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Greetings From J-List

2/3/2012

One thing about living in Japan is having many more people around you than you may be used to, especially in Tokyo, where the population density is 5500 people per square kilometer. Just about everything in Japan's capital is more semai (narrow, cramped), with the average width of tables in restaurants being about half what you'd expect to find when eating out. Riding trains during the morning or evening commutes is the worst -- being entombed inside a train, completely unable to move, can really take getting used to. (I quickly learned to wait for the rush to subside before taking the train.) Many Tokyo residents tire of living in such a densely populated area and dream of moving back to their more rural home prefectures (called a "U-turn" in Japanese), escaping the daily grind of life as a salaried employee in a large company (which is called datsu-sara or "escape from salaryman prison") and running a rural bed-and-breakfast instead.


Deconstructing the moe girls of Amagami; riding a crowded train in Japan (artist's concept).

I'm currently enjoying the second season of Amagami, an anime based on a popular PS2 game in which you get to experience romance with six different main female characters. One of the fundamental problems with converting a multi-scenario eroge or visual novel into a mainstream anime series is what to do about the different paths -- choosing just one "main route" to show viewers removes much of the story depth that these games are known for and leads to dissatisfied fans. Happily, Amagami solves this problem by giving separate story arcs to each girl, which seems to be a pretty good compromise. The six main girls aren't just random cute faces: they're meticulously constructed moe archetypes, designed to appeal to different kinds of fans. There's Haruka-senpai, the ditzy upperclassman who's confident and experienced, a challenge for Junichi to woo since he lacks self-confidence; classmate Kaoru, who attended the same junior high school as him; shy underclassman Sae, who Junichi naturally takes a leading role with; the smart Ai Nanasaki, who llikes to troll Junichi by wearing a swimsuit under her uniform at random times; Rihoko, an osana-najimi or childhood friend who has known Junichi all her life; plus Tsukasa, the super-organized class representative. Whenever two Amagami fans get together, they will have fervent debates about the merits of each girl.

Japanese sentences are peppered with a variety of colorful English phrases, since adding foreign words to one's speech gives it a certain je ne sais quoi. Of course, every linguistic group on Earth changes language to suit its own needs, and often the "English" words used in Japan might not be recognizable to you or me. One rule is, the stranger a foreign loan word sounds, the longer it's probably been in use, and I can tell almost instinctively that orai, koohii and ramune have been around for a century or more based on how far they've drifted from "alright," "coffee" and "lemonade." Then there are words that somehow got mapped incorrectly, like "cunning" (which means to cheat on a test in Japanese, which sort of makes sense, I guess), "rouge" (which means lipstick), "manicure" (what nail polish is called), or "mansion" (the upscale Japanese word for a condominium). One of the strangest words is "hormone," which is used in its normal meaning (the chemicals that are inside all of us), but it also refers to cuisine involving fried pork intestines, a delicacy of Osaka.

Remember that J-List is having a great February Sale this month, giving you 2x J-List points on all awesome chocolate products all month long, including Pocky, Kit Kat, Meltykiss. In case you don't have anyone to exchange chocolate with, we're also giving double points on all TENGA, Hello Kitty Shoulder Massagers and other stress toys. Best of all: get an $10 store credit when ordering $100, or $25 store credit for ordering $200 or more via EMS shipping. What awesome stuff will you get during the sale?

Today's New & Restocked Items

NyanType Mar 2012

NyanType Mar 2012

A new issue of NyanType is here, and that means another 18 huge pinup posters of your favorite moe girls from shows like K-On!, Nanoha, and Lagrange. This magazine gives Megami a run for its money! All posters are limited edition, so don't miss out! VIEW PRODUCTS

Gift Wrapped Rillakuma Face Chocolate Cake Set

Gift Wrapped Rilakkuma. Hello Kitty Chocolates & Cookies

Valentine's Day isn't far off, and we're stocking J-List with some of the most awesome Japanese chocolates we've ever seen, in beautiful decorated boxes. See kawaii chocolates and cookies featuring Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma. VIEW PRODUCTS