post 415 ~ over the weekend

by

post 415 ~ over the weekend…

ah, even with the extra hour over the weekend, i still felt busy or that i didn’t have enough time to do what i wanted… burning more downloads onto DVD, printing more wallpapers for my DVD-case covers, trying out my Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT, working on my “otaku merchandising” article, catching up page-by-page on my magazines, starting my letter to Anouck (afterwards, i’ll start one to Anna), even resisting the urge to cut some tiresome LJ’ers from my list… AND not only that, DAMN, tons of anime!… whether i was sampling an episode, starting or continuing a series, here are the 16 titles i was able to watch… from dramatic to humorous to mediocre:

Black Blood Brothers, Eureka Seven, Giant Robo, Gokusen, Gun Parade March, His and Her Circumstances, Ichigo Mashimaro (Strawberry Marshmallow), Jinki Extend, Kujibiki Unbalance, Le Chevalier D’Eon, NANA, Nana: Seven of Seven, Negima!? (Alternate Storytelling), Pia Carrot, Shakugan no Shana, Space Pirate Mito

meanwhile, here’s my first post for the LasVegasOtaku.org role-playing fiction “Firefly-Class Bebop“, a multiple-writer story based on a mix of the sci-fi “Firefly” and anime “Cowboy Bebop”…

Continue reading →

Otaku Merchandising: From Lucas to Vegas

by

Otaku Merchandising: From Lucas to Vegas


Fig. 1. May the Profits Be With You! Famous still from the original Star Wars (1977). Click to enlarge. 		George Lucas. Whether you admire or avoid him, his name is inescapably tied to material consumption and consumerism. Specifically, by unconventionally acquiring the licensing rights to his original and earth-shatteringly successful Star Wars (1977) three decades ago (Fig. 1) — in a time when film studios held the narrow “could care less” belief that secondary spin-off publications or properties were never profitable — the soft-spoken and once-unknown filmmaker and his sudden skyrocketing fortune undeniably proved to them otherwise. Studios had no choice but to take notice. And as a result of his winning gamble, Lucas — whether accidentally or not — gave birth to a revolutionary new form of consumer industry, and is regarded by many as the pioneer of modern-day entertainment-driven merchandising. Ah yes, as a little kid, I still remember sleeping in my sky-blue Star Wars bedsheets!

Continue reading →

post 413 ~ more japanese TV

by

“fruits basket” (anime; 2001-2)


“you’re under arrest” (live-action; 2002)
“NANA” (anime; 2006)–>

 post 413 ~ more japanese TV, hehe ;)

  • fruits basket ~ last night, finally finished the 26-episode series via netflix!… and WOW, i never would’ve guessed that i’d find myself so fond of yet ANOTHER (seemingly stereotypical) high-school-teenaged story (like “shuffle” or “negima”)… but like many of these anime series, what starts out as funny and cute — emotively hooking you and forging bonds with the characters — then dramatically evolves into a darker drama, exploring the more profound depths of the characters and interrelations… here, the concluding 3 episodes were simply powerful… so what i initially and instinctively assigned as 4 stars rightfully earned 5 of 5 stars!…
  • you’re under arrest ~ last night, finished this too!… just 9 live-action episodes based on the comedy-action anime… and yeah, the acting was pretty cheesy… but perhaps that’s what made it lovable as well… sad to say bye to “miyuki” and “natsumi” and “nakajima” after such a short run… 4 stars!
  • NANA ~ finally!!!… after about a month, the newest download finally made available… episode 22’s new opening theme rocked!… and once again, everything — humor and drama and twists and music — were all packed again into yet another half hour… according to wikipedia, there are a total of 26 episodes, and so far #22 will be the 24th episode (including 11.5 and 21.5), so only two more shows for this 5-star season… a continuing second season is definitely likely, i hope!… lol, can’t wait!

post 412 ~ insane shopping!

by

the Galleria food court
the Galleria parking lot, the Sunset Station casino in the distance
brand-new Nike cap (sports authority) and Hooters mag (borders)! LOL!

new pair of 25# dumbbells! (sports authority)
slick-new pair of Heely’s Slide roller shoes! (amazon)
shiny-new Canon Rebel XT 350D bargain, with 18-55 lens, including 2GB memory! (ebay)
post 412 ~ RARE DAY of insane shopping, hahaha!… i loved it! ;)))

  • triggered by my new LasVegasOtaku/Subarashii anime-article assignment on the anime/manga “consumer culture”, i did a crapload of browsing/shopping, searching for “roller shoes” and taking “anime merchandise” photos!… from walmart to barnes and noble to copeland sports to borders to the sports authority to the galleria mall (electronics boutique and dick’s sporting goods and suncoast)… about 18 photos to pick from for my article…
  • but after EVERYTHING, no “roller shoes” in my men’s size… instead, i did pick up a “Hooters” mag for myself and for former Hooters-girl (LOL)… finally found a great Nike cap (my old Rio cap is 8 years old!) plus a pair of new 25# dumbbells… not to mention a box of japanese “Pocky” (chocolate-covered biscuit sticks)!…
  • then later at home, i finally supplemented my old HP 3.2MP digital camera (3 years old but still works great!) with a silvery-new Canon 8MP Rebel XT 350D bargain on ebay!… plus found a NICE black pair of Heely’s Slide roller shoes on amazon!… AM I INSANE?… WHEW, i think that’s it… to balance out the cost, i might have to skip meals for a few months ;)))

post 411 ~ catching my eye!

by

click to enlarge


click to enlarge


click to enlarge

 post 411 ~ WOW… three of the latest anime figures to catch MY EYE!

  • Kanu Untyo ~ Gothic Lolita
    From “Ikki Tousen”
    Scale : 1/7 (about 9 inches body length)
    Material : PVC
    Day released : Mid Oct 2006
    Our Price : 6,153 yen ($53 USD + about $20 shipping from Japan)
  • Suzumiya Haruhi ~ Bunny Girl Red
    From “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”
    Scale : 1/6 (about 10 inches body height)
    Material : PVC
    Release Date: Dec 2006
    Our Price : 6,840 yen ($60 USD + about $20 shipping from Japan)
  • Horiuchi Sana ~ Devil Type
    From “Pia Carrot”
    Scale : 1/8 (about 7.5 inches body length)
    Material : PVC ABS
    Release Date : Jan 2007
    Our Price : 3,990 yen ($35 USD + about $20 shipping from Japan)

post 410 ~ barrage of random goodies ;)

by

genshiken figures!


heely’s roller shoes!

 post 410 ~ okay, a barrage of random goodies ;)

  • friends & hooters ~ yesterday, wednesday the 11th, after another visit to the local clinic (giving blood/urine samples), drove to the post office… finally mailed out my package to for her 25th birthday next week… plus picked up my shipment from japan: two circular mirror bases for my free-standing figures…

    that afternoon, another fun midday chat with anna and took some photos of my cubicle and my outside view from the third floor, not bad!… also helped vanessa clean/spruce up her resume…

    LOL, and since i’ve never been to one, anna suggested that i try a “hooters” restaurant for the FIRST time (she worked at a “hooters” during her recent 3-month visit to the US and loved it, especially the hot wings!), i decided to ask vanessa about it… in fact, vanessa had just gone there last week with don and kiyomi, and the week before!… she also mentioned how great the wings were!… so now, a group of us are shooting for lunch for this or next week (friday the 13th or tuesday the 17th)…

    interesting tidbit: the “hooters” that anna worked at in carolina was more family-oriented, waitresses wore short shorts but with regular shirts… however, according to vanessa, the “hooters” on sahara was not so family-friendly: “The waitresses wear really short orange shorts and tank tops with their boobs hanging out. Guys enjoy it… however we gals enjoy the food.”… independently-owned apparently, LOL ;)

    then that night, finally completed the composite of 4 photos from vanessa’s son’s birthday party… former and current co-workers of the legendary “RF Code” gang, LOL!

  • genshiken figures ~ over the last couple days, two more figures from the college-life otaku/geek comedy “genshiken”… the raven-haired “ohno” on the far left and the anime-within-an-anime “ritsuko” character on the far right… found them at decently discounted prices at robert’s anime corner store, and on ebay… NICE!
  • heely’s roller shoes ~ today, thursday the 12th, FINALLY remembered to google for “sneakers with wheels”… the result: roller shoes! YES!… the reason: well, for months, years, i’ve always envied kids who rolled around on these inventive contraptions!…

    i mean, listen to this little habit of mine: for months now, each week i visit the VONS grocery store, i lay my shoulder-strap case/bag into the grocery cart, then run-and-ride the cart from station to station, pick up my items, then run-and-ride to the next aisle, and the next… hahaha, i especially love the long wide freezer aisles when i can just run at full speed, hop onto the back, and ride all the way to the haagen daz sorbets (hmmm, strawberry, lemon and mango!)… and then another great long ride to the check out stations… but the BEST part comes AFTER checkout… since the parking lot slopes downward away from the store, i run hard from the entrance, then ride the grocery cart maybe a couple-dozen parking spaces down to my camry… NICE!… so why not add “roller shoes” to the rest of my day and week, right? LOL ;)

post 407 ~ sunday break from anime?

by

“lady vengeance” (2005)


“ultraviolet” (2006)


“my sassy girl” (2001)

 post 407 ~ a big sunday break from anime?.. yup, that’s right folks!… spent a lazy sunday watching FIVE downloaded titles!

  • 1 – what the [bleep] do we know (2004) ~ following a recommendation from , i decided to check out this part-documentary part-fiction film… so this morning, i watched it (apparently this AVI only contained the first 45 minutes of the full-length; later i’ll download another but unsplit file)… but after those 45 minutes, while it was entertaining, it still felt like another PBS “nature of the universe” science show, or maybe i saw it already… in any case, there wasn’t anything new about quantum theory… just a bunch of advocates with the same egocentric attitude as ancient scientists who once thought the earth was the center of the universe… so while “nowunraveling” gave it TWO stars, i might give it THREE because i like the actress Marlee Matlin, and of course, Armin “Quark” Shimerman…
    • side note 1 ~ i’m now beginning to think that the number of possible parallel realities can NEVER be completely infinite or completely dependent upon human observation, just as the space and time in the universe aren’t infinite… that is, mathematical probabilities are only a guide, not the reality… and just as subatomic particles can pop into and fade away like bubbles from this reality (as hawking wrote), so should the highly-improbable parallel universes fade away, and new ones pop into existence in their place…
    • side note 2 ~ just a note on “infinities”… since my “math fair” project in elementary school, i’ve known that there are multiple orders of infinity, not just one kind… for example, the infinity of possible points on a line segment is “lesser” than the infinity of possible line segments/paths within a 2D area… which in turn, is “lesser” than the infinity of line segments/paths within a 3D volume… this is due to the lack of “one-to-one correspondence” among these orders of infinity… so in terms of parallel realities, i perceive the possibilites NOT as the infinite number of points on a line that stretches infinitely long in both directions, BUT on the “lesser order” of infinite number of points within a defined line of limited length A-to-B… and even then, not an infinite number of points…
  • 2 – [sympathy for] lady vengeance (2005) ~ finally found time to watch this korean film!… with a pretty leading lady, and the ever-tortured Choi Min-sik to play the primary antagonist… beautiful cinematography and some shocking moments, but afterwards, the film left me unsatisfied… if anything, the sublime vivaldi-like soundtrack was the best element of the film… just as beautiful as the MP3s i acquired more than 12 months ago!… THREE stars…
  • 3 – ultraviolet (2006) ~ again, finally found time to watch the rest of this sci-fi flick… hmmm, while the gravity-defying matrix-style martial arts and slick “sky captain”-like comic-book look were definitely eye-catching, the story was pretty flimsy… it’s one of those movies that makes me think that, as tantalizingly super-sexy as she can be, Milla Jovovich should’ve stuck with singing… fortunately, “the fifth element” saves her… again… THREE stars…
  • 4 – my sassy girl (2001) ~ yet again, finally watched this korean romantic-comedy!… a cute leading lady, and awkward leading guy… with some funny moments, some fiction-within-a-fiction action moments, some tender moments, and a warm-and-fuzzy goosebumps conclusion… between THREE and FOUR stars, haven’t decided yet ;)
  • 5 – you’re under arrest (2002) ~ based on the popular action-comedy anime series, finally watched episode 1 of 10 japanese live-action parts… with the stunningly beautiful Misaki Ito as “natsumi”… hmmm, but unlike the anime, “miyuki” seems more forceful and impulsive than “natsumi”, who didn’t seem to get her fair share of important dialogue… nonetheless, THREE stars so far…

post 405 ~ noein, quantum, and parallel theory…

by

“noein”		 post 405 ~ noein, quantum, and parallel theory…

  • xjaymanx’s crash course in quantum theory ~ lol, don’t be afraid, i’ll do the best i can from high-school and college memory…

    okay, on the common everyday macroscopic scale, matter and existence could be considered “absolute”… in other words, if we see a ball bouncing along the street, you can turn around and reasonably expect it to continue bouncing behind your back… and conventional Newtonian laws (as well as extended Einsteinian/relativistic laws) of physics would apply without fail…

    however, on the subatomic or quantum level, matter and existence are not so absolute… for the simple reason that any attempt to observe them affects the outcome… that is, since the act of observation (where light is made up of photons) is on the same subatomic scale as the bouncing particles you are trying to observe in the first place, those photons would hit/interfere/affect the “certain” outcome of those particles (hence, the “uncertainty principle”)…

    using the “bouncing ball” metaphor, if you tried to see the ball, this time, you would only observe an infinite fog of possible bounces and paths, where nothing would be certain… since direct observation is impossible in ascertaining the absolute state of particles, they are described (for lack of a better way) in terms of mathematical “probabilities”… in other words, if one outcome/existence cannot be ascertained, then ALL outcomes/existences must also exist (in terms of probabilities)…

    inevitably, such a titanic contradiction between these two contradictory descriptions of the universe (macroscopic vs. quantum) even rattled Einstein and gave birth to his famous anti-quantum exclamation: “God doesn’t play dice with the universe”… consequently in the decades since, one attempt to resolve this seeming contradiction is the “many worlds” or “parallel universe” theory/interpretation…

    in a nutshell, it allows for the “certainty” of an outcome on the “observable” macro scale, while simultaneously permitting the “uncertainty” of probabilities on the “unobservable” quantum scale… in other words, while we live in one “ascertainable” universe, ALL other parallel universes must also exist as probabilities…

    but one thing that most profoundly emerges from this interpretation, is that the nature of the universe is suddenly and undeniably dependent upon the role of human observation/consciousness/awareness and its power to define an outcome/existence/reality…

  • noein ~ i bring this up because i just finished watching the anime series “noein”… and it uses quantum and parallel theories with such incredible story-telling skill!… there are many references to quantum theory including Schrodinger’s dead (and also simultaneously NOT dead) cat, as well as Einstein’s dice quote… and all without bogging the story down… on the contrary, along with its symphonically-epic soundtrack, the warm nostalgia of childhood memories, and the emotional pain of possible realities, “noein” earns FIVE STARS…

post 404 ~ snapshot of post 361

by

6

post 404 ~ WOW, it’s been 3 months since i started these ever-updated anime lists on post 361… so just for my own purpose, i thought i’d take a static snapshot of post 361, as of today…

  • DONE LIST – ANIME:

    May-June
    +++++ Ah! My Goddess (Season 1: 1-24) – Finished.
    +++++ Gankutsuou: Count of Monte Cristo (1-24) – Finished.
    ++++ Midori Days (1-13) – Finished 6/10.
    +++++ My HiME (Mai HiME) (1-26) – Finished 6/14.
    +++ Mahoromatic (Season 1: 1-12) – Finished 6/15.
    ++++ Fate Stay Night (1-24) – Finished 6/18.
    ++++ Samurai 7 (1-26) – Finished 6/18.
    ++++ Mahoromatic (Season 2: 1-14) – Finished 6/20.
    +++ Please Teacher! (1-13) – Finished 6/22 via Netflix.
    +++++ Trinity Blood (1-24) – Finished 6/25 (Marathon Sunday!).
    ++++ Full Metal Panic (Second Raid: 1-13) – Finished 6/28.
    July
    +++ Speed Grapher (1-24) – Finished 7/4.
    +++ Fushigi Yuugi – Season 1 (1-26) – Finished 7/8.
    +++++ Shuffle! (1-24) – Finished 7/16.
    ++++ Kasimasi (Girl Meets Girl: 1-12) – Finished 7/22.
    ++++ Ikki Tousen (1-13) – Finished 7/22 via Netflix.
    +++ Haibane-Renmei (1-13) – Finished 7/30.
    August
    +++++ Mai Otome (1-26) – Finished 8/8.
    ++++ Onegai (Please) Twins (1-13) – Finished 8/9.
    ++ F3 (Hentai: 1-3) – Finished 8/9.
    +++++ Negima! (1-26) – Finished 8/11.
    +++ To Heart (1-13) – Finished 8/20.
    ++++ You’re Under Arrest – S1 (1-26 of 52) – Finished first half 8/29.
    ++++ To Heart – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 8/30.
    September
    ++++ Tenjho Tenge (1-24) – Finished 9/4.
    +++ Paradise Kiss (1-12) – Finished 9/9.
    ++++ IGPX – Season 1 (1-13) – Finished 9/12.
    ++++ Sunabouzu (Desert Punk: 1-24) – Finished 9/16 via Netflix.
    ++++ Scrapped Princess (1-24) – Finished 9/19.
    +++++ You’re Under Arrest – S1 (1-51) – Finished 9/19.
    +++++ Solty Rei (1-24) – Finished 9/24.
    +++++ Blood+ (1-50) – Finished 9/25.

  • DOING LIST – ANIME:

    [watching an incomplete series or download]
    +++++ Ah! My Goddess (Season 2: 1-18 of 24?) – Thru Ep. 15.
    ++ Air Gear (1-3 of ?) – Thru Ep. 1.
    o Black Blood Brothers (1-2 of ?) – Not yet.
    +++++ Ergo Proxy (1-21 of ?) – Thru Ep. 21. *Active*
    +++ Hellsing Ultimate (1-2 of 10) – Thru Vol. 1.
    ++ Karas (1-3 of 6) – Thru Ep. 3.
    +++++ NANA (1-21.5 of ?) – Thru Ep. 21.5.

    [watching a completed series and download]
    o Azumanga Daioh (1-26) – Not yet.
    ++++ Black Lagoon (1-12) – Thru Ep. 3.
    +++ Daphne in the Brilliant Blue (1-24) – Thru Ep. 4.
    +++ Densha Otoko (Train Man: 1-12) – Thru Ep. 2.
    +++ Eureka Seven (1-50) – Thru Ep. 6.
    +++ Fushigi Yuugi – Season 2 (27-52) – Thru Ep. 27.
    ++++ Fruits Basket (1-26) – Thru Ep. 10 via Netflix. *Active*
    +++ Ichigo Mashimaro (Strawberry Marshmallow: 1-12) – Thru Ep. 1.
    +++ Jigoku Shoujo (1-26) – Thru Ep. 2.
    +++ Jinki Extend (1-12) – Thru Ep. 2.
    ++ Madlax (1-26) – Thru Ep. 4 via Netflix.
    ++ Mars Daybreak (1-26) – Thru Ep. 3.
    +++ Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (1-14) – Thru Ep. 1.
    ++++ Noein (1-24) – Thru Ep. 18. *Active*
    ++++ Planetes (1-26) – Thru Ep. 2.
    o Rozen Maiden – S1 (1-12) – Not yet.
    o Rozen Maiden – Traumend (1-12) – Not yet.
    o Shakugan no Shana (1-24) – Not yet.
    o You’re Under Arrest – S2 (1-26) – Not yet.

post 403 ~ nankurunaisa!

by

4


“saya & hagi” from BLOOD+

 post 403 ~ some random japanese and filipino stuff…

  • BLOOD+ ~ i finished watching this anime a couple days ago… but last night, after burning/archiving the last two episodes 49 and 50 of “BLOOD+” onto disc, i tested them on the big TV like i always do, but then i let myself be transported back to its world by watching parts of them again… such a tearful yet hopeful conclusion…

    in fact, the entire 50-episode series was such an utterly well-crafted and sublime anime, visually, musically, emotionally… so much so that it has become my #1 anime, even above “ghost in the shell” and “wolf’s rain”… and as its overall idea, nankurunaisa! (everything will work out in the end!)

  • visit to my old job ~ yesterday, before work, chatted with vanessa… how she’s still swamped as always, still looking for another job, and how the others are depressed as their boss piles more work onto them… so i decided to visit and maybe cheer them up, despite her “warning” that it wasn’t worth the trip, LOL…

    well, i did, got there at about 10:30am, and the cramped old office has hardly changed, hahaha… kiyomi and don were still there, the main developers who’ve been there since before i started there 3 years ago… plus even more wires, cables and instruments growing on their cubicles!

    hahaha, tried out my japanese with kiyomi… she asked how, and i said tons of anime!… “tadaima” (i’m back!), “baka” (idiot, fool), “itadakimasu” (i will receive! said before meals) and “itekimasu” (i’m leaving, i’m off!) and “ja ne” (see you later!)… so that was fun… talked with the others, how things were going, met the new tech writer (another new one!)…

    when vanessa finally off the phone, we chatted about the upcoming birthday for her soon-6-yr-old son tristan… showed her the ZipZaps radio-controlled matchbox car i was thinking of giving, but she said there were too many parts! and it would quickly get broken! haha… so she suggested a DVD like “curious george” or “cars” or “ice age” or something with dinosaurs or astronomy… typical smart kid!…

    i also pointed out how the others were smiling, didn’t seem depressed, but she said they weren’t trying to be, but you could tell in general… talked about the filipino food planned for the party: “lumpia” (kinda like mini egg rolls), “adobo” (like a chicken stew/gumbo), but LOL, no “balut” (cooked duck embryo still in its eggshell) which i loved as a kid… lastly, i offered to help with any document-related stuff, she could email the office guidelines draft to me if she needed to… and sadly, at about 11:30am, it was time for me to go to work, lol…

  • nankurunaisa! ~ i’ve told vanessa and morgaine how some things seem to be a battle of “guilt” versus “regret”… the “guilt” of NOT doing enough for others… and the “regret” of NOT doing the things you want for yourself… sometimes you can’t let family or friends or bosses or coworkers or others become too much of a responsibility that you feel so guilty not doing things for them… sometimes you gotta live for yourself…

    yeah, easier said than done, but “regret over oneself” can be much WORSE than the “guilt over others”… the key idea is: can you TRUST others to be able to take care of themselves? without having to look over their shoulder?… if you can, then you can smile more easily and happily in life…

    nankurunaisa!… everything will work out in the end!

  • p.s. the “unfair” issue at LasVegasOtaku.org has also been straightened out… just a simple matter of word choice and individual differences in etiquette…

post 400 ~ going all the rei!

by
post 400 ~ hey, my 400th post!!!… so below is my second submission to the LasVegasOtaku.org Subarashii blog/zine… or visit the site itself to see the article there… enjoy!

Rei Ayanami from Evangelion. Click to enlarge.		 Preview: 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!

post 399 ~ eight ain’t enough?

by

(1) “asuka as gothic-lolita” and (2) “saber in swimsuit” (from last month)
closeup of (1) “asuka as gothloli”
(1), (2), and (3) “seras victoria as vampire”

closeup of (3) “seras victoria as vampire”
(3), (4) “ryofu in rags”, and (5) “saki in cosplay”
closeup of (4) “ryofu in rags”

more (4) and (5)
(5), (6+7) “lumiere” (blue) with “eclair” (red), and (8) “motoko as part-clear”
more (6+7) and (8)
post 399 ~ eight is enough?… well, today, saturday afternoon, before heading out for groceries, got two packages at my front door… so after coming back, i opened them, and… WHOA, EIGHT NEW ANIME FIGURES!… plus a ninth box that i hadn’t opened since last month (“saber in swimsuit”)…

  • (1) 1/7-scale “asuka as gothic-lolita” ~ from the classic epic psycho-drama “evangelion”… for me, after accepting for ages that she was unavailable or sold out at all my favorites figure sites, i recently widened my search, and finally found her at a finnish website! it was like finding the “holy grail”!
  • (2) 1/6 “saber in swimsuit” (from last month) ~ from the action-fantasy “fate/stay night”
  • (3) 1/8 “seras victoria as vampire” ~ from the horror-favorite “hellsing”
  • (4) 1/6 “ryofu in rags” ~ from the sexy martial-arts “ikki tousen”
  • (5) 1/8 “saki in cosplay” ~ from the college-otaku-geek comedy “genshiken”
  • (6+7) 1/8 “lumiere” (blue) with “eclair” (red) ~ from the sexy dramedy “kiddy grade”
  • (8) 1/10 “motoko as part-clear” ~ from the legendary cyber-punk saga “ghost in the shell”
  • (9) 1/10 “motoko as not-clear” (not shown)

damn, definitely have tons of figure photoshoots ahead of me!… hmmm, maybe i’ll try some backyard outdoor-lit shots for my next LVO-Sabarashii blog/zine review… and maybe get more shelf space!… we’ll see…

post 397 ~ ears, breasts and figures

by
post 397 ~ ears, breasts and figures!

  • ear test ~ well, yesterday, had my wednesday ear appointment… recently, i seemed to have noticed that my right ear feels maybe 5% less perceptive than my left… so if my left was 100%, then my right felt like 90-95%… small but noticeable… besides, haven’t had my ears checked since my mom the doctor checked mine as a little kid!
    • well, the main doc checked them out… he said it looked like i had some draining tubes inserted as a child, and “tubes” did sound familiar to me… but overall, they looked fine…
    • so next was the sound booth, with the secondary doc named lisa… she was maybe my age, maybe older, plus/minus 5 years, but was also attractive, petite-height, shoulder-length hair, wore a pink outfit, including a low-cut shirt that highlighted her cleavage… now the reason i bother to mention this, is that when she fitted the special metallic headphones over my head, there was no choice… her low-cut cleavage was literally in front of my face… i mean, i tried to look away, but it was still in my peripheral vision… not that i minded…
    • so the wobbly sound test… click a button when i hear something loud or soft… left ear, right ear… repeat the list of words she says… left ear, right ear… and so on…
    • but then, there was a second sound test… and this time, when she fitted the next set of headphones, i was less shy about peeking… i mean, she must know she’s wearing a low-cut shirt, and she must know she’ll be fitting headphones at her job… so, why not? i guess i was braver…
    • so the next sound text used an intentional white-noise hiss or static, through which i would hear the same wobbly sounds… click when i hear the wobblies through the hiss/static (like a silent ninja in the rustling forest, lol)… loud or soft… and in a few minutes, that was it!
    • afterwards, we sat down to discuss the results, i still tried to avoid her cleavage, lol… apparently, my right ear does, in fact, have a slight 5% hearing loss in the lower audible range… most likely since i was a kid, i agreed… but now i know i wasn’t imagining anything… pretty perceptive, huh?
    • interesting though, when i took the main doctor’s business card from the pay desk, not only was he an ear-nose-throat specialist, he was also a facial-cosmetic and breast-enhancement surgeon!… damn!… coincidence?
  • more figures??? ~ double-damn!… today, thursday, just got an email from Twin Moon (tmpanime.com) that 6 more figures have shipped out today!… damn, all at once?
    • 1/10 ghost in the shell ~ motoko kusanagi
    • 1/10 ghost in the shell ~ motoko kusanagi (clear)
    • 1/8 genshiken ~ saki kasukabe (standing)
    • 1/8 hellsing ~ seras victoria
    • 1/7 kiddy grade ~ eclair & lumiere (bome set)
    • 1/6 ikki tousen ~ ryofu housen

post 396 ~ saber in black!

by

“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!

by
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 394 ~ figures and friends

by

3


“saya & hagi” from “blood+”
“saya & hagi”
“saya & hagi”

“saya & hagi”
“saya & hagi”
“saya & hagi”
post 394 ~ newest figures!

  • saya & hagi ~ ah yes!… in graceful 1/8-scale form, the lead characters of my all-time favorite vampire-anime series “blood+“… watched 1-48, just downloaded episode 49 of 52!… even more profound, dramatic, touching, and epic than “hellsing”… and that’s saying a lot! ;)))
  • saber, coming soon ~ two more boxes i haven’t opened yet… 1/6 saber from “fate/stay night” in white swimsuit… and 1/8 saber in black goth-loli dress…
  • in other news ~ finished my pen-and-paper letter to , just gotta mail it on monday… also, finished burning the “smallville” season 1 episodes for , just gotta write the pen-and-paper letter to go with it ;)))… plus reached episode 22 of “scrapped princess”, an epic medieval-and-magic tale of humanity being sealed in a matrix-like cage of illusion, and a favorite anime of , just 2 more episodes to go!

post 392 ~ japanese beauty

by

Misaki Ito		 post 392 ~ japanese beauty… just had to post about Misaki Ito… according to her wikipedia article, she is “considered a great beauty within Japan and has been the face of Shiseido Cosmetics since 2000″… and her bright smile kinda reminds me of chinese actress ziyi zhang…

  • densha otoko (train man) ~ i first saw her in the 2005 romantic comedy “densha otoko” about an anime otaku (geek) who defends a rich and beautiful woman (her) from a bully on the subway… funny and touching…
  • you’re under arrest ~ but then after downloading the 2002 live-action drama “you’re under arrest” based on the anime i’ve been praising and downloading… about two strong and beautiful police women, i immediately recognized her as one of those women!
  • must be fate, lol ;)