Chic Pixel - cute and nerdy Japanese pop culture

Menu

Skip to content
  • about
    • portfolio
    • product finding service
  • contact
  • podcast
  • support
  • Subscribe

Category Archives: impressions

SMASH! Con 2022 Recap

8 / 17 / 228 / 17 / 22

After two years of cancellations due to COVID-19, SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show was finally held once again this past July – just in time for its 15th anniversary!

SMASH! is a non-profit, volunteer-run endeavor, and after my first time attending in 2019 after moving to Sydney, I am continually impressed by the quality of the con.

This year, despite not having government-mandated capacity restrictions, the SMASH! team opted to cap attendee numbers in order to avoid overcrowding, which resulted in the whole weekend being sold out. While unfortunate for those who wanted to attend but weren’t able, Saturday at the con was crowded enough to make me feel that they made the right call to reduce attendee numbers.

Having reverted to nearly full hermit over the past two years, I figured I would only have enough energy to attend one day of the con, so I opted to go on Saturday. SMASH! 2022 took place at ICC Sydney, a convention center located in Darling Harbour, a vibrant, albeit slightly touristy area of Sydney.

To pick up my media badge, I arrived well before the convention opened at 10am, though my media pass allowed me to enter the convention early. After grabbing a coffee at a nearby Japanese-style coffee shop, I made my way in about 15 minutes before opening to join the other members of the media and staff to see the first fans entering the con at 10am. You could feel the energy and excitement in the air, and it was really lovely to have the opportunity to view the start of the con from the other side of the doors!

For me, a big highlight of any convention is seeing all of the fans in cosplay and getting inspired in the artist alley. Of course, a major draw for many are the guests, and I would’ve loved to see some Japanese talent at SMASH! 2022, particularly voice actors. Unfortunately, there weren’t any this year (I imagine likely due to COVID-19), and the guest list skewed heavily to VTubers and YouTube personalities. The most exciting guest on the lineup for me was Kevin Penkin, a Melbourne-based composer who has contributed to anime and games such as Made in Abyss and Florence!

Aside from guests, there were plenty of events to keep fans busy throughout the weekend, including the World Cosplay Summit Preliminaries and an exclusive screening of Fruits Basket -Prelude-.

Honestly, I kept myself plenty busy without attending any of the special events! I made my way through the main convention hall from the start of the con at 10am until about 4pm when I finally had to call it a day (with a break for lunch, of course). Aside from stores selling everything from imported merchandise to cosplay accessories, there was also a large Bandai booth where attendees could go to gunpla workshops, and even a gaming area with a wide array of games – including my personal favorite, Pop’n Music! I was also pleasantly surprised to stumble into a humble Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 2 booth where they were giving out free pins to promote the upcoming game.

SPY X FAMILY was all the rage at the con, and Crunchyroll came prepared with a booth modeled after the Forger’s home for attendees to take photos in (see my silly attempt to join the family above).

Speaking of cosplay, the amazing duo pictured above were the Best in Show winners at the Cosplay Masquerade on Saturday! Cinohrui (left) is dressed in a fan witch Sailor Mercury design, and Cryptidcorvo (right) is a fan witch Sailor Neptune design, both by Kutty Sark. I’ve been watching Cinohrui’s cosplay come to life over the past few weeks on Instagram, and it was even more amazing to see in person!

As a huge Monster Hunter fan, I was very excited to see these two cosplayers! The cosplayer on the left sported a hilarious costume from Monster Hunter Rise, but unfortunately I didn’t get their name. On the right is Chris Tucker, aka roxas_wind_cosplay, dressed in a handmade (and glowing!) Zinogre armor set. Only after asking for a photo did I realize that I interrupted him on his way to the Cosplay Masquerade… Sorry, Chris!

I also wanted to highlight the cosplayer artvinsky (left), who not only sported an awesome punk Zagreus (Hades) cosplay they designed, but when I asked if I could take a photo, they offered me a free woodblock print inspired by the game! It was such a sweet gesture and one of my best memories of the day…

…Followed closely by the Nagito (Danganronpa 2) cosplayer on the right, aka cactuskhee, an artist who was doing a Nagito keychain gacha that had you pulling a keychain out of Nagito’s noggin. It was hilarious and extra-exciting for me as a huge Nagito fan!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a con recap without a haul! As expected, I did most of my shopping in the artist alley, and I picked up a whole pile of business cards for artists I want to purchase from in the future. From top left to right going clockwise, the item details are as follows:

Aussie animal wizard stickers by Jess Rose – Hades print by artvinsky – washi tape x2 and notepad by Jess the Chen, Monster Hunter stickers by alis_kun – Nagito keychain by cactuskhee – flower girl pin by Lana Jay – sad doge pin by HideawayMelon – Alice washi tape by Cherry Rabbit – free FFXIV Viera comic by saintamand_

After not having been to such a large public event in so long, I was apprehensive of how SMASH! 2022 would go. Not only that, but COVID-19 is still very much a presence in our lives. While I was hopeful that the convention would be run in a safe manner, I was still concerned about COVID precautions and how courteous attendees would be of others.

Though there was not a mask requirement for attendees (which is currently standard procedure in Australia), I would say at least half of the people I saw were wearing masks, and those that weren’t were still respectful of social distancing and others’ choice to wear a mask.

Aside from not having any guests I was particularly excited to see, I was very happy with the SMASH! 2022 experience overall. It’s hard to come back after COVID-19 setbacks, and I’m sure even more so for a non-profit fan-run event, but the team should be proud of what they accomplished for this year’s convention. I will definitely be looking forward to SMASH! 2023!

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

First Impressions: Eternal Hope – Prologue

7 / 14 / 207 / 14 / 20
Chic Pixel First Impressions

When I heard the upcoming platformer Eternal Hope by Brazilian developer Doublehit Games was inspired in part by the works of Studio Ghibli, it immediately caught my interest. The game is scheduled to launch on PC on August 6 and Xbox One later this year, and was voted “Best Brazilian Game” by IGN at Brazil Game Show 2019, and it’s not hard to see why – the visuals are striking, and it looks like it will be perfect for those who like puzzle platfomers.

Read More
Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony First Impressions

9 / 26 / 179 / 26 / 17

Chic Pixel First Impressions

The rest of 2017 is a whirlwind of game releases and I’m already behind on reviews, so it’s time to bring back first impressions! If you haven’t seen a first impressions post on Chic Pixel before, they’re basically a way for me to share my initial thoughts with a game before (or sometimes in lieu of) a full review. In the case of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, one of my most anticipated games of the year, I just have to let you know what I think so far! If you’re a fan of Danganronpa and on the fence about whether you can jump into the series here, here are my spoiler-free first impressions!

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Kyoukai no Shirayuki: Yori Zenno Route Impressions

10 / 14 / 1610 / 14 / 16

I’ve finally completed my second route in Kyoukai no Shirayuki! After posting my general impressions along with my thoughts of the first route I completed (Saji Kakeya), I decided the best way to share my thoughts going forward would be to do a writeup of each route as I complete them. It may be a while before I finish all of them, but this way I can be as thorough as possible!

I was really glad @Westraid suggested the hot policeman, Yori Zenno, for my second character, because he turned out to be just as great as he looks. I had to make sure to get my impressions of his route up for his birthday today, too!

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

First Impressions: Monster Hunter X

12 / 17 / 15

Chic Pixel First Impressions

Things have been very busy over the past few weeks here at Manor de Chic Pixel, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t found time to sink some time into the Japanese version of Monster Hunter X! 24, to be exact. While that might be more than enough time to do a full review for any other game, I still have a long ways to go before I see all the content Monster Hunter X has to offer. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have some first impressions to share with you today!

Read More

Leave a comment
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Tenso Forwarding Service: Yay or Nay?

8 / 2 / 158 / 19 / 16

Tenso Forwarding Service Yay or Nay

Too often I’ve gone on a search for a rare piece of anime merchandise or a niche Japanese video game only to find that it’s not available anywhere that ships outside of Japan. Most fans of Japanese products that live anywhere but Japan itself eventually run into this problem – there are so many items that simply can’t be procured without a Japanese postal address. That’s where forwarding services like Tenso come in; for a fee, they provide eager shoppers with the Japanese address they crave and then forward any purchases to their final destinations overseas.

I’ve heard great things about Tenso from friends who’ve used the service for years, but despite the amount of Japanese products I import, I’ve never actually used a forwarding service myself. I’ve been blessed with having more than a few friends who’ve been willing to be middle men and women for my packages, but to be honest, I feel bad asking for so many favors! So, after many years of relying on friends in Japan to ship my purchases out for me, I’ve finally decided to give Tenso a go. Since I’ve received more than a few inquiries wondering if it’s worth the effort, I’ve decided to write up my complete experience purchasing a PlayStation Vita 2000 from Amazon Japan and forwarding it with Tenso vs. purchasing it outright from various importers.

Read More

8 Comments
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Nier Diary no. 2: Desert Doldrums

7 / 29 / 15

Nier Diary no. 2 Desert Doldrums

Were you starting to get worried that I’d never continue my Nier Diary journey? Never fear, I’ve been busy playing the game, and I’m happy to report that I have indeed made it past the “point of no return”! In Diary no. 1 I played about 7 hours, and since then I’ve managed to double that time, clocking in at just around 14 hours. Read all my updated impressions after the jump, but be warned – while I’ll be very careful not to reveal any of Nier‘s major twists or story points, if you plan on playing the game and wish to know absolutely nothing past the first few hours, please proceed with caution!

Read More

2 Comments
Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email

Posts navigation

1 2 3 Next Page

Welcome!


Name: Anne Lee
Birthday: December 13
Fav food: Mochi

Chic Pixel is where I write about my favorite aspects of Japanese pop culture, with a focus on the cute and nerdy! Read More >

Email Chic Pixel Follow Chic Pixel on Twitter Subscribe to Chic Pixel on Youtube Follow Chic Pixel on Instagram Like Chic Pixel on Facebook Follow Chic Pixel on Tumblr

Subscribe to Chic Pixel

Recommended Posts

Chic Pixel's Ultimate Guide to Blogging
How I Edit Instagram Photos and Nerdy Flatlays
Yaoi and Boys' Love (BL) Manga Studies Reading List
How to Make a Japanese iTunes Account
How to Purchase Manga from the Japanese Kindle Store

Affiliates

Support Chic Pixel by shopping at my TeePublic merch store! I've hand-picked the best cute and nerdy designs that you can purchase on a wide range of products such as t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, stickers, and more! All purchases support the independent artist that created the design, as well as Chic Pixel!
MangaGamer

Anne Lee Follow

apricotsushi
Retweet on Twitter Anne Lee Retweeted
purin_sanrio ポムポムプリン【公式】 @purin_sanrio ·
1 Apr

マフィン「量産プリンでちゅ。」

Reply on Twitter 1641998847277961216 Retweet on Twitter 1641998847277961216 48934 Like on Twitter 1641998847277961216 161767 Twitter 1641998847277961216
Retweet on Twitter Anne Lee Retweeted
mdiskplaylist MDi @mdiskplaylist ·
1 Apr

It's April! And it's no joke that it's #PlatforMonth at the Community Game-Along! 2D platformers, 3D platformers, action platformers, puzzle platformers, adventure platformers, any kind of platformer is fair game this month!

https://mdiskplaylist.wixsite.com/communitygamealong

Reply on Twitter 1641995653592014849 Retweet on Twitter 1641995653592014849 2 Like on Twitter 1641995653592014849 Twitter 1641995653592014849
Retweet on Twitter Anne Lee Retweeted
blerdyotome Naja B. | Can't spell Blerdy without BL @blerdyotome ·
31 Mar

I'm playing Norn9 Var Commons on Twitch with special guest @apricotsushi! See ya on Twitch https://twitch.tv/blerdyotome

Reply on Twitter 1641924218680901637 Retweet on Twitter 1641924218680901637 6 Like on Twitter 1641924218680901637 17 Twitter 1641924218680901637
Retweet on Twitter Anne Lee Retweeted
verdelishjp molly lee 📚 @verdelishjp ·
31 Mar

Don’t make me tap the sign. https://twitter.com/nis_prinny/status/1641821401429553154

Reply on Twitter 1641845415682396160 Retweet on Twitter 1641845415682396160 65 Like on Twitter 1641845415682396160 194 Twitter 1641845415682396160
Retweet on Twitter Anne Lee Retweeted
monstersovka SOVKA🌱 @monstersovka ·
30 Mar

TRANS RIGHTS 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Reply on Twitter 1641551835231035393 Retweet on Twitter 1641551835231035393 15001 Like on Twitter 1641551835231035393 66856 Twitter 1641551835231035393
Load More...

apricotsushi

No reason for this photo aside from the fact that No reason for this photo aside from the fact that the UCI anteater is super cute 😝 and I'm loving my pink shirt, which was thrifted in Portland!
How cute is this Keroppi water bottle?! 🐸 You'r How cute is this Keroppi water bottle?! 🐸 You're meant to color on it with markers but I love the black and white look so I'm keeping it as is. Thank you so much for sending it and the Sanrio puzzle to me, @cozynamie! It came at a really tough time when I was going through separating with my husband of 12 years and it really lifted my spirits. I'm really grateful for all of the wonderful people I've met here on IG and am happy to have energy/motivation to post more again 💕
.
.
.
#sanrio #sanrioaesthetic #sanriocore #keroppi #keroppilovers #sanriocharacters #kawaiiness #kawaiiaesthetic #kawaiilifestyle #kawaiilife #kawaiioftheday #nerdyflatlay #cuteaesthetic #pinkaesthetic #cutenessoverload #pinkgirl
Join me on a visit to the MD Notebook 15th anniver Join me on a visit to the MD Notebook 15th anniversary pop-up at @m.lovewell! It was so cool to see all of the exclusive products in person 😍 I managed to snag their last copy of the notebook design I wanted! Check out my blog post at chic-pixel.com for more coverage and info ✨✨
.
.
.
#mdnotebook #midorinotebook #stationeryshop #orangecountyca #stationeryaddict #japanesestationery #journaladdict #stationerylover #stationerylove #aestheticshop #stationeryaddicts #journalcommunity #plannerlife #planninglife #dtsa #dtsantaana #stationerylovers #aestheticjournal #dippen
Doesn’t this bowl from @thepresentcondition remi Doesn’t this bowl from @thepresentcondition remind you of Ranking of Kings?! 👑👑 It’s a secondhand Japanese melamine bowl my good friend in Brisbane found for his new market stall and online shop! The Present Condition sells second-hand retro kitchenwares, vintage linens, and kitschy bric-a-brac. If you’re in Brisbane, they’re at Kelvin Grove Village Markets every second Saturday. Check out their page for some really cool second-hand finds! #gifted
.
.
.
#anime #animeaesthetic #kawaiioftheday #otakugirl #otakulife #crunchyroll #rankingofkings #animekawaii #animeaesthetic #animeislife #animelifestyle #thriftedfinds #cuteanime #cutelife #aestheticpics #aestheticlifestyle #japanesedishes #melamineware
🐙 [CLOSED] GIVEAWAY 🐙 To celebrate the Spla 🐙 [CLOSED] GIVEAWAY 🐙 
To celebrate the Splatoon 3 world premiere splatfest, I’m giving away this fanart keychain I made of Lil Judd! This was my first time making keychains of my art and I’m really excited 😆 To enter to win, simply comment on this post! Extra entry if you tag a friend (up to one additional entry). 
Giveaway is open worldwide and runs until Thursday, September 1 at 6pm EST. I will randomly select the winner and comment here as well as DM you on Instagram. Good luck everyone!
.
.
.
.
#splatoon #splatoon3 #liljudd #nintendoswitch #nintendoswitchgames #nintendoworld #gamersofaus #splatoonfanart #ladygamer #gaminglife #gamingcommunity #nintendogames #nintendogamer
Touken Ranbu Warriors is out now! 🗡 Who’s pic Touken Ranbu Warriors is out now! 🗡 Who’s picking it up? I have a review coming soon - just need to play a little bit more before I can finalize my thoughts! 
.
.
.
.
#toukenranbu #touken_ranbu #toukendanshi #ladygamer #kawaiigamer #otakugirl #otakuworld #otakulife #ikemen #animeboys #nintendoswitch #switchfamm #gamersofaus #gamergirlsofinstagram #nerdyflatlay #otakuaesthetic #animeaesthetic #kawaiiaesthetic #koeitecmo #ninstagram #nintendogram #nintendolife #nintendoswitchgames
Load More... Follow Me on Instagram!

Favorite Blogs

Contemporary Japanese Literature
Hello Sandwich
Tiny Cartridge
The Gay Gamer Otaku Journalist

Categories

Archives

This site contains affiliate links. Any purchases made by clicking on one of my affiliate links earns me a small commission that goes back towards keeping the site running. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Angie Makes Feminine WordPress Themes