SparkPlugged » TV http://sparkplugged.net Plugging the best of Japanese indie, rock and alternative music Thu, 24 May 2012 12:55:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4-beta3 Love is like StarCraft (+ impressions) http://sparkplugged.net/2008/10/love-is-like-starcraft-impressions/ http://sparkplugged.net/2008/10/love-is-like-starcraft-impressions/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:37:58 +0000 Shay http://sparkplugged.net/?p=2071 We all have heard about how popular StarCraft is in Korea. With the release of the super-highly anticipated StarCraft II somewhere around the corner, here’s a couple …

]]> We all have heard about how popular StarCraft is in Korea. With the release of the super-highly anticipated StarCraft II somewhere around the corner, here’s a couple of examples of StarCraft’s influence on popular culture.

A drama screencap. Some guy’s humorous caption read: “This is what love is like in Korea.”

Some StarCraft impressions on GAG-Concert:

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There’s not much else to say, other than…now I really want to go back to Korea!! :) If you check out the YouTube clip’s related videos, there are some other hilarious StarCraft impressions.

]]> http://sparkplugged.net/2008/10/love-is-like-starcraft-impressions/feed/ 4 NICO Touches the Walls rock with Pocky http://sparkplugged.net/2008/04/nico-touches-the-walls-rock-with-pocky/ http://sparkplugged.net/2008/04/nico-touches-the-walls-rock-with-pocky/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:50:49 +0000 Shay http://sparkplugged.net/2008/04/nico-touches-the-walls-rock-with-pocky/ A great rock band plus a delicious snack, how could it get any better than that?

NICO Touches the Walls were featured in an television commerical for Glico’s Pocky and Men’s Pocky. The CM is pretty much clips from NICO Touches the Walls’ “image training” PV complete with Pocky boxes.

“image training” really hit with the band’s 2007 mini album, How are you?. It was first released on their 2006 debut mini album Walls is Beginning.

The “image training” PV is a crafty adventure in stop-motion animation. The CM keeps things real but has a box of Pocky stomping around the miniature set.

Watch the 2 CMs in 1:

In related news, the next single from NICO Touches the Walls, titled “THE BUNGY” comes out June 4th. I’m excited!

Check out the full “image training” PV (on Veoh)

]]> http://sparkplugged.net/2008/04/nico-touches-the-walls-rock-with-pocky/feed/ 0 ApriPoko – the robot remote control http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/apripoko-the-robot-remote-control/ http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/apripoko-the-robot-remote-control/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:20:25 +0000 Shay http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/apripoko-the-robot-remote-control/ When the remote control came out, it met some criticism like “how lazy?” and “just get up and turn the dial on the TV”. Well, if you thought the remote was a cool invention, Toshiba’s ApriPoko takes things to a new level.


ApriPoko learns how you use the remote and will take over universal remote control duties once it does. The story on Gizmodo says:

Programmed to be fairly smart, he’ll wait until you use a controller for your electronics, then ask you what you were doing: the next time you want to perform the same action, you just have to tell ApriPoko to do it for you. He’ll then wave his IR transmitter arm and *bing*, on goes your TV.

ApriPoko is voice operated and comes with a camera and infared transmitters.

He looks like Squirtle :)

via GeekAlerts and Gizmodo

]]> http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/apripoko-the-robot-remote-control/feed/ 5 SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards ’08 winners http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/space-shower-music-video-awards-08-winners/ http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/space-shower-music-video-awards-08-winners/#comments Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:03:54 +0000 Shay http://sparkplugged.net/2008/03/space-shower-music-video-awards-08-winners/ BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR!]]> The SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards are an annual award presentation that highlights the best music videos in the past year.

Award categories range from BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR to BEST STORY VIDEO to BEST DIRECTOR and many more. The show, hosted by Ito Seiko (いとうせいこう) and Yasu Megumi (安 めぐみ) selected videos from over 20 categories.

The award ceremony was on Saturday, March 15. Here is a list of the artists who took home awards:

BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR
BUMP OF CHICKEN – 花の名 (Hana no Na)

BEST YOUR CHOICE
BUMP OF CHICKEN – 花の名 (Hana no Na)

BEST ROCK VIDEO
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION – アフターダーク (After Dark)

BEST POP VIDEO
YUI – My Generation

BEST R&B/HIP HOP VIDEO
KREVA – ストロングスタイル (Strong Style)

BEST REGGAE VIDEO
PUSHIM – HEY BOY

BEST NEW ARTIST VIDEO
9mm Parabellum Bullet – Discommunication

BEST MALE VIDEO
Hata Motohiro – é±—(うろこ, Uroko)-Director’s Cut Ver.-

BEST FEMALE VIDEO
Amuro Namie – HIDE & SEEK

BEST GROUP VIDEO
BUMP OF CHICKEN – 花の名 (Hana no Na)

BEST GROOVE VIDEO
Denki Groove – 少年ヤング (Shounen Young)

BEST IMPACT VIDEO
Spitz – 群青 (Gonjou)

BEST CG/ANIMATION VIDEO
Yurayura Teikoku – 美しい (Utsukushii)

BEST STORY VIDEO
Kato Miliyah – LALALA feat. Wakadanna

BEST ART DIRECTION VIDEO
Chatmonchy – とび魚のバタフライ (Tobi Sakana no Batafurai)

BEST TECHNICAL WORKS VIDEO
Tokyo Jihen – キラーチューン (Killer Tune)

BEST CONCEPTUAL VIDEO
Maximum the Hormone – 絶望ビリー (Zetsubou Billy)

BEST INTERNATIONAL VIDEO
JUSTICE – D.A.N.C.E

BEST DIRECTOR
Kodama Yuuichi

BEST CREATORS’ CHOICE
DOES – 修羅 (Shura)

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO
ET-KING – 愛しい人へ (Itoshii Hito)

BEST SSTV ONLY EDITION
Crystal Kay – あなたのそばで “for SPACE SHOWER TV” (Anata no Soba de)

To watch the award-winning PVs or for more info on winners and nominees visit the SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards ’08 official site and on goo.

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