‘Offline Love' ditches digital dating and puts old-school romance to the test
Reality TV has always been a space for fantasies to thrive: What if you were stranded on an island? What if you could race around the world? What if Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie worked on a farm?
Netflix's latest Japanese program in this realm proposes a 2020s scenario with a touch of nostalgia for a simpler time — what if you couldn't use your smartphone for just over a week?
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SoraNews24
3 hours ago
- SoraNews24
New for-otaku shampoo/body wash wants to change how and when card gamers bathe, preserve the hobby
'Treat your opponent with dignity!!' There's a paradox that many otaku hobbies face. On the one hand, enthusiasts would say that the most fun you can have is at in-person events where you can interact with fellow fans, creating an environment of shared excitement. Unfortunately, such gatherings all too often also create a far less enjoyable communal smell. ▼ A photo taken at a regional Cardfight!! Vanguard tournament held earlier this year. The blurring is for privacy purposes, but it also effectively simulates the disorientating miasma of body odors that can combine like a foul-smelling Voltron at events of this kind. This is an especially pronounced problem in the collectible card game community, where tournaments and in-shop competitions often involve large numbers of players in close proximity to each other for extended periods of time. It's an unfortunate aspect of the hobby that's long troubled the staff of Off-Kai, Tokyo's otaku hair salon chain, and so they've decided to do something about it, developing a cleaning liquid with the specific goal of making card gamers smell better. Called Okitesugu no Okite (we'll unpack the meaning of the name a little later on), it's a combination shampoo, facial soap, and body wash. The solution is formulated to thoroughly cleanse and balanced to sufficiently hydrate without leaving oily or sticky residues, and includes essential oils extracted from peppermint and Japanese cypress for a clean, refreshing scent that's not flowery, fruity, or intrusively aromatic. And 'Okitesugu no Okite?' It's a play on words involving okite , which can mean either 'awaken' or 'rule/law,' with the shampoo/soap's whole name translating to something along the lines of 'The Code of What to Do Right After Waking Up.' Off-Kai and creative partner Lushtree are billing Okitesugu no Okite as 'the ultimate morning shower and shampoo product for card gamers.' That might seem kind of strange if you're familiar with Japanese bathing norms, since the vast majority of Japanese people prefer to shower at night just before going to bed, out of a desire to keep their bedding as clean as possible (Japanese homes generally don't have large clothing dryers, so washing sheets can be a pain). So why is Okitesugu no Okite recommended for morning use? Because its creators hope to establish taking a shower and shampooing as part of card gamers' gameday routine, so that proper grooming becomes as much a part of their pre-competition checklist as making sure they've got their deck sorted. The three-in-one nature of Okitesugu no Okite should help with that by making the process as quick and convenient as possible. 'Treat your opponent with dignity!!' Okitesugu no Okite's product description implores card gamers, and its creators assert that doing so is critical to the survival of the hobby itself. While seasoned veterans may be able to focus so intently on the cards that they can block out any olfactory offensiveness, newcomers who are still deciding just how deep they want to go into the hobby, and budding female card gamers in particular, Off-Kai and Lushtree believe, aren't going to keep showing up at tournaments and other events if the venues literally stink. If new players aren't brought into the fold, though, the hobby will eventually fade away as the existing fan base grows older. So really, nicer-smelling card gaming spaces will benefit everyone. The shampoo/soap is currently being offered through a campaign on Japanese crowdfunding site Campfire here, with reward tiers including the product starting at 3,460 yen (US$24) and discounted bulk-quantity packages aimed at card shop managers who can either sell or give them to customers. Some tiers also include discount vouchers for hair cuts at Off-Kai, and as we know from experience, they do a fine job cutting otaku hair. Source: Campfire/株式会社lushtree via Hachima Kiko Top image: Campfire/株式会社lushtree ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Japan Today
6 hours ago
- Japan Today
Netflix is now using generative AI – but it risks leaving viewers and creatives behind
By Edward White Netflix's recent use of generative AI to create a building collapse scene in the sci-fi show "El Eternauta" (The Eternaut) marks more than a technological milestone. It reveals a fundamental psychological tension about what makes entertainment authentic. The sequence represents the streaming giant's first official deployment of text-to-video AI in final footage. According to Netflix, it was completed ten times faster than traditional methods would have allowed. Yet this efficiency gain illuminates a deeper question rooted in human psychology. When viewers discover their entertainment contains AI, does this revelation of algorithmic authorship trigger the same cognitive dissonance we experience when discovering we've been seduced by misinformation? The shift from traditional CGI (computer-generated imagery) to generative AI is the most significant change in visual effects (VFX) since computer graphics displaced physical effects. Traditional physical VFX requires legions of artists meticulously crafting mesh-based models, spending weeks perfecting each element's geometry, lighting and animation. Even the use of CGI with green screens demands human artists to construct every digital element from 3D models and programme the simulations. They have to manually key-frame each moment, setting points to show how things move or change. Netflix's generative AI approach marks a fundamental shift. Instead of building digital scenes piece by piece, artists simply describe what they want and algorithms generate full sequences instantly. This turns a slow, laborious craft into something more like a creative conversation. But it also raises tough questions. Are we seeing a new stage of technology – or the replacement of human creativity with algorithmic guesswork? "El Eternauta's" building collapse scene demonstrates this transformation starkly. What would once have demanded months of modeling, rigging and simulation work has been accomplished through text-to-video generation in a fraction of the time. The economics driving this transformation extend far beyond Netflix's creative ambitions. The text-to-video AI market is projected to be worth $1.77 billion by 2029. This reflects an industry looking to cut corners after the streaming budget cuts of 2022. In that year, Netflix's content spending declined 4.6%, while Disney and other major studios implemented widespread cost-cutting measures. AI's cost disruption is bewildering. Traditional VFX sequences can cost thousands per minute. As a result, the average CGI and VFX budget for U.S. films reached $33.7 million per movie in 2018. Generative AI could lead to cost reductions of 10% across the media industry, and as much as 30% in TV and film. This will enable previously impossible creative visions to be realized by independent filmmakers – but this increased accessibility comes with losses too. The OECD reports that 27% of jobs worldwide are at 'high risk of automation' due to AI. Meanwhile, surveys by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have revealed that 70% of VFX workers do unpaid overtime, and only 12% have health insurance. Clearly, the industry is already under pressure. Power versus precision While AI grants filmmakers unprecedented access to complex imagery, it simultaneously strips away the granular control that defines directorial vision. As an experiment, film director Ascanio Malgarini spent a year creating an AI-generated short film called "Kraken" (2025). He used AI tools like MidJourney, Kling, Runway and Sora, but found that 'full control over every detail' was 'simply out of the question'. Malgarini described working more like a documentary editor. He assembled 'vast amounts of footage from different sources' rather than directing precise shots. And it's not just filmmakers who prefer the human touch. In the art world, studies have shown that viewers strongly prefer original artworks to pixel-perfect AI copies. Participants cited sensitivity to the creative process as fundamental to appreciation. When applied to AI-generated content, this bias creates fascinating contradictions. Recent research in Frontiers in Psychology found that when participants didn't know the origin, they significantly preferred AI-generated artwork to human-made ones. However, once AI authorship was revealed, the same content suffered reduced perceptions of authenticity and creativity. Hollywood's AI reckoning Developments in AI are happening amid a regulatory vacuum. While the U.S. Congress held multiple AI hearings in 2023, no comprehensive federal AI legislation exists to govern Hollywood's use. The stalled U.S. Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act leaves creators without legal protections, as companies deploy AI systems trained on potentially copyrighted materials. The UK faces similar challenges, with the government launching a consultation in December 2024 on copyright and AI reform. This included a proposal for an 'opt-out' system, meaning creators could actively prevent their work from being used in AI training. The 2023 Hollywood strikes crystallised industry fears about AI displacement. Screenwriters secured protections ensuring AI cannot write or rewrite material, while actors negotiated consent requirements for digital replicas. Yet these agreements primarily cover the directors, producers and lead actors who have the most negotiating power, while VFX workers remain vulnerable. Copyright litigation is now beginning to dominate the AI landscape – over 30 infringement lawsuits have been filed against AI companies since 2020. Disney and Universal's landmark June 2025 lawsuit against Midjourney represents the first major studio copyright challenge, alleging the AI firm created a 'bottomless pit of plagiarism' by training on copyrighted characters without permission. Meanwhile, federal courts in the U.S. have delivered mixed rulings. A Delaware judge found against AI company Ross Intelligence for training on copyrighted legal content, while others have partially sided with fair use defenses. The industry faces an acceleration problem – AI advancement outpaces contract negotiations and psychological adaptation. AI is reshaping industry demands, yet 96% of VFX artists report receiving no AI training, with 31% citing this as a barrier to incorporating AI in their work. Netflix's AI integration shows that Hollywood is grappling with fundamental questions about creativity, authenticity and human value in entertainment. Without comprehensive AI regulation and retraining programs, the industry risks a future where technological capability advances faster than legal frameworks, worker adaptation and public acceptance can accommodate. As audiences begin recognizing AI's invisible hand in their entertainment, the industry must navigate not just economic disruption, but the cognitive biases that shape how we perceive and value creative work. Edward White is a PhD Candidate in Psychology, Kingston University, London. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. External Link © The Conversation
Nikkei Asia
16 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Entertainment, space startups lead fundraising in Japan
Entertainment platform provider Gaudiy raised 8.29 billion yen in the first half of 2025, more than any other Japanese startup. (Gaudiy) YUYA TAKAHASHI, HAYATO KISHIMA and TAKUMA NAGAMORI TOKYO -- Entertainment and space-related companies were among the Japanese startups that raised the most money in the January-June half, succeeding in an increasingly rocky fundraising environment. The ranking was compiled based on research by investor service provider Kepple Group, which looked at fundraising records for unlisted companies established after 2000. Nikkei holds a stake in Kepple.
