Asahina Mikuru Goth-Punk

I am so happy to announce another new edition to the family-- another member of 涼宮ハルヒの (Suzumiya Haruhi's) S.O.S. Brigade! Charming and beloved time-traveler 朝比奈 みくる (Asahina Mikuru) has arrived wearing her goth punk outfit, making goth punk moe like no one ever has before. Of course, Mikuru-chan looks super cute regardless of what she wears!

She came from the future to investigate a huge time-rift that happened several years ago, that Suzumiya Haruhi created without realising it. I'm terribly curious about her experiences traveling through time, and also about her in-depth knowledge of science, but she always just tells me "きんそくじこうです" (it's classified). In any case, I'm happy she decided to stay in our time period for now.

Mikuru-chan was escorted here by the team of Griffon Enterprises and sculptor 山本雅弘 (Yamamoto Masahiro), the same duo who also invited Haruhi and Nagato Yuki to join us and dressed them up in their cute Goth/Lolita attire. We have seen quite a few beauties coming from Griffon these days and they seem to just keep on coming! Much like her friends Haruhi and Yuki, Mikuru-chan looks incredible and it's clear that considerable care and effort went into her outfit, accessories and hair; her overall appearance is absolutely jaw-dropping. I think I'm very luck that she's here!

Loli Nagato Yuki

Today's featured beauty is 長門有希 (Nagato Yuki), fellow member of the S.O.S. Brigade and companion/protector of 涼宮ハルヒ (Suzumiya Haruhi). Yuki-chan is an artificial human with supernatural powers and is the only actual member of the their school's Literary Club, which of course was hi-jacked by Haruhi in order to obtain a club room and headquarters for the S.O.S. Brigade. Yuki's role on planet Earth is to observe Haruhi and gather information about the evolution of humankind and our potential for autonomy. Now she's here observing my wife and I as well!


Yuki's looking so cute wearing her lolita outfit, complete with her ruffled dress and a teddy bear in her purse. She's here thanks to the craftsmen at Griffon Enterprises and the talent of sculptor 山本雅弘 (Yamamoto Masahiro) who's work also brought us Haruhi herself in her gothloli attire. Masahiro is giving us a rare chance to see Yuki-chan wearing something other than her school uniform which is what she's wearing most of the time when we see her. She is another win for Griffon and Yamamoto-san because of the impressive attention to detail and fine workmanship that went into creating her. IMHO, the craftsmanship of this figure is even better than that of her friend Haruhi in that there are no noticeable production flaws of any kind and the overall impact of her design is simply stunning. I hereby welcome Nagato Yuki as another cherished addition to the family. ^^

Haruhi in Gothic Lolita outfit!

Let's have a look at one of the most recent additions to my figure collection! Most of my readers probably recognise 涼宮ハルヒ (Suzumiya Haruhi) so I won't go into detail about this famous and awesome anime/manga series by 谷川 流 (Tanigawa Nagaru). Haruhi is seen here in her goth lolita outfit courtesy of Griffon Enterprises.

As soon as I heard about this figure for the first time, I knew I had to have her and that she would turn out to be one of my most treasured additions to the family. Haruhi looks incredible in her gothloli attire and sculptor/designer 山本雅弘 (Yamamoto Masahiro) did some incredible detail work with her. The only complaint I have is that the production work done by Griffon is not *quite* up to standard. A close inspection of Haruhi is bound to reveal some imperfections that aren't normally present in a Kotobukiya or Max Factory product. There are a couple of irregularities in the paint work and she's got a *tiny* dent/knick on her dress that suggests hurried factory production, although I don't feel the end result takes away from the overall impact of this lovely figure. I am very happy that she's here!

Some new Code Geass figures!

In my post today I want to show you some more of my figures from Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion (コードギアス〜反逆のルルーシュ). This nice set of figures go together perfectly, of course. What I'm showing you here is the Offshoot Lancelot (ランスロット) Knightmare Frame and Kururugi Suzaku (枢木 スザク) from the Bandai Code Geass R2 EX-PORTRAITS series. Mecha and pilot. I am quite happy to have these on display in my collection. I think their sizes and designs make them go together perfectly.

These figures were lots of fun to buy! The Lancelot came from Asobit City in Akihabara (秋葉原) and Suzaku came from the Kotobukiya (コトブキヤ) shop, also in Akihabara. Yes, that was a fun day indeed, and I have nice memories associated with these kool figures!

"Bakunyū" Hyper-Battle Ikki Tōsen

This young lady's name is Chou'un Shiryuu (趙雲 子龍), and she joined my collection a few months ago. She's from Ikkitōsen (一騎当千), Watanabe Takashi's (渡部 高志) anime series, loosely based on the the manga by Shiozaki Yūji (雄二 塩崎). Unfortunately I am not familiar with the manga or the anime, although I would really like to be, considering the series is famous for its ecchi situations and battles fought by girls in short skirts!

The inspiration for the story is a Chinese historical novel that was named one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," written by Luo Guanzhong. The modern manga and anime versions are quite different from the 14th century originals, of course, but I am quite confident that they must be extremely fun and entertaining. ^^

The anime series first aired in Japan back in 2003 and has subsequently completed 2 more seasons finally ending this past August with a grand total of 37 episodes. I'm definitely adding the series to my must-watch anime list, but in the meantime, I liked this character figure the moment I saw her and just had to have her. She made the long journey to my Chicago condominium courtesy of the Kid Nemo Company.

あきやすみ ６ - 秋葉原

Aki yasumi pt. 6 - Akihabara (Autumn Vacation part 6 - Akihabara)

I'm starting to fall behind a little bit on my postings, so this news is a couple of days old. Sorry!
The other day was spent, in its entirety, in Akihabara (秋葉原)! Ya-taaah! This time I was less focused on electronics and gadgets and spent more time shopping for items related to my hobbies! I spent most of the time in Asobit City, Kotobukiya (コトブキヤ) and the 6th Floor of Yodobashi Camera (ヨドバシカメラ). ^^

I enjoyed looking at lots and lots of figures, manga, books, CDs, DVDs and other little gems. It was definitely a lot of fun and I brought back quite a haul as you can see here! Not surprisingly, there is still a lot more I would like to have. I'm wondering if maybe I'll back again for more. heh!



I was extremely tempted to pick up a new Canon EOS Kiss X2 camera. I was worried, though, that I might have buyer's remorse afterward, however, so I didn't get it (although I did find out which shop has the best price, just in case). The exchange rate is particularly horrible right now and the Yen has risen sharply against the Dollar recently. Because of this, some of the electronics I normally enjoy buying are not as good a deal as usual. Without the substantial savings I typically find in Akiba, my consumption of electronics has been suppressed.

One thing I definitely noticed is that the activities in the streets are a little bit more reserved as compared to when I was there last year. I didn't see any street performers at all, and there is a lot more security on patrol. Maybe there is more happening during the weekends...I'm not sure. I know that activities in Akiba have been slight more conservative ever since the Akihabara Massacre in June of this year that claimed the lives of 7 people and left others hositalised.

To finish up the day I had an incredible dinner at Sushizanmen (this means "sushi everyday"). It's the sushi restaurant just outside the Tsukuba Express-side exit of Yodobashi Camera. I highly recommend this place if you're going to Akiba. The food is incredibly fresh, delicious and expertly-prepared. The atmosphere in there is also very lively and welcoming. I had some sashimi and also some nigiri sushi. All of it was very, very good.

New Miyamoto Musashi figure!

I just recently saw this while browsing the Yamashiroya homepage. This looks SO incredible! A new figure from Scultpure Arts of legendary swordsman and Wormgear's hero, Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵)! Since I am leaving one week from tomorrow to go on my next trip to Japan, I am *definitely* getting one! This will round out my collection of Vagabond figures quite nicely I think! The only problem is the high price tag (ugh!), but I am not going to let that stop me this time!

A new figure, which looks amazing, and a new movie out next summer-- what more could I fan ask for!? ^^

More Code Geass figures!

These are the Sutherland (サザーランド) Knightmare frames; standard issue for the Britannian Military. These mechs feature agile mobility, sophisticated cockpit life support systems, stun guns, tonfas and an assault rifle. Early on in the Code Ceass (コードギアス) story, these knightmare frames were commandeered by Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ) (as "Zero") and the Black Knights after Prince Clovis of Britannia (クロヴィス・ラ・ブリタニア) ordered the destruction of the "Shinjuku Ghetto."

The Black Knights successfully used the stolen Sutherlands to destroy an entire unit of knightmare frames piloted by the enemy Britannians. All of these Black-Knight-piloted Sutherland Knightmare Frames were then destroyed by Lelouch's friend, Honourary Britannian Kururugi Suzaku (枢木 スザク). This battle, commonly referred to as "Shinjuku," was extremely important to the development of the Code Geass story since two essential storylines developed here-- the introduction of C.C. (シー・ツー), leading to Lelouch's Geass power, and the murder of Prince Clovis by his brother Lelouch Lamperouge.

These particular Sutherlands are replicas made by Bandai; I got them about 2 months ago and just realised I never posted them here. I think they're pretty cool! I hope to add many more Knightmare Frames to my collection. Unfortunately I'm nearly broke from planning and funding my upcoming wedding, and I've had to commit to temporarily diverting all funds away from my hobbies. :( This will come to an end as soon as I arrive in the motherland this October, prolly right around the time I exit the Tsukuba Express at Akihabara station. :)

Heroine of the Black Knights

I'm pleased to introduce Kallen Stadtfeld (カレン・シュタットフェルト) whom we know for her important supporting role in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Born as Kōzuki Karen (紅月カレン) into a prestigious family to a Britannian father and a Japanese mother, she was naturally setup into a position of success.

Kallen leads a double-life living publicly as a successful yet docile and tame Britannian student at Ashford Academy, and secretly as a strong and forceful agent of Lelouch Lamperouge's anti-Britannian resistance group, the Black Knights. In the Code Geass stories, Kallen represents the struggle between Britannia and Japan (or "Area 11" as it was named by the Britannians). She, herself, has both Britannian and Japanese culture in her history and in her everyday life follows Britannian tradition while simultaneous fighting to tear it down from the inside out. Her character adds sophisticated elements of depth and complexity to this modern and very unusual twist on the classic good vs. evil story.

Kallen arrived her by way of the Alpha Omega company, looking fantastic in her Ashford Academy uniform. I hope you will like her as much as I do!

My Mirei-san!

Konnichiwa readers! I haven't had very much time for updating my Blog recently since making wedding plans has been taking up all of my free time. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

You probably remember my heartbreaking experience one month ago in which I purchased an "Art of Shunya Yamashita Mirei-san" figure from an eBay seller in Hong Kong, only to realise that I had purchased a fake rip-off. It was the first time that I had this horrible experience and I will always remember it.

In the meantime, I managed to find the real Kotobukiya figure and ordered her from toyarena, a reliable seller on Amazon.com. Here she is! Let's celebrate! It should be obvious to see why I like her so much. I think my fiancee is actually a little bit jealous, but at the same time, there can be no denying that Mirei-san is a truly great part of my collection. Shunya Yamashita (山下しゅんや) is a wonderful artist and who doesn't love a wonderfully moe figure like Mirei!?

Thank you again, readers, for your kind compassion and thank you, Danny Choo! I'm happy now. :-)

Fiery Fiend Hunter

Meet Rachel (レイチェル), the powerful Fiend-hunter, comrade to Ryu Hayabusa (リュウ・ハヤブサ) and heroine of Ninja Gaiden. Here she stands ready to strike, equipped with her Warhammer and Blade of Ouroborus, always prepared to dispense with the evil Fiends of the Vigoor Empire. Although Rachel is on a mission of her own-- to find and destroy Alma, her twin-sister-turned-Fiend, she became a strong and helpful comrade to Master Ryu after meeting him on his journey.

Like Ayane and Ryu, Rachel came from Kotobukiya and is clearly another extremely well-designed and expertly crafted figure. She was rather difficult to locate, being so rare and highly sought-after. She is the third Ninja Gaiden figure in my collection, leaving just one more to find-- Ryu's close friend from his village, Kureha (呉葉)!

Kounterfeit Kotobukiya

When I arrived home yesterday I was excited to see a package waiting for me at my door! I knew from the shipping label that it was my Mirei-san figure that I had been awaiting for nearly 7 weeks. I could hardly wait to open to box!


When I got into my condo and started to open the packaging, I started getting a bit concerned-- a plain, white box?? Was this a used figure? Couldn't be-- the eBay auction I won said it was new! My concern turned into worry when I saw the cheap, styrofoam packing material inside the plain, white box. As soon as I saw inside I knew what had happened-- I had been duped. :-(

Inside the cheap, styrofoam packing was not Mirei-san but a *very* poorly-crafted counterfeit rip-off. Needless to say I was very disappointed and starting to feel angry. I was preparing to write a nasty, flame-job email to the eBay seller who "ripped me off." That was, of course, until I discovered something. The auction I won had very cleverly drawn me in with a description of the "Art of Shunya Yamashita Mirei-san," but never ONCE used the keyword, "Kotobukiya." The auction never mentioned the name of the manufacturer at all because of course it is NOT Kotobukiya but a very cheap imitation made by a rip-off artist in China.
Indeed, I had received exactly what I purchased, It was, in the end, my own fault for not examining the auction carefully. eBayers beware!! The Seller to watch out for is "qpick-tradezone." They specialise in these cheap, Chinese imitations and that explains why their prices are so damn good. I should have learned by now that if something seems to good to be true, that's because it is. Now I'm back on my quest for the real Mirei-san. The REAL Art of Shunya Yamashita expertly crafted and designed by Kotobukiya.

Major Kusanagi arrives!

Allow me to introduce Kusanagi Motoko (草薙 素子), the shrewd and skillful officer of the Public Safety Commission. We know her for her authoritative role as "The Major" in Shirō Masamune's (士郎 正宗) amazing cyberpunk manga / anime series, Ghost in the Shell (Kōkaku Kidōtai - 攻殻機動隊).

Major Kusanagi appears here, as she normally does on her missions with Chief Aramaki; her sexy cybernetic appearance rendered perfectly by Takahashi Tsuyoshi of Alter. I really like this figure a lot. I was thinking I might have some difficulty finding one since this is not one of Alter's newer creations, but there are still a few hanging around.

Whew! My collection is starting to grow rather sizeable!

Death Note - Figures part 4

Alright-- I saved the best for last! This is Ryuk (リューク), the Shinigami who started this whole story when he dropped his Death Note from the Shinigami Realm down to earth as a way to combat his boredom. Dropping his Death Note down to Earth also served to allow him passage to the Human Realm where he can enjoy his favourite snack-- apples from the Human Realm.

Ryuk is my favourite character in the Death Note series. Although he plays an essential, central role in Obha Tsugumi's (大場 つぐみ) story, he is only loosely connected to the human main characters. His interaction with the other characters in the story is neither helpful to them nor harmful. Ryuk is basically here, in the Human Realm, for his own amusement and interest. According to Shinigami law, he is bound to the human who is in possession of his Death Note, but his participation in human life extends almost no further than making keen observations and adding the occasional witty remark. Humans are very interesting indeed, Ryuk!

He came to us from the Shinigami Realm by way of JUN Planning and has an astonishingly realistic appearance. When you look at him, he can see your name and life-span floating above your head. I think he's super-cool, and I'm so glad he's here!

Death Note - Figures part 3

Today I want to show you the lovely Amane Misa (弥 海砂). Misa Misa is a model and also the girlfriend of Yagami Light (夜神 月). She is the owner of a Death Note and came to know Light through her utter devotion to and admiration of Light's life-mission. Obha Tsugumi's (大場 つぐみ) story gives Misa a primary role in the story, and as the owner of a Death Note, much of the plot and story-development revolves around her. On the surface, Misa seems to have many of the highly-generalised qualities of a ditzy schoolgirl, but oftentimes demonstrates her own brand of clever craftiness and ingenuity. Her beauty and moe moeeee qualities make her very popular with the fellas, both in the story and also among us fans.

Just like Yagami Light and L Lawliet, Misa comes to us from RAH (Real Action Heroes) and looks just great! She's one of the favourites in my collection.

Death Note - Figures part 2

For part two I want to show you my L Lawliet (エル) figure. L is Yagami Light's (夜神 月) nemesis and is also one of the primary characters of the series. L is the only other character in Death Note (at least in the beginning) that is capable of the great level of genius that Light possesses. L's strength, however, is detective genius. So incredible are his skills of deduction and investigation that he's sought by crime-solving agencies throughout the world. His appearance is decidedly peculiar and on sloppy side, which offsets his astonishing talent. L is an extremely popular character with both Japanese and international audiences. Many of the female Death Note fans find L's disheveled appearance to be cute and charming.

This is another fine figure made by RAH (Real Action Heroes), and is probably the best-selling of RAH's Death Note figures. L's wearing genuine denim jeans and a cotton shirt, and his joints are fully-poseable like those of all RAH figures. I'm very glad I got this one!

Death Note - Figures part 1

OK, so yeah-- I have been getting LOTS of figures recently. I think I'm addicted. I really do like collecting them a lot! So if I'm going to collect figures, what sort of collector would I be without the ones from my favourite manga / anime series-- DEATH NOTE!?

This, of course, is Yagami Light (夜神 月). He's the main character of the story and if you're like me, you don't know whether to fear him or cheer him. I think that one of the themes of Obha Tsugumi's (大場 つぐみ) story is the irony of human life that permits us to admire a criminal genius like Light.

This is a nice figure, though, don'tchya think? This is the RAH (Real Action Heroes) version of Yagami Light. He's got the standard issue clothing made from real fabric and expertly-crafted poseable joints. He also comes with interchangeble hands-- the closed fist version seems to say, "I am the god of the new world."

Rebirth of the Hayabusa Clan

Back in March I introduced the Kool Kunoichi, Ayane (あやね), who watches over and assists Master Ryu Hayabusa (リュウ・ハヤブサ) during his journey through the kick-ass PS3 game, Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Now, I am pleased to introduce Ryu, himself-- guardian of the Hayabusa clan's Dark Dragon Blade! He was brought back to life after the fierce battle with his clan's mortal enemy, Doku, and arrived here the same as Ayane, by way of Kotobukiya.

Ryu is seen here, with Ayane watching over him, ready to fight the next gang of fiends standing between him and his target, the evil lord Doku. I don't think there can be any doubting his success in the soon-to-come defeat of lord Doku and subsequent recovery of the Dark Dragon Blade.

Once your heart is pre-occupied, your sword will not be true.

Alright!! I got 'em! If you have been following along, I'm on a quest to obtain all of the kick-ass figures from my favourite manga, Vagabond. This isn't exactly a simple task since all of these figures, made by Fewture, are discontinued and now quite rare.

I managed to get my hands on Shinmen Takezo and refined spearman / buddhist monk, Inshun! Takezō, of course, is the birth name of our hero Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) before he started to make a name for himself. Here's Takezō, in the middle of his life-changing battle with Inshun, disciple of Master Hōzōin In'ei (宝蔵院 胤栄) of the Hōzōin Temple. This is the second duel between Takezō and Inshun that amounts to a major life-learning experience for Takezō in which he learns a great deal about himself and what it means to embrace fear. This duel also marks the first time Inshun steps ahead from the pure mechanics and technique of spearmanship and commits to putting his life on the line during battle. This amazing duel marks a turning-point in Takezō's life and in the Vagabond series, as well, that ultimately provides Takezō with experience necessary to learn the meaning of his mushashugyō (warrior's journey). Takezō wields his trademark wooden practice sword; Inshun, with Takezō's permission, uses the Hōzōin cross spear.

These figures are another masterful work of art by Fewture and I am very glad I could find them. As far as I know-- there is only one left in the series-- Master Hōzōin In'ei (宝蔵院 胤栄). Wish me luck!

Finally, let me just say that it is a great relief for me to return to writing posts about the things that I love instead of those that I hate. I never intended for my Blog to focus on stuff that pisses me off, but Follywood was on a real roll for a little while and I was extremely annoyed. Unfortunately, I doubt this is the last thing I'll have to say about it.

Return of the God of Death

I was so very pleased with the Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) figure I showed you on 13-Mar-08 (waiting the background, above) that I decided I MUST have the whole Vagabond collection (please wish me luck-- all of these figures by Fewture are now discontinued)! Here is Shishido Baiken -- the legendary master of the kusarigama (鎖鎌, chain and sickle), who was defeated in a fierce battle when his fingers were sliced off by Musashi.

Baiken is in reality, of course, Tsujikaze Kōhei. Musashi crosses paths with Kōhei early on in his mushashugyō (warrior's journey) during Kōhei's quest for deadly revenge against his vile older brother, Tenma.

Baiken is shown here with all of his fingers intact, ready for his fight with the renowned swordsman. The fight began when Musashi requested a demonstration of the kusarigama. Baiken agreed to the "demonstration," but warned that he was unable to wield the kusarigama without using deadly force. This figure is SO F*%KING cool! I am so happy I was able to find it. Special thanks to the Cosmic-King's eBay store for making this possible.