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23 Feb
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Posted by Musashi
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This week we welcome a special guest-host, Theory From the Closet host Clyde Rhoer! While Clyde is primarily known as an RPG podcaster, he’s also something of a Japanophile and offered to help us pick apart Noboru Iguchi’s 2009 gonzo flick RoboGeisha.
We also discuss the latest news about the FUNimation 1337 lawsuit, FUNimation’s current financial state, and even chat a bit about Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
(Note: No, we didn’t forget about Epsiode 14 – it’s done and ready to release. We simply felt that, given the time-sensitive nature of some of the material in this episode, it would be best to release it quickly. Episode 14 will follow shortly.)
Show Notes
- Theory From the Closet
- News: All But 1 Defendant Dropped From Funimation’s One Piece Lawsuit
- Random Note: Funimation Sales Down 75% Since 2004
- Help Nathan (That’d be ‘Fillion’, not AnaKhouri’s hubby) Buy Firefly!
- Robin Williams film: The Final Cut at IMDB
- Momus Patronage Album Expands
- RoboGeisha at Wikipedia
- RoboGeisha at IMDB
- The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (Amazon)
- The Love Machine (Article about Japanese underwear-vending machines) – Snopes
- Ganguro subculture (Wikipedia)
- Clyde’s new podcast Sammich Zen
Bonus video:
| Category: Podcast | Tag: Anime, business, firefly, funimation, piracy, Podcast, robogeisha, yellow menace podcast |
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9 Feb
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Posted by Musashi
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Thailand being the only country in the world which flaunts its’ love of transsexual men, it only seems natural that Thai airline PC Air should be the first to recruit ladyboy flight attendants.
Fledgling airline PC Air has already recruited six crew of the “third sex” and boss Peter Chan said recruitment, driven by a belief in equal rights, would continue.
“I think these people can have many careers, not just in the entertainment business, and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess. I just made their dream come true,” he said.
I say go for it! Thai ladyboys have been catering to the whims of rich Westerners for years, so why not let them do it 25,000 feet in the air? One you’ve finished reading the article, be sure to check out this piece at MSNBC’s photo blog.
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8 Jun
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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So I work at home for my dad’s company. After I read this story, I called Dad and asked him for a raise, contingent on me not killing myself. He was all, “Huh? Did you get that payroll done yet?” And I was all, “I haven’t gotten to it yet. I’m almost finished beating Super Mario Brothers for the Wii! Stop hassling me!”
Then he was all, “You’re fired.”
| Category: Uncategorized | Tag: business, china, foxconn |
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26 May
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Posted by Musashi
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Wow, if you think you have a hard time hauling your ass into work every day – at least you don’t work at Foxconn International Holdings, Ltd. Things have gotten so bad at the electronics firm (which manufactures iPods and other hitech goodies we take for granted) that management is asking the workers to sign ‘no suicide’ clauses to help stem the lemming-like wave of deaths.
The normally secretive Taiwanese company opened its sprawling factory complex in the southern city of Shenzhen to reporters Wednesday after a 19-year-old worker jumped to his death from a building, the ninth apparent suicide this year at the factory that makes iPods and iPhones.
Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou bowed deeply several times and apologized but also cautioned there was only so much his company could do.
“I’m very concerned about this. I can’t sleep every night,” said Gou, one of Taiwan’s best known businessmen. “From a scientific point of view, I’m not confident we can stop every case. But, as a responsible employer, we have to take up the responsibility of preventing as many as we can.”
The world’s largest contract maker of electronics, which also counts among its products Dell computers and Nokia phones, has been a lightning rod for labor activists who say its working conditions cause misery for its vast work force.
The tour comes after the suicide on Tuesday of Li Hai, 19. He was the latest victim of the suicide surge, jumping to his death from a building at the world’s largest contract maker of electronics, which also counts among its products Dell computers and Nokia phones.
Police said Li killed himself after working at the plant for only 42 days, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
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22 Mar
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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So China makes more crap than any other country in the world. Big surprise!
China Dominates the Useless Junk Trade
But most Chinese are smart enough not to waste money on stupid shit. I don’t go in much for knick-knacks myself: why have stuff gathering dust on shelves? I have a few things, like a Mothra on top of my computer monitor and an ashtray with a painting of Pompeii in the bottom (a souvenir from the place itself; it just seems adding insult to annihilation, doesn’t it?). But that singing fish? If someone gave me that I would beat them to death with it.
Although I admit Mummy Mike is kind of cute, and I do have trouble finding rubber bands when I need them…
| Category: Uncategorized | Tag: business, china, junk, manufacturing |
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12 Dec
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Poor Japanese people. They’re losing out on square hamburgers, Frosties and cupsof chili, all because they like McDonald’s better for some reason.
I ate at a McDonald’s in Japan though, twice. And I have to admit, it was good. Maybe that was a given considering I had the fish, but Shapiro Keats said his pork thing was also good. And we know someone else who had the ebichu-burger (ground-up shrimp) and he said it was good too. And the place was staffed by cute Japanese girls and it was clean. The only thing was, no free soda refills. But oh well! You can’t have everything.
Too bad about the Frosties though. They don’t know what they’re missing.
| Category: Uncategorized | Tag: business, fast food, japan, wendy's |
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30 Nov
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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One Japanese marketing company, which is staffed entirely by women, is offering ‘heartache leave’ for their employees when they get dumped.
Leave gets longer as you get older. I guess they assume it’s harder on older women to breakup; I can’t speak for older women but most of the ones I know are tough as nails, though they wouldn’t turn down a couple days off.
This company also offers time off so the employees can go shopping during big sales. Can we get any more stereotypical here?
| Category: Uncategorized | Tag: business, japan, relationships, women |
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4 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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By now you’ve all heard that ADV, once the largest distributor of anime in North America, has gone the way of the dodo. Honestly, I can’t feign surprise – although it’s pretty amazing to consider that less than 5 years ago ADV were at the top of the heap. Seriously, the fall of ADV has been like watching the sinking of the Titanic – slow, inexorable doom.
How did this happen, and what does this mean for the U.S. anime market? Right now FUNimation seems to be sitting pretty as the lone anime superpower in North America, and more power to them; their online initiatives have been highly successful at rallying the fanbase and keeping interest alive, while their home video releases are both well-packaged and reasonably priced. This is exactly where the business needs to be if it wants to survive.
As for ADV itself, the company has now been broken down into several units and sold to different entities. One of these – SIXON 23, LLC (aka Section 23), continues to market Asian film under the Sentai Filmworks label. But the ADV we once knew and loved is gone.
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1 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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So check this: former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been invited to address the CLSA Investors Forum in Hong Kong, which sounds real prestigious and everything. However, the whole thing is an elaborate joke – seemingly at her expense. I almost feel bad for her.
CLSA, the Asia-focused broker who invited Mrs. Palin as keynote speaker for an Asian investment conference, is well known for their cheeky takes on investment research.
In the past, they’ve polled Asian fortune tellers for index targets, hired anime cartoonists to draw Japanese research, and generally love to push the boundaries between entertainment and analysis. They are a real research firm, it’s just that they love to sprinkle in some hilarity every now and then as a smart marketing gimmick.
Sarah Palin is this year’s big laugh for them.
Who knows. Maybe she knows she’s being invited just so a bunch of lame economists can chortle at her antics and a free ticket to Hong Kong is too much to resist. Maybe there’s good wolf hunting in them parts.
| Category: News | Tag: business, Hong Kong, politics, practical jokes, sarah palin |
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31 Aug
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Posted by Musashi
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Disney Corp. is buying out Marvel Comics. Some random thoughts…
1.) Pixar Marvel flicks? Yes, please…
2.) Incredibles: The Comic? Yes, please…
3.) The chance that any forthcoming Marvel superhero pics will suck just quadrupeled. And yes, this includes Iron Man 2 and any of the other proposed Avengers tie-ins.
4.) Mickey Mouse gets an adamantium skeleton and healing factor.
5.) Marvel mascots hanging out at Disneyland?
6.) Crazy predicton: I’ve been waiting for Marvel to drop traditional printed comic format for some time. I can’t see Disney pumping any more money into a losing business model. Say bye-bye to the direct market.
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7 Aug
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Posted by Musashi
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Hey, there’s a thought. Maybe we should start extending the death penalty to include corporate thieves. Maybe a few Bernie Madoff’s and Kenneth Lay’s on the chopping block would send a message. Probably not, but one can always hope.
A Chinese airport executive has been executed after being convicted of corruption charges.
Li Peiyang was the head a major Chinese state-owned company that runs several airports – including the Beijing Capital Airport.
He was convicted of bribery and embezzlement worth US$16 million.
He was executed Friday.
| Category: News | Tag: business, china, crime, crooks, embezzlement, executions |
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27 Jul
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Posted by Musashi
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Legendary Hong Kong film studio Shaw Brothers has emerged from the grave with three new features under its’ belt, including ‘E.U.’ spinoff Turning Point, starring Infernal Affairs / Hard Boiled star Anthony Wong.
In addition to “Turning Point,” the studio is now developing three films, two of which will begin production this year. The first is the US$5 million ensemble comedy “House of 73 Tenants,” a sequel-of-sorts to a 1973 Shaw Brother blockbuster, executive produced by Hong Kong multi-hyphenate Eric Tsang and co-directed by Tsang and Riley Yip (“Elixir of Love”). “House” will also enlist Oscar-nominated costume designer Yee Chung-man (“Curse of the Golden Flower”) overseeing art direction.
The story revolves around the lessees of a Hong Kong market-styled shopping mall made up of tiny stores. Filming will commence in September at the Shaw Studios for a 2010 Chinese New Year release date. The studio is now in negotiation with an unnamed Chinese partner for a co-production release in the country.
Next in the works is a young adult urban romantic comedy tentatively titled “Love Expert,” to be executive produced by Paco Wong and directed by Patrick Kong (a.k.a Yip Lim-sum), the hit-making team of “L for Love, L for Lies” and “Marriage with a Fool.” A script has been developed, filming will take place later this year. The studio is now developing a period drama to be produced in 2010.
This is cool and all, but I’d really love to see them delve back into the wuxia genre that made them famous. I know it’s a little played-out right now, but hell – Gordon Liu’ is still in damn good shape…get him back in front of the camera and it’s on.
| Category: News | Tag: business, china, film, Hong Kong, martial arts, Movie, Shaw Brothers |
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2 Jun
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Posted by Musashi
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Oh, this is the height of irony – as a result of looming bankruptcy, General Motors is reportedly in talks to hand the Hummer SUV brand over to Chinese firm Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Of course, this means all those wonky freaks who constantly scream about their right to drive whatever gas-consuming monster they want will have to fork money over to the Chinese for the privilege. Then again, they don’t seem to have a problem paying OPEC for the gas to fill it up in either case, so that might not be an issue.
(Just so I’m understood properly, I personally don’t have a problem with people driving gas-guzzling cars, but there is a certain segment of the population that sees it as their patriotic duty to do so – which is where I find humor in the situation.)
GM has an agreement to sell its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. of China, said a person briefed on the deal.
The Detroit automaker announced Tuesday morning that it had a memorandum of understanding to sell the brand of rugged SUVs, but it didn’t identify the buyer. A formal announcement of the buyer was to be made Tuesday afternoon, said the person briefed on the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details have not been made public.
Sichuan Tengzhong deals in road construction, plastics, resins and other industrial products, but Hummer would be its first step into the automotive business.
Wait – they’ve never built autos before, and they want to start with Hummers? That should be entertaining.
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25 Feb
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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It seems Best Buy has finally realized that people aren’t buying anime from them because they prefer to download it for free (note: I bought both seasons of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Solid State Society from them, so there!). So the company is cutting its anime titles in about 800 of their 1,000 stores in the U.S.
What does this mean for you? Well, from March 1st to March 21st, the stores where titles are being cut are having a 50% of sale on anime. There’s no list of which stores will be participating just yet, so you may just have to drive around some.
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1 Jan
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Posted by Musashi
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I know some of you got some negative vibes from the trailer for Imagi’s Astro Boy adaptation, but I have plenty of faith they’ll do Osamu Tezuka proud. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was actually pretty decent, and the concept art for Gatchaman has been breathtakingly cool.
Alas, according to the company’s auditor, the studio may not have the capital necessary to complete any of their upcoming projects.
Company statement said that Imagi is on course to deliver CG-animated fantasy “Astro Boy,” with a starry voice cast headed by Freddy Highmore, Nicolas Cage and Bill Nighy, for release in October 2009. And it revealed progress on the three upcoming projects, “Gatchaman,” “Tusker” and “Cat Tale.”
But audit firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu said “it is uncertain whether the Group will have the necessary financial resources to complete these animated pictures.”
“At 30 September 2008, the group had bank and cash balances of approximately HK$88.9 million ($11.5 million,) while it is expected to incur approximately HK$512 million ($66 million) cash outlay to complete its animation pictures and to meet its daily operating expenses in coming years up to June 2010 (of which approximately HK$353 million [$45.6 million] is required within the next 12 months) before revenue from the animation pictures is generated,” Deloitte said.
“The directors are actively pursuing various funding sources to meet the group’s cash flow requirements…. However, it is uncertain whether these fund raising exercises will be successful,” Deloitte said. “Consequently, in the absence of evidence that the group will be successful in raising the necessary funding as and when it is required, we consider that there is a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to operate as a going concern.”
