Category Archives: Otaku News

Blog 095 > My Eye on Mirai, Day 16

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Damn slow progress! Since my last update two weeks ago — My Eye on Mirai, Day 10 — found only 6 more random days to push forward my Mirai Suenaga battle piece, for a mere total of 16 random days since May 28th. But once again, here’s a 750×500 draft of the full 1800×1200 battle scene so far. Since the frakkin’ hair and gun details took so long (understandably), I’m hoping things will speed up a bit. For the sake of numbers, let’s estimate 15% (about 1/7th) completed.

P.S. Hey Danny! Oops, if you read this, just noticed that my username — xJAYMANx — on your Fan Art page is missing the first x. And after clicking my username, my Amazon “List of ASINs” seems to have disappeared… Wait, it reappeared a day later. ^^;

Otakurl it! >>
My Eye on Mirai, Day 10 >>
Mirai Suenaga Fanart at DannyChoo.com >>

Blog 092 > Otaku or Not Otaku?

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A few days ago, my close friend Vanessa and I entered into an intriguing (almost heated) discussion regarding dating, relationships, and eventually my anime blog, particularly my figure photoshoots! In a nutshell, she was notably concerned about how my figure photos — typically of scantily-clad anime girls — would look to the random or casual blog visitor (especially a Westerner) not familiar with anime and its unique influence in Japanese mainstream culture. While they carry artistic value, she noted that the photoshoots could still be mis-interpreted as “creepy” or “perverted”. Fortunately, she knows me well, and understands that this is a common Western stereotype of anime fans (or otaku). But I admit, she does makes a good point that most visitors don’t know me so well, especially if they might include potential employers or recruiters or yes, even a new non-otaku girlfriend!

Needless to say, I value Vanessa’s opinion very highly. I can still enjoy anime, experiment with anime photoshoots, and blog about it, but I can do so without plastering and magnifying those images throughout my entire website. Consequently, over the last couple days, I’ve reworked my website in several ways. (1) I’ve restricted my anime header images to only a few specific anime sections. (2) I’ve moved the full photoshoots away from my blog posts and into these anime sections, behind a low-level anime login. (3) I’ve also set this anime login to protect any blog access from my website (i.e. front door), while keeping the direct blog address open (i.e. back door). (4) Similarly, I’ve also moved more-sensitive non-anime pages behind a friends-level login.

By implementing these changes, I hope to accommodate not only my otaku friends and acquaintances, but also my non-otaku friends (like Vanessa) who may feel awkward or afraid of forwarding my website to their own friends, and lastly, the random non-otaku stranger who may be a potential new friend. For a non-Japanese citizen residing outside of Japan, does this social sensitivity make me any less of an otaku? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I guess it depends on whether an otaku is supposed to possess any social graces to begin with, haha!

Click for December 2006 Photoshoot >>

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 086 > The Pirate & the Lolita

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Damn, I couldn’t help it! Not only a new Gothloli Asuka pre-order for August-September, but now grabbing two new pre-orders for October-November! First, a 1/8-scale “Space Pirate” (from Intron Depot 4) with bright-blue hair, black leather and yes, lots of skin, lol.

Second, a 1/8-scale “Gothloli Ryofu” (from Ikki Tousen) with bright-green hair, white stockings, plus removable two-piece top, removable bloomers and removable skirt! In other words, yes again, lots of skin, lol. Snatch ’em now before they disappear forever… or until a possible re-release, haha. Meanwhile, looks like several low-budget months of ramen for me…

Blog 085 > Does Faking It Matter?

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So this morning, I come into work at my cubicle and check my emails. And oddly enough, just for the heck of it, instead of auto-deleting, I checked my home spams to find an “Anime Figure” email from another collector: “H-Gurl”. Definitely not your typical spam! And guess what? Her email was simply a friendly message complimenting my collection and noting some “red flags” concerning possible bootlegs or fakes in my collection. With my Tessa Testarossa (Full Metal Panic!), I agreed with her assessment, not to mention the scratches, deformities and poor finish. But for such a scarce version at the time, paying $1 or $2 (plus shipping) on ebay was better than nothing…

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Blog 084 > Shana & Himekuri Girl, Finally!

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A-ha! Finally! Sorry about the last two teasers, but no more! After more than a month since my last photoshoot, here’s the full photoshoot of my 1/8-scale “Gothloli Shana” and 1/7-scale “Himekuri Girl” figures!

Manufactured by Toys Works, this flaming-haired blazing-eyed gothic-lolita PVC version of Shana — from the anime Shakugan no Shana (4 of 5 stars) — features her smiling in a white short-sleeved top with a black skirt and stockings. She bends forward with her orange-wrapped sword behind her, and her trusty companion Alastor hanging as a pendant from her neck. Fiery yet proper, haha!… Meanwhile, designed by Yoshizaki Mine — of Sgt. Frog (Keroro Gunso) fame — for the cover of the Japanese magazine Comic Himekuri, sculpted by Tomohide Enoki, and manufactured by Kaiyodo, this purple-and-black gothic-lolita PVC version of this cute cover girl portrays her kneeling in a skimpier top, a more-colorful and elaborate hair adornment, and a longer more-flowing skirt. On top of that, while not apparent in the photos, the intriguing paint scheme is embedded with tiny dust-sized sparkles, like a glistening sheen of rainbow mist. Wow, glad I got her!

For this Canon photoshoot, I saved 73 shots, then narrowed it down to these 60 shots. (For 10 of the 60, I Photoshop-enhanced the poor lighting by duplicating the image layer and applying a “Screen” blend at 50% opacity). Now, without further ado, enjoy the photoshoot!

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My Anime Figure List >>
Click for Full Photoshoot (60) >>

Blog 079 > Anime Dilemma!

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LOL, dammit Danny, damn you! ^_^ Tonight, I was all ready to immerse myself into a full photoshoot of my 1/8-scale “Gothloli Shana” and 1/7-scale “Himekuri Girl” figures, but then I stumble across your latest blog post — more Mirai and Kako fanart! And guess what? After seeing the latest art and answering your “bedroom or battle” pose question, now I wanna postpone the shoot for a week or two, and continue constructing my next Mirai piece — battle pose! Damn you! But I forgive you, lol… So instead, I’ll post the new wallpaper background I’ve designed for this upcoming “red-and-purple-haired gothloli” photoshoot. Nice, eh?

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 072 > Gothloli Melancholy!

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Yup! It was bound to happen! A “Gothic Lolita” version of Haruhi from the wildly popular anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. At $130.00 USD, this pre-painted 1/7-scale resin figure features Haruhi in a gothic black-and-white dress, adorned with red roses and red shoes, and featuring her optional musical attachment: Her electric guitar! And according to this accompanying link, Mikuru and Yuki are soon to follow! Gotta have them! But damn, too pricey. Maybe I’ll wait for the PVC versions, lol.

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Blog 070 > Past & Future Circumstances!

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Hey folks! If you don’t already know, I follow the otaku blog DannyChoo.com. Not blindly, lol, and not only for otaku news, but also for inspiration. And inspiration smacked me yesterday with Danny’s post on fan art of his mascot Mirai Suenaga. I’ve had several lingering ideas over the last months — okay, maybe just one idea, lol — but I was always too lazy to execute. Well, this time, I was fired up. The idea: Take the amazing and classic His & Her Circumstances (Kare Kano) image of Yukino and Arima dancing in the high-school hallway (seen here), and fuse it with Mirai. But how? Who would be her partner?

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Blog 066 > Ikki Lolitas!

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Finally, a new figure photoshoot! Nearly a month since my last photoshoot! This time, I’m presenting my 1/7-scale gothic-lolita “Ryomou” (standing) delivered back on January 1st, 2007, and my 1/7-scale gothic-lolita “Kanu” (kneeling) delivered back on December 5th, 2006. Both characters appear in the sexy martial-arts anime series Ikki Tousen (4 of 5 stars, my maximum for half-season!).

While the 9-inch-standing Ryomou was sculpted by Hiroman, and the 4.5-inch-kneeling Kanu by Satoshi Ishiyama, both PVC figures were manufactured by Orchid Seed in the frilly black-and-white “Gothic Lolita” style. (Additional recolored versions are available in the pink or striped “Alice Lolita” style.) As an added bonus, Kanu’s white top is detachable to reveal her fullness. I haven’t detached it yet, lol. For this Canon photoshoot, I saved 50 shots, then narrowed it down to these 35 shots. Enjoy!

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My Anime Figure List >>
Click for Full Photoshoot (35) >>

Blog 042 > Evangelion Lolitas!

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Ah, finally, an Evangelion gothic-lolita figure photoshoot! Here, we welcome 1/6-scale “Gothloli Rei” and 1/7-scale “Gothloli Asuka” from the psychological post-apocalyptic classic Neon Genesis Evangelion. While the blue-haired Rei Ayanami was sculpted by Suzu (Atomic-bom) and manufactured by Amie-Grand with a polystone-resin price-tag of $110-120 USD, the red-haired Asuka Langley was sculpted by Naoki Nishimura and manufactured by Kotobukiya with a PVC price-tag of $30-40 USD.

Note that resin is harder heavier less-deformable and more-detailable, but also less-flexible more-brittle and more-expensive than PVC. Luckily, you can’t tell that both of Rei’s index fingers were superglued back on, lol. So for this two-hour photoshoot, I saved about 65 shots, then narrowed it down to the 50 shots you see here. Enjoy!

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Click for all 50 >>

Blog 040 > Think Inside the Box!

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Boxed Anime Figures
Photo 01 by xJAYMANx | Click to enlarge

WOW! Been almost a month!… Well, got three new figures over the past few days (Photo 02). So I decided to take a few photos of the 10 figures I haven’t opened yet… Photo 01: Gothloli Rei and Gothloli Asuka from Evangelion… Photo 02: Natsuki from Mai-Hime, Motoko from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Bunny Girl Haruhi from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya … Photo 03: Chii from Chobits, and Gothloli Kanu and Gothloli Ryomou from Ikki Tousen… and lastly, Photo 04: Gothloli Ryomou from Ikki Tousen (once again), Battle Damaged Ryofu from Ikki Tousen, and Ritsuko from Kujibiki Unbalance… Gotta find time to do a new photoshoot! See ya soon!

Otakurl it!

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Blog 030 > Half-Naked Death Can Be So Expensive!

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Hmmm, there’s a “Wish List”, then there’s an “Impossible Wish List”… Coming in late January 2007, between $100 and $150 USD (not including shipping) on two different figure sites — HobbyFan.com and E2046.com — this tauntingly demonic girl, half-dressed in feather and leather and metal, this 1/7-scale “Morte the Death Bringer” resin figure is undeniably breathtaking! Yet expensively out-of-reach… Like I said, quite nearly impossible, hehe…

Otakurl it! | Click here to see my Anime Figure List.

Blog 020 > Going All the Rei!

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Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion | Image from Hobby Search

hey, a late xmas present!… on tuesday, dec 26th, after dinner, drove to the post office to pick up my latest anime figure… “gothloli rei“!… in fact, here’s the preview that i wrote for LasVegasOtaku.org back on sept 24th…

Going All the Rei!

If you’re a figure collector, or even if you’re not, you’re probably tired of seeing the seemingly endless versions of Rei and Asuka from the classic anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. But that feeling may soon change!

Coming this November, a stunning new GothLoli Rei Ayanami will be available for your collecting pleasure. Sculpted by Suzu (Atomic-bom) and manufactured by Amie-Grand, this eye-catcher depicts a demurely kneeling Rei in a frilly white choker and top, as well as a leathery black skirt and stockings. At an impressively detailed 1/6 scale, Rei kneels at nearly 7-inches tall.

However, the sturdier polystone resin pushes her price to a blue-hair-raising $110-120 USD. Is she worth it? Well, if you’re a die-hard fan of Evangelion, GothLoli culture, or both — and can maybe skip meals for a few weeks — Rei might very well be!

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 >>