Friday, October 2, 2009

Anime goods available -part 2-

It is always fun to see those figurines being on display.

Don't you want one in your room?

The two new best albums of Miku Hatsune have been released.

I think Miku is capable of competing against the other real singers.

The cds of the Internet radio dramas, "onsen".

---(This posting is the sequel to "Anime goods available -part 1-")---

I think a decade or so ago those who were into anime belonged to a very minor group, and ordinary people didn't think it was a hobby that could be enjoyed by people who were no more teens. But ever since a J-drama called "Densha Otoko", or "Train Man" was broadcast in Japan in '05, people gradually began to understand what the otaku culture was and the word "Moe" stood for.
(Here's a link to the opening video of "Densha Otoko".)

It is true still some people don't think well of the otaku culture here in Japan, but as those goods sold in this shop indicate, the demand for anime goods and manga has been rising.

Some foreign people first get to know some Japanese anime, and then begin to be interested in the broader Japanese culture, such as the traditional temples in Kyoto, our literature, food and so on. In this respect our anime plays a great role in making foreign people interested in Japan, which I think is a good thing.