anime

One of Japan's best-known exports, its unique style of animation, faces a new crisis -- a disruption in production following the recent earthquake and tsunami. The multi-billion-dollar "anime" industry has already been challenged by overseas competition and high employee turnover at home.

If you live outside Japan and are familiar with the television series Naruto Shippuden and Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, then you are, no doubt, also familiar with Crunchyroll, an online video service that provides full length episodes and movies of Japanese anime. The site is quickly signing up viewers all over the English speaking world.

What's cute, furry, hungry and about to lure your kids into 7-Eleven stores? Domo, the Japanese stop-action character with the huge open-mouthed look, is the centerpiece of a new marketing campaign for the stores and its Slurpee drinks. The goal? To attract the character's fans, who tend to be...