Japan Envy: Sake Kit Kats

Sake Kit Kat

As regular readers of Chic Pixel are well aware, I am a huge fan of Japanese Kit Kats. Well, Nestlé Japan has just announced that the latest in exclusive Japanese Kit Kat flavors is none other than nihonshuu, or the classic Japanese alcohol sake! According to Rocket News 24, these special Kit Kats contain “sake powder which has been kneaded into the white chocolate-encased wafers, giving the chocolates all the flavour and aroma of a top-quality rice wine, while providing a light and refreshing aftertaste.” Fancy!

Sake Kit Kat bottle package

The sake Kit Kats will come packaged in two versions, the three stick pack at the top of the post, and this nine stick pack featuring an actual sake bottle design! I really like the contrast of the pink package with the blue bottle, and the added cherry blossom flourish definitely screams Japan.

I’ve tasted my fair share of Japanese Kit Kats, and in my noble pursuit to try them all, I think I’ll have to add sake Kit Kats to my list. Luckily Jlist is currently taking preorders for the nine stick pack for only $9, so now’s your chance to grab some too! Maybe I’ll add some red sweet potato Kit Kats and wasabi Kit Kats to my order while I’m at it…

Note: Jlist is a Chic Pixel affiliate. Thanks for your support! 

Family Fishing Giveaway for #FishingFebruary

Family Fishing giveaway Chic Pixel

To celebrate the February Community Game-Along, #FishingFebruary, I’ve teamed up with Aksys games to give away 3 copies of the Nintendo 3DS eShop exclusive Family Fishing!

Just follow the prompts in the Gleam widget below to enter. Be aware that you must leave a comment stating whether you would like a North American code, European code, or Australian/New Zealand code. There will be one winner for each region! Additional entries can be made by completing a variety of actions, so be sure to do as many as you can for more chances to win! Giveaway ends February 8th at 11:59 EST. Good luck!

Family Fishing Giveaway

February 2016 Community Game-Along: Fishing Games

Fishing Community Game-Along

Fishing games often get a bad rap, or at the very least largely ignored, which makes them a great candidate for the Chic Pixel Community Game-Along! I love themes that highlight under-appreciated genres and titles, which is why this February is all about celebrating how fun video game fishing can be.

Any and all games that have fishing as a significant gameplay element qualify for this month’s theme, so grab a title that appeals to you and start casting some lines! Share your favorite fishing game picks, experience playing your chosen title, or even some choice fishing gameplay videos using #FishingFebruary on your social media of platform of choice so other participants can see! Whether you stick to classics such as Sega Bass Fishing and Fishing Resort or broaden your horizons to fishing in MMOs, I hope you enjoy this laid-back Game-Along theme!

If you’re stumped for a fishing game to play, here are some options:

Family Fishing 3DS

Family Fishing (3DS) – If you’re looking for a cute, easy to pick up fishing game for your 3DS, look no further than Family Fishing! I’ve also teamed up with Aksys Games to give away 3 copies for #FishingFebruary, so be sure to enter!

Fishing Planet screenshot

Fishing Planet (PC, Mac) – Fishing Planet is an online first-person fishing simulator that is currently available for early access on Steam, and while I normally wouldn’t suggest an early access game, there’s no denying the rave reviews this game has received so far. If you’re looking for a low barrier of entry into this month’s Game-Along theme, Fishing Planet is certainly it, as it’s 100% free to play!

Fantasy Life key art

Fantasy Life (3DS) – This is a great example of a game that isn’t a traditional fishing game, but features fishing as a strong component if that’s how you want to play the game. Play as the Angler life class for an adorable fish-filled RPG experience!

Let's Fish! Hooked On

Let’s Fish! Hooked On (Vita) – Want your fish with a dash of moe? Look no further than Let’s Fish! Hooked On, my personal candidate for best video game title localization ever. If I’m being honest, this title isn’t the best fishing game on the block, but if cute anime characters and a hilarious title are enough to sell you on it, then I certainly won’t stop you!

Fishing Resort Wii screenshot

Fishing Resort (Wii) – I will never stop hollering about Fishing Resort. One of the most overlooked games on the Wii, Fishing Resort is not only an amazingly adorable (and fun!) fishing game, but the resort setting has you dressing up your Mii-like avatar and exploring various islands in a manner not often found in straight-up fishing games. I’m so in love with this title that I even recorded a short gameplay video to illustrate how neat it is.

This month I’m finally going to fire up my copy of Fantasy Life, as I’m in the middle of moving and don’t have access to most of my games. But honestly, I’m overdue to start Fantasy Life anyway, and I’m really excited to see how the Angler class plays! What will you be playing for #FishingFebruary? Share your picks in the comments!

Who is Your Matsu Match?! Osomatsu-san Character Quiz Translation

Osomatsu-san brothers

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who was floored when otome game publisher Otomate announced they would be making a game adaptation of the popular Osomatsu-san anime. Whether or not the actual game will be a full-fledged otome game that lets you date each of the brothers, it’s undeniable that the series has amassed a huge female fanbase!

In acknowledgement of this, the latest issue of Dengeki Girl’s Style, a magazine dedicated to otome games and related media, has a whole four page article dedicated to the Osomatsu-san anime. In it is an amazing Matsu flowchart reminiscent of teen magazines that I thought was too fun not to share:

Since some folks were interested to know what the chart says, I’ve gone ahead and made a translated version! So, who’s your Matsu love match?

Osomatsu-san character match flow chart
Click to expand!

Feel free to share, but please make sure to credit Chic Pixel! If you haven’t yet watched Osomatsu-san, be sure to check out the hilarious anime at Crunchyroll. If you enjoyed this translation, support Chic Pixel by purchasing your favorite Osomatsu-san merchandise at CDJapan!

Visiting the Brisbane Cat Cuddle Café

Brisbane Cat Cuddle Cafe review

Ever since I found out there was a cat café in Brisbane called Cat Cuddle Café, I’ve been dying to go. Numerous trips to Japan over the past 14 years have enabled me to experience my fair share of Japanese cat cafés, but an Australian cat café? Now that would be a first! But could it possibly compare to the amazing cat cafés of Japan?

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Sunday Spotlight: AnimArchive

Sunday Spotlight Chic Pixel

This week’s Spotlight is on AnimArchive, a blog that features scans from anime, manga, and video game magazines that go back as early as the 1970s. It’s a ton of fun to look back at old magazines such as these, but unfortunately they’re pretty hard to obtain, especially for those of us outside of Japan. Luckily, the curator of AnimArchive has taken it upon themselves to share scans from their own personal collection, making their blog a must-read for any anime fan!

Akage no Anne Memorial Box ad
Akage no Anne (Anne of Green Gables) Memorial box ad

While I really enjoy looking at all of the various advertisement scans, one of my favorite items on AnimArchive is a scan from a 1993 issue of Animage that shows the voice actors from Sailor Moon visiting actual locations from the anime. How cool is that?!

If you’re at all interested in retro anime, manga, or video games, you won’t want to miss AnimArchive on Tumblr and Twitter!

Bario X Monster Hunter Nendoroid Unboxing Video

A photo posted by Anne Lee (@apricotsushi) on

 

If you’re a Monster Hunter fan, you’re going to want to check out my latest video where I unbox this awesome female hunter Nendoroid! She’s wearing the Bario X armor set and comes with a sword and shield and one alternate face. It’s one of the oldest Nendoroids I own, and you’ll see in the video that the parts aren’t the easiest to work with…

I even took her out to the park this week for some photos! I’m really happy with how the photo at the beginning of this turned out. It reminds me that I should branch out of my comfort zone more often and take photos with all the figures I buy! If you own any figures, do you enjoy photographing them? I’m always looking for more tips!