Holiday Buyer's Guide

Look to Japan this holiday season because that’s where all the best gifts are. When it comes to shopping for that someone special for the holidays, consumers often find it difficult to select from the endless hoard of potential gifts. Knowing someone’s interests is a key factor in giving a gift that will be cherished rather than returned/exchanged. Japanese products have continued to gain popularity in America and offer several options in every media to appease even the pickiest of gift receivers. Here are just a few suggestions to go by:

For the Artist or Animation fan:

The Art of Ponyo makes for a great gift for anyone studying art and/or animation. This lavish oversized book houses hundreds of sketches, notes, and interviews that gives the reader greater insight into the amount of the detail that went into making the movie. From “the father of Japanese animation” Hayao Miyazaki, Ponyo is the latest masterpiece from the famed director to reach US shores, opening to critical acclaim. The book also features the complete movie script, making it the perfect companion for any fan.

For the Video Game Player:

For many parents, finding a game that packs a powerful punch without inducing frame after frame of gore can be one of the toughest tasks this holiday season. Luckily Nintendo has just the solution to your shopping woes. New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario: Bowser’s Inside Story for the Nintendo DS provide the perfect mix of graphics and story to satisfy even the most hardcore of gamers. Created back in 1981 by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario has spawned a franchise that has pleased gamers of all ages. Nintendo is up to its usual standard of quality with both games sporting superb graphics and stories to match.

For the Comics Fan and the Reader of Books:

While characters like Superman, Batman, and Spider-man have been around for years dominating the American comic industry, their 40+ years of continuity can often intimidate fans rather than entice them. Japanese comics (or manga) present a wide variety of stories that features compelling characters and excellent artwork. For parents that have are looking for ways to get their child into reading, manga acts as the perfect gateway. Popular titles such as Naruto and D.Gray-Man are geared more towards young adults and have proven to be strong sellers among the demographic.

Naruto is the story of Uzumaki Naruto, a misfit Ninja who carries within him a powerful demon fox. Despite the fear and hatred displayed toward him by his fellow villagers, Naruto is determined to become the greatest ninja ever known and protect his friends from those who would threaten his village.

D.Gray-Man follows a similar formula as it features another outcast youth trying to find his place in the world. Allen Walker was cursed with a demonic eye when he tried to resurrect his friend. Now he travels the world confronting demons in an effort to prevent anyone from making his same mistake.

Even sports fans have a selection of titles to choose from like the football series Eyeshield 21 that is an action and adventure series starring meek Sena Kobayakawa whose daily routine usually consists of running errands for school bullies. After doing so for years, he develops an amazing level of speed that makes him the perfect match for the fledgling football team at Deimon High School.

For more mature readers, the done in one volume Go Go Monster promises a good read. Yuki Ichibana is a boy who can see and talk to monsters inhabiting his school. The other kids believe his ‘monsters’ to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination but Yuk knows the truth. A war between these creatures is coming and his school is at the center of it all.

For the Movie and Television Fan:

With the advent of new shows and movies cropping up every year, it can be difficult to choose which ones you believe will provide the most entertainment.

Monster is an award winning animated series that provides a mature psychological story of a doctor whose greatest act of kindness leads to his ultimate misfortune. When Dr Tenma saves a young boy named Johan from certain death, the boy grows up to become a serial murderer. With his career in ruin, Tenma’s only hope is to find Johan and bring him to justice. The first fifteen episodes of this enthralling series are available in the form of a box set.

For those looking for something with a more epic feel, 20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End provides a suspense-filled piece of sci-fi cinema. Based on Naoki Urasawa’s manga opus of the same name, 20^th Century Boys is the first of a trilogy of films to be released that deal with a boy’s comic and the apocalyptic future it prophesizes. It’s up to seven friends to stop a cult whose goal is to destroy the world. This first film is an adaption of the first five volumes in the series. The film packs quite a punch and leaves the viewer anticipating the continuation of the story.