Hatake Kakashi: Calm and collected

If there's a complex, level-headed and cool character in Naruto, it's none other than Kakashi-sensei.

The son of Hatake Hakumo, the White Fang, he was always angst-ridden and pointed at by the people of Konoha over the fact that his father chose to help his friends instead of carrying out the mission succesfully.

He was a prodigy shinobi from an early age, always obsessed with doing things the right way, that meaning merely 'being a killing tool', which was what ninjas were originally meant to be.

Until he met his teammates Rin and Uchiha Obito. Obito, his dying partner that transferred his remaining sharingan eye to him, is the one that first said these famous words:

"Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum"

Through the series, we see how Kakashi changes his vision of life and the world, a transition from the old era of ninjas, from the cycle of never ending wars and hatred, to a more human one, and that is also through his disciples Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto (Team 7).

Kakashi-sensei also has a funny side, always arriving late to meetings, and reading the soft porn novels written by Jiraiya (Icha Icha tactics) in his free time, which means he's also a 'closet' perv ^_^

I don't think we will get to ever see his face without the mask, yet the episode with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke trying to find out is one the classic moments in the series.

Happy Halloween from Tattoosday!

Here at Tattoosday, we're celebrating Halloween by posting the spookiest tattoo seen in the last month or so. Well, maybe not the spookiest, but certainly the most holiday-related tattoo:

This was offered up by Robert, who I met in Borders Penn Plaza last month. And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is Frankenstein driving a Chevy (that's the stick shift he's gripping). Robert credits Adel at Addiction NYC with this tattoo.

Thanks to Robert for helping us celebrate Halloween here on Tattoosday!

Ashlee Channels Snow White

This work in progress is on Ashlee's arm:

The tattoo features Snow White at the top of the arm, with the witch's hand proffering an apple, wrapping around the arm:

Ashlee explained that the tattoo is commenting on how superficial the world is and how the idea of Beauty was the downfall of the title character, at least until she was rescued from her poison-induced slumber.

The tattoo is the work of Eric at King Pin Tattoos in Harker Heights, Texas. Work from Kingpin appeared previously in August 2008 on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Ashlee for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday!

Cowboy Bebop tribute album released!

Following with the likes of the tribute Samurai Champloo soundtrack released two weeks ago, musician SinitusTempo, along with Obii Say, released a new Cowboy Bebop tribute album titled 'Cowboy Biibop Soundtrack EP'

Check it out for the awesomeness!

Curiosities: Three lost scripts by Akira Kurosawa found!

Three lost scripts by the legendary Japanese filmmaker (The Seven Samurai, Dreams) have been found in different places and they all date from before he achieved international fame.

The Tokyograph reports that the movie script Kanokemaru no Hitobito was discovered at the Shinobu Hashimoto Memorial Hall in Ichikawa, Hyogo, Japan. The script was written by screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who was a collaborator of Kurosawa, based on an original idea by the director. The script was planned for a 1951 adaptation starring Toshiro Mifune (!!!!!), but the movie was never shot.

The script for Toho’s collaboratively directed 1946 film Asu wo Tsukuru Hitobito has been rediscovered. Since the film had multiple directors, Kurosawa refused to accept credit for the script during his lifetime.

Whereas a script for Kurosawa’s 1942 radio drama Youki na Koujou was discovered in Waseda University’s Tsubochi Memorial Theatre Museum. Kurosawa wrote the play while he was still working as an assistant director.

Funimation will simulcast Kuragehime and SoraOto!

It was about time! From this Thursday, Anime News Network announced that Funimation began its plans to begin simulcasting the current Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime) television anime this Thursday and the current Heaven’s Lost Property Season Two (Sora no Otoshimono Forte) TV anime series this Friday. Crunchyroll began officially streaming the later series four weeks ago.

Great news, if you know what I mean
;-)

Nesting Dolls and a Zombie, Courtesy of Kristin

Last month, I ran into Kristin at the Penn Plaza Borders store.

She has ten tattoos, but the piece on her shin was the first one I spotted:

These Russian nesting dolls represents the friendship Kristin has with her friend Kyle (thus, the merging of their names into "Kryle").

It was tattooed by Bret from Electric Tattoo in Pasadena, Maryland.

Kristin also shared another tattoo, one certainly more appropriate for our current season. Check out this amazing tattoo:

This cool zombie piece was inked by Kike Castillo at Timmy Tattoo in Huntington, New York.

Kristin says that Kike is one of her favorite artists and she is happy for him to provide her with great body art. "He needed someone," she told me, referring to this particular tattoo, and "I'm always game". Tattoo artists love clients that let them do their thing, and you can tell with this great piece of art.

Thanks to Kristin for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Naruto Shippuden anime November schedule

(courtesy of Insane111 from NarutoFan forums)


This month we've got more good ol' pre-time skip filler mixed with canon material. 


They are handling it very well, forget about those infamous and dreaded 200+ fillerology episodes before the premiere of Naruto Shippuden O_o


November 4 - (episode 184) - [Set Out! Team Tenten]

November 11 - (episode 185) - [Animal No Mans Land]

November 18 - (episode 186) - [Ah, Medicinal Pill of Youth]

November 25 - (episodes 187-188) [Tale of the Gutsy Teacher and Student Ninja] One Hour Special

Amanda's Phoenix

Amanda has two tattoos, one of which she shared with me at the end of August in the Penn Plaza Borders store.

This is the tattoo she designed:

Amanda was inspired by the "compelling mythology of phoenixes" and had Bobby at Modern Age Tattoo in Nanuet, New York, translate the design into the final product.

The quote, in Latin, "post tenebras lux" means "After darkness, light". This mirrors the life cycle of the mythological phoenix who dies, bound in flame, only to be reborn from the ashes. Clicking here will display the vast array of phoenixes that have appeared on Tattoosday previously.

In other words, even when things appear their darkest, affirmation is just within reach.

Thanks to Amanda for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Desenhos de Anderson Silva, Finho Tattoo

Desenhos de Anderson Silva: finhosilva@hotmail.com

Orçamento, Rosa dos Ventos

"Queria saber o orçamento dessa tattoo:

Local: Nuca
Tamanho: 5,5cm de largura e de altura (por ser uma rosa dos ventos, as medidas devem ser iguais)
Cor: Preta
Cidade: Campos dos Goytacazes - RJ

PS: Vi que tem postagens do Nélio Tattoo Studio no blog, gostaria de saber o valor especialmente dele, se possível.

Agradeço desde já!"

Larissa: larissaguimaraes_@hotmail.com

Eto Tattoo, Bangalô Studio Tattoo

Olá amigos!
Primeiramente, em nome da equipe, agradecemos pela oportunidade que o A Tattoo está nos dando para divulgar o nosso estúdio. Abaixo conto um resumo de minha história.

Tatuador desde 1995, Eto Tattoo começou como a maioria dos tatuadores, com a veterana máquina caseira de motorzinho de rádio, com seis meses no ramo já adquiriu seu primeiro material profissional por influência da própria família e, resolveu seguir carreira e se profissionalizar. Hoje dono do Bangalô Studio Tattoo, trabalha junto com sua esposa Babi que há dois anos aprendeu a profissão de tatuadora e já atua também com aplicação de body piercing e alargadores.

Seus trabalhos são conhecidos tanto na cicade de Alagoinhas como na região do interior da Bahia.
Trabalhamos com materiais top de linha, regulamentado pela ANVISA, higienização hospitalar, todo procedimento feito na frente do cliente com intuito de transmitir maior confiabilidade e transparência em cada procedimento.

Para nos contactar temos:
Telefone: (75) 8193-8592 / (75) 3423-6972
Email: bangalostudio@hotmail.com
Msn: bangalostudio@hotmail.com
Orkut: bangalostudio@hotmail.com

Desde já agradecemos e nos colocamos à sua disposição!
Um Abraço!
Welton Ricardo
Equipe Bangalô Studio Tattoo.

Upcoming Kuragehime DVD/BD to include manga spinoffs!

The author of this manga, Akiko Higashimura, originally drew a short running series called 'Kuragehime heroes', in Kiss Plus magazine by Kodansha, but it wasn't included in the 'tankobon' (volume book) for the Kuragehime manga we know.

Yet these short mangas are going to included as a bonus in the upcoming DVD/BD for next year, to celebrate the premiere of the anime.

Could this open the possibility for OVAS in the future? ^_^

Gary's Three Knuckles Speak Volumes

I spotted Gary standing at the top of some escalators in Penn Station. As I passed him, I noticed he had knuckle tattoos so I stopped to ask him about them:

Gary explained that they are Korean characters

that translate to "Soo Bahk Do," or "The Way of the Striking Hand".

Soo Bahk Do is a form of martial arts that originated in Korea.

This unassuming gentleman has studied the form for seventeen years and is a third degree black belt. Gary studied at East Winds Karate in Port St. John, Florida.

The tattoo was inked at a shop on Eight Avenue in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Thanks to Gary for sharing his "striking" tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Smuggler manga will get a movie adaptation!

This story by Shohei Manabe has just got a film greenlit, it isn't still specified if it will be live action or anime. Kodansha will announce more details in the upcoming Monthly Afternoon magazine.

This manga has been serialized by TokyoPop since its publication in 2006.

It is the story of Ryōsuke Kinuta, a mediocre actor with serious debt problems.

In order to pay his debts, his loaner arranges a job for him as part of a corpse disposal team, transporting the bodies of victims of gang hits out of the city and watching that they are never seen again.

The team gets slowly involved in the middle of a mob war, working for both sides, which means trouble and continous danger for them.

The Tokyo International Anime Fair will sponsor 4 new anime pilots for 2011

This is great news since it's an opportunity for independent artists to have their work showcased and possibly with a renewed contract for an entire season of their series.

The four selected works for a sponsored production of pilots were:

-Interior
Creator: French curve/Tetsurō Kodama (Mardock Scramble CGI director, Yasai no Yousei - N.Y. Salad art director, Namie Amuro's "Wild/Dr.")

This story centers around the unprofitable artist Sam, the unprofitable playwright Bowman, and their friend Gurekku. The one thing they all have in common is that they are poor. The three decide to enter a contest to earn money — but since they cannot afford to mail their entries, they decide to take the long trip to the competition site to bring their entries in person. Kodama is planning the project as a series of 10-minute episodes that will last about 13 to 26 weeks.

-Kanai
Creator: Studio RF/Romanov Higa (Catblue: Dynamite, TANK S.W.A.T. 01, Metal Gear Sold: Peace Walker cut scenes, Hellsing Ultimate action director)
The action story follows three girls who grow up on the island of Okinawa — and discover a robot.

-Monster ni Natta Domerika
Creator: Kazuya Ichikawa (Shadow Skill 3/SOS TV Walpurgis Night Fever director, Appleseed: Ex Machina CG layout and motion team leader)
In this "action epic" set in the run-down slums, the title character Domerika is transformed into a monster one day.

-Kaseki Dorobō to Kyōryūseki
Creator: Kenji Mutō (Cavity Express, Gift)/Sugarless Factory/Honesuta
The dinosaur fantasy revolves around a 12-year-old girl named Yuta and her buddy Gobi — who happens to be a fossil. The two embark on a journey to chase a fossil thief and find Gobi's stolen fossil mother. Mutō drew inspiration from Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.

(source: Anime News Network)

Travel Insurance For Pregnant Women

Travel Insurance For Pregnant Women

You are hoping for some rest and relaxation before baby arrives and have decided a holiday abroad would be perfect. Travel insurance is always an important factor of any holiday however if you are expecting it is more important than ever to find a policy tailored for travel insurance during pregnancy.

It is important to shop around for this type of cover. Some providers will cover travel insurance for pregnant women as part of their standard travel insurance policies however other insurers will offer this as an individual policy.

Policies vary greatly in what they will include and what they exclude and therefore it is important to read the policy wording.

Generally speaking most travel insurance policies for pregnant ladies will provide cover for travel up until the 28th week of pregnancy, provided you have a single, normal pregnancy. This is because travel after 30 weeks of pregnancy is considered higher risk, with the instances of pre-term birth increasing. Whilst some insurers will cover for slightly longer its is common for them to stipulate that the pregnant woman must return at least 8 weeks before their due date - which is roughly 32 weeks pregnant. Please note that this is always subject to the rules of the carrier too. If the airline would be unhappy for you to travel past a certain week of pregnancy then your travel insurance policy would not cover you.

Travel insurance for pregnant women would usually cover your basic travel requirements such as lost luggage and cancellation or delay as well as lots of extras such as enhanced medical cover and emergency repatriation which is great to have for peace of mind.

Holiday insurance during pregnancy is essential and the best policy for you will very much depend on your individual circumstances. Compare available policies and remember that cheap travel insurance for pregnant women does not always mean comprehensive.

Curiosities: Bishonen characters in anime and popular culture (1)

'Bishonen' is the Japanese term for 'beautiful boy', meaning a guy that has more feminine than masculine features and is considered pretty by Japanese standards.

These guys in real life are often idols, actors or public figures with an overzealous female fandom.

In anime and manga, these are popular characters, known by their refined personality, or in some cases, a tough personality that serves as contrast.

This would be the case of actor Ken'ichi' Matsuyama, who played L Lawliet in the live action movies. He recently revealed to be gay, but still he has a great fandom worldwide, which is awesome.

One of the ultimate bishonen characters would be the protagonists of the various Final Fantasy series, Cloud.

And the list goes on, with even specific series full of bishonen characters, like Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, known also as Wallflower or Perfect Girl Evolution.