Gizmodo: manga

Korea's Massive 364-Foot Taekwon V Statue Will Crush Puny Humans

Danny Allen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:45:55 EDT

Holy crap! So Japan builds giant Gundam and Testsujin statues (59 and 60-feet, respectively), now Korea is building this freakin' huge Taekwon V (Voltar the Invincible) replica that will be more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty.

Taekwon V will be the center-piece of Robot Land, a nearly $600 million dollar development of entertainment areas, exhibition halls, research centers and businesses that we've mentioned in the past. Though it broke ground long before the Japanese projects, many believe Korea's Taekwon V cartoons copied Japan's Mazinger Z in the first place. Reow.

The park is set to open to the public in 2012, with full access starting in 2013. And yes, that's a monorail whizzing past Taekwon V's ankles. Awesome. [Robot Land (translated) via Plastic Pals]

New Astro Boy Trailer Makes Me Want This New Astro Boy Toy

Danny Allen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:15:00 EDT

Check out this wicked Astro Boy figurine recently spotted at Hong Kong's Ani-Com show. I can't wait for the big-screen CG reboot of everyone's favorite Pinocchio-like android kid with arm canons. Speaking of which, new full-length trailer after the jump!

First created by Osamu Tezuka (the father of Manga) in 1952, Astro Boy played a big part in the rise of the anime aesthetic. Various Astro Boy comics and series have run over the years—influencing pop culture mainstays like teenage hairstyles, video games (Mega Man), and movies (Steven Spielberg's A.I.) along the way. Personally, it was the classic 80's series that got me hooked.

We'll learn more about the availability of Hot Toys' figurine closer to the movie's October 23 release. Voices from Samuel L. Jackson, Charlize Theron and Donald Sutherland look solid; but let's hope Nicolas Cage doesn't inject his super-intense brand of fail. [Current and io9]

We've seen teasers before, but this full-length trailer debuted yesterday:

Doraemon Gadgets

Jason Chen — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:00:00 EDT

Boing Boing Gadgets has six of the hundreds of thousands of gadgets Doraemon—the Japanese anime gadget cat—pulled out of his magic pouch over the years. Above: the Polaroid-esque Voodoo Camera. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

Astro Boy Teaser Trailer Starts The Speed Racer Healing Process

Sean Fallon — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:40:00 EDT

Okay...not much to go on here but so far, so good. Astro Boy, the 60's era manga series about a crime-fighting, nuclear-powered, robot kid is set to hit theaters this fall.

Obviously, the short glimpse of the movie featured here raises a few questions. Will it be better than Speed Racer? Will it retain the psychological, nuclear-age vibe of the original series? Will Nicolas Cage be less annoying voice-only? These questions and more should be answered in October. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

Manga Jobs and Wozniak Dream Up Apple

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Lisa Katayama at Boing Boing has found a manga gem from the 80s: the story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, from the moment Woz started to get interested in gadgets until the Apple II was created and launched. Into space apparently. Truth is that I don't have a clue of Japanese, so that's probably why I find it funny, thinking about what the hell they are saying, and why on Earth there's an space octopus involved in this whole thing—I just like to imagine that's related to Jobs' experiences with LSD. [Otaden via Boing Boing]

Japan's Astro Boy Robot Redesigned As a Fat Ass

Chris Magor — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:48:42 EDT

Astro Boy, the robot Mickey Mouse of Japan with a machine gun in his ass and laser on his fingertip, has received his first major graphic overhaul in years. And they made him fat! The formerly svelte, doe-eyed bot with 100,000 horsepower looks like a cross between a fish lips and a mini sumo wrestler.

Not surprisingly to Shimuzu, they have been getting more than their share of complaints from the more hardcore of the Astro Boy fan-base. So, why the added girth? Tezuka Productions Copyright Division head Yoshihiru Shimuzu offers a suggestion, "Once upon a time, Americans never ate raw fish, but now they really want to find a delicious sushi. In the same way, we want the collaboration that led to 'AvoCali (Astro Boy)' to take the character worldwide." Avocali is the nick name for this variant, and it's a reference to the Avocado California rolls many Americans think is real sushi. So to get this straight, Japan's Astro Boy was made fat and ugly to better relate to foreign devils? Astro boy was the inspiration for Japan's Atom project, a $446 million attempt to recreate the total abilities of a 5-year old in a robot. Is this any way to treat him? [Mainichi]

Japanese Manga Phones Offer the Cheap Customization That I Want

Adam Frucci — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:06:06 EST

These new Softbank phones headed to Japan are styled out with designs from the manga Gacchaman. In addition to the outer shells being painted, the icons and wallpapers also sport the theme. I don't understand why we don't have more painted phones here in the States. It seems like a pretty cheap way to make phones customizable and more unique, no? I'm just saying I'd love to rock a phone with My Little Pony all over it. That'd be the coolest! Check the interior themes on these phones after the jump.

[TokyoMango]

Kanye West Is Tetsuo

jeansnow — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:56:02 EDT

Nevermind that Kanye West manages to bring down the great Daft Punk sample in his latest single, "Stronger," with some boring raps. Says the Kanye: "Does anyone make real shit anymore?" Apparently not, but fans of Katsuhiro Otomo's classic Akira film will probably find something to like in the video's live-action re-imagining of some scenes from the film.

High-res Kanye West video [Kanye West via JEANSNOW.NET]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Bike

rhbaby — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 21:40:29 EST

This week's Tokyo International Anime Fair saw the debut of the EVA 01 bike, modeled after the popular Neon Genesis Evangelion series. The bike has a six-speed Shimano transmission, suspension for front and rear and can be folded into a more compact shape. To the dismay of fanboys everywhere, this model is colored to match the first Eva unit, but the company has no plans to release more models to emulate the other Eva units. To make your collection complete, be sure to ride this baby while listening to your Neon Genesis Evangelion iPod.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Bike [TechJapan]

Omas Manga Fountain Pen

johnb — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 13:15:59 EST

This pen, part of the Omas Miku limited edition, is hand-clad in blue enamel and early Japanese Manga-themed designs. Each pen has its own character-engraved nib and sells for $1,750 for a silver model. Omas is also making 40 in gold which will sell for $7,450.

Product Page - FLASHY ITALIAN [Omas via Coolhunting]