Tried something new (or old?) for this mini-review.  All the previous shots I’ve taken with ambient room light were usually against boring walls and improperly white balanced… those problems I finally know how to solve so I got out my grey card and put some proper distance between cirno and the bg… woo!  Colored bg that’s not terrible looking! ^^;

This cirno is #1 of toranoana’s vinyl series, first released almost two years ago I believe.  Had kinda given up on obtaining her (after getting reimu semi-recently) but while I was in Japan I happened upon her at the toranoana in akiba.  ^__^

Reimu has her yin-yang base, cirno gets ⑨ ^^;

Something about her hair seems slightly different than daioki’s illustrations but overall I’m very satisfied ^^

Shadows are a bit weird because I have 4 ceiling lights in my room ^^;

She doesn’t have her icicle wings but that’s the way daioki draws her :P

b+w for the heck of it :P  I did read a little on b+w photography since last time and one thing that I found interesting was that shooting in low contrast situations can work well for black and white photos.  Which is awesome because that’s what cloudy days give ya.  So rather than thinking, oh, it’s a crappy day for photos, it’s b+w experimentation time!  …not really sure that helps the above pic any ^^;;

There’s a little ring of imperfection on the underside of her head which you can see above… I assume it’s from the manufacturing process.  Tilt her head down just a bit or just don’t look up at her and you won’t notice.  Unfortunately I didn’t notice this until I was reviewing the pics on my computer -_-

Cirno with reimu ^^  Points if you recognize the gals in the bokeh :P

I got the little phone charm sized cirno earlier as a consolation… thought I’d never get the full sized one ^^;  Ah well.  Afraid to put her on my phone though ‘cuz she’ll prolly break…

As promised, today’s review is short ^^;

was surprised that yes, foobarbaz reviewed her awhile back.  Also includes a look at udonge ^^

以上！

Two slightly harder to obtain figures today.  First off is Kotobukiya x Ichijinsha’s rendition of TOKIAME sensei’s illustration of Kirisame Marisa (of touhou fame for those of you un-ZUNified out there :P).

Not really sure if she’s a limited release or what, but she wasn’t available through my normal channels.  Ended up getting her at Hobby Stock.

With kotobukiya involved I was a little hesitant but after seeing some preview pics and the fact that I didn’t have any touhou figures pushed me to an acquisition.

Unfortunately the first thing I noticed was…

You can’t get clear shots of her face!! -_-  Here’s a shot from kotobukiya’s site:

…I don’t think they really delivered the same figure ^^;;;  Tried a buncha different angles but I don’t think it’s possible to reproduce that perspective -_- ma, しゃーないな～

For a clear face shot this is as close as any I was able to manage.

Other than the inconveniently hard to photograph pose… details are pretty nice.  Her boot has a little strap that’s loose for you to position…

Nice bamboo broom~

Speaking of the broom I had a hell of a time getting her attached to it… and of course the peg giving me trouble was the one in her butt.  So yeah, I spent like 10 minutes jamming the dang thing up her… … you know what I mean.

If you look at the larger version of the above pic you’ll see I still didn’t get the broom flush ;_;  Also visible in the below pic.

Didn’t wanna break it so gave up after it was stuck in a bit…

No pantsu :P

Her precious hakkero

best attack ever.  MASUTAAAAA SPAAAAAAKU!

Hat can be cast off, stays in place with a magnet.

Oh yes, and how could we forget the LED gimmick?

Perhaps it was that the batteries I put in weren’t exactly fresh, but the light wasn’t very strong, had to turn off my other lights to see it ^^;;;  Takes 2 AAs and there’s a switch on the bottom of the base to toggle it on and off.

All in all a nice solid rendition of marisa, happy to add her to the collection ^^

Oh yes, a random addition to my inventory of expensive photography crap…

Actually still need a gray card to set the white balance, but at least now I can tell exactly how far I’m off ^^;;

So then, on to our next challenger!  Reimu!

A toranoana release, the full listing was actually とらのあな 東方ソフビシリーズ 09 博麗の霊夢 イラスト:大沖 (toranoana touhou sofubi (?) series 09 hakurei no reimu illustration: daioki).  Loved his comics and simple art, couldn’t resist this figure ^^;

Something about the blank expression really resonates with me :P

Turned out to be muuuuch larger than I expected (thought she was gonna be like nendoroid sized).

oi, reimu, come back!

She comes with a large yin-yang base, gives the appearance of a paper weight ^^;

Also acquired, matching cirno ^^

Hmmm, and now for a completely anti-climatic ending, here’s that miku charm semi-recently released.

My phone is getting heavy…

Not as many pics as usual for marisa… was getting kinda frustrated ‘cuz it seemed like I was just getting a frame full of her dress from so many angles -_-  More conservative collectors may want to stick with the griffon release.  On the other hand I like how her face was done and the energy of the pose (though hard to appreciate from all angles).

Though it seems like most figures earn 3-4 stars, foo-bar-baz actually gave marisa 5!  I should read through his comments to see why… ^^;

and with that I think I’m suddenly complete with my backlog of new arrivals.  Maybe it’s finally time for another japanese lesson post… ^^;

yoroshiku~

以上！

At any rate, I’ve got a bunch of lewt that arrived while I was home for xmas!

First is 姫様 miku!  Looking forward to doing her review ^^

Next is a bunch of goodies I got through Goody Japan at toranoana (i think?).  Oh, except the miku charm thingy – got her at hlj.  The reimu on the right is modeled after daioki’s illustration.  She’s much larger than I expected!  And the little chiruno, also based on daioki’s version, is just a charm since I couldn’t find the full sized one in stock ^^;

Also in that package was touhou 12 (ufo) and darui (daioki touhou doujinshi).  ^___^

This marisa is interesting, also my first scaled touhou figure?  Lights up too, though I doubt I’ll be doing anything with that ^^;;

Last we have brs.  I ordered her through Tenso after getting runner up in a dannychoo contest a while ago.  (which reminds me I need to contact him again, I didn’t get my $20 refund -_-).  Will write up about Tenso probably in the brs review.

She’s very nice.  Happier than I expected with her.  Took photos last nite and hope to have the review up soon!  To whet your appetite:

1920x1280

Nothing like having a second xmas ^__^

以上！

Wasn’t let down.  In fact I’ve thoroughly enjoyed pretty much all of the manga time kirara comics I’ve randomly purchased ^^  Speaking of which, did ya know K-ON! is published by manga time kirara?  Or that Daioki did a guest comic at the end of vol. 1 and 2 of K-ON!?

Forgive the cut off frame, couldn’t quite get it all…

This is the first comic of the tankoubon.  The meganekko is 坂本香樹 (sakamoto kajyu), her friend is 高橋ユキ (takahashi yuki).

Panel 1: kajyu: I heard a transfer student is coming today!
yuki: he~

Panel 2: yuki: I wonder where they’re from… hmm?

Panel 3:  yuki: Something outside?

Panel 4: (text was cut off: “?!”)

Very simple drawing style, lots of jokes playing on words, right up my alley ^^

Panel 1:  teacher: Well then, if you’d introduce yourself…
細野はるみ (hosono harumi): Nice to meet you.  My name is hosono harumi.

Panel 2: harumi: I come from space.  I look forward to working with everyone. [ugh, you know, it's yoroshiku onegaishimasu.  i hate having to translate that for every situation ^^;]
class: [sound effect: zawa]

Panel 3: yuki: …she’s an alien?  That’s insane!  She must’ve meant some region called, “space” or…

Panel 4: harumi: My special ability is that I can fly.
yuki: [actually not really sure about the translation here.  literally it's "unwavering" or "steady" but that doesn't make for a good translation ^^;;]

I can never tell if harumi is baka, likes cheesy jokes, or is just having trouble dealing with an alien culture:

Panel 1: (after school)
yuki: Alrighty, school’s over.  Let’s go see how kajyu is doing (omimai – visiting someone who is ill)
harumi: k

Panel 2: yuki:  You gonna bring some sashiire (snacks/refreshments)?
harumi: ah, I’ve got something good.

Panel 3: harumi: tada~

Panel 4: harumi: sashiire… (also means putting something in/to insert)  \\She’s gone!//
yuki: yeah yeah…

If you liked the above joke, you’ll love harumination ^^

Panel 1: kajyu: Oh yeah, could you show me your notes?
harumi: sure

Panel 2: harumi: here [sound effect: chira]
kajyu: sorry, a little longer please…

Panel 3: harumi: ok [sound effect: chira~]
kajyu: …

Panel 4: kajyu: ah, can you *lend* me your notes?
harumi: sure
yuki: she wasn’t being mean…?

harumi loves curry, yuki is over to cook something different for once:

Panel 1: yuki: Guess we’ll take a little break…
harumi: yuki-chan, you want sugar? ah… \\ah crap//

Panel 2: harumi: Accidentally put salt instead of sugar… but if I put sugar in it should return to regular flavor, right?  \\sugar//

Panel 3: [sound effect: gulp]

Panel 4: \\crap//

I’m actually not sure what a good translation for やべえ (yabee) would be… The original word is やばい (yabai), meaning dangerous or awful.  It can also be used to mean something positive, like 「このチョコやばい！」 (kono choko yabai! – this chocolate is dangerous! (i.e. dangerously delicious)).  yabee is a slang pronunciation with not only informal undertones but also mmm how to explain… not necessarily gangster, but kinda punk-teenager tones?  Anyhow, that’s what harumi was saying in the first and last panels in the \\ // text.  It’s something of a catch phrase for her ^^

Anyhow, on to the nikujyaga making ^^

Panel 1: yuki: First of all, cook the pork in the bottom of the pot.

Panel 2: yuki: Next put in the vegetables and 4 cups of water…

Panel 3: harumi: …And the curry powder.
yuki: yes, and the curry…

(was supposed to be meat & potato stew ^^;)

Harumi’s first time in a family restaurant:

Panel 1: waitress: Well then, allow me to repeat your order.  Drink bar for 3,  2 daily lunch specials, and 1 curry rice.  Is that correct?

Panel 2: harumi: Yes, that is correct.

Panel 3: harumi: Let me repeat my response: Yes, that is correct.
yuki: What is harumi…?!

Panel 4: waitress: Understood.
yuki: and the waitress ignored it!!

Panel 1: waitress: welcome!

Panel 2: harumi: Family restaurant waitress are neat, huh? I wanna try..
kajyu: Well let’s say I’ve come into the store.

Panel 3: kajyu: What do you say to me?
harumi:  ummm… Let’s see, I’m pretty sure what she just said was…

Panel 4: harumi: Welcome! Who the hell do you think you are?
kajyu: Who the hell am i?!

That last one merits some explanation… usually waitresses say, 「何名様ですか？」　(nanmei-sama desu ka? == polite way of asking how many people).  Harumi doesn’t remember to include the mei part and it becomes, 「何様ですか?」 (nani-sama desu ka?).  nani-sama translates something like above, “who (the hell) do you think you are?”

So there you have it, harumination ^^  I need to check to see if the second volume is out… ^^

以上！

click for hobby stock listen (where pic is from)

Was looking into acquiring my first touhou figure (desires rekindled thanks to punynari) when I stumbled upon this release by kotobukiya.  I didn’t get sucked into the touhou world until summer so it was completely off my radar.  Decided it fit the bill and ordered at Hobby Stock through Goody Japan.

I’ve been using Goody Japan for a while now and use ‘em more out of habit than anything else.  Tried comparing them to tenso and it seemed like the prices were going to be pretty similar.  Anyhow if you’re interested, the process is pretty simple:

1.  Find the url of the item you want to buy at the online store you’d like to buy it from

2. Paste that along with the product name, price and quantity into the form on Goody Japan’s site…

3. Paypal some money over…

4. Wait for the item to be shipped domestically to Goody Japan.

5. Paypal some more money (for the international shipping, fees and such) and wait for them to ship it to you.

Now you’re the proud owner of hard to find goodies! A little clunky if you’re doing a multi-item purchase, but at least it’s pretty straightforward.

Now of course 1 item doesn’t exactly constitute a frenzy… the frenzy came afterward when I noticed a link to toranoana’s online store (on the Goody Japan page)… started browsing around…

click for product page

Decided to order a copy of darui.  This was fresh in my mind because it stuck out of the pack when I was reading sankaku’s rundown of C76 doujinshi sales.  First off it’s non-ero (i assume).  Second it features cirno on the cover ^__^  Third I thought to myself, “hey, that style looks familiar!” and sure enough, it’s by 大沖 (daioki), author of a super random 4-koma I picked up while in akiba:

Have I talked about this one before?  It’s yet another slice of life 4-koma featuring 3 girls or so.  2 are pretty normal high school girls and the third is an alien transfer student.  As you might assume from the cover, yes, she can fly.  Her name is harumi and she’s pretty laid back so and says some rather weird stuff (she’s from another planet after all)… so the thought of the same author rendering cirno in a similar manner… very excited ^_^  I’ll have to get some samples of both up sometime…

Next up, a little cirno phone strap thingy:

Click for product listing at toranoana

^_^ something about this art style real hit home with me (based off illustrations by the above mentioned daioki) ^^;  Love how the product is titled, 「あたいチルノ」 (atai chiruno – I am cirno, except using ‘atai’ for I, a really really informal version of watashi (watashi -> atashi -> atai).  not something you’ll hear often in everyday life, but cirno uses it when she speaks).

More utter lack of self control…

Click for product listing at toranoana

She’s listed on the site for 3000 yen (preorder), so I figured what the hell.  We’ll see if they are able to fill my preorder.  I hope so, ‘cuz a) I have no idea what’s gonna happen to that money I paypal’d goody-japan, and b) omg, look at that face and tea cup ^___^

And while I was at it…

Click for product listing at toranoana

Again hope my order gets filled.  More stuff based on daioki’s renditions of the touhou cast.  Something about the way they fly like that.  kawaii!  And this i have an excuse for keeping on my desk (well not that i needed one :P).  Looks like a paperweight, no? :P

And finally, what would a touhou purchase frenzy be without a touhou game purchase?

Click for toranoana listing

Told myself I’d wait ’til I actually needed to buy the full game (i.e. could beat the demo)… but got caught up in the moment. ^^;;

Lastly, volks fate arrived:

No time to take review pics tonite, perhaps tomorrow…

Hopefully this little purchasing binge isn’t a regular thing or I’m gonna degenerate back to my old spending habits ^^;;  Also probably wasn’t the most economical way to get a hold of many of those items, shoulda done more research -_-  oh well.  And once more, here’s to hoping that everything I ordered actually gets sent ^^;  Lots of the stuff is supposedly coming out this month so i shouldn’t have to wait long…

以上！