Steve Hall's blog Ad Rants posted a nifty item on the rise of Tare Panda, which is becoming a "pop culture must-have" for the tween and teen set. Tare Panda is one of the most famous cartoons in Japan. Also known as the lazy panda, he has no feet and just roles around ? a little faster when he sees Swama, his favorite fruit. The academic spin on why these Japanese pop culture faves are not "Lost in Translation" on American teens from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

"Japanese pop culture has had for some time now an uncanny ability to cross demographic lines in its appeal to an American audience," says Robert Thompson, professor of media and culture and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. "In its imagery and style, derived from video games and comic art, Japanese culture seemed to ride the wave of postmodernism ahead of its American counterparts, It seemed 'foreign' and strange, which was part of its appeal."

Posted by anastasia