Nyoro~n! 0083: Suzumiya Memories

Hobby Search half-price shipping, Sept. 21-30th!

2011-09-14T22:11:00.000-05:00

Hobby Search is having a half-off shipping sale when paying with paypal. This might not sound like alot, but now would be a great time to order inexpensive items that come in large packages - for instance, sega prize figures. Sadly, Hobby Search doesn't stock many prize figures like HLJ or Mandarake, but you may find a few items you like. You might also think about ordering something large, as well.

Kuroneko pureneemo XS

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-05:00

Here she is, Ruri Gokou Azone Doll.

Let me say first, this is a nice doll. When I originally received the packaged and viewed the production model I was not pleased. It was not the same as the pre-order photos. Sure, many figures do not have the same attention to detail and variety of paint colors as their prototype, but what I enjoyed most about this figure was how her face was so accurate and faithful to the original. Not so, with the production model I received. Her face is chubby. Oh well, it's grown on me now and not so bad.

The quality of her clothing is exceptional. There is no velcro, fabric hooks have been sewn in to the pieces. Her stockings are sewn together and have a wonderful texture feeling that stretches.

The Azone packaging itself is so bland. They seem to have generic boxes that they place stickers on and send them off from the factory. I think collectors would not mind paying a little more for something more intricate.

I did have two problems with the figure. The first, I don't believe this was caused by settling during shipping... Why do I always get the broken figures? Thankfully her foot just came out of the joint. Let's not be careless during packaging!

The second is, her arm would not bend. Someone on flickr recommended I tried the blow dryer trick and it worked. Just use a blow dryer to warm up the plastic and gently bend the arm and the joint at the same time.

What's really great about dolls is their clothing is fluid. That means she can be posed in anyway a real human would be able to. It makes posing figures in a sitting position easy as pie.

Overall, I am very pleased. Sadly I now have to collect all sorts of doll clothes for dress up time. I had a few nekomimi maid outfits selected but I think I may need to revise more items before I make the final order.

btw, today is Hatsune Miku's birthday! The 100th figma production has been delayed and did not make release today but it should be out soon.

for some reason, Touhou ibuki figma did make final production and I have her coming to me in the mail as we speak.

Ika-musume Season 2 starts on Sept. 26th!

2011-08-23T23:19:00.000-05:00

Ika-musume Season 2 starting!
I hope it follows some of the comic, my favorite chapter hasn't been done yet.
news from ANN

if you have a crunchyroll account, join the group

Obitsu multistand, get you one!

2011-08-17T02:55:00.000-05:00

Obitsubody Multi-stand is a great item to have. This costs about 300yen

and is easily available for about 8$ USD including shipping.

The item comes in a bag and needs to be assembled like a plastic model

gundam kit. There are various colors to choose from but I prefer clear.

Here we have a typical revoltech stand. It works great with the revoltechs

but it is a little wobbly and it doesnt hold the figures tight so they tend to lean forward.

On the plus side, the stand is quite invisible as it fits snugly around the revoltechs' waists.

Here is the obitsu multistand. It is a little bit more intrusive but it does

grasp the figure firmly and allows for greater pose-ability.

The stand is rebuildable and can cater to most any of your display needs.

It can hold robots and airplanes though it was mainly designed for dolls.

I purchased this item for my Azone doll I have incoming.

As you can see, the stand is visible as it grasps small figures such as this revoltech.

However, it does allow for far great flexibility and on larger figures it is not so pronounced.

As I mentioned before, the stand can be adjusted to different sizes and shapes.

The typical V-stand as included with most figmas, but it can also be

rebuilt with dual claws to hold fighter jets upright.

For the amazing low price, I highly recommend this as a must have if you own

various dolls and pose-able figures.

Nichijou is Great-oh! anime

2011-07-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Ok!

Now that the second half of the series has started it all makes sense. I am glad I stuck with this show because it definitely has something to offer that you cannot find anywhere else. Nano goes to school. How did I not see this coming? Every maid robo goes to school. Without a doubt, I used to think Nano and the professor were just a side story that detracted from the main appeal of the show, but now I am totally on the other side of the fence. I love Nano in her school girl outfit. It is just so darn cute I cannot get enough of it. These four characters together is like a match made in heaven. I kid you not, the opportunity here is golden.

Did I mention how cute Nano is? She is really cute. She is so cute. The cuteness is like really cute. It is exploding cuteness.

Nano in her school uniform, it is like a whole new world of cuteness waiting to be explored. I want her. I must have her. I need to be a part of her world. Me and the professor, we are on the same wave length. Because great minds think alike.

Anyone seen Hanaukyo Maid Tai?

reminds me of ikuyo's denki-kuns

Let's not forget the supporting cast. They are magnificent in their own right. So many interesting characters. So much is going on that I cannot even remember most of their names. Normally that would be a bad thing, but in this case the sheer greatness of the Nichijou world is just overwhelming. I think we are on the express train because there are no signs of stopping.

Disheveled! Great-oh!

Let's get one more Tsun-tsun in!

Good Smile Akashiya Moka

2011-06-10T14:49:00.003-05:00

Look what I got!

Rosario and Vampire figure Moka. this was released two years ago, or so. For whatever reason, I passed on most of the Rosario figures, I'm not sure why I made that choice... Now it is quite hard to get them. I recently bought this one second hand, though it is still sealed. I am trying to determine if this is authentic? Does anyone know how to tell the difference for this particular figure? There are lots of counterfeits of this item going around. The seller assured me he bought it from a reputable store which I am familiar with and from touching the outer box I believe it is authentic. Oh, well. Time will tell, I won't be opening it anytime soon.

Plum Konomi Magic User Review

2011-06-02T16:25:00.002-05:00

愛佳でいくの！！柚原このみマジックユーザー 1/7 PVC フィギュア

Edit: AmiAmi has sent a replacement wand and I have received it!

I ordered a large package from AmiAmi on Mon and it arrived here today, on Thur! That was fast, and the shipping fee only cost me about 4000￥which is currently about 50$ USD, Ouch!

So as I collect alot of To Heart 2 stuff, I keep an eye out for any new items in the market. And here we have Konomi magic user by PLUM. As you might think, this statue resembles the konomi witch figure closely. The good news is if you passed on the konomi witch, the magic user figure is attainable at half the price!

So what about this company PLUM? Who are they? Well, PLUM stands for Pretty Lovely Unique Mechanism. Sounds like a recipe for magic to me! They seem to dabble in all sorts of things. Have you every played G-Darius? You know, the old shooting game where you fire at big robotic fish on the sega genesis? Yeah, I loved that game. Well, PLUM makes a plastic model of the space ship. They also seem to make plastic model kits of Japanese temples... I guess bandai does that too, so we are cool here. I think this is their official blog link.

side of the box

back of the box

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was, "Phew! What a smell!"

This thing just came off the presses, you could smell that polyurethane smell everywhere.

The packaging is good and similar to Kotobukiya, but the plastic is thin and flimsy,

but that is fine as it does the job

However, there was a sinister event waiting for me around the corner

Wha... I just opened this, where are the whiskers!

OH NOEZ, my product is DEFECTIVE!

Much sadness thus henceforth ensued. I'm just kidding. I love all my figures unconditionally. Now, if I had dropped the figure and broke it, then I would be crying.

Yes, I checked the box. Yes, I checked it again it is not there.

I contacted amiami to see what they know but they are probably still sleeping at this hour.

So let's talk about the quality of this figure. Bottom line: Good but could have been excellent. You see, What PLUM tried to do is make something modern but very affordable at the same time. What I love about this figure is that the hat is magnetic! I have always advocated that Figmas should have magnetic accessories. Hats, scarfs, whatever. I even thought about patenting my own figure magnetic system, wouldn't that be cool! But alas, reality states that adding a magnet increases costs and that is not good with the modern exchange rates.

The figure has been glued together. You cannot separate her at the waist as is common with most figures. Also, her little bag has been glued to the skirt. Why did they do this? Probably because it is cheap, but they should have used more magnets! The paint job is good and the pvc material is decent. But the other big issue with this figure is the scale. This is marked as 1/7 which is true compared to other figures, but not so if you compare Konomi's size to other To heart 2 figures. Konomi is supposed to small and petite. PLUM's magic user is a little thick. I would have preferred it a bit smaller and thinner or maybe list the scale as 1/6th.

Overall, I am pleased with the figure but I would like PLUM to take more care in production. As with all new companies sometimes you have to work out the bugs. I too have received defective Figmas when Good smile first started making them. Quality control is a standard you strive to live up to, not something to check off on a list.

Oreimo last episode air date set for 5/31

2011-05-24T00:45:00.000-05:00

artist unkown

the final episode of Oerimo will begin airing next Monday/Tuesday. Honestly, I think the series should go on a bit longer since lots of open ends abound. Oh well, trying to make a monthly schedule might be getting tedious and starting a new work might be beneficial as well. Here is a link to the preview on the official website.

kuroneko nendoroid has arrived

2011-05-20T03:46:00.000-05:00

Finally got mine in the mail. Kuroneko is here!

This is what the box looks like, I'm sure you have seen it posted everywhere. So I won't bore you with regular pics.

So let's do a few pics with her head on someone else's body!

Kissy Kissy!

or how about this?

nope, that one is wrong.

It should be more like this!

Ah, the arrogance!

The beauty!

It's a master piece.

a living work of art.

My Ordinary Life Nichijou first impressions and review

2011-05-08T00:18:00.003-05:00

Spring is a great season for Anime

So many new shows, so little time. Just looking at the list of upcoming and recently released anime is daunting. But as usual, with how fast the industry is moving forward, not all anime is worth watching right away. Finding those gems is part of what makes watching anime fun.

That brings us to My Ordinary Life. Alot of people had high expectations of this show. It has all the classic themes for a great anime in the making. School life, Comedy, Strange occurrences and behavior. Sadly, most people would agree with me that the show is having a hard time taking off. I want this show to be good, I want to like it, I want it to be the thing that makes anime great. It's hard to live up to those expectations though.

People compare this show to Azumanga daioh, School Rumble, or some other well known slice of life comedy series. We are talking about heavy hitters here. Famous shows that raised the bar or turned the wheels to set the current trends in anime we see today. So I am trying to be very open minded. As long as the show is entertaining I will be Ok with that. Regrettably, so far I have found it to be more on the boring side, partly because some of the settings are so abstract or unbelievable that I find it not entertaining.

First of all, I love maid robos. To heart 2 has maid robos. Maid robos are awesome. Why in the world does this show have maid robos? And the scientist is a preschool child? Ehhh... I think someone is trying a little too hard to put everything in one pot. I love a good Japanese/Chinese curry. But that doesn't mean you should stick anything and everything in it. You need to think about what flavor you want to achieve and add ingredients that compliment that flavor.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you with the problems of the series, so let's move on.

Episode 6 is Awesome!

I loved this episode. This is what they should have done from the beginning. Just keep it simple and realistic with absurd situations. Anytime you have a School Life comedy with lucha libre you know it's going to be an awesome event. The principal has mad skills and he needs them to bring stability to an insecure world.

Death or Die!

Even the smallest challenges in life can be a serious matter. That is what everyday life is about. Living to the fullest! I am happy to see this show is going to push-on strong. Let's not write this series off yet and keep them near the top of our viewing roster and continue to support them our best. Less explosions and more exploring the thought patterns of the excellent characters and this show could be a gold mine of awesomeness.

Kuroneko Pure nemo XS

2011-03-27T15:14:00.002-05:00

I MUST HAVE THIS!!!!
is what I said to myself as soon as I took a glance.
You can still preorder it at HLJ but hobbysearch has stopped taking preorders.
This is one of those items where preorders filled up fast.
at 145$ she is not cheap, but this is the most accurate representation I have seen in such a long time. I am not a big pure nemo fan but I do have a few other small azone dolls.

Marisa is also available and looks very well done.
you can order her from ami ami.

My turn to cosplay!

2011-02-21T00:36:00.000-06:00

Recently got some more Touhou figures in this past Jan. Aya is a nice figure. the quality is improving. They still feel delicate, of course. But the little balls that keep their hands stuck to their arms has been done away with. I really hated those things and always worried they would break. Aya comes with a bird and wings so other accessories were left out, such as, not having any fingers to point with...

Borders has also filed for bankruptcy if you had not heard. Everything in the store is 20% off. That is not killer savings yet, but I think the prices will lower as the stores get ready for closing. I picked up a few things.

Haqua du Lot Herminium and Aragaki Ayase to share the same voice actress

2011-02-04T23:26:00.003-06:00

If you have not heard, the next season of The World God Only Knows starts this April. I am excited. The first season was decent but I always felt it was missing something. I believe the problem with the first series is that the anime attempted to resemble a love adventure novel instead of a love comedy. Yes, an anime about someone who likes dating sims is funny but that, fundamentally, does not make a love adventure anime; it is still just a comedy.

Because of this error in genre choice the anime series was forced into a very slow pace. Of course, I am sure the budget had much to do with this as well. Since the story did not progress fast enough I found myself waiting for the end of character arcs hoping the next would be more interesting.

You see, the manga takes a different approach. it is an extremely fast paced story line. So many interesting things are going on you literally cannot put it down without finding out what happens next. The first season of the show covers pretty much the first seventeen chapters of the manga. Currently, the series just released chapter 130. That is a huge gap, yet, the good news is that the slower the anime goes the more anime there might be *crosses fingers*, yea!

One of my favorite shows last season was oreimo. The show does have a lot of flaws and is no where near the level of Genshiken, but it is amusing none the less. I do like Aragaki Ayase as I am drawn to those type of negative characters myself. stabby, stabby, stabby... The voicing done by Saori Hayami was prefect and fits the character well. It was revealed that she is currently doing Haqua in the second season of The World God Only Knows in the very last episode of the first season . What makes this pairing up really great is how much Ayase and Haqua are alike. Haqua shows up in chapter 22 of the manga. She is not a yandere, but she does have very similar traits. She is the serious character always trying her best yet cannot beat Katsuragi and it frustrates her. Of course, she then begins to develop a romantic interest as well. She really starts to shine when she begins to act like how a real demon helper should be and constantly keeps Katsuragi in check. I have high expectations for this coming season.

Tatebayashi Miharu

2011-01-29T23:34:00.000-06:00

This was released in 2010 as a set called tokimeki memorial figure collection vol. 2 for the 15th anniversary of the tokimeki memorial series. This is produced by Konami who makes the game series and a few lesser known figures like busou shinki and bug killer HoiHoi-san. They also made negima and haruhi figures.

There have always been quite a few problems with tokimeki figures in the past. Either they were prohibitively expensive and hard to get due to direct mail order only or they were resin kits you had to build yourself. Cheap figures abounded yet they were in fact cheaply made and were originally ufo catcher junk.

Being an avid tokimeki memorial collector I have boxes of the stuff. Books, cards, puzzles, pencils, you name it and I might have some. So when I first saw these figures announced I was excited yet skeptic. The good news is these figures are very well made and I am thoroughly pleased. The quality of the materials on these figures is a step above what you would expect from a Sega prize figure.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sculpt and design of many Sega figures but ultimately they are made to be affordable and the quality of the materials suffer greatly. Not the case here. The packaging itself is very similar to the 50$ Negima figures I have purchased from Konami in the past. The plastic is soft and ply-able yet the color is rich and has shadowing. The figure has enough weight that it will not topple over easily.

@background photo from flickr

For under 10$ I definitely recommend these if you have some space to fill in your next figure shipment. Miharu is also the secret character in the series but now everyone can catch her themselves!

Toheart2 Nendoroids are finally here!

2011-01-27T17:23:00.006-06:00

FDCGR is going to be re-released on the PSP under the name ToHeart2 Dungeon Travelers.
the limited edition will come with two nendoroids of Tamaki and Konomi! The battle system still looks the same and is lack-luster but some new effects and CGs have been added. Of course, the game is PG-13 being on the PSP.

The figures only come in the limited edition set and will most likely set you back over 120$ after exchange rate and before shipping. Here is the official website and more pictures of the figures and CGs on famitsu.

Oreimo on PSP is also coming out; man, I have to get myself a PSP! In other news a new version of the PSP will be out at the end of the year called the NGP.
I don't know what I should do! Supposedly it will be backwards compatible yet it will not have a drive for any discs.

Samurai Tamaki

2011-01-22T02:23:00.018-06:00

Kohsaka Tamaki Samurai version from the game FDCGR! Honestly, I did not see myself purchasing this. So many figures are coming out this year that I literally have been strained on funds for things I want. The industry is growing too large too fast; I foresee another anime bubble popping in the figure market although I do hope not.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this item was why Samurai?
I would have loved to have had just the basic fighter version. A figma or some other poseable figure would have been superb. I love the kitty shield even though I am not an avid cat supporter. Below you can see a few of the available jobs: Fighter, Paladin, Valkyrie, and Samurai.

But I do have to say the choice has grown on me. My favorite thing about Samurai Tamaki is her flower hair piece. Usually, when you see a snap shot of this figure it is from the opposite side so you don't get a clear view of the hair piece. The design really brings out her femininity and adds a pop of color.
I do feel she is a bit scantily clad for my tastes. It is however provocative and displays a sense of strength, neglecting full armor to maximize strength and speed.

The packaging is done in typical Kotobukiya fashion. Individual parts are wrapped in plastic sheets to prevent any paint rubbing. Inside the box it says Tamaki and displays the official FDCGR logo. The package is designed to display her face clearly and there are no obstructions in the way.

Interestingly, my printer ran out of ink today. For some reason I am also out of backup ink cartridges. I definitely want to get a few pictures of this figure with different backgrounds but it will have to wait.

This is a well done figure and a quick rating I might give would be a solid 8 out of 10.
hopefully, more pics to come soon.

Orchid Seed Ryofu Housen

2011-01-20T18:32:00.003-06:00

This is the alternate color for the Orchid Seed Ryofu Housen released at the end of 2007. I bought this used from Mandarake. I actually ordered it at the same time as I did the Toheart2 figures I posted about but the items were at different stores so I decided to have this one shipped SAL instead. it took about two weeks to arrive. I am not an Ikkitousen fan at all and do not typically watch similar shows but I do have some knowledge of the characters. Since the figure is slightly used there is a little bit of discoloration. Part of the reason for the flaws is due to the paint job by Orchid Seed.

For a short rating, here is my impressions. This is a B+ figure and a solid purchase. I like the design, the build quality is good and it has interchangeable parts/ cast-off-able. The downsides would be the chair feels cheaply constructed and the paint... it rubs off and bleeds! It is perfectly normal for older figures to have some paint rubbing. This particular figure though, they used some very rich paint and it rubs off a bit. It mostly occurs on the underside and is not noticeable. As you can see, the chair is very red and some of the red from the cushion has rubbed off onto her skirt. My particular item was man-handled by someone with dirty fingers and I had to clean her arms off, lol... What I wish this figure did have was interchangeable faces. The expression she currently has is just plain. Typically when you put your index finger on your cheek, you smile. Honestly, I have no clue what she is thinking in this pose. Overall I am pleased with this figure but I may not keep it in my collection permanently. In the mean time, into the card board box under the nendoroids she goes!

More Good Smile than I thought

2010-11-15T03:37:00.002-06:00

I have not ordered too many toys this year but recently I got quite a few in. It turns out I have more Good Smile than I thought.
The Alter Saber and the Love Plus I purchased from a sale at hobbysearch. After hearing alot about Mandarake from other people I decided to give them a shot since they take paypal and there is where I found Remillia. Sakuya is from otacute, I pre-ordered her last year or whenever pre-orders were first opened. The K-On Azusa is from ebay.
of course, I have some more goodies I have not shown yet, but we can save them for next time. Below is what the top shelf in my toy cabinet currently looks like. I love my To Heart 2 figures in case you could not tell.

Time for a computer update!

2010-11-11T02:48:00.003-06:00

So, over the past year, the computer has gone through some changes and I thought it might be time to note them.

Cooler master Hyper 212+
Asus PCIE TV Tuner card
OCZ Agility 2 SSD
XFX 6850

I did not add all the parts at once. I have been slowly installing them as needed. The CPU fan was added first. My old 4890 blew hot air out the back but the new GPU blows inside the case. I did not intentionally plan to pull hot air upward. Yes, my CPU temps did go up some but a few degrees is nothing to worry over.

Currently the CPU is clocked between 3.5ghz and 3.6ghz
basically it runs them same load as a stock phenom II 945 while only using 3 cores.

It's hard to see, but there is a tiny Asus TV tuner card right under the XFX 6850. The tuner card has been great for me but many other people have had issues with theirs. Maybe Asus should do a little more R&D in this field.

OCZ Agility 2 SSD is used as my windows boot drive. I still have some other drives inside as well for storage and videos. Honestly, people claim an SSD is amazing but it was not any sort of life changer for me. I bought the SSD to run windows and Final Fantasy XIV. The prices are great right now so if you can afford one it's fine to get one. But if you are on a budget, it's definitely not any sort of deal breaker.

I bought the XFX 6850 to give me a little FPS boost in FFXIV. sadly, that game is so horribly coded I still can't run with ambient occlusion and depth of field on with MSAAx2 at a high resolution and get a respectable frame rate. I overclocked the card a bit but it still falls way too short.

in my opinion FFXIV is the new Crysis. need to test a GPU? Throw FFXIV at it and you are guaranteed to get bad frame rates regardless of how nice your setup is.

I settled for the 6850 instead of the 6870 I wanted because I decided it might be best to save a little money now and be able to upgrade again next year in the late spring. Right after making my purchase I took the extra 100$ and bought me some anime toys which I will post about at a later time.

To Heart2 Ilfa on sale 50% off!

2010-09-10T15:47:00.002-05:00

www.amiami.jp
has Ilfa among other items on sale at great prices.
I recently picked her up already though

This figure is produced by Alter, one of my favorite makers. They also do not re-release stuff, so once she is gone, that is it.

Rin and Saber

2010-06-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

Uh-oh! Now you're in trouble! Rin told Saber and when you get home, boy, are you going to get it! Tohsaka Rin is my favorite figma but Saber is not far behind. I really prefer the casual clothes version over the battle suits. Of course, they are both great to have. Some new Nanoha figures coming out and I am definitely looking forward to the Sakuya figure as well.

Let's make some Gunpla!

2010-05-17T02:29:00.004-05:00

It's been about 10 years since I last built any gundam kits. I honestly do not really like anything super robot anymore. But after watching three hundred and thirteen episodes of Keroro Gunsou I now have the urge to build something great!

Of course, if I am going to place an order to Japan I might as well pick up a few other odds and ends that I can't get anywhere else. The Hayate no Gotoku! Nagi figure was priced very reasonably and looks like a great pose as well. Sadly the quality is quite low as it is one of those sega prize toys like the ones you see in UFO catchers and such. But still, great for Hayate fans to have.

I plan to build the Keroro kits over the next few months and airbrush them. I have some real high expectations that something great is going to happen. In the mean time, I'll have a few fun pics of new figures I have been getting in and maybe a review or two.

Completed my AMD gaming build

2009-06-29T12:52:00.004-05:00

This past year has been a really great year to build your own computer. Well, the economy might not agree, however, computer tech has reached one of it's best price versus performance stages in a long while.
You can build a gaming rig now for under 500$ that would have cost you close to a thousand two years ago.

How is this possible you ask?! Because AMD has come back fighting hard. Yes, we were all worried just the other year about the state of affairs. The first edition quad cores by AMD were really bad, I do not deny this. But things have changed now. Not only that, but ATI is finally reclaiming the ground it lost over the last five or six years. The new HD 4000 series cards are all the rage.

I started building this computer over the past couple of months and I have been slowly adding parts and reached what I think is close to completion.

Parts list:
Gigabyte motherboard MA790GP-UD4H
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Processor
Kingston 1066 DDR2 memory
XFX radeon HD 4890 graphics card
HT Omega Striker sound card
LG Bluray/DVD drive
Corsair TX750w power supply
a total of three hard drives

Remember, if you are on a budget you do not have to purchase everything at once, you can always add things on later as well. So I bet you want to ask, "Potato, why did you add a Bluray drive to your computer?" Because someday... Off in the distant future... Perhaps... Anime will be released on Bluray... that does not suck... in North America...
I am gunning for my friends at Bandai. If there is any company in this world that just lives for the thrill of milking a franchise it is Bandai! And now that Haruhi was remastered into HD I have a feeling our friends are already hard at work drawing up some plans for the future!

Rozen Maiden? Suigintou parts!

2009-03-18T02:49:00.003-05:00

Kleid of the Zuerst Maiden!

Could we have here the start of a spin-off series Rozen Maiden Traumanfang? Probably not! But the dress is nice to have. You can get your own dress at Toys Logic for about 10$.

I thought the actual doll was going to be soft, but is rather hard and not very poseable. It's Ok, because she makes great parts!

To Heart 2 adplus OVA due at end of April

2009-03-16T22:06:00.007-05:00

The newest To Heart 2 Ova should be out around April 24.

There will be a Special edition as usual which includes a short audio drama in a box set, but there will also be an excellent edition which will include a huggable pillow cover, I believe.

This episode should focus on Milfa and Silfa. Of course, I prefer Silfa since I like being abused by my maids.
Official Homepage

What I think about World of Warcraft

2009-03-03T21:10:00.002-06:00

So I've been playing World of Warcraft.

Never really got around to trying this game before so a friend of mine mailed it to me from the UK. We are on an EU server, Ghostlands. Started playing around the second week of January and got to level 80, which is the current end game, about the second week of February.

So what do I think about this game? Well, if you look at the picture on the left you can see there sure are a lot of buttons! I have been playing a cow who can turn into different animals.

What makes WoW a good game are two important features. The first one is you can play solo or you can play in a group. There is no waiting unless you want to wait. To access the best gear in the end game content you must play in a group, but that goes without saying. The second feature is the ability to respec your character for different jobs. That means you and your friends will never have to wait for someone to level a new character to fill a missing role in your parties. The days of looking for a healer or looking for a tank player are mostly over. (albeit, most of the random bad players all level hunter because it's easy! Just don't invite them! I'm kidding.)

The game does have a lot to offer but you can see that it is getting along in years. While I leveled most no one was in the older content. That is a shame because so many dungeons and areas are just wasted now. Everyone plays end game- and that's it.

One nice thing about WoW is that you can stop in a dungeon (called a raid) and pick up where you left off next time you come back. This makes it easier for average players but it really helps with the time contstraints of people having different life schedules. The raid resets itself once a week, so you have a full week to get everything done.

When WoW first came out I said to msyelf, "I don't want to play this." I did not like the day glow colors and I don't particularly like orcs and trolls, etc. Games like Ultima online never really appealed to me due to the, how should I put this? more grotesque fantasy style. However, WoW is clean and the game engine itself is really polished. If you like online games and have some friends I really recommend this. Once you get past the beginning pretense there is a lot to keep you busy for a long while.

Made of 100% imported parts.

2009-01-18T06:16:00.005-06:00

Here we are at the Phoenix airport

Went on a ski trip over the holidays. Pretty fun.
While in transit stopped by a Jody Maroni's. If you like greasy food this is good. Definitely recommend it. They have them on the West coast.

On the way back home stopped in again while in transit but they had just closed before I arrived.

Hot dogs made from Kobe beef? Yep. Normally I am not impressed by such gimmicks as Kobe beef is quite readily available here in Dallas. However, this place is a good (not healthy) place to eat.

Towards the North。

2008-12-25T07:53:00.003-06:00

White Illumination

Did you know? On rare winter nights, it is said that special snow falls on cloudless nights. This is known as the diamond dust. If two people come together on the night of the diamond dust, it is said that their lives will be forever blessed.

Every year Sapporo holds an event at Odori Park called the White Illumination. This is where all the trees lining the walkway are lit with lights for the first time during the Winter.

One of my favorite games of all time is 北へ。It was one of the first Dreamcast titles available. I remember spending close to 300$ on an Import Dreamcast just to play this even though the launch of the North American console was very close. Over the lifespan of the system I think I ended up with five or six consoles in all. And that is how I started spending lots of money on my silly hobbies ;)
Oh, and Merry Christmas!

A few Touhou CDs arrived today

2008-12-23T15:12:00.006-06:00

Ordered some items from Palette web and I picked up a couple music CDs also. The green CD at the top right is a bit older, but it is one of my favorites. I also like the Iosys wine CD and believe it or not the 100￥ ones are good too.

The LimeGreen audio CD in the DVD box on the left only has 5 audio tracks and costs more than the regular ones. Maybe because it is sold at event only? Anyway, it is decent but not too good. You can listen to some here. Having a DVD case with Flanders on it is pretty sexy though, maybe I will put something else inside? :love:

Dreamtech not so dreamy?

2008-12-22T11:40:00.014-06:00

Kohsaka Tamaki Black maid version

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking Wave's figure quality is all over the place. Anything made of soft rubber seems to get the dreamtech stamp. But rest assured, our wonderful Kohsaka Tamaki is 100% pure dream.

What makes this figure so special you ask? For starters, most dreamtech figures are made with a soft plastic/rubber. It is ply-able and feels nice to the touch. In fact this figure has more than one kind of material built into it; I'll expand on that in a minute. Secondly, the paint is high quality. The legs and shoes have had a nice pearly gloss added to them. The hair might have been cast in red material, I'm not positive though.

As I said this figure was made of many kinds of materials this is what I mean.
Wave puts it, "Feels so good! Soft material!"
Literally. Her chest is made of special soft rubber. NOT that I would know, of course!

I forget what you call this style undergarments? You can see support detail added on the zettai ryouiki.

One thing you may have noticed is that this figure is quite large. It is marked at 1/6th scale, but it might be a bit bigger. Kinda doesn't match with the Kotobukiya kits, but it kinda does. This is the only draw back as placing her next to other figures makes her look too big.

Now for a little maid fan service from Konomi.

The black maid version of Tamaki is actually a limited edition. Cost me a crazy premium trying to find it but I know of a few places you can order it reasonably now if you are looking for one.

Final thoughts:
Yes, this figure is well worth the high retail price. If you are looking for a To Heart figure to buy (that is relatively display safe) this is the one you want. Pink is readily available at most shops and true to the game series. The black will cost you a tad bit more.
official Wave website

My Heart case?! Display case update

2008-12-18T06:38:00.003-06:00

A month or two ago I posted about how great a value the IKEA detolf case was and purchased one to build. Well, I have not really had time to find the lighting system I had visioned, so I have been filling it with toys!

Someone told me before that I have a lot of To Heart 2 figures... Well, it's true. There are still more in a box :x
I have lots of Love Hina stuff too... Are people new to anime still discovering Love Hina?

Update, password for album is: toheart2
Be sure to click either of the pictures or here to see the whole album!

I think what I'll do about the lighting is just add 3 more lights and just flood the whole case! A good tip is to put the lights towards the front of the case. If the lights are in the back it will cast shadows on their heads and look dark in the front.

Oh, and in case I'm not back this week, Merry Christmas!

Have you heard of Nicomimi?

2008-12-15T02:22:00.007-06:00

Most people know what nico douga is, but do you know what nicomimi is?

Nicomimi is a place for people to share music. Most of the nico douga video songs can be found here in MP3 format.

You can search by entering the nico douga video number "sm____" or by entering a key word or theme in the google search bar at the very top. Most searchs need to be in Japanese text but there are plenty of series that use English, such as, To Heart 2! I like to search for the numerous Touhou remixes.

Well what if I can't find the song I want on Nicomimi? I guess Potato can teach you the 'underhanded' method. First you will need to be able to download videos from Nico Douga or other flash video sites. Try downloadhelper, a firefox add on.

Next you will need to extract the music. An amazing program is called FLV_extract. Just open FLV_extract, drag and drop your FLV video into it, and wall-ah! All done! Now you can listen to Lucky Star Douga wherever you go!

Buy Two figures get one free!

2008-11-29T11:48:00.006-06:00

Toys Logic Website click here
If you have not heard, Toys logic is having a sale, buy two in stock items, get a third item of equal or lesser value for free! Items must be in stock, pre-order items do not qualify. You must check out normally and submit processing for all three items, however, the lowest priced item will be credited back to you. Sale ends tomorrow!

This is what I bought:
Tabitha
Tsukasa
Haurhi

Youtube using a new Widescreen Format

2008-11-25T20:03:00.007-06:00

WS video
official info
Not sure if it's just a beta, but the new format is nice. If your old videos were in decent quality they appear to be preserved so you do not have to upload them again. No more of that yucky zoom, bleh!
I hear this is a response to be more competitive with Hulu and NicoDouga perhaps? Either way, anything widescreen instantly warrants my attention :)

Nintendo hacks Animal Crossing

2008-11-24T14:39:00.004-06:00

Sort of.

In the recent game City Folk for Wii, Nintendo included a nice feature where you can adjust time on the fly. This is great, especially for me, since I have better things to do on my holidays then to log into Animal Crossing and marathon four hours straight.

However, one thing they neglected to compensate for was the online disparity. We all know the online play is pretty sad and many of us were offended with Nintendo's friend code garbage. There is no real 'City' in City folk. But what if one person was able to 'exist' at a point in time where goods are commonly available and someone else 'online' is able to coexist at the point where those same goods have become scarce and are being purchased for quadruple the original cost? Like Tom Nook says, it's all about the turnip prices, am I right?
picture from flickr

Tissue Princess

2008-11-22T07:16:00.006-06:00

One of the great things about streaming video websites is the ability to share your talents with others. If you have not heard, one such beautiful phenomenon is our beloved Tissue Princess.

Something else that's really popular is taking all the videos posted and combining them into one. I like this one here:
Mix Video

Pic of Tissue princess taken from Konachan, original can be found on pixiv
Tissue princess videos originally on nico video

Really good Coffee

2008-11-21T03:01:00.004-06:00

Yep, really good coffee.

I myself am not a daily coffee drinker. I tend to sleep 8hours daily so when I wake up I don't need a pep-start. I like my drinks sweet, so it's more like having a little coffee in my milk.

Normally, I detest bitter tastes; however, this coffee is 'different.' Starbucks, Seattle, Cafe du Monde, they all kind of taste like plain coffee to me. That's not a bad thing. But with illy, after having a cup, I said, "Wow, that's some good coffee."

Of course, Nagato prefers a nice dark roast. You should be able to find it in most higher end grocery stores. World Market should have it for sure. Now don't get too excited! This coffee comes at a price. A roughly fifteen dollar price. Is it worth it? You should definitely try it at least once. Remember, if you plan to use a regular drip brewer, you want the ground, not the whole beans. Also, take care not to grab the green 'decaffinated' can if you need your caffeine.

Do you approve when the voice cast changes from game to anime?

2008-11-20T07:48:00.005-06:00

Voice casts change for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes they are legitimate. In Honey and Clover, a male voice actor was injured in an accident so a stand-in worked on a few episodes while he recovered. But sometimes I believe voice actor's change for more 'dubious' reasons. I'm sure DaCapo fans know what I'm talking about. Whether it's ethical or not, adding the name "Yui Horie" to the cast will undoubtedly increase sales. Not that she would actually appear in a visual novel, mind you.

I personally prefer to keep the same cast for the game and the anime. Please don't misunderstand, I support and approve of voice actress' who refuse to do any type of explicit adult recordings, but I also strongly feel that if someone else did accept the terms of the original character that they also should have the first offer to continue to represent that character.

It's just a minor role, but the voice actor for Kohno Taka-Aki is different in Another Days than the one who has been recording the TV series for more than a year now. Why the change? Does anyone know? This is actually a 'reverse' of what this topic is about since we are going from anime back to game, but the principal is the same.

Only Ikuno's path is voiced. What I find really amusing is that when you first start, an option pops up right away "Would you like to enter your name?" and does not automatically give you the option to play as Kohno. It feels like they are telling you, "This guy is a fake!" w...

Did you know Kotobukiya makes Glasses?

2008-11-15T00:12:00.002-06:00

Yuma Tonami

When I first saw this figure earlier this summer I did not like it. "Why do they always give Yuma weird poses?" I thought. But then I saw this...

The maid version of Yuma came with glasses?! Why didn't any of the official box pictures state this?! Well, as it turns out, she does not come with the glasses but you can purchase them separately. The glasses come in two color packages; silver or black. You can order the black ones here.

Jyoji Resource took these pictures over the summer. When I glanced over them I did not really pay attention. Apparently he added the glasses himself. They are made by Kotobukiya and come at great prices. They should fit on most any 1/6 or 1/8 figure, just slide them in between the hair cast and the side of the face. Be sure to check Jyoji's page for some very 'nice' pics!

You can check out more pics at Akiba Blog and alter color version at Akiba Hobby.

The fun of Translation

2008-11-12T17:12:00.001-06:00

When asked what is a translation, many people would probably reply that it is converting words from one language to another. Although this is fundamentally correct, the true beauty of translation lies not within the words, but is held deep inside the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that those words try to convey.

And that, friends, is where the fun comes in! Most anime fans I have talked to seem to think that accuracy in translations is most important. Of course, we do not want to put words in the original author's mouth, but by aiming solely to translate word for word, the accuracy of those original thoughts behind the words begins to become skewed. By 'localizing' a translation into a different culture, you can better convey those feelings the author originally intended to portray.

Just for fun, I take this idea one step further and try to harmonize a song to a specific anime character. It's a little more complicated with matching voices and personalities, but it's quite fun when you have the time.

IKEA! Let's build a cabinet!

2008-11-04T18:01:00.004-06:00

Five years ago, if someone would have said, "Let's go to IKEA!" I would have laughed. It is not that I did not like home improvement and decor, but I had always felt that IKEA was just toy furniture and needed to be assembled similar to a plastic model kit.

Now that over half of my furniture comes from IKEA it doesn't seem so funny anymore. So what would an Otaku~ish person find interesting at IKEA? Bookcases and display cases obviously!
Work in progress
I just recently purchased this case and am currently playing with different light set-ups

To make your own case, this is what you will need:

a Detolf display case

Furniture lighting, Grundtal 3 pack (I am using nickel-plated)

3M Double-sided mounting tape, usually used for things like mirrors (you can use screws to mount the lights, but when you want to rearrange them it will leave holes)

Mini-clippable spotlights (sadly, I have not found ones I like yet, IKEA does offer a few book case lights, but I don't like them, I will be trying some over the next few weeks)

Remember, lights get hot! Be sure not to cover up their air vent holes and don't put them too close to your figures! To be safe, don't leave the lights on when you are not viewing the case. Always keep figures out of direct sunlight! To help hide electrical cords you can buy plastic shrink wrap tubing, I believe at IKEA it is called Montera.

No, this is not my whole collection. Hopefully, over the next few weeks I'll get the lighting squared away and post pics of the complete case. Please post any suggestions on lighting or background displays! I still have not decided if I should just leave the back of the case clear or to cover it up.

Shugo Chara episode 56 review

2008-11-01T01:30:00.004-05:00

The power behind the throne.

The long anticipated return of the former Queen has finally arrived. But just as you guessed, there is only one spot to fill so fate has dealt her cards.

Yet, life goes on.

So what if the girl you fantasized about once in a while turned out to be a boy? Naw, you are probably still straight. Maybe a little confused, but that's Ok.

The truth hurts.

Tell one small white lie and the next comes right along. But where would the fun be in stopping here? I did not forsee the Jack and the Queen facing off from the start with a charade battle, but there is loads of potential for fun ahead.

What do I think about group Character transformations? There must be an anime convention nearby. Shugo Chara doki does have some interesting stories underneath but the show has been watered-down to your random enemy of the week that getting through all the dilution makes it pretty tough to swallow. Stick with the comic book. However, you can bet I'll peek at all the future Nadeshiko episodes as they come around ;)
Will a Rima and Nagihiko pairing surface? At the very least, maybe some slapping action will come about!

Megane-Ko!

2008-10-29T01:22:00.005-05:00

Can you tell what's going on here?

I'm sure all the big To Heart 2 fans will see it right away. Yes! We have Megane-Ko and Pettan-Ko! It's a shame that the original sculpt of Yuma did not come with glasses. The original production was quite a long time ago and accessories were not really economical at the time I guess. Or maybe the artist was not a Yuma fan; I sure hope not! These glasses belong to Charu, btw. Do you consider Ikuno Pettan? Or you prefer to think of her as Tsun-dere?

If you have not heard, right now bigbadtoystore.com is having a big sale. A few nice To Heart 2 figures are on sale for under 20$ USD. Notably, Yochi and Charu. You can also pick up the maid version of Manaka for about 35$. HLJ and Hobby Search are also having a figure sale. I was able to pick up a Sasara along with Shiro from Fortune Arterial. They should arrive sometime next week.

Even coarse tea has flavor when freshly brewed~

2008-10-26T00:25:00.008-05:00

番茶も出花
'Bancha mo debana'

Thus' is my favorite phrase to say in Japanese. Indeed, it deserves much time to ponder and reflect upon over a warm cup of tea. I translate it as, "Even plain girls grow up beautiful."

According to WWWJDIC, "Even a homely girl looks beautiful at the peak of her youth." Literally, it would read: coarse tea also brews freshly.

Here is my favorite figma and my favorite revoltech (Moyashimon revoltech is not out yet :eyespin:)
I know the picture is a little blurry, sorry about that. First time trying to get the light to bounce off the moon onto the figure but in the end it didn't work out.

Figma Headache

2008-10-17T15:59:00.006-05:00

Finally decided to bite the bullet and order Fate Testarossa (or Fate T. Harlaown for you dedicated fans) at an inflated price. The price was not too bad at 35$ actually. With shipping it came out just over 40$. Ordered this figure off of Amazon.com which is rare for me to do as I only order books and CDs from them usually.

Anyway, the package arrived in 3 days time and I was all smiles until I heard, *clink* *clink* inside the box. Oh-no, please not something wrong, I have not even opened the box yet! (all figma boxes *clink* as they contain individual parts :eyespin:)

Sadly, when I looked inside, Fate was in two halves, seperated at the torso. Either this was a problem at the factory or Elvis Presley was driving the mail truck since there had to have been a whole-lot-a-shaking going on. Upon closer inspection there seems to have been a manufacturing problem with the I-joint assembly that holds the upper body to the pelvic area. I tried to press it in hard, but it still pops out. It seems the inside of the Pelvis was not machined round enough so the I-joint does not seat properly inside. I could dremel it out but that might make the figure loose which is a far worse scenario.

In the end, I pressed it in as hard as I could without damaging the legs and it seems to hold well enough. As long as I do not bend her body section there are no problems, but it does limit the pose-ability, and should we as consumers have to 'settle' for defects in brand new goods? This is the 3rd figma I own and all three of them have had some 'issue' in regards to the quality of manufacturing. I am very grateful that Max Factory tries to keep their prices very low with great craftsmanship, however, if the original quality is not reaching the consumers then that is a bigger issue than saving a few dollars.

EDIT:
After applying the fingernail varnish like Anonymous suggested, it works good enough. This is only a temporary fix as fingernail varnish is made to come off after time. This is good since it does not damage the figure. The figure is able to hold its pose as long as needed, but it did come loose once I began moving the joint around. I applied a new coat and everything is all better. A more permanent solution might be model varnish, but I am not brave enough to try that.

Domo-kun at Target stores!

2008-10-10T07:20:00.002-05:00

If you have not been to Target recently then most likely you have not heard about the Domo-kun campaign! For the current season you can now buy Domo-kun goods varying from candy to dolls at most Target stores at great prices. Anyone who has imported Domo-kun goods over the past few years knows how much of a premium most companies charge. Target is selling the small plushies for slightly over 7$ USD and you can even get little candy bags like these for just over 4$! It's definitely something fun to look into if you plan to give some candy to your friends. Don't forget to pick up the Domo-kun vampire teeth sweets!

Dai Mahou Touge!

2008-10-08T03:14:00.003-05:00

Dai Mahou Touge!

A new figure is coming out by Wave scheduled for a spring release next year. It just happens to be none other than, Punie, from Dai Mahou Touge!

The show was released as an OVA set sometime back in 2006. Why did they just recently decide on a figure? who knows.

If you are not familiar with the series, it's about a princess who has come to earth to train for her role as the new queen. What the surprise is, how one becomes the queen. The series is a very violent comedy. There is nothing obscene but sometimes there can be blood and broken bones. If you have seen Dokuro-chan this is along the same lines. Punie's catch phrase? "Because submission is a Princess' way..."

This figure is modeled after the official art work, and I like that. Coincidentally, the series is scheduled to be released in North America very soon through Media Blasters. Th official name has been changed to Magical Witch Punie-Chan.

More figure information
DVD information

Tokimeki Memorial Bargain!

2008-10-05T08:16:00.000-05:00

Tokimeki Memorial is one of the first console dating sims that was released wayy back, maybe 15 years ago, on the PC engine also know as the turbo graphx 16 CD in NA.

Last year another rendition of the series was released in anime form. The show has a decent story with good animation quality. But is it worth buying? Well, not since it is only R2 DVD in Japan without english subtitles atm. However, I came across a good deal recently for the series.

Right now on Ebay you can pick up volumes 1-8 special editions for the low price of 10$ each.

That is a steal considering they each sold for around 65$ originally. There are 9 volumes in all so you will have to fork over a bit more for the last box in the series.

Why would you want to buy the Japanese release you ask? Well, the chances of the show being released in NA is a bit low right now. Besides, the boxes are very pretty and great to add to any fans collection.

Welcome!

2008-10-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello! This is Potato! Welcome to my blog!

Ya~h, so why are you making a blog, you ask? No particular reason other than to blog with everyone else! Anything I find interesting we can post it here! Let's a go-go!