TOKYOMANGO

Shakespeare, The Yakuza Manga Series

Check out London publishing house Metro Media's new Shakespeare manga series. The company collected some of the best manga artists in town and collaborated their efforts into the release of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, both adapted to take place in modern-day Tokyo.

Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's most famous love story, unfurls in a dramatic manga setting, in which Verona becomes a street in the highly fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo. The star-crossed lovers, touching in their youth and innocence, are caught up in a bitter feud between two Yakuza families (Japan's 'mafia') whose rivalry erupts into violence and killing on the streets. Romeo, a rock star, is a Montague who falls in love with Juliet, a Capulet. They defy their parents and consummate their passion in secret. This is a story of love, revenge, violence and tragedy.

Pretty awesome, huh? It's part of an effort to teach kids about classic literature so they actually enjoy it. Just released this month.

Anime Fair Gallery

Check out this photo gallery I put together for Wired on the Tokyo Anime Fair, which took place last weekend. The intro text I wrote got omitted (they never seem to get any of the stories completely right) so here it is:

Anime is one of Japan's biggest exports (besides Corollas and Vaios). The city government of Tokyo, recognizing the importance and profitability of anime in Japanese pop culture and around the world, joined with local studios to hold the first International Anime Fair in 2002. This year's event, which ended Sunday, was a four-day spectacle attracting more than 100,000 people. They saw nearly 300 exhibitor booths, special symposiums, performances of anime theme songs and the coveted Anime Award.

Unlike ComicCon, San Diego's comic book fan convention, the first two days of the Tokyo Anime Fair are for business only, and showing up in costume is strictly forbidden. This year's theme explored how animation robots -- from Astro Boy and Gundam to the tripods in The War of the Worlds -- have influenced modern robotics technology. Here are some of the highlights and character cameos from the weekend.

See the gallery (Wired News)

Yoda Pez Cell Phone Strap

I bought a Pez for the first time in at least a decade the other day at a supermarket in Canada. It had Piglet's head on it, and Piglet kind of looks like my dog Ruby. Well, this Yoda pez is not only a yummy sugar candy dispenser, but it's also a cell phone strap. I'm actually not sure where you can buy it, but it comes with the R2D2 garbage can as a "omake" (freebie in Japanese).

The R2D2 Trash Can

Star Wars fans can now officially geek out to their trash cans, too. This R2D2 aluminum trash bin works like any other foot-pedal operated cylindrical bin--but it looks totally rad in your bedroom or kitchen. This bad boy's available in Japan from the end of March, and in the US this summer.

Product page (Japanese)

Stick Shift FM Radio

This sleek silver shift stick is actually a FM radio. All the functions--from volume settings to channel tuning--are controlled by shifting gears. Up and down to adjust the volume, shift right to scan through the channels, and left to reset. Even if you don't know how to drive stick, you'll probably be able to figure this thing out.

Product page (Japanese)