#yamaguchi yuko

[sachi]

☆ Nanami Chiaki // DanganRonpa 1.2 Reload “Monomi Hoodie” ☆ POP UP PARADE / Phat Company ☆ October 2023 ¥5,500 ☆ Sculpt Yamaguchi Yuko Paint Sakura

[girlwhodoeskratom]

Yuko Idei Yamaguchi @ Guy Laroche Spring/Summer, 1988 Haute Couture

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Subtle evolution

While Hello Kitty’s key features remained largely unchanged, Yamaguchi (who previously told Time magazine that the character doesn’t have a mouth “so that people who look at her can project their own feelings onto her face”) placed her in different scenarios, broadening her appeal.

“She’s good at sports, and she looks cute and chic too,” she explained.

“I think of her as a blank canvas that you can transform into all sorts of things. There’s not much that doesn’t suit her… I think that when everyone talks to Hello Kitty, she probably answers them in some way.”

Sales of Hello Kitty products flourished in Japan between the 1980s and mid-1990s.

Much of the company’s earlier merchandise was aimed at young girls, including school supplies and personal care items like toothbrushes.

But, even then, illustrator Yamaguchi knew the character would need to evolve and grow with her fans.

It’s a realization the illustrator traces back to a letter she received from a fan in 1987:

“She was a big fan of Hello Kitty but, in the letter, she wrote that her friends and parents had told her that it is a children’s character, and that she should have outgrown it.

But she didn’t want to, so she asked me to make products for high school students like her.”

Inspired by the trends she saw in Tokyo’s Harajuku fashion district at the time, Yamaguchi began incorporating contemporary style into her designs, in the hope of appealing to older fans.  

In 1999, Sanrio told the New York Times that the character was appearing on 12,000 new product lines a year, spanning almost every category imaginable, from clothing to board games, greeting cards to lunchboxes.

The company also began using Hello Kitty on more adult items, like electronics and kitchen appliances, as it became clear that nostalgia was becoming a major selling point.

As a result, some of today’s biggest Hello Kitty fans are those who grew up with her in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Among them is Asako Kanda, who started collecting Sanrio products in third grade and now owns over 10,000 items adorned with the character’s expressionless face.

“My mother gave me Hello Kitty stationery and school supplies like pencil cases and plastic boards.

When I saw them, I thought they were so cute, and they quickly became my favorite. That’s where it started,” she said, showing CNN around a dedicated Hello Kitty room in her Tokyo home.

“Once I began buying things for myself, I could get items for the kitchen, bathroom and other daily necessities. I wanted to unify everything with Hello Kitty from that point on."

After more than 36 years of collecting, Kanda still buys around two Hello Kitty items every month.

Sanrio releases new products on a weekly basis, and she scans them looking for anything that is “memorable or cute.”

“As life goes on, there are times when you face unpleasant or sad experiences,” she said, “During those times, looking at Hello Kitty goods have brought me comfort and solace.”

Going global

As Japan’s economy stagnated in the 1990s, Sanrio expanded its international presence.

In Hello Kitty’s early years, the company had sold products door-to-door in the US, before setting up the first overseas branch of its retail store, Gift Gate, in San Jose in 1976.

But following an explosion of Western interest in Japanese culture — from “Dragon Ball Z” to Tamagotchis and Beyblade — she captured the imagination of American consumers around the turn of the millennium, according to Atsuo Nakayama, a Japanese sociologist specializing in the entertainment industry.

“Just after 9/11, the world was changing,” he told CNN. “And I think that the Japanese ‘kawaii’ culture was an alternative fit for America, somehow.”

Much of Hello Kitty’s commercial success has been achieved through licensing.

She has spawned books, video games and animated TV series, like the long-running “Hello Kitty and Friends,” which helped further develop her character.

(Although, despite being raised in London, she was given a North American accent in English dubbed versions.)

She has also been part of deals with major consumer and luxury brands, and has appeared on an EVA Air plane, Fender Stratocaster guitars and Swarovski jewelry.

And while Sanrio’s declining fortunes at the turn of the 2010s sparked fears that Hello Kitty’s cultural relevance was fading, the company’s share price has rocketed in the last two years.

It now stands over 10 times its Covid-era low.

According to Atsuo, nostalgia is once again a key driving force — at home in Japan and abroad.

“Hello Kitty is on the rise again in America, and I think that this is because the first generation have now become parents and passed (their interests) on to their children,” Atsuo said, adding:  

“(Her popularity) has risen and fallen many times like this, and it creates a regular opportunity for people who were captivated by Hello Kitty to remember it and want to collect it again.”

Sanrio’s recent successes are also, in part, due to it diversifying away from Hello Kitty.

The character now only accounts for around 30% of Sanrio’s gross profit in product sales and licensing, down from 76% a decade earlier, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Recent creations like Gudetama (a lazy egg yolk) and Aggressive Retsuko (an introverted death-metal-loving red panda) have both featured in their own Netflix series.

Yet, even as Sanrio’s business model changes, Yamaguchi believes Hello Kitty will endure.

“Of course, there are many characters in the world that have been around longer than Hello Kitty,” the illustrator said, adding:

“I hope she continues working hard so she can celebrate her 100th anniversary in 50 years’ time.”

[crazyasianlove]

Seigi no Tenbin S2 Ep. 2 (Sub. Esp)

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[lueduar01]

what would be the japanese cast for TADC OVA??

just curious

glad you ask about that!

here's my headcannon cast for DIGITAL CIRCUS OVA

Pomni - Ikue Otani

Jax - Kappei Yamaguchi

Ragatha - Junko Noda

Caine - Tachiki Fumihiko

Zooble - Yuriko Yamaguchi

Kinger - Wataru Takagi

Gangler - Yuko Miyamura

Bubble - Wakana Yamazaki

[imasallstars]

INTERDIMENSION FESTIVAL: IDOLM@STER★♥LOVE LIVE! UTA GASSEN

Information regarding the first IJIGEN FES 2023 live has been revealed! The live will occur in the TOKYO DOME on the 9th and 10th of December 2023. This first fes will feature three branches of IDOLM@STER performing with four branches of Love Live!

The voice providers participating in this stop are as follows:

DAY 1 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Kotomi Aihara (Shiki Ichinose), Hiromi Igarashi (Anzu Futaba), Asami Takano (Frederica Miyamoto), Yuki Nakashima (Yuuki Otokura), Yuko Iida (Kanade Hayami), Honoka Inoue (Nanami Asari), Sumire Uesaka (Anastasia), Aya Suzaki (Minami Nitta), Miyu Tomita (Akira Sunazuka), Ru Thing (Syuko Shiomi), Teru Ikuta (Natalia), Hina Tachibana (Nagi Hisakawa), Nanami Yamashita (Yui Ohtsuki) IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Haruka Yamazaki (Mirai Kasuga), Azusa Tadokoro (Shizuka Mogami), Machico (Tsubasa Ibuki), Momo Asakura (Serika Hakozaki), Kotori Koiwai (Tomoka Tenkubashi), Atsuki Nakamura (Roco Handa), Emi Hirayama (Reika Kitakami), Yui Watanabe (Nao Yokoyama) IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　Karin Isobe (Kogane Tsukioka), Chisa Suginuma (Mamimi Tanaka), Anna Yamaki (Sakuya Shirase), Shio Watanabe (Yuika Mitsumine), Yuina Mizuki (Kiriko Yukoku), Honoka Kuroki (Amana Osaki), Ryoko Maekawa (Tenka Osaki), Noriko Shibasaki (Chiyuki Kuwayama), Yuu Wakui (Toru Asakura), Rio Tsuchiya (Madoka Higuchi), Saran Tajima (Koito Fukumaru), Miho Okasaki (Hinana Ichikawa), Azusa Shizuki (Nichika Nanakusa), Aya Yamane (Mikoto Aketa)

DAY 2 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Ayaka Ohashi (Uzuki Shimamura), Ayaka Fukuhara (Rin Shibuya), Sayuri Hara (Mio Honda), Amina Sato (Arisu Tachibana), Tomoyo Kurosawa (Miria Akagi), Hana Tamegai (Risa Matoba), Makoto Koichi (Haru Yuuki), Asaka Imai (Chie Sasaki), Natsumi Haruse (Kaoru Ryuzaki), Misaki Kuno (Nina Ichihara), Yuri Komori (Koharu Koga), Mina Nakazawa (Yukimi Sajo), Maki Hanatani (Kozue Yusa) IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Aimi (Julia), Miku Itou (Yuriko Nanao), Ibuki Kido (Kana Yabuki), Arisa Kori (Kaori Sakuramori), Yuri Komagata (Sayoko Takayama), Rie Suegara (Fuka Toyokawa), Saki Minami (Tsumugi Shiraishi), Rikako Yamaguchi (Rio Momose) IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　Hitomi Sekine (Mano Sakuragi), Reina Kondo (Hiori Kazano), Mayu Mineda (Meguru Hachimiya), Hiyori Konno (Kaho Komiya), Haruka Shiraishi (Chiyoko Sonoda), Mariko Nagai (Juri Saijo), Wakana Maruoka (Rinze Morino), Akiho Suzumoto (Natsuha Arisugawa), Yuki Tanaka (Asahi Serizawa), Eri Yukimura (Fuyuko Mayuzumi), Sayaka Kitahara (Mei Izumi), Rina Kawaguchi (Luca Ikaruga), Haruna Mikawa (Hana Suzuki), Rena Ozawa (Haruki Iketa)

DAY 1&2

AQOURS (LOVE LIVE! SUNSHINE!!) 　Anju Inami (Chika Takami), Rikako Aida (Riko Sakurauchi), Nanaka Suwa (Kana Matsuura), Arisa Komiya (Dia Kurosawa), Shukai Saito (You Watanabe), Aika Kobayashi (Yoshiko Tsushima), Kanako Takatsuki (Hanamaru Kunikida), Aina Suzuki (Mari Ohara), Ai Furihata (Ruby Kurosawa) NIJIGASAKU SCHOOL IDOL CLUB 　Aguri Ohnishi (Ayumu Uehara), Mayu Sagara (Kasumi Nakasu), Kaori Maede (Shizuku Osaka), Miyu Kubota (Karin Asaka), Natsumi Murakami (Ai Miyashia), Akari Kito (Kanata Konoe), Coco Hayashi (Setsuna Imura), Maria Sashide (Emma Verde), Chiemi Tanaka (Rina Tennoji), Moeka Koizumi (Shioriko Mifune), Shu Uchida (Mia Taylor), Akina Homoto (Zhong Lanzhu). 　Support Member: Hinaki Yano (Yu Takasaki) Liella! (LOVE LIVE! SUPERSTAR!!) 　Sayuri Date (Kanon Shibuya), Liyuu (Keke Tang), Nako Misaki (Chisato Arashi), Naomi Payton (Sumire Heanna), Nagisa Aoyama (Ren Hazuki), Nozomi Suzuhara (Kinako Sakurakoji), Akana Yabushima (Mei Yoneme), Wakana Okuma (Shiki Wakana), Aya Emori (Natsumi Onitsuka), Yuina (Wien Margarete), Sakura Sakakura (Tomari Onitsuka) HASUNOSORA SCHOOL IDOL CLUB 　Nirei Nozomi (Kaho Hinoshita), Kokona Nonaka (Sayaka Murano), Nina Hanamiya (Kozue Otomune), Kotoka Sasaki (Tsuzuri Yugiri), Kanna Kan (Rurino Osawa), Kona Tsukine (Megumi Fujishima)

[despair-to-future-arcs]

DRA HC voices

//So I figure I start out here and post down my HC voices for them or how I think they sound like, also there be some massive spoilers so be warned;

Kiyoka Maki - Shelby Young (Mostly for her role as Yuko Nishiwaki from Persona 3 Reload)

Mitsuhiro 'Mitch' Higa - Max Mittelman (Mostly for his role as Ryuji Sakamoto from Persona 5)

Kizuna Tomori - Weeby Newz

Ayame Hatano - Wendee Lee (Mostly leaning towards Fuuka Yamagishi from Persona Q)

Kanata Inori - Abby Trott (Mostly for her role as Annette Fantine Dominic from Fire Emblem Three Houses)

Kakeru Yamaguchi - Matthew Mercer (Mostly for his role as Aikuro Mikisugi from Kill La Kill)

Kinji Uehara - Christopher Sabat (Mostly for his role as Ayame Sohma from Fruit Basket)

Haruhiko Kobashikawa - Clifford Chapin (Mostly for his role as Ryusui Nanami from Dr Stone)

Satsuki Iranami - Christine Marie Cabanos (Mostly for her role as Mako Mankanshoku from Kill La Kill)

Yamato Kisaragi - Zach Aguilar (Mostly for his role as Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer)

Mikako Kurokawa - Sarah Williams (Mostly for her role as Chihaya Mifume from Persona 5)

Akane Taira - Zel

DRA!Yuki Maeda/Utsuro - Aleks Le (Mostly for his role as Persona 3 Reload Protagonist)

Tsurugi Kinjo - Brad Swaile (Mostly for his role as Light Yagami from Death Note)

Rei Mekaru - Kenkoy

Teruya Otori - NuzikVA

//And that is it for the DRA cast, will probably think more about the others later.

[roseartsandfics]

My Melody -- Bouquet of Roses

Welp, here is another Hello Kitty fanart! We have My Melody with a bouquet of roses! 🌹

This was also done back in March as well, and I was hoping to draw more Hello Kitty soon pretty soon 🥰. I had a busy day today, my aunt in law and I got us Starbucks after shopping and tomorrow I'll be more busy. Cleaning up and will try to clean my dad's studio so I can paint again with the new paints I got months ago from Five Below during CBI at school. Also needing to clean my up, tidy things up, vacuum and dust (hopefully if I can dust better lol). Welp, y'all have a good night!

My Melody and Hello Kitty ©Yuko Shimizu, Yuko Yamaguchi and SANRIO

Artwork ©RosePrincessArts

No copyright infringement is intended

Used: Soho Studio pencils or regular basic pencils, Soho Studio markers, illustration or non toxic alcohol markers, gel pen and calligraphy pen

[irl-morros-account]

insert google “””

Hello Kitty, also known by her real name Kitty White, is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an anthropomorphized white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth.

Oh, it's just some furry character. Got it.

[jcogginsa]

@tobiasdrake

Okay, so now for a big VA Trivia. We’ve technically got over 20 people here, so it ain’t gonna fit on an ask. This is only going to cover the original adventure, for sake of brevity. TK's VA will probably be the most interesting to you

Taichi is voiced by Toshiko Fujita, whose other roles include voicing Jerry from Tom and Jerry. Tai is voiced by Joshua Seth, who was Tetsuo in the Pioneer dub of AKIRA.

Yamato is voiced by Yuuto Kazama, who other roles include Zero from Megaman, and Tabitha from Pokemon. Matt is played by Michael Reisz, who played the Ninja Turtle Michaelangelo in Power Rangers In Space and Kevin 11 in his first appearence.

Sora in Japanese is played by Yuko Mizutani, who also played Buffy Summers, Minnie Mouse, and Iris in Megaman X4. Iris is a love interest to the aforementioned Zero, though not in a game where Yuuto Kazama voiced him. In English, she’s voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessy, whose other roles include Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog, and Jazz Fenton from Danny Phantom

Koushiro is voiced by Umi Tenjin, who doesn’t seem to have many other roles. Izzy is played by Mona Marshall, who also plays Doraemon, Terriermon’s evolution line and Lucemon in later Digimon seasons, Li Syaoran in the second Cardcaptor Sakura Movie, and Kyle’s Mom on South Park.

Mimi in Japanese is played by Ai Maeda, who was also Sailor Pluto in Sailor Moon Crystal. She also sang the endings for Digimon anime up through Frontier. In English she’s Philece Sampler, who was also Cody in Digimon Adventure 02, and Toph Beifong in Legend of Korra.

Jou is played by Masami Kikuchi, who is also the narrator in Digimon Frontier and Akihiro Kurata in Digimon Savers. Additionally he plays Baki Hanma in Baki the Grappler, Monaka and Belmod in DB Super, and Sonic the Hedgehog in the 96 OVA. Joe is played by Michael Lindsay, who is also Greymon in the dub.

TK is played by Wendee Lee, and incredibly prolific VA whose roles include Bulma in the Harmony Gold dub of Dragonball and Bang Zoom dub of Dragonball Super, Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop, Haruhi Suzumiya, Athena Cykes in Ace Attorney, and both Miu Iruma and Akane Owari in Danganronpa. Takeru is played by Hiroko Konishi, who also played Bridget in Guilty Gear, Akane Kimidori in Doctor Slump, Roll in Megaman 8, and Lilith Aensland from Darkstalkers. Unfortunately, Konishi’s career as a Voice Actor has basically ended as a result of speaking out against sexual harassment in the industry during the MeToo movement

Hikari is played by Kae Araki, who was Chibi-Usa in Sailor Moon, and Sabrina in Pokemon. Kari is voiced by Lara Jill Miller, who played Chirithy in Kingdom Hearts.

The Agumon line in Japanese by Chika Sakamoto, who also played Donald Duck’s nephews in Ducktales and Kingdom Hearts, as well as Ma-Ti in Captain Planet. In English Agumon is played by Tom Fahn, who doesn’t have any other roles you’d know. Metal Greymon is played by Joseph Pilato, who is best known as Captain Henry Rhodes in the George Romero Zombie film Day of the Dead, where he iconically told a horde of Zombies to “Choke on’Em!” as he was being devoured. WarGreymon was voiced by Lex Lang, who is known for playing Goemon in Lupin III, Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star, Goku in Bang Zoom’s Dragonball Super Dub,Blue the Velociraptor in Jurassic World, The Sentinels in Days of Future Past, and Silver Samurai in the Wolverine.

The Gabumon line in Japanese is played by Mayumi Yamaguchi, who was also Envy in Fullmetal Alchemist (the original anime). In English Gabumon’s line is played by Kirk Thornton, who also played Mummymon in Adventure 02. He has been the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog since 2010, and also played Saix and Isa in Kingdom Hearts.

Piyomon’s Line is played by Atori Shigematsu, who doesn’t seem to have any other roles. Biyomon is voiced by Tifanie Christun, who would also play Yolei in Adventure 02. She also played the Female Ninja Turtle Venus De Milo when the character appeared on Power Rangers. Birdamon and above are played by Melodee Spevack, who also played Lady Devimon. Her other rolls include Mai in the Harmony Gold Dragon Ball dub.

In Japanese the Tentomon line is played by Takahiro Sakurai, who is known for playing Cloud Strife in the FFVII compilation was well as Dissidia, Kingdom Hearts, and Smash Bros. He is also Griffith from Berserk, Leon in Pokemon Twilight Wings and Masters, Keon Kuwta in Danganronpa, Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Additionally he played Adult Koushiro in the Digimon 02 epilogue. Tentomon’s line in English was played by Jeff Nimoy, who also wrote, and directed the English dub as well as playing Gennai. He’s Spock’s second cousin.

The Palmon line in Japanese is voiced by Kinomi Yamada, who has no other notable roles. In English Palmon is voiced by Anna Garduno, who that also applies to. Togemon is voiced by Mari Devon, who voiced Arukenimon in 02 and the Renamon line in Tamers. Lilymon is voiced by Dorthy Elias-Fahn, who is Saiyaka Maizono, Chihiro Fujisaki, and Tsumugi Shirogane in Danganronpa. She is also the wife of Tom Fahn, Agumon’s VA.

Gomamon’s line is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, who is best known as the title character of Naruto. She is also Dawn Bellweather in Zootopia, Gumball Waterson, Mr. Beast the youtuber, Mokuba Kaiba from YuGiOh, and Red in Pokemon Origins. Gomamon and Ikkakumon in English are voiced by R. Martin Klein, whose others roles don’t include anything you’d have heard of. Zudomon is voiced by Michael Sorich, who is also Andromon and Elecmon. He also plays several characters in Naruto, and Doctor Huesca in Master Detective Archive.

In Japanese the Patamon Line is voiced by Miwa Matsumoto, whose only other role of note that I can find is Chiharu from Cardcaptor Sakura. In English Patamon is voiced by Laura Summer, who also played Janine Melnitz on The Real Ghostbusters, until she was recast because people complained that the character was too “edgy and sexy” for young girls. Angemon and MagnaAngemon are voiced by Dave Mallow, who was Oolong in the Harmony Gold Dub of Dragonball, Akuma in Street Fighter, and Richard Nixon in Call of Duty.

The Tailmon line is played by Yuko Tokumitsu, who is also Mimi’s mother. The Gatomon line is played by Edie Mirman, who was Launch in the Harmony Gold dub of Dragonball, and Fujiko Mine in Lupin III.

[mizukimatsuda]

アイナ・ジ・エンド × 坂東祐大 - 創造

一部衣装制作させていただきました

---

AiNA THE END

Creative Director / Kota Tohata

Planner / Mami Koyama

Art Director / Yasunari Abe

Director / Kyotaro Hayashi

Assistant Director / Toshimasa Kumagai , Yuzuha Kashihara , Masaru Ito

Steadicam Operator / Yasutomo Kevin Yoshida

1st Camera Assistant / Mayu Miyahara

2nd Camera Assistant / Megu Ishihara

Focus Puller / Shingo Ito

Key Grip / Tetsuya Tomohisa

Assistant Grip / Kazuhito Ohtsubo , Soichiro Kawase , Miyabi Tanaka

DIT / Seiji Kogami

Lighting Director / Naoto Tanoue

1st Lighting Assistant / Ryoichi Kurihara

Lighting Assistant /

Shimizu Kenichi , Isamu Suzuki , Satoshi Ikai , Kento Fuda ,

Masayuki Kawata , Kenichi Asaura , Morikawa Hisashi , Masateru Furukawa ,

Takashi Yamaguchi , Takashi Goda , Kei Katsuma , Shinozaki Seiji

Light Board Operator / Kanako Shida

Assistant Operator / Sara Yamada , Hiroki Kodama

Production Designer・Costume Design / Chihiro Matsumoto

Production Design Chief / Masayuki Nakayama

Production Design Assistant / Takumu Ishii , Momo Kawasaki , Ayaka Mori , Nono Saito   

Costume Work / Yuko Makino

Set Carpenter / Koyuki Matsuo , Mei Inoue , Akihito Mineyama , Nozomi Sekiguchi

Special Effect / Keiichi Nishioka , Kineko Sasamori , Hiroto Suzuki

Hair & Makeup <AiNA THE END> / Tamayo Yamamoto

Hair & Makeup <dancer> / Yurika Ichihashi

Hair & Makeup Assistant / Misaki Oka , Honoka Fuse , Kanematsu , Hina Nagamoto

Stylist <AiNA THE END> / Ai Suganuma

Stylist <dancer> / Koji Oyamada

Stylist Assistant / Ayane Saito , Ayumi Takahashi , Reki Tanaka

Costume Design /

KANEHIRO , Tsukasa Koyama , Syo Nomura Sachiko Tahara (Lazy Hours) , Mizuki Matsuda

Choreographer / YOH UENO

Assistant Choreographer / KAYAKO

Dancer / Doto Saya , Yamato Yoshida , Wait(Taiki) , Yuka Otani , isono , miu__________ ,

isa , Yumi , Tokiwa , YU-NA , Sassy , Yumiho , Haru , YOULI , SAYA , Ayaka Matsumoto , ninaricci , chihiro , Mizuka Imanishi , Nao Oishi , Mei , Saki Kato , Hikari , Shin , hinano , calpas , KIM SAYA , Anzu , Miyuu , Ami

Offline Editor/ Masayuki Kubo

Online Editor / Yoshihumi Hashimoto

Mixer / Showsuke Asada

#commissioned

[girlwhodoeskratom]

Yuko Idei Yamaguchi @ Hanae Mori Spring/Summer, 1992 Haute Couture

[katherine-j-ip]

Hello Kitty at Matsuya Department Store

Yuko Yamaguchi

Multimedia (print, sculpture)

2011

[crazyasianlove]

Seigi no Tenbin S2 Ep. 5 Final (Sub. Esp)

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[ulkaralakbarova]

Railroad Tigers

A railroad worker in China in 1941 leads a team of freedom fighters against the Japanese in order to get food for the poor. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Ma Yuan: Jackie Chan Dahai: Huang Zitao Rui Ge: Jaycee Chan Fan Chuan: Wang Kai Auntie Qin: Xu Fan Yamaguchi: Hiroyuki Ikeuchi Dakui: Sang Ping Xiaohu: Alan Ng Wing-Lun Da Guo: Darren Wang Yuko: Zhang Lanxin Huang Yifeng: Na Wei Feng Banxian:…

[the60s70s]

In 1962, Shintaro Tsuji, the founder of Sanrio, began selling rubber sandals with flowers painted on them. Tsuji noted the profits gained by adding a cute design to the sandals and hired cartoonists to design cute characters for his merchandise. The company produced a line of character merchandise around gift-giving occasions. Hello Kitty was designed by Yuko Shimizu and was added to the lineup of early Sanrio characters in 1974. When a front and side drawing of Hello Kitty (then unnamed) was shown by Yuko to several other people in the company including her assistant, they greatly preferred the side view drawing and praised it. When Shintaro Tsuji had first seen Hello Kitty, he didn't really have any strong opinions, but warmed up to her later on.

The character's first appearance on an item was a vinyl coin purse in Japan, which ended up being the hottest selling item that year which came as a surprise to everyone.

Following Roko Maeda of Patty & Jimmy fame, Shimizu came up with a backstory for her character and dubbed her Kitty, after the name of the protagonist’s pet cat from her favorite book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

When Hello Kitty was introduced in the United States in 1976, a year after her debut in Japan, Hello Kitty's popularity continued to boom throughout 1977. However, Yuko Shimizu left in the same year Kitty first appeared in the United States, as she had gotten married and focused on family in the meantime.

Shimizu’s former assistant, Setsuko Yonekubo—the same one who had declared Shimizu’s initial illustration so very kawaii—oversaw Kitty during the boom years. She introduced incremental innovations like the first portrayal of Hello Kitty in a standing pose, but otherwise made a point of hewing closely to her predecessor’s linework, down to using a photocopied template of Kitty’s face to ensure uniformity. Whether because of this conservative approach or because of the ever-changing whims of young children, the first Kitty fad ran out of steam around 1979. Yonekubo took the opportunity to announce her own retirement, for she wanted to start a family of her own.

For a long while afterwards, Sanrio made no particular effort to replace Hello Kitty's designer. Soon Yuko Yamaguchi joined Sanrio in the midst of the Kitty boom in 1978, at the age of twenty-two, hoping to get a job focused on advertising. When Tsuji had learned of the team planning to abandon Kitty, he fought to keep her and decided to hold an in-house competition for new concepts for Hello Kitty.

In the end, Yuko Yamaguchi won with her whimsical illustration of Hello Kitty sitting at a piano surrounded by an adoring family—a charming visual of a deeper backstory that had previously only been hinted at by Yamaguchi’s predecessors. She was awarded the post of Hello Kitty’s chief designer in 1980, and continues to be the character's designer to this day.

A spokesperson from Sanrio says that Hello Kitty is not normally given a mouth because "without the mouth, it is easier for the person looking at Hello Kitty to project their feelings onto the character" and that "the person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty." There has been some suggestion that Hello Kitty has its origins in Maneki Neko, and that the name Hello Kitty itself is a back-translation of Maneki Neko, which means "beckoning cat" in English.