ourchair
Well-Known Member
I was severely amused when Brian K. Vaughan posted about Irish-Japanese Mandy Amano:
[IMGL]http://www.sunshinebreakdown.net/ourchair/temp/ucea/05-amano01.jpg[/imgl]Mandy Fujiko Amano is probably most recognized for her appearance on a 2005 Superbowl commercial for Apple's ITunes and Pepsi. ( 30 sec / 45 sec )This connection to Apple led to her becoming an instant Internet celebrity, spawning an obsessive blog known as That Pepsi Girl.Brian K. Vaughan said:Thanks also to model/actress Mandy Amano, who was cool enough to name-check my books in a recent interview, admitting, "I've just gotten turned on to Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man. I love that book! I couldn't put it down. I got the first trade and I immediately went back to Golden Apple and got the rest of them and read them all in a day and a half. I love Runaways as well." Much appreciated, Mandy!
Finally, apologies to my gorgeous wife, who thought this post was kind of sad.
Much of what seems to have catapulted Amano's cyberspace-based popularity is the geek cultural cache she rides on, being the daughter of comic book artist Jeff Amano and the current girlfriend of Kabuki creator David Mack. She also models for Mack's Kabuki character and used to do the same for Bill Tucci's Shi and frequently mentions her comic book taste in various interviews.
Honestly, I think hapas are worshipped way too much by the American geek culture. But there's something severely amusing about the fact that her comic book-immersed upbringing and Maxim-validated good looks makes her eminently marketable to an American geek culture already captivated by Japanese sex appeal. (And probably only rivaled by Game Girl Advance's Miyuki Jane Pinckard)
Official Website - http://www.mandyamano.com
That Pepsi Girl - http://thatpepsigirl.blogspot.com
Hi-Res Images from FUBAR - http://66.232.100.26/~dontlink/hires/mandyamano3/index.html