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Danny Choo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Danny Choo
Choo at the 2012 Comic Fiesta
Born (1972-11-01) 1 November 1972 (age 53)
London
Alma materSOAS University of London
OccupationsBlogger and entrepreneur
Years active2004–present
FatherJimmy Choo

Danny Choo (simplified Chinese: 周国栋; traditional Chinese: 周國棟; pinyin: Zhōu Guódòng; Jyutping: Zau1 Gwok3 Dung3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kok-tòng) is a British entrepreneur, blogger, and television producer based in Japan.[1]

Early life and education

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Choo was born and raised in London, England.[2] His father is Malaysian-born fashion designer Jimmy Choo.[3] As his parents were often busy, he spent part of his childhood in foster care.[2]

In his teens, Choo found a Japanese video game console, which caused him to become fascinated with Japanese pop culture. He taught himself Japanese in order to understand Japanese video games and manga.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Japanese and Korean language from SOAS University of London.[4] While he was in university, he worked at a Japanese restaurant, and he met his wife there. He visited Japan for the first time in 1993 and moved there permanently in 1997.[2]

Career

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Mirai Suenaga, the mascot of Mirai Inc.

Choo founded the media company Mirai Inc.[1] It focuses on sharing Japanese popular culture with a global audience through his website, television shows, products, and conferences.[2] The mascot of Mirai Inc is a character called Mirai Suenaga, who first appeared in 2007. The character has made appearances in anime and other media.[5] Mirai Suenaga also became an official mascot of Japan Tourism.[6]

Choo is the producer, director, and presenter of a show called Culture Japan which airs throughout Asia on Animax. The show covers his life in Japan, and Choo says that his aim in the show is to act as a "bridge" for foreign audiences.[2] The show discusses otaku culture and its aspects such as anime, manga, figurines and dolls, and video games.[1]

Choo created a line of fashion dolls called Smart Dolls.[7] He debuted the concept at Comic Fiesta 2013 and stated that the dolls would be robotic and be able to move autonomously, and that they would release in 2014. The robotic doll did not release in 2014, but a non-robotic "manual version" did, and proved popular. Versions of the doll have included room for internal USB hubs, power banks, and Bluetooth speakers.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Young Post (20 March 2011). "An evening with Danny Choo". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pisuthipan, Arusa (25 January 2013). "Land of the Rising Son". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Charity drive in the bag for Jimmy Choo and son Danny". South China Morning Post. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Danny Choo Knows Japanese Pop Culture". Little Aesthete. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Danny Choo Posts Mirai Suenaga's 'Sukirai' Music Video". Anime News Network. 6 July 2026. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Experience the ultimate moe flight with Asian Air x Mirai Airlines". SoraNews24. 5 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Sher, Davide (8 April 2015). "Danny Choo unveils the next gen of 3D printed smart dolls". VoxelMatters - The heart of additive manufacturing. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Husni, Amin (30 October 2017). "Smart Doll: Where are they now? [Comic Fiesta]". Nasi Lemak Tech. Archived from the original on 5 November 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
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