At Tokyo’s Moomin House Cafe, lone patrons are seated with a plush toy for company.

Article excerpts:

To save its lone customers from the awkward perils of solo dining, the cafe kindly seats diners with stuffed animal companions called Moomins, a family of white hippo-like characters created by Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson.

Moomins are brought to each table so that patrons – solo or in groups – can have a turn sitting with them. Weekday mornings are the quietest time, while weekends are packed all day long.

To honor the characters’ heritage, Moomin House Cafe serves bread made from Finnish rye, and offers food and pastries in the form of Moomin characters. Cafe staff say there have been long lines almost every day since its “lonely-friendly” concept went viral.

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/140514111614-moomin-cafe-07.jpg

It’s a long overdue turn in the spotlight – the cafe has been open since 2003.

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/140514111635-moomin-cafe-08.jpg

Seems a bit gimmicky from over here, but theme cafes are pretty popular there, so I guess that’s how that works. Also, I’m thinking the article may be playing up the ‘loneliness’ factor, as solo dining is evidently common in Japan, and there actually are quite a few services and cafes in which genuinely lonely people can hire others to accompany them / listen to them / etc. A stuffed BD character wouldn’t really do it for me, I guess is what I’m saying. 😅

Full article with more info and pics:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-moomin-cafe

Eric Idle of Monty Python is probably their most-talented songwriter, but the “Pythons” were all hugely-talented creative forces IMO.

To me, this one here has some magical, theatre-like, crushing charm. It’s from “The Meaning of Life,” a pretty wild film that appalled many and probably couldn’t have been made by anyone else. I happen to love it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python's_The_Meaning_of_Life

https://piefed.social/c/[email protected]/p/2411619/jucika-and-the-courteous-bus-driver

Jucika celebrates pretty privilege, strip #387.

I’ve debated in the past ‘what exactly Pusztai was going for in his Jucika comics?’ That is, is it just the idea that drawing a pretty young woman with the simplest of gag setups is enough to get favorable audience reaction? Was he actually trying to exercise any real creativity on his part, or was he just cynically milking his little cash cow? (if he was like Scott Adams of “Dilbert” fame, then evidently the answer would be yes!)

As for the character of Jucika herself, was she indeed simply out to exercise her pretty-privilege for the most part? Because at other times she’s having to fend off butt-pinching leches, often getting minor revenge on them. And yet at other times, you’ll see her being spontaneously creative and/or sympathetic towards someone / anyone around her visibly having a bad day. Or even sharing borderline intimate moments with her dates and temporary lovers, which also raised questions of her being something of either a gold-digger or a OTOH a ‘liberated woman’ of the time.

In the end, I mostly concluded that Jucika (“YOOTS-ika”) was simply a template for a variety of simple gags and light topical humor. Trying to find consistency of character and her ‘true self’ seems mostly like a waste of time, not unlike how few if any background characters (including her romantic dates) in the strip ever appear twice. This in fact is pretty routine in comics and some animated shows-- altho the writers do create material for the characters, the characters are also somewhat empty vessels for whatever can be done with them. With The Simpsons for example, you can often see this, particularly taking off around season ten. Lisa Simpson seems like the most consistent character, yet the rest of the family can range from being stumbling, uninspired, passive buffoons, all the way to assertive, creative, progressive individuals. Something like that.

What I also find interesting is that Pusztai did more than just Jucika, as we see here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pal+pusztai+comics+-jucika&udm=2

Pretty girls, sure, but also a little more broad range of styles and humor subjects, seemingly freelancing quite a bit. Indeed:

Pál Pusztai was a Hungarian graphic artist, known for drawing postcards, advertisements and propaganda pamphlets. From 1959 until his death in 1970, he was a regular contributor to Lúdas Matyi magazine with the groundbreaking comic strip about the sexy ‘Jucika’ (1957-1970) and his military cartoon feature ‘Iván és Joe’ (1959-1970). –LBK

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/image/p/pusztai_pal/pusztai_ludasmatyi1960.jpg

“Where have you been, Joe?”
“You know, Ivan, we have a little base in Cuba. We went fishing there this weekend.”

TBH I think I’d already read that Lambiek entry about Pusztai’s other stuff, but had kind of forgotten over time. A big factor here is that I can’t read a lick of Hungarian, so my chance to analyze is cut down by the non-visual gags stuff. Oh well.

Previously-posted Jucika stuff here:
https://piefed.social/search?q=jucika&community=eurographicnovels

For those unaware, the blue portraits recapping various episodes come from the inner pages of modern Tintin albums. The object showing through the cracked wall is Professor Calculus’ rocket ship as seen in the two-tome ‘trip to the moon’ series.

I thought of this one as I was walking to the supermarket, and I think it works. Probably been watching too much Bennett Cerf lately, but he’s becoming a great favorite of mine. Here goes:

A group of men inside a courtroom.
All happen to be… uh, rather well-endowed.
What would they be called?

I’m sure someone here can figure it out. If you do, please use spoiler tags in your comment?

And what are your favorites?
(either self-created or by others?)

EDIT: Couple downvotes in, and they seem to be negative. So… people on Lemmy hate riddles, I take it…?

I bumped in to this BD the other day, and liked it a lot. It’s called “Tiki.” (that’s the link) It was nominally about a middle-aged man (hmm, I guess that could be me), and started with his daughter begging him for a pet, over the years. A cat would have been *chef’s kiss*, but his daughter was allergic. What to do, what to do…

https://i.imgur.com/xsKdAfp.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/3SE8wR1.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/nPLGc2k.jpeg

FINALLY, he and the girlfriend seem to find the most beautiful puppy in the universe, as aided by a couple of manipulative salespeople, and make “Tiki” a birthday gift upon the daughter.

Problem? This was no ordinary breed of dog, but a mighty “Shiba Inu.”

https://i.imgur.com/b31drja.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/n04d8wW.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/hdyEpOL.jpeg

This was somewhat heart-wrenching, but also a rare, soulful look at pet-owning issues. (it’s about a real dog IMO, but it did finally find a forever home)

A commentary upon life itself, perhaps.

IMG backup here and THERE.

Jeff Goldblum previously found out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBfCpldPSk4

I first watched this movie with my GF of the time a couple years later. She was absolutely stricken. I was numb and overwhelmed. I reached over to comfort her, and she shrimped away (an MMA technique, haha), which made me feel like… yesterday’s refuse. But later, I got it. You give people the space they need, period.

For me it was an early-ish lesson upon the titration of distance. A valuable lesson in general I’d say, but each person has their own set of boundaries IME, and to me, part of the process when you care about someone is in learning their boundaries, and respecting them at face value. Better yet, that more-probably applies to everyone outside of ourselves, yeah?

HOWEVER-- if someone’s a hard smoker, drinker, over-eater or drug-user, then sure, that could seem a hard boundary at first, but is also a signal that something is very off.

(note to self: how did I possibly get on to all that? 😅)

Foof. Evidently this was a tribute (amongst many) to André Franquin, possibly by Uderzo as a tribute to his passing.

I wonder what the seahorses are saying to each other?

This comes from Flotsam, a wordless picture book (nominally for children) written & illustrated by Wiesner and published in 2006, winning him his 3rd Caldecott Medal(!)

I was actually kind of surprised at first that this book wasn’t Euro-made, as it reminded me so much of various Euro artists, particularly some of those working on the incredible Donjon project.

More samples:
https://www.google.com/search?q=wiesner+flotsam+-cover&udm=2

Okay, some quick notes on this series:

• I love François Bourgeon’s work on the brilliant Twilight Companions, which he both wrote & drew. It’s one of the funniest, grittiest, realistic series about Medieval Europe I’ve read, so me giving this one a try (which in this case he didn’t write was co-author of) was a no-brainer.
• The art on “Cyann” is on the same level as TC, but it’s fun to see Bourgeon “let 'er rip” on sci-fi scenarios, as opposed to Medieval ones.

https://www.bedetheque.com/media/Planches/PlancheA_146.jpg

https://www.bedetheque.com/media/Planches/PlancheA_223413.jpg

• Unfortunately, this was just too difficult a series for me to get through on my first pass. As in-- many series are fairly exotic & complex by their nature, which from the readers’ POV boils down to, ‘what’s the introductory process going to be like?!’
• Now IME it can range from tedious, pedantic over-explanation, all the way to… what we’re looking at here. No helpful context; just nothing. What I’m saying is that Le Cycle de Cyann kinda blasts off in to its own reality with seemingly no regard at all for the reader. (sorry, not sorry for saying that)

https://www.bedetheque.com/media/Planches/PlancheS_37.jpg

• Of course, no question that if my natural French was better, the whole experience would be improved.
• Now don’t get me wrong! Some series can get started rather elusively & mysteriously not unlike this, which is in fact how I’d describe a quality series I just finished today, Saint Elme.
• I think the difference with “Cyann” is that there’s this massive load of dialogue right from panel one which was unfortunately, completely non-plussing to new readers. I mean, I kinda get the idea of “immediate immersion,” but this isn’t boot-camp, right?

TBH-- I feel like there’s indeed something quite special about “Cycle de Cyann”. And I don’t get it right now. And that frustrates me. So here we are. *gulp*

Christopher Reeve (Robin Williams’ best friend) was the first movie-actor to portray the S-man. Previously, there had been George Reeves, a really good portrayal in the 50’s sense IMO, yet heavily outdated by the 80’s.

Now, for sure there’s a full essay to write upon all that, but… let’s just go with some clips? In particular, the way that Reeve shifts from Clark Kent to Kal-El is just… breathtaking. (plus, all hail the brilliant Margot Kidder)

“You wouldn’t let me die!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgy3VcTk0lI

“As usual, Lois, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQfoKtbUm74

“Gotcha!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtrXDq5OTn4

(not sure how the above sequences meshes with the below; like she discovered him 2x?)

And finally:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0CN7eo0_Mo

I’ve spoken extensively here before about how American comics helped shape my love of BD. For the most part, I feel like it’s been a logical maturation. But in truth, BD also ignited something within me… a certain fire that somehow never dies.

For sure, there is much more to say about all this, but that’s all I’ve got to say for now!
(insert Porky Pig noises)

https://piefed.social/post/2215171/comment/12141440#comment_12141626

Many late-coming technologies are issues of concept. Slow-sand filters are incredibly simple, for example, but require an understanding that did not arise until the 19th century (some possible examples in Mesoamerica excepted). Gliders are not actually particularly difficult to acquire the materials or tools to make, especially in cultures that use kites, but require, again, an understanding of the principles involved to provide controlled flight (with gliders requiring precise balance of lift and drag, whereas kites primarily need only light weight and wind stability). Fire pistons are conceptually advanced and were not discovered in Europe until long after they were in Southeast Asia, despite some Southeast Asian cultures which produced and used fire pistons being literal stone-age cultures, in terms of available material tools.

Hot-air balloons, I would imagine, follow the same principle. If you lack the concepts behind the invention, the only way to discover it is by accident, which is generally unlikely. It’s why so much material development is concentrated in the modern and early modern period - we started to piece together how the world, on a fundamental level, works, beyond pure trial-and-error.

Also, hot-air balloons before plastics were often made of silk (and rubber), since most other materials are either too heavy (at least for practical purposes) or too thermally sensitive, and that’s an expensive experiment to be undertaking if you haven’t the first clue how it works.