Sunday, February 28, 2010

To Heart 2 Another Days: Kousaka Tamaki Panic!


Ok, so coming out in June in Japan comes this shy and reserved figure of Kousaka Tamaki from To Heart 2. Of course by shy and reserved I mean...well...I think you know what the main appeal of this figure is. Lets just say it's not aimed at the militant feminists out there and leave it at that.

Expensive but I'm sure there are lots of people out there that will find many many reasons (or at least two) to place that preorder.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Freeing Mio Akiyama

So Freeing are set to release a really rather pretty figure of Mio Akiyama from K-On. It's a show that I've not watched yet but I know lots of people that have. I'd say that the Alter version will be the better figure but this release will probably do well.





Set for release in July at a SRP of 7,800Y.

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.