Category Archives: Japan Envy

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. 

Japan Envy: Japanese Club Nintendo strikes again

To be honest, I haven’t been a member of Club Nintendo all that long. I believe I first joined in 2010, when I realized I actually bought enough games that came with point cards to actually get some free stuff. And what fun I’ve had! So far, I’ve snagged the 2012 calendar for being a gold member in 2011, the psychedelic 1-up tote bag, the limited batch of 3 Kid Icarus Uprising AR cards, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for the Wii Virtual Console (hey, I’ve never played it!). I’m still holding out for my holy grail of Nintendo Club rewards: the elusive 800 coin Mario hanafuda cards. Someday! 
All in all, I’d say it’s a rather good haul, considering it’s all perks for buying games I would’ve purchased regardless of coins (or stars, if you live in AU –– and yes, I have a Nintendo Club AU account, as well). Nevertheless, I’ve been green with envy at the amazing Club Nintendo items Japan gets on more than one occasion in the short amount of time I’ve actually been tuned into the various things each region gets. This time, though, takes the cake: Japanese Club Nintendo members have the opportunity to score Nintendo-themed polo shirts. Not only that, but they’re completely customizable! 

For a mere 550 points (funny how every region uses a different “currency”), one of these babies could be yours. Well, if you live in Japan and haven’t spent your hard-earned coins on one of the many other awesome rewards that’s come out in the past few months.

What I find most exciting about this is the fact that you can completely customize what decal you want, the shirt color, and even the size. Don’t like the color combinations above? No problem, just head over to the Club Nintendo site and play around with the colors and images until you find something that you like. Just don’t blame me if, in doing so, you get really depressed about the fact that we’ll probably never see these outside of Japan.

It’s pretty obvious what I’d pick, but if you’re curious, I’d definitely have to go for the purple Animal Crossing cat. It’d look best on a pink or light blue tee, don’t you think? My runner up would have to be the heart capsules, but the Game & Watch one is pretty cute, too…

Man, I don’t even like polos!

Japan Envy: Tie-in merchandising

One thing I inexplicably love about Japan its merchandise. I’m sure tons of essays have been written on the subject before, but as I haven’t read any of them, suffice it to say I don’t really know why it is they do merchandise so well. Just that they do. Leave it to Japan to create the cutest products out of the most mundane household goods and combine Hello Kitty with just about anything you can imagine.

Yup, that’s Hello Kitty dressed as an anime character (source)

This latest Japanese tie-in merchandising scheme is close to my heart for a number of reasons: First, it’s combining books and video games, which are undoubtedly two of my favourite things. New Love Plus, the sequel to everyone’s favourite Nintendo DS dating sim that has you interacting with your virtual girlfriend day in and day out, has put a new spin on things. In the game, you will be encouraged to read a book alongside your virtual gal in a series of in-game events, and she’ll even ask you questions about the material as a way to gauge your interest. The three books chosen include Anne of Green Gables and two contemporary Japanese titles. While anyone could go pick up a second hand copy of these titles for next to nothing, Konami and Kodansha have a better idea: they’re marketing limited New Love Plus-themed copies of the books.

Anne of Green Gables featuring one of the New Love Plus ladies (source)

The New Love Plus art will be on a dust jacket, so you will be able to remove it to see the original cover art underneath.

Now, the other reason this is so interesting to me is albeit a personal one: My mom is a big fan of Anne of Green Gables, and often cites it as a reason why she named me Anne (with an “e,” of course!). We even ventured to her house up in Prince Edward Island (or is it the author’s house?) back when I was too little to remember much of anything and spotted a Japanese couple getting married there! If you haven’t noticed, Japan is in love with Anne of Green Gables. I think this must be some sort of sign.

Anyways, I totally dig this sort of cross merchandising, and yet the Japanese seem to consistently be the only ones who get it right. Even though I’m not really interested in New Love Plus, I might have been drawn to purchase said book… I often think it’s a very good thing I don’t live in Japan, as I’d be wallowing in piles of useless stuff.

What do you think – is tie-in merchandise corny, or cool?

Japan Envy: My Melody x Felyne

It’s no secret that I’m enamored with the Monster Hunter series mascot Felyne. Admittedly, I have yet to actually play a Monster Hunter game (though I do own one), but I most certainly keep my eye out for all things Felyne. Cute is my calling, after all!

So when I saw Sanrio announced that they would be producing a special line of My Melody and Felyne merchandise that will hit Japanese stores starting in August, how could I not be excited? I mean, look at these designs:

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I have to say I’ve never been a huge fan of Kuromi (the back and white one), but man, those pink and brown critters are to die for. I particularly like the left design, which is a Felyne dressed up as My Melody, if you’re wondering. I’m not sure what it is about animals wearing other animal’s faces that is so endearing, but believe me, I am sold.

Monster Hunter Diary G already had some My Melody downloadable content last year, so this crossover is by no means a surprise. Now, however, legions of men, women, and children across Japan will be able to purchase Felyne and My Melody in the form of accessories, clothing, stationary, and probably just about anything you can imagine. For an idea of what the goods will look like, check out this Hello Kitty x Felyne series that ran last year:

It’s good that I’m learning about this so far in advance… I’ll have plenty of time to arrange how I’m going to get my hands on a Felyne x My Melody plush! 
Do any of these designs tickle your fancy? 

Japan Envy: Limited edition game consoles, Kingdom Hearts edition

Sometimes I feel like I could just throw my money in Square Enix’s general direction. I know that’s a funny thing to say, given my recent disdain for certain Final Fantasy titles that will not be mentioned, but for some reason I keep going back to Square Enix for more, particularly when it comes to Kingdom Hearts. The release date and a limited edition 3DS for the latest Kingdom Hearts title have been announced, and I am really liking the 3DS’s design.

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Even if you don’t like Kingdom Hearts, you’ve got to admit that’s a pretty sleek design! I particularly like the pink crown and the contrast it provides. Now, I’ve never bought a limited edition console before, and I’m definitely not going to start here, but that won’t stop me drooling over it a little bit.

Kingdom Hearts 3D will be released on March 29th in Japan, which is soon enough that I think it’s high time we catch wind of a localization (c’mon, it’s bound to happen). Of course, if you want the 3DS, you’re going to have to import. The first print run of the game will also include a limited edition AR card, which unlocks a difficult to obtain Dream Eater in the game.

Square Enix also sent out a few new screenshots for the game. One, in particular, is pretty interesting to me:

Now maybe I’ve been out of the loop, but I honestly didn’t realize Axel would be in the game (those of you who’ve played Kingdom Hearts should know why). Admittedly I was a bit of an Axel fangirl back in the day, so it’s nice to see him make a comeback.
EDIT: Well, it has quickly come to my attention that I am incorrect! That’s not Axel, but Lea, as is evident in his lack of certain distinct facial markings. I haven’t played enough of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep to know much about Lea, and I won’t spoil it for you all, but needless to say he isn’t all that different from Axel. Now finishing Birth By Sleep before Kingdom Hearts 3D comes out is a top priority! 
Though I should probably know better than to get too excited for a Kingdom Hearts title these days, I’m going to continue to be optimistic for this one. Are any of you planning on picking it up when it comes out? 

Japan Envy: Rilakkuma Hot Cake Kit Kats

I haven’t done my Japan Envy column in a while and have gained a few new followers around the new year (thanks to all of you!), so just a quick recap: Japan Envy is my (ir)regular column where I talk about cool things/happenings that are only available in Japan that make me jealous or pine for the days when I used to live there. You can head here or click the “Japan Envy” tag at the end of this post to view previous entries in the series!

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Anyone familiar with Japan has probably heard about how the nation is famous for its wide variety of flavored Kit Kats. They’ve got everything from regional specialties, such as yuzu and pepper Kit Kats from Nagoya, to limited editions and seasonal flavors. Why these are only available in Japan and why other nations have caught on to this ingenious idea? We may never know, but foreigners have been fascinated with Japan’s unique take on the humble Kit Kat since its inception. You can even find a Japanese Kit Kat episode on NPR (complete with tastings and audio!), and at least two blogs dedicated entirely to cataloging the huge range of flavors available.

I bet you’re wondering what flavors I’ve tried, eh? Well, I’ve sampled everything from ginger ale to jasmine tea Kit Kats, but I still have a long way to go if I ever hope to live my dream of being the ultimate Kit Kat connoisseur (one of my many aspirations). Currently, I’ve got my eye on a very particular Kit Kat, one that combines my love of flavored Kit Kats with another one of my favorite things: the adorable teddy bear who loves to relax known as Rilakkuma.

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What flavor are these Kit Kats? None other than Rilakkuma’s favorite snack, the humble pancake (or “hot cake,” as they’re known in Japan). I, for one, imagine this Kit Kat tastes pretty darn good! If you’re wondering why the box is a strange shape, that’s because it’s not simply a regular Kit Kat bar, but rather 12 individually-wrapped mini Kit Kats (Japan loves miniature things).

If you’re interested in trying some Japanese Kit Kats yourself without having to pay for the plane ticket, you can go to JBox to grab a few interesting flavors such as green tea, wasabi, and black honey (now that sounds good!). What flavor would you be most interested to try?