J-pop News: Staff version of an AKB48 music video reaches 2.4 million views on youtube

The music video AKB48's new single "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie" (The Fall-in-Love Fortune Cookie) featuring the only the staff of Japan's biggest idol group was uploaded to their official youtube channel. Originally meant as a in-joke to begin with, in the space of 2 weeks, the video has had more than 2.4 million views and growing by the day.

Japan Music News: Mariko Shinoda "graduates" AKB48

After 7 and a half years, the oldest member of AKB48 Mariko Shinoda (27) has officially calls it quits and has "graduated" AKB48. Her final show was at her home town of Fukuoka, in front of 32 thousand fans.

Now she can finally stop wearing a school uniform!

The concert lasted 4 hours with fans cheering "Mariko!" throughout. In the finale, she made a speech thanking the fans and other members for the opportunity, claiming "If I am reborn, I will still choose AKB48".

In a time that Japanese Idols are on average 15 years old, Kudos to you Mariko for proving the entertainment industry that age is no longer a barrier for success.

Japan Film News: "Wreck-it Ralph" character Vanellope based off AKB48 member Ami Maeda?

Disney’s CG film “Wreck-it-Ralph” (or “Sugar Rush” in Japan) was quite good. So good that in fact everyone mistakenly thought it was a Pixar film.

If you think of the film as a metaphor for the relationship between Pixar and Disney, it gets a whole lot more depressing...