Mangakas in Japanese movies/dramas

As those connected to us through facebook already know: we went to anime convention this weekend! It was awesome. Anime is what started my need-to-know-about-Japan-love so it is a big part of my life. It must be the same for a lot of people. It made me realize how important are manga artists - mangaka's - in the social phenomenon that is "becoming a fan of Japanese pop culture/ Japan in general".
So this post is about how Japan portrays those amazing people in the moving picture format.

TROUBLEMAN - Tokuda Kazuo + 4 sad woman

 Kazuo didn't become mangaka himself, but he did become an assistant to Yamada Kikuko who already had three talented assistants. But it can get quite messy when there's one ikemen and four woman whose love life can be described as non-existing as all they do is work and work and work.

Chichi yo anata wa erakatta - Onodera Yu

 He is the example of people aspiring to become mangaka and the conflicts it may bring with one's parents - after all mangaka's paycheck is something that makes people eat instant ramen (I mean everyday and all the time ). The mangaka part is only in the beginning of the movie, so there isn't much to it.
As Kato Shigeaki played both Tokuda Kazuo in "TROUBLEMAN" and Onodera Yu in "Chichi yo anata wa erakatta" I have to add the fun fact that he actually is kind of mangaka in real life too! His novel "Pink to Grey" got serialized as a manga as soon as the novel came out in 2012.

Party wa owatta - Asakura Toake

 After a long time working friends must drag mangaka's out of their room just to show them the real world. But even so the friends can't stop the brain of mangaka. And so Toake is the perfect example how a small thing can be an inspiration for something big. And that you can work where ever you want to.

My darling is a foreigner - Saori

Saori shows how it might get difficult when a mangaka moves in with someone. As mangaka's mostly are freelancers who are trying hard to get a serialisation (that doesn't happen so often), then they need a lot of work with no interruptions. Through Saori we can also see what other possibilities mangaka's have in the work field.

Nihonjin no shiranai nihongo -Luca

 He represents the smallest group of mangakas - the foreign authors.Yes, they do exist. There have been many discussions about foreigners writing manga - wheter it is authentic manga or rather something similar to western comics. My opinion is that manga is manga no matter who writes it - when the appearance and story are manga like - then it's manga. 

Loss time life (ep. 5 "Childhood friend") - Hajime

 Hajime became a mangaka because he promised his childhood friend that he will become one. He is the example of "nothing comes when one doesn't give his best" - nowadays it is really difficult to have a break through but he was able to do it. He also portrays the reality of being a mangaka: living with his mother and having constantly sleepless nights.

If you thought being an manga artist is all about doing what you love, then you are wrong. As you can see even in dramas and movies mangaka's are portrayed as "workaholics whose life is filled with different problems". I think the more we should appreciate our favourites! :)

How to: fold socks (Monstar style)

Living away from my parents also means that all the chores are up to me. Well that sucks! But even at times like that - dramas can help me out and make my life easier.
So let the Min family from Monstar teach you how to fold socks so that they could always be un-wrinkled and easy to tuck away

1) take a pair of socks

2) fold the socks so that heels are facing up - let them stare at your perfect face. Do not fold them in the usual broken-in-the-middle way!

3) Make a T out of socks, putting one sock's opening in the middle of the other sock (heels still up!)

4) Fold the sock underneath together by placing both sides over the opening of other sock. (It does not matter whether you place left or right side first)

5) Now it should look like the letter I!

6) Take the part where your little toes go and pull it over the folded sock!

7) Tuck the leftover into the opening.

8) fix it up a little bit so that you could have a beautiful square.

Now you have the perfectly folded socks that are easy to store! 

Hope you learned something useful, 'cause I sure have more room in my drawer! :D

Elite schools of Japan

In most of the world the new school year has just started - at least in the west side of the world. In Japan the school year started in March so at the moment the second half of the school year has started. As the beginning of September is always associated with school I decided to make this post about elite schools of Japan - of course fictional schools from our lovely high school dramas!

First of all I have to note that in Japan there are two types of schools: public and private.

 Elite schools are of course the latter ones - meaning the people attending it have more money to spend or are talented enough to have scholarships to attend it. But don't think that all private schools are elite! No, not at all - most of the private schools are quite like public schools. For example three years ago I attended The First High School of Tokyo University of Agriculture - a private school that appeared in the drama Dance Drill, yet there wasn't any big differences with public schools I've seen. So by elite school I mean schools that only really rich or/and talented attend.

Now that that's cleared let's see some of the elite schools most of us know!

Eitoku High School - Hana Yori Dango

Eitoku is the place where the people of high-society go. This distinguished private high-school is an escalator from kindergarten to the university.

Even the school field trips are to destinations like Bali, Maldives, Canada and New Caledonie. The school is ruled by the famous F4 who also are responsible for all the bullying that goes on in there - and trust me that is one really bad bullying case! But since they have graduated already, the bullying also kind of has pulled back - at least in Red Notice Level (the person who got one became a victim of bullying).
Well what can I say about this school? If I'd be rich and famous, I'd never make my children attend this school!
My favorite place in school? Probably I'd be like Tsukushi and find refugee from the isolated fire escape.
My favorite sempai? Tough choice but I'd have to say Nishikado Soujiroh - he's the safest choice.

Ouran Academy - Ouran High School High School
The Ouran Private Academy encompasses kindergarten to twelfth grade (along with a university). 

Most students come from wealthy families, but in special cases, merit scholarships are granted to exceptional students from a lower income bracket. The school's unofficial motto is "Lineage counts first, wealth a close second," meaning students with stellar family backgrounds but low socioeconomic status may be given top priority over those from rich families with lesser pedigrees. It has a lot of different extra curriculum clubs - heck! even a host club!
What can I say about this school?... When and where can I fill in my admission papers?? please mind my age, lineage and educational background....
My favorite place in school? The host club obviously - hey! I AM a girl after all.
My favorite sempai? As much as I adore Tamaki, I'd still have to say Nekozawa-sempai - he is just the most adorable little piece of blackberry that I know and I'm not talking about cellphones!

Osaka Academy - Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
Osaka Academy is an all-boys high school that one can enroll in based on scholarships

(sports, performing arts and academic scholarships). The three grade levels are divided into three classes. These nine classes are divided into three dormitories, as most of the students do not stay around the school area. The culture within the individual dormitories are immensely different. Osaka Academy also has a sister school - St Blossoms, an all-girls high school.
What can I say about this school? Basically if you want to see future Olympic winners - this is the school you should look.
My favorite place in school? 2 Dormitory - I guess every place is good when you are surrounded by athletic ikemen's!
My favorite sempai? Kayashima Taiki - you mean who? Of course the awesome dude who can see ghosts and detect auras!

Now that you have seen all those amazing fictional schools and chosen your favourites, I let you all come back to reality and check out one of the real elite schools:
Horikoshi Gakuen - the school that's list of alumni consists of names from Johnny's Entertainment and other well known idols and actors/ actresses from Japan. Want to know more about it? I'll leave you a link: Horikoshi Gakuen