Chic Pixel Holiday Fundraiser: Receive a Holiday Card from Me!

11 / 28 / 1511 / 28 / 15

It’s the time of year when everyone reflects on what they’re grateful for, and maybe gives a little something forward to a special friend or loved one. I am always so thankful for each and every one of you that reads Chic Pixel, whether you comment regularly, chat with me on Twitter, shoot me an email, or quietly enjoy my posts.

As you may know, a lot of time, effort, and money goes into keeping Chic Pixel running. Many of you help support the site by purchasing your video games or figures using my affiliate links, or sending me a few dollars via my Paypal donation link. Not only that, but every tweet, Facebook share, or word-of-mouth recommendation reminds me that the work I do is appreciated, and it means the world to me. So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

Now, I know it may be a lot to ask, but if you can spare a few extra dollars this holiday season it would go a long way to supporting the costs to maintain the site and purchase items from Japan to cover in reviews and news posts (such as the Kyoukai no Shirayuki magazine translations). But, I’d like to give you something back in return, so every person who donates $5 or more before December 8th will receive a personalized holiday card full of Japanese stationery from my collection!

Of course, you’re more than welcome to donate more or less if you wish, but that’s the minimum I need to be able to afford to send a letter overseas. You can donate using the button below:

The cards will be Christmas-themed, so if you would prefer a regular letter, please leave a note when you make your donation. Also, be sure to leave your address in the notes section if you pay by credit card or would like the card sent to a different address than the one linked to your account.

If you miss the deadline, don’t worry! I’ll always send a letter to anyone who donates $5 or more, but December 8th is the cutoff for those who would like a holiday card.

Once again, thank you so much for reading Chic Pixel. It means more to me than you’ll ever know!

The Best of Right Stuf’s Holiday 2015 Sale

11 / 25 / 1511 / 27 / 15

Every year, Right Stuf offers up to 95% off select anime, manga, and more in their annual holiday sale, so it’s an awesome time to pick up a series that you’ve missed or stock up on gifts for friends. With new deals happening every week and rotating MegaDeals, however, it can be rather difficult to keep up with all the best bargains. But never fear, because Chic Pixel is here to keep you in the know!

Sunday Spotlight: My Fair Hunter

11 / 22 / 15

The Japanese release date for Monster Hunter X is fast approaching, which means I am all about Monster Hunter right now! Over the next week or so I’m going to be celebrating all things Monster Hunter on my Twitter, Instagram, and this site, starting with my review of an amazing Yian Kut-Ku 3DS case I posted on Friday.

As such, this week’s spotlight highlights two of my favorite Monster Hunter players: Sarah and Roy of the My Fair Hunter podcast! Of course you probably already know how cool Sarah is as a co-host of Chic Pixel Plus, but if you’re a fellow Monster Hunter fan, I highly recommend checking out their fun show. Right now they’re playing through Monster Hunter 4U, and they always make sure to explain strategy and give tips for new players, making it a fun and informative for players of all skill levels.

You can watch My Fair Hunter video podcasts on YouTube, as well as follow them on Tumblr and Twitter. They also have a Patreon, which offers access to early access to videos, as well as a bunch of other goodies!

Flea Circus Designs Handmade 3DS Case Review

11 / 20 / 154 / 20 / 18

Anyone with a Nintendo 3DS, or any handheld gaming console, knows that to keep your expensive purchase looking good as new, protection is a must. But who wants to look at at a boring, plain, store bought case? Flea Circus Designs offers a wide range of handmade handheld cases based on adorable video game characters from Pokémon to Animal Crossing, as well as custom designs, proving that handheld cases can be both adorable and functional. Be sure to read to the end for details on how you can receive $5 off your purchase!

Chic Pixel’s Ultimate 2015 Holiday Gift Guide

11 / 18 / 1511 / 26 / 15

The gift-giving season is nearly upon us, which means it’s time to start deciding what you’re going to give your loved ones this holiday! Just like last year, I’ve whipped up a handy guide to cute and nerdy items that make perfect presents… for others, or maybe even for yourself! We all need to treat ourselves every once in a while, right? I’m going to try not to overlap too much with last year’s holiday gift guide, so be sure to check that out too if you’d like even more awesome gift ideas! Read More

Japanese Horror-inspired Visual Novel The Letter Needs Funding!

11 / 16 / 1511 / 16 / 15

The other day, I was contacted by Filipino developer Yangyang Mobile to spread the word of their Kickstarter campaign, The Letter. When I heard it was a horror visual novel inspired by Japanese horror media such as Ju-On, I was immediately intrigued! As a big fan of visual novels, and an increasingly interested but easily spooked horror game newbie, The Letter has the workings of being a very promising first game for Yangyang.

The Letter is an interactive visual novel with horror themes told from the point of view of six different characters. The gruesome tale starts when a letter with the words “HELP ME” scrawled over it repeatedly is found in an abandoned mansion scheduled to go up for sale. You can download the demo from the Kickstarter page for Windows, Mac, and Linux to get a feel for the gameplay, which takes visual novel text-based choices a step further by introducing quick-time events to high-tension moments in the story. While I’m not generally a fan of quick-time events, they really do make the scary bits all the more nerve-wracking!

I’m getting a major Corpse Party vibe from The Letter, which is definitely a good thing in my book. At the time of this post, Yangyang Mobile still has a ways to go to reach their funding goal, so head over to their Kickstarter and have a look at the reward tiers if The Letter looks up your alley. Best of luck to them!

Sunday Spotlight: Fiction-Food Café

11 / 15 / 15

Who doesn’t love food? Eating is one of the pleasures of living, and there’s nothing I love more than food inspired by my nerdy interests. After all, the abundance of themed cafés in Japan was the major reason why I started my Japan Envy column!

Splatoon cheesecake — Splatoon-themed ink splatter cheesecake! Wouldn’t this be great for a Splatfest party?

The Fiction-Food Café blog takes this one step further by offering a variety of recipes for nerds such as myself to recreate food inspired by my favorite media at home. I love that the Fiction-Food Café doesn’t stick to one type of nerdy media, either! In fact, the latest post is a recipe for mushroom scones for the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, which certainly has influenced more than a few anime, manga, and video games.

I have yet to actually try recreating one of the recipes myself, but it’s definitely high on my list! If you’re a hungry nerd like me, I can guarantee you’ll have a blast reading through all the awesome recipes at Fiction-Food Café.