Saturday, May 30, 2009

Felli Loss

Atelier Sai so the quality may not be all that great but the design certainly appeals to me.

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I'm so very very bored with Ikki Tousen figures...

Komaki Manaka Under Wear & Apron Ver. Pastel Blue

Polystone figure that is actually rather hot. ;)

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Griffon version of Allean - I'm waiting for the Megahouse one

Gurren Lagann - Yoko at her finest!

Fantastic song and video!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Queens Blade Risty - Could be a good one!

Queens Blade Alleyne - reserving judgment on this one

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

figma Golgo 13 - I wonder how this will sell in N. America?

Wahh ugly figure alert! :P

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Nendoroid Usakottsu - ADORABLE!

Ok, I'm sorry but that is just ridiculously cute.  Never heard about the anime show but I cannot help but want this. :)


Direct from the Good Smile website:

Recently broadcast on Niconico Douga, TV Kanagawa and Kids Station, and with a second series on the way, 'Tentai Senshi Sunred' is a comedy anime holds large popularity with the people of Kanagawa City and the users of Niconico Douga. Usakottsu, the mysterious stuffed bunny and part of the evil organization Florsheim, and is on his way to becoming a Nendoroid!   His arms can be replaced to recreate his ultimate move, 'Demon Claw', as well as hold various items from the show. His legs can also be replaced to place him in a sitting position. Stickers of sweat drops are included to help recreate your favorite scenes from the show!


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Conventions and Bootlegs

So bootlegs, they're a bit crap then don't you think?  If you answered no to that question, then I'm afraid come the end times you will NOT be allowed to pass go and collect two hundred assorted PVC figures.



Photo comes courtesy of ebay which as most people know is the centre of the universe when it comes to appallingly bad yet readily available bootleg figures.

Now at most Cons you really do not often see bootleg dvds anymore - far less than you used to that's for sure.  That's a good thing.  Yet, you nearly always see endless amounts of fake pvc figures, plushies and charms, keychains etc.

Now I'm sorry but why is one not ok and the other seems to be acceptable?  They're both harmful to the industry.  Many conventions state that they simply do not know what's fake and what's real.  That may be so but you know something lets take plushies as an example - Japanese official plush ALWAYS have the copyright label somewhere, they ALWAYS come with a tag, they ALWAYS state the manufacturer.  So when you see a guy selling a 3ft tall Death Note plush that looks like crap you may just may want to check into that.  For a number of reasons, it hurts legitimate sellers, it hurts the customers who think they're spending good money on a decent item and maybe because that item was not put through any quality control system in any way shape or form.  I cringe every time I see a young kid with a fake plush, who can say what that thing is actually stuffed with..

There is no easy answer but a line should be drawn in the sand.  Bootlegs are not ok.  People who sell them are not ok.  They should not be allowed to profit from conventions.  I'd like to see the Japanese manufacturers take a much stronger stance on this.  It hurts them and it hurts the industry.

Bleh this is a topic that I could write about all night.  Suffice to say, bootlegs and bootleggers are one of the things I despise most in the world.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens - or How to Kick Start Your Local Economy

Ok, this article came straight from www.yomiuri.co.jp and so all credit to them.  Really very interesting how successful media productions can lead to unforeseen benefits in the wider world.  I think it's great that the show is helping out and credit to the town for knowing how to cash in on a good thing.  I wonder how many of those non anime watching townspeople have now become closet otaku. ;)

Article begins:

A small seaside town in Miyagi Prefecture is proving popular with a new type of visitor, many of whom carry handmade leaflets and take photographs of scenes that appear in a highly popular TV anime series.

Shichigahamamachi has turned into a mecca for otaku (geeks) who are fans of the anime "Kannagi," as the work is said to be set in the town. To many of them, visiting the town is the same as making a pilgrimage to a holy site.

The town's residents were quick to pick up on the phenomenon, and this month several commercial facilities in the town started selling items related to the anime series. They quickly sold out in many of the stores and restaurants where they were put on sale.

The TV series, which began in October, features a Shinto deity who appears as the manifestation of a girl named Nagi.

The town's Hanabushi Shrine is believed by fans to be the model for a shrine dedicated to the deity in the anime.

Glancing from a shrine to a leaflet containing a scene from the series, a 30-year-old company employee from Fukushima said, "Look here, this is very similar!"

"The positions of the koma-inu (lionlike statues of Korean dogs) and the height of the stone staircases are exactly the same [as those depicted in the series]," he said.

He said he visits the town every month and tours the shrine, a residential area and other locations that are said to have served as models for the TV series.

The man carried more than 20 pages containing scenes from the anime to compare with the shapes of houses, the color of roofs and other elements in the town.

Since last autumn, an increasing number of fans of the anime have been visiting the town.

On weekends, dozens of young people descend on the area. Over the New Year period, some fans came and worshipped at the shrine.

Many of the fans are careful to keep the local community in mind, with some walking around checking whether any garbage has been discarded by thoughtless visitors, while others attend rituals at the shrine.

Atsuko Hongo, 69, chief priest of the shrine, said she welcomed young people.

"At first, I was embarrassed. But they're all polite and have a sense of respect for the deities," she said.

Officials of the town's tourism association had been worried about the decreasing number of visitors in recent years, so they were extremely happy that the anime series was instrumental in attracting a new type of visitor.

Believing the phenomenon could serve as an opportunity to the raise the town's profile, the association recently produced seven kinds of cell phone strap featuring characters from the TV series.This month, 15 restaurants and stores began selling the products.

The association employed a clever tactic to help as many businesses as possible by having each of the stores or restaurants sell only one or two of the straps. In this way, a visitor who wants to collect all seven straps must visit a number of stores.

Matty's, a surfers shop, has proved popular even among people without a suntan--a rarity before the recent boom.

On May 1, the store's 20 items associated with the anime sold out quickly. Some of its customers had traveled from as far away as Shizuoka and Ishikawa prefectures.

The shop's owner, Toshinari Hoshi, 42, expressed surprise, saying: "Until recently, my place was frequented only by surfers who wanted to hit the high waves. But anime also has great drawing power."

The town's tourism association has produced a map of the town indicating places where character goods are sold, as well as the locations of restaurants and inns.

One association official said, "We want people to learn everything that's positive about our town, not only those parts related to the anime. We hope people keep returning here."

Article ends.

Just to tie it all together, here's a picture of the rather lovely new Zange-chan figure from FREEing.




Macross - Do you Remember Your First Love

Macross is one of the true classics of Japanese animation.  A series whose fans tend to lean towards the fanatical, it's most recent series was Macross Frontier.  A series that was in many ways a return to form for a show that had become weighed down under its own history and the expectations of its fans.

Macross was one of the first shows that I remember seeing.  I remember thinking that I had never seen anything quite so impressive as a transforming Valkyrie.

So for all of those people who have never seen Macross - do so.  At its best, Macross is everything anime should be; imaginative, creative and visually stunning.  At its worst, it remains far better than many other anime series.

Macross Frontier OP courtesy of Youtube:




Monday, May 18, 2009

supercell feat. Miku Hatsune: World is Mine

Ok so as a person who finds Miku extremely appealing I just don't know what to think of the World is Mine PVC figure frame. I think I would have preferred just a standard figurine. The quality will be high I expect but I just don't really find the concept all that appealing. Also Miku looks less appealing in this form than in the standard GSC figure release. Of course, my favourite Miku remains a close call between the Nendoroid version and the Sega Prize music box. Official blurb below:

The best princess in the world.

From supercell's beautiful PV 'World is Mine', with music composed by ryo and graphical designs by redjustice, comes this regal figure of 'Princess' Miku.
She has been sculpted in an identical pose to the original illustration - her charming eyes gazing deeply ahead, as she lies relaxed on a comfortable bed with her cute, yet selfish expression suiting her pose perfectly.
As a new idea to bring a new sense of interior design to figures, the stand has been created as a frame, allowing you to display her in a range of new ways! Besides displaying the figure simply by itself, you can now also use the frame to display her as a wall-mounted decoration, or a leaning ornament. The frame comes in two colors, 'Brown' and 'Natural', allowing you to pick the color that suits your room best!

approximately 220mm in height (with stand) 180mm (without stand)

Posted via Pixelpipe.

supercell feat. Miku Hatsune: World is Mine

Posted via Pixelpipe.

PVC Pricing

Ok, so pretty much anyone who follows the whole PVC figure market from Japan will have noticed and felt the pain of ever increasing prices.  My question though, if given a chance to pose it to the manufacturers, would be what exactly is the reasoning behind it? 

Collectors and their money is a relatively finite resource.  It CAN run out.  Surely a lower price point is healthy for sales and for the market as a whole?  It seems that if sales are down across the industry then that should indicate that perhaps the pricing is no longer acceptable to the market in general?  

It just seems that we are squeezed more and more when it comes to SRP on PVC figures.  This is a niche market - higher prices just push these items further and further away from the reaches of new fans.  I don't feel all that optimistic about this industry right now.

The photo below says it all..





Sunday, May 17, 2009

Wild Flower Shunya Yamashita Art Works 2

Wild Flower Shunya Yamashita Art Works 2

Featuring over 100 pieces of lovely artwork this is a great book that's now available as a domestic N. American release. Pretty much any online store or comic store should be able to source it. Shunya art can sometimes look a little samey I find but if it appeals then this will not disappoint.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

S.O.G. Max Otoha Karas - I'll pass thanks

Well I'm just not sure about the figure below, amazingly enough it's a male figure release but to be honest it's just not appealing to me. Also, the price is excessive at 11,800Y. I cannot help but think this will be another figure that ends up drastically discounted. Good for those who have the testicular fortitude to possibly miss out on a figure they want. ;)

Here is the official blurb from the Good Smile site:

The dark watchmen, Karas!!

From Tatsunoko Production's 40 year aniversary OVA 'Karas', comes a figure of the main character from the show, 'Otoha Karas', who threw away his individuality to protect the city. The design of the figure has been created by the popular designer of the Eko Karas, Kenji Ando.

Flexible materials have been used all over the body, creating a very poseable action figure that never loses its style. The Karas sword in both its original version and expanded version are inlcluded, as well as exchangeable face parts and an abundance of replaceable hand parts.

The ability to recreate scenes from the anime has never been this easy!

Posted via Pixelpipe.

S.O.G. Max Otoha Karas

Posted via Pixelpipe.

MegaHouse Sheryl

A deeply impressive looking figure from MegaHouse. The cast off option is cool and does for once make sense. For all of you that don't know Sheryl is a character from the rather superb anime Macross Frontier. Go watch it now!

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Excellent Model Macross Frontier Sheryl Nome

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Yoko: Real Image ver.

Possibly my new favourite Yoko, truly a gorgeous looking release! I WANT. ;)

Specs

* Product name Yoko: Real Image ver. (よーこ りあるいめーじばーじょん)
* Series Gurren Lagann
* Price 9,800 Japanese Yen
* Release Date 2009/09
* Specifications Complete painted PVC figure - 1/6 scale - stand included - approximately 200mm in height
* Sculptor Shunshi Hagii
* Sold by Max Factory
* Distributor Good Smile Company

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Yoko: Real Image ver.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Yoko: Real Image ver.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Yoko: Real Image ver.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Yoko: Real Image ver.

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figma Meiya Mitsurugi: UN Troop Ver.

As you can see by the photo, the figma releases just keep getting better and better. :) Although not a show I have any attachment to this release still looks very tempting.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

figma Meiya Mitsurugi: UN Troop Ver.

Posted via Pixelpipe.