Thanks to Sailor Moon, I’m now obsessed with figurines

Way back in May, I preordered my first figurine. Sure, I’ve picked up the odd gatchapon or two over the years, and even had a sort stint where I bought a number of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy Play-Arts figures back in high school (I believe I wound up with Vincent, Sephiroth, and Axel but ended up selling them when I moved to Australia), but this was the first time I’d been so interested in getting my hands on a figurine that I preordered it. Now that my S.H Figuarts Sailor Moon is finally safe in my grubby hands, I think it’s safe to say that I’m officially a converted figure lover.*

I won’t take just any figurines, though. I believe the reason I could never get into the “scene” before (if you can even call it that) was because I assumed all Japanese anime/video game figures were $100+ affairs that were lovingly sculpted and painted but end up doing nothing more than sitting in the same position on people’s shelves for all eternity. Imagine my surprise when I gradually found out that there were many equally nice (from my not-very-discerning perspective) figurines available at a fraction of the cost (between $30-$50) that were actually posable and came with accessories! Now here was my true calling.

Even still, I couldn’t allow myself to go out and buy just any figurines. Thus, I proposed a very strict rule: I would only buy figures of characters from my absolute favorite series, and only if they were characters I actually had a personal emotional investment in. So, when it came down to it, there weren’t ever really that many figurines that met my criteria. That is… until now.

I have to say, there is something surprisingly satisfying about being able to take my very own Sailor Moon figurine and put her in almost every iconic pose from the series imaginable. The S.H Figuarts Sailor Moon may appeal to the little girl who liked to reenact epic dinosaur battles with her plastic toys inside me (I was never really one for dolls), but it certainly doesn’t feel like a cheap child’s toy! It comes with a number of different faces and hands, making it really fun to try all sorts of different setups. Unfortunately, the one nitpick I have is that her hair is quite hard to pull off when going to change faces, and I’m always worried I’ll break something or nick the paint, but I imagine it would be hard to make it more durable while still keeping it cheap and maintaining the posing options.

Also, I’ll readily admit that I’m not really all that creative when it comes to attempting to put my beloved Sailor Moon figure in new poses. Whenever I open the box to take out a new hand or go to adjust her legs into a different position, I’m sudden zapped of all my creative vision and ultimately end up just putting her in one of the generic poses found on the back of the box. I’m happy enough with that, but hopefully I’ll shake this “figure block” soon so I can start creating some neat new scenes with her! I’m constantly amazed by how creative and fun the photos fans post on the internet are. I guess for now I’ll just stick with this cute generic peace sign pose:

Now, this wouldn’t be a post about how I’m newly obsessed with figurines if I didn’t go into detail about what I’m currently drooling over. With Sailor Moon acting as a “gateway drug” of sorts, I’ve now amassed quite the purchase history and wishlist…

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Who wouldn’t want an adorable Shizue/Isabelle figurine to keep them on task? This Nendoroid took the internet by storm after it was announced, and though I hesitated to preorder it, I decided to bite the bullet and order one of myself now that it’s officially released. One of the big reasons I went for this and not, say, some other Animal Crossing: New Leaf merchandise is because, well, a lot of it is actually rather creepy… (it’s the mouths, I tell you!) I really hope they don’t release a Brewster Nendoroid, because that’d probably be the end of me.

The only thing that’s kept me from preordering one of these Digimon Adventures figurines is the fact that it looks like only their faces are interchangeable. My wallet’s thanking whoever designed them for not making them fully posable…

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Now this gorgeous Monster Hunter 4 Nendoroid has two things going for it: 1. the girl is wearing Lagombi armor, which is all kinds of adorable (not to mention Lagombis are basically mean oversized rabbits) and 2. she comes with a Felyne. I suppose it’s pretty obvious that I’ve already preordered it! The only thing I wish is that it came with a smiling face, rather than the upset face in the corner and the weird open-mouthed wonder face featured in the other two shots. Oh, and a BBQ spit accessory, but I guess I can’t have everything…

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Finally, the impending new Sailor Moon anime means that I’ll probably find myself dying to buy figures like the ones above for months to come. Unlike the Nendoroids or the S.H Figuarts Sailor Moon, however, they are not posable or alterable in any way, which means I should be able to resist adding them to my collection. Each character comes in two variations and boxes give no indication as to what figure you’ll be getting, so it could potentially be quite the money sink trying to get the one you want! I’ll need to be very careful in protecting my wallet if this figure obsession persists…

*I’m using “figure” and “figurine” interchangeably because I’m not really sure what the difference is!

Hana Doki Kira Kickstarter: An Art Anthology by and for Shōjo Manga Fans

If there was ever a Kickstarter with my name on it, it would be Hana Doki Kira, an original art anthology featuring 107 illustrations and comics all inspired by my very favorite type of comics: shōjo manga!

From the book’s title, which takes three essential themes of shōjo, flowers, or hana, the pounding of a beating heart, or doki, and sparkling beauty, or kira, to the “about” section, where the creators refer to themselves as the Year 85 Group (hearkening back to the Year 24 Group, an influential group of female artists all born in the same year who helped make shōjo manga what it is today), it’s clear that the folks behind this project know and love shōjo manga.

Of course, it also helps that one of my favorite artists, Sarah O’Donnell (fun fact: she designed the new Chic Pixel and Chic Pixel Plus logos!) has contributed a short comic, along with 25 other talented artists! Check out this teaser of her submission:

One thing I didn’t realize until I had read the Kickstarter description carefully is the fact that the entire book will be printed in a black, white, and seafoam green color palette! That gets major bonus points from me, as I’ve been completely obsessed with seafoam green/pale mint recently, and I love how the different artists showcased so far have employed the limited palette. The Kickstarter teases future volumes focused around different colors if this one is successful, which I think is a brilliant idea! Imagine having a row of gorgeous color-coded art anthologies celebrating shōjo manga on your shelf!

Even if you don’t have a lot of spare cash on hand with the holiday season coming up, or a lack of shelf space has you weary of adding another big book to your collection, the Kickstarter has a very reasonable $5 reward tier that nets you a PDF copy of the book. So, if you’re a shōjo fan at heart, what are you waiting for? I know the only reason I haven’t donated yet is I can’t decide what reward I want! While shōjo manga has certainly risen in popularity internationally in the last 10 or so years, there are very few projects that celebrate international shōjo art, so even if you don’t want to donate, please do these amazing artists a favor and spread the word!

Chic Pixel for Extra Life 2013

Those of you who have been following the site for a while may remember that I did something last year that few gamers attempt: 25 hours of playing video games straight (for charity!). Well, as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I’m going to give it a shot again this year!

Not only was I able to knock off a game from my backlog last year, but with the help of readers like you, I was able to raise above and beyond my original fundraising goal of $200 for the Vermont Children’s Hospital! This year I’m leading the team at VideoGameWriters.com, and we’re going to need a big push to reach our goal of $2,000. Please consider chipping in, as every donation, no matter how small, counts! You can find my donation page here or click on this fancy badge:

Now, I’m very excited to test out a new feature this year – an embedded stream! If all goes well, you should be able to watch me play right here:

Watch live video from apricotsushi on www.twitch.tv

Be sure to click on the image above to head to my actual channel if you’d like to chat along with me as I play!

Read on for the nitty gritty:

Time: 
10 pm Friday, Nov. 1st to 11 pm Saturday, Nov. 2nd (EST)

Schedule: 
10:00 pm – 12:30 am    Typing of the Dead Overkill
12:30 am – 3:30 am      Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
3:30 am – 6:00 am        Dinner and board game break (remember, I’m running on Australian time!)
6:00 am – 8:00 am        Public vote: Typing of the Dead Overkill or Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
8:00 am – 10:00 am      Cursed Mountain 
10:00 am – 10:30 am    Break
10:30 am – 2:30 pm      Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn new character run
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm       Break
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm       Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn new character run
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm       Breakfast break
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm       Public vote: Typing of the Dead Overkill, Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, or   Cursed Mountain 
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm      Klonoa (Wii)

*Schedule and games may change depending on unforeseen circumstances such as technology not cooperating*

Venturing into the Unknown with Culty’s Monster Hunter Gunner’s Guides

After giving Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS a whirl and even dipping my toe into the recently-released Monster Hunter 4, I can confidently say I’m a converted, albeit casual, fan of the Monster Hunter series. I say casual because, well, I haven’t been able to put more than 20 hours into either (which is peanuts compared to the hundreds of hours one can spend on these games) and I haven’t actually had time to play one since the first week of Monster Hunter 4‘s release! For shame, I know. 

But I haven’t been completely divorced from Monster Hunter during my time away, as the fine duo behind Culty have once again come out with some handy goodies for both hard-working and slacker hunters such as myself. 
While Culty’s Beginner’s Guide was perfect for those just stepping forth into the world of Monster Hunter, their latest books focus on helping savvy players become even bigger experts at hunting down all manner of monster by uncovering the mysteries of the gunner classes. 
I’ll admit I’ve never actually tried a gunner weapon, as not only do you need to be much more careful with your positioning on the field and fiddily things such as aiming, but you have to manage your ammo, as well. Sounds like too tall an order for a budding hunter, if you ask me! But Culty’s attention to detail and thorough, straightforward explanations mean that even inept players like me can learn to use bowguns and bows! Pretty neat, right? 
The format of the books, which have been split into bow and bowgun editions, is very similar to the Beginner’s Guide, and nearly every page contains a delightful illustration, making the whole package feel cohesive and professional. Why hasn’t Capcom hired these two yet? 
Due to the more in-depth nature of these guides compared to the Beginner’s Guide, they’ve added systematic exercises, making it easy to try out each weapon class without being overwhelmed. This is by far my favorite aspect of the guides, as it really spells out the steps to getting your head around using bows and bowguns in the field, as opposed to just teaching you the nuts and bolts.  
As an added bonus, those who purchase both guides will receive bonus instructional videos and audio books! I was able to give the audio versions of the guides a listen (click the link for a sample), and though it’s a nice touch, I personally feel that I’d more likely turn to the written guide when I actually go to apply the skills in-game. Since you can get a single guide by itself for $9 and both for $18, which includes the additional videos and audio versions, I’d suggest springing for both so that you’ll always have the extra goodies if you want them. 
More than anything, Culty’s Gunner Guides have gotten me itching to get back to Monster Hunter and put my newfound knowledge of the gunner classes to use. Of course, getting the hang of bowguns and bows won’t be easy, but I have a feeling it will feel like a completely new game after sticking to the switch axe for so long! If you’re like me and wanting to switch up your hunts but too intimidated to make the jump, why not let Culty’s Gunner Guides give you the push you need? 

Keita Takahashi’s Alphabet Impressions and Playthrough

I hardly ever donate to Kickstarter or other similar crowd-sourcing campaigns, but when I do, it’s nearly always because I will be getting something from donating that I would not be able to obtain by any other means. As such, when I learned Keita Takahashi, creator of Katamari Damacy* and Noby Noby Boy, would have an all-new title in the Experimental Game Pack offered as one of the rewards for the LA Game Space Kickstarter, I knew I’d have to chip in. Of course, even better that the LA Game Space was an idea I could totally get behind, even though there’s little chance I’ll ever be able to visit it in person. 

The Experimental Game Pack has a whopping 23 completed games available to download as of this post, with 10 more on the way. Unfortunately, while it was available for a limited time for those who did not back the initial Kickstarter, that ship has now sailed, meaning you’ll have to get in touch with a generous friend who has the games if you want to play them yourself.

Or, you could live vicariously though me! While Alphabet (officially written A͈L͈P͈H͈A͈B͈E͈T͈, available for Mac, PC, and Linux) is the only game in the pack I’ve tried so far, I’m very excited to dig into the vast selection of titles available, particularly Pendleton Ward (of Adventure Time fame)’s Cheque Please, Aussie-developed Sunshine, and ESNF Fortune Teller. 

Alphabet has a very simple premise: players must guide letters of the alphabet from one end of the game’s 10 stages to the other. Pressing the corresponding key on your keyboard will make that letter move forward, while releasing it causes them to jump. And that’s it! Well, aside from the occasional poop… 
The more letters there are, the harder things get to control, but I got sneaky/lazy after a while and switched to just pressing the key of the last letter in the congo line instead of trying to keep them all running at once (both work equally well). If you “consume” a piece of fruit, all the letters will turn into the letter that touched the fruit, making for extra speedy movement during more difficult segments of the stage, but within a short period of time. It probably helps to be very familiar with the locations of the keys without looking, but I can’t imagine it’d be very hard even if you didn’t.

As with all Keita Takahashi’s games, the real appeal of Alphabet is its whacky charm. Its aesthetic is crisp and colorful without resorting to usual default bright colors, and the soundtrack, though it only consists of one tune, is simply to die for. I’m not very familiar with co-creator Adam Saltsman, whose previous work is most often cited as rather popular Canabalt for iOS, but rest assured Alphabet is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Takahashi. 
With only 10 stages, Alphabet is never difficult, nor is it very long, but I can honestly say that even if I never get around to any of the other Experimental Game Pack titles, I’d still be happy with my purchase. For those looking for a little replayability, however, each level is timed, so there is an incentive to go back and master the art of alphabet navigation. 
If you’re lamenting not getting your hands on this adorable game, never fear: I’ve recorded a playthrough of the whole game for your viewing pleasure! Even if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, I definitely recommend checking it out, if just for the awesome music:

* One of my absolute favorite game series!

Wonderful World of Whipple: Crème Filled Creations Kit Review

Japan loves food. Not only does Japan love food, but it also has an unparalleled love for fake food, be it squishy keychains that look like loaves of bread or immaculately-designed plastic sushi featured in restaurant windows to entice in hungry passers-by. There’s something that’s always fascinated me by Japan’s obsession with creating so many different representations of food, but I’ve always been especially fond of the cute fake sweets often used in deco crafts.

Short for “decoration,” deco often refers to “decoden,” an over-the-top cute way of decorating cell phones and other electronics (usually portable game consoles), but from my understanding (which could very well be wrong), deco can really be used to described any sort of cute creation that is used to “decorate,” whether it be a person (i.e nail art) or a piece of electronic equipment, bag, etc.

Anyway, enough musing on terminology! The moral of the story is, I’ve been enamored by cute fake foods for quite some time, and have always wanted to try a deco craft kit and make some myself. Imagine my surprise when I was casually browsing in a toy store and found a Japanese deco craft kit being marketed at young girls!

 
Whipple is the Japanese brand of silicone craft cream used in many deco creations, so I was beyond thrilled to see it actually being sold in Australia (well, that’s not entirely true… more on that later). It looks just like whipped cream, but beware, it’s not edible! Be sure to swing by the Japanese Whipple site and check out their commercial and catalog if you want to be bombarded by cute.
 
 

Apparently Whipple has been selling a number of different deco kits internationally for a while now, but I haven’t ever been tuned into the deco “scene” as it were, so that news completely passed me by. After giving the kit go, I honestly have to say that I don’t think a 10-year-old me would have been able to manage it (25-year-old me barely did!).

While there were a number of kits available, I ultimately went with the Crème Filled Creations pack as it had the most variety in terms of sweets, and I liked the look of the macarons especially.

Here’s what the kit itself looks like – the box was rather large for the amount of things packed in! There are instructions for how to apply the cream in different patterns, as well as a practice sheet, which was great for a beginner like myself. In the future, though, I might buy a second bag of the cream, as the bag supplied with the kit is actually quite small. The instructions warn you to only do a couple rounds on the practice sheet so as not to run out, but even after doing only one practice round I found myself wishing I had a little extra cream at the end. Those who are worried that they might not get the hang of the technique right away would definitely want that extra leeway, plus the cream can come out a little runny at first, meaning you may waste some before you can get started (I just used the runny cream for my practice sheet; the consistency was fine by the time I got to application).

 
At first, the instructions are a little overwhelming, but I was grateful to have them. The cream itself comes in this cute little bag that must be warmed up by lightly squeezing before use. Then, you use a ruler to push the cream down towards the tip of the bag for smooth application.
 
 
Here goes nothing! Forgive the poor photo but it was surprisingly difficult to get shots in action. I have a newfound respect for craft bloggers! You can see my gooey practice sheet in the background. The kit recommended having a toothpick on hand, so I grabbed the closest thing available (a skewer). I used it a couple times to help position gems on the cream.
 
I’d definitely recommend having a couple damp paper towels readily available in case you mess up! Since Whipple is water soluble, it comes off relatively easily if you make a mistake and want to reapply. Oh, and it’s also essentially oderless, which is great if you live in a small apartment like me!
 
 
To tell the truth, I didn’t actually know Whipple was a Japanese brand until I saw Japanese writing on the bag itself! Like I said, I’m not very familiar with deco crafts.
 
 
After waiting a solid 48 hours for the cream to dry, my creations were finally ready for use! I was a little lazy and mostly got my application inspiration from the front of the box, but all in all I’m very happy with how they turned out. All of the sweets come with eye-pins pre-inserted so they can be used as keychains, which is quite handy but may turn off those who would rather not use them that way. The kit also comes with three ball link chains, leaving you to come up with alternative means to attach the leftover sweets.
 
While I can’t compare the quality of the actual donut and macron pieces to other plastic pre-made deco parts, I was very satisfied with the overall kit. The parts it includes may not be top-of-the line, but for the price (will vary depending on where you live but generally around $20) I’d definitely recommend a Whipple kit to anyone interested in getting into deco crafts.
 
If you think you’d like to give Whipple a go, check out Amazon for the full range of Whipple kits. I must say, I’m a little worried that I’m on the brink of a new obsession…
 

The Great Japanese Game Haul of 2013 – Nintendo Edition

Nearly two weeks ago I posted a piece covering the PlayStation side of my game haul from my recent trip to Japan. Now, it’s time for the (siginificantly smaller) Nintendo edition! Interestingly, all of the games I bought for Nintendo consoles were for handhelds: specifically, the DS and GBA. That’s probably not all that suprising considering they’re my favorite Nintendo consoles! 
First up is Noora and the Time Studio: The Witch of the Misty Forest, a game that has been on my “must buy” list ever since it was released in Japan in July 2011. I was lucky enough to score a used copy of the collector’s edition for under $30, which came with an artbook, soundtrack CD of “orgal” (a kind of music box-like style) versions of some of the game’s songs, art postcard, and even a telephone card! The telephone card in particular was a great find, as usually only certain stores offer telephone cards as a preorder bonus. I’m really happy to have this game in my collection, since it never came out in English and looks very similiar to the Atelier series in that it focuses on alchemy just as much (if not moreso) than combat. Expect a closer look at the collector’s edition goodies and perhaps some first impressions of the game in the near future!

Now this was a game that I had absolutely no intention of buying until I happened to run into it in a store. How could I pass up that awesome cover?! Though it’s called Digimon Story in Japan, it did have a North American release under the title Digimon World DS. Funnily enough, despite being a massive Digimon fan, this is the first Digimon game I’ve added to my collection. I can’t wait to give it a go, though! 

I mentioned in my last Japanese Game Haul post that I was rather disappointed by teh GBA game selection in Osaka, and for the most part, that wasn’t an understatement. The truth ofthe matter is, I’ve found a seller on eBay with an extremely good selection of titles and very competitive prices – so much so that I often found myself looking at a title on a shelf thinking “I could find that cheaper on eBay!” That was rather disheartening, but I found that I just needed to dig a little deeper to find the really good deals. As such, all of the titles pictured above were actually purchased in the last couple days of my trip!

Yes, the game pictured at the upper left is a Hamtaro game. I couldn’t pass up such an adorable GBA box in good condition going for a cheap price! The game pictured was actually released under the title Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak in English and was the second Hamtaro game to come out in English, even though it’s the third game in the series.

To the right of Hamtaro is Fushigi no Kuni no Angelique, or “Angelique in Wonderland.” After playing trough the original Angelique, I couldn’t pass this one up. It certainly helped that it was only about $3! While it passes up the usual dating sim formula for a board game-like permise, apparently there still are dating sim elements including character-specific endings. And if the game has an Alice in Wonderland theme, all the better!

The title at the bottom left is none other than Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice. This was a bit of a splurge, not because it cost much (I don’t remember the exact price but it was under $10), but because I already own the version of it that came in Chocobo Collection for the PSone. Still, I couldn’t resist the game’s box art and the possiblity of playing it on the go!

Finally, there’s Kiss x Kiss: Seirei Gakuen, which I know absolutely nothing about aside from the fact that it’s a dating sim and it only cost me $2. Honestly, that’s good enough for me!

Now this is probably the real gem of my Nintendo game haul – a brand new copy of Tomato Adventure for only $15! If that isn’t a steal, I don’t know what is. I was especially happy to spot this on my final trip to Den Den Town since it was one of the games Bryan of The Gay Gamer suggested I pick up! Interesting trivia: Both this and Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak were developed by AlphaDream, the folks behind the Mario & Luigi games! Not bad pedigree, I’d say!

Well, this about concludes my Japanese Game Haul series! Of course, that doesn’t include the more in-depth posts I plan to do on certain games in the upcoming weeks. If there’s a particular title you’d like to see more pictures of, please do let me know!