Cool and Spicy

Kagami Goes Out

anonymous_object — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:59:07 +0000

I was going through some of my older photos and forgot I some more Kagami doll pics! These are from last Fall, before it became (completely) cold and drearily gray >_<
Thought I’d share them before they are too ancient ;)

Kagami didn’t want to play at first and was hiding up in a tree ^^;

Was eventually able to convince Kagami to go for a walk :)

Found a nice tree where Kagami could relax under the shade during a break in the clouds.

Back indoors. Kagami was going to try her hand at the piano but got embarrassed and wouldn’t play ^^;

Last pic, hope you liked them :)

I have a few more Kagami photos from last Fall that I will be posting soon ^^

Art Watch #6

anonymous_object — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:58:02 +0000

Got another edition of Art Watch for you and there once again lots of lovely ladies for your enjoyment! Here are some of my favorites images from the last couple weeks ^^

Rio-senpai from Sora no Woto. Recently picked up this series after getting several recommendations for it. Like it a lot so far! Image is by Nekopuchi.

Ohoho, Kagami in dressing mode. And in a miko outfit at that! Like very much :D Artist is Kisaragi Miyu.

Aya from Touhou. I mainly like this image because the artist made it look like a photograph with the bokeh effects. Very cool ^^ Artist is nauribon.

Not a huge Miku fan but this pic is really cute ^^. Artist is Yamakaze Ran.

Every Rie Kugimiya tsundere in one place! What are the odds? ^^; Artist is Kakiton.

Sawako (not Sadoko!) and Kazehaya from Kimi ni Todoke. Need to catch up on the last couple episodes… Artist is Sarachi Yomi.

I really don’t know much about the Idolm@ster characters but I love most of the fanart ^^; Artist is Ponnetsu.

Moelicious K-ON! imouto, Ui. Artist is Hide.

Just liked the atmosphere to this image. Setting looks WW2-era. Artist is Fuzi Choko.

I’ve never heard anyone nickname her Gami, but it is kind of cute ^^. Artist is Pide.

Wa-wa-wa-wasuremono… Always make sure you put on all your clothes before going to school! Artist is plasm.

卒業！ Artist is Hanabana.

And to finish things off… a super, ultra cute 4koma featuring Hong Meiling. “Confessing to glasses Meiling”. Ningyo would like this if he saw it ;) Artist is Uruugekka.

Thanks for viewing!

Osaka + Sakaki by Kotobukiya

anonymous_object — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:46:25 +0000

Hmmm, I’m not doing a very good job at keeping up with figure posts ^^; Well, these arrived about a week ago so they’re not that old ;)

What we have here is Osaka and Sakaki from the excellent 4koma and anime Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma. The 4 paneled manga was released from 1999 through 2002 and an anime of the same name aired during 2002. If you’ve never heard of Azumanga, you’ve probably been living under an anime rock (what are those like?). Anyway, the manga is probably better than the anime, but both are great xD.

Kotobukiya has released the first two Azumanga girls from their Legend Girls series, Osaka and Sakaki. Let’s start with Ayumi “Osaka” Kasuga ^^.

In this 1/7 scale figure series by Kotobukiya, the Azu girls are all donning their favorite swimsuits. Osaka here prefers her red one piece suit. She kind of has a zoned out look to her, as she seemingly stares off into space. Of course, if you know Osaka, you also know that this is not entirely unlike her xD

Osaka has an optional water float that you can put around her. Her legs are removable and must be taken off to put the float on.

I think Osaka looks incredibly cute from this angle ^^

*jiiiiiiiiii*

Released alongside Osaka is the fan-favorite Sakaki. Never has there been such an difference in, ahem, physical stature xD Poor Osaka is as flat as a board ^^;

Sakaki has a rather small yellow bikini on and is catching some rays. Quite nice ^^

Sadly, however, the build quality of these two figures is a bit lacking. Osaka, for example, does not really fit her water float. When I tried to attach it, her arm and hand do not rest where they should. Instead you get a big gap between her hand and her leg, when her hand should be resting comfortable on her knee. Also, Osaka in general is not balanced correctly. With or without her float, she does not sit level on both legs. Her right extended leg is lower and causes her other leg to hang a bit above the surface on which she is placed. Also, when you put her float on, her legs don’t give enough room for the float and as a result don’t fit entirely back into their sockets, leaving a small seam.

Sakaki also has some problems. While she does lay level on a surface, the molding quality (or lack thereof) seems more apparent. Although these figures are in swimsuits and thus have minimal clothing details, the edges on Sakaki’s bikini is quite rough in some areas, especially on the bottom piece. Also, Sakaki’s more skin-exposing suit reveals some flaws in the skin tones. Both of the figures have a very white skin tone, which certainly could have been the desired look, but some parts of Sakaki’s skin looks a bit rough, almost as if it were scuffed. Also, Sakaki’s hair design is extremely simplistic (overly so).

Don’t get me wrong, these figures are not horrible, they’re just not high quality ^^; And seeing as how there’s not many Azumanga Daioh figures around, they’re still a bit unique. Plus, they were pretty cheap! Scored Osaka for 3,840 yen and Sakaki for 4,650 from Amiami. If you like Azumanga, you want want to pick them up. Kotobukiya is releasing Kagura soon and I’m betting more of the Azu girls will follow.

Speaking of Azumanga, I still need to read the new parts Azuma wrote for the anniversary edition. And I still need to pick up Yotsubato! vol. 9. Love that series ^^. Maybe I should get one of the Revoltech Yotsuba action figures?

Yui gets a new outfit

anonymous_object — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:41:10 +0000

I have already dressed Kagami in a different outfit, so now it’s Yui’s turn! Decided to go with some a little more naughty for Yui ^^;
Say hello to little devil Yui ^^

Yui guarding the gates of hell?

“Stop! None shall pass without the express written consent of Hirasawa Yui, little devil version!”

“I’m serious, I won’t let you by!”

“Why would you want to travel to hell anyway? It’s really hot here!”

“Ok, you’ve forced me to take action!” *Stab!*

The boots are quite nice ^^b

Ok, enough nonsense xD. Yui’s outfit came from three individual pieces: The dress (top, skirt, cuffs), the knee high leather boots, and the silver trident. Each was sold separately but were obviously meant to go together ^^.

Complete with cute bat wings :D

Yui’s outfit by Azone was purchased at Hobby Search. The total price for all three pieces was about 4700 yen. A bit pricey but the outcome is amazing! You can find the items here: Dress, boots, and trident.

Art Watch #5

anonymous_object — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:07:47 +0000

So, yeah… the last Art Watch “Week” I posted was back in October. I have to say, the weekly feature has not turned out so well. And for that reason, I am terminating Art Watch Week and will just be doing Art Watch from now on ^^; No more weekly schedules. I will be posting my favorite images from e-shuushuu when I am able to do so. Hopefully that will still be roughly once a week but I will not longer pretend that it will be every time ^^;

And with that out of the way, how about some pretty pictures? :D

Starting with a cute Sakura + Chii combo by CLAMP. If you like the style, you should check out CLAMP’s original CCS art, it’s amazing!

A really beautiful (and super blue) example of Cirno from Touhou by artist Onineko.

I like Sakura. Can you tell? ^^. Artist is Rui.

I’m not a serious Yoko fan but this pic is awesome. I really like Yoko with her hair down ^^. Artist is Kiui.

Off to war… by Monako

Just a cute twin-tailed shoujo. Artist is Meito.

Amu ^^. Named my site after this girl, so yeah, I like her :D Artist is Hyuga.

Happy Valentine’s from Meiling. Artist is Uruugekka.

Ah, I like a girl in uniform xD. By Vania600.

Freya x Chii, not so bad :) By m i K o t o *

BRS by Emuke.

Alice x Marisa ^^. By Tokiryou Nozumi.

Cute girls + Mizugi by Takoyaki. ’nuff said ;)

Still need to finish this series… Art by Nae.

Delicious strawberries… Artist is Kouta.

Scenic pic by MOSH.

Last but not least: Kagami as Mikoto :D Artist is Pide.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

anonymous_object — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:56:32 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day from me and Kagami! I hope everyone has a good day (and some yummy chocolate) ^^

1/7 Basketball Kyou by Wave

anonymous_object — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:58:49 +0000

Seeing as how I’m about half a dozen figures behind in reviews, I decided it was time to stop being lazy and post pretty pictures. This time ’round it’s Fijibayashi Kyou from the popular visual novel and hit anime series Clannad. Did anyone else watch it? ;) Kyou is one of my all time favorite characters so I couldn’t help but to pick her up last August.

WAVE has rendered Kyou in the school gym uniform she uses during her basketball activities. The key parts of the outfit are, of course, the distinctive red bloomers and white thigh highs. Sure, it’s a completely unrealistic outfit for an actual high school student to be wearing, but that’s what makes it fun xD This is the outfit Kyou wore during the infamous ‘locked in storage shed’ scene. You remember that, right? Here’s a reminder, just in case ^^

Yes, that scene. 3/4 through episode 17 if you want to see it again ;)

At 1/7 scale, this Kyou figure is slightly larger the 1/8 scale that most figures come, but the size difference is barely noticeable and I would probably easily mistake it for 1/8 if I didn’t know the actual scale.

WAVE paid nice attention to the important parts ^^;

Kyou carries the basketball from practice. It’s perhaps a bit too shiny/smooth. Anyway, do you like this photo?

Or do you prefer this one? xD

One of my main gripes with this figure is Kyou’s hair. It’s a bit clumpy and simplistic but beyond that it had rough molding. Some of the edges and corners weren’t cleanly cut and had small fragments loose. From normal viewing distance, this is not really apparent but with these macro shots, it can be seen (in this photo in particular).

I do like the figure’s pose. Kyou is in her gym uniform, basketball in hand, seemingly in the middle of practice. It’s quite fitting that she has a look of confidence on her face and her pose is with her in a self-assured mid-step forward. Seems like an accurate reflection of her strong-willed, athletic personality.

As a final parting shot, I’ve included Wave’s 1/7 scale Kyou beside Kotobukiya’s 1/8 scale Kyou from 2005. That Kyou was one of my very first figures and is still one of my favorites. She is very well made, especially her hair ^^. I wish I had the other Clannad figures from Kotobukiya’s set >_<

Anyway, this review is about Wave’s Kyou, not Kotobukiya’s ^^; Wave’s Kyou was released back in August 2009 and retailed for about 7000￥. Upon writing this post, I discovered that Wave is re-releasing Kyou in May 2010 ^^. Unfortunately, it looks like pre-orders are already closed at Hobby Search and Amiami but she might still be up for order elsewhere. So, my verdict on the figure? The hair problems and an imperfect paint job keep me from recommending it highly, but for any Kyou fan (or even Clannad in general), I would say yes as it is the best Kyou figure since Kotobukiya’s 2005 version (released before the anime aired). Personally, I am a satisfied owner :D

Another review for Kyou over at Tentacle Armada.

“Super” Tsukasa & Miyuki (FREEing)

anonymous_object — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:14:56 +0000

It’s quite a while since I’ve done a proper figure review, hasn’t it? ^^;
Time to change that! This time, I have a special treat. Following the Super Konata and Super Kagami reviews from last year, it’s a Super Tsukasa and Super Miyuki double review! These lovely ladies round out the last two entries of FREEing’s 1/4 scale Lucky Star set.

Let’s start with Tsukasa Hiiragi, shall we? She’s Kagami’s silly yet bubbly happy “younger” sister. She’s not really a younger sister since they’re twins, but Kagami was born first. I wonder if that’s tough as a twin; to be the younger one of the two xD

Like the rest of the FREEing figures in this set, Tsukasa comes dressed in her school gym uniform. She is a member of class 3-B along with Konata and Miyuki. Poor Kagami is stuck over in 3-C >_<. I bet she wishes she was in 3-B with Konata ^^;

Tsukasa is pretty cute, right? ^^ FREEing decided to go with a happy, super enthusiastic pose for Tsukasa. Clenching her fists in front of her chest with a huge smile on her face, I can almost her hear saying, “頑張って！” (ganbatte!). Perhaps she is rooting for Konata? あ、さすがこなちゃんすごいねー.

Tsukasa in her entirety. Tsukasa gets her own pink “Lucky” star as a base. かわいいでしょう? ^^

Like Kona-chan and her sister before her, Tsukasa is inherently cast off-able. Well, since her clothes are actual fabric and be exchanged, it’s kind of necessary ^^; Anyway, it wouldn’t be a complete review without some clothes-less pics, right? ;)

!! Shimapan! And pink ones at that. But let’s not focus on such uncouth things ^^;

Ok, fine, just one more pic! Even I have to admit, Tsukasa has a nice body xD. Ok, really, no more of this. You can put your clothes back on, Tsukasa ^^;

眼鏡子！(meganeko). Yep, it’s everyone’s favorite bespectacled moe-girl, Miyuki Takara ^^.

もえもえドジっ娘？(moe moe dojikko?) Well, this dojikko is also conveniently the most well endowed among the Lucky Star girls. A dangerous combination, I think ^^;

Miss Takara from class 3-B also happens to be a know-it-all ^^; If sexy moe + clumsy is a dangerous combination, then sexy moe + clumsy + genius is a downright lethal combination xD

Painted fingernails. A nice detail and one that is present for all four of the girls.

The glasses FREEing included for Miyuki are made of plastic, but they don’t look bad. I would have preferred them to at least have rims though.

A complete look at Miyuki. FREEing chose to go with a pose that, well, accentuates Miyuki’s formidable figure ^^; As if captured in a photograph, Miyuki is in mid-step forward with her upper torso leaning forward. Not my favorite pose of the four, but not so bad ^^.

Once again, it’s cast-off time! >_<;
Miyuki’s maximum risky curves are all the more apparent when she takes off her gym uniform.

But, what’s this? No shimapan!? Miyuki decides to deny otakus’ their favorite pattern and instead goes for traditional, white undergarments. Still, a white pantsu is fine too :D

Sadly, one downside to the cast-off-ability of these figures means they must have removable limbs in order for the clothes to be swapped. This means that each figure has seams at various locations on their arms and legs. The leg seams are pretty well hidden but as you can see in the above image, some of the arm seams are rather noticable. Of course, this is only seen when their clothes are removed from the figures and that’s not exactly their natural state xD

Side view that really examplifies Lucky Star’s most mature character.
Alright, we’re done with the ecchi pics now ^^;

Mass naked child event? I jest, I jest. They’re not kids, they’re nearly adults, remember? xD
Let’s see… from right to left: pink shimapan, blue shimapan, purple shimapan, and white pantsu! Ultimate array of pantsu?

Here is a more modest photo of the four Lucky Star girls. Quite appealing, aren’t they? ^^. I know some people don’t like the simplistic hair styling and facial features, but that’s an accurate representation of the anime look =P. There were also some complaints about the characters’ poses, but I have to say, having them all together like this, I like them! Kagami especially has grown on me. I was the most skeptical of her winking pose but I can honestly say that I like it. Put her next to Konata and it all makes sense xD

If you’re interested in these figures, they can still be found, though likely at an inflated cost. Tsukasa was released back in October and Miyuki was released in late December. Unfortunately, they are all sold out at Hobby Search, Amiami, HLJ, Otacute, etc. They can still be found on ebay and Yahoo Japan Auctions but expect to pay extra. Rakuten shows some of the figures at reasonable prices but I don’t have any experience dealing with them (anyone know?).

While I am very satisfied with this 1/4 scale set of figures by FREEing as they are, I’m delighted to say that I will be getting even more enjoying out of them in the future with some additional outfits! Pictures of the new outfits below:

I just might be getting these bonus outfits in the near future ^_~

And with that, I will conclude this post. So while it was a bit costly to do so, I am glad I was able to complete this giant 1/4 scale set by FREEing. For a dedicated Lucky Star fan, this may be the set may be the pinacle in Lucky Star figures (physically and metaphorically xD). As for the extra outfits, stay tuned for that and thanks for visiting ;)

Superbowl Time!

anonymous_object — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:37:46 +0000

Completely non-anime related, but today is the Superbowl! Normally, I wouldn’t post something like this but the Indianapolis Colts fought their way to the game this year and I just happen to reside in Indianapolis ^^. Everyone around here is really excited with parties going on all over the place ^^. Game starts in just 3 hours. Go Colts!

In other, more anime-related news, the Wonder Festival is going on and lots of delicious figures and such have been displayed. I’ve already spent wayyy more than I should have on some limited edition items and even more tempt me ;_;

Also! Just finished Mass Effect 2 last night. Was an excellent game ^^. Spent 38 hours in game. Not quite the 60+ hours I put into Dragon Age: Origins but not definitely can’t be called a short game ^^. So looking forward to Mass Effect 3 now :D

That’s all for now… maybe another post tonight or tomorrow!

January Loots

anonymous_object — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:26:36 +0000

Didn’t plan on spending much in January but still managed to acquire a few items ^^; Just a quick rundown on the various items I procured.

First up is the disc media. Rightstuf happened to run a sale on Ouran late last month so I picked it up. Then a few weeks later, they had another sale on Funimation items. Yeah, I know Funimation doesn’t have the best reputation but I really enjoyed Ouran so figured it would be worth it. Also, grabbed Spice and Wolf since my interest in the series has been renewed recently (more on that in a bit). A few Kodocha volumes I needed to complete my collection went along with the order.

Aside from the anime DVDs, also grabbed Valkyria Chronicles for PS3. I’ve been wanting to play this game since its release and since I spotted it for a mere $20, I went for it. Not one for JRPGs these days, but I’m liking it so far. Combat system is a bit quirky at points but it’s fun ^^. Mass Effect 2 is taking game-time priority though ^^;

Hoihoi-san is next! Yeah, I know this is an old release (Fall 2009) but the store I ordered her from was not too reliable and they just this month shipped her out to me… Probably won’t be ordering there again. If you’ve never heard of Hoihoi-san, she’s a small robot that is made to exterminate bugs and also to be irresistibly cute xD. Check out the OVA if you want to see more. Here, she is a pre-painted model kit so assembly is required but it doesn’t look too hard. I have not had a chance to put her together yet. Her miniature rival, Combat-san is also getting the model kit treatment soon! :D

Moving on, I’ve got a few treats for my doll daughters. The Christmas dress is actually the red version of the one Kagami wore for Christmas. Hobby Search sent the wrong color by mistake and so they sent out an additional one at no charge. First time I’ve had a problem with a Hobby Search order and they took care of it nicely. That means I’ve got two of the outfits for next Christmas ^^.

Also from Hobby Search, I ordered an additional Obitsu Body stand and a pair of 1/6 scale high-heeled strap shoes. The stand is same type as I used for posing Yui earlier, just clear instead of blue. It worked really well so I bought another one. The shoes are actually in anticipation for a new outfit I have ordered for the dolls. Will have photos of that when it arrives ^^.

Books! And they’re not manga either ^^; Decided to give light novels a try (also from a recent Rightstuf sale). Yes, they are English translated. This is why my Japanese skills never progress ;_; I should have gotten them in original Japanese but reading each probably would have taken me a month… So, I took the lazy route and got the English published versions by Yenpress.

Each book has a few illustrations. Make no mistake though, the book is 98% text ^^;

Spice and Wolf light novel volume one was released just last month and caused quite a stir when Yenpress announced their “updated” cover art. Not many fans liked the new cover and after lots of complaining Yenpress decided to provide the original cover to customers who order from certain online retailers. Rightstuf was one such retailer that offered the original cover slip so I got it ^^. ‘Tis a good thing since I didn’t much like the other cover. Anyway, the novel itself… wasn’t really a big Spicy Wolf fan but since reading thing book, I have renewed interest in the series. In fact, I really liked the novel! Seeing the much more fleshed out relationship between Holo and Lawrence kept my interest and left me wanting more. I love their subtle, yet playful jabs at each other as their relationship developed. Also, while the anime glossed over a lot of things, the novel takes its time to explain the economics in thorough detail. It’s an all around good read.

Yuki ... ... ... xD

No need to introduce the next two books. Haruhi novels volumes 1 and 2. Still never finished the anime, lost interest halfway through. The books, however, I can safely say kept my interest ^^. Already read volume 1 and nearly finished with volume 2. Kyon didn’t strike me as very clever in the anime, but I really like his character in the novels. Haruhi, on the other hand, seems a bit more annoying here than in the anime. Kyon is really the main character of these books though, not Haruhi.

Both Spice and Wolf and the Haruhi books were great. Definitely has kindled an interest in light novels for me. Would recommend both if you like reading ^^.

Speaking of kindling… here is my final item in January!

Recently became an owner of the Amazon Kindle e-reader ^^. Was not a personal purchase however; a gift instead. Still, I’ve always liked reading and getting my hands on a new piece of tech is always fun. Most people have probably heard of the Kindle. It is Amazon’s attempt to head off the inevitable drop in physical book sales and get a head start in the growing e-book market. Prior to receiving this gift, I had little interest in e-books. I always thought that a physical book would be more convenient and comfortable to read and to a certain degree, I still think this way. Still, having had the Kindle for a few weeks, I have to admit I’m enjoying it more than I expected.

When you put the Kindle in stand-by, it displays a random greeting image.

The device is really thin and light which gives it a great deal of portability. Also, the battery life is outstanding. I was able to read nearly two full books before having to recharge it. That’s about 2 weeks time. It has built-in (and free) 3G connectivity which allows you download books instantly and even browse the web if you like (the browser is pretty bad though). Most importantly, though, is the screen. The Kindle uses e-ink technology which gives displayed text a very natural, paper-like appearance on the device. I don’t know about you, but when I stare at an LCD screen, even nice ones, I can tell it’s a screen and reading for hours on end will result in some eye-strain. The e-ink tech in the Kindle pretty much dismisses the eye-strain problem. It’s very easy to look at and read. The downside is that the screen is slow to refresh and is only black and white. Still, that’s completely acceptable for normal book reading so I’m not bothered by it. As for the books, I don’t like the DRM’ed mess that currently exists but since many classic, public domains books are available for free on Amazon, I can’t fault them much there. Currently reading War of the Worlds and have a dozen more on the device waiting to be read ^^.

Anyway, this post has gotten too long so I will end it here. I actually have received most of my C77 goodies as well but I will save those for a later post. Thanks for stopping by!