Watch Chic Pixel Plus feat. Elliot Gay Live Tomorrow!

In honor of the holidays and being in the same country at the same time, my good pal and frequent Chic Pixel Plus guest Elliot Gay and I have decided to do our first ever live show!

We’ll be talking about our favorite anime and games of 2014, answering viewer questions, and generally being merry! Tune in to my YouTube channel tomorrow (Tuesday, December 23rd) at 8 pm EST to join in the live festivities, or you can catch up on the recording later. We hope to see you there!

Note: There is a slight possibility that Elliot will not be able to make it due to intense jet lag from his trip home for the holidays. If that’s the case, the show will go on, but take a more informal format where I’ll chat with everyone and answer questions!

Artist Spotlight: lottie pencheon and her Funny Love Parappa minicomic

There are a lot of words in the title of this article that might not make a lot of sense when strung together, but I hope you paid special attention to the “Parappa minicomic” bit. When artist lottie pencheon announced on Twitter that she was going to publish (digitally! and for free!) a short Parappa the Rapper fan comic that deals with Parappa coming to terms with his sexual attraction to flowers, I was immediately intrigued. Not only do we not often see Parappa-related fan works these days, especially in English, but a potentially NSFW Parappa-related fan work? Sign me right up!

Funny Love, which culminates in Parappa masturbating to a bouquet of flowers, is probably not for everyone, but lottie’s depiction of the cute PlayStation mascot dealing with some of the difficulties of coming of age is surprisingly striking. It’s funny, sweet, and a little bit sad, and if you’re not scared away by the premise, head over to lottie’s site and give it a read!

lottie was kind enough to chat about Funny Love with me, and here’s what she had to say:


Chic Pixel: Are you a big Parappa fan? 

lottie: I love rhythm games, they’re so satisfying to me! I played the first Parappa the Rapper game when I was a kid, it was such a unique game and the songs are actually so so catchy. I played that game so hard that I can remember all the lyrics to this day, I often find myself singing the flea market song when I’m like, cleaning the house: ~all you ever need is to be nice and friendly~

CP: What was the inspiration for Funny Love?

lottie: When I was a little kid, I was like, “Why is this dog in love with a flower, that’s so strange to me” and recently, upon watching a playthrough of the whole game I was like, “Wait……THAT DOG WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH THE FLOWER” sooo for fun I started doodling a confused and frustrated young dog that was like, trying to come to terms with his newfound sexual feelings. I posted some kinda x-rated illustrations on Twitter and I seemed to gather the support of some of my followers so like, I blame them entirely for encouraging me.

CP: Well I’m glad you got the encouragement you needed to flesh out the idea more! The comic kind of ends on a sad note, though…?

lottie: Well, Parappa is tortured by his sexual attraction to flowers and Sunny Funny is the ultimate object of his desire. He’s a teenage boy! His sexual urges are so strong that he simply must act upon them! But yeah, he feels very ashamed with himself after he jacks off into the stolen flowers.. He doesn’t want to be attracted to flowers! He never chose this life! He wants to be “normal!” Like everyone else! What’s wrong with him!!

But we all know that Parappa has nothing to be ashamed of, you don’t choose who you are attracted to and who you fall in love with. In the games, Parappa and Sunny Funny have a consensual relationship. I just wanted to illustrate the journey of self discovery Parappa went through before they started dating.

CP: In the page where Parappa slams the door to his room, there’s a skunk in the bottom right corner. Is this a reference I’m missing?

lottie: Ya it’s from the flea market level with the frog!!

To be honest, I was kinda lazy and could have added more references in that panel. I was thinking of maybe having Um Jammer Lammy’s guitar hanging on the wall… But nah, I was lazy, and rushed! I planned, wrote and drew this comic in, like, 12 hours.

CP: Ah, of course! Is this your first fan comic?

lottie: Well, a couple of years ago I did a small three panel comic for the Animal Crosszine (an Animal Crossing fanzine curated by Justin Woo and Meghan Lands). I also did a small Tamagotchi comic a year or so ago but I’m planning on a bigger and better Tamagotchi/digital pets comic in collaboration with Carolinenooo for next year.

lottie is definitely a PlayStation fan! look at this adorable Hohokum gif
CP: The PlayStation just had its 20th anniversary in Japan on December 3rd. Did you plan this comic to coincide with that, or is it just a happy coincidence? Any PlayStation memories you’d like to share?

lottie: I literally just heard about this anniversary just now. That’ll explain why everyone was talking about a load of PlayStation stuff on Twitter.. Happy Birthday PlayStation! I can’t believe I was SIX when I first met you!

PlayStation memories, hmmm… We had like a bajillion games cause our PS1 was hacked in order to play copied games. So I had, like, every Spyro, Croc, Gex, Crash Bandicoot, all those cool 3D platformers with animal protagonists. I was really really really obsessed with this game called Mr. Domino though. I only had the demo of it which let you play the first level, but I used to play it over and over and over and over omg I still haven’t played it through! Where are you, Mr. Domino?!

Thanks to lottie for taking the time to talk about Funny Love and other interesting things! She has recently opened a new online store where you can buy cards, stickers, comics, and even rings, so if you like her work, be sure to check it out. lotie pencheon’s Tamagotchi art is my favorite, so you can bet I’ll post again when her digital pets collaboration comic becomes a reality next year!

Surprise! Steins;Gate English version coming to PS3 and Vita in 2015

Talk about a surprise announcement! Just before the holidays, UK publisher PQube has announced that they will be working directly with developer Mages to bring acclaimed visual novel Steins;Gate to PlayStation 3 and Vita to both North America and Europe in 2015.

So far, other details are scare: According to Siliconera, who followed up with PQube, it’s not set in stone whether the release will be physical, digital, or both, but PQube representative Geraint Evans is adamant that they will strive to release a physical version if at all possible.

What makes this announcement particularly surprising is the fact that JAST USA already released their own English version of Steins;Gate for PC earlier this year (both physical and digital), but at that time there was no word of a console release. When speaking with Siliconera, Evans said he was unsure at this point if they would be using JAST’s translation.

(gif from the Steins;Gate anime adaptation)
Steins;Gate is about the self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarō Okabe (pictured above) and his group of tech-savvy friends who discover they have the ability to send text messages back in time and effectively alter the past using a modified microwave. The game is a classic visual novel with gorgeous visuals and a story that advances through a text message-based system where what messages you choose to respond to determines the direction of the narrative. 
As someone who doesn’t really enjoy playing games on my computer, I’m extremely exited for the console version of Steins;Gate. It will be the perfect game to play on the Vita, and it’s always great to see more visual novels come out in English! For more updates on the 2015 release, like the official page on Facebook.

Chic Pixel Fundraising Sale [CLOSED]

It’s high time for me to clear out some things I’ve amassed over the years, and instead of skipping right to donating it all to the local Goodwill, I thought I’d offer everything to Chic Pixel readers first. In the interest of clearing everything out, prices are dirt cheap and negotiable with discounts for multiple items, so please take a look! If you’ve been considering donating to Chic Pixel in the past, why not grab a cheap manga or anime and support the site at the same time? [Update: All sales are now closed! Thanks for your support!]


♡Lucky Bag♡– Donate $10 to Chic Pixel via the Paypal donation link on the supporters page and write “lucky bag” in the message section to get $7 or more worth of 2 or more random items from my sale page with free shipping (US only, international please add $10). Please specify if anime or manga, English language only or Japanese ok, etc. is preferred. Items will be crossed off from this page as they are sold. Please note that I can’t guarantee fulfilment of requests for lucky bag items.

*All prices do not include shipping, please leave a comment with what items you’re interested in and your location and I will get you a shipping quote. I’m happy to ship internationally!

♡ Manga, Comics, and Books ♡



Hot Gimmick vol. 1 – 12 [complete] : $25


Paradise Kiss vol. 1 – 5 [complete] : $12 


Meru Puri vol. 1 – 4 [complete] : $10


Peach Girl vol. 1 – 8 and Peach Girl: Change of Heart vol. 1 – 4, 6 – 10 [incomplete] : $30


Model vol. 1 – 7 [complete] : $16


Gothic Manga set $5 or $2 each


Mars vol. 1 – 3, 5 : $2 each or all for $7

Love Com vol 1, 2, 4 : $2 each or all for $5 


Tramps Like Us vol. 1 – 7, 10 [incomplete] : $17


CLAMP manga pack : $8 (individual volumes $3 each)

Ranma 1/2 vol. 1, 2 : $2 each 


Single issue manga $1 each (Mirage Girls 1, Saint Tail 1, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight 1, 12 issues of DragonBall, 6 issues of DragonBall Z )
Buy all single issues for $16 


Graphic Novels: Sandman The Dream Hunters : $10, American Born Chinese : $8


Batman: The Killing Joke (second print, great condition!) : $15


Japanese language/culture pack : $10 (individual books $3 each)

Tokyo Cosplay Paradise photo book :  $10
FRUITS Tokyo street fashion post card set : $8  or $14 for both

Haato no Kuni no Arisu (Alice in the Country of Heart) vol. 1 – 3 [incomplete, Japanese] : $5 or $2 each


Nana vol. 1 – 3, 7.8 (fan book) [Japanese] : $7 or $2 each


Misc. Japanese Manga : $1 each, buy 3 get 1 free


Misc. Japanese Manga : $1 each, buy 3 get 1 free [excludes zion, $2 (includes postcard)]

Misc. Japanese Manga : $1 each, buy 3 get 1 free (Utena 1 sold) 


Misc. Japanese Manga : $1 each, buy 3 get 1 free (Piichi gaaru ura 1 sold)


Loveless vol. 1 – 3, 5 [Japanese] : $2 each or $6 for set


Trigun Maximum vol. 1, 3, 8 [Japanese] : $1 each, Red & Black all-ages Trigun doujinshi [Japanese] : $4
Buy all Trigun books for $6

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e vol. 7, 8 : $1 each ; artbook [Chinese version] : $4
Buy all Hanazakari no Kimitachi e books for $5 

Vampire Knight, Trinity Blood light novels $2 each or both for $3

♡Anime, Music, and Misc.♡



Fushigi Yuugi: Eikoden : $8 
Ah! My Goddess The Movie : $5 


Gurren Lagann 01 : $5 
Pom Poko : $8 
X Japan best (CD and DVD) : $4 


Misc anime DVDs $3 each (Hello Kitty, NieA_7 vol 1 unavailable)


Kino no Tabi vol. 1 (w/ photo book) [Japanese] : $3



Misc Japanese CDs $3 each (excludes Koda Kumi real emotion single $2 sold), buy 2 or more for a discount!


Misc Japanese CDs $3 each (excludes Nana Glamorous Sky single, $2), buy 2 or more for a discount!

Final Fantasy XI for PC $6

Vincent Valentine Play Arts figure (great condition, comes as is) : $15 

♡Card Games♡



Pokémon card lot (approximately 400 English and Japanese Pokémon, trainer, and energy cards, image above is a sample) : $10


Gensou Suikoden card game (approximately 115 cards, includes foils) : $6


Ani-Mayhem DragonBall Z deck (comes with rule book) : $5 

♡♡Choose one item for free below with any purchase over $10!♡♡
Alternatively, if you see something specific you want, price are negotiable.


Sushi stationery unavailable


Fushigi Yuugi and Slayers trading cards

Thank you for looking, and please leave a comment if you’re interested in any items or have any questions! I’m happy to clarify the names of the Japanese manga if you’re curious but can’t read the titles. Please feel free to barter with me, as well – I just really want to get rid of these things!

Square Enix Announces Theatrhythm Dragon Quest

After Square Enix was heavily applauded for the Nintendo 3DS rhythm game Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and subsequent Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, some fans mused about the possibility of Theatrhythm-like games focused on different series. Well, apparently Square Enix had the same train of thought, as today they announced the next game in the rhythm series, Theatrhythm Dragon Quest!
gif via Tiny Cartridge

What I find interesting about the teaser site is that while it plays a revamped version of Dragon Quest‘s iconic theme, it doen’t have the same funky vibe that the revised Final Fantasy prelude has in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Does this indicate a more traditional direction for the menu/background music in Theatrhythm Dragon Quest?There’s not much information about the game yet aside from the teaser site that reveals that a trailer for the game will debut at Jump Fiesta on the weekend of December 20th – 21st. Not only that, but it will be playable, as well! The game already has a release date of March 26th in Japan, and will retail for 5,800 yen.

Also, it can’t be said enough how adorable the Dragon Quest monsters look in the big-eyed Theatrhythm art style!

Do you think Dragon Quest has enough catchy tunes to make as meaty of a game as Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy? Unfortunately, none of the Dragon Quest games on 3DS have made it into English yet, so localization chances might not be so good for this one… Then again, as a rhythm game it won’t have anywhere near the amount of text as an RPG, so maybe Square Enix will throw us a bone!

Dissecting Studio Khara’s Japan Animation Expo short “ME!ME!ME!”

A self-indulging celebration, or a critical look at otaku consumption practices? “ME!ME!ME!” is a short animation that debuted on November 21st as part of the Japan Animation Expo, a project between famed anime director Hideaki Anno’s Studio Khara and Dwango that showcases young animators. While two shorts came before it, with one more releasing every week until all 30 have been posted online, “ME!ME!ME!” has undoubtedly been receiving the most attention for its striking visual style, catchy soundtrack, and dark themes.


The buzz surrounding “ME!ME!ME!” is almost certainly justified, but when poking around the internet, I didn’t find much in the way of long-form discussion outside of forum threads about what I found to be very harsh condemnation of the specific style of media consumption exhibited by the protagonist of the video. Instead of focusing on my personal interpretation, however, I thought it would be more interesting to kickstart discussion by using this article to attempt to illustrate just how complex “ME!ME!ME!” is.

character art of the protagonist

 

“ME!ME!ME!” is very much a music video for “ME!ME!ME! feat. daoko” by TeddyLoid, a DJ and electronica musician notable for his contribution to the Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt anime, a series which shares a number of similarities to the short. Directed by Hibiki Yoshizaki, a member of Studio Khara who has previously worked on the anime Yozakura Quartet and Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo, and animated by members of the Little Witch Academia animation team, “ME!ME!ME!” is a real star-studded effort. Megumi Hayashibara and Kouichi Yamadera have provided voices, as well.
Before reading on, I highly suggest watching “ME!ME!ME!,” and if you already have, why not watch it again? At the time of this post I’ve seen it about five times, as I found that it moves so fast that it’s extremely hard to pick up on everything the first or even second time though. Keep in mind that the video features many animated naked women in suggestive poses, along with a couple brief but graphic scenes of gore, making it most definitely not work viewing material. I’m being careful of the number of nude/gory stills I include, but be warned that due to the content of the video and in the interest of opening an informed discussion, it’s not possible for me to omit them entirely. I’ve also included a whopping 45 screenshots, so beware that the rest of the post is quite image heavy!

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Sakura Miku: Bloomed in Japan Nendoroid Pre-Orders Reopen

When I first saw images of an updated Sakura Miku Nendoroid on my Twitter feed, I took a look, thought, “Wow, that’s cute!” and promptly forgot about it. I completely missed the fact that in addition to being the 500th Nendoroid release, she’ll be the first Nendoroid to be made in Good Smile Company’s new Japanese factory. Imagine my surprise when I found out that preorders had opened on the day of the announcement, only to sell out a few minutes later!


Luckily, Good Smile Company has reopened preorders for those who missed out on the initial batch, but it will likely still be very limited, so order yours while you can! Preorders close on December 24th, or when preorder allocation numbers have been reached. Like many limited releases, Sakura Miku: Bloomed in Japan is only available from Good Smile Company’s official online store and limited to one per customer, meaning you won’t want to miss out on this one!

Since the second batch of preorders is listed as shipping out starting in April 2015, rather than March 2015 like the initial batch, it seems likely that GSC did not initially account for such a high demand. That, or they wanted a lucky number of fans to get their Sakura Miku: Bloomed in Japan Nendoroids before everyone else!

While GSC has already done a Sakura Miku Nendoroid before, at number 274, it’s a little outdated in terms of the quality of the sculpt and paint job when compared to more recent Nendoroids. While her outfit and overall design is generally very similar, such as the cherry blossom pattern on her hair and pink uniform, the Bloomed in Japan version has a lot of new extras in addition to some general improvements. I particularly love the tricolored dango, because I’m a food nut. 

This expression is too cute to resist! I love the closed eyes and triangle mouth, which is much smaller than the original version. Keeping in mind that these photos will vary somewhat from what the figure will look like in person, it seems like the Bloomed in Japan version has a more pastel pink color scheme and more impressive transparent hair than the original. Of course, you can’t miss the brand new braided hair piece she gets this time around!

Well, the moral of the story is that once I found out how limited the initial preorder allotments were, I couldn’t stand the thought of missing out on this adorable Nendoroid, so I promptly secured myself one as soon as preorders were open again. Do you like the new design, or prefer the old version? Let me know in the comments!