TOKYOMANGO

Actors Arrested for Filming Porn at McDonalds

A porn film crew was arrested at a McDonalds in Saitama Prefecture recently. Apparently, the director and three actors strolled in and just started filming in the restaurant. A suspicious customer followed them to their corner and then called the cops. The cops arrested the foursome for indecent exposure and obstruction of business.

I know it sounds strange, but I actually believe this story. When I was 18, I was walking home from driving school and I passed by a film crew shooting dirty school girl photos by the train tracks. I was like, hmmm. Interesting. But not surprised.

Link

Oldest Robot in History Resurrected

80 years ago, someone made this giant Buddha-like humanoid robot that can change its expression and move its head with surprising ease in order to commemorate the new Showa emperor. Some consider it the oldest robot in history—at the time, people called it a "manmade human." The robot was refurbished in Osaka last week after years of collecting dust.

Link (Japanese)

iPod Case Looks Like Kalbi

This new iPod cover from Solid Alliance not only looks like a slice of high-grade kalbi meat, but it is even packaged like one. If I had this, it would constantly make me crave Korean BBQ.

Rakuten via The Raw Feed

Soccer Star Arrested for Stealing Women's Panties

A member of J-League soccer team Kashiwa Reysol was arrested this week for sneaking into a 21-year old woman's home and stealing her panties seven years ago. Why now? DNA results just came in.

On September 11, 2001, he snuck into the woman's house in Kobe and stole her panties and cell phone. He was 19 at the time—a minor in Japan—so his name hasn't been disclosed to the press.

Why a soccer superstar would need to steal panties is a big mystery. Kashiwa's male fans, at least, seem willing to strip down even without being asked to.

Link

Fred Schodt on MangoBot

I wrote about Fred Schodt, Tezuka's long-time interpreter and predictor of Japan's humanoid robot craze, on io9 last week:

In the spring of 1988, Japanese publisher Kodansha released a revealing English-language book titled Inside the Robot Kingdom: Japan, Mechatronics, and the Coming Robotopia. The book predicted a new era when humanoid robots would dominate Japanese society in the same way that industrial robots were then dominating behind-the-scenes manufacturing in the country. It was a topic that nobody in the Western world knew much about at all.

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