Or alternately, “I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offence and disappointment within the community.” So says Nintendo Europe employee Laurent Fischer, who ticked off the gaming world– not always the most patient of groups to begin with –by declaring that the only people who would want a Wii hard drive are “geeks and otaku.”

I find myself impressed in spite of myself that he actually knew and used the word “otaku,” honestly.

The attention has shifted slightly to David Jaffe, who apparently didn’t notice the t at the end of “Laurent” and went on a rant about Fischer, all the while assuming that he was a woman. Oops!

Yes indeedy, Nausicaa.net has caught word of NiikeiBP’s most-valued brands of Japan list. Last year Ghibli placed 12th on the business-to-consumer list, but this year they’ve leapt up to #2, second only to Nintendo itself. And Nintendo was #7 last year; it swapped spots outright with Toyota this year.

It’s an interesting list, with Disney at #3, Sony at #4, and Nintendo DS having its own rank at #5. I highly recommend checking it out, if only because you’ll recognize the vast majority of the names on the list…and not because they’re anime-related. (Although FujiTV is on there.) One of the biggest leaps is Japanese fashion chain UNIQLO’s, who went from #52 to #12.

Full list behind the jump. Read more…