Today is Tsundere Day

One reason anime is able to affect us so deeply is the quality of the voice actors, and without the outstanding performances of names like Megumi Hayashibara (Rei Ayanami), Kikuko Inoue (Belldandy, Kazami from Please Teacher), and Toru Furuya (pretty much every major male role in the 80s), the characters and stories wouldn't be so enjoyable. Back in 2007 attendees of Anime Expo were treated to a visit by the voice actresses of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Aya Hirano, Chihara Minori and Yuko Goto. One of the most embarrassing moments came with the M.C. asked the girls how they came to be professional voice actors, which in the case of the Japanese stars involved attending special "talent" schools for years and giving up much to realize their dream of going pro. When the English voice actors were asked the same question, the answers were basically, "I saw an ad in the newspaper, went down for an interview and got the job that day." Today (May 30) is the birthday of one of our favorite voice actresses here at J-List, the cute tsundere queen Rie Kugimiya, and we'd like to wish her a happy one. If you own one of our Rie Kugimiya tribute T-shirts, wear it today!

Happy Tsundere Day, everyone! Today is Rie Kugiyama's birthday.

Which Fried Egg Faction Are You?

I'm always amused the way the Japanese love dividing themselves into groups using the word ha, which means "faction," as in, say, different factions of a certain political party. Men might have a discussion about which of them is buriifu-ha and which are torankusu-ha, debating the benefits of membership in the "briefs faction" vs. the "trunks faction" with respect to underwear. Japanese will have these discussions online, too, asking docchi-ha? ("which faction do you belong to?") about such pressing issues as which is better, instant ramen or udon noodles or Asahi vs. Kirin beer. Another hot point of contention involves people who like soy sauce dolloped over their fried eggs, and those who prefer the Bull-Dog sauce that's usually known as "sauce" in Japanese. While I'm usually a card-carrying member of the "sauce-ha" faction, enjoying Bull-Dog sauce on just about any food (especially fried croquettes, yum), I do find myself reaching for soy sauce when it comes to fried eggs. Which "faction" are you?

I regularly embarrass myself asking for soy sauce when in Denny's in the U.S.

The Most Popular Products at J-List

Sometimes I like to browse the top "wishlisted" products J-List, viewing all products that customers are adding to their wishlists the most. Whether it's the latest anime drink the sieze the imaginations of fans, a popular T-shirt from the latest anime or that heavenly Bull-Dog Sauce that makes bento so nice, I like to see what our customers are most excited about. Click here to view the top "wishlisted" J-List products now.

The Sweet Pain of Anime

I write often that anime is a successful medium because it allows viewers to access a wide range of strong emotions. In the course of any given show, especially the recent trend in anime series with meticulously polished characters employing moe and other archetypes, a fan can experience joy (when a complex love triangle is resolved, as in Toradora), rage (at Shinji or Amuro Rei, when they refuse to fight), and even sadness (I'm looking at you, Gurren Lagann and Clannad). One of the most subtle emotions anime offers us is called setsunai, which might be described as "a dull sadness and pain that reminds us we're alive." It's the kind of sweet pain that can be experienced through such shows as 5 Centimeters Per Second, She The Ultimate Weapon or 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, the Takahata/Miyazaki masterpiece about a boy who travels from Italy to Argentina to find his mother. Another example of this kind of refined storytelling is the currently running Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai, aka We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day, or just "AnoHana." It's the story of a group of friends growing up years after one of their number dies, and it deals with the changes the characters experience as they go through their lives. (See AnoHana products on J-List, too.)

AnoHana is an example of "sweet pain" in a well-written anime series.

Cool Products Monday, May 30, 2011

Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link.

	Comptiq June 2011 Catch up with the latest bishoujo game and anime news with Comptiq! This month's cover features the popular new anime Nichijou ("Daily Life"), and is filled with awesome information and free stuff for you. As usual, the issues will sell out, so bag yours before they're all gone. View products »
	SHOXX July 2011 Next, get all the awesome photography you've come to expect from the magazine that focuses on the J-Rock and visual scenes in Japan!
	Mizutama Dot Long Pants Our customers love the Japanese fashions we've been posting, and today we've got...cool polka-dog pants, the latest fashion from Harajuku.
	Sci-fi Revoltech No.024 Mark VI (Iron Man) Wow, this one was an awesome surprise - Kaiyodo's Revoltech action figure lineup does Iron Man, and he's looking amazing! Now in stock!
	Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! Pencil Board Our customers ask us for more Pokemon products, and we obey. Here's a fun shitajiki (pencil board) for friends of Pikachu et al.
	Oriental Sacred Place 2 (Official Touhou Manga) Enjoy the second volume of the official ZUN-written and Makoto Hirasaka-illustrated manga, first serialized in Comp Ace magazine. Enrich your official Touhou lore with these great manga stories, and accompanying original Touhou music CD! View products »
	AKIBA'S TRIP This is a great new game for PSP, a 3D adventure game based on Akihabara, so you can experience walking about Japan's otaku Holy Land while you play.
	Several Touhou Project Games Restocked Enjoy the awesome Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night, Mountani of Faith and Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, all restocked today.
	Queen's Blade Artbooks Restocked The Queen's Blade series is an awesome ecchi RPG system in which beautiful women fight each other. We've restocked some of the best artbooks in the series.
	Ikkitousen GG Real Figures Ryomou + Kanu A pair of great 1/10 scale figures of the classic original designs of Ryomou Shimei and Kanu Unchou. Sexy Ikkitousen figure goodness! Restocked today!
	Walking Abandoned Roads ~ Haidou wo Yuku 3 The Japanese are fans of haikyo (modern ruins), and the unique wabi and sabi they inspire. A great new photobook posted today.
	Mini Magic Sakura Tree You can recreate your own hanami flower viewing at home with this amazing mini 'magic sakura' tree! This popular item restocked today!
	Happy Sweets Creamy Accessories Kit ~ Chocolate This is a fun item from Japan, a kit for making your own phone straps that naturally look like delicious chocolate. Yum!
	Mousse-chan Paper Clay Items Restocked Also, the awesome kami nendo or "paper clay" molds featuring the cute character Mousse-chan are restocked today. The molds are reusable for other crafts!
	Hello Kitty Sakura Pair Yunomi When the Japanese drink green tea, they always use a special cup called a yunomi (lit. "hot water drinking cup"), which is easy to remember since it sounds like "you know me" in English. Enjoy these cute Hello Kitty green tea cups! View products »
	Hello Kitty Pan, Muffin Mold Restocked The adorable Kitty-chan comes out pipin' hot and fresh with these muffin molds. Also, the Hello Kitty Pancake Pan makes us smile.
	J-List Loves Totoro See Totoro items, too, including the oh-so-fun Totoro no Sanpo plush toys that actually walk, plus anatomically correct Neko Bus and more.
	Fun Restocked Items See our Japanese Prefecture Cookie Cutters for making unique cookies, plus the Dog's Sushi Toy and Magic Silicon Baked Potato Peeler.
	Restocked Rilakkuma Items Add some kawaii-ness to your kitchen with the Rilakkuma Salt and Pepper Shaker. Also we have restocked the Rilakkuma Plush Pen Pouch.
	Will Line Marker Set (6 Colors) The stylish "Will" line of stationery enthralls us, and we hope you enjoy these elegant highlighting markers in six colors.
	Finger Fit Egg Eraser  Also: perhaps the most elegant eraser ever made, it looks like a perfectly shaped egg, and fits in your hand just right.
	Recommended Anime Songs from iTunes Japan Spotted on the iTunes Japan store: the entire collection of awesome Highschool of the Dead songs plus the World God Only Knows themes.
	Dot-s Super Mario Brothers 8-Bit Toys Fans of pixel art and related crafts are going to love the ability to create your own legendary Mario sprite hands-on. Restocked today.
	Today's Japanese Snacks Enjoy some great snacks today, including the delicious new "T.K.G." Cheetos, which is tamago kake gohan or egg eaten over steamed white rice with soy sauce on top. Also see Petite Black Sugar Karinto Rice Crackers and more candy that you make yourself. View products »
	Restocked Anime Snacks, Too Japanese candy is more than just something good to eat...it's a connection to Japan, like traditional kompeito, seen in Spirited Away!
	Restocked Snacks & Gum, Too Enjoy Bourbon Cubyrop, Lotte Coffee Gum, awesome Baby Star Korokke Snack and BBQ potato snacks, Meiji Poiful, plus Morinaga Hi-Chew.
	Hello Kitty Sakura 2-Tier Bento Box Wow, this is a really outstanding Hello Kitty bento box that manages to be both kawaii and also traditional and awesome. Great for sakura lovers.
	Other Kawaii Bento Boxes See other bento boxes restocked too, including our cutest panda-themed lunchboxes, the traditional Lucky Cat bento and more.
	Pink Silicon Jelly Mold & Ice-Cube Tray Make cute ice cubes or gelatin with these cute silicon molds from Japan, which can be used hundreds of times.
	Always Protect Your Banana Avoid the embarrassment of a bruised and damaged banana by using the popular banana carrying cases for bento, from Japan.
	Sakura Lover's Miso Soup Bowl w/Chopsticks All we can say is, if there's a more awesome set of miso soup bowls with matching chopsticks, we've never seen it. Great gift box, too.
	More Awesome Chopsticks from Japan We've got other chopsticks in stock for you too, including our popular Sushi Non-Slip Chopstick Set and long chopticks for cooking.
	Lucky Cat Message Display, More Those Lucky Cat figures with good luck messages written on their tummies are back, plus the popular Shinsengumi handmade washi doll.
	Random Restocked Japanese Stuff We recommend Japanese ear cleaners, which are awesome. The little samurai sword version is our favorite.
	'Freezing' 1/4 Cast off Figure *Preorder* There's something really awesome about this new figure from the anime Freezing. Such detail, and 1/4 scale! It makes us feel all warm inside.
	Hideyoshi Kinoshita 1/8 Figure Nurse *Preorder* Then for fans of the most popular "trap" anime character, we've got the gorgeous Hideyoshi in a nurse uniform. Say "ah"!
	The Best Magazine July 2011 Looking for a drippingly gorgeous ode to Japan's beautiful AV actresses? Check out 'The Best' magazine, packed full of the hottest Japanese models photographed by Japanese photographers. Free DVDs, too, for you to sample and/or drool over. View products »
	Azalea Floating ~ Risa Miyasu artbook This is an amazingly beautiful book by Miyasurisa from the Moeoh Selection, featuring 128 pages of really great ecchi illustrations for fans.
	Resort BOIN Happoubi Jin Artworks  The legendary Happoubi Jin (the name means "eight direction beautiful face") is back, too, with fresh stock of his artbook, eroge and more.
	Tsun Ero ~ Tsundere Onahole (Kagami Version) Celebrate Tsundere Day with this popular onahole parody toy for Kagami fans. We're not restocking this because we like you or anything (ha-ha).
	Restocked Stress Toys from Japan Also enjoy other anime-themed stress toys restocked, including K-On! and Haruhi parody toys that promise to take the edge off.
	Highschool of the Dead ~ Ha Ha CG Collection More ero doujin CG from Japan, this time with fabulous H.O.T.D. art. Moe zombie-fighting girls never looked so good.
	Downhill Racing 'H' Games Discount Set Being from Gunma (the Initial "D" prefecture) we love this game we publish, which combines a great story with fast-paced CG racing.

Japanese "Rirekisho" Resume Forms

One useful way of understanding Japan as a whole is using the idea of kata, a word that can mean "mold" (to shape things), "model" (as in the model number of product), "type" (for classification, also used for blood type), the customary postures taken in martial arts, or (in this case) "pre-defined customary form." While people looking for work in the West will write a resume or C.V., in Japan you always use a rirekisho (履歴書, ree-REK-sho), a standardized "employment history form" that serves as both job application and a personal resume. When you want to apply for a job in Japan, be it for a truck driver or sushi chef or computer programmer, you get one of these forms from the stationery store (or J-List) and fill it out by hand. Virtually everything that's important about you is recorded on the form: name, address, school and career history, what special certificates or qualifications you hold, as well as your hobbies and interests. Some information isn't recorded, of course, such as anything related to religion or political affiliation, and there's no space to fill in your blood type, to avoid "blood type bashing" (unfairly discriminating against people based on this odd Japanese superstition). The standardized employment history form is very different from the resumes used in America, which have no fixed format and can be plain or fancy, short and to-the-point or extremely detailed, printed on paper stock of any color and so on. The Japanese definitely prefer the kata (pre-set closed form) of a Japanese rirekisho to the open-ended American resumes.

Japanese job history forms are very set in stone, with little flexibility.