Blog 196 > Art Deco, Retro & Steampunk

Heyyy, my Timeless Toyboxers, what’s up? Is it time for another weekly mega-broadcast yet? Well, duh, I guess so! For this first week of April, we time-travel through shiny slave-driven “Pop Anime” trends, wide-eyed “Art Deco” lolitas, retro-armored “Star Wars” steampunk, sentimental “Firefly” fanart, and a random chrome-plated cart of orangy antics, lol. Did I mention time-travel? Haha, yeah, I did. Well, without further ado, fine-tune the station, grab your favorite bag of popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the five-ringed circus show…

Part 1 of 5 > Trends, Slaves & Shiny New Things

Hahaha, wow! In the last few days, the brand-new high-school comedy anime K-On!, produced by Kyoto Animation (KyoAni), has stormed and flooded the otaku scene! Not only on Danny Choo’s website, but also on Sankaku Complex (NSFW)! While the premiere episode pinched all of the cute, clever and captivating points of a memorable “pop anime” series (not unlike KyoAni’s “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and “Lucky Star”), is “K-On!” really anything new or different from what we’ve all seen before? Hehe, probably not. But who really cares, right? As long as it’s cute, clever and captivating, lol.

As the cunning character Lelouch Lamperouge (of the epic sci-fi anime “Code Geass“) once observed, the Japanese masses were notably susceptible to societal trends of the moment. In other words, “slaves to trends” or “addicts of fads”. In fact, this could probably apply to countless otaku throughout the world, especially those who can’t get enough of the newest broadcasts and the latest releases, hehe. While I may not closely stick to the “cutting edge” of anime, I’m probably not too many steps behind either. So I can understand the meaning behind Lelouch’s words. Separate from the more-general and less-fad-based “escapism from reality” (into the old or new), there’s a negative implication that the “addicted” otaku masses are “weak-willed” or even “fear the old, outdated and obsolete” in their pursuit of shiny new things. Which may be true for many. But why the intense fascination with the shiny and new?

Here’s my take as a fellow otaku, lol. While aspects that are characteristic of an addiction can be argued, the need to “fill a new loss or emptiness” is not merely solitary or secluded. On the contrary, the condition is shared among other fans or followers. In pursuing the shiny and new, there exists a “common bond” to participate in a social collective or phenomenon that is larger than oneself, not unlike the bonds of traditional sports fans or musical concert-goers. Admittedly, the biggest distinction with anime phenomena is their “not too short yet not too long” life-spans. While an anime-series broadcast may not be as brief as a single-sitting two-hour film, the week-to-week familiarity of the more-adored series ultimately reveals an almost-painful brevity (mirroring withdrawal-like symptoms). Moreover, since such broadcasts may only span a few months or half a year, these periods pale in comparison to the several years or decades typical of a longer-lasting musical band or sports team. Hence, the deceptive appearance of a wild addiction leaping from fad to fad to fad.

But here’s the thing. In a nation where the turbulent tug-of-war between timeless traditions and updated technologies seems more tumultuous than ever, is Japan even more susceptible to both the “escapist” yet “unifying” attraction of sparkling new things?

P.S. Yeah, I know, I liked “K-On!” too, lol.

 

Part 2 of 5 > Range Murata Lolis & Art Deco

Speaking of traditions and technologies, my Timeless Toyboxers, remember my question last month? “Which should be my next anime-figure photoshoot?” Well, based on the picks by Jenn-chan (she chose B), Coco-chan (she chose D), and Kris-chan (she chose D too), the winner was Choice D, the “Range Murata Lolis”! Yup, the Couch Girl and the Ribbon Girl, lol. As a sidenote, while Meimi-chan and Mimi-chan both loved the gorgeous Sana from “Pia Carrot”, neither of them explicitly stated Choice B, the “Batwing Babes”, lol. Thus, I present my “Range Murata Lolis” photoshoot!

Here’s a mesmerizing angle of Ribbon Girl (Beagle, 1/8th-scale) kneeling in her maid-like dress and boots, my 80th figure (of 92) in July 2008.

Ribbon Girl was beautifully designed by Renji “Range” Murata, a Japanese artist “known for his unique style of combining Art Deco and Japanese anime elements”.

According to Wikipedia, Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until 1939.

Like I said, mesmerizing. Feel free to enlarge the shot, hehe.

Even from the side, her details are simple yet gorgeous. The colors of her hair and ribbons offer a stunning contrast to her black, gray and white outfit.

Now let’s take a closer look at her friend on the so-called couch, lol.

A little closer, lol.

That’s better, lol. Here’s a tantalizing shot of Couch Girl (Beagle, 1/10th-scale) lying in her scantily-black outfit, my 81st figure (of 92) in August 2008.

Oops, something is caught between Ribbon Girl’s knees, lol.

A quiet moment within the sky.

I gotta admit. That’s quite a unique orange couch!

And quite revealing too, lol.

Another quiet moment beneath the flying battleships.

Yup, flying battleships, lol.

In fact, if you’ve ever seen Murata-san’s conceptual design work on the retro-futuristic anime “Last Exile“, then flying battleships shouldn’t be new to you!

Another gorgeous angle of Ribbon Girl.

Another pretty shot of Couch Girl.

But it would’ve been better had Murata-san given them names!

Luckily, the girls of “Last Exile” had names, lol.

In this shots, I wonder what kinds of thoughts these girls are thinking?

Couch Girl: “How long are you going to stare?”

Ribbon Girl: “Where’s our battleship heading?”

Ahh, without a doubt, I love the epic atmosphere created by this background wallpaper!

The retro-futuristic battleships fit the retro Art-Deco style perfectly!

Couch Girl: “Are we there yet?”

Couch Girl: “Ahh, the sky breeze feels good!”

Ribbon Girl: “What’s going on along the horizon?”

Couch Girl: “Probably another battle. Another war.”

Couch Girl: “Can you stay with me a little longer before I go?”

Despite their small scales, the detail is impressive!

Especially, the curves, lol.

You know what what I mean, lol.

Yup, stunning, hehe.

Haha, an amazing photo mixing Ribbon Girl with Couch Girl’s couch. You gotta enlarge this one!

Wow, the mega-post’s opening image! You gotta love this one too!

And then a closer view.

Wow again! I mean, it’s incredible shots like these which makes me wonder if I ever should’ve become a real photographer. The subject, the background, the composition all just fit so beautifully!

Another epic shot.

Ribbon Girl gazes nervously yet hopefully toward the future as the battleships sail ahead.

Nervously yet hopefully.

Ribbon Girl: “Will the girl-in-black ever come back?”

Wow, those 40+ photos just flew by! From “shiny new things” and “retro-futuristic lolitas”, let’s sail on to even more retro-futuristic “steampunk”!

 

Part 3 of 5 > Retro-Future & Steampunk

So what’s “steampunk”? If you’ve never heard of this science-fiction term, it parallels the term “cyberpunk”, but deals with steam-age technologies instead of cyberspace technologies. In fact, chronologically speaking, Art Deco evolved towards the end of the Victorian Era. So they aren’t as far apart as I’d once thought. According to Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that … denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian-era England — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions … or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

Cool, huh? But why “steampunk”? Well, it’s easy. During my Art Deco and Last Exile image searches to find an epic background for my “Range Murata Lolis” photoshoot, I finally realized that I was stumbling across tons of “steampunk” imagery. So I shifted my searches to “steampunk”. And guess what? Along the way, I think I got addicted to the style (again), lol.

Here’s another classic example of Range Murata‘s Art-Deco-anime style.

Here’s a random but stunning steampunk outfit.

If I could sum up the “steampunk” fashion in a few words, it’s basically “lots of goggles, gears and chrome”, hahaha.

LOL, what did I tell ya? Here’s an impressive band of “steampunk” cosplayers from DragonCon 2008. Amazing!

Gotta love the details! Feel free to enlarge the shot!

Haha, “lots of goggles, gears and chrome”!

But I gotta say, the chrome colors and mechanical details look amazing!

But that’s not all! During my steam-powered exploration, I tripped over some “Star Wars steampunk” art! Here’s the retro-futuristic rendition of Darth Vader!

Here’s a retro-mechanical Storm Trooper!

A slightly different retro-armored Storm Trooper.

Last but definitely not least, a retro-fashioned Princess Leia! Whoa!

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Game developers began working on a secret project that combines two popular genres into what they call a recipe for success… Star Wars Steampunk!”

Holy George Lucas! I mean, holy frak! From “Art Deco lolitas” to “Star Wars steampunk”, is it any wonder I’m getting addicted (again) to the retro-futuristic genre?

 

Part 4 of 5 > Firefly Fanart Flashback

Yup, again, lol. When I say I’m getting addicted *again*, it’s because I was once obsessed with retro-futuristic science-fiction once before! Namely, the 2002-2003 sci-fi TV series Firefly. Here’s one of the most perfect “Firefly” wallpapers ever, hehe. Glorious!

In fact, from July to November 2004, I directed and participated with several other writers in a team “role-writing fanfic” called “Firefly-Class Rose“. On top of that, I also drew fanfic character designs based on our fanfic. Kinda cool! No, not just cool. “Shiny!” Sorry, just a bit of “Firefly” slang, lol. Here’s the ship’s doctor played by one writer.

Here’s the mechanic played by another writer.

Based on various real-life women, here’s Miriam, played by me, lol.

Based on various real-and-fantasy women, here’s the Anglo-Asian genius pilot, Akiko “Lucky” Yoshikawa, played by me too. Almost two years before I discovered downloadable anime in 2006, lol. Then more than four years after creating Lucky’s character, I told Mimi-chan that her personality coincidentally and amazingly reminds me of her!

And of course, here’s the half-drunk half-badass Aussie-Asian Captain Jacob “Jayman” Mandara of the Firefly-Class “Rose”. Played by me, duh. Check out his (my) green bio-mechanical left eye!

Miriam and her late dad’s best buddy, “Uncle Jake”. Yup, me.

The motley crew of the “Rose”. Oh yeah! Feel free to enlarge the epic poses!

Whoa, hehe. What a wild-west ride! For more of the fanfic, check out the “Firefly-Class Rose“. From “Art Deco lolitas” to “Star Wars steampunk” to “Firefly fanart”, has the steam-powered retro-futuristic odyssey finally reached the end of the train-tracks?

 

Part 5 of 5 > Lisa’s Orange Room

A-ha! The fifth and final leg of our anachronistic journey! Recalling my Frumpy Orange Photoshoot and Orange Christmas posts from over a year ago, here’s the next “Orange” installment, lol. After all, “oranges are orange”, aren’t they? (Inside joke, hehe.)

Hahaha, check out Guiness!

Huh? What?

Where?

Ah, dorks!

Come on, Guiness! Look at the damn camera!

What? Who?

Finally! Umm, vacant stares.

Epic Guiness! Not-so-epic Lisa.

Oooooh!

Dammit, Guiness!

What? Haha, what is Guiness doing?

Ah, artsy shot.

Screwed-up shot.

Awww.

Go-Go, Guiness Punch!

Haha, and that’s it, my Traveling Toyboxers! In five blinks of a gear-goggled eye, our mega-broadcast time-travelled through shiny slave-driven “Pop Anime” trends, wide-eyed “Art Deco” lolitas, retro-armored “Star Wars” steampunk, sentimental “Firefly” fanart, and a random chrome-plated cart of orangy antics! Let’s not forget to thank Ribbon Girl, Couch Girl, Steampunk Leia, Lucky Yoshikawa, Orange Lisa and of course, Guiness the Menace! Did I forget anything? How was the popcorn?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Ribbon Girl: “Will the girl-in-black ever come back?”

 

42 thoughts on “Blog 196 > Art Deco, Retro & Steampunk

  1. LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!
    I am your father !!!!!

    looks like Lisa is naked <.<

    anyways lalala~
    I just got back from a 3 hours walk outside, weather was so lovely.
    Went to see Sakura, you should go out and take pics of real things instead of dolls inside

    =D

    the world is so beautyful and pink!

    random comment:
    I love my life

    Miyabiko´s last blog post > Blog 51: the Koi becomes alive

  2. @Lene-chan: Hahaha, awesome! That’s how “Ghostbusters” should’ve been done! Thanx for the link, I cleaned it up a bit, lol. “Ghostbusters Steampunk” FTW! ^_~

    @Miko-chan: Hehe, my name isn’t Luke! And your voice is too *deep* for Vader, lol… Naked? Nahhh, but you’re right, she looks like it, lol… Outside? Ehh, normal things are too boring. And dolls? Don’t say that to Blowfish or Meimi-chan or my other otaku readers, lol. If u don’t say “figures”, they might give u a huge lecture! This is an anime blog, remember?… Awww, I’m glad to hear that your life is cool and nice and pink. Back in the freezing December days in Germany, u felt so differently! >_<;

  3. but I AM your father LUKE!

    and oh sorry for calling them dolls lol
    no offense all of you ne~ ^-^

    I am just a non-otaku

    and oh well WORLD is bootyful!!!

    and yes i was depressed in germany^^
    but not anymore

    Miyabiko´s last blog post > Blog 54: Hanami

  4. @Miko-chan: Hi Dad, lol… Ahh, no worries, I know what u mean. Although Blowfish might cry, lol. (Just kidding Blowfish!) Yeah, I think he’s pretty much a hard-core otaku. Which is why he sees his anime figures as beautiful! Both the naked and non-naked ones. And as a fellow otaku, I can understand that too, lol. ^_~

    @Luckie-chan: Hehe, wiser is *usually* better! I’m glad I could help upgrade your brain to steam-power, lol. Ahh, too bad about the scantily-clad Couch Girl. Hmm, maybe u could throw a little black blanket of plastic over her? Got Hefty bags? LOL, then *when* your collection gets more risque, u can always get rid of the blanket? ^_~

  5. @Dan-the-Man: Haha, no argument from me! Wait, did u mean the skimpy bathing suits, the top-hatted suits, or the retro-armored trooper suits? ^_^;

  6. When I first saw the promo pics for K-on I figured I’d watch it since it looked cute, but when it was released, BAM! It got posted everywhere! x_x Well, it’s to be expected with series like Toradora ending.

    Yeeeess! Range Murata Lolis! Lovely choice of background, as always. ^^ Steampunk stuff always looks so damn awesome.

  7. @Coco-chan: Yeah, I didn’t even know about “K-On” until I began seeing reviews. Then like I said, the floods of posts, lol. But while it was cute, I don’t think it’s earth-shattering yet! I’ve been so neck-deep in other series, I haven’t even seen “Toradora” either!… Haha, I’m glad u chose these figures. Which led to the wallpaper background. Which led to my other “steampunk” discoveries and memories, lol… Awww, thanx-thanx! Yup, lolis, lol. And yeah, I agree, unlike hard-to-perceive digital cyberspace, there’s just something magnetic yet easy-to-follow about mechanical “steampunk”! I mean, your Bunsen-burnt marshmallows would fit right in, wouldn’t it? Chrome burners, of course, haha. ^_^

  8. @A20: Ah, thanx! Although Guiness can get irritating at times, lol. But not as irritating as the ugly and boring “Metropolis” anime. Assuming we’re talking about the same film with the blonde kid on the cover, argh, stay away from that one! Among hundreds, probably the *only time ever* where I’ve given 1 of 5 stars to *any* anime I’ve seen! As for Leia, I remember seeing her in a re-interpreted “Star Wars” manga years ago! Pretty sweet style! Wouldn’t mind grabbing that manga. Not at all.

  9. @Dan-man: A-ha, understood, lol… You know, u comment just like Gordonator. I can never tell if you’re being serious, half-serious, or not serious at all! ^_^

  10. I like Range Murata a lot. Considering that Last Exile is ranked very high on my anime list, it’s no surprise to me that I got into the art, too. I’d love to go and buy art books en mass right now, but you have to pick your poison for the time being. I own 5 Range Murata figs because it’s just so great. You own two great figures.

    I totally agree with what you said about trends. I try to be as current as possible in my hobbies because I just don’t want to have to deal with inflation later on. I will say that I am not susceptible to trends because people end up not being satisfied with commodities prompted by the trend at that time. It’s not that uncommon to have someone sell something because they realized they didn’t like it as much as they did or are prone to buying things because the general populace approves of said commodity. I can’t help but feel that people who are susceptible to trends are more often than not lacking in individuality and are weak-minded. There is probably a correlation with that and fanaticism,too. I have seen girls who don’t know crap about a series or form of media and they will instantaneously dive deep and don their expertise cap and mouth off a lot of nonsensical information. It’s good that you are intelligent, levelheaded and a logical person which doesn’t seem to be the criteria for most otaku, be it manga, video games, anime, etc.

    I want to be the fish that swims upstream^^

    Jem´s last blog post > Mmmmmm Pork Loin Chops

  11. @Jem-chan: Ah, thanx, no arguments here! Range Murata-san’s style is unavoidably appealing. Haha, if u love his art, I’m not surprised u have 5 of his figures! Which ones? Motorcycle girl? Shimapan girl? LOL, though I admit, the half-bodied bust figures aren’t quite as appealing to me. Why half-bodied? Not only that, they’re pretty frakkin’ expensive for such small scales. Oh well, lol.

    True, the trouble with trends. Fortunately (or unfortunately), trivial things like mortgage payments and car insurance tend to outweigh urgent things like figure collections, lol. But even before then, I typically chose figures because I genuinely loved the character or anime, or loved the style and atmosphere of an outfit or pose, whether or not the anime existed. Not because I saw everyone else acquiring her, and didn’t want to be left out. That was rare. Yup, Figma Miku Hatsune, haha… But once I commit to buying a figure, I never think about selling or exchanging her again. Even the bootlegs. Live and learn. Stick to your guns. Commitment. Responsibility. Each figure represents a piece of you, your memory, your past. As if the figure chose you instead! Why erase that choice?

    I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being weak-minded or weak-willed, once in a while. But all the time? Without knowing why? Now that’s a sure recipe for irresponsibility, lol… Hey Jem-chan, I gotta admit, I love the compliments. Yeah, “intelligent”, “level-headed” and “logical” have crossed my path more than once, along with “patient” and “perceptive”. But to say that most otaku don’t exhibit these qualities? Hmm, maybe they don’t seem to exist, because they’re simply too busy to blog! >_<; P.S. Hmm, I wonder... Does the fish that swim upstream taste the best?

  12. @Jay: Well, most blogs in general aren’t as intelligent sounding. I don’t mind randomness, but, doggone it, make it intelligent sounding in both diction and concept. People whose first language isn’t English are fine with me XD

    For example, I’m into video game, too and used to do some game journalism for a small site. You have no idea the amount of people who are just unintelligent and can only articulate their thoughts of a game through biased, uninformed opinions coupled with the usual “geekgasm”. Ugh. Those people get shot first in the head if I ever encounter them on online death matches. For figures, I’ve seen a lot of really stupid, nonsensical information broadcasted in blogs that have you saying “Really?”

    I do agree that being weak is a normal aspect for humankind, but all the time is just incessant, don’t you think?

    Yeah, I only own Death Note nendoroid bootlegs because I was green at the earliest point of my collecting days last March. I have only replaced L. I think I will keep them and use them for experimentation. My little guinea pigs to test out color, shade and sculpt for when I want to get into resins and kits. I’m glad that you collect for you and nobody else. I am really into aestheticism and quality. I have bought figures before whose background I loathe, but I own them nonetheless. I am willing to separate my hatred for something if the quality is there to back it up. Same here. When I buy a figure or video game, it’s akin to a marriage for me and it’s for the long haul, baby! I make sure that my reasons for doing or buying something isn’t a byproduct of bandwagon influence. I think for us because we are so confident and sure of our decisions that our additions really are a reflection of our individualism, hence eliminating the need to get rid of something due to a fleeting whim. I take most “otaku” or collectors with a grain of salt as they are usually spouting off nonsense from their arse and are not genuine fans or collectors in any sense of the word.

    Lol, well, I call it how I see it and you are not a dum-dum. XD Or how I usually phrase things of this nature in real life – “Jay is learn-ed”. I’ve been told those things as well. Great minds think alike^^

    Fish upstream definitely taste better and are a rare commodity. Fish that go with the flow are so bland and lacking in any distinctive flavor. [<~~This is not a real-life indication of fish and is more or less a metaphor]

    Jem´s last blog post > Mmmmmm Pork Loin Chops

  13. @Jem-chan: {Nods} Ah, true, I get what you’re saying. But that’s the unalterable “nature of the net”, where folks and fans of random intelligence can voice their unique (or not-so-unique) perspectives without having some editor or professor or other authority approving (or disapproving) that voice… Of course, that’s where “we the readers” come in. To praise, pass by, or pound those nasty buggers, uh, I mean, bloggers into submission, hehe. And to welcome that same exact praise or pounding from other readers, right? But if their “nonsensical geekgasms” are weak, I’d simply pass them by… No harm done. But I wouldn’t mind seeing the harm done in your death matches!

    {Raises eyebrows} Resin kits? Really? Wow, I’ve never really intended to explore that direction. So I’m impressed! {Nods} But that’s a great way to put it, “akin to a marriage”. And especially, “we are so confident and sure of our decisions”. Precisely. Even if my earliest choices were admittedly less certain or less confident, I’m still not gonna throw out a figure like she’s the metaphorical “persocom on the trash heap”. Yeah, whether or not she’s boxed away in the closet, she’s a piece of me, not a “fleeting whim”. Which is why I can’t understand so-called collectors who pre-order a full-dozen figures only to cancel half of them. Why? What’s in your head? Testing which way the otaku trend is blowing? LOL, kinda ridiculous.

    {Wide smile} Awww, thanx, that almost deserves a hug. You know, I don’t think I’ve been described as “learned” before! “Dum dum”, yes. But not “learned”, haha. Ah, great minds. True. Although, if an uninformed otaku ever crossed your path or dented your figure boxes, I can’t quite picture u as “patient” or “level-headed”! LOL, alas, I jest.

    P.S. Hehe, I got the metaphor. Mmm, tasty upstream fish. Plus lotsa rice, of course. ^_~

  14. @Jem: Yum, Salmon lol
    Death Nore nendoroids, eh? If there was a monotone statue of Light posing as he did on the cover of volume 12, I’d snap it up and place it on my roof, like the Brazilians did with the ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue^^;

    @Jay: Would you ever give an anime zero out of 5? Call me cruel, but that’s what I gave Akikan. My experience of watching ep1- watch, skip, watch, skip skip skip watch delete. That bad. Why don’t you try your hand at a review and see if you get your 2nd 1/5, or even a 0 like I gave it?
    …and if you have the patience to watchthe entire series… all hail^^;;

    aprilius20´s last blog post > Press Conference: On unreliable sources, and what to expect

  15. @A20: Hmm, zero? Most likely not. I tend to pick titles that have aired for some time or have been mentioned a couple times throughout my net travels, so there’s typically some validity to my choices. On top of that, my tastes are broader than most. So I can enjoy anything from the socio-politically and cyber-scientifically stacked to the superficially and comedically packed… But you know what? I’ll give it a try simply for the “challenge”. I’ll let u know when I finish the series. Since episodic reviews (more like previews) aren’t “real” reviews until a season or series ends anyway, haha. I mean, why would I review the first minute of a song, or the first ten minutes of a film, before it even ends? ^_^

  16. @A20: Hahaha, well, I just watched the first episode tonight. Maybe it’s because I came back from a party, but “Akikan” was freaking hilarious! Over the top and outlandish, yeah, but its cute carbonated mix of hetero-ecchi, homo-ecchi and love-hate-spats made me laugh out louder than “K-On!” so far! Reminds me of faves like “Midori Days” and “He Is My Master”, lol. Thanx, dude! So far, so good! ^o^;

  17. So my plot to expand my dislike of the show to other anime viewers backfired, eh? Oh, I think I forgot to mention this- hearing Lelouch’s voice come out of that alpha-hentai’s mouth was a major turn-off… no matter how I tried, all I could think of was Lulu, and no, imagining the melon juice girl as C.C didn’t help much^^;;

  18. @A20: Ehh, plots, dislikes, backfires? Looking across the wide expanse of otaku previews, reviews, and critiques, this just looks like another case of over-thinking and over-analyzing things. Gotta unplug, takes things less seriously, and enjoy the fiction and fantasy once in a while. Both the intense and the frivolous. Especially the frivolous, lol.

  19. “Gotta unplug, takes things less seriously, and enjoy the fiction and fantasy once in a while.”
    -lol, how do you think I survived Kanokon?
    Frivolous is fine, but not too much for me- there are limits to how much silliness my brain can accept^^;

  20. You did some nice work on the depth of field there!
    Oh and im back ^^

    Out of the two I prefer Couch Girl.Back when I saw her for the first time on HappySoda I took a liking to her.What kept me from buying her was the tiny 1/10 scale.

    There are some nice SteamPunk Cospalys among those peeps.My fav. is the mustached guy.He looks funny ^^

    Your Eh What Expression is epic^^

    Blowfish´s last blog post > Springtime Cleaning

  21. @A20: Hahaha, I might have to check out “Kanokon” too! Ah, limits? That’s the trick, isn’t it? These “limits” are usually based on some arbitrary standard of pride or decency, lol. So the “trick” is the unplug my pride of what’s too dumb or too silly or below my standards, and simply throw myself into their world. Simply think like a teenager again, hehe. And presto! My brain can handle any amount of silliness, lol. Of course, the other “trick” is to figure out when to plug my pride back into place! ^_^

    @FlyingBlow: Heyyy, welcome back! And thanx dude, from one figure photographer to another! Hmm, Couch Girl is rather pretty. And tiny. But she’s too awkward to photograph! Not many angles which work well, lol. On the other hand, Ribbon Girl is so much easier! Unfortunately, not many “natural” situations with which to reveal her pantsu. So I skipped it, lol… Haha, u mean the mustached “Safari Hat” guy? His steampunk costume was rather epic too! Definitely more epic than any twisted expression I could ever invent! ^_^

  22. lol, good to hear. Kanokon wasn’t that bad, despite the overblown ecchiness. I’m perfectly fine with anything ecchi, even it’s derivatives (except the more extremes like Guro, though I still find myself able to appreciate the art). I guess that with Akikan, something just snapped within me. Episode one was, if I recall correctly, about this sex-depraved guy who gets hold of a girl (ala Sekirei), thinks it’s a dream and tries to get it on with her, and gets whacked again and again. ‘More of the story, please’, was probably what went through my mind at that time.

    aprilius20´s last blog post > Otaku Mime

  23. @A20: Ah, which is why u can’t just stop at one episode, lol. But since I doubt you’ll return to it, let me spoil it slightly…

    I’m only up to episode 5 of 12. But as the story unfolds, you’ll learn more about the other cans and their owners, about Kakeru’s childhood female friend, who also becomes a can owner, as well as the battle between the aluminum and steel cans. It’s pretty intriguing for such a mindlessly simple premise! Gotta love the over-the-top over-acting, haha!

  24. @Jay: lol, maybe once Code Geass leaves my mind, I’ll reconsider watching it- not an easy thing to do, though. Lulu, like Light, will have a special place in my memory forever.

    aprilius20´s last blog post > Otaku Mime

  25. @A20: Hmm, I fail to see how Britannian and Shinigami-styled chess moves can impede your enjoyment of the ultra-mindless and giga-comedic. Maybe over-intellectualized perspectives can ruin the palate for straight-forward ero-tinged humor? In my case, they complement the meal like a sweet dessert, lol.

  26. @A20: Ahh, that’s why I don’t pay attention to the seiyuu names. Why bother?… In fact, the first time u mentioned it, I mistook your reference for that gay government official! Which was still funny. But now that I know it’s actually Kakeru, I only-slightly recognize Lulu’s similarity. They’re significantly different characters after all. Hardly a distraction from the ridiculous mayhem, lol.

  27. lol, normally I’d be pleasantly surprised to hear a recognizable seiyuu, like Chairman Dullindal from Gundam Seed Destiny (instantly knew him to be Hiko Seijuurou from Ruroken), and Konata speaking out of Amane Misa of Death Note- that one was a shock, but I dealt with it. With Akikan, however, it just hit me from the very beginning, and I immediately thought of him as Lulu. I mean, he sounds exactly the same- he barely made any changes to his voice^^;

    aprilius20´s last blog post > I turned my head and the ponytail I never knew I had whipped me

  28. @A20: Hmm, I suppose it depends on the voice. You’re right, I’ve heard Aya Hirano, not only in “Death Note” and “Lucky Star”, but also “Haruhi”, “Nana” and “Kiddy Grade”. And either I didn’t notice it, or they were pleasant surprises, lol. But now that I’ve finished “Akikan” (maximum 4 of 5 stars for a short season!), I can honestly say that any similarity to Lulu was inconsequential, and Kakeru’s vocal performance was fittingly epic!

    @FlyingBlow: Haha, in that case, I think I might agree! Or maybe we just haven’t seen enough of the right “steampunk” girls in goggles and chrome, lol. ^_^

  29. Lol, I didn’t notice Jayman was Aussie-Asian. ._. Ahh, that reminds me of an RP I had — but we only had three writers, and the scope (too many characters) was a little too ambitious..-wry- Didn’t end up going anywhere, especially after one of the writers dropped out. Sigh.

    I still can’t get used to the random Chinese in your Firefly RP. -wry- Never watched the series, but is it the same case on the show too?

    jenn´s last blog post > Kino sale! And Mother’s Day~

  30. @Jenn-chan: Hehe, no worries… Aww, too bad, but at least u tried, right? In my case, I had to push the RP (or RWF) along with the multi-pistoled force of my own creative willpower!…. Ahhh, the fact that u asked this question definitely reveals that u haven’t enjoyed one of the charms of the “Firefly” series. A future where China and USA were once the two major superpowers on earth. Hence, the bilingual beauty of its dialogue! ^_^

    P.S. Aww, thanx for reading! As I re-read the first few pages just now, seems like the other writers-characters are somehow too boring, lol. Hehe, I don’t sound too conceited, do I?

  31. @Jay-san: I’ve heard about that, yes, but I still don’t get it! The whole idea itself is bizarre. ._. Not to mention my brain instinctively goes, ‘WRONG!’ at anything that’s not perfect pinyin. XD XD

    Haha, yeah, tried, but apparently not good enough…I guess it’s a bit intimidating to write a ten-page long app/character description, as well. ._. Though more likely it was a niche market of an idea and people were too lazy to go into it. ._.” Speaking of RP, if you’ve heard of/watched the movie Equilibrium, I think a fan-driven RP character that tickled me was someone doing John Preston…Prozium, prozium!

    Haha! Naaahh. Though I have to admit I only read one page since I was sneaking on at work, it seemed pretty competent…^^

    jenn´s last blog post > Kino sale! And Mother’s Day~

  32. @Jenn-chan: Awww, I guess u just gotta rent the DVD’s or something! I guess I’m lucky I don’t know what “perfect pinyin” should be, lol. But yeah, actually, I’ve heard of “Equilibrium” for years. But never got around to watching it yet. I guess I’ll get the “Prozium” reference once I see it, lol… Ah, “sneaking on at work”, haha! Sounds pretty risky! Are u sure I’m worth it with such improper pinyin? ^_~

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