A quick post to let you all know of the recent updates.

-, nantokanarusa released the Italian softsubs for episode 01 of Yasuko to Kenji last night.

-, Querbeet released the English softsubs for episode 02 of Code Blue last night as well.

-, suketeru (aka me!) released the English softsubs for episode 02 of Mao this morning. TENJO-CHAN I did the preview just for you ^__^ missed a couple of lines though, sorry ^_^;; ne ne ne .. ♥

Wow, I just realized all 3 projects I'm working on had a one-after-the-other release XD
For downloads and information, please refer to this post.

Quick question: I'm having a hard time with .ASS release of Yasuken, since Italian has all those accented letters. ( Read more... )

A couple of minor news:
Fukuyama Masaharu will be singing the Olympics theme for TV Asahi. I like this dude ^__^

Closer to home:
Apparently, yesterday a 50-year-old man started stripping in front of some kids on a bus in my hometown!! He was arrested. I only read the headline. I'm curious as to the reason behind this.

sakuraminamoto, nike_y, and fusei (along with her sister whom I haven't gotten to know yet) are leaving today for Japan. I miss yu guys already T__T have fun, ne~ ((( ^__^)/""

July = YAMAPI MONTH! (i already wrote that -in Japanese- on my office calendar XD)

July = Yamapi..
not only because of Code Blue (<3 First ep airs in 4 hours 39 minutes!!), but also because I can FINALLY put the Yamapi discs on my NEWS calendar ^__^ *Tegoshi bump off*

Hanadan SP torrent is up on DA ^__^

Ever seen Totoro cream puffs? ( check it out! )

Japan x Italy
According to the mainichi daily news [1][2], it seems 4 students (from 2 different universities) were given strict warnings by their universities for drawing graffitis (date, name, the usual stuff) on the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. The church said it would not demand payment for restoration if it received an apology.
I'm kind of glad for the way the church handled things ^__^

Ah speaking of Japan, it seems the first clashes have taken place in Tokyo because of the G-8 summit in Hokkaido next week. Hope nothing too huge happens. Genova a few years ago seemed like a war-stricken place after those G-8 clashes ><

OK, I'm @work, and I obviously have NOTHING to do >< I finished my task last week, and my boss went on a business trip for a couple of days without leaving me any instructions. I have no idea what I should do ^__^;;

hmm.. does Yamapi month require a Yamapi layout? I just changed my layout a couple of months ago ^_^; I want a new CB banner to replace the LF one XD

from mainichi Daily News, by Dr. Kunio Kitamura

Gender disorder, domestic violence, love triangles -- "Last Friends," a drama series currently showing on Fuji TV, has got it all. But there's something about Masami Nagasawa's performance in the lead female role of Michiru, a young woman caught in a trap of domestic violence that she can't escape, that has got this old man fired up.

warning: spoilers up to episode 5
( one in five Japanese women experiences DV )

------

Kunio Kitamura (born 1951) is an author and researcher. He graduated from Jichi Medical School and through his 30 years of research, is now the "voice of Japanese sexuality." Among his many books are Shiawase no Sex (Happy Sex), Piru (The Pill) and Karada no Hon (The Body Book).
[source: wikipedia.org]

Tekky (for my Italian buds):
-, Telecoms companies Vodafone and Telecom Italia will both sell Apple Inc's iPhone in Italy, in an apparent break from previous exclusive carrier deals. "Telecom Italia announced today it has signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Italy later this year". [source: AFF.full article].

Music:
-, CreateSpace, a subsidiary of Amazon, expanded its print-on-demand CD publishing service in an effort to put an end to the concept of out-of-print recordings. [source: AFF. full article]


JDrama / JMovies:
-, "Last Friends" jdrama turned from an 11-episode to a 12-episode drama. The rumor has been going around for a few days, but yesterday fujii_itsuki told me it's become official on the Last Friends website. (btw, LF is called rasufure in Japan ^_^)

-, Yamada Takayuki lead in a new movie! (this is kinda old actually ^_^;;)
Playing the part of a Kyoto University (out of fashion) student in an adaptation of the famous novel, "Kamogawa HORUMO" [source: yamadatakayuki newsgroup. full articles: Daily Sports; Sanspo]
Yamada Takayuki stars as Akira Abe in this new movie. It is said this role is similar to that of Densha Otoko.
Filming started in early April, and the movie will probably be released in 2009. [source: Tokyograph]

-, Yamada Takayuki to appear in movie "IKIGAMI" starring Matsuda Shouta, as Narumi Riko's brother.
Shooting finished on April 20. The movie will be released in September. [source: yamadatakayuki newsgroup]

Other:
-, Nagoya's Italian village files for bankruptcy. [source: Mainichi Daily News]

Some news I read. Kind of late posting ^^;

-, Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks to Make 3D Live-Action Ghost in the Shell [source: Animenewsnetwork]
-, 1st Death Note Film to Run in 300+ U.S. Theaters in May 20-21, event to include 20-minute feature with interview of director Kaneko. Subscribers of the email newsletter for Viz Media's Shonen Jump magazine can order advance tickets from April 18 to April 20. The general public can purchase tickets starting on April 21. [source: animenewsnetwork]
-, Comcast wants 'bill of rights' for file-sharers and ISPs. [...] "By having this framework in place, we will help P2P companies, ISPs and content owners find common ground to support consumers who want to use P2P applications to deliver legal content," said Tony Werner, Comcast's chief technology officer. [complete article][source: AsianFanatics forums]


Changing subject, I read some opinions regarding the first episode of Last Friends. Many said they felt sick watching the violence scene. I was feeling awful 'cause.. I didn't! I mean, I felt bad, but didn't actually feel sick. I did though, reading the following bit from the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
Warning: this is a bit long, and it has high chances of making you feel sick. What it has in common with LF is the act of beating. The rest just can't compare.
( OUT!GET IT OUT! )

hello ^^
sorry for posting so many tekky entries, just, I think these things are quite interesting for people in the fandom world (^^;) great excuse XD

Anyhow. This time it is not a warning, rather good news ^^

TO ALL GRAPHIX MAKERS AND LOVERS
( WEB VERSION PHOTOSHOP FOR FREE )
To read more about it, and join the "24/7 photo party", go here.


On another note, the following piece of news isn't as exciting as the above, but I really liked the analogy that was used. I'm posting the bit I liked, for the whole article, go to the source ^^
( AT&T CEO says hard to find skilled US workers )

Japanese Panel Pushes Ban on Illegal Downloads

posted on AnimeNewsNetwork on 2007-12-20 23:45 EST

Government receives 7,500 public comments, with most in opposition

The Private Music and Video Recording Subcommittee of Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs held a meeting on December 18 to iron out the government's proposal to ban private, unauthorized downloads of copyrighted material. The agency is an advisory body to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The agency's subcommittee voted to recommend revisions to article 30 of the country's Copyright Law so that unauthorized downloading would be outlawed.

The agency first proposed the amendment to the Copyright Law earlier this year. Under the current law, the government can prosecute people who upload without authorization. However, unlike in the United States and other countries, it is legal for people in Japan to download unauthorized material for private use. After issuing a request for public comments, the subcommittee received 7,500 responses. Makoto Kawase, the head of the agency's Copyrighted Work Circulation Promotion Department, said that it has never received this many comments for a proposed piece of legislation before. Even though Kawase noted that the vast majority of the public comments called for no change in the copyright law, Kawase said that revising article 30 is "inevitable."

The proposed revision is aimed at video streaming sites such as Japan's Nico Nico Douga and Google's YouTube. However, it was noted at the meeting that users might visit a site that happens to have unauthorized material, and therefore run afoul of the revised law without realizing it.

News taken from this post at AnimeNewsNetwork.


I'll try to keep myself updated on this (I'm sure I'll soon forget about it though XD). If sth new comes up, I'll post about it.

Thanx to hikkichan and gernsback on JPS for pointing this out.