Cool and Spicy » kannagi

Nagi-sama does Kannagi OP in Dance×Mixer

anonymous_object — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:35:29 +0000

A friend in an IRC channel (thanks topz) posted a link to this awesome video of Nagi-sama singing the Kannagi opening song, Motto Hade ni ne!, and I just had to share it ^^.

Apparently, the video was made by a new software application called Dance Mixer that allows you to create a character, customize her appearance, and then program her to dance to your imported songs ^^. There doesn’t appear to be a demo of the program available and it costs 15,980￥ so I haven’t had a chance to try it myself >_<

More videos at their Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/dancexmixer

FREEing 1/8 Nagi PVC

anonymous_object — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:02:50 +0000

After watching the Kannagi anime and thoroughly enjoying it, I found myself looking for more of the lovely Nagi-sama. I discovered that there were already a few Nagi figures out and about. Wave, Kotobukiya, and FREEing all had their own Nagi figures available and an additional Clayz version is out later this month. Sadly, these Nagi figures all seemed to have something slightly off with them but I thought the FREEing version was the most appealing and I decided to place an order for her.

A few weeks later, I returned home to find Nagi waiting for me. A pleasant surprise indeed :)

She is dressed in her regular attire that came with her when she appeared before Jin for the first time. I wish I had my own personal earth goddess. I wouldn’t even mind if she threw tantrums in the closet ^^;

Her hair looks pretty good. Not overly simplistic and stays fairly accurate to the source. Her white ribbon is also in place ^^

Although many fans have been disappointed with the Nagi-sama figures that are available thus far, I think this version by FREEing is one of the better ones. Her pose feels energetic and her outfit is well done. I think the face is the main problem people have with this figure. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect. From some angles, she looks very good but from others she seems a bit awkward. I think the above photo shows how she can look good given the right viewpoint.

Nagi-same comes with her mahou shoujo wand to ward off any impurities for me. Quite helpful ^^ The wand is nicely detailed with glittery reflective material.

Nicely sculpted legs and boots :3

The seams on her head and hair are most noticeable. Seems to be a common problem with a lot of figures. Otherwise, not too bad. There is also a scratch on the hair along the front. I believe this is specific to my version and she came like that. Somewhat distracting :(

And, yes, this Nagi comes with a cast-off mode ^^;

Her skirt is removable. Gives easy access to pantsu >_< I personally prefer my Nagis fully clothed, with their skirts on, but to each their own.

Seems Nagi is the pink pantsu type ^^;

Why Nagi is running around in the forest without her skirt on puzzles me too…

And back on goes her skirt ^^;

Nagi’s trademark outfit.

Remind anyone else of Sakura’s wand? ;)

This was actually the first figure shoot I did with my Canon 100mm Macro (outdoors). I’ve just been putting off this post for too long >_< The 100mm macro is simply amazing for outdoors figure photography. Allows me to get very sharp close-range shots like the one above.

Has anyone read the Kannagi manga? Is it good? Better or worse than the anime?

Although she’s not the best figure in my collection, I like this Nagi figure. It’s a shame she doesn’t look good from all angles, but is still appealing overall. I am satisfied with the purchase though if she cost more than the 6,476 yen I paid, I might not have considered her. She is still in stock at a few online shops (such as HLJ). I would love to see more companies take an attempt at a Nagi PVC figure, maybe by GSC? That would be awesome ^^

Figure Info:
1/8 Nagi from Kannagi by FREEing
Released: February 2009
Retail Price: 6,477 yen

Nagi-sama Nendoroid

anonymous_object — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:15:58 +0000

Yep, another Nendoroid acquisition :) I had forgotten I used Hobby Search to order my Kannagi Nagi-sama Nendoroid which means it was shipped with EMS and arrived sooner than I expected. Not that that is a bad thing, of course!

This is one of the cutest Nendoroids I’ve owned yet. Nagi’s hair takes up a huge portion of her head but seriously contributes to her super kawaii appearance. Some people buy Nendoroids for their (limited) pose-ability but I get them for their ridiculously cute proportions. I actually tend to find the pose + accessory combination that appeals to me most and then leave my Nendoroid as such for display on my shelves or desk if I really like them ^^

Nagi with her makeshift mahou shoujo wand, cleansing the world of impurities

The accessories that come with the Nagi Nendoroid are:
3 faces (all pictured here)
Several swappable arms
Mahou shoujo wand
Microphone
1 alternate leg (bent knee)
Base + stand

Alternate face. I don't like the look of her eyes much for this one >_<

The stand for this Nendoroid is a bit different than my previous ones. It has a small joint in the plastic support piece that allows you to tilt the Nendoroid forward and back. It’s not much but it does give you a bit more freedom and allows you to tilt the Nendoroid up if she was facing down too much or vice versa. Helped some when taking pictures ^^.

Nagi doing a live performance

I really like this Nendoroid. It’s quite well constructed and really captures the appeal of Nagi’s character. There are no distracting paint problems and all the pieces fit quite well. It seems as the Nendoroid version number increases (Nagi is #64), the better the build quality becomes. Both Nagi and my last Nendoroid, Kagamiku, are excellent quality. I hope to see GSC continue this upward trend in quality.

Kagamiku joins the party! Nagi is a taken aback >_<

If you were a fan of the Kannagi anime or manga, you should pick this Nendoroid up. You won’t regret it once you see how cute she is ^^ There is also a Zange-chan Nendoroid that will be released next month (July). I did not pre-order her but I may still pick her up… ;) Although Zange-chan is nice, Nagi is still my favorite and this Nendoroid is definitely going on my desk for display. HLJ, Hobby Search, and other online stores still have her in stock so order yours today :)

Figure Info

Nagi from Kannagi by Good Smile Co.
Released: Late May 2009
Retail Price: 3,500 yen

Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens

anonymous_object — Mon, 11 May 2009 03:47:34 +0000

In between trying to force myself to watch Macross Frontier episodes, I started watching Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens. This series aired last fall so while it has been around a while, I’m really glad I got around watching it.

Mahou shoujo Nagi? ^^;

Jin, a high school student in the art club meets a girl who appears from the wood statue he carved. The girl calls herself Nagi and claims she is a god. Since the girl has no place to stay so she stays with Jin (against his wishes). A boy with a goddess by his side doesn’t seem so original but it’s executed pretty well. The majority of the series focuses on Jin and Nagi’s relationship but also has a strong supporting cast along the way.

Too cute >_<

In fact, a lot of the series is just day to day life of a boy with a earth deity learning to live as a more normal girl all the while she is trying to clean the world of impurities. The good thing is that it’s actually entertaining ^^; Also very funny at times. ANN lists the series themes as comedy, magic, and romance and that really does sum it up well. It doesn’t rely on one individual genre more than it should and feels well balanced overall.

Tsugumi just enjoying some doujinshi ^^;

The main reason the series was so enjoyable for me was the was that the series had some a strong female lead. Nagi is just such a lovable character. Whether she is becoming fascinated by anime for the first time, throwing a tantrum in the closet, or working at the local maid cafe (^^), she is just adorable. Haruka Tomatsu really seems to fit perfectly into the role. I’m adding Nagi to my list of favorite female characters :) Her and Jin’s back and forth interactions keep the show moving forward and provide a lot of laughs along the way.

It gets hot hiding in a closet with your magic wand light.

The opening and ending in this series are also great. I actually watched them for every episode and I rarely do that for any anime ^^; They’re both attractive songs and their respective animation sequences seem to fit very well. I have embedded them here (in HD) so you can see for yourself ^^

Kannagi OP, motto☆Hade ni ne! by Haruka Tomatsu (Nagi!)

And the ED, Musuhi no Toki also sung by Haruka Tomatsu. Really like this song ^^

In retrospective, this series was just a lot of fun to watch. Not too heavy, not too light; it just felt right. Definitely one of my new favorites. It makes me want to go read the manga too! I thoroughly enjoyed this series and highly recommend it ^^