Friday, March 30, 2012

Update: Pokémon Plane Sighted!

A friend of mine was recently in Japan and while at the airport they actually spotted this Pokémon Jet! All Nippon Airways (ANA) has been flying these planes since 1999. Since then the airline has added a number of different airplane models to their fleet, all fully decked out with Pokémon characters.

Here’s the picture my friend was able to take with his iPhone.



This plane in particular has a super colorful design and sports a number of Pokémon on its hull including Pikachu.

According to ANA, the Pokémon theme isn’t limited just to the skin of the plane. Passengers on these flights receive a full Pokémon experience with fully themed cabins.

Headrests, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, inflight entertainment, and even souvenir bags given out on the flight are all tailored to Pokémon.

My friend said it was definitely fun to see in person. If you are ever flying in Japan keep your eyes open and you may just spot one.







References
2. http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/flights/pokemonjet/main.html



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds - Boston


Hey,

Just got back from Boston where over the weekend I went to see Final Fantasy Distant Worlds. For those of you who don’t know, Distant Worlds is a live symphony orchestra that works in union with Square Enix to tour around the world playing music from the Final Fantasy series. 

The musical scores from Final Fantasy are arguably some of the best pieces ever to be featured in any video game. And seeing the music being played live was definitely an amazing experience. 

Some of the classic FF scores played in Boston were: "Suteki da ne", "Terra's Theme", “Opera: Maria and Draco”, "Aerith's Theme", and “Swing de Chocobo”.

I was even lucky enough that on the night I went to the concert it was attended by Masashi Hamauzu who co-composed the music of Final Fantasy X and was the main composer of Final Fantasy XIII. In the last performance of the night Masashi Hamauzu actually joined in with the choir for “One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy: Advent Children. 

Pretty awesome to see. Especially since Hamauzu provided bass vocals in the original eight-person chorus when the song was recorded for Final Fantasy VII.  

Though the music definitely stands on its own, during performances Distant Worlds also displays unique content from Final Fantasy games on a giant screen. The CGI and gameplay clips are edited by Square Enix for the special use of Distant Worlds. 

As a result, this gives a kind of “Fantasia” like feel to the performances as the images playing on the screen are synchronized to the music of the orchestra. This also adds a whole other dimension to the concert and makes the experience all the more enjoyable. 

I think there is something inherently special about stunning audio and visual elements being used together in harmony.  And it is here that Distant Worlds achieves something great and truly shines.

If you are a fan of the series, like video game music, or classical music in general I absolutely recommend checking out one of their performances.


SuperFan5

Thursday, March 1, 2012

About Us


Today one of Japan’s biggest exports is its pop culture. In North America as well as all over the world, people have come to know and love the unique and exciting forms of media that have come from Japan. From the classic animation works of Hayao Miyazaki to iconic video games like Super Mario and Final Fantasy, Japanese media has had a profound influence on entertainment across the globe.

In this blog we will be posting anything ranging from articles to reviews all about Japanese media and its entertainment culture. So if you’re one of the millions of fans out there who enjoys Japanese anime, manga, and games as much as we do, this site is for you!

If you would like to join our community, feel free to read, write, and discuss to your hearts content. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy!