5/19/13

Two Japanese Films at Cannes Film Festival

Shield of Straw 藁の楯 Wara no Tate

Via Asahi Shinbun May 19, 2013

Of the 20 films vying for this year's coveted Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, two of them are popular Japanese full-length features. One is about a very difficult family situation and the other is an exciting cop thriller by Takashi Miike.

In Shield of Straw / "Wara no Tate" 藁の楯 leading man Tatsuya Fujiwara plays a cold-blooded killer named Kiyomaru Kunihide who murders the granddaughter of a very powerful political figure (Tsutomu Yamazaki). A few weeks after the murder, Kiyomaru realizes that the politician has offered one billion yen (approximately $9.7 million dollars) to anyone who kills him.

Fearing for his life, he turns himself into the Fukuoka Police and then is to be transferred to Tokyo by five elite security police. But along the way they keep running into groups of citizens and other police who want to get the reward and get revenge! Also one of the security police starts to question the morality of protecting such a vile criminal. Below is the Japanese trailer, but you don't need to understand Japanese to enjoy this exciting preview:



A light favorite for this year's top prize, "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son)" stars Masaharu Fukuyama as the hard-working husband Ryota and his faithful wife Midori played by Machiko Ono.

Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son)

Their idyllic family life is suddenly turned upside down when the hospital where their son was born admits that Keita was switched at birth and is not their biological son. The couple is then faced with a difficult "nature vs nurture" decision in either swapping the boy they have raised and loved for six years for their real biological son or keep him. Ryota and Midori then meet the couple, played by Yoko Maki and Lily Franky, who have raised their real son and the film unfolds into humor and humanity. A powerful soft family drama competing against many violent films including the above, "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son)" is director Kore-eda Hirokazu's fourth film to compete at Cannes.
"I wanted to create this total upheaval in the morality of the main character," Kore-eda told journalists. "I wanted to create a real shock in his mind."

Here is the official trailer with English subtitles:



The winners of the world's largest film festival will be announced on May 26th.

See also:

Beat Takeshi Kitano's "Outrage Beyond"

Trailer for Jackie Chan's "Chinese Zodiac" Movie

5/16/13

Japanese Girls "Soccer Ball Juggling" Videos

Japanese Girls Soccer Ball Juggling Videos

Apparently Japan's JLeague soccer association is getting somewhat desperate for more herbivorous men to actually "go outside" and at least pretend to become beer guzzling, teriyaki eating carnivorous soccer fans again. Why else would they have Konami produce three (3) videos of some cute Japanese girls engaged in "soccer ball juggling"??? Oh and some genius decided to add a miniature GoPro video camera inside the soccer ball in order to produce some cute and enticing close ups of the soccer girls' body parts (see above ninja shot).



Also Konami is running a Football All Stars 2013 Campaign that, among other things, will be giving away single tickets that will be good for 101 seats at some JLeague games!

Football All Stars 2013 Campaign

Yes that's right! Now all these grass eating men will be able to bring 100 of their best friends to a JLeague soccer game.

Rrriiiiiiiggghht.....

Obviously, someone forgot to mention that most modern-day Japanese herbivores actually don't have any friends.

Forever AloneJapanese herbivore grass eating man

See also:

Japan's Horse Racing Dating Game

Japan's Forever Alone Virtual Girlfriend Dating

Japan's Play-With-Yourself Toilet Game

5/13/13

Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo May 13, 2013

Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo May 13, 2013
Photo courtesy of Udo Artists News.

Last night Germany's legendary electronic music group Kraftwerk performed their sixth of eight shows at Tokyo's Akasaka Blitz. Their setlist included their eighth studio album "Computer World" which was first released in May 1981. Many believe this to be Kraftwerk's peak period. Kraftwerk is one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. Below is a video from last night's performance of their 1974 worldwide hit "Autobahn":


Video courtesy of Peter Jacobs.

Related:

Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo @ NO NUKES

5/8/13

Asian Music TV Now Playing on TiVo

May 8, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Our new Asian Music TV Online AMTVO video cast is now playing on TiVo, the home of the TiVo Digital Video Recorder.

This union of high quality video production accompanied by worldwide state of the art broadcast technology will work together in an effort to bridge the gap between internet and television broadcasts. The TiVo service is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada (except Québec), Mexico, Australia, Spain and Taiwan at present. TiVo Series1 and Series2 DVRs have also been modified by end users to work in Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and South Africa. The Series4 TiVo Premiere was released to the public on March 28, 2010.

First launched in December of 2001, RobPongi.com began as a local Japanese videos website which gained a great amount of popularity in a very short time. Through the years many videos from it have been featured on several television networks throughout the world including G4 TV in the US, ITV in the United Kingdom and The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Indeed, since the initial launch, RobPongi.com has grown to become a well-known Asian TV Videos online portal with many new plans for further expansion in the near future.

UPDATE: Asian Music TV Online AMTVO is now also playing on iTunes.

UPDATE: AMTVO is now playing on Channels.com - The Best Shows On The Web.

See also:

2013 Top Video Sharing Sites List

5/7/13

New Hardware Girls Photos by Julie Watai

New Hardware Girls Photos by Julie Watai New Hardware Girls Photos by Julie Watai

Here are two new Hardware Girls photos published very recently. The first is the electrifying Yun*Chi glowing in hot pink neon light. The next is a beautiful photo of Shikako all caught up in colorful cables. Lingerie by Neon Opera Tokyo. The first photo was taken in the Team Lab and the second one was taken in the CSSL in Osaka, Japan. Both photographs were done by Japanese photographer Julie Watai.

See also:

Fairy Tale Antenna x Julie Watai

Yun*Chi Releases Shake You Mini Album

5/5/13

Meet Chinese "Godfather" Zhou Yongkang

Via China Uncensored May 3, 2013

Most likely you have heard at least some of Kim Jong Un's recent political sabre rattling and his plans to destroy the US, South Korea and Japan blah blah blah ad nauseum. However, very recently it has become more and more quiet up North as with each day that passes, no "enemy states" of "The Dear Leader" have yet to spontaneously burst into flames or just surrender. Oh wait a minute! Actually France did surrender to North Korea last month. So that makes the score North Korea 1 vs. The Rest of The World 0. So it appears as though North Korea is "winning". OK, fine.

Now back to the main theme here. Which is, most likely, you've heard of the legendary movie "The Godfather". Well, there is a very dark, shadowy figure who is, among other thugs things, Kim Jong Un's "Chinese Godfather". And today is our lucky day as we all get to meet the man with a sinister plan, the man who enjoys throwing political dissidents into Masanjia Labor Death Camp and other illegal prisons. The man who was the former head of the CCP's Super Secret Police who once commanded an annual budget that was larger than China's military! The man who once controlled the entire nations' oil industry! The man - as Chris Chappell so hilariously describes him - as a "people person. That is, he is a person who spends a lot of his time torturing - people." And, finally, the man who has enough political and economic power to start a nuclear World War Three (or at least another Korean war), ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the one, the only Zhou Yongkang:



Oh No! THAT GUY! O_O

See also:

North Korea's Ex-Super Spy Kim Hyon Hui

DPRK's Moranbong Band Destroys The World

5/2/13

Vice on Silicone Sex Dolls in China



In the past we have seen The Vice Guide to Travel go to North Korea where founder Shane Smith sang "Anarchy in the DPRK" in a hilarious parody of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK".

Then, on a more serious note, Vice Media Japan traveled to Fukushima to meet two farmers. One is still living and working his farm inside the evacuation zone in Tomioka. The other farmer lives just outside the zone in temporary housing. While there they made a chilling documentary "Alone in the Zone."

Now Vice Extended pulled out all of the stops and recently visited the "Doll Sweet Factory" in Dalian, China. And Vice Correspondent Thomas Morton basically said it all with this gem:

"Here in Dalian though it's a factory town so they've created the ultimate girl. She's, uuhh, made of silicone. And, uuhh, you fuck her."

Check out this short and NSFW documentary:



See also:

New Japanese Bukkake Doll Aya Aya

China Sex Toy Factory NSFW Photos

Japanese Virtual Web Sex Technology

4/30/13

North Korean Death Camp Escapee's New Single

Shin Dong-hyuk in London

Via The Sun April 30, 2013

OoberfuseBorn and raised in hell on earth - Camp 14 Total Control Zone - escapee Shin Dong-hyuk has just released a new dance pop tune entitled "Vanish The Night". Working with England's well-known pop unit Ooberfuse, they wrote a song together that protests against Kim Jong Il. With this new release they hope to illuminate the North Korean government's infamous human rights violations and tell the world more about the murder and abuse that Shin witnessed first hand prior to his escape in 2005.
He said: “Our song is a message of hope for the ordinary people of North Korea whose suffering often goes unnoticed and whose cries are largely unheard.

“Don’t forget us.”
Well it is not quite as engaging as Psy's mega monster-sized worldwide hit Gangnam Style. But it is close and a damn good song with a great beat that you can dance to:

NOTE: This music video includes some grim footage. Viewer discretion is advised:



See also:

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

The Making of "Nothing To Envy" Film

4/25/13

2013 Top Video Sharing Sites List

Via Life | Sciences | SEO Techniques April 25, 2013
"Videos are Very effective and Important in Online promotion of any site. A one video matter more than thousand other submissions and posting. A visual effect attracts more peoples to your site than any other textual matters. Here are some of important sites where you can post your best videos and even attach it to your site. you can post a variety of video's in below list. Here is (the) latest Video Submissions Sites for 2013."


http://www.youtube.com

http://video.google.com

http://www.veoh.com

http://aol.video.com

http://www.metacafe.com

http://www.ovguide.com

http://vids.myspace.com/

http://www.liveleak.com/

http://www.break.com/

http://www.dailymotion.com/

http://www.videoshift.com/

http://www.stupidvideos.com 

http://www.photobucket.com 

http://www.uncutvideo.aol.com

http://www.flickpeek.com/

http://www.video.msn.com

http://www.videovat.com

http://video.webshots.com

http://www.robpongi.com/

http://www.video.yahoo.com

http://www.vixy.net/

http://www.imteaz.com/

http://www.blip.tv

http://www.blogtv.com

http://www.archive.org

http://www.guba.com

http://www.revver.com

http://www.sumo.tv

http://www.toxicjunction.com

http://www.vidiac.com

http://www.viddler.com

http://www.videojug.com

http://www.videowebtown.com

http://www.vume.com

http://www.earthtv.com

http://www.fierceonlinevideo.com/

http://www.khou.com

http://www.blinkx.com/rssupload

http://www.grindtv.com

http://www.putfile.com

http://www.evtv1.com

http://www.chatpatavideo.com

http://www.sharkle.com/


Actually, this list has been circulating the interwebs for at least two years now. Here is the same list from 2011. Well, obviously, we are in the club! And anyone can make a video submission by inquiring at Google+. If your submission is approved we will publish it here or, if it is exceptionally good, we will publish it on Robpongi.com!

See also:

Japanese Virtual Web Sex Technology

Japan's Forever Alone Virtual Girlfriend Dating

4/19/13

Yun*Chi Releases "Shake You" Mini Album

Yun*Chi Releases Shake You Mini Album

Via Natalie Tv 4-16-2013

This past week we've had a fairly uneventful letdown in Asian news overall as The Great Eater failed to destroy the United States, Japan and Korea all in one big giant blowhard! I mean come on Kim what's up dude?!?! Oh yeah, we all know you're just so ronery! But don't worry, Ambassador Rodman is "coming again to save the motherf#cking day YEAH!!!"

However, there was one big huge explosion of musical happiness and stunning beauty that went off big time in Japan when our favorite Asobi System singer/songwriter Yun*Chi released her new mini album entitled "Shake You" just the other day. Here she is performing the title track on Nihon TV's new music variety show called Music Dragon ミュージックドラゴン. And, don't worry guys, you don't need to understand Japanese to fall in love with her forever:



See also:

Hardware Girls Idol & Singer Yun*Chi

mishmash*Julie Watai 1st Album Release

4/13/13

2013 DPRK Travelogue by Chrystian Cohen

2013 North Korean Travel Documentary Film

As the tension on the Korean peninsula increases, a fascinating new travel documentary film entitled "DPRK: The Land of Whispers (North Korea Travel Documentary) (2013) by Polish-American filmmaker Chrystian Cohen has recently gone somewhat viral on the web.

Cohen, who is based in Hanoi, took the train into Pyongyang with the hope and ambition of capturing a more meaningful experience. Prior to departure, he cleverly worked out a deal where he would film and produce a five-minute promo video for the tour company in exchange for the unusual permission to film his complete tour of the Hermit Kingdom. Join Cohen and a group of other foreign tourists as they travel through Pyongyang, Mount Paektu, Chongjing and Wonsan in this very interesting and humorous one hour film:



To find out more about this movie and how Cohen made it, check out his post at The Word.

See also:

From North Korea: 'Pyongyang Style' by Steve Gong

Buy A North Korean Bride Only $50,000!!!

DPRK's Moranbong Band Destroys The World

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

4/11/13

DPRK Female Soldiers in Uniforms & High Heels!

DPRK Female Soldiers in Uniform AND High Heels
Source
XXX Large Size

Now who doesn't love young, beautiful Asian women in uniforms AND high heels? This long-range photo was taken by Jacky Chen of Reuters when he saw the women from across the Yalu river in Dandong City, China. The women are patrolling on the other side of the Yalu river in Sunuiji, North Korea. In the below video we see one other DPRK female soldier named Kim Ok Yong threaten the USA with a nuclear missile strike!



See also:

North Korean Woodstock Music Festival Photo

North Korea's Ex-Super Spy Kim Hyon Hui

DPRK's Female Soldiers on Women's Day

4/10/13

North Korea's Ex-Super Spy Kim Hyon Hui

DPRK's Ex-Super Spy Kim Hyon Hui

Via ABC News (Australia) April 10, 2013

While the Korean peninsula remains in a state of high alert, one of the DPRK's former top spies recently revealed many secrets about how the Hermit Kingdom operates and also about its 1987 bombing of Korean Air Flight 858. In this fascinating interview with ABC News, former femme fatale and super spy for North Korea, Kim Hyon Hui, who now lives in top-secret exile, tells about her past life as a killer secret agent for the DPRK.

It all started when she was recognized as a very intelligent and very beautiful high school student who spoke flawless Japanese. She was then chosen by the central party to attend North Korea's elite spy training school up in the remote mountains. She was forced to leave her family and friends with very short notice. Then they gave her a new identity and advanced training in martial arts, military weaponry and foreign languages. And then...



See also:

North Korean Anti-Nuclear Postcard 1989

North Korea vs South Korea = Worst Korea

4/9/13

Breaking News on China's Masanjia Breaks Rules

Via NTDonChina April 9, 2013

A first ever domestic news expose on the notorious Chinese labor camp known as Masanjia was recently published by Lens Magazine. The article is entitled "Walking Out of Masanjia." It's based on a detailed handwritten diary by former inmate Liu Hua.

Diary of Masanjia inmate Liu Hua

Previously foreign media often reported on this labor camp and revealed many human rights violations and atrocities committed against prisoners since 2000. However, this latest uncovering marks the very first time that a Chinese media organization has dared to publish a news story about this controversial issue.

The following news video about this recent event includes some disturbing photos of many torture victims of the Masanjia Labor Camp. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.



Below is another recent news video on this breaking news story from ChinaForbiddenNews:



See also:

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

Premiere of "Camp 14 - Total Control Zone"

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

Jailed: A Foreigner in a Chinese Prison

A Cool North Korean Named "Danny"

4/3/13

Cute Japanese Girl Screaming Racism & Hatred

Cute Japanese Girl Screaming Racism & Hatred

Is Japan a racist country?

Is this typical behavior among Japanese girls nowadays?

What is the difference between this video and Medama Sensei's "Racism in Japan" videos?



This very unusual and shocking video was filmed just the other day in front of Tsuruhashi 鶴橋 station in Osaka, Japan. In this we see a young and cute (?) Japanese girl destroying all the myths about her by shouting explicit racism and hatred against Korean people living in that area. She actually yells "We will start the Tsuruhashi Massacre like the Nanking Massacre!" Believe it or not, this kind of protest is legal and not uncommon in Japan, but seeing this done by a young middle school girl is quite rare, indeed. It makes us wonder if her parents are aware of this or not. OK, one last question:

Could this legally happen in the USA? Discuss.

Related:

Is Japan a Racist Country?

Update on "Racism in Japan" Video by Medama Sensei

3/31/13

Li Ying Zhi Summer Swimsuit Photos

Li Ying Zhi Summer Swimsuit Photos
Li Ying Zhi Summer Swimsuit Photos

Here are two new photos of international super model Li Ying Zhi nickname: "Marilying" modeling some summer swimsuit fashion. She also made a guest appearance on a Beijing sports TV show earlier this week. Be sure to see more of this popular model's photos on her official Facebook page.

Related:

Li Ying Zhi Chinese New Year Photos

Chinese Supermodel Li Ying Zhi w/ Pink Hair

New Photo of Supermodel Li Ying Zhi #3

New Photo of Supermodel Li Ying Zhi #2

New Photo of Supermodel Li Ying Zhi

2012 Beijing Auto Show Model Li Ying Zhi

3/27/13

News Documentary on Food Safety in Japan



Two years after the March 11, 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan The New York Times has published a short news documentary entitled "In Japan, a Portrait of Mistrust" by Itai Keshet. In this he reports on some cases of public mistrust, fear and suspicion about the levels of radiation in food. Since the exact amount of radiation that was leaked from the Fukushima power plants has not yet been fully disclosed, various Japanese people express concern about the safety of food and where they live. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Related:

Forever Alone in The Nuke Zone of Fukushima 2013

Fukushima Housewife's Story of Nuclear Meltdown

1991 GE Tokyo Electric Power TV Commercial

Japan's Chim↑Pom‬ 'Super Rats' Attack Tokyo