Author: Anne Lee

iPhone Envy: Flick of the Dead and Sleepy-Time Boyfriend

Now, we could talk about Apple love/hate six ways till Sunday, but the truth of the matter is between iTunes, iPods, iPads, iPhones, and, well, “i” everything, they’re seriously making a killing. I, too, had an iPhone once… Well, I still do, but it’s either a first or second gen iPhone and Apple has long since dropped compatibility for it – almost all new iPhone apps require iOS 4.3 or higher, and entries on the online app store come with this depressing little disclaimer:

“Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.Requires iOS 4.3 or later.” <–– this means I’m out of luck!

I never really felt I needed all of the bells and whistles that come with the iPhone, but one thing always gives me a little pang of regret for not having one of those nifty, sleek devices: all of the apps (game or otherwise) I read about on the internet. Oh, curse you internet, for if you did not exist I would live in a naive bliss where I would not want nearly so many things!

But alas, such is the nature of this hyper-connected world we live in. Luckily, there are so many free apps available, and though I can’t personally play them at this point in time, I can most definitely tell you all about them and why you should go download them immediately.

Flick of the Dead



Remember The Typing of the Dead? Even more ridiculous than the Pokemon typing DS game (well, that came with a bluetooth keyboard for your DS, which is pretty weird…), The Typing of the Dead has you typing as fast as your fingers can to fend of hoards of zombies, and Flick of the Dead, the iOS port, is no different. Why didn’t they name it Text of the Dead is beyond me, though… Regardless, though I feel they probably can’t emulate the satisfaction that comes with typing the words out on an actual keyboard, the app is free and for that alone, I say give it a go.

It’s only available on the Japanese iTunes store, though, so if you’re interested in downloading it use my tutorial and make sure to search for “ゾンビ打FLICK OF THE DEAD” (no quotation marks). It’s also only in Japanese, which means you  might have to flail your way through it, but I personally am of the mind to try everything at least once (especially if it’s free!). As a final incentive, its icon is just too amazing:

Sleepy-Time Boyfriend and Love me, I’m your pet darling

Let me tell you, you probably have no idea how popular Japanese voice actors (aka seiyuu) are, especially among female otome gamers. Only in Japan can you purchase a full CD that just features a single voice actor literally counting sheep for you to fall asleep to. Don’t believe me? Here’s a sample (skip to 2:15ish for some actual sheep counting):
Well, ok, it looks like I managed to pick one of the creepier ones, but you get the idea… This track in particular comes from a crossover with the series Starry Sky, which is an extremely popular otome game series that actually originated from a series of drama CDs that each focus on a single character. It’s rather hard to describe, but the basic idea is that these characters are talking to you, the listener, so there’ll be pauses in the dialogue to emulate an actual conversation. My embarrassing secret is that I’ve listened to virtually all of them… They’re quite funny at times and provide good background noise, and I can imagine they’d be pretty helpful for people looking to practice their Japanese listening skills (yeah, yeah, what an excuse).
Anyway Sleepy-Time Boyfriend is similar in concept in that you are greeted with a selection of twelve handsome individuals to chose from upon loading the free app, each of whom have a number of set phrases they speak to you. It seems like you actually have to talk to them and they’ll reply to you (a random phrase, I assume), which changes depending on whether you’re in “talk” mode or “sleepy” mode. 
The nice thing about this one is that not only is it free, but it’s available in English! From what I’ve seen of the English subtitles, it’s pretty poorly translated, but at least it gets the job done. You can view it on the iTunes app store here. 
Or, for those of you looking for something even weirder, there’s another similar app called Love me, I’m your pet darling. 

Basically, in this one, you’re that little white bird sitting on the guy’s shoulder. Tapping the screen in various places elicits dialogue from the man…who seems to be pretty, er, enamored with his pet bird. But as I always say, it’s free, so give it a go! This one has English in it too and is available in the US iTunes store, so it should be very easy to download and understand even for those who don’t know any Japanese.

As a final disclaimer, I should mention that all of these do have some paid elements to them. I don’t think there’s any hidden charges, but rather a number of additional voice packs (in the case of the two sound-oriented games) or levels (in the case of Flick of the Dead) that must be purchased to unlock, so don’t be surprised if the game suddenly comes to an abrupt stop and asks you to fork out your hard-earned cash to see more.

Will you give any of these a go? For me? For science? If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments!

Many thanks to Rivi’s Adventures in Otome Gaming for introducing me to Sleepy-Time Boyfriend and Love me, I’m your pet darling! 

Find me in Shojo Manga Wonderland

So I’m not really fulfilling my New Year’s goal of posting 3+ times a week… And not for lack of ideas, let me tell you! VGW, translating, and grad school are keeping me surprisingly busy these days, and for that I apologize. Today’s post is going to have to be a quickie, as I’ve got reviews to write and translations to finish, but I’m just too excited to hold it in any longer!

This Japanese book, Shojo Manga Wonderland, is coming out on May 29th, and yours truly is in it! How cool is that? I participated in a forum discussion with a number of female scholars from around the world a few months back, and it’s been included in this amazing looking book all about the history and development of shojo manga. Questions I answered revolved mostly around why I was initially interested in shojo, what my first title was, etc., and though I’m not sure how much of what I said actually made it into the book, it’s still pretty darn awesome. Unfortunately, it’s all in Japanese, so I won’t pressure you all to buy copies for yourself and your friends/family (it’s also academically oriented, so it may not be the most fun for those not invested in the topic).

available on Amazon.jp

Is that cover gorgeous or what? (I may be a little biased, but still) I should be getting my copy soon, and I’ll be sure to whip up another more detailed post when I do!

My interest in Harvest Moon is quickly developing into an addiction

All it took was Tree of Tranquility on the Wii, my first real taste of the world of Harvest Moon, and a chance find in the form of a vintage Japanese copy of the Friends of Mineral Town strategy guide to get me completely hooked on the series. Well, I’d say it didn’t take a lot, but given my love of nonviolent video games, cute things, and Animal Crossing, I’d say it was pretty inevitable.

The other day I posted a number of pictures of the aforementioned strategy guide I’m coveting. Now it’s time for the actual game itself! A Twitter friend from Japan was gracious enough to find me a full in-box copy in amazing condition at an extremely reasonable price (under $20).

There’s something really satisfying about having a complete set!

When delving into the Harvest Moon series for the first time, it can be very daunting due to the sheer amount of different titles available. Where does one start? I did some asking around and looked to Harvest Moon forums to see what the general consensus was regarding the best titles in the series… Though you can pretty much every Harvest Moon game is somebody’s favorite, I got the impression that, to many a fan, Friends of Mineral Town remains one of the most definitive, which was definitely a factor in my decision to purchase it.

I honestly couldn’t believe how pristine the box was when I received it in the mail… Gotta love the Japanese for taking good care of their things! But then I wondered… Perhaps the person never even played the game? Maybe it’d been sitting in a box for years before they finally decided to get rid of it? So I popped the game cartridge in my DS (I seriously need a GBA of some sort, but that’s another post) and, lo and behold… The two save files in the game indicate that they only spent a mere couple of hours playing it. My theory was correct!

Have I ever mentioned how awesome Japanese GBA boxes are? The most awesome. I love that every side of the box is completely customized to fit whatever game is inside… There’s even some art on the spine! And it comes complete with a manual, too… Can’t help but feel game packaging has really gone downhill these days, albeit more practical. It’s such a shame!

Vintage Finds: Japanese Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town Strategy Guide

Let me tell you, I never thought I would walk into a used bookstore in Brisbane and come out with a copy of the Japanese strategy guide for Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town! The bookstore in question touts over a million titles, but way at the back of the building is about a half a shelf dedicated to Japanese language titles, 75% of which are dictionaries and random Western novels translated into Japanese. But lo and behold, smushed in between all these lackluster titles was a real gem! It set me back $7, and though I didn’t own the game at the time (more on that later), I was more than happy that my husband urged me purchase it (we actually left the store and came back!).

Upon opening the cover and turning to the first page, it immediately becomes apparent that the guide was well loved by its previous owner (though it remains in otherwise immaculate condition):

What are these notes for? Why, they’ve listed the ingredients to make a cake! I love when people write in their books, but I don’t think I could bring myself to write in any of my strategy guides… Even if it were in pencil, I just wouldn’t ever feel it looked “right” anymore. Probably because I’m anal about that sort of thing. But when it’s a record of a previous owner, I love it! Plus pretty much all Japanese have awesome handwriting.

The majority of the book is rather standard fare: It details how to get your farm started, the variety of festivals and when they occur, and most importantly of all… how to woo the ladies. But above all, my favorite pages of the book are the first five or so, which depict in the most adorable comics the basic premise of the game and the various tasks related to farming you’ll engage in over the course of the game.

Be nice to your chickens, cows, and sheep, and they’ll provide you with eggs, milk, and wool! I’ve never seen a chicken so happy to lay an egg.

Check out the wide variety vegetables available over the course of the year! Our protagonist sure likes fantasizing about them. (left bubble with eggplant: autumn, middle bubble with tomato: summer, right bubble with lettuce: spring)

Don’t forget to think about your future once you’ve gotten settled into a routine! Our protagonist… thinks about babies as he does his daily hoeing. 

And finally, I’ve saved the best for last:

Check out all the various events that happen throughout the year! Hey, wait a second… Harvest Moon condones cock fighting? They may call it the “chicken festival,” but I think we all know what’s really going on there.

In closing, I must ask you: What is a strategy guide without a game? Nothing, that’s what! That’s why I made sure to get my hands on a Japanese copy of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town as soon as humanely possible. My dear Twitter friend in Japan managed to find me a pristine in-box copy for an extremely reasonable price! Pictures coming in a post tomorrow.

Japan Envy: Japanese Cave Story 3D art is proof that Japan does everything better

I must confess, I haven’t played Cave Story. I’ve downloaded the free version, but it’s just one of those things I haven’t gotten around to… I know, I know! Shame on me. I feel like my shame of not having played so many important titles is a recurring theme on this blog…

Anyways! I’m not here to talk about game-related shame. I’m here to talk about Cave Story 3D, a game that was but a small blip on my radar, namely because I just could not stand the art direction NIS America went for on the 3DS remake. The original game’s art style was so quirky, so retro… Well, let me cut to the chase. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the art that graced the NA/Europe cover:

Unfortunately, I can’t find anything appealing about this art style, so I never felt the need to have a physical copy of the game. Honestly, I feel like to completely negates the awesome feel of the original game, which, as we all know, was Japanese. The Japanese cover, however? Now that’s a different story…
Now that is gorgeous, if I do say so myself! The game is so much more appealing now! What’s that? “Don’t judge a game by its box art”? Yeah, well… 
Shinonoko, the artist behind said beautiful art, was also commissioned to do this promotional piece: 

Simply divine! Too bad the in-game graphics themselves aren’t being reworked for the Japanese release… Or are they? I’d rather not know the answer, because if it’s “yes” I’m going to have yet another reason to push me towards buying a Japanese 3DS, and my wallet just can’t handle that.

Interestingly, the Japanese version of the game will also include Ikki, Dragon Slayer, and Crazy Climber. 


What do you think of these new Cave Story 3D assets? And can anyone explain to me why Japan has all the fun?

Japan Envy: Schick x Evangelion

I know Japan is famous for their superbly weird merchandise, but I never thought the day would come when I’d be writing about an anime/razor crossover… Yup, you read that right. The razor company Schick has teamed up with hit sci-fi anime Evangelion in preparation for the upcoming remake film Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (which isn’t coming out until fall, funnily enough), and will be releasing all manner of crazy tie-in razors.

If you ever wanted your razor stand to feature one of the absurdly popular female leads from the anime, now’s your chance, I suppose. More interesting than the stand, in my opinion, are the cell phone keychains they’ll be giving away with purchases:

Why does Eva 01 need a razor? The world will never know…

Finally, this promotional illustration does a brilliant job of summing up just how weird this campaign is:

Who knew Gendo found shaving so delightful? 
I’m not sure if someone in Schick went off the deep end or had a stroke of genius… I’m actually leaning towards the latter, ’cause I’m seriously starting to think I wouldn’t mind one of those keychains! If you’re finding yourself oddly intrigued by the campaign, you can view the official website here. Of course, as always, this is a Japan-only promotion. 

Vintage Finds: Talking Pikachu and… Rilakkuma?

I haven’t done a “Vintage Finds” post in quite a while, but that isn’t due to lack of awesome finds. In fact, I just scored a 50 cent grater the other day, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite kitchen utensils (freshly grated cheese! shredded vegetables!). But really, does anyone care? I figure this blog would be a lot more interesting to read if I had, at the very least, a hint of an overarching theme (it’s Japan-related stuff if you’re wondering). So no posts about cheese graters! But I did find some things yesterday that fit my self-imposed theme perfectly, so today marks the long-awaited return of the “Vintage Finds” series!

Let me tell you, there’s nothing better than walking 5 minutes down the street from your house to the local vintage shop to see what treasures it holds. I generally stop by once a week to see what new items they have, and every once in a while, I find something that I just have to have. Yesterday, Shaun and I ran into not one, but two items hailing from the land of the rising sun! 
You always have to wonder how a random Japanese toy such as a talking plastic Pikachu (above) makes its way to a moderately-sized suburb in Australia. And in such good condition! Interestingly, though it has a speaker on its back and a place to insert a battery, it doesn’t have any buttons or anything to indicate exactly how it works. I’m going to get a replacement battery soon so I can try it out and see if it actually works. But I wouldn’t be fussed if it was broken. That little pink poffin he’s holding is too cute! 
The next item we spotted (actually, though Shaun was with me, I’ll take all the credit for finding these treasures) was this handsome Rilakkuma doll. If you’re a frequenter of this blog, then you already know how much I adore Rilakkama (and if you don’t, now you do!). Funnily enough, it’s still got the tag, which indicates that the strap was manufactured in Japan in 2004. The previous owner took the liberty to blot out the suggested retail price, but I’m sure the $5 we paid for it is probably just as much, if not more, than what it cost originally. Honestly, though, it looks brand new! 
For now, these two fellows will join my other assorted treasures, but Shaun’s determined to put the Rilakkuma keychain on one of his bags, which I will begrudgingly allow when the time comes. Seriously, though, I kid. It’s nice to keep things looking pristine, but it’s also nice to use them as they were intended. 
Can you name all of the characters on my shelf? (two are duplicates, and the white rabbits and red thing between Pikachu and Rilakkuma don’t count) Hint: all are video game characters. First person to get them right gets a random sticker from my collection (hey, I’ve got some good ones!). 
Update: Ok, it’s come to my attention more than once that I’m losing serious Japanophile cred for not having any totoros in the above picture. But when did I ever say that was my whole collection? My totoros (oh yes, I have more than one) have a shelf of their own: