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suckaH · Unfettered Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 672

Tina posted exactly what i was thinking in regards to the Japan Airlines ad. Since we are to assume that HUD is a slusho addict and got his t-shirt from the slusho site as well, he would have gotten the japanese paper clippings as well. Rob could have been looking over the newspaper and/or HUD could have mentioned this ad to Rob.
I don't see them sending random newspaper clippings as coincidence, i think there's something in there, and i doubt it is hidden within the kanji symbols.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:16 am

Hippiekat · Boot Joined: 28 Jul 2007 Posts: 14

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:27 am

tinag222

And how many domain alternatives does JAL need? I put the one from the paper into a whois and got back an error that it wasn't supported. So I did a search for japan airlines directly and there are several.

www.japanair.com
www.jal.com
www.jal.co.jp
www.jal.co.jp/en

The english version doesn't look like the link above and I haven't been able to locate "happiness" in the english version, with or without the /en - and why make that in english anyway on the actual Japanese version?

Anyhow....business and happiness (heh they work entirely too much) has the animals...

I still have no idea what the text is...so hey. Interesting similarity these little animals speak in the thought bubble things too. I'm not debating this is a legit airline site. I just think looking closer at it is a good thing.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:32 am

suckaH · Unfettered Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 672

Here's where i think reading the kanji would be helpful. Not that i think there are clues within them that says "It's a lion," but rather it would help in proving the authenticity of the site. How many businesses have animals help sell their products? Then again, i'm not a guru on japanese marketing techniques either...

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:36 am

tinag222

I'd say a number of them do....the question should be, how many businesses aimed at grown ups use preschool level animals to sell grown up services? It's an airline. That happy pig is not gonna persuade me to fork over a couple hundred bucks and get over my refusal to fly at all. If anything it kinda agitates it making me wonder if they're *serious* about things. Then again that whole page could be about kid prices or something...then it'd make more sense. Razz

The thing that is screwy about it on its face is the link from the paper is this:

http://www.jal.co.jp/happiness/

But I went throught 98% of the links on the http://www.jal.co.jp/en/ version and that page isn't there, and neither is http://www.jal.co.jp/en/happiness/ - there is page not found...so why no english version of this page? (that means the english version is in the 2% I didn't check...I'll bend over for my trout if anyone finds it in english, no problem).

But checking the airline itself, in particular the link shown in the papers, would be a good idea. I only know english so I can't do anything on this one. I'm once again at the mercy of the Japanese. Other times was about the vcr, cd player and my car.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:40 am

human · Guest

I think that JAL site is out of the game.

First of all, I admit I'm not a ARG expert (in fact, this is the only one I've followed with any regularity), but I don't see in this instance why they would mix up fake (slusho) and real (JAL) businesses into the game. Putting JAL into the mix crosses the line between the game's alternate universe into our real-world corporate sponsorship type thing. And I don't think it feels right.

Second, looking at the JAL site: I've been to Japan, studied Japanese (ok, it's been a few years, but I can read the two phonetic alphabets still). They do use cutesy animals a lot in various business applications: ads for language school, random T-shirts for adults, etc. I don't see anything particularly notable on the JAL page in that respect. The posted image with the animals is talking about a 'web check-in service', and how easy it is to 'touch and go' with some kind of check-in card that they're holding. It's a legitimate page, in other words.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:04 am

Uninvited · Veteran Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 112

Maby we are supose to combine all this slusho stuff. With all the myspace stuff. So, maby we should tell Rob about the airlines. Or, if it's possible show him some of the news paper pages.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:10 am

suckaH · Unfettered Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 672

This could still be JJ's way of "implanting the seed" within Rob's mind to fly to Japan. If HUD ordered a shirt, he would get this newspaper too.
I think that referring Rob to these newspaper sources would be immediate cause for them to ignore you. After all, the only reason we know rob is going to japan is from the trailer. Nothing on his myspace suggests of travelling there any time soon.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:13 am

tinag222

Wow, it's so nice to be able to reply to a human for a change! Wink

I agree it is a legit site. I was considering its appearance in the newspaper and it's likely/potential link to Rob's trip to Japan he never gets to take - but that's down the road oviously and no need to present it to him either way. I wasn't suggesting that btw...just made the association that he'd probably end up on JAL if he was flying there. Or if he makes the preliminary trips in the next 6 months before deciding to officially relocate there, and then up to the party, etc.

JAL as a site is OOG sure....but if these ads are in the papers people get, and depending of course on what the text actually says from one sample to another, it could have an in game reference or clue. Or not.

I vote you as our resident translator then to go over the papers people are getting and see if you could transcribe any...I promise if I even remotely knew the language I'd help but english only people are at a disadvantage...and it would help to know for sure what every word is to be able to rule in or out or spot something that leads somewhere, etc.

Thanks for the heads up on the animals though.

And suckaH much as I'd want to indulge the impulse to ask Hawk/JJ instead about his slusho shirt, we're not supposed to know he even has one of those so...yeah asking about the papers wouldn't be a good idea. Plus we don't know for sure he ordered one. His gf apparently likes buying him shirts - she could've gotten it somewhere and given it to him, or if it does play out Rob is working for/with slusho he could've gotten it....or even this - either of them could've visited Japan and knowing JJ likes slusho, bought him a shirt from a slusho shop as a souvenir.

We just don't know how he ended up with it but we're not supposed to know he's got one until 1-18 at all when he's wearing it in the trailer.

Hud's the one skirting that meta line there....if we go with any of them I'd vote him and then in reference to Lost or TLE or comicon and see if we got a bite on it or ignored or have MIB show up at our homes to kill us. Razz

1-18-08.livejournal.com · Boot Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 53

1-18-08.livejournal.com · Boot Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 53

In case anyone wanted to piece these together with the others.

Excuse the blur, I lack a scanner. I'll delete these if someone posts better shots of these pages.

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:30 am

worngmike · Veteran Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 99

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:53 am

suckaH · Unfettered Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 672

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:58 am

Ric · Guest

something about page 21 scans

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:52 am

tygr20

Re: something about page 21 scans

**Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:02 am

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