Latest news with #Really
The Star
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
QuickCheck: Is there a Japanese anime with a monologue over 5,000 characters long?
PETALING JAYA: A monologue in an animation usually offers insight, motivation, or a character's thoughts, and helps provide context for the audience about the ongoing events. Being the very opposite of "show, don't tell," this storytelling technique is often ridiculed and unfavourable. But is it true that there is a Japanese anime featuring a scene with a monologue that is longer than 5,000 Japanese characters? Verdict: TRUE The Japanese anime, 'The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You', has a monologue with 7,453 characters (or over 2,000 words, when translated into English). The scene, which was shown in the finale of the second season of the anime, aired in Japan on March 30 this year, was also recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest monologue in a Japanese-language animation. In this episode, the male protagonist Rentaro Aijo, delivers the love speech, a confession detailing his immense feelings for each of the girls gathered around him. The monologue's sheer length led to it being fast‑forwarded to almost two minutes in the broadcast version. The Guinness World Record has stated that the length of the monologue at normal speed is over 11 minutes. The anime, an adaptation of Rikito Nakamura's manga of the same name, follows Rentaro's unique destiny: being fated to love 100 girlfriends, or risk fatal consequences for any he rejects. Japanese voice actor Wataru Kato, who portrays Rentaro, was formally awarded the certification by the Guinness World Records on June 25 this year. To celebrate, it was reported that a special event is planned for October 18 at Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where the attendees will view the uncut version of Rentaro's speech at normal speed. To see how the scene appeared in the manga with the whole monologue (as well as the translated text), check this post on X: 1938505639925543068 So, the next time someone accuses you of being long-winded, you can show them this piece of trivia. References: world-records/777500-longest- monologue-in-a-japanese- language-animation 2025/06/100-girlfriends-anime- sets-guinness-record-for- longest-monologue/ guinness-world-record-strange- award-100-girls-who-really- love-you/
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dog trainer breaks down in tears watching 'cruel' owner smack pooch and pin her to the ground - before issuing damning five-word verdict
A dog trainer broke down in tears, watching a 'cruel' owner smack his pooch and pin her to the ground - before issuing a damning five-word verdict. The shocking moment came on a resurfaced episode of It's Me Or The Dog, which sees trainer Victoria Stilwell help dog owners struggling with their pet's behaviour. The show, first aired on Channel 4 in 2005 for three years before a Really reboot in 2021, was inspired by Supernanny, which offers similar help but with children. This particular episode sees British-born Victoria head to assist American couple Joe and Mandy, who are having trouble keeping control of their dog Dakota. An upsetting moment sees Joe strike the dog on her nose and hold her down after she will not stop chasing his broom as he sweeps his patio. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Referring to his pet's behaviour, Joe explains to the camera: 'When Dakota is in the backyard, she kind of makes it miserable if I have to do yard work.' Victoria asks how he would normally try to get the dog to stop - after which he grabs Dakota's collar and turns her on her side so she is lying on the floor, with him holding her down. He says: 'Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.' But the trainer is visibly distressed at his approach, putting her head in her hands: 'When you hold a dog down like that, people think that dog's calming down but actually, the dog's not calmed down at all. 'What they do is they shut down, they learn, instinct tells them they're being put in a compromised position so in order to survive, they shut down.' She could not have been more right - as Joe soon slaps Dakota round the face, after she managed to wriggle free from his grasp and grab the broom in her mouth. As the dog yelps in pain, Victoria winces, with her pre-recorded voiceover saying: 'When Joe gets angry, he slaps her and he doesn't just tap her. 'I heard the connection of his hand to the bone on her nose and it was hard.' She delivers some hard truths to the violent pet owner: 'That's a pretty hard whack. 'It's not so much the hardness of the whack, it's the action of the whack that concerns me. That could actually backfire. 'God forbid one of the children goes to touch her and she just sees this hand coming towards her, thinks back to when she was hit and bang, goes for the hand. 'And I've seen it happen a lot.' After Joe's violent display, it is clear Victoria has a lot of work to do - so she takes them to a dog training centre to introduce them to clicker training. The approach has owners use a clicker every time their dog successfully responds to a command - making the animal associate the noise with a reward. Joe's wife Mandy tries it with almost immediate success, with Dakota responding quickly to her attempts to make her sit and stay using the clicker. But things are not so smooth when Joe tries it out - as the dog flinches even when he tries to reach out to give her a treat. Victoria says: 'She flinched because she's used to you hitting her. When you do that, it just really does not build trust. You get angry when she doesn't respond to you.' The trainer then delivers her damning five-word verdict on his behaviour: 'That's your fault, not hers.' She explained this tough love approach to the couple elsewhere in the programme: 'I see this dog getting blamed for so much negative behaviour you could have prevented. 'It's very, very difficult, when you are correcting a dog, but you haven't actually taught the dog how to behave. So, it's really actually not the dog's fault. 'You brought this dog into your family, it is therefore your responsibility to train this dog to be able to succeed in your family.' Her tough approach finally got Joe to face the truth: 'Dakota doesn't really trust me as well. It's mostly my fault. 'The relationship I've had with the dog is going to take some time to fix.' Alongside the clicker training, Victoria also gets the couple to take Dakota to an agility centre. She explained: 'When you give a dog a sport, not only is it getting rid of all that physical energy and the dog is thinking but also, it's creating a really good bond between you. It's teamwork.' Dakota turned out to be a natural at it, flying around the course after the trainer encouraged Joe and Mandy to give her enthusiastic praise to motivate her. Even Victoria was shocked by the dog's performance: 'That's amazing, that's quite advanced, that's impressive. 'When I came in that first day, there was no praise on this dog but now you're getting that connection and she's just really listening to you.' Joe was a new man after it: 'It made me feel great to see Dakota do so well on the agility course. It would be fun to bring her down and do it together.' And when Victoria returns to visit the family two weeks later, she is able to see all her hard work paying off. At the start of the episode, things had been looking bad, with Joe saying: 'Has it put strain on our marriage? It's just an extra added stress we really don't need. 'We've only had her a year - I've tried to get rid of her twice already. 'I've gotten to the point with Dakota where I've posted her on the Internet while Mandy is at work, to see if I can get rid of her quickly.' But his relationship with Dakota had completely transformed by the end of the episode. Joe and Mandy are seen calmly clicker training their pooch, who is herself noticeably calmer, less agitated and better behaved than before. Dakota is treated less as a problem and more as an active, loved member of the family, with praise lavished on her out on a walk with the kids. Joe is even seen out cycling alone with Dakota, who runs happily alongside him: 'I think Mandy is definitely happy Dakota and I are starting to form a bond. 'I feel like she's become more of my buddy, she's actually becoming my dog now.' Victoria was very happy with their efforts: 'I'm really impressed with the success they're having with Dakota.'
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Race Across The World left out HUGE part of winner's life as fans ask ‘why wouldn't they mention that?'
IT was a tense sprint to the finish line in last night's finale of Race Across The World. But fans were baffled that a huge part of the winner's life had been left out of the series. 5 5 The final episode followed the pairs travelling from Goa, India, to the southernmost tip of India, Kanniyakumari, 1000km away. But after a 51-day cross-continent race, it was mother and son duo Caroline and Tom who took home the £20,000 prize. The pair, who were leading the race from its fifth episode earlier this month, beat brothers Melvyn and Brian, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia and young couple Fin and Sioned to the finish point. And it was an emotional moment for the duo, as they opened the all-important guest book on their arrival. Celebrating their win, Caroline broke down in tears telling her son: 'We must never doubt ourselves, ever, ever, ever again.' On-screen Caroline has spoken about giving up her career to become a mum and how the show has given her the chance to do something for herself. But what hasn't aired on the BBC show is that Caroline is a successful eventer. In her everyday life, the Race Across the World winner has a number of achievements under her belt when it comes to horse riding. Just before she joined the show, she won the 2024 British Eventing BE80 grassroots league when riding 14-year-old horse Really. Caroline has had Really for almost a year now, according to British Eventing. Secrets of BBC competition show exposed in one-off special episode after fans slammed 'fake' scenes Since Race Across the World came to an end, she has returned to eventing and has continued to be successful This season, Caroline topped the British Eventing's BE90 March/April OBP League. In May, she told The Horse and Hound: "It's lovely to be back and I'm looking forward to the championship. "Eventing has got a little bit of the challenge of Race Across the World because you have to be prepared, fit, determined and have an aim in mind." Fans questioned on social media why this was never aired in the show and one said: "Horseandhound magazine has an article about Caroline. "A successful eventer for years, and Tom who Caroline had when she was 40. "Have lost trust in this programme and the phoney sob stories. Such a shame." Another added: "Why wouldn't they mention this on the show!" A third explained: "I'm not dismissing her feelings about her role in life, but her whole I'm just a stay at home mum who has never done anything in my life attitude rubs a bit thin when you take her sporting career into account. "She's not just an amateur, she has been doing it for 25 years + (i.e. all the time she was running a house)." Another added: "I don't like how Caroline is making out that she is just some poor housewife who has never had a life when actually she is a very successful eventer." "She is making out that she hasn't done anything for herself since getting married, this is simply not true," explained another. While one poster said: "I think that's more of an age thing, and your children getting older. "My Mum kept going on about having lost her purpose and confidence when I went to uni even though she had a very successful career." But another disagreed: "Caroline is successful in Eventing (horse sport) which, to me, makes her sob story seem a little disingenuous and designed to counter their obvious privilege. "They definitely have grown over the course of the series and become more likeable, I don't think the producers really needed to work as hard on it as they might have thought." Caroline also told the publication that her experience with horses helped her on the TV show and added: "Horsey people are generally quite grounded and extremely tough. "You can put up with being dirty and grubby and you just get on with it, and that really helped because dignity goes out the window very, very quickly. "You don't mind getting your hands dirty in both senses of the word. "And I was quite fit, which was probably the biggest help for me in the long run." 5 5
Edinburgh Live
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Antiques Road Trip star Irita Marriott says 'my upbringing was tough' as she shares rare insight
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Irita Marriott has been captivating audiences since her debut on BBC's Bargain Hunt in 2021. Her popularity soon led to regular appearances as a presenter and antiques expert on Antiques Road Trip and Antiques Roadshow. She later launched her own show, The Derbyshire Auction House, in 2023. Irita, a mum-of-two with Latvian roots, is set to return with a second series of her Really daytime show on May 5. But life hasn't always been kind to Irita, as she revealed her difficult childhood. While promoting her new show, she shared her aspirations and childhood memories in an exclusive chat with the Express. The antiques expert even opened up about her "ultimate dream" and the "one thing" that would ease her heartbreaking upbringing. The Bargain Hunt star explained: "When I was a little girl, my upbringing was tough, put it that way. We were poor, my dad was a lifelong alcoholic and times were hard. "But the one thing that my mum and me used to watch on telly to kind of take our minds off things was ballroom dancing. And I remember being very little and twirling around the house and I wanted to be that girl in a feather-bottomed gown twirling around the floor being completely free and feeling like there is no weight in the world at all." (Image: (Image: BBC)) Irita revealed how appearing on a show like BBC's Strictly Come Dancing would be a dream come true. She said: "I mean, if there were some crazy stars aligning – which I can't ever see actually happening. "If I could make that one thing happen, I don't care what the show would be, if someone can make that happen, that would be the ultimate dream for me." The star shared that she and her family are huge fans of the ballroom dance competition, with her sons even selecting her ideal partner from the BBC programme. She added: "Honestly, my kids and I, we are absolutely obsessed with Strictly at home. My boys watch it and we all write charts and we have paddles and everything. "And they've discussed between them who my partner would be if I was ever on and things like that, and they've both said the same thing. They said, 'We would love to see you on it but we want you to be out in week one'. "Ideally, they want me to be partnered with Johannes [Radebe]. They say, 'Mummy, mummy, you need to be with Johanes, he looks very kind, he's really handsome'. "My youngest one said in this year's series of Strictly, there was a moment where Johannes teared up and he said to me, 'He has a very kind heart'. And I thought, 'If you ever want a partner in your life for anything, you want one with a kind heart'." The Derbyshire Auction House returns for a second series on Really on May 5
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grand Forks school administrators seeking $1.6 million for new English curriculum
Apr. 28—GRAND FORKS — Administrators are asking the Grand Forks School Board for $1.6 million over the next seven years to pay for new English curriculum. Chief Academic Officer Amy Bartsch presented the request for $1,574,000, including $422,832 in its first year, to purchase Wit and Wisdom curricular resources from developer Great Minds for kindergarten through fifth grade, as well as separate reading and handwriting curriculum. Grand Forks Public Schools previously purchased a 13-year license for Great Minds' sixth-grade curriculum using Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief, or ESSER, dollars in 2023. School Board members approved the purchase of a nine-year license for the seventh- and eighth-grade curriculum in 2024. Bartsch and Associate Superintendent Catherine Gillach separately touted the curriculum as a key tool to boost the district's test scores in reading and early literacy, with Gillach saying she expected to see "exponential increases" in performance. "This is the product that we need to help us move our student achievement," Bartsch said. The $1.6 million purchase price also includes a seven-year license for Really Great Reading and Really Great Handwriting curriculum. (Cursive is still being taught in district schools, though it will shift from being taught in the third grade to the second grade in 2026-27, with it being taught to both grades next academic year.) A high school steering committee elected to write its own curriculum, after the committee decided high school-level commercial curriculums offered little new benefit. That committee asked the School Board for $294,000 over the next seven years for new textbooks, replacing current class texts and adding new novels, as well as continuing to pay for an instructional tool that teaches academic and practical vernacular — like, for instance, the meaning of the word "vernacular." Board members will vote whether to approve payment for the new curriculum materials at the next School Board meeting. Grand Forks Public Schools and the Air Force base school district performed well on their annual audits, Brian Opsahl of Brady Martz and Associates told board members. The district ended the 2023-24 school year with $11.4 million in its general fund, some 7.8% of its $132 million in expenditures last year. Opsahl said the district should endeavor to have reserves of 10% or more, though he noted bigger school districts "can have a smaller fund because the size is a lot larger." He also noted that percentage incorporated some of the district's capital spending, meaning its financial position was probably better than the audit let on. District leadership partook in a controversial cost-cutting effort last year in a bid to boost the district's reserves to 15% of operating expenses, though School Board members have since wavered on that goal. "Guys and Dolls" and "All Shook Up" will be this year's summer musicals, according to Summer Performing Arts Director Allison Peterson. Already, 865 students are registered to participate in the summer program, Peterson said, on par with previous years. The performing arts program performed well during this year's Giving Hearts Day, receiving a $6,000 award for having the highest donor retention in 2025. "Guys and Dolls" will be performed at Central High School, while "All Shook Up" will be staged at Red River. In other news: * Red River classroom specialist Tim Delmore was named the classified employee of the quarter, while South Middle School's Title I coordinator, Theresa Ostgarden, was named the certified employee of the quarter. * The School Board formally accepted the resignation of Century Principal David Saxberg, who resigned April 7 effective at the end of the year. Saxberg's resignation leaves two elementary principal positions open at the end of the school year with Viking Principal Jolyn Bergstrom also retiring. * The district's mental health coordinator, Christine Litzinger, is leaving the district for family reasons. * Board members entered executive session for less than an hour to discuss safety and security upgrades to district schools. Discussions of school safety plans are exempt from open meetings laws under North Dakota Century Code 15.1-09-60. * Board members also visited Red River to view its new front office, part of the $18 million in safety and security upgrades being implemented across the district.
