I recently finished watching Clannad. As usual, I was a bit behind and watched the series after it had finished airing, something I tend to do so I don’t have to suffer the weekly cliffhangers ^^;
This is meant to be more of a overall summary of the series than a detail review. I thought about doing an in-depth review but there are other blogs out there (Random Curiosity, for example) who do a better job at this. Instead, I will be giving my personal response to the series. Continue reading
Regarded among some collectors as the “Holy Grail” of artbooks, Tsukiyo Chakai by Tinkle (Tinklebell, Tinkle, Tinkerbell) can be difficult to locate these days. It is out of print and can go for 5,000 – 10,000円 on Yahoo! Japan Auctions (if you can find it). I actually stumbled upon this artbook at, of all places, Ebay USA for what could only be described as a steal ($10). Being that this is a used artbook, it is not in perfect condition. The cover has some parts that are worn, particularly in the corners and edges. The pages inside are pretty much free of defects which is what really matters to me. Overall, this was a great find and I’m glad I was able to pick it up. Now, let’s take a look at what’s inside.
A package of goodies arrived on my doorstep a few days ago. This time, the three artbooks are Dengeki Hime Moe Side, Magical Cute 2, and Noriyuki Matsumoto’s Rin. These were purchased second-hand through beNippon. Also, they came with a little something extra (Hello Kitty candy ftw!) ^^ This entry also marks the first time I have included scans of my artbooks. I have no intentions of scanning the entirety of my artbooks for several reasons. The main reason is that obtaining a good scan from most artbooks requires unbinding the artbook which basically destroys it. Without unbinding it, it’s hard to obtain a good scan due to the spine of the book getting in the way. Also, there are other groups or individuals out there that could probably do a better job than me with higher quality equipment and more time. Scanning, cropping, and cleaning the number of images in a normal artbook can be extremely time consuming. For these three artbooks, I have selected a few images from each to demonstrate the printing and style of each book. Also, since this is my first attempt at scanning anything from an artbook, the images may not be the most attractive >_< Now, on the artbooks themselves. Continue reading
No, I have not forgotten about my blog ;) I’ve been working on my list of artbooks and it’s taken more time than I expected, but it’s finally complete. I’ve created a new, separate page just for my artbooks.
I’ve got a few orders in the mail so I will be updating the list soon ^^
If you’re also a collector of artbooks, I’d love to hear about your favorite books and get recommendations for new ones. Feel free to comment :D
If you live in the midwest region of the US and are a fan of anime and manga, you’ve probably heard of Anime Central or ACEN. It’s the largest “Japanese culture” convention in the area and presents all kinds of fun things to keep an otaku entertained. There is, of course, nonstop anime playing with various genres to choose from, panels with topics ranging from Jpop, to Japanese clothing, games, and others. Then there’s all the kawaii cosplayers, just hope that man Faye doesn’t show up! And, my favorite part, the dealer’s room! This is where you can pick up all of Japanese anime/manga/game merchanse, both common and rare. I like to look for new artbooks while I’m here, but you can also find figurines, doujinshi, imported games, and lots more. I can’t wait ^_^
ACEN this year (as with previous years) is being held in May 16-18 in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare & the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center near O’Hare International. If you are planning to attend ACEN this year, drop a comment. I hope to see some kawaii-radio and shuushuu folks at the convention.
Perhaps I’m a bit strange, but when it comes to purchasing new hardware for my PC, I’m as picky as they come. I consider most purchases of this kind to be a long-term investment, something I will be using for many, many hours and possibly several years to come. The purchase of my most recent monitor was no exception.
In case you’re not very familar with LCD technology, it turns out there are multiple types of technology used in the manufacturing of the LCD panels that consumers buy for their displays. The three basic types of LCD panels are:
-TN (Twisted Nematic)
-MVA/PVA (Multidomain/Patterned Vertical Alignment)
-IPS (In Plane Switching)
Without going into too much detail (which I definitely could if you wanted), each panel type has it’s own strengths as well as drawbacks. Most people thay buy LCDs these days buy TN displays. The main reasons for this are that TN has a very good response time and is cheap to manufacture. The response time is how long it takes for the pixels on the monitor to draw an image sent to it by the computer’s video card. This is a must for gamers who rely on split-second timing in their fast-paced games. The problem with TN panels is that they don’t produce colors as accurately as the other panel types and they suffer from poor viewing angels. If you have a TN display, you can probably tell by moving your head past the normal, straight-on viewing angle. Look at the screen from above, below, or from the sides and you will see the color will “shift” from what they should be.
MVA/PVA displays are generally considered a step up from TN displays because they have better viewing angels and can reproduce colors more accurately. This type of LCD panel is basically a middle of the pack panel in terms on overall quality. While they are better than TN displays for colors and viewing angles, they are usually do not have the fast response time of TN displays. If you plan on watching movies in a group setting, the better viewing angle may be worth it.
The final type of LCD panel is the IPS panel. IPS displays are regarded as the highest quality LCD panels in terms on color reproduction and viewing angles. In other words, if you do any type of graphic or photography work, this is the type of monitor you should have. For example, if you are editing images in Photoshop that will be sent to a printer to make brochures, ads, or any type of printed media, you want the colors on your monitor to be as close to the colors that the printer will print in the end. IPS panels can also have very good response times, making them usable for gaming and video. The main drawback of IPS panels is that they are expensive! You may have to pay 2-3 times more than a TN display for a same sized IPS display.
This just scratches the surface of what can determine quality on an LCD display. If you really want to get into it, you will have to consider how to best calibrate your LCD (using a colorimeter), whether the LCD can reach the level of brightness you desire, is it prone to backlight bleeding, is there significant input lag on top of the response time, are there ghosting problems with motion, is it wide gamut (> 72% of NTSC), what connectors does it support… and many other issues.
Why all the fuss? I just recently made a new monitor purchase and like the picky computer user I am, I researched LCD technology until I felt I knew everything I needed to know to make the correct purchase. Not only am I picky, but I do run an image board so I am working with images quite often and having accurate colors is a priority to me. I also game so I needed a monitor that could not only display colors accurately, but also have low input lag and response time. On top of all that, one of my siblings is a professional photographer and works with very high-end cameras and displays. After having seen her amazing new LCD monitor, I was convinced I should buy a monitor of equal or similar quality. In the end, after a delaying for several weeks and looking into the various types of LCDs, I purchased a Planar PX2611W. While it did cost me a small fortune, I foresee myself keeping this monitor for at least the next five years which somewhat allowed me to justify the cost XD. I am satisfied with my decision and I love my new monitor.
The moral of this story? Do your homework before you buy your next big item. You’ll be infinitely happier when you realize you got exactly what you wanted and you’ll probably learn a lot in the process as well! If you have any questions about LCD monitors, let me know and I will answer to the best of my ability.
For more info on LCDs visit:
[H]ard|Forums
Anandtech Forums
FlatPanelsDK
Though I am quite sure no one will be interested in reading it, I have started my own blog. The purpose of this blog will be to document my wandering through the interesting yet wallet-breaking world of Japanese anime, manga, music, artists, and artbooks as well as my interests in PC and console gaming. Of course, this is all just an experiment assuming I have enough interesting things to write about and that I do not lose interest ;)
