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Dove’s “Real Beauty” commercial a big hit in Japan
- Preston Phro
Mar 6, 2014 - Tweet
Sex, as the saying goes, sells. What exactly that means seems to be somewhat up to interpretation–we don’t think you’d want to buy a couch after watching a couple…um…”frolicking” on it–but it’s hard to deny that a bit of sexiness goes a long way in boosting sales. Even something as boring as shampoo can seem exciting when you film a young, perky model showering.
Of course, not everyone thinks that this is the best way to hock merchandise. Last year Dove earned a bit of respect from consumers with their “Real Beauty” campaign aimed at bolstering women’s self-images and emphasizing seeing the natural beauty we all have. Though the main commercial hit the shores of Japan last spring, it seems that it’s recently gotten a lot of attention over here. Click below to see what Japanese commenters are saying about the video!
Foreigners love Japanese conbini so much they made a song about them!
- Cara Clegg
Feb 27, 2014
Have you ever loved something so much, you just had to shout it out to the whole world? Well these guys certainly know that feeling. A group of foreigners created this video for the one true love in their lives – Japanese convenience stores.
Check out these six hilarious Attack on Titan reaction videos
- Fran W
Feb 26, 2014
In an age of smartphones where everyone has a digital camera in their back pocket, the distinctly 21st-century form of entertainment that is the reaction video has become an art unto itself. On YouTube, you can watch a little girl going crazy with excitement as her family tells her they are going to Disneyland; teens reacting to viral videos; even people who are pretending to be other people reacting to things. Gogglebox, a UK television series which consists of footage of people watching TV in their own living rooms, is about to go global, with Chinese and American versions in the pipeline. We are watching people watching, and in our millions.
There is another type of reaction video, too: fans of anime who post videos of themselves watching the latest episode in real time. Reaction videos of English-speaking fans watching Attack on Titan have been making waves on the internet. These YouTubers are almost as animated as the videos they watch, so join us as we enjoy six of the best!
Kung-fu youths film the best action video in Singaporean history【Video】
- Joan Coello
Dec 22, 2013
Asian films can’t hold a candle to Hollywood films in terms of worldwide popularity, but when it comes to movies with intense fighting action, Asian stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li shine above the rest with their impeccable kung-fu moves. But such agile movie stars are hard to come by, so film-makers often rely on filming techniques and computer graphics to boost the intensity of action scenes.
Four Singaporean youths brought things back to the basics with an amateur action video clip and showed us that you don’t need state of the art CG to show the audience a powerful kick. All you need is some powder. And of course, some sleek martial art skills.
- SE Asia
- (entertainment • funny • kung fu • martial arts • Singapore • YouTube)
Top 10 YouTube videos in Japan 2013
- Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 19, 2013
It’s almost the end of 2013 and that means it’s time to sit back and reflect on the events of this past year. Was it a good one for you, filled with PS4s and all-you-can-eat Whoppers? Or are you anxious to get on with the year of the horse? Whatever 2013 looked like for you and no matter where you are located in the world, we’re sure you spent a good portion of your time on YouTube. So why not ring in the new year by watching the top 10 most popular YouTube videos in Japan during 2013.
Watch China’s fastest dishwasher clean 50 plates in 10 seconds!【Video】
- Joan Coello
Nov 24, 2013
How long do you spend doing the dishes? It would probably take a good 10 to 15 minutes to wash up after dinner for a regular-sized family. Or perhaps you have a fancy dishwasher that takes care of the job for you. But can your shiny machine clean 50 plates in 10 seconds? This man can! Witness his crazy skills after the break!
Japanese students get people dancing to AKB48 all over Singapore【Video】
- Joan Coello
Nov 22, 2013
If you were out and about one day and a foreign student randomly came up to you and asked you to dance to some Japanese pop song you’d never heard in your life, would you do it?
Four exchange students from Japan managed to get hundreds of people in Singapore, locals and tourists included, dancing to the catchy tune of Japanese idol group AKB48’s Koi Suru Fortune Cookie in various public places such as tourist spots and popular food establishments. If you’re planning a trip to Singapore, or have never heard of this tropical getaway, this informative video is a must-watch!
Tekken’s latest flipbook animation will leave you crying tears of gratitude 【Video】
- Rachel Tackett
Nov 20, 2013
Remember Tekken, the balding comedian with makeup reminiscent of KISS and a talent for turning out some truly tear-wrenching flipbook animations? Well, he’s done it again, with a ten-minute piece titled A Story about Family.
As with Tekken’s previous works, the story uses absolutely no dialog, but still manages to convey a message of familial piety which transcends cultural borders and is almost certain to evoke some tears. It’ll have you scrambling for the phone to call home and show thanks to those who have supported you throughout the years.
Was iOS 7 created in Microsoft Word? Czech expert makes us believe so【Video】
- Joan Coello
Oct 28, 2013
Since its release in 2007, the iPhone has taken the world by storm, garnering a massive following thanks to its simplistic design and sleek interface. Along with the gradual changes of its appearance, its operating system, iOS, has also made subtle changes with each update since the first version.
iOS 7, which was rolled out a couple of months ago, surprised users with a revamped look and feel which seemed to challenge the limits of simplicity with a flat user interface and bold colors. Doing away with excessive ornamentation, the explicitly simple design set some people thinking, was iOS 7 created in Microsoft Word? Václav Krejčí from the Czech Republic worked his magical skills with the word processing software to create an image replica of unbelievable quality, and you should really see it with your own eyes.
“Ramen Cake” dessert looks just like the real thing, is probably just as bad for you
- Mike
Oct 24, 2013
An advance word of warning: this recipe seems both extremely difficult and extremely time consuming, so we’d advise you only try it if you’re a master chef or incredibly bored. Or if you need to consume a disgusting amount of calories in a short space of time.
Still, in the spirit of Halloween, this sweet cake and gelatin “Ramen Cake” masquerading almost perfectly as real ramen, is a clever, cute substitute for the usual chocolate eyeballs, brain Jell-o and other grotesqueries of the season.
World-famous Japanese cat Maru gets a new pal, learns a cool new tail trick 【Video】
- Joan Coello
Oct 18, 2013
You might be thinking we’ve been posting an awful lot of articles about cats recently, from stories about cat islands to black-cat cafés, and even one about wearable cats, but here’s one more to end the week with, because they told us to publish it and we’re too scared to disobey.
It would seem that Maru, possibly the most famous cat on YouTube right now, not only has a new friend to play with, but he’s found a novel use for his fluffy tail…
Anpanman creator Takashi Yanase dies at age 94
- Mike
Oct 15, 2013
Takashi Yanase, renowned manga artist and creator of one of Japan’s most widely beloved children’s characters, Anpanman, passed away in the early morning hours of October 13 at a Tokyo hospital. A spokesman named heart failure as the cause of death.
- Japan
- (anime • anime & manga • culture • YouTube)
South Koreans really hate it when you ask for directions, video proves
- Mike
Sep 17, 2013
An American tourist apparently learned the hard way recently to never ask Koreans – Korean smokers, actually – for directions, if the following video is to be believed.
After eating live octopus for your viewing pleasure – and it really is quite the spectacle – the host of this YouTube video inexplicably decides to keep rolling, telling viewers that Koreans are a laid back and wonderful people, before immediately asking two young men taking a smoke break for directions to a nearby landmark. They respond by physically attacking him and stealing his camera.
Saga Prefecture broadcasts its appeal by dancing to AKB48 【Video】
- Rachel Tackett
Sep 12, 2013
Saga Prefecture lies in the northwest corner of Japan’s island of Kyushu. This past week, in an unusual attempt at self-promotion, the Saga Prefectural Office uploaded a video of hundreds of workers from its various divisions happily dancing to the new AKB48 single, Koi Suru Fortune Cookie (Love Fortune Cookie). With more than 480,000 views on YouTube so far, the up-beat video certainly beats a boring old poster campaign!
- Japan
- (AKB48 • dance • Kyushu • music video • Saga Prefecture • video • YouTube)
Nintendo’s favorite plumbers doing parkour gets big praise in Japan 【Video】
- Rachel Tackett
Aug 29, 2013
For those who don’t know, parkour is a non-competitive sport where people propel themselves through their environment by running, climbing, and flipping their way across city structures like a giant jungle gym. A couple of days ago, Nintendo of America released a documentary-style video called “Finding Luigi: Legend of Parkour,” likening the amazing jumps and flips that the character can perform to the real-world practice of parkour.
Around the same time, fans of Nintendo put together their own parkour video, “Mario Bros Parkour,” wherein two sporty guys play the parts of the famous plumbing brothers as they flip their way through a 3-D enhanced world. Read on for a peek at both of these awesome videos!
Bubble Soccer is part soccer, part sumo, mostly Looney Tunes
- Mike
Aug 21, 2013
Sports are getting way too serious these days. There are juicing scandals, fan fistfights and bench-clearing team-on-team brawls in just about every sport. It’s all just getting a little too heady, don’t you think?
Well, these Italians sure did. So, they took matters into their own hands, and created the hilarious new sport of Bubble Soccer, which finally combines the body contact of sumo wrestling, with the majesty of soccer and the zany antics of old Warner Bros cartoons, much to the amusement of Japan’s netizens.
Subaru releases minicar commercial filmed in 60 hours without sleep: It’s dreamy!
- Preston Phro
Aug 10, 2013
In order to show off their new automotive technology called “Eye Sight,” Subaru recently released a commercial starring miniature cars. Filmed without a single frame of CGI or a blink of sleep for 60 hours, the wonderland of a commercial is surprisingly beautiful! We do hope that the actual cars in the dealer lots will fit normal-sized people though…
Mad scientist teacher transfers chicken embryos from eggs to clear containers, keeps them alive
- Mike
Aug 9, 2013
A Chiba area high school teacher, presumably cackling wildly the whole time, has perfected a system to transfer chicken embryos from their eggs to clear plastic containers and raise them to birth. Surprisingly, Tesla coils are in no way involved in the process and the chickens are born perfectly healthy and are not, in fact, zombie chickens.
Fukuoka Aquarium porpoises play relay with magical underwater bubble rings
- Mike
Jul 23, 2013
Fukuoka Aquarium’s black finless porpoises proved themselves to be the true wizards of the sea earlier this month when they began blowing incredible bubble rings like Gandalf the Grey high on pipe-leaf, even passing them back and forth relay-style.
US$125,000 power suit lets you battle Kaiju, snack without getting Cheeto fingers
- Mike
Jul 11, 2013
Meet the Powere Jacket MK3, an elaborate power suit clearly inspired by anime and hitting the market just in time to ride the wave of excitement over Guillermo Del Toro’s Kaiju Vs. Robots monster movie, Pacific Rim.
Though the power suit is far less impressive than the towering robots of the film, according to the below video, it lets you achieve all kinds of superhuman feats, including running at faster speeds, lifting heavy objects, and eating Cheetos without getting orange powder all over your fingers.
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