Folk Art Meets Pop Culture In Takao Nagawa's Ukiyo-e Character Series

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Ukiyo-e is a very distinct form of Japanese woodcut printing, and Japanese illustrator Takao Nagawa decided to flex his stylistic muscles to bring us a series of truly fun prints featuring classic characters from anime and pop culture in general. Featuring characters like Goku, Yoda and Kamen Rider clad in ornate Kabuki outfits and samurai outfits, this is probably the first mashup of this kind I've seen come from an actual Japanese artist versus the typical Tumblr denizen/illustrator.

Check out more of Nagawa's fun Ukiyo-e creations after the break.

Paul Robertson's Bubble Bobble Themed Tribute To Everything (And More Goodies)

Now that Mercenary Kings is finally out and doing great, Aussie pixel pseudo-god Paul Robertson has gone back to making regular posts on his Tumblr. His latest post features his heartfelt tribute to the first arcade game he ever laid eyes on, the classic Bubble Bobble by Taito. Channeling his inner child, he crafted over 100 Bubble Bobble-ified takes on chracters from every pop culture corner conceivable, ranging from anime, 90's cartoons, videogames and beyond.

Robertson has also been up to some really amazing pixel gif creations, which you can check out after the break. And as a secondary reminder, Mercenary Kings is the gaming equivalent of Metal Slug and Borderlands having a beautiful pixelated baby, and I personally can't get enough of it. Pick it up on PS4 or PC.

Bubble Bobble was the first game I ever played in the arcades and it pretty much decided what my career was going to be. So I thought I’d try out some Taito inspired characters. There’s 100 all up 

Bartkira Is Out Of Control (In The Best Way Possible)

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I can't make this stuff up. I'm in awe of what the internet has enabled us to do..No scratch that, the entire internet has lead up to this moment right here: A Simpsons flavored recreation of the entire Akira saga that Otomo masterfully crafted decades ago. The original comic/anime was for many their first taste of the mind blowing fruits that the Japanese anime industry had to offer, myself included. The Simpsons offered pop culture a more grown up taste of what syndicated Western cartoons could provide, with protagonists that were anything but role model quality. And in 20XX/2013? These two cultural juggernauts have collided in an absolutely incredible display of collective awesomeness, as marked by the incredibly active Bartkira blog.

Initiated by artist Ryan Humphrey, the project has grown to have over 700 active artists contributing to recreate the entire series in the ultimate collective project we've seen yet. The Tumblr blog is filled to the brim with samples of what's to come, including 'Bartkira'd' promotional materials, covers, sample pages and more. Check out just a few images from the incredible blog after the break starring Milhouse's dark decline, and praise the moment in time in which such a bizarre, yet wonderful idea came to be.

Billy Butcher's Videogame Pop Culture Mashups

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Is it a game? A movie? A band? We don't know anymore, but it's undeniable that Brazilian based illustrator Butcher Billy created a series of truly amazing illustration pieces. Starting off with a solid foundation of classic videogames, the artist then proceeded to layer and dot these illustrations with elements of of pop culture in the form of vintage movies, rock stars, iconic Hollywood celebrities, anime icons and more to create some truly striking mashup imagery.

If you can guess the sources of every one of these twisted images, consider yourself a pop culture savant of sorts. Check out seven more amazing images from Butcher Billy's series after the break!

Rare Candy Pokémon Gallery and Charity

Lickitung (via)

Using the talent of 151 artists, the Rare Candy Art Gallery and Charity is a collection of the originial 151 Pokémon in a vast amount of assortments. Each piece is currently up for auction on the Gallery's website where funds will all be directly donated to Canines For Disabled Kids. Quite a few of the pieces really stand out and I'm a sucker for alternative art for pop culture.

After the break I've provided 8 of my favorite pieces from the gallery that I might suggest you check out over here.