Category Archives: Fate/Stay & Fate/Hollow

Blog 189 > Hearts, Ninjas & Toyboxers

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Hey, Maria, what’s up? Whoa, really? Oh crap, wait, not another fabricated message, lol. Oh well, while the returning French-Japanese adult-video idol Maria Ozawa never sent me any stunning bright-eyed cheer, a guy can dream, can’t he? But if you’re wondering, my fellow Toyboxers, nope, this isn’t a “Palpatine’s Day” or “Anti-Palpatine’s Day” weekend post. Not really. Not officially, lol. Ehh, who cares? How was yours anyway? Oops, before you answer, get your twisted mind ready for yet another five-layered mega-post! This week, we leap through spiraling blog battles-and-rules, sneak under indestructible foosball ninjas, skip past random girl-shaped drama-and-gothica, peek at heart-breaking high-school girls, and slide down slippery ring-burnt relationships. Nothing dangerous, of course, lol. So are you ready? Now on with the show…

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Blog 160 > Adventures of Danny Clone

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The Adventures of Danny Clone

  • Warning: Massive 58-photo segment following the show.
  • Danny Clone: Hey Jay, are u sure about this?
  • xJAYMANx: Sure, let’s push the envelope a little bit, hehe.
  • DC: Okay, if you’re sure.
  • xJ: Yeah, let’s do it. Go ahead whenever you’re ready…
  • [Audience applause.]
  • DC: Okay!… Welcome ladies and gents to “The Adventures of Danny Clone”. I’m your host Danny Clone, a third-rate copy of the extraordinarily unique and original Danny Choo!
  • [Audience applause.]
  • DC: But first, a quick plug for Good Smile Company! And the beta launch of the English Good Smile website at eng.goodsmile.info! Where they go the extra mile for your good smile!
  • [Audience applause.]
  • DC: And your good cash… Just kidding, just kidding!
  • [Audience laughter.]
  • DC: Today, our guest is the beautiful Barbie from Las Vegas.
  • [Audience applause.]
  • Barbie: Thank you, DC. Would it be okay to call u DC?
  • DC: Why not? I’ve been called worse things!
  • [Audience laughter.]

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Blog 159 > Saber-Hectic September

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Yeah, another grinding week in the real world. Office-chained client-work for IBM continues to be grueling. I continue to endure burn-out mode while my blood-shot eyes (including my supernatural left eye, lol) approach boil-out mode. Yet despite it all, I manage to limp along with anime and web design as my crutches, lol. So, in no particular order, a few highlights over the last couple weeks…

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Blog 116 > Saber Trooper!

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Triple damn!!! More than 2 1/2 months since my Vader Versus Haruhi photoshoot in mid-August! Tied up with work, anime, my brother’s wedding in September, and the completion of my latest Mirai masterpiece in October. But finally, we welcome my 1/6-scale “Saber in White Swimsuit” (Clayz, June 2006) obtained in August 2007, 1/6-scale “Bunny Girl Yuki Nagato” (Atelier Sai, April 2007) obtained in May 2007, and 1/7-scale “Storm Trooper” (Kotobukiya, November 2003) obtained in July 2007.

For this Canon photoshoot, I ended up with 59 shots, taken with various backgrounds. And for the first time, I experimented with the “Auto Levels” function in Photoshop. Wow, it automatically adjusted the color and contrast pretty well!… But what’s the funniest of all is that this looks like a trooper-armored Danny Choo kidnapping Saber and Nagato! Just like he “kidnapped” the easy-on-the-eyes Aya Hirano, hahaha! Enjoy!

Otakurl it! >>
My Anime Figure List >>
Click for Full Photoshoot (59) >>

Blog 093 > Fateful Circumstances Revisited

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I don’t know if this has ever been done before — creating a video by setting a figure photoshoot to music — but in any case, here’s my first one. Ever since my original Blog 044 > Fateful Circumstances anime-figure photoshoot (47 shots taken in March 2007) featuring Yukino & Arima (from Kare Kano) and Saber (from Fate/Stay Night), I’ve had this intriguing idea in my head, of somehow composing a slideshow and setting it to music. After a preliminary 3-photo test, plus a few hours composing this one, I think the video actually turned out pretty well for an experiment! Enjoy the show!

Original Photoshoot >>
Original Full-Size Video > 856×480 WMV >>

Blog 089 > My Eye on Mirai

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Hey, fellow otaku! Some of you have already seen my first piece of fan art for DannyChoo.com called “Past & Future Circumstances” which depicts sisters Kako & Mirai Suenaga. Well, last night, I finally found some time to work some more on my next piece, portraying Mirai Suenaga in battle. But damn, due to my ongoing blog updates and other responsibilities, it’s been slow progress since May 28th; only my 10th random day in the last month. Sadly, no more than a couple hours each day.

So to rectify the situation, I thought a progress post would kick my anime butt into high-gear! From Draft 10a, here’s a 750×500 section of the full 1800×1200 battle scene so far, with layers and layers of temporary reference images beneath my black lines. My reference images include those from Fate/Stay Night and Ergo Proxy. But at this point, I estimate a mere 10% completed. Hmmm, maybe I’ll cut the frequency of my blog posts? Gahhh!

Past & Future Circumstances >>

Blog 078 > Will Figures Never End?

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Ah, finally! My first figure-collection update in ages! Finally moved out the boring 8-year-old vases from the stepped wall in the living area, and replaced them with my collection of still-boxed anime (and Lara Croft) figures! Jeez, 17 figures still boxed! For those who don’t yet know, with the exception of some of my earliest figures, I don’t open boxes until I’m ready to do a full photoshoot. Then once I’ve finished the photoshoot, I display them in the ever-rising shelves above my laptop setup. Only 37 figures opened! And yesterday, I just bought and added a third tier of shelves to make room for new post-photoshoot figures. Argh, will it never end? But now, more pics…

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Blog 044 > Fateful Circumstances!

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Ah, springtime! Quite fitting for another sunny light-hearted photoshoot! This time, from another top-favorite romantic-comedy series, and one of the most-beloved love stories in anime history, Kare Kano (or His & Her Circumstances; here’s my review), we introduce the unforgettable boy-and-girl 1/8-scale “Arima & Yukino” (in resin), released by the now-defunct Tsukuda Hobby back in the late ’90s.

In January 2007, by sheer luck in the Amazon Marketplace, I stumbled upon this rare figure! After several months of waiting for the right time, I finally used three Amazon gift certificates to reduce the price enough to get it! Clearly, the rarest piece of my collection!

Also, we welcome back, from Fate Stay Night and Fate Hollow Ataraxia, the blonde-haired 1/8-scale “Saber in Brown Dress” (in PVC), released by Alter. She’s the first-ever figure to arrive at my doorstep last year in May 2006! In fact, after checking all of my favorite figure sites plus eBay, she’s pretty rare herself, LOL!

For this Canon photoshoot, I saved 50 shots, then narrowed it down to 47 shots, 4 of which I used Photoshop to increase the lighting by 10 and contrast by 10. I tried to create some interaction between the blonde Saber and the black-haired Arima, along the lines of a random attraction. Did it work? Hehehe ^_^

Otakurl it!

Click for all 47 >>

Blog 015 > Night Saber! Part 1 of 2

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Hey! My newest photoshoot taken today on Sunday, Dec 17th! In this case, I decided to go back and feature the first figure i ever ordered, way back in April 2006. That is, the first figure to grab me, strongly enough to own her: my 7-inch 1/8-scale “Saber in Gothic-Lolita Black” figure (the same “Saber” from Fate/Stay Night). So, to improve upon my original September-2006 photoshoot using my crappy HP digicam, today I used my Canon and a dark forest-fiery backdrop, took a total of 75 saved shots for 2 different poses (with and without skirt), and somehow narrowed it down to the best 50 shots…

Click for all 50 >>

Blog 013 > Fateful Rider!

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Rider from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
Rider from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia | Image from Hobby Search

As I was checking my email at work, I found this new pre-order (for April 2007) in the latest issue of my “Hobby Search” email subscription… Since I liked “Rider” in the “Fate/Stay Night” anime series, the 1/6-scale “Rider” swimsuit figure definitely caught my eye!… But I don’t like her so much that I can’t wait for her to appear on the more-affordable “Twin Moons” American site… if she appears there at all…

post 396 ~ saber in black!

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“saber” from “fate/hollow ataraxia”
without skirt or sword

with full dress and sword
post 396 ~ saber in black!… yup, last week, received yet another rendition of “saber”… this time, 1/8-scale in her black goth-loli (gothic-lolita) dress… back in march-april 2006, SHE was the first figure i fell in love with, enough to finally BUY, before i ever knew who “saber” was, and before i ever started my figure collection (now numbering 14!!!)

post 395 ~ knight saber!

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post 395 ~ well, monday morning, i got an email from the LasVegasOtaku.org forum/admin (ganguro) that myself and one other guy (sirhc) were chosen and welcomed as the newest staff writers for the fan-organized Subarashii blog/zine… apparently, the editor (rukia) liked our sample reviews and forum behavior (not bad!)… now all i gotta do is keep up my anime figure reviews (my choice) of at least 1-2 times per week (not my choice)… and besides the blog, there are future plans to print (or photocopy, lol) actual bi-monthly zines… hey, why not?… below was my sample, as well as my first submission to the blog/zine…

Saber from Fate/Stay Night. Click to enlarge.		 Knight Saber!

If you think your anime figure collection is complete without this sword-wielding warrior, think again!

Sculpted by Takeshi Miyagawa and manufactured by Clayz, this 1/6-scale PVC figure is a glorious rendition of Saber, one of the primary characters of Fate/Stay Night, the title of the fantasy-action anime series, as well as the original H-game by TYPE-MOON upon which the anime is based.

With her long flowing blue skirt and white petticoat spanning horizontally over 6-inches to the tips, Saber stands proudly at nearly 10-inches tall, and is noticeably heavier than most figures of the same scale. But the weight does nothing to detract from the overall appearance, which is effortlessly detailed with Saber’s signature blonde curl, wide green eyes, blue hair ribbon, and trusty Excalibur sword. Even the touches of her armored footwear and the gold trim on her deep-blue dress doesn’t go unnoticed. Meanwhile, Saber carries herself in a relaxed yet poised and proud pose, as if to calmly say, “What are you waiting for?”

If anything detracts from the package, it is the scabbard (not pictured) which fits over the sword. While just as finely detailed in blue and gold, it may be somewhat superfluous for some who prefer to display the sword itself. Nevertheless, at a price between $50-60, this figure is definitely worth it.

That is, if you can still find it, and it’s not already sold out in your area!

post 376 ~ newest figures!

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“saber” (blue) & “rin” from “fate/stay night”
“saber”
“saber”

“asuka” (red) & “rei” from the classic “evangelion”
“asuka” & “rei”
“asuka” & “rei”
post 376 ~ newest figures!

  • saber ~ the newest crown jewel of my collection!… 1/6-scale in her full dress (without armor) and her excalibur… yeah-yeah, my 3rd and best “saber” ;)
  • asuka & rei ~ the female leads from the widely regarded “best anime of all time”, “evangelion”… 1/8-scale in their plug suits (sleeveless) and bandages…

post 352 ~ anime marathon…

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“genshiken” (2005)		 post 352 ~ anime marathon over the weekend… well, pretty close to one, hehe…

  • genshiken ~ short but sweet!… finished the 12-ep first season… ah, the hilarious college antics of an animated-porn-loving “otaku” club… in addition to the anime, spent about 2-3 hours reading the manga versions at the “borders” and “barnes & noble” bookstores; so the anime was quite faithful to the story and style of the manga!… even pre-ordered a figure; coming in a few months!
  • fate stay night ~ watched the latest fan-subbed episode #20 in the fantasy anime series… a lighter episode exploring the humor, but also the deeper emotions/thoughts of the main characters “emiya” and “saber” and their future if/when they obtain the “holy grail”…
  • blood+ ~ AMAZING 1st episode of the anime series, based on the classic 20-30-minute film “blood: the last vampire”… presentation is quite faithful to the original feature… very slick, stylish, and bloody! ;)))
  • trinity blood ~ another AMAZING 1st episode… brand new series!… similar to “hellsing” in its battle between vampires and the vatican, but taken centuries into the future… a presentation similar to “vampire hunter D: bloodlust”… again, very stylish, gothic and grandiose!… and bloody, of course! ;)))
  • kiddy grade ~ during my workouts, continued watching this “teenaged eye-candy cyborg” series yet again (maybe the fifth time over the past few years? lol)… finished the 4th of 8 dvds… still an unexpectedly complex story of tragic pasts and hidden agendas…
  • ghost in the shell: stand alone complex ~ during my meals, watched this “anti-terrorist cyberpunk” series yet again (maybe the fifth time also?)… and finished the 7th/last dvd today… yeah-yeah, still a highly intellectually and philosophically engaging action series…
  • anime insider & newtype usa ~ last but not least, catching up on my magazines and free dvd samples… haha, when i’m NOT watching anime or reading manga… or when i’m NOT (dare i say it?) working… ;)))
  • whew!… that’s definitely a LOT of anime over the weekend plus today…

post 351 ~ figure this… updated…

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“saber”
“galhound” (pic 1)
“galhound” (pic 2)

“rin” (in center)
“rin” (in center)
“rin”
post 351 ~ a new figure!… joining “saber” from the anime “fate stay night” is… “galhound” from masamune shirow’s manga “intron depot”, the first figure that ever caught my eye, and wanted to get for years!!!… finally found one under $25!

update ~ ah, yes, “rin” also from “fate stay night” joins them as well…

post 341 ~ fate in numbers…

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post 341 ~ fate in numbers… congrats to the fastest friends to be safe from the “passover” cut-off, lol… (see “safe list” on previous post 340)… as for other news…

  • 5 days ~ returned to the office after 5 days either sick at home or working from home… while our first-floor “dungeon” is like a prison cell where all u can focus is on work, it’s like a prison cell in its spartan and claustrophobic nature… STILL don’t understand the original need to move the 3 of us downstairs away from the 3rd floor… but i guess i’m lucky to work at home at all ;)))
  • 24 hours ~ finally finished “24” season 2 over the weekend… it rocked! better than season 1!… and while it’s a show definitely designed “for the ride”, i doubt i’ll ever buy the DVDs… that’s what “battlestar galactica” is for! LOL ;)
  • 50 weeks ~ funny, finally returned to watching the hit korean show “damo” again (ordered the DVD set last month!)… and according to my gmail, it’s been almost a YEAR (50 weeks) since i last saw it as a rental… never finished the series, which is why i bought it when it finally hit amazon!… and FEELS like it’s only been a month, not a year!
  • 3 “fate” figures ~ lastly, yup! i caved!… after ordering the first “black saber” figurine from http://www.animenation.com … yesterday, ordered TWO more “saber” figurines from http://www.yesasia.com … averaging only $50 per 7.5-inch figurine! nice ;)

    #1 ~ Fate Stay Night 1:8 Saber

    #2 ~ Fate Hollow Ataraxia : 1:8 Saber (Casual Wear Ver.)

    #3 ~ Fate Hollow Ataraxia : 1:8 Black Saber Dress

  • 14 “fate” episodes ~ meanwhile, i’ve downloaded the first 3 available chapters of the english-version “fate stay night” manga… and in the process of downloading the 14 available episodes (jap with eng subtitles) of the “fate stay night” anime so far, now playing in japan… completed 9 downloads so far!!!

post 339 ~ anime, sci-fi, and fantasy!

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post 339 ~ okay-okay, it’s been 11 days ;)))

  • dark saber ~ first of all, gotta get this!… “saber” from the adult “fate/hollow” games/manga… about 7.5 inches (19 cm) high!… i think i’m in love, hehehe ;)))… click to enlarge.

    $42 at animenation.com | $60 at yesasia.com

  • dvds and more dvds ~ meanwhile, here are the dvds i’ve seen over the past month… anime and sci-fi and fantasy, what else?… lol ;)))

    + Scrapped Princess: Vol. 1 ~ getting good!
    + Full Metal Panic FUMOFFU: Vol. 1 and 2 ~ hilarious must-have!
    + Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo: Chapter 3 ~ spectacular must-have!
    + Ah! My Goddess: Vol. 2: Love Plus One ~ wholesome/romantic must-have!
    + Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0: Disc 1, 2, and 3 ~ dramatic must-have!
    + 24 Season 2: Disc 5
    + Constantine
    + House of Flying Daggers ~ already have it; watched it again!