Japanese artist Keigo illustrates the sad but funny life of a Crocodile in human society Japanese illustrator Keigo has a talent for depicting absurd fictional situations in a comical and quirky style. While the artist doesn’t have a lot to say about himself, his simple but eccentric work has gained quite the following of fans looking for slice of life humor on Instagram and even been compiled into an art book. Many of his illustrations show bleak but humorous in a creative way that despite their silliness, capture an element of frustration just easy enough to relate to. keigoさん(@k5fuwa)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 7月月12日午後3時38分PDT keigoさん(@k5fuwa)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 7月月28日午前6時48分PDT One of Keigo’s most…

Japan: A Paper Craft Paradise When it comes to creating art with paper, Japan, with its long history of making exquisite washi paper and its internationally recognized art of origami, has produced its fair share of amazing artists. From paper toys animated with paper and rubber bands such as Haruki Nakamura’s pop-up penguin bomb, Seiji Tsukimoto’s clockwork pop-up art, or Risa’s intricately carved paper texts and animals, we have seen some remarkable artistry. Paper Craft Artist Scissorhands Combining realism with attention to detail and remarkable technical abilities, artist Masanobu Azami, who goes by the name Scissorhands, also deserves honorable mention among his Japanese paper-crafting peers. Just as comfortable making skeletons,…

Authorities in several countries have issued warnings over the spread of a disturbing viral game. The game challenges users on WhatsApp to message the mysterious contact “Momo”, who then reportedly antagonizes the user with threatening messages and unsettling images. The account, which is currently being investigated for links to criminal activity, uses the horrifying image of a demon lifted from the artwork of Japanese special effects artist Keisuke Aiso, who has nothing to do with the game itself. 1- Birçok çocuğun intihar etmesine neden olan Mavi Balina oyunundan sonra bu sefer de ‘Momo’ adlı yeni bir oyun ortaya çıktı. WhatsApp üzerinden yayılan oyun gençlere şiddet içerikli fotoğraflar ve tehdit içeren…

Whether it’s vintage Japanese sukaban jackets embroidered Princess Mononoke characters, or a No-Face Piggy Bank that devours coins, burps, and plays the Spirited Away soundtrack, Japan always seems to have a new and interesting take on Studio Ghibli-themed merchandise. One latest addition, however, celebrates the always charming My Neighbor Totoro with the touch of ancient and traditional Japanese pottery. Shigaraki ware is a type of stoneware and pottery that belongs to Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, produced in Shiga prefecture. The jars and pots made from Shigaraki Ware are known from using sandy clay found in Lake Biwa, and often have a glass-like glaze with finger prints left behind on…

From July 23rd to July 29th, you can experience the unique artistic vision of GENk (pronounced “genki”), in his second solo exhibit at Vanilla Gallery in Tokyo. Combining elements of the kawaii, the fetish, the erotic and the cruel, GENk’s paintings are both visually arresting and alluring, disturbing and enticing. This exhibit, “Unknown Cults” is the perfect opportunity to see his works and perhaps even meet the artist. GENk enjoys interacting with visitors and has been regularly spending time in the gallery since the exhibit began. “Unknown Cults” Source: © grape Japan “Our own secret cults of worship — Apart from religion, I think we all have ‘faiths with no…

While it may be painting with too broad a brush to describe a style as “anime”, there are certain qualities and characteristics that many associate with art styles found and shared in Japanese animation. Perhaps one of the most nostalgic aesthetics is the art style many associate with the 1980-1990’s breakthrough of Japanese animation overseas with classic like Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Freelance artist Dmitry Grozov (also known as Ahriman) perfectly captures such a style with his ability to illustrate iconic scenes from classic films with a retro anime flavor. Grozov adds a new charm to some of your favorite movie scenes from Aliens, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner,…

Just a few years ago, one could make the argument that Saya was the most popular schoolgirl in Japan, although a good amount of her viral fame is owed to the fact that she isn’t actually human. Saya is actually the stunningly realistic 3-D computer-generated product of Yuka Ishikawa, who works as a freelance CG Artist and her husband Teruyuki Ishikawa, and she gained a very dedicated following of fans who fell in love with her after initially thinking her to be a beautiful (as well as living) schoolgirl. Sayaの2016verです(•̀ᴗ•́)。去年の発表から色々な皆さんの反応を頂きつつコツコツと改良を重ねてきました。既に動きのシステムも稼動していて秋の展示会へのお披露目に向けて制作中です、詳細は今後アナウンス予定です。 pic.twitter.com/kOGcMx96co — TELYUKA_Saya (@mojeyuka) 2016年9月9日 With her secret revealed, however, her internet fame hasn’t waned one bit. Instead, many have…

While Japan’s fascination with all things “kawaii” has expanded into a culture of cute that covers aesthetics, merchandise, and fashion, one might suspect that horror movies to be the stopping point, but even that would be too strong an assumption. As today marks the ominous Friday the 13th in Japan, many are taking to Twitter to celebrate the classic horror film of the same name. What may surprise some, however, is the unapologetically adorable way in which people are tipping their hat to the iconic hockey-mask wearing slasher, Jason. Below are a few highlights of Japanese Twitter’s take on “celebrating” Friday the 13th, whether it be cat cafe cosplay, sexy…

As the survivors of the West Japan Flood are still struggling to recover from water and landslide damage and mourning the loss of their loved ones who passed away, messages of support have been pouring in from within and beyond Japanese borders. Numerous charity organizations are accepting donations and some of them are also geared towards English-speaking donors, as we reported earlier this week. In times like these, as we have seen with the Kumamoto Earthquake, for example, Japanese illustrators and manga artists often post artwork on their social media accounts with messages of support. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that a hashtag #西日本頑張ろうイラスト (which translates to something like:…

One of the minor but common grievances you’ll find among expatriates in Japan is a disdain for being asked “Does your country have four seasons?” or what sometimes comes across as excessive praise for Japan having four seasons. While it can be a bit comical at times, these comments are usually misunderstood, as most Japanese people are referring to how distinct and pronounced the differences between the four seasons are in Japan, and is an appreciation of the sights, sounds, and events celebrated between fall, winter, spring, and summer. Japanese artist @white16074 has created a series of four illustrations that beautifully highlights those seasonal distinctions through the imposing but graceful…

Japanese illustrator re-imagines Disney Princesses using different anime art styles. Whether it’s turning fast food chain mascots into anime characters or drawing Japanese Kit-Kat flavors as handsome men, it’s clear that illustrators can have a lot of fun applying an anime aesthetic to popular characters. Japanese Twitter user, illustrator, and lover of cute things Miochi (@mio_ney) has given the trend a lovely twist, however, by drawing Disney princesses in the different styles of various popular anime–perfectly replicating each artist’s personal designs! Source: @mio_ney The illustration, titled “Disney Princess in Japanese Cartoon” by Miochi mimics the instantly recognizable styles of Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, and Akira Toriyama, while also turning Mulan…

The Bullet trains in Japan—Shinkansen—are famous worldwide for their speed, efficiency, comfort, and sheer elegance of shape. They are so elegant, in fact, that the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) decided to launch the “Art of Shinkansen,” a series of 14 GIFs showcasing the high-speed train. © Japan Forward Artists from all over the world were asked to depict in a GIF various aspects of the Tokaido line, the train line which connects Tokyo to the port city of Osaka. The Shinkansen carries almost 500,000 people per day, for a total of nearly 165 million people per year. This means it has carried an estimated 5.6 billion people since…

As she explains on her Tumblr profile, Sapporo-based illustrator TAO is particularly fond of cats, Showa Era things, and sneakers. With their cheerful tone and kawaii characters enjoying relaxing moments, coffee mug in hand, her artwork will surely put a smile on your face or dispel any clouds hanging over your head. Her most recent illustration perfectly encapsulates the feel-good, relaxing mood and Showa Era nostalgia that characterizes much of her work: Source:© TAO Title: “ねこカフェ市電 (Cat cafe municipal tram)” Perhaps inspired by cat cafe train events such as this one by Yoro Railways in Gifu Prefecture, TAO imagines a municipal streetcar, the likes of which were very common in…

The following content is very much NSFW. Illustration series of girls showing off their underwear while giving you disgusted looks to become an anime. Sooner or later, there may be an anime for everything. And with doujinshi (self-published art works) as an endless well to tap, that even includes the very niche subject of girls showing you their panties with disapproving looks. Popular doujin series Iya na Kao Sare Nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai (“I Want You To Make a Disgusted Face and Show Me Your Underwear”) by Shimahara is being turned into an anime. 「嫌な顔されながらおパンツ見せてもらいたい」2018年にアニメ化。豪華声優陣が発表 https://t.co/3QmS4ukIsz #嫌パン #嫌パンアニメ pic.twitter.com/moy1XnUxNh — ごえモン (@goemon_fgo) 2017年12月29日 The doujin project began as a series…

Sakiyama is a 28-year old illustrator and manga artist based in Tokyo. On her Pixiv page, she explains that she produces art to release stress. On her Twitter account, she talks about her activities as “spewing out” creations. Consuming or being consumed by demons, whether figurative or real, seem to play an important role in her work. At times dark and ominous and at other times animated by a quirky sense of humor, her creations can be both visually arresting and amusing. Sakiyama graciously allowed us to repost some of her illustrations for this article, so we can let her art do the talking: With permission from © Sakiyama /…