    » You, enough with the nonsense.
64. いつまでも一緒に居られると思ったら大間違いよ
    » If you think I’ll always be with you, you are mistaken.
65. 大丈夫って言ってくれたのに、この腰抜け～
    » You said you could handle it! Coward.
66. いいって言うまでこっち向くな
    » Don’t turn around until I say it’s okay.
67. 何回言ったら分かるの？猿だってできるわよ、これくらい
    » How many times do I have to show you? Even a monkey could’ve done it by now.
68. 何日徹夜ãã‚Œã°æ°—が済むの？身体こわしちゃうよ
    » How many days are you planning to work overnight? Your body is going to collapse.
69. 疲れたの？だめ、まだまだ許してあげない
    » Tired already? I won’t let you off yet.
70. あんたなんか大嫌い、もう顔も見たくない
    » I hate you! Don’t let me see your face again!
71. そんなこと言ってるからいつまでも子供って言われるのよ
    » It’s because you always say such things that people treat you like a kid.
72. あなたが知り合いって思われたくない
    » I don’t want to be associated with you.
73. このやろー、うちの畑荒らããªãƒ¼
    » You bastard! Don’t destroy our fields!
74. いつまでも私が笑って許ãã¨æ€ã£ãŸã‚‰å¤§é–“違いよ
    » You are mistaken if you think I’ll always forgive you with a smile.
75. あの人の仇ーーー
    » This is revenge for that person!
76. 必殺、お叱りパンチ、えい、えい、えいーーー
    » Special move, Oshikari Punch! Take this!
77. キック、パンチ、チョップ！これでもか
    » Kick! Punch! Chop! Still want more?
78. ヘラヘラãã‚‹ã®ã‚„めて
    » Stop being so frivolous.
79. イヤ、ぜったいイヤ
    » No! Not in a million years!
80. あー、疲れた、もうだめ
    » I’m tired of this. I give up.
81. あなたといると退屈しないわ、色んな意味で
    » I don’t get bored when I’m with you. Not in a good way.
82. 正直にいいなさい、叱られるのが嬉しいんでしょ
    » Just say it, you love being scolded don’t you?
83. お叱りモード全開！
    » It’s scolding time!
84. 言うこと聞いてくれないと嫌いになっちゃうよ
    » If you don’t listen to what I tell you, I won’t like you any more.
85. これくらいじゃ私を喜ばããªã‚“て無理よ
    » This is far from being enough to make me happy.
86. い～い？もう一度言うからよく聞くのよ
    » Ready? I’ll only say it one more time.
87. いつか天誅をくらうわよ、この悪党
    » Someday you will incur divine wrath, you scoundrel!
88. こんなことも出来ないの？私がいないと何もできないのね
    » You can’t even do this yourself? You are really helpless without me.
89. 悪いのはお前だーー
    » You are the one at fault!
90. この気持ちが分からないの？
    » Don’t you understand my feelings?
91. 言いつけてやる、絶対言いつけてやるんだから
    » I’ll tell on you! I’ll tell on you no matter what!
92. このままだったら一生恋人はできないわよ
    » At this rate you’ll never find a girlfriend for the rest of your life.
93. こんなこと信じちゃってばかじゃないのー
    » You believe in such things? Are you an idiot?
94. 結局戻ってきたのね、でも許さない
    » So, you came back after all. But I’m not going to forgive you.
95. これでもか、これでもか、これでもか
    » You want more? You want more? You want more?
96. 泣いたって何もでないわよ。わたしだって泣きたいわよ
    » I can’t do anything even if you cry. It’s not like I don’t feel like crying.
97. 投げ出しちゃだめ
    » Don’t throw it out!
98. べ、べつに好きなわけじゃないんだからね
    » I-It’s not like I like you or anything.
99. わたしはあなたのことを思っていってるのよ
    » I say this because I care for you.
100. 最後までよく耐えたわね、こんな私のこと嫌いになった？
     » Looks like you managed to hold on till the end. Do you hate me now?
101. しょうがないわねえ、今回だけよ、許してあげるの、じゃあね
     » You really are hopeless. I’ll forgive you, but just this time got it?

Tama-nee never fails to bring out my inner M. <3

The first Mousou CD was Oniichan and, as you can probably imagine, features all the trademark little sister lines. Perfect gift for your siscon/lolicon friends.

You can order Oshikari CD and Oniichan CD from Amazon Japan.

OSHIKARI PUNCH!

Taken from Akiba-blog

Yay!! The first anime adaptation of Kanon!… right?
– Asobit City

R.I.P Toei. You are not dead but you have been forgotten.

So anyway, the first Kanon DVD is out! Well, it’s not supposed to be out till 1 Jan but who cares about the official release date, right?

That said, Kyo-Ani’s Kanon is great. And it’s not because of Yuuichi. Mai has got to be the best Yukarin role ever next to Ichigo from the Onegai series.

I’m sure everyone knows and loves Rei, but what the heck is 絶対領域? Answer lies after the break.

絶対領域 (zettai ryouiki) literally means “absolute territory”. It is used in Evangelion for Absolute Terror Field (AT Field) which powers the Eva units. Although the term “absolute terror” was derived from Sigmund Freud‘s writings, “zettai ryouiki” was first used by Eva and has absolutely no relationship to “absolute terror” in psychology. (Absolutely. Get it? LOL!…nvm)

And right now, zettai ryouiki has almost nothing to do with Evangelion either, although it is frequently printed in the same style as it appeared in Evangelion (pictured above) as a form of homage. In fact, 絶対領域 today has more to do with knee socks than angst-filled mecha pilots.

Here’s a typical example of the zettai ryouiki.

絶対領域

In the online Japanese geek lingo, “zettai ryouiki” refers to the area of uncovered thigh between the skirt and the knee sock. It can be found in almost any moé-type game or anime. It’s considered a moé attribute, just like nekomimi, megane and tsundere.

絶対領域

The presence of zettai ryouiki requires socks that go above the knees. Thus in the above picture, Tama-nee (red hair) is the only girl with it. In fact, Tama-nee from ToHeart2 is well-known for her awesome zettai ryouiki. :P

絶対領域

Another well-known zettai ryouiki belongs to Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night.

絶対領域

Pretty much all maid characters with short skirts have zettai ryouiki, such as the girls from He is My Master. Here’s a Mitsuki cosplayer.

絶対領域

Akiba-blog regularly goes around checking out the cosplayers at Akihabara for zettai ryouiki.

In fact, zettai ryouiki has become a science. According to Hatena Diary, the golden ratio for the ultimate zettai ryouiki is 4:1:2.5 (length of skirt : zettai ryouiki : length of socks above knee) and the acceptable margin for error is ±25％. The ratios are generally off because it is thought that the ultimate zettai ryouiki would generate so much moé that the equivalent energy would be enough to vaporize the planet.

絶対領域

While the term was originally used in Evangelion, it was not until the new millennium before zettai ryouiki was first used in its current context. According to Wikipedia, it was apparently used in reference to a desktop mascot program in the creator’s blog on 21 March 2001 and took off after becoming a web meme and subsequently referred to in various doujinshi.

絶対領域

Banpresto (a division of Namco Bandai Holdings and the makers of Super Robot Wars) registered 絶対領域 as a trademark under digital media last year but it is unknown whether it is related to Evangelion, for which they have the rights to develop games.

絶対領域

And not too long ago, COSPA released an event-limited zettai ryouiki shirt which I have yet to find.

The subtitle of Broccoli’s Galaxy Angel II for PS2 is 絶対領域の扉 (zettai ryouiki no tobira) or “Door of the Absolute Territory”. I wonder what that means? <_<

絶対領域

In conclusion, 絶対領域 are cool. <3 Tama-nee

This ends yet another useless post brought to you by DM.