Directors are show-offs.

I heard this guy, Michel Gondry, directed Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind and all his Bjork videos using those two hands.

Baby vs Rubik's Cube

This nothing-year-old finishes the rubik's ultra fast. When I was that young, I was still thinking my cereal spelled "OOOO". I loved Cheerios...and I enjoyed them without the annoying Chinese hosts on microphones.

Jurassic Fart

いくぞ！ ぎゃああああああああ！

A spirited bout between two soulful and dedicated competitors. A match for the ages!

The Perfection that Japanese Synchronized Dancers Long For

Hey, these guys are pretty good. Must've practiced A LOT!

This Just In: Japanese Creepy Love for Creepy Robots

The Japanese need to create life-like robots took a new turn with this "chick". Living in Japan, some basement-dweller - infinitely horny and social incapable of meeting/dealing with real women - dreamed this little lady up. The annoying 12 year old-like voice simply portrays the Japanese pedofiliac-like need for women of any age to be cute.

"Self"-replicating and repairing Robot Worm Thingy

This looks kinda disgusting, but it's most definitely interesting. Though, I'm not sure if it is actually going through the motions by itself, or is being controlled remotely.

Hot as, well, Hell

Well, it's really humid here. Even at night, it's absolutely horrid to go out. Sometimes, taking two showers a day isn't enough. You sweat so much just from existing, even with deodorant. My summer break is nearly over and I really don't want to teach kids in these sweltering conditions.

The work is finally finished (sort of)! Let the Vacation BEGIN!
Well, my commissioned work is finally done. All I'm doing with it is making various variations to it for the commissioner to choose her fancy. It looks great and I'll post them soon onto newly, near-finished portfolio of mine. It's looking great, but the navigation isn't up yet. It will be soon, though. Someone even was perusing my stuff today and left me a comment while I was busy re-doing and re-entering all my old posts. He was from India and he liked some of my fashion pieces (the only stuff up at the time).

I'm also working on the online Sketchbook which will hopefully be finished tomorrow or the day after.

The Glico Portfolio
The Glico company basically rejected my portfolio. They had asked for whatever I could give them (a lie that is now obvious in hindsight), and I put together a collection of works I had done, mostly revolving around cartoon characters - a good choice for a candy company.

After looking at it and being impressed they said my illustrations had too much story. Unfortunately they don't understand that all illustration HAS a story, no matter how simple. They completely over-looked the characters, which is what they were looking for in the first place. They liked them, but there was too much depth...? They said I should go for magazine work. I didn't even go for them. It was my wife who pursued this.

I think they were just trying to be polite to say 'no', but the ability for Japanese people to tell you anything directly simply doesn't exist. Tiresome...

Updates
Aside from the PORTFOLIO looking good and the SKETCHBOOK on it's way, I have added two new reviews of movies: Transformers and Ratatouille which have only recently come out in Japan.

And to take a note that Transformers has come out, I searched for some ROBOTS.

Until laterz...
Mike, the RocketRat who wants to slap every Japanese person he sees right now.

Transformers (2007)

This line best sums it up:

"It's Transformers, but not Transformers."

This is the same string of words that many people have said about the movie, and I'm glad they did. If I had gone to see this without hearing this five-word phrase, I MIGHT have gone in expecting something, then being completely, and utterly crushed. I went to see this with my friend Norm who had already seen it in China when he was hanging out with his family. The fact that he was willing to see it again meant that there was, possibly, some good to come from seeing this flick.

After watching a bazillion ads (some of which being, yes, Transformers toy ads) and trailers, the lights finally dimmed and the magic started.

The Story
Long ago, there was a planet named Cybertron. It was a peaceful world of a mechanical people until a war broke out leaving it decimated. The remaining soldiers on both sides spread out across the galaxy in search of an ancient cube that contains the "all spark" - a great energy that makes machines live. The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime hope that they can rebuild their world with it. The Decipticons, led by Megatron, hope to rebuild their ranks in order the crush the opposition.

Their search has brought them to Earth, where horny and socially-maladjusted Sam Witwicky holds the key to finding the All Spark.

Helped by his Camaro, a soldier by the name of Bumblebee, he hooks up with ultra-hottie Mikaela and they get swept up in not only the war between the giant metal-men, but also the government's attempts to keep it's secrets and suppress the alien menace. For the government has hidden much (surprise).

Then and Now
Despite being one of the longest-running toy commercials, The Transformers storyline, coupled with nostalgia, was pretty engaging. The characters were likable, even the bad guys - I mean, who didn't love Starscream? When the animated movie came out, our hearts were wrenched from side-to-side. Many of our beloved characters were killed off within the first ten minutes of the flick. There were tears (we didn't understand the marketing significance of this move).

In this movie, just like any other Michael Bay movie, the characters were there only to serve the explosions and the noise. It's not a bad thing for a stupid action movie, but I still missed the human side of this gigantic people.

There's only one rule to movies: the black guy dies first!
Now, in the case of the human players, this just wasn't the case. Tyrese, Anthony Anderson, and the always hilarious Bernie Mac made it to the end, safely. However, things don't go so well for the Autobots.

My favorite character in the original cartoon was always Jazz. He was the sass-talking, street-wise car with the hook-ups for all the ghetto kids to look up to, both literally and figuratively. It was no secret, then or now in the new movie that Jazz is the black Transformer, and I'm sorry to say that he was the only Autobot casualty in the entire movie. And if he had been wearing a red shirt, he might have died even faster than he did. Here's to you Jazz! Drink it up!

Subplot and Potholes
Now Michael Bay is know for putting a lot of crap subtext into his movies. Poorly written, drawn-out idealisms that he has no business messing with. The only counter to this mile-a-minute puke-a-thon is the explosions and the noise. Thankfully, in Transformers, the attempt at humanity had been completely left out. The only subplot we have to sit through is the vast amounts of product placement.

However, at the end of the movie, even the most dimwitted of creatures will walk out of the theater asking more questions than should be asked about a movie. Many things, especially towards then end, happen (or don't happen) that are never explained. They go missing. They fall into the void of devious plot holes.

In The End
For a summer action movie, I don't think they are going to get any explodier than Transformers. Despite it being "It's Transformers, but not Transformers", it was still (oh God...) a fun ride. (-_-)7 (sorry) It's completely mindless, which gives your brain a rest for the upcoming summer action movies like The Bourne Ultimatum.

Rest In Peace, Jazz.

Ratatouille (Pixar, 2007)

It was me and my wife's little date-day. After doing a little shopping and getting replacement phones at our local electronics super-store, we headed over to get some New York-style-style bagels (like a copy of a copy) for dinner. Then, we headed on over to the cinema.

Meg and I have wanted to see this for a while. Pixar has done quality 3D animated movies for a long, long time, and we weren't going to miss this one. Though, as always, I was a bit skeptical. I never like the trailers for Pixar's movies, and I skipped their last movie, Cars, entirely.

But, being a rat-lover, I could simply not pass this one up.

The Story
A rat, Remy, living with his family in France discovers that he has a super-sensitive nose which leads him to discovering an extreme passion for rich foods and cooking. However, his stubborn father can't see past the possibility of his son's poison-detector could be much more.

Remy and his family and friends are separated and he finds his way to Paris, egged on by the ghostly figment of his favorite chef. Making his way to the nearest restaurant, Remy is soon caught in the kitchen by the new "garbage boy", Linguini.

Linguini, who is completely useless in the kitchen and Remy strike a deal where Linguini will be the face to Remy's talent. Throw in a strong-willed and beautiful french love-interest, a short and nasty chef, a "deadly"-serious food critic and some interesting characters in the kitchen, and you have quite an adventure of a movie.

Not Always Funny-HA HA
Much like The Incredibles - who had the same director, Brad Bird - there was a lot of focus on drama. Some of the characters and even a few incidentals come very close to death in this flick. It reminds me of the old adventure cartoons, like The Secret of NYMH, where the directors seem to understand that this subject is easily handled by children. It was instantly refreshing in that regard. In fact, even knowing that this was a children's cartoon, I half-expected for not all of the characters to not get out of their dire situations.

With that in mind, don't think that this is a straight out "Oh my God!" fest. When the comedy hits, it hits well. Occasionally the funny would sneak in, all subtle-like, and then are times where I could barely contain myself, let alone my wife.

Tugs, here and there
One of the things that I think Mr. Bird did well was make you believe with the smallest effort. We know that Remy's a rat. It's a cartoon, of course he can cook. However, with the various ways the various characters handle this truth, I was totally convinced that "anyone can cook", even a pint-sized rat.

With minimal, momentary imagery, Mr. Bird also pulls at emotions. When the "evil" critic samples the "chef's specialty", he is briefly shot back to his childhood, and immediately shot right back. However, in that very short span of time, it managed to pull a tear out of my duct.

In The End
I couldn't put it better myself. Like my wife, I think I'm convinced that this was the best movie put out by Pixar by far, and if Mr. Bird keeps up this level of work, I think I'll safely be able to call him one of this century's greatest directors.

My youngest...

Here's my babies class over at ECC Hirakata! It was Yukata day, and they were all wearing their adorable jinbeis! カワイイ！

Soundwave's back, doubters!

With the local crap coming out for the opening of Transformers comes something actually worth looking at. A transforming Soundwave! Old news? Not really! He's a working MP3 player! And to add to the coolness (sort of) for an extra $40, you can get his little buddies, Rumble and Frenzy. They aren't cassettes anymore. They're your working headphones! This is the coolest thing I could wish I could afford this year!

Human Player

It's a Tamagochi for hermits...
...and idiots.

A rarity...

He's not a rarity because he's black. He's a rarity because he is the only black man (or indeed, the only foreigner) that is on TV and in print NOT wearing a tutu or a wacky expression on his face, chasing some little animal with plastic antennas around a beach to sell something that this image doesn't represent, like adult diapers or something. Kudos to any foreigner in this country who can become recognizable and not look like an idiot.

PS. Monkey Majik and Def Tech get no kudos...

Karaoke only sounds good inside the booth...

Chillin' with the Homies

The Onion Has Had It

The last of it's kind, it sets off on it's Great Onion Journey!

チュッ！

A Sock Escape...

I was tossing my sock into the laundry basket - or so I had thought at the time - when it had landed perfectly on the velcro strip on the front.

Trains are the best way to get around...

...even the moths know it.

Gripped by a freak of space-time

Has there been a rip in the fourth dimension? Has someone invented truly the Improbability Drive? It would seem as though I was mysteriously transported back home to Jersey City, for but a mere instant. For when I looked up, I was back where I was, in Den-Den Town, Osaka, Japan. If I see a bowl of petunias or a sperm whale anywhere around, I will FREAK!

The Semi-Annual Peace March

Periodically, a pick-up parade of pedestrians petitions the people about pacifism. This preaching party's product's a piddling as the number of these peaceful participants is paltry. Although, it's pleasant to perceive the police plainly performing a service.

The latest, and cutest of Buddhist Gods!

As I got interested in Buddhism, I found that the idea of Gods does not truly exist in the original teachings. However, the multitudes of Buddhist religious groups have quite a large number of gods, especially here in Japan. At first, I thought it was just one of the many means the religious leaders used to gather large amounts of money and power. I mean, most organized Buddhist religious sects are LOADED and have no problems showing it off - thanks in part to these gods and their 'power'.

However, when I saw this little guy, I was instantly enlightened. How can something so CUTE ever be used to warp the intentions of an otherwise wonderful way of life? I left it a tenner. So precious.

The Ultimate in Commy-Pinko Transportation!

They defected only to have the bodies sold on the streets...quite a shame...

Viva Pinata (Rare)

Several months ago, I broke down like quite the little consumer-lady-of-the-night and bought an X-Box. With it, I've gotten hold of several mind-blowing and bloody games that fill me with a terrible satisfaction. Hooray for killing!

However, recently, my wife was asking about games that she could play. X-Box isn't know for it's girl-friendly, cute, or even intellectual games (though some companies are making an effort). However, I took up the challenge of finding something for her, and I found this:

Viva! Piñata! by the UK's RARE Studios. I found it at a somewhat large video games store in Osaka's Den-Den Town, where everything electronic can be found - at least, if you look hard enough.

I brought it home where it lifted an eyebrow or two upon my wife's beautiful face. She thought it was cute! Success! And luckily for me, I can also play it - as it has multiple languages that are used based on your user settings.

The whole idea is to shape-up a tired plot of land and lure in wild Piñatas that you can raise, with the eventual use of selling them for parties. Every little Piñata is quite cute and have distinctive personalities that you have to take into consideration.

Playing

You start with a shovel and a plot of land. With that shovel - and other items that come your way - you slowly turn your dirt-farm into a working garden. You have neighborhood friends and specialists at your disposal that range from gossips to plant raisers, doctors and shop keepers.

The Piñatas!

Some Piñatas will wonder onto your land and stay of their own volition. For bigger Piñatas, you will have to lure them in by giving them their own space and feeding them vegetables or even other Piñatas.

Once they're on your land make them comfortable by feeding them, giving them candy, and leading them to a mate where they get it on, giving you a new baby Piñata. You can break a Piñata in order to gain some candy to give to others. However, I did it once, and nearly cried myself to sleep. I KILL'DED HIM! (ToT)

Be careful, as some Piñatas don't like each other and can get into fights. I haven't figured out a way to stop them yet.

Where I Am

Not very far. I've progressed quickly, however, ever since I've stopped playing, I haven't picked it up again. Only one day. I'm not sure if this is actually saying something about the game, of whether I like this type of game or not, or that I've been too busy/lazy to play - as it does take time and effort to work the magic.

The same can be said for my wife. Any time she gets "stuck", she drops the controller and never looks back. I bought her a Super Nintendo recently, with a copy of Dragon Quest 1&2 (which she was fiending for for several weeks). She played it for sixteen hours, had no idea where to go, and stopped.

I cried.

In The End...

It's a fun game that's worth a good, hard look, especially if you like games that require patience. If you have none, best not to start looking for it here. Might as well no dish out cash for something you're going to play only once and never again.

Beautiful and Sweet Summer!

Well, it's truly Summer here in disgusting, old Osaka. It's hot everyday, and even during some of the nights. More often-than-not, it's also as humid as a 10-day-old quiche, wrapped in plastic and microwaved. Yuck! In order to escape from having my armpits smelling like pencil factories, I occasionally take two showers a day. Mm...Wasteful! We're also blasting the AC like crazy, which means a huge spike in our energy bills. Spectacular!

ESCAPE FROM AND RUN TOWARDS
Starting tomorrow, my weekend is in full effect. After that, three days of work followed by two weeks vacation! Sweet!

My student often as, "So where are you going to go for your vacation?"
And I simply answer, "To my desk."

I've been commissioned (for actual money) to do some illustration work for someones forthcoming website. Sweet Beans! So that means, while my beautiful and patient wife continues to slave through her day selling make-up, I'll be inking and coloring all the tiny little sketches I've made for her.

And the fun doesn't stop there! By next week, I have to send in a mini-portfolio to a famous candy company called Glico. My wife surprised me one day and told me that she had called ahead and they said they'd like to see my work. Lucky Me! However, a lack of ANY COMPLETED work began to irk me, so now, I'm in a bit of a rush to put together some works for these people. Thanks, Meg! (@.@)

UPDATES
As you can see the website is basically finished (again) and in working order. I've even added a special sidebar where I'll post some recommendations and tidbits of my life.

I've added A FREAKIN' LOT of photos. Click on the photos sticker on the sidebar to see!

The Strips page is still yet to be completed. Internet Explorer is not cooperating and I do not know why. I've tried everything I could, but still no good!

My next project, besides the illustration work, is to update the portfolio. I've some good ideas, now it's just a matter of implementing them.

Well, that's all for now, I guess.
Mike, rocketing into a mild mental brake-down, the RocketRat!