My figure collection ushers in the Year of the Ox with the arrival of my first ever 1/7 purchases: GSC Ryougi Shiki and Alter Signum. They have been posted to the Babes with Blades sub-unit to join Alter Fate. It will be perfect if I can get my hands on Volks Fate. *fingers crossed*

Argh, this is a terrible photo even by my low standards. The flash rebounded like crazy off the gloss veneer of the plywood. Worse of all, the angle of the shot has Sig-nee’s face obscured by her own right fist and sword. orz In any case, I’ve also been thinking of getting a glass door custom made for this shelf to ward off the dust.

First off, I’ve been rather worried about Signum’s one-legged stance. Even though I was assured that the leg has been strengthened, I’ve heard from J that the peg on the stand itself has broken off for some Taiwanese collectors. It’ll be such a pain if said broken peg is stuck in the sole in Sig-nee’s right boot. I was thinking of getting some form of support. So far, the $3.20 doll stand from Art Friend can’t fit neatly underneath her arms due to the distance between the support clasps and the base of the figure stand and doll stand. OTL May have to go for a custom-made acrylic stand. Stripey recommended a shop in Bras Basah (whose name currently escapes me… I tried googling it but no one seems to remember either LOL). I’ll be most happy to hear any advice, suggestions from readers on sourcing and design of such a stand.

Alas I am also saddened to report that there were three distinct flaws with my figure. First, turning her to her (from her POV) left profile, there’s a depressed line right in the middle of her left breast. It almost looks like a depressed/inverted nipple which should be visible even in the poor photo above. X( Given that there doesn’t seem to be any damage to the paintwork, I’m guessing this was due to a casting problem.

Second, the puffed sleeve close to her left armpit also shows a spot of honeycomb-pattern-like roughness that I’m sure isn’t meant to be wrinkling of her clothes like that observed around her swivelled waist. Because of the whiteness of that area and my lack of camera skills, it doesn’t really show up on the photo. Probably a casting problem too.

Third, there’s a spot of white against the pink trimming of her skirt about a fifth of the way up. It’s visible even with the blurry quality of a Shaky Shot that I managed to take even though the anti-shake feature was on for my Lumix. OTL There’s no textural unevenness so this is probably a painting issue.

The odd thing about all of the above is that (1) they were not visible when the figure was inside the box and (2) they’re actually not that noticeable out of the box in her upfront pose. But if you just angle the view slightly to show her left side, then it all sticks out like a trio of sore thumbs. I wonder how widespread these problems are…

Still… I had been waiting for ages and ages and ages for a nice Signum figure and overall, the sculpt, pose and colours have been very pleasing indeed. So, overall, I’m still happy that I managed to get my hands on this flawed Signum figure.

[See foo-bar-baz's review: I was LOLOLOL at his comment about 'As expected of the Boobs Demon (^^;' as well as him finding the muscular quality of her (right) calf moé - ah, we have some common interests here! Ahaha~♥ ]

Briefly, no problems. The pose is not the most exciting but I think it conveys the stillness of a coiled spring and a leisurely yet lethal purposefulness. You can almost sense the caress of the wind from the flowing feel of her kimono. And the intricacies and colours of her obi. Ooh la la~~ I like this attire a lot more than her red jacket over yukata getup - I like the boots but in this version, her bare feet just seems to add to the aura of moonlit elegance. This figure would be sooo great for a night shoot against the full moon by someone with skill and proper equipment.

My only slight puzzlement is that she seems rather short and small built for a 1/7. Even 1/8 Alter Fate looks not very small next to her. And, of course, Alter Signum towers over her. I’ve tried chasing down their respective heights to get some perspective but the official websites don’t give any indications. Nonetheless she’ll still look fine displayed on her own level but definitely not beside my other blade-wielding babes.

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

The power of Hinagiku compelled me!

This is actually the first time I’ve bought Cospa merchandise; I do own a Cospa Swimsuit Hinagiku towel but that was a gift from Stripey. But while at KKnM yesterday, I couldn’t resist buying the above Hinagiku t-shirt (Japan RRP at JPY 2,900 exclusive of tax) especially when another customer was already wearing it at the shop; in sales, nothing beats a positive demonstration!

And after deciding on the t-shirt, I was then informed that there was also a 140 x 80cm towel available; Japan RRP at JPY 4,800. I had a bit of a discussion with A about whether these towels will actually be used - a ‘for’ argument was that one side was blank so that could be used but (1) I couldn’t actually use it as a towel, more of a decoration since repeated washes would wear out the colours; (2) if you’re into ‘using’ chara goods, doesn’t using the white side defeat the purpose? :3

‘To use or not to use’ is also the question for the final purchase of the day. My first ever dakimakura cover or hug pillow case, measuring 50 x 150cm and made of 100% polyester, Japan RRP at JPY 9,000.

I was even informed, by Sharon, that if I wanted to use it, I should go to OG’s bed deparment and ask for a ‘body pillow’ and it should be relatively inexpensive (under SGD 20). Man, I love a store that understands its customers. At this point, I would have linked to the Sexy Losers web comic No.148 but the site appears to have gone to where ever websites go when they vanish from the interwebs. But at least you can get some idea of the content from the ohnorobot transcript:

SUBTITLE: Haven’t we seen this guy before…? / [[Mr. Shibata stands at the counter of an electronics store talking to a young male clerk.]] / Clerk: Can I help you? / Mr. Shibata: Yes. I’m looking to buy a home security system for my bedroom involving at least three cameras. My wife is having an affair, you see… / Clerk: Geez, that’s gotta be rough. Who is it, your best friend, mailman, ex-boyfriend from college… / Mr. Shibata: Eighteen year old high school girl. / [[They stare at each other in silence.]] / Clerk: In that case, I should tell you about our special on bulk quantities of high grade video cassette. / Mr. Shibata: I love a store that understands its customers.

Hmmm, when I first bought it I thought I preferred the school uniform side. But now upon reflection the pajamas side is better. The blush is just a perfect touch. I’m not actually sure about hugging it in the afore-mentioned body pillow since (1) polyester is not the most comfortable fabric to hug; (2) I really wouldn’t want to dribble drool all over this fine fine piece of artwork while asleep. -_-;; But fitting it over a body pillow might still be good for display purposes since it is a pillow case afterall and would look best that way…

Actually I might not have bought the dakimakura but, as they say, timing is everything. At first, after enticing me to buy the t-shirt and then the towel, A said that there was a Hinagiku hug pillow case but now only left Nagi. I actually breathed a sigh of relief as I knew I would find it hard to resist. But just when I turned away to talk to someone else and turned back, Sharon slipped the dakimakura cover on top of the t-shirt and towel. As my eyes widened, she made a nose bleed gesture (the explosive jet type not the dribble type) and the deal was sealed. After wiping off my nose bleed, of course.

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve read Stripey and Adun’s 2008 expenditure reports with great interest and have to say from the outset that I can hardly compare. Total spending was about SGD 1,250 and represented a significant fall from 2007’s total of SGD 3,800.

DVDs took up about SGD 650, or almost half of total spending. The bulk of this came from RightStuf purchases of Slayers Seasons 1-3, Martian Successor Nadesico, Evangelion Platinum Collection, Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Black Heaven and MariMite Season 1 (R1) box sets. I think I’ve been spoiled by RightStuf’s customer service so my purchase of the Evangelion 1.01 LE will be my first and last ever purchase from Play Asia. I did receive my LE DVD in the end but only after a delay of over two months and very poor communication from Play Asia. Currently, I see 122 results on Google for “Play Asia sucks” - here’s result 123. About 15% of this expenditure went to buying bootleg DVDs such as the R3 Gunbuster and Diebuster DVD set and really legit-looking Malaysian fakes of Genshikin 1+2 (but not inclusive of either the Kujiun or interim OVA trios). I bought legitimate R1 DVDs of anime series after downloading them via BitTorrent because I enjoyed them so much and wanted something that was better quality. Conversely I ended up downloading anime series after buying the pirated DVDs because I enjoyed them so much and wanted something that was better quality. But I didn’t feel the urge to buy legitimate R1 DVDs because I had already spent money on them…

Figures expenditure amounted to around SGD 300. The year’s acquisitions started off with a glorious gift of Alter Nadiefrom Stripey and another friend. I couldn’t resist Alter Nagato Yuki (Swimsuit) and Chara-Ani Misumaru Yurika was a surprising impulse buy. I plumped for Alter Shigure Asa even though I liked Kotobukiya Asa’s sculpt and colours. But I really hated the scene in the anime and eroge which the pose was based on. At least they didn’t include a toilet seat with the figure base! LOL Thanks to a great Amazon.jp bargain, I snagged GoodSmile Company’s Ryougi Shiki despite only boarding the Kara no Kyoukai bandwagon really slowpoke.jpg late. I also bought a GSC Hatsune Miku figure as part of the continuation of the <a href=”http://hont

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Day Two purchase, again from Collateral Damage Studios, were a set of prints depicting Lutecia, Subaru, Teana, Erio and Caro, Vivio in child and adult forms which had run out by the time I got to their booth yesterday. Pity they didn’t do a set for the Yagami family though.

It’s hard to suppress the Eva fanboy in me despite the perpetual feeling of being milked and exploited. But Evangelion@School looks like it’s going to be hilarous. Plus we get three times the Rei goodness.

Haruhi seems to be a popular character but she’s difficult to carry off well since an ‘in-character’ cosplayer needs to be able to convey her arrogance and confidence too.

When I asked this girl for permission to take her photo, she asked if I knew she wasn’t cosplaying. I was going to launch into an explanation about how she did zettai ryouki very well but decided against it. Good that I refrained too. Because the moment I got my shot, others started to take pictures too. That kind of freaked her out and she made her escape.

In contrast, this pair of Ouran cosplayers were very hospitable indeed.

And these girls seemed to be having a blast.

Girls can look especially good when cosplaying guys. But, of course, they can look very good in female goth dress too. This outfit was spectacularly backless too…

This Yzak cosplayer was visibly taken aback by my very pink Lunamaria t-shirt. Come on, GSD isn’t *that* old a series, is it? There was a Lunamaria cosplayer yesterday too but I didn’t manage to get a shot of her. T_T

The Kagamine Len cosplayer was my favourite of the day.

Girls just wanna have fun. Really liked how this quartet was equally keen on getting photos of other cosplayers too.

Perfect prop for this Ranka cosplayer over at the Collateral Damage booth and posing with the artist too! Wonder how much it was eventually auctioned off for?

Autographed by May’N herself and, thus, Not For Sale. Missed the concert as I had to leave at about 330pm. Saw only about half of the Cosplay Mania skits too.

I didn’t think that the range, quantity and quality of stalls, merchandise, events, cosplay etc etc. was all that great. But, nonetheless, the event had a very positive feel about it. I think most event goers had fun and the event was actually novel enough and small enough to have a cosy sort of feel about it, something that’s impossible for the big Japanese and North American cons. Hope that AFA will go from strength to strength and looking forward to next year’s event.

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

I was there. My only purchases - a set of Collateral Damage Studios works: three beautiful Nanoha prints (art by Xeph and Mycstea) and a hilarous Burning Arisa doujin (art by WaHa) for SGD 45.

Too tired to do a proper write-up. Just brief notes.

Venue wasn’t all that big. Lots of empty space fenced off too. But good deal of human traffic through the afternoon.

Anime

From the Xedo booth.

Cosplay

Ami-chan is Super Super Super Cute!!!

Despite having had my Lumix camera for years, I only learnt that I should adjust the white balance for taking photos under indoor fluoroscent lighting this afternoon. orz

Extremely genki Lime cosplayer. Top marks for her positive attitude and sunny disposition.

Quite a lot of the most interesting cosplay activity seemed to be taking place outside the event hall/rooms.

Figures

Is it me or does Saber look better from behind?

At 1/6, Ryoko was way too big for my collection and I’m not partial to reclining poses either. Pretty damned gorgeous nonetheless.

Art

LOLOLOL at Aika, Alice and Aria-shachou in the background. From my POV, the one offering the rose must, of course, be female. Ahaha~♥

Didn’t who the artist was. Might it be Impz??

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Paraphrasing Author, I can understand why some avoid manga while watching an anime based on it. In this specific instant, it was also a case of being poisoned by Mentar. :3

Index could certainly do with MOAR Biri Biri. Aroduc proposes: ‘Really, all that they need to do is give Mikoto more screen time.’ Kuroko too. And a manga-influenced 53RG10 seconds. But I’d probably be happier with either a spin-off thirteen episode series or a four ep OVA based on the Railgun manga.

I managed to order the first volume (Ch 1-7) from the local Kinokuniya at only SGD 10.89 but, for some mysterious reason, they couldn’t order the second so I spent JPY 3,000 (SGD 49.34) to get it from Amazon.jp Marketplace and another SGD 21.00 on Vpost shipping. Certainly an eye-popping amount for just one volume but it’s been ameliorated by the special Index poker set. And, most importantly, I’ve been really enjoying both volumes. Being an old-fashioned kind of person, I somehow find the physical sensation of reading a physical book more enjoyable than reading off a computer screen.

All hail Biri Biri!

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

Other than fapping a lot, I also remembered enjoying the Evangelion 1:01 ED a lot. ‘Wow! Was this sung by one of the seiyuu?’ Rather, Studio Khara had got the Beautiful World track off Utada Hikaru’s Heart Station album. This has been a strange return to Hikki fandom for me…

As seen in the photo above, I bought her first three albums - First Love, Distance and Deep River - swept up, as I was, in the Jpop craze that saw shops in Singapore massively overstocking on Japanese music. But as the mania subsided on the collective and my individual levels, I found that I couldn’t even muster the interest to buy, or even download, her Ultra Blue album. I still continued to follow Every Little Thing and constantly relisten to my Yuming albums but I was more preoccupied with the Singaporean Chinese pop wave led by Stefanie Sun, Tanya Chua and Joi Chua.

It’s quite funny how my spell of Can’t Be Arsed-ness was broken by Eva 1:01’s nostalgia wave - though the route was rather more complicated. Due to the spending limiters in place, I didn’t just troop out to buy the single or album and downloaded the ripped single first. Despite passing the re-listening test, there was an album-up nudge during the next Singapore Airlines long haul flight that I took (nothing beats the A380, man!); Heart Station was available in the music entertainment suite. I found myself enjoying not just Beautiful World but also Fight The Blues, the title track, Stay Gold and Flavor of Life (especially the bonus non-ballad version).

The latter, in particular, seduced me with its poignant lyrics and delivery about all the subtle little awkward things in the wake of a break-up/rejection. (The live performance I saw on Youtube was another deal maker too.) And it’s waaaay cheaper to buy the local press of the album (cheapest I found was S$16.95 from Gramophone, please dun tell me Sembawang cheaper hor) than even the local press of the single (S$15 from HMV). And so that’s the long version of why I’ve got Utada Hikaru on repeat on my sound system after a gap of almost six years.

©2008 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.