Archives For educational programs

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This is the first time I ever found the Japanese name of this show. Kodomo Ningyougekijou (こどもにんぎょう劇場) or Children’s Puppet Theater, known in Peru (and maybe Latin America) as Me lo Contaron en Japon.

Though the DVDs are available on Amazon Japan — at a whopping price of nearly $50USD (over 4500 Yen) per volumen at 3 episodes a bundle [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], which results into over $600USD for 36 episodes. WHY, Japan? According to its Wikipedia page, the show possibly has over 50 episodes, running from 1990 to 2011.

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The Tokyo Shimbun (東京新聞) has developed an application for children to help them read their newspaper — difficult kanjis and all — by translating kanji into easy to read hiragana and other augmented reality features enhanced with animation and stuff.

I don’t think the Tokyo Shimbun realized that they’ve developed a tool for foreigners to read their newspaper. xD

Remember the days back back in the day when MTV was about music videos, and they had a show called Making Of the video before premiering a music video? Remember when they used to announce music videos and it was important? I miss those days…

And even though these music video directors talk about the big budgets given to only top artists, it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve liked a western mainstream music video. The Rihannas and Britney Spears don’t impress me — though, I gotta admit, I didn’t mind that Katy Perry music video for Wide Awake.

I don’t mind Lady Gaga, but her last couple of MVs have been lost to me.

There are some other music videos that are not so mainstream that have indeed peaked my interest… but I’m taking my eye candy — all of it — from crack Kpop music videos. Because… you know When Kpop Went Beyond American Pop.

The 2NE1s, Big Bangs, and other idol groups with their glossy and marvelous candy music videos infect my eyes and earworm into my brain. It’s hard for Korea to actually put some emphasis into their creatives and they should, so we must work with them on that. Otherwise… how will people know about directors Hwang Soo Ah and Cha Eun Taek?

Your music videos matter, Korea. Pull yourself together!

Googling about (as always), I ran into this Best of Beakman’s World collection [1], split into 6-part 10-min clips~ lo and behold! Complete episodes of Beakman’s World Español Latino dubs [1]!!! Because El Mundo de Beakman just melted my brain with the idea that the dubbing voice of Will Smith (Juan Alfonso Carralero, who just happened to be on TV last week as the voice of Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence xD) was ALSO the voice of Beakman.

Plus, there’s also Laura Torres. O_O

I miss children programming like Beakman’s World — I know there are a few “science educational” children programs out there, but all of them lack the sense of fun and wonder that Beakman had. :(

This is another reason why the 90s rocked so much.

Also… RIP, my dear Ratson.

I haven’t really been properly following Okaasan to Issho — this means I haven’t been practicing my Japanese much — so I was really REALLY surprised: first, when they changed the weather mascots so soon. I suspect it didn’t suit well with the whole Tohoku Earthquake. They seemed to have lasted just a couple of years compared to some of the others…

Anyway, the second thing that surprised me was… Itou Mayu is no longer there! Apparently she did her last show by the end of March. Sadly, I haven’t found any clip of that online.

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