Author: Anne

Gackt’s Latest Project: A Let’s Play Series with Nestlé?!

I love Gackt. I imagine a lot of people who got into Japanese culture in the late 90s and thought themselves to be somewhat alternative love Gackt. But, you know, my love with the somewhat-infamous singer isn’t the kind of all-encompassing love a lot of young girls express for their male idols, it’s an ironic kind of love. Yes, I love(d?) his music, but after seeing him on Japanese television and watching the film he wrote and starred in with fellow singer Hyde (Moon Child), as well as his international debut in Bunraku (with Josh Hartnett), I can conclude he is completely nuts. And I kind of love him for it.

In fact, the guy who once proclaimed he was an immortal vampire is turning 41 tomorrow, so happy birthday, Gackt! But that’s not what I’m here to celebrate today… Instead, I want to talk about the new Let’s Play series Gackt has launched in collaboration with Nestlé Japan. Every day for a whole year, videos of Gackt playing various retro video games will be posted to Nestlé Japan’s YouTube channel in what might be the strangest collaboration I’ve heard of in quite a while!

Does Gackt even like video games? What does this have to do with Nestlé? Well, they’re giving away some Nescafé coffee machines signed by Gackt, so there’s that… What we do know about this new series is that the episodes will be posted every day at 7 pm Japan time and will last between 5 to 10 minutes. He’ll also be playing between 5 and 10 different titles a month. So far he’s played Mega Man 2 and Super Dodge Ball and… he’s not very good at it. Nor does he look all that amused. Ah, Gackt, you’ve finally started to age… There’s something oddly charming about his nonchalant manner and the fact that he doesn’t ever take his sunglasses off despite all the weird mood lighting going on in the room they have him playing these games in.

Unfortunately the series is currently only available in Japanese, but some zealous fan might subtitle them à la Game Center CX. Still, I think it’s amusing enough to watch even if you don’t know what’s being said. I’m cheering you on, Gackt!

Apricotsushi Reviews: Blippo

There is an amazing abundance of shops online that sell Japanese merchandise, and they’re a great option for those of us who don’t live in Japan but are desperate to get our hands on the latest cute Rilakkuma goods or weird Japanese candy. Unfortunately, there are so many that it’s often difficult to decide where to spend one’s hard-earned cash, and there’s always the question of whether the site in question is reputable or charges outrages prices for shipping, which are often sprung on shoppers after they’ve been lured in by seemingly cheap prices.

Recently, I stumbled upon the self-proclaimed “Japan & Kawaii Shop” Blippo, and they were kind enough to offer me a few products from their shop to review. They have a great selection of Japanese items from character goods such as Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma to Japanese snacks and candy, as well as stationery and all kinds of smartphone straps and accessories, so they really have the potential to be a one-stop shop for all your Japanese merchandise needs!

Blippo doodled a little giraffe on my box! 

The other major draw of Blippo is the offer free worldwide shipping, so you won’t be hit with a massive shipping fee when checking out! This means that everything will take about 1-3 weeks to arrive according to their site, but they shipped my package from their base in Hong Kong to my home in Australia surprisingly fast, and it arrive in almost exactly two weeks. You can also spend a few extra bucks on shipping upgrades, but I was very happy with how fast mine arrived.

Here’s a quick overview of what I received! I picked out all of the items myself, but the order came with the free plastic Blippo keychain in the middle. I don’t think I’d put it on anything, but it’s cute that they included it, none the less.

Is this not the cutest packaging? I’ll readily admit that the adorable little ghost wearing a witch’s hat is the whole reason why I opted for this Moko Awa DIY shake drink. I haven’t tried it yet, as I think it will make for a great Apricotsushi Samples video, but I can’t wait to give this foaming grape drink a go. Apparently all you need to do is mix the powder with water and stir!

I don’t even care if the shake doesn’t taste good, I’m happy to just be in the presence of these little ghost illustrations. For only about $3 AUD (with free shipping), it’s a steal!

Next are these great Rilakkuma honey stickers, which I had to get since I absolutely love anything Rilakkuma-themed! I really like the honey/bee/pancake motif, though I think I’d much prefer maple syrup to honey on my pancakes…

The stickers are raised hard plastic, which gives them a bit of a 3D effect, and some also feature little jewel embellishments. I’m pretty happy with them, but unfortunately some of them have minor discolorations/color smearing, which is particularly noticeable in the stickers with text and the ones with gold stripes in the bottom row of the above photo. I’m not sure if this is due to the type of sticker or heat exposure, but considering the usually high standard of Japanese merchandise, it’s a shame they weren’t all perfect.

Finally, I picked out these rad little donut earrings, because I’m really into miniature food these days and I love the idea of tasty little (fake) donuts hanging from my ears. They’re nothing super fancy, but they’re sturdy and look just as cute in person as they do on the website.

It’s not a particularly nice photo, but here’s what the look like on! They’re not so large that they draw attention from my beautiful face (ha), but they’re really fun and I can smile to myself knowing I’m wearing donuts on my ears, even if no one else notices.

For a package of three unique items from Japan that totals under $10 including shipping, I’m really happy with it. A lot of the products on Blippo are competitively priced, even factoring the free shipping, and as long as you don’t mind waiting a little longer for your purchase to get to you, most of their products are a great deal. I can definitely see myself buying from Blippo in the future and definitely recommend them to anyone looking for some cute Japanese goods or snacks!

Announcing the JRPG Community Game-Along!

Ah, the summer lull… Last year the summer season proved to be just as busy a time for game releases as the rest of the year, but this July has shaped up to be a relatively empty month release-wise. Of course, that means more time for this month’s Community Game-Along!

source

In order to fill up all those summer (or winter, if you live in the Southern hemisphere like me) hours, July’s theme is going to be JRPGs! I’ve gotten a lot of requests for this one, so I hope we get a lot of contributions and keep #JRPGJuly busy all month long.

When I initially set out to do monthly game-alongs, I wanted to use the event to shine the spotlight on some lesser-known or under-appreciated developers and genres. I know many would argue that JRPGs is a massive category that doesn’t really fit that description, but I hope we can use this month to challenge the generally-accepted misconception that JRPGs are on their way out or are somehow worse now than they were 10 years ago. So, while I don’t like to put restrictions on what games you should play, I highly encourage you to seek out some lesser-known titles or recent releases that maybe didn’t get a lot of attention in the West!

Since “JRPG” is such a broad theme and I’m sure all of you can think of some great titles to play without my help, I’m not going to give any examples of games that fit the theme this month. I will, however, point out that SRPGs, ARPGs, and MMOs are also included (provided they are heavily influenced by JRPGs or made by a Japanese developer), as are western-developed RPGs that have a significant JRPG “feel” to them (I’m no expert on Western RPGs, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide if a certain title fits or not).

As always, the only “rules” of the Community Game-Along are that you pick a game that fits the theme, preferably one you haven’t played before, and write about it using #JRPGJuly on your favorite social media platform of choice. I also highly encourage long-form articles and other forms of media – anything where you talk about your experiences counts, and I look forward to all kinds of submissions!

There’s already a surprising amount of chatter in the hashtag on Twitter thanks a big shoutout from the RPG Site (thanks!), so let’s make this one of the best Game-Alongs yet! If you happen to be on NeoGAF, be sure to hit up the official JRPGJuly thread, too.

Catch-Up Corner: Monster Hunter Madness!

I’ve been pretty heavily saturated in Monster Hunter-related things lately, so instead of the regular Catch-Up Corner mishmash, I’ve decided to keep this one Monster Hunter-themed! First, to finish up my week, I spent the majority of the weekend working on my very own Felyne hat:

handmade Monster Hunter Felyne felt hat

I have to say, I’m surprisingly proud of how it turned out! I got a sudden bolt of inspiration while I was out grocery shopping on Saturday, and proceeded to pick up the required felt materials from my local Daiso so that I could draft up the pattern and get it sewn over the weekend. Since I don’t have a sewing machine, it was all completely sewn by hand, which meant it took pretty much the whole weekend to finish. For the curious, all of the face details are glued on with fabric glue, but the ears, hat seam, and hemming is all sewn.

I originally got this idea because I wanted to make some kind of prize for the Monster Hunter event I’m holding this Sunday (stop by if you happen to live in Brisbane!). Since this first one turned out so well, I think I should be able to finish a second one by then!

Monster Hunter Compilation "Re:" Mix Chiptune album cover

Next up is a really cool event that is scheduled for while I am in Japan! Capcom is releasing a Monster Hunter chiptune remix album titled Monster Hunter Compilation “Re:” Mix Chiptune and will be hosting a launch party on July 20th at 2.5D in Shibuya! (very close to where I’m staying) While I was originally very keen to go, they will be streaming the whole thing live on the night and tickets cost $20 to attend, so I just tune in from the comfort of my dorm… I’m also embarrassed to say that don’t really recognize any of the Monster Hunter music in the song clips provided on the site! Even so, it still seems like it could be a cool event, and those of you who don’t live in Japan should mark your calendar so you can watch the livestream (starting 6:30 am on the 20th, Eastern time).

UPDATE: Whoops, I got the date completely wrong! It was on the 3rd. Oh well!

Monster Hunter Frontier G receptionist Nendoroid

Finally, there was one last announcement this past week that combines my love of Monster Hunter and Nendoroids: a limited edition Nendoroid will be released with the premium edition of Monster Hunter Frontier G! I know next to nothing about Frontier G, but it’s basically a Monster Hunter MMO and has never been released in English. The Nendoroid is modelled after the G-class quest receptionist, and though she certainly has a unique design, I don’t actually find it all that appealing… I guess I should consider myself lucky, as I wouldn’t want to import a premium-priced copy of Frontier G, anyway!

Making the Kracie Popin Cookin’ Kuru Kuru Takoyaki Kit

Phew, filming and editing videos is hard work! It’s nothing like writing, which lets me take time to collect my thoughts, put them down on virtual paper, and come back later to edit as necessary. It isn’t even comparable to podcasting – though I can do little to edit the way I’ve said something if it comes out sounding dumb, at least in podcast form I can be sitting in my pjs sipping a hot cup of coffee as I record, for all you listeners know!

Video, on the other hand, is brutal. I’m conscious of how I both look and sound, and even after I’ve recorded everything to my satisfaction, the editing process takes twice as long as it does for a podcast. Basically, this is a long-winded explanation for why I’m so late in uploading a new episode of Apricotsushi Samples! Hopefully with each video I’ll get slightly better at the whole process to the point where I don’t feel so preemptively exhausted every time I think about doing a video.

On this week’s episode, I finally get around to trying the Kracie Popin Cookin’ Kuru Kuru Takoyaki kit! I was very apprehensive about this one (is it actually supposed to emulate real takoyaki?), but since I got it in a shipment from Candy Japan, I had to give it a shot. Give the video a watch to see how I fared…

The video clocks in at nearly 10 minutes, so I’d really like some feedback on it, if you get through the whole thing! Is 10 minutes too long for a candy kit like this? Should I cut out some of the steps in the making process? These are all questions I ask myself in editing, as I tend to think that 10 minutes may be a little too long to sit and watch a YouTube video, but if you prefer the level of detail I’m providing for the whole kit process, please let me know.

Finally, stay tuned for my 100 subscriber giveaway! I’ll be announcing it in an upcoming video, and it’ll be chock full of fun Japanese snacks, so you won’t want to miss it!

Apricotsushi Reviews: Japanese Treats

Are you sick of Japanese snack subscription services yet? I know I’m not! It’s really exciting to see so many different subscription services pop up that are all about providing Japanese candies and snacks to people around the world. If Japanese treats are your game, you’ll be spoiled for choice: there’s OyatsuBox, Candy Japan, and now the aptly-named rookie Japanese Treats is joining the ranks!

If you’d like to see me ooh and aah over everything in their very first subscription box, check out my unboxing video above. Japanese Treats is $22/month, and since that price includes shipping anywhere in the world, it’s very competitive (Candy Japan and OyatsuBox are both $25/month). All up, this month there were 11 different items, which I think is very generous!

Like OyatsuBox, Japanese Treats provides a sheet which each order that says the name and a short description of each item. These “cheat sheets” are very helpful for those who can’t read Japanese and aren’t familiar with the different snacks, so I’m really glad they include them!

Now let’s take a closer look at each of the different items included in the box!

I just love character goods (if you haven’t noticed by now), so I was especially excited to see these Disney Pakuncho chocolate cookies. Not only is the box covered in Mickies (and a lone Donald!), but the cookies themselves have Disney characters printed on them!

These character rock-paper-scissor cutouts on the back of the box are super cute, too. As for the cookies themselves, I don’t expect them to taste much different from Koala’s March or Hello Panda, but I’m fine with that.

Now, I’m familiar with the delicious chocolate-covered biscuits shaped like bamboo shoots known as Take no Ko no Sato, but I’ve never seen them in this kind of packaging before! I love the design, and I know they taste good, too! One thing to note is that the sheet Japanese Treats provided calls them Kino no Ko no Yama, as it’s possible to either get these or the same type of cookie in a mushroom shape, which are called Kino no Ko no Yama.

I can tell these Japanese snack subscription providers really want to please the folks who are into the internet-famous Japanese candy kits, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise to see this Nigi Nigi Osushiya-san sushi gummy kit in my box. The peach and lemon-flavored gummies are meant to look like pieces of fish, and you combine them with the banana-flavored “rice” gummies to make little sushi! I actually bought myself one of these already, so I think I’ll include this one in an upcoming giveaway.

These may look like regular plain animal crackers, but I just love the package! Honestly, if the people behind these services just picked snacks with fun packages, I’d probably be happy regardless of what was inside! Maybe I should start a subscription service like that…

I just love a good pun, don’t you? Well, these calcium-fortified grape-flavored candies are called Ju-C! Hah! As you can see from the package, Ju-C has been around since 1955. They don’t show up very well in the photo, but I like the little animals circling the left end of the container. I can’t wait to try them!

Kyabetsu (cabbage) Taro here are flavored corn puffs covered in nori, which, funnily enough, do not actually have anything to do with cabbage. The frog mascot Taro looks pretty sharp in his policeman outfit, don’t you think? I’m told these are quite popular in Japan, but I’ve never actually noticed them!

I think this has to be the highlight of the box for me! At first I thought these were just soda-flavored hard candies, which is nothing particularly new or exciting, but they’re actually candies that you mix with water to make soda! As you can see from the package, there are five different flavors, and it encourages you to mix them to come up with even more. I think these are going to be a lot of fun to try, so I’ll definitely be doing an Apricotsushi Samples video for them!

These Chocobi chocolate puffs are actually Crayon Shin-chan themed, so that actually makes two character goods in this month’s box! They also come with one of 20 different stickers, which is always fun. I must admit I see these quite often locally and I’m not a massive Crayon Shin-chan fan, but I’m still intrigued to see how they taste.

Finally, we have Dondon Yaki, which I received in a previous OyatsuBox (they’re really good!), some pudding-flavored bakeable Kit Kats, and ramune fortune telling candies. The fortune candies actually look a lot like pills, but each one is labeled with something different (“sports,” “love” etc.). When you pop them out it tells you a your fortune. Japanese Treats has a blog post with translations of all the different possibilities so you can see how you fare!

I’m sure a lot of people would be really excited to receive the bakeable pudding Kit Kats, and believe me, I was too! My enthusiasm was only slightly dampened by the fact that 1. I bought 2 large bags a couple of weeks ago from Jlist and 2. my oven is currently not working. I like that they give you two so you can try baking one and have the other fresh if you desire. I’m so bummed that my oven is broken… I really want to try them!

There you have it! I’m really impressed with Japanese Treats, as they are not only very reasonably priced, but they ship their boxes quickly and offer a great selection. If they continue to offer 10 or more items for $22/month, this may make them the best deal out of all the Japanese snack subscriptions I’ve reviewed so far. I’m really looking forward to seeing how they develop over the next few months!

Catch-Up Corner: Schick x Attack on Titan, #PuzzleMonth Update

I don’t think I need to reiterate my love for weird Japanese collaboration campaigns, but in case you’re new around here: I love Japanese collaboration campaigns! Even if it’s a collaboration featuring two products/franchises I’m not really interested in, a limited-time promotional campaign always catches my interest. Luckily for me, however, this new crazy Japanese campaign features Attack on Titan, an anime that, while it had its issues, I quite enjoyed when it aired!

I can’t say I’m as big a fan of shaving hygiene, but this Schick x Attack on Titan campaign is amazing. They even have a series of three promotional videos on their website with dorky redubbed anime footage with tons of funny voiceovers! The real purpose of the campaign, of course, is to get people to buy Schick razors, so they’re offering six little Attack on Titan figures which will be packaged in different razor products:

I’ll admit, I wouldn’t be adverse to owning a little Levi holding shaving razors instead of his usual weaponry! Schick is even offering razor stands with more realistically-proportioned Mikasa and Levi figures. Poor protagonist Eren has been kicked out of the limelight, I guess!

I still have time to decide if I’m going to seek out one of the cute mini figures or not…. But even if you can’t get your hands on them, I highly recommend poking around the official website for this collaboration if you’re looking for a laugh!

Pretty pleased with that score. #PuzzleMonth pic.twitter.com/8m5G4UsXLv
— Adam Lee (@Shiroth) June 2, 2014

Since June’s Community Game-Along theme is everything puzzle-related, I’ve been trying to get in a few puzzle games whenever I have a few free minutes. As always, it’s great to see everyone joining in the fun! So far, I’ve played a little of Tetris with Card Captor Sakura: Eternal Heart (it’s just like the title says, Card Captor Sakura Tetris!) and some of the new PS Vita rhythm puzzle game developed by Arc System Works, Magical Beat. I also reviewed the iOS puzzle game rainblocks, which is free to play and both looks and sounds great. I highly suggest checking it out if you have an iOS device and would like to try something for #PuzzleMonth!

Finally, I still have one code left for subaku for iOS to give away! Head over the the June Game-Along information post to see how you can claim it!