Matt Schley
December 23, 2013 
Tis the season for mistletoe, resolutions, and lots and lots of end-of-year lists. Japanese advertising giant Dentsu has weighed in with its own list on the state of Japan 2013, listing the country’s top 20 products of the year and the top ten “signs of the times,” highlighting some of the year’s top current events.
The whole list is pretty interesting and a good glimpse into the state of Japanese culture from the past year, but two items stood out for us otaku folk: the inclusion of The Wind Rises and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
The Wind Rises is, of course, the latest and final film from Hayao Miyazaki that keeps popping up in the news despite its release way back in July. With the film making boku bucks in Japan (it was the highest grossing film of the year) and being announced as Miyazaki’s last, it’s no wonder it made the list of current events.
The Wind Rises will be released in the States February 21st, and the English version will feature Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and everyone’s favorite German documentarian, Werner Herzog.
Also included on the list was Ms. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, the Harajuku-influenced J-popper best known in the west for her single “Pon Pon Pon.” Pamyu had a big year, releasing her second album, Nanda Collection, touring internationally (with stops in Los Angeles and New York) and being the foremost representative of kawaii at home and abroad.
Pamyu was also quite busy in front of the camera this year, releasing four music videos. For our money, “Mottai Night Land,” which features a brief animated segment, might be the best.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Japan Today
