animerevue

Part of the challenge of studying a foreign language is learning to categorize and separate the new concepts you encounter. Take the word wa for example, which English speakers sometimes use as a term for peace or harmony, as in, "Hey man, you're messin' with my wa." The character has other meanings, too, including "peace" as well as referring to Japan itself; it can be combined with other characters to form words like heiwa (peace), washiki (Japanese-style, as in a Japanese-style toilet), or washoku (Japanese food). A completely different word wa means circle or hoop, and in the context of Japanese relationships, a group, and it's quite common to hear phrases like wa ga aru kara "I have to think of the whole circle of people" or wa ga kuzureru ("the circle of friends would suffer"). Finally, there's wa, the grammitical "topic marker" used in Japanese sentences, which marks the topic of sentences, like kore wa enpitsu desu ("this is is a pencil") or gohan wa? ("What about dinner?").

At the anime convention in New York last December, I got to meet Peter Fernandez, the voice behind the legendary Speed Racer cartoon of the 1960s (he also directed and wrote every episode). As a child, I was a card-carrying member of the generation that thrilled to the ongoing adventures of Speed and his Mach 5, the car that could jump chasms, zoom at full speed through a thick forest thanks to retractable buzz cutters, and even drive along the bottom of the ocean. The show was originally broadcast as Mach Go Go Go! in Japan, the story of young race car driver Go Mifune -- a multi-level name which represents both the English word "go!" and the number 5, which is go in Japanese -- along with his former pro wrestler father Daisuke (Pops), his girlfriend Michi (Trixie), his michivious younger brother Kurio (Spridle), chimpanzee Senpei (Chim Chim), and who could forget the mysterious Mr. X (Racer X)? Speed Racer was unique in that it was more popular outside of Japan than at home, becoming a cult favorite in English and more or less enjoying a revival in Japan because of its international popularity. Although there are plenty of of snarky cultural references to Speed Racer in our culture, it's far more common for Japanese fans of the era to profess a love of Chiki Chiki Machine Super Race, the Japanese version of the Hanna-Barbara classic Wacky Race, or show you their impression of that cute dog Ken-Ken (Muttley) laughing. As if to mark the occasion of the new Speed Racer film, our cat Su-chan just gave birth to a cute baby kitten that has an "M" on his forhead. I think I'll name him "Mach."

Oh, this is the ONLY cultural reference to Mach GoGoGo! I was able to find, after 17 years of living in Japan, a commercial featuring Aya Ueto, It is pretty awesome ^_^

Last time I mentioned that the word "taco" (tako) happens to mean something very different in Japan: octopus. The Japanese get around any confusion related to this by always referring to the Mexican version in the plural, as tacos, which takes some getting used to when you're talking about just one. Sadly, tacos and all other forms of Mexican food are almost completely absent from Japan, and the closest thing you can find are the Twisters from KFC, which aren't that bad if you keep Taco Bell sauce in your car like I do. Imagine my surprise when I went to the local home center over the weekend and saw a real live taco stand set up, selling authentic "Mexican Tortilla Tacos." Every food must adopt to meet the tastes and expectations of the locals, however, so there were some changes to the tacos. These included the option of choosing sweet chili or Italian sauce instead of salsa, and fresh cabbage and cucumbers instead of lettuce -- yum. I certainly hope the taco stand does well so we can enjoy this special treat in the future, which folks in the U.S. are able to take for granted.

What a glorious sight to a starving gaijin!

It took me a while to figure out that "avocado sauce" was guacomole

It didn't look like I quite expected, but...

it was great!

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.

Faces Stamp ~ Emotion Transforming Soft Stamp

Here's a great way to get your message across for all you stamp lovers out there. This rubber smiley face that can change its emotion depending on the way you squeeze the stamp. Create a perplexing, surprised, angry, or scary face to bring a smile to those you send your notes to. Great for teachers. (More like this) (Direct link to this product)      

STRIPES Pattern ECO-CONSCIOUS Chopsticks with Case & Rest

In Japan, and many places in the world where food is consumed with chopsticks, wooden chopsticks are often provided for customers to use once for their meal and then throw away. But in Japan there is a strong sense of connectedness with nature, especially among the more conscious thirty-something generation. It has become fashionable to bring your own personal chopsticks with you, to do your part in this way to conserve the dwindling resources of mother earth. This is a cool set of natural...