Advertising on the Moon - Broadcasting to 100% of Humanity with Satellite Projection Mapping [2/2]

Concerning the hardly believable news of projection mapping on the moon’s surface, our insider is none other than one of our very own board members at TokyoOtakuMode. Sure to be a most memorable occasion, the very first advertisement on the surface on the moon will be for the New TokyoOtakuMode 3.0, which will be available in 180 languages. It is scheduled to be released next year on April 1...yes, for those who have figured it out already, this is an April Fool’s joke. For those who thought this news was real, we apologize, but hopefully we got a laugh out of you!

Then again, no one can say for certain that this story will never come true. There is no such rule that otaku culture, which has spread from Japan to other parts of the world while enriching people’s lifestyles, won't pierce through the stratosphere and spread into space. Even young people of distant stars who can't speak our language would like stuff that is cool, kawaii, moe, and maybe even tsundere...nah, that one might be a bit difficult.

Nonetheless, there are already examples of otaku culture making a jump into space. In the Nov. 4, 2012 episode of the anime Space Brothers, which is very popular in Japan, Akihiko Hoshide, an astronaut in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), made a voice cameo appearance. At that time, Hoshide was at the International Space Station (ISS) on a long-term mission. In other words, they did dubbing from space! This was done by connecting the satellites of the ISS and JAXA Tsukuba Space Center. Based on the screenplay and guidance sent in mail from the Control Center, Hoshide played his part in front of the cameras on the ISS and the audio was recorded at Tsukuba Space Center.

Of course, there are other instances where live broadcasts recorded in space were used in productions as material. However, Space Brothers is the first anime in the world that used satellite dubbing. Incidentally, in that scene, the two protagonists, brothers Mutta and Hibito, who both dream about going out into space, get courage from these memorable words as well as the story of Hoshide himself, who said, "I never gave up on my dream to become an astronaut."

Space Brothers is enjoying a long run, and its second season will begin this April. In just one year, the show has surpassed four runs and it’s becoming an increasingly bigger topic among anime fans. Surely, this is proof of the high quality of Japanese manga and anime, or better put, otaku culture.

Who knows, boys growing up watching this anime might dream of becoming astronauts, and when they grow up and achieve their dream, they will remember Space Brothers. When one thinks about how the latent potential of anime and manga can influence the future, it’s clear to see just how amazing otaku culture really is!
YTV Official Site:
Http://www.ytvjapan.com/

Gyao Special Feature Article:
http://gyao.yahoo.co.jp/special/uchukyodai/ (Japanese)

Space Dubbing YTV News:
http://www.ytv.co.jp/uchukyodai/info/index_3.html (Japanese)

Yomiuri Shimbun Space Dubbing News Article:
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/news2/20121010-OYT8T00546.htm (Japanese)

© Chuya Koyama, Kodansha Ltd./YTV Corp., A-1 Pictures Inc.

Space Brothers Anime Trailer (English Subbed)
Space Brothers Anime Trailer (English Subbed)

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