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The Teen Titans, Guitar Wolf, Puffy Amiyumi and Me – A True Story

2015年8月22日 / No Comments

Wow! Today is another true story! I’m going to brag about the rock stars I hobnob with! (Snore!)

Everyone has seen the animation “Teen Titans,” right? The theme song for that animation was sang by Japan’s Puffy Amiyumi, and, on that song, the mighty Guitar Wolf’s lead vocal and guitarist, Seiji, played guitar solo.

My now 11-year-old son really liked Teen Titans (we don’t have a TV so we sometimes let him watch DVDs – a few times). So he really liked that theme song. The animation? He didn’t like that so much.

But, yesterday I came home from a TV show recording and then I showed him the photo of Seiji and me (at the top of this post) and asked him if he remembered that “guy who played guitar in the Teen Titans theme song”?

His eyes grew wide and he said, “Yeah! Dad! I remember!”

“That’s him!” I said. My son was mightily impressed!

Then we both watched the theme song video on Youtube once again together!

Check it. It is awesomely cool!

Puffy Ami Yumi – Teen Titans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhhOMceBJv8

OK. That’s the Teen Titans…. I’ve also known (not well because they are big stars) Puffy for a long time too… Kind of…

Well, anyway, one half of Puffy Amiyumi, Yumi, was on a TV show on WOWOW TV a little while back that I worked on. I didn’t do anything, I just worked on the show. When I saw her, I said, “Hi Yumi! Do you remember me?” Of course she said, “Yes!” but I could tell by the look in her eyes, she didn’t.

That’s OK, she probably thought my face was familiar but all foreigners look alike! (Bwa! Ha! Ha!)

Puffy were also the main hosts of a TV show that George Williams was on (I’m George’s manager) and that must have been 15~20 years ago too.

A few months ago, at Wowow, I took my photo with Yumi… But I can’t find it now (of course). And, of course, I can’t find any of the really old photos…. But I will post them here if and when I do.

Anyway, Puffy Amiyumi are cool and this video for “Teen Titans” was seen around the world!… Also, did you notice something “funny” right after Seiji’s “guital” solo?

Seiji of Guitar Wolf stars in the guitar solo for the theme song of Teen Titans… They spelled it “Guitalist”????

Yeah. That’s right. They misspelled “Guitarist.”

OK. Very funny guys. You know they intentionally misspelled it (?)… Pretty humorous if you ask me.

Anyway, onto Guitar Wolf. I’ve known Seiji from Guitar Wolf for a very long time too, over 20 years. Seiji has been a guest on many TV and radio shows I’ve worked on or produced for a very long time. Seiji appears on my shows because we are some of the few programs radical enough to play them. The photo at the very top of this article is Seiji and me from yesterday. He was a guest on a TV program that I produce.

Yesterday was the first time I have seen Seiji in nearly 10 years! When I saw him, I said, “Hi Seiji! Do you remember me?” Of course he said, “Yes!” but I could tell by the look in his eyes, he didn’t. That’s OK, Seiji is just like me and we both drink too much. I can’t remember what happened this morning!

Seiji probably thought my face was familiar but all foreigners look alike! (Bwa! Ha! Ha!)

Seiji is cool. I do have an old photo of me and Seiji and Guitar Wolf from a very long time ago. This might have been around 1991 or so. That’s me on the far left in the blue Hawaiian shirt.

Guitar Wolf visits “Channel G” (circa 1991)

When Guitar Wolf came to the radio station in the photo above, we really got drunk! It was a great time!

And we, er, uh…. We uh…. uh….

Let me see… What was I talking about? Getting drunk? Guitar Wolf? Ummm…. I forgot….

Oh yeah, now I remember! Seiji also is the guest vocalist on the Mutants new single, “Dead Beat Generation”! We’ve been playing it on the radio and it was on the Top 3 Video Countdown at the end of July! Check it out!

The Mutants “Dead Beat Generation” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ePusZGB68I

Anyway, what’s the point? I don’t know. Does there need to be a point? Probably not when we’re talking about the awesome Guitar Wolf!

Thanks Guitar Wolf! Thanks Puffy Amiyumi! Thanks to you all for at least one good memory from a childhood! (and a chance for dad to brag years later!)

HEY! WE’RE MAKING A JAPANESE ROCK N ROLL GHOST MOVIE. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q89eCEd6T14

映画「Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story」のクラウドファンディンは9月２６日まで残ってるので協力して下さい！お願いします！http://bit.ly/1CbGd78

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PAST ISSUES OF THE TOP 3 VIDEOS:

The Top 3 Videos for August 14, 2015! Messer Chups, Sir Psyko, Love Zombies and The Privates! robot55.jp/blog/the-top-3-videos-for-august-14-2015-messer-chups-sir-psyko-love-zombies-and-the-privates/

The Top 3 Videos for August 8, 2015! Surfer Blood, The Let’s Go’s, Bonsai Kitten and The Jigsaw Seen robot55.jp/blog/the-top-3-videos-for-august-8-2015-surfer-blood-the-lets-gos-bonsai-kitten-and-the-jigsaw-seen/

The Top 3 Videos for July 31, 2015! The Havenots, Westkust, Kid Wave and the Mutants! robot55.jp/blog/the-top-3-videos-for-july-31-2015-the-havenots-westkust-kid-wave-and-the-mutants/

Top 3 Indies Artist Videos for July 25, 2015! Red Bacteria Vacuum! Perrosky! Rocket and the Atomic Stooges from Japan! robot55.jp/blog/top-3-indies-artist-videos-for-july-25-2015-red-bacteria-vacuum-perrosky-rocket-and-the-atomic-stooges-from-japan/

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

ROBOT55 はビジネス、商業、製品紹介動画の制作のみならず、アートや音楽の映像も創っております。ビジネス動画においてはウェブ動画時代の到来に合わせ、お求めやすい¥70,000という格安価格より承ります。ご予算に応じて皆様にご満足のいく高品質動画を制作致します。勿論インディー・バンド向けPV制作も行っております。よ！
コチラよりお気軽にお問い合わせ下さいませ♬

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More Exciting (and Bizarre) Animations! Part 3〜おもしろい動画をご紹介

2015年3月21日 / 2 Comments

Hey welcome back for some more great animations.I hope you folks enjoy this series of animations. As for me, I find that watching these things inspires me and gives me ideas for when I make my own video productions for Robot55. It is amazing that, in many cases, so many wonderful videos remain of productions that were made on shoe string budgets.

I love that sort of thinking. It is the ultimate in creativity. I hope that some of these videos give you ideas for your creative productions whether those are video productions, art, writing a book, or even making a cake! Whatever we do, let’s have fun!

The first animation up today is one of the earliest animators. His name is Willis O’Brien. Most of you might recognize his work as he was the guy who made the giant gorilla in the classic 1933 film, “King Kong.” I remember watching that film in cinema class at university and just being simply amazed that they could have this animation so many years ago…. (I was studying animation too at the time!)

Willis Harold O’Brien was born in Oakland, California in 1886. He is a pioneer in motion picture special effects and stop-motion animations. He is well known and his reputation was (and still is) that he, “was responsible for some of the best-known images in cinema history.” O’Brien is best remembered for his work on The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949). He won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He wrote the story for King Kong vs. Frankenstein which was changed and was developed into Ishirō Honda’s King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).

Here is Willis H. O’Brien from 1915 – “The dinosaur and the missing link”

(If link about doesn’t play, copy and past this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RClif87GM1A)

Next up is some stop animation work that, when I was a kid, I didn’t like at all. For some reason, these images disturb me. I can’t put my finger on it… But I guess they made me fear that my toys were alive while I was sleeping. You might recognize some of these images and this style too. This is work by George Pal.

George Pal was born in 1908 in Hungary and moved to the USA in 1940. He was an animator and film producer, mostly doing science fiction (maybe that’s where the scary part came in for me as a kid). He was nominated for Academy Awards in the category Best Short Cartoons for seven years in a row between 1942 – 1948! Wow! Pal is the the second most nominated Hungarian exile after Miklós Rózsa.

George Pal has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1722 Vine St.

Rocky Horror Picture Show fans will be interested in the trivia that, in the opening theme to that show, of both the stage musical, “Science Fiction/Double Feature,” George Pal is among the many references to classic science fiction and horror films in the opening theme.

Here’s George Pal with “Philips Broadcast” from 1938:

(If link about doesn’t play, copy and past this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQmiqymo7Og).

OK. I said the last animation scared me as a kid. Next up is a very bizarre and twisted animation that is sure to cause the kids have nightmares. I cannot find any information about this Japanese animator nor this animation. But I think it speaks for itself.

Hitoshi Suenaga Distrust of Romantica:

(If link about doesn’t play, copy and past this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2mJIpvgUC0)

Well that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this short trip into the past and the minds of some very “out of the box” creators. See you next week, same place and same time!

Psst! Want to see more?

Need a Break? Watch These Three Fantastic Short Animations! (robot55.jp/blog/need-a-break-watch-these-three-fantastic-short-animations/)

More Exciting (and Bizarre) Animations! robot55.jp/blog/more-exciting-and-bizarre-animations/

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Ninja Slayer Animation Begins April 16th at 11 pm on Niconico

2015年3月6日 / 2 Comments

The good news is finally out! The new Ninja Slayer animation begins April 16th, 2015 at 11 pm on Niconico! (What’s Niconico? Please refer to “Japan’s YouTube? It’s Niconico!” (http://robot55.jp/blog/what-is-nico-nico-douga-its-japans-youtube/))

All Ninja Heads unite! The Ninja Slayer comic that has been a boom all over the world, including Japan, will be released as an animation and delivered to you at your home PC, or your smart phone on Niconico! (Nico Nico Douga!)

As a matter of fact, the humans at ROBOT55 have been involved in the production of this cult program, and I think they can deliver an interesting and smashingly funny program for you.

Screen Capture of Ninja Slayer Trailer video (below)

What? You haven’t heard of Ninja Slayer? Well, here’s a quick rundown:

In the distant future at Neo Saitama, some evil ninjas were brought back to life through the use of cybernetic technology and, in a turf war, they killed the wife and children of a Japanese Salaryman, Fujikido Kenji, who escaped death and then his soul melded with that of another enigmatic good ninja. He cheats death and becomes Ninja Slayer a Grim Reaper destined to kill evil Ninja in a personal war of vengeance.

“What?!” Yeah. That’s what I first said. This Ninja Slayer is deliciously ridiculous. I love it!

So don’t forget! Ninja Slayer animation begins April 16th, 2015 at 11 pm on Niconico!

There’s some more very exciting news coming out about the involvement of Robot55 (and the sister company, Universal Vision Ltd. – http://universal-vision.jp/) with the video production about this smash hit adventure.

Get all the inside information here! Stay tuned!

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ビデオ制作、格安ビデオ制作、ROBOT55, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビジネスビデオ制作

Need a Break? Watch These Three Fantastic Short Animations!〜面白い動画をご紹介

2015年2月27日 / No Comments

（下のアニメを是非観て下さい！英語分からなくっても、面白い短いアニメ！台詞はなにもない！）

For purely your enjoyment today, here’s two animations by a guy I really like named Adam Pesapane who is better known as simply, “Pes.” Pes isn’t that famous in Japan, but he is well known in the animation world in the west. I love animation and have been a Pes fan for a while as his work is a bit “twisted” and I like that.

The first one up is called, “Fresh Guacamole.” It is brilliant in concept yet it seems actually no more difficult to create than the old “Gumby” or “Davey and Goliath” animations from the sixties. (I think – but, actually, what do I know?)

First up is “Fresh Guacamole,” a film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar.

Wikipedia says about Pes:

PES (born Adam Pesapane; May 26, 1973) is an American director and stop-motion animator of numerous short films and commercials. In 2013, his short film Fresh Guacamole was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar. Receiving a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Virginia, PES migrated to film as a storytelling medium. His use of everyday objects and stop-motion animation to create original material is instantly recognizable. His work has been recognized in the United States and internationally, especially the short films Roof Sex, KaBoom!, Game Over, Western Spaghetti, and Fresh Guacamole. He is currently in development on his first feature film, a movie based on the Garbage Pail Kids franchise. An early influence on PES’s animation style is the work of Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer.

Here is the now classic, “Western Spaghetti.”

OK, so, now that we’re here, might as well show you some of what Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer created. Be forewarned, this can be a bit bizarre (and sometimes disgusting!) Here’s “Food” by Jan Švankmajer.

When thinking about making your own video production in Japan, sometimes a special, magical touch is to do some sort of animation. An extremely simple, but effective, animation can be done quite cheaply. As usual, though, it’s always a good imagination and a brilliant idea that cuts costs.

We at Robot55 pride ourselves on being experienced creators with a proven track record of working on and creating hit TV and radio shows, as well as commercials.

If you are thinking about an animation, why don’t you give us a shout and then, let’s discuss and get the creative juices flowing. There’s always a great idea that’s an inexpensive idea if we all put our minds to it.

Please contact Ken or Mike at our email address: contact@robot55.jp

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Notes: Not to brag, but, in fact, Mike won first place for a film and animation he made in the Sophomore Class at the well known and famous Moorpark College where he studied Cinematography and Animation for two years under award winning cinematographer and Oscar nominee, Gregory Nava.)