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!

Related posts:

1. Latest Timesink: Mass Effect 2
2. Acen 2008 GETO!
3. January Loots

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!

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1. Haruhi Shugi Artbook by Noizi Ito
2. Spice and Wolf’s Horo by Good Smile Co.
3. A little Hinamori Amu

Collector's Edition for PC

While I do have a 360, I chose to go with the PC version because not only do I have Mass Effect 1 on PC, I prefer PC controls over a console gamepad.  Mouse+keyboard is still tops for me!  Unfortunately, it seems Mass Effect 2 was designed primarily for console gamers in mind and the PC version seems less polished than it’s predecessor.  A lot of owners have complaints about mouse sensitivity, crashing, and other problems.  Personally, I’m very annoyed with the lack of mouse scrolling ability in-game.  Mass Effect 1 had this but it seems it was dropped from ME2.  All menu scrolling has to be done manually.  Come on Bioware!  Scroll wheels have only been around for like 15 years now =P

Aside from these technical problems (which I’m hoping will be addressed in a patch soon), the game is pretty satisfying ^^.  Bioware did decide to go with a more actiony feel to the game this time around.  While it does retain RPG elements with a deep, engaging story and characters, the combat system has been entirely revamped.  It feels much more like a shooter with RPG components blended in.  The health system is now like many FPS games in that you regenerate health if you take cover to allow your character to recover.  The classes have been overhauled as well, with each type only being able to use certain weapons and powers.  It has taken a bit of time to get used to but I don’t think it’s bad.  It’s just different.  Bioware is obviously trying to target non-traditional RPG gamers (like console FPS fans).  The end result is a combat system that is much faster paced, edgier, and keeps things pretty exciting.

Go, go, go!

Thankfully, Bioware has kept strong RPG roots in the game with an excellent story and interesting characters.  I’m not quite halfway through the game so I can’t make any absolute judgments on the entire story, but it’s good so far ^^.  It does follow the Bioware style of character development that has been present since KOTOR.  Recruit new characters, befriend them, learn what makes them tick, help them on their personal quests/requests.  Whether you think that is a good thing or not is up for debate xD

Character aptly named "Grunt" ^^;

Well, I probably shouldn’t judge a game without finishing it yet, but I give Mass Effect 2 a 9/10 based on what I’ve seen/played so far.  If you’re an RPG fan, you should get this game!  Though you might want to play Mass Effect 1 first.  It can be found on Steam and other places for about $5 pretty often :).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get a bit more ME2 before it’s time to head off to bed ;)

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3. Happy Dreamcast Day!

Image by Yunkasu

Reading Ninjovee’s post about the new exclusive GSC Saber figure that was recently announced, it got me thinking about how hostile the figure collecting hobby is to customers, with exclusive items being a big part of it.

So, what’s the problem with exclusives?

Of course they are, almost by nature, in limited production.  This can cause “fanboy crave” syndrome (or fangirl, in some cases) as the need to obtain every object related to a favorite character or series can be overwhelming and the limited available quantities only fuel this desire all the more.  The problem is that the limited quantities are often arbitrarily imposed by the manufacturers.

Most people know how supply and demand works.  The point at which consumers are willing to pay and suppliers are willing to produce is where the price of a commodity will naturally fall.  This normally balances itself out with consumers not buying a particular item if the price is too high and producers not producing an item if the price is too low.  The problem with figures is that only one company makes a given figure.  There is no alternative source to buy the item you want so they can set the price as they please.  Sure, there is a limit to how high they can increase it before even the most dedicated fans decide it is too expensive, but there is not much elasticity in the price of figures.  A serious fan would just as readily pay $80 for a figure as he would pay $50 for it because he really wants that item.  Basically, he is willing to pay almost any price (within sane limits) to get the item he wants.  Figure companies know this and they exploit it ruthlessly.  Hey, if a real fan has to have the item, they’ll be willing to pay through the roof, right?  So goes the thinking…

Well, it doesn’t end there, at least for those of us outside of Japan.  Foreigners have to pay even more to acquire the item.  Nearly all exclusive items are purchased through mail-order or direct from manufacturer.  Very few stores in Japan will ship items internationally.  You can see where this is going.  Gaikokujin cannot directly purchase these items.  This kind of makes me wonder what percentage of figure sales come from overseas?  I know it can’t be quite as much as domestic sales, but do Japanese retailers even consider overseas sales?

Well, the Japan-only mail-order problem can be easily enough overcome by using deputy/proxy services so overseas fans can still get their coveted exclusives.  Of course it will be at even higher price than the locals.  Also, the fact that foreigners will still get the item if they really want it means that the companies agreeing to these exclusive deals have no incentive from lost overseas sales to change practices.  They know you will still get it, so why change anything?

Why do we as fans and collectors allow ourselves be taken advantage of so easily?  Unfortunately, as the distant secondary market, foreigners voting with their wallets (i.e. not buying) can hardly make a difference.  It goes without saying that the majority of any figure’s sales are domestic (Japanese).  Good luck trying to convince Japanese to do away with their time-honored tradition of limited editions,  randomized figure collections (Petit Nendoroids anyone?), and raffles just to be eligible to buy an item.  It’s part of the culture, it seems (along with waiting in lines) :-/

As frustrating as exclusive items are from a gaikokujin’s perspective, sadly I don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon.  Still, I hope fans don’t just fall for them forever.  Personally, I try to avoid them but I have to admit there are some items I just want an item too much.  I’m definitely getting the Lucky Star serafuku and miko outfits.  And thus, I further encourage the exclusive trend >_<

Hey, no one’s perfect…  ;)

Related posts:

1. Touhou Reimu Nendoroid Preview
2. Taking the next step – Hiiragi Kagami by Mama Chapp
3. A little Hinamori Amu

After discovering the irresistible Hiiragi Kagami by Mama Chapp, it was inevitable that more dolls would follow.  Today, Hirasawa Yui joins the family ^^.

Specifically, Hirasawa Yui from the popular anime series K-ON!.  I don’t think I really need to explain what K-ON! is, right?  Well, I always liked Yui’s super energetic, albeit air-headed personality and when I heard Azone would be making a doll version of her, I couldn’t resist ^^

Yui even came with her favorite guitar/friend, Giita!

Yui comes dressed in her full school uniform with blazer, shirt, blue ribbon, and pleated skirt.  One thing she did not come with is her distinctive yellow hairpins.  Well, Azone included a piece of paper along with a strip of double-sided tape that was supposed to be used to cut out thin strips of yellow paper to serve as hairpins  These hairpins would then have to be wrapped around a lock of hair.  The problem, however, was that the tape really didn’t stick well and Azone only included a small amount of yellow paper that could be cut into hairpins.  After 30+ minutes of trying to wrap the tiny yellow pieces of paper into hairpins, I got frustrated and just made my own out of some yellow sticker labels (of which I had a near endless supply of).

So the hairpins  you see above are actually my own creation and looking at them more closely in these photos, I might have made them a bit too thick but it was a chore to get them on so I will probably leave them ^^;  Anyway, I blame the hairpin fiasco on poor design by Azone.  Of course, my hands aren’t very adept at working with such small, fragile things… Anyway, was not happy with the hairpins but it is the only major complaint I have with the set ;)

Only problem with Giita was that the switch you see on the top came broken.  At least I think it did ^^;  As soon as I took the guitar out of the package, I saw it floating around on the bottom of the container so maybe I broke it off trying it get it out :o

Nya~
Yui had a bit of difficulty with this sitting position.  Her legs only bend so far forward which makes sitting her flat with her legs out a challenge.  Had to prop her up just a bit ^^;

Super close look at Giita.  Not quite perfect but nicely detailed nonetheless.  What I really like is how the guitar’s strings are real!  Yeah, I figured they would be pieces of plastic or paint or something, but they are actually strings that and it almost makes you want to strum them xD

The other side of Giita.  No, I did not attempt to tune it ;)

So, what if it’s summer and Yui is getting a bit hot with her blue school blazer?  Well, you can take off her jacket, of course!

Or, if it’s more to your style, Yui can don her school sweater (or is it a vest? I don’t know these things…).

Even more clothing extras!  The final accessory is Yui’s Honeymoon (ハネムーン) T-shirt.  Why “honeymoon”?  I honestly don’t know.  I don’t remember this specific shirt from the anime, but Yui wore a lot of strange shirts so I probably just missed it >_<.  I think there were also some other special editions of Yui from Amazon and another store that had a different shirt in place of this one.  Amazon had one that said “Paradise” but looked pretty similar otherwise.  Ordering from Amazon would have been more expensive so I just got the regular version with the Honeymoon shirt ^^.

How can anyone resist this cuteness?  Seriously?  Now you see why I had to get Yui.  She’s just too cute :D

And finally, a comparison shot with Mama Chapp Kagami.  You can  probably pick out differences by the photo but I’ll summarize what I found:

Kagami definitely uses a Obitsu type body whereas Yui uses… I have no idea.  It doesn’t match any of the types I saw on Obitsu’s site so maybe it’s custom?  Still a doll noob…
Update: Yui’s body is the Pure Neemo Flection.
Anyway, the end result seems to be that Kagami is more flexible and easier to pose.  For example, Kagami’s legs and knees are able to rotate farther and her arms and hands have more movement range.  Overall, Kagami is more flexible.  The advantage Yui’s slightly less flexible body has is that it looks better ^^;  The joints aren’t so obvious and her body is just shaped more naturally.  Yui has a much harder time standing without external support.  Different shoes may help this though.

A side note is that Yui’s body also seems more accurately proportioned.  Although they are both dolls, Yui looks more realistic to me.  Yui’s head in particular is naturally shaped and proportioned whereas Kagami has more of a anime-ish look.  Yui is also slightly taller.  Both are good, just different ^^

Lastly, and Yui wins here hands down, is the clothing.  Yui’s school uniform is very high quality and fits nice and snug whereas Kagami’s school uniform looks overly large and stiff in comparison.  I really, really like the 3 (partial) outfits that come with Yui.  Definitely a huge plus for me!

So, the final verdict?  I love Yui!

Yui can be found Hobby Search and Amiami although Hobby Search is currently out of stock.  Both are priced around 13,200 yen.  While not cheap, it’s not that much more than some higher priced PVC figures.  Definitely worth it for me ^^

Parting shot of Yui rocking out with Giita!

Related posts:

1. Taking the next step – Hiiragi Kagami by Mama Chapp
2. FREEing 1/4 “Super” Konata!

For the past year, Kagami has been keeping an eye on me during computer use. Making sure I don't do anything she doesn't approve of ^^;

Ever wanted an anime-themed mouse pad but didn’t want to shell out $10 or $20 for one of your favorite character?  Or maybe one of your favorite image that just isn’t for sell anywhere.  Well, how about creating a custom mouse pad? :)  If you’ve seen older pictures of my desk, you may have seen the above mouse pad.  It was my first custom anime-themed mouse pad but as you can see after over a year of heavy use, it has seen better days  ^^;

So I decided to order some new custom mouse pads :).  Headed over to my image site, e-shuushuu.net, and picked out some of my fav illustrations.  I use the website www.icustomdesign.com to order my mouse pads.  You can upload your own images and, using their tool, re-size and align them to fit on a mouse pad.  Then you can add it to your cart and they will print your custom mouse pad!

New mouse pads!

During the checkout process, make sure you apply the coupon code MSPD99 which will bring the price down to $2.99 per mouse pad with free shipping :) I found this deal on slickdeals.net and if you’re like me and like to keep an eye out for good deals in general, you might want to check their site out too.  I browse there regularly and that is where I originally found this mouse pad deal.  Just about all the deals are US/Canada though ^^;

Anyway, $12 for the above four mouse pads isn’t so bad in my opinion :D
Anyone else going to create a custom mouse pad? ^^

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Kagami welcomes the first snow fall of 2010.  She looks kind of cold, I should have gotten her a nice warm coat instead of that pink frilly dress xD

Indiana saw its first snow storm of 2010 and was a big one >_<  Indianapolis area received approximately 6 inches of accumulation in as many hours time.  Windy conditions complicated things with additional snow drifting over once-cleared roadways.

Decided not to risk driving my small, rear-wheel drive car all the way to work so opted to work from home today ^^  This poor guy had to go somewhere and was sweeping snow off his car with a broom xD

Once it cleared up a bit around noon, I decided to brave the roads just a mile or so to grab some lunch.  I had to find my car first xD

Yes, there really is a car under there ;)

Only drove about a mile down the road but was probably a bad idea.  Road conditions were terrible.  Had to drive 10 mph the whole way but made it back safely >_<  Lesson to learn: Don’t drive in snow!

Anyone else getting buried in snow too?

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Image by かにかま

Happy New year everyone!  Welcome to 2010, year of the Taiga ^^;

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Kagami showing off her Christmas attire ^^

"Welcome to Christmas!"

"We have a tree, presents, and pretty lights"

"A p-present for me? You didn't have to..."

"I wonder what it is!"

"Now I really want to know!"

"New shoes! Thanks, onii-chan!"

Merry Christmas from Anony and Kagami!  Hope everyone has a great holiday season!

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Kagami!  In cute doll form!  Need I say more? :D

Well, I’ll say a bit more than that ^^;  This is Hiiragi Kagami as released by the Mama Chapp Toy company in Fall 2008.  When I first read about the Lucky Star dolls, I was very interested but did not follow up due to the difficulty in obtaining them.  Kagami was an limited, exclusive release by MamaChapp and was only available for order through their site.  So, I abandoned the idea of owning this lovely Kagami for nearly a year.

My interest in the Kagami doll never faded entirely though and a few months back I decided to look into it once again.  I saw they were being sold on Yahoo! Japan Auctions but most of the auctions were quite pricey.  I monitored the auctions for a few months and finally spotted a decent deal for a brand new, unopened Kagami doll.  I didn’t hesitate and placed a bid through a deputy service.  The auction final price was 14,500 yen, a bit lower than the original retail price; not cheap but well worth it!  A few weeks later, Kagami was in my hands :D

I have to admit that I’m still a doll n00b and don’t know much about Japanese dolls quite yet.  While it seems Dollfies are becoming more popular, the smaller scale dolls like this Kagami seem a bit more varied.  Lots of different sizes and body types.  Kagami here is a 23cm doll and comes with her red winter school uniform.

In addition to her school uniform, Mama Chapp included 3 extra hand sets (for 8 total), knee socks, and brown school loafers.  And, of course, Kagami’s trademark brown hair ribbons :D

Now on to some real photos!  I recommend opening the full versions to get the best look! :)

"D-Don't follow me around all day!"

Taking some inspiration from Chun’s “Taiga goes out” series, I decided to give Kagami a day out as well :)  Let’s see what she decides to do ^^

Kagami pics a flower from the garden.

Kagami is made from ABS and PVC materials for the majority of the doll’s body, including the torso and limbs.  The limbs are all jointed as are the torso, shoulders, and feet.  This gives the doll a nice degree of poseability.  The doll’s head and hands are composed of a softer rubber material.

"Wh-What are you looking at? Baka!"

Not quite a Dollfie, but there aren’t any Kagami Dollfies!  I’m also not skilled enough to make my own Kagami Dollfie >_<  Not that I think a Dollfie would necessarily be better than this Kagami anyway ^^.

"Nya~n!" *blush*

So, how is this Kagami doll?  I have to say that I absolutely love her!  She’s incredibly cute and being able to pose her is great.  I mean, I know Figma can be posed too, but they just seem tacky compared to this. ^^;  I’m beginning to realize why Dollfies have such a dedicated following.  So, yes, I really do like her, but I don’t think I will be dropping figure collecting either.  I do foresee myself cutting down on future figure purchases but definitely not going away.  Still lots of lovely figure ladies that I want to acquire ;)

"Hey, look what I found! ^^"

So there you have it.  I do sort of see doll collecting, be it Dollfie or obitsu-type, as the next step beyond figure collecting and I’m glad to have gotten to this point.  I actually had a ton of fun taking these initial photos though I perhaps waited a bit too long on posting them.  I’ve had this Kagami doll for a few months now and you can probably tell by the green foliage that the photos are also a bit old ^^;

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed viewing the pictures as much as I did taking them ^^.  I have more to come in future posts too so be sure to check back soon!

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