Lucky Star has plugged just about every miniature mode of terrestrial transportation since it aired in 2007. And now it shifts its campaign to the skies...
Taken from hobby magazine scans posted on Chinese futaba-clone's Figure/GK board, these ita-jets comprise the latest in a long line of "painfully" scaled Lucky Star decal work. Itasha have a large following in Electric Town but other ita-creations are less common, at least in full scale. The demographic for an aerial release such as this is in all likelihood gunji otaku who have a soft side for Lucky Star or extreme Lucky Star fans in general. No release date or pricing information is available at this time.
"Ita-" as a prefix commonly denotes "itasha", literally meaning "painful cars"; cars frenzied with anime/manga/game decals. Itasha itself is also a pun on the Japanese slang for Italian cars (the likes of Lamborghini), so otaku use it to turn the common conception of classy cool into geeky cool. In recent years, the word "itasha" has been felt to be too negative by the newest generation of otaku (calling themselves wotaku [still pronounced "otaku"]) who have relabeled these autos "moesha". The prefix "ita" is still thrown on anything that is otakufied, whether it be cars, trucks, motorcycles, or even planes. And miniature models of these real-life monstrosities are also increasingly popular, Lucky Star being among the top.
And yes, real life ita-jets do exist...
26 August, 2009
25 August, 2009
Shugo Chara! is quickly constructing a powerful mahou shoujo dynasty on par with the most renowned titles in this unique and inveterate genre...
It would be safe to say that Shugo Chara! has already proven itself as deserving of such a rank by its sheer quality and reliant mass popularity. Hinamori Amu in all her cool and spiceyness has become enthroned with Sakura, Usagi, Nanoha, Minky and all the other magical girl heroines that have been extant in Japanese animation as far back as the formative years of Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight and Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Mahoutsukai Sally. From this point, all that can be done is to bask in its presence. And Satelight would evidently like for that to continue for a long while to come with the announcement of a third season of Shugo Chara! entitled "Shugo Chara Party!".
A free news pamphlet from the Toranoana otaku mega-chain entitled "Tora Dayo" released a picture of the upcoming cover of the yet-to-be-released October issue of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine (in which Peach-Pit's Shugo Chara! manga is serialized). The cover preview promises the beginning of Shugo Chara! Party on Saturday October 3rd. More details will probably be announced once the October issues is actually released on September 3rd. Until then, we've been promised with additional content and from Shugo Chara!, that can't be bad thing.
The Dreamcast is often held as the perfect example for the cliche of somehow being before your time. In my opinion, Sega offered something intangibly timeless in the Dreamcast, forever suspending its image in the minds of the game-conscious as a much beloved footnote, an enduring memory that can always be relived.
September 9th, 1999 seems like such a remote time. A time before Mountain Dew had more legroom in the market than 3rd party publishers, a time before Halo converted throngs of Monday night football and adrenaline junkies into "hardcore gamers", and a time before the modern console era of the big three. Truth be told, it was an entire decade ago. Those more antiquated than myself might consider such a passing of sand through glass as familiar. For me at the age of 19 however, it serves as a severe bookmark for a phase when I had just begun to understand the international console market.
I remember going with my father to the local electronic entertainment purveyor, known at the time as Funcoland, to pick up my Dreamcast and the launch titles of Sonic Adventure and House of the Dead 2. Being raised on Nintendo for the entirety of my life up until that point, a Genesis or Saturn controller only reaching my grasp intermittently and with healthy doses of chagrin at each meeting, the notion of the Dreamcast felt new and refreshing. If I were to verbalize the feeling, it was as if I was on the precipice of gaming in its entirety; time would be dictated as before the Dreamcast and after the Dreamcast. After all, this was the launch of the first 128-bit system. In fact, the Dreamcast was an omnibus of "firsts". An upgradable 56k modem, inception of the GD-ROM, inclusion of online play and web browsing, and the creation of the controller-snuggling VMU unit put Sega's brainchild worlds above anything else thus far. Of course, at my age, I had no concept of what a 56k modem would or even could do. I knew that the graphics were amazing and anything else was frill (I laugh when I hear "gamers" assert the same of today's consoles, doing it well into their 20's). Looking back, I realize that yes, the Dreamcast's graphics were cutting edge but that wasn't an end all musing when I was running at formerly unimaginable processing speeds from a giant killer whale looking to drown my fuzzy blue ass. First and foremost, the Dreamcast's amazing line-up of titles set it apart from Nintendo's immobile house of character cards and Sony's laisserfaire attitude towards everything they did in general.
Sonic Adventure, Jet Grind Radio, Shenmue, Dead or Alive 2, Resident Evil Code Veronica, Seaman, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Soul Calibur, Power Stone, and so many more. These titles defined the Dreamcast. And quite honestly, they only constituted a meager portion of what America saw from the land of the rising sun. The Dreamcast was a literal treasure trove of anime-based tie-ins, galge ports, and a wealth of titles simply not suited for the American palate (it's a sheer wonder of localization that Seaman made it as far as it did). Even though the Dreamcast's initial Japanese sales paled in comparison to their overseas counterparts, the games were strong. Titles like Key's Air and Age's Kimi ga Nozomu Eien saw their first console ports on the humble Dreamcast. From emotional visual novels to frantic bullet-hell shooters the likes of Gunbird 2 and Ikaruga, the Japanese Dreamcast market was an almost unstoppable beast. An idea reinforced by its powerful performance therein, where Dreamcast units remained in production until 2006 with game releases into 2007 and 2008. The Dreamcast may have died elsewhere around the globe but in Japan it's still very much on life support, refusing to succumb and sustained by passionate homebrew titles to this very day.
Despite everything that made the Dreamcast, it was destined to be set at naught. Even before the "Dreamcast Killers" came onto the scene, there was unrest at Sega. Foreign sales, though strong, were growing less and less as people decided to wait for what was unfairly described as the "next" generation of home consoles. Sega's president at the time, Shoichiro Irimajiri, resigned only 2 years after launch and transferred his title to Isao Okawa who tragically died soon after the Dreamcast was discontinued in America. It was this series of internal fractures combined with the entrance of the Playstation 2 and Gamecube that ultimately buried Sega's last system. It was decided around the early 2000's that Sega would reenter the software market as a third party publisher, creating games for the big three's consoles and cutting ties with their hardware centric past. And they remain in this position today.
I look at the Dreamcast as something timeless partly because of the smokescreen commonly referred to as opinion and partly because, well, it really is timeless. It exists in this great in-between, kind of like a being a perpetual teenager in high school. It refuses to leave the niche it bore into the gaming world; from both its and everyone else's perspective. But it does this in a subtly gentle and unobtrusive way: through the nostalgia of its own name.
23 August, 2009
In effort to extricate publicity over the now available Saki DVD Volume 2 and Saki OP CD single, cosplay izakaya Little BSD became the site of a 4-day Saki marathon...
The event began on the 19th, coinciding with the release of the second DVD volume of the spring anime 咲-Saki, and ran through yesterday, the 22nd. More than a simple sign-kai, Little BSD (which is composed of 6 small izakaya throughout Akihabara) revamped their interior and even menu in support of the Saki spirit (which was no doubt funded by Gonzo or Square Enix). The cuisine featured exclusive themed dishes such as "Taco Style Rice" and "Moe Moe Omelet". Typical of a cosplay izakaya, waitresses were garnished with Kiyosumi High School uniforms featured in and popularized by the series. Two locations even had fully functional mahjong tables where customers were encouraged to test their skills against both each other and the staff.
Little BSD locations are typically open from 6pm-8pm on weekdays; hours tailored to moonlighters looking to soak their palate after work. Because of this, Little BSD has become very popular among businessmen and otaku alike. Though it looks as though they may have extended operating hours to accommodate the event. By nature of being izakaya (small pub like venues focusing on atmosphere and inexpensive snack food dishes), seating was no doubt in short supply during Saki Cafe; each restaurant has table seating for only about 40 customers. It's suspected that such a minor detail left patrons clamoring to get a plate of taco-loli inspired cuisine wholly unfazed.
Yuuki's Taco Inspired Dish
The "Moe Moe Omelet"
One of the mahjong tables set up for customers
Source:[1]
22 August, 2009
Making waves today was news of a September-release Black Rock Shooter OVA and affiliated spring anime project currently under production...
For those not in the know, Black Rock Shooter (BRS) is one of many citizens in the Vocaloid realm of creative fandom turned marketing machine. Both the name of a music video(seen below) and the character featured therein, BRS is one of the most popular Vocaloid tracks to hit the net. It is important to note (and will no doubt become the mantra of indignant Vocaloid fans in coming months) that the gothic twin-tails character visually present in the original BRS video is not Miku Hatsune, the original Vocaloid 2 synthetic idol and actual lyricist in the BRS music video. The character BRS is one of many Vocaloid "incarnations", most of which are identified and explained here. In some instances, Vocaloid characters are born out of 2ch or Futaba but BRS was a collaborative effort between famous Vocaloid user RYO and artist HUKE, the former creating the actual song and the latter providing video and source illustrations.
In recent months, the popularity of the BRS music video reached levels critical enough for merchandising treatment. Besides the usual flood of mugs, notebooks, and t-shirts, a 1/8 scale PVC is to be released by Good Smile in late October. That aside, the most pressing release is news of BRS anime projects. A BRS anime DVD will be released on September 30th in conjunction with a CD single of the original BRS song. The DVD will feature an originally animated BRS music video which will act as a precursor or (as its being touted) a "Pilot Edition" to a larger, more in-depth anime project currently in production and slated for a Spring 2010 debut. Both the OVA and future anime project are being animated by Ordet, the studio founded by now legendary director Yutaka Yamamoto who will also be supervising the BRS project. Other staff include Yoshioka Shinobu (as director/Episode director of Haruhi/LS), Matsuo Daisuke (as character designer/Kannagi), and original creator RYO (expectedly handling music).
A small tidbit for those database animals out there: Yamamoto hinted at this project in Patrick W. Galbraith's The Otaku Encyclopedia. When asked about his view on moe, Yamamoto mentioned that his next project will not feature the same "dancing" OPs that have become synonymous with his name (Haruhi, LS, Kannagi) and will contain less stereotypical denpa-kei moe points. Though I'm sure Vocaloid fans would love to assert the contrary as they are no doubt bursting with moe right now.
Source:[ANN],[Moetron]
21 August, 2009
Just when the K-ON loyal believed they had reached the depths of despair, the illuminate dojikko goddess of Yui Hirasawa plucked their seeded emotion and delivered the promise of a tomorrow...
The results from the second day of voting for Group E showed an overwhelmingly steep victory for K-ON!'s main character, Yui Hirasawa. Towering over her competitors with 708 votes, compared to runner-up Yaya from Shugo Chara with only 258, her victory marks the first advancement of any K-ON! character thus far. The indirect success of Mio, Tsumugi, and Ui as a group is now riding on Yui, who quite ironically will represent the K-ON! fallen in future confrontations. 
Granted Yui's strong presence in her first match, can we really expect similar displays from the laissez-faire queen of pastries and tea? Or will her peculiar hidden potential once exhibited by guitar again manifest itself in the form of votes? The only real answer may be: ¯\(°_o)/¯
19 August, 2009
Well, what can be said at this point? Yet another K-ON! character has met Saimoe defeat, something not entirely unexpected granted the status quo. In honor of the definition of bittersweet, my #1 pick has prevailed so the mourning will be shortlived.
Hinamori Amu of Shugo Chara Doki!!, the second series anime adaptation of Peach-Pit's famous mahou shoujo manga, has triumphed over Hirasawa Ui of KyoAni's K-ON! powerhouse 588 to 491. I feel Amu is most deserving of the title Saime 2009 champion but quite honestly, I felt Ui had a newcomer advantage, considering Amu didn't have prominent footing in last years tournament. Without a doubt, however, this was not the case.
Graphically, there was no contest. Ui trailed Amu throughout the voting period, with absolutely no crossover in sight. This constitutes the 3rd loss for the K-ON! series as Ui joins Mio and Mugi in the dugout. Ui's moe cannot be denounced, but congrats Amu!
18 August, 2009
The figure world is not without its fair share of less than quality gimmicks (Metamo, anyone?) looking to sneak into naive wallets. Kaiyodo's 1/7 scale Win-chan, however, isn't one of them.
There are a few ways to look at this iteration of Win-chan. Is she a figure that's a magnet or a magnet that's a figure? Which is the dominant characteristic at play here? Considering I didn't actually know she was a magnet when I purchased her, I'd have to irreverently vouch for the former of the two. While her magnetized posterior might reserve some gimmick qualities, the overall quality of the sculpt and therein figure as a whole approaches to dismount Win-chan from the often overblown negatives of such marketing ingenuity. Just don't think putting her on your tower is a good idea. And with that, so begins the review:
Figure Title: Kaiyodo 1/7 scale OS-idol Win-chan PVC
Character Name: Win-chan (Windows-chan)
Original Character Designer: Mine Yoshizaki
Sculptor:Enoki Tomohide
Source Material: Series of Original Illustrations
Scale: 1/7
Base: None included
Necessary Removable Parts: n/a
Removable Parts/Accessories: n/a
Castoffability: n/a
Materials: PVC
Packaging: Windowed Box, 2 Plastic Interlocking Molds
Extras/Pack-ins: Illustrated backdrop/Original Illustration
Release Date: Mid April, 2006
Manufacturing/Production: Kaiyodo
Distribution: Xebec Toys
Approximate Retail Price:≈3,800円
Current Availability: Limited but accesible
Related PVCs:Numerous Win-chan PVCs
Foreword:
One of the earliest examples of the now incessant need for the moe anthropomorphization of operating systems, Win-chan was and is a cut above the proliferation of 2ch OS-tans to follow in her wake. Hailing from the mind of famous mangaka and illustrator Mine Yoshizaki, she acts as his somatic idealization of Microsoft's Windows operating system throughout the course of its many updates. Win-chan's first appearances include being featured as a covergirl for Comic Himekuri magazine and the mascot character for Enterbrain's Techwin Magazine. Her real break came with the arrival of her very own artbook Sky Blue in 2003. Since then, Win-chan has dominated the mass produced figure market beginning with the topic of this review and most recently Solid Theatre's sultry 2008 release. The reason for her success over other OS-tans might be attributed to the fact she can be intellectually sourced. That is, she is solely the property of Mine Yoshizaki, where as each OS-tan (such as ME-tan or 2k-tan) can't be as easily claimed in the 'anything goes' world of oekaki art. But this is conjecture at best.
My reason for the acquisition of the earliest known PVC incarnation (to my limited knowledge) of the OS-idol Win-chan was mainly twofold. Primarily, I am a large Mine Yoshizaki fan (prepare for heavy bias). Secondarily, she is currently on sale for only $12 USD, around 70% off her retail price, via Hobby Link Japan. If that isn't incentive, what is?
Sculpt:
Since Win-chan began her PVC run, Enoki Tomohide has been there to ferry her through what is often a perilous transition into the third dimension. Tomohide is a seasoned sculptor, known for both his impressive repertoire of articulated figures (including much of Kaiyodo's Fraulein Revoltech series) and his solid work on original resin kits, so its comes as no surprise that Win-chan has an amiable sculpt. Using Mine's original illustration as a reference point (at left), Win-chan's characteristics are rather faithfully communicated, though 1/7 scale she is not (try 1/8). Some features, such as the wrinkles of her blouse (and yes, nipples) are embellished; but not in an offensive or inaccurate manner. Even the turbid mess of her hair is captured to the last strand. All this praise is not to say that there aren't negative qualities. Tomohide's conception looks a little, how should I say, plump in the face, when compared to her 2-D rendering. This illusory rotundness is elicited by the lack of distinction between where her neck meets her collar bone and the overall width of her face when viewed anteriorly. Also, her hands have a more noticeable girth or roughness to them compared to her rather ladylike digits seen above. These points shouldn't be taken in any sort of negative light as shortcomings but simply evident differences from Mine's original illustration. Overall, Tomohide's sculpt is considerably strong and certainly worth its weight.
Production:
Kaiyodo is one of the oldest figure companies out there today. Nurturing the garage kit boom in the 80's and readily accommodating the Evangelion-assisted PVC explosion of the nineties, Kaiyodo certainly has a perspective (and level of prestige) that newcomers to the industry likely envy. And Tomohide's 1/7 scale Win-chan exhibits this to a point. Colors are accurate, vibrant, and consistent. There is absolutely no bleeding across boundaries, no anomalies such as ugly mold lines. A strong presentation across the board...except... the same problem seen in Kaiyodo's second Win-chan incarnation seen here. Apparently, for the personification of an operating system endorsed by basement dwellers the world over, Win-chan gets plenty of sun; she has a horrific orange glow on the back of her thighs. What looks like an attempt at creating a level of gradual synthetic shading resulted in something much less docile. Orange. Very orange. So long as you don't turn her over (which is assisted by the placement of her magnets), it shouldn't prove to be too much of a distraction.
At a Glance:
☹ Orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange
4/5
That shocked expression, she can't believe you just put her on the fridge.
I keep her next to (not on) my external hard drives.
Her shock makes more sense when she's arbitrarily attached to furniture
Anterior full-body shot, overall a nice addition to any collection.
17 August, 2009
Before modern computers were even a passing thought, for centuries an ancient super highway known as the Silk Road had been carrying treasures from the Orient on the backs of camels and men alike to their final destination in the hands of awestruck foreigners. Today, we have the internet and a lot less camels (incidentally, a lot more camel porn but that's a topic for another post).
Comic Market 76 has officially ended and so begins the slew of pirated media finding it's way onto the far reaches of the internet. Media on a fateful journey across today's information super highway to your computer and finally: brain. Because of the overwhelmingly grotesque mass of doujinshi and other media present at Comiket, consuming everything that is converted into digital format would be a truly daunting if not enviable task. To make it easier, Fakku.com has once again set up a Comiket thread for the purpose of amassing the latest and greatest in otaku fanmade property. The thread can be found here.
If you prefer a more wild experience, as opposed to having your sustenance put on a silver platter for you, searching TokyoToshokan for individual doujin titles might be preferential. As the third day off Comiket is usually reserved for much of the doujnshi, TT and most other resources are less padded in that area. If you're up for otakucore electronica a la DJ Sharpnel, RedAlice and more (which I'll be talking about in a later post), TT should suffice at least for now. At this point, we're waiting for everyone to get off their asses and start uploading. Once they do, remember to take everything in due time; semen deficiency is a serious medical problem.
16 August, 2009
I might be a sucker for medieval fantasy-based anime (Berserk, The Tales series, Record of Lodoss War, Scrapped Princess, Queen's Blade, among countless others) but The Sacred Blacksmith looks extraordinarily promising.
Synopsis provided by ANN:
The story takes place after an abominable war that foisted a "devil's contract" upon a land. Cecily Campbell, a former noble's daughter who joined a knighthood, encounters a man who dispatches some hoodlums with one sweep of a mysterious sword. The man possesses the power of the same "devil's contract" that has become taboo, now that peace has been restored. Cecily has been searching for a blacksmith who can repair an old sword she inherited from her father, and that mysterious young man happens to be blacksmith named Luke Ainsworth. This encounter launches their adventures together.
The tale is based on a 2007 light novel series of the same name written by Isao Miura. With 5 volumes in completion, the orginal story is still ongoing. In March of this year, a manga adaptation began serialization in the seinen publication Monthly Comic Alive, the same magazine where the anime was first announced. At this point, it isn't clear which medium the adaptation will claim as its source material.
Scheduled to air in November as part of the Fall 2009 season on UHF stations and AT-X, The Sacred Blacksmith is principally animated by Manglobe Inc., directed by Masamitsu Hidaka (Kurogane Linebarrels, Pokemon, Juu Senshi Garukiba) and written by Masashi Suzuki (Kanokon, Minami-ke: Okawari, Jigoku Shoujo). November isn't coming fast enough.
15 August, 2009
A slice of life 4koma adaptation not from Kyoto Animation? What unholy occurrence is this?! Indeed, it is possible. And Kanamemo seems to be doing it well enough...
When I was met with the precipice of a 2-sentence synopsis and a low-res picture when deciding what to watch for this season, Kanamemo somehow jumped out at me as worth further investigation. Besides those two elements, I was logistically naked for episode one. I've come to learn that Kanamemo is based on a preexisting slice of life 4koma and is directed by Shigehito Takayanagi, probably best known for Galaxy Angel A,S, and X.
What propelled me to watch, and keeps me doing so, is the utterly tragic circumstances of Kana's life previous to when we the audience are given permission to partake in it. Having lost her parents and, at the very beginning of episode one, the only remaining relative of her grandmother, Kana is in a dire position. With nowhere left to go, she eventually takes refuge at Funshin Shinbun, a local newspaper distributor, as a delivery girl. Featuring a decidedly otome-kei focus, all the members of Funshin are college girls with strong personalities (except for their manager, Saki, who is actually in grade school). From here, the incredibly dramatic aspect of Kanamemo is mixed intermittently with slapstick comedy often provided by the Funshin Shinbun's resident fujoshi, Haruka; such may be the result of Takayanagi's creative input. This dualistic nature may perplex, if not aggravate some but I feel the comedy/drama spice is handled responsibly. Just before the audience is completely soaked into the absurd displays of Haruka's perversion, they're flung back into the radiance of Kana's narrative if only for a brief moment. Most of the series' weight is devoted to comedy but the glimpses of something more profound are where Kanamemo excels.
Despite being a slice of life-comedy series, Kanamemo isn't totally without direction. Kana's dojikko status causes constant support to be milked out of the audience, as you cheer for her to do her best despite all the hardship she's been faced with. In this, her growth translates into the story's progression as she moves into the unadulterated world of the Japanese workforce. Such can be seen in the episode titles' structure of "My First ___". This formula also provides a vehicle for the episode's direction, whether it be the classic hot spring ( in Kana's case, public bath), or the less traditional endurance of a typhoon. Aside from that, Kanamemo's direction (or lack thereof) is typical of an episodic slice of life series.
Other interesting points include the presence of the famous Rie Kugimiya voicing, you guessed it, a tsundere named Mika Kujiin. A rather mysterious character (at least for now anyway), I don't feel Mika is being developed to her full potential. An oujo-sama type who transfers to Kana's school, Mika often appears on cue with little rhyme or reason. She works for a rival newspaper and because of this, has begun to develop a friendship with Kana (though being a oujo-sama tsundere she feels reluctant to do so). Their frienship adds another, if thin, layer to the series as a whole.
While Kanamemo is certainly not for everyone, we've only met the series' halfway point. There is still much to be had in the next 7 episodes. Surely, much of it will continue to be the outrageous and sometimes flat comedy we've seen so far. But I have hope that Kanamemo will remain faithful to the titular "Kana" by continuing to deliver on its main heroine's heartfelt growth and the friendships she garners throughout.
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