Figures and DVDs! Oh My!

Feels like eternity since I have had a chance to write anything. Work has suddenly gotten insanely busy with me now doing the morning shift and totally screwing my old sleeping patterns up the whazoo. Also include my slow start to getting my sorry fat arse back in shape, and I honestly have had no time to devote to any of my blogs… not that I was ever consistent with them anyways ^^;;

Of course, just because I haven’t updated much doesn’t mean I’m spending less. The title post image alone says how much I’m still dropping at any notice. (Un-)Luckily most of the figures ordered have a release date of November, which should give me plenty of time to save the money necessary. Should be a fun a month when all those lovelies come in, considering it’ll be during the month of my birthday. Great birthday gifts to myself right?

Future financial troubles aside, the end of July and beginning of August saw a nice influx of random purchases for me. Almost all of them arriving on the same day to boot! GSC Nendo-Roid Nagato Yuki from Haruhi, Max Factory’s Ryuuna and Mao from Shining Tears, Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou, Kanon v8 LE, and Tokimeki Only Love LE 7 help to fill the ever shrinking free space in the halls of the Church of Moyism.

So while I ponder annexing my brother’s room for more space, enjoy the usual crapilicous photos and comments readers have come to love and hate!

GSC Nendo-Roid Nagato Yuki from Haruhi. First nendo-roid figure I’ve purchased thus far, but after seeing how great Yuki looks I can definitely see myself getting a few more down the line. And if anything else, these nendo-roid figures seem solidly built so if I ever need a blunt object to defend myself…

Seeing all the various accessories the figure comes with, I couldn’t help but think about that one Eva-01 image with all its dozen plus weaponry laying about. There are just so many accessories to choose from!

After much debate, I eventually went for post-glasses wearing Yuki reading a book while seating on a chair ala how Kyon finds her 99% of the time in the SOS-Dan clubroom.

I know I could have gone for the glasses or/and a smiling Yuki but a smiling Yuki is a rare treat that should not be wasted on the figure alone. For the glasses, well I don’t really go all moe over it as some other folks so…

Nendo-roid Yuki from GSC will without a doubt please fans of the series (especially the character), lovers of the figure line, and individuals who like small and cute looking objects. With a reasonable price point at ~25USD, there is little reason not to get the figure; especially if you’re short on space as this little lovely takes half the normal space 1/8-1/7 scaled figures would!

Max Factory’s Ryuuna and Mao from Shining Tears, Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou, 2 512MB SD cards with built-in USB, and free tissues from HimeyaShop. The mother load, so to speak, as I got all the items the same day. Would have also had Kanon v8 if my mom wasn’t in the bathroom at the time the DHL guy dropped by! Tis unfortunately one of the negatives when working mornings since I used to be home to get 99% of my packages when working nights. Argh.

Mao the catgirl fighter from Shining Tears. Actually don’t know much about the character outside of what Shining Tears X Wind showed but after getting Blanc Neige and Elwing, I knew I had to get the other two girls from the same line as well

Mao is a solid sculpt. Very clean lines and little to no major artifacts nor obvious deflects. Love the detailing done to her hair and cat ears, where you can actually see the different cuts on the ear versus it being some cheap painting trick. The paw on the tube bikini top is also a nice touch in keeping in the cat theme.

Even though Mao is a fine figure, I have to admit she’s probably my least favorite out of the four girls. Really have no rhythm or reason for it but if I had to give a vague answer, I guess it would be the pose? It seems too plain given how active she seems to be based on the anime. Even my love for Chiwa Saito who voices the role cannot change my feeling that something is “off” about the figure.

Do not, however, let my picky-ness get in your way of purchasing this figure. Any fan of the series, catgirls, or females in swimsuits will enjoy Mao without a doubt. Even if I think the pose is a bit plain looking, MaxFac did such an excellent job on the sculpt and overall detailing that just as a figure itself, Mao is one of the better figures I’ve bought this year hands down…

… of course, getting her and Ryuuna a bit cheaper from TRSI helps as well.

Can I just blame super rats and call it a day?

Seriously, beautiful figure marked by some decent artifacts and/or laziness. I think super rats covered all the major points in his entry, which unfortunately my Ryunna seems to also suffer from. The worst being, if I remember correctly, either at the butt or crotch area with excessive paint still showing; something a little buffing could have taken off easily.

Even with all the production misgivings, Ryuuna is still a fine figure. I think it has to do with the pose which sort of looks like someone just randomly shot a photo of her unguarded and then turned the image to a figure. It’s refreshing, in some strange way.

My inability to describe my feelings aside, if I had to recommend one of the four Shining Tears girls to purchase, I would easily say Ryuuna (with Blanc Neige in a close second). Whether it be from an unique charm the figure has or the classic one piece swimsuit Ryuuna is wearing, the figure is all class and a superb addition to any (male’s) collection…

… as long as you can get a good copy of the figure or can forgive obvious deflects that are usually fixed at the factory before its shipped.

All four Shining Tears girls. If someone asked me months ago if I was ever going to purchase any of the figures, I would have easily said “maybe but not really interested.” I think it after watching the crappy Shining Tears X Wind anime, that my stand changed dramatically as I hunted down all four girls like crazy. Luckily TRSI came through as I was able to purchase all four of them at cost (or cheaper) versus if I had them imported. Definitely one of the few times laziness and waiting on the US import paid off

Expect more Shining Tears/Wind fanboy-ing from me in the future as I already have MaxFac’s Kureha, Koto’s Clalaclan and Xecty on preordered. Koto’s (and possibly MaxFac’s) Shiina will be added to the list once the usual places have her listed; special thanks to Stripey for that bit of news.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou and HimeyaShop tissues.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou back case cover.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou disc and insert.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou inserts.

THE Haruhi Live concert event of the year… or something. See Jaalin of Random Curiosity for an in depth summary of the DVD as I’ll just be going over my favorite parts of the concert. Anyway, without a doubt the best part of the concert, minus all the random Aya Hirano panties flashes, was the small skit the cast performed towards the end of the first disc. Funny that while they had a general script to work with, there was a lot (at least to me) ad-libbed parts which made the skit a lot more funnier than normal. Really, Tomokazu Sugita and Daisuke Ono had me laughing in stitches over their various parts. The guys really shined through the concert and made it a lot more enjoyable with all the comedic bits they did throughout.

Beside the hilarious skit section, the actual concert parts weren’t bad either. Minori Chihara was probably one of the better cast members at singing live while everyone else varied. Aya Hirano had quite a few numbers which overall weren’t bad but I was a little disappointed in “God Knows” the most. I guess it’s hard to recreate the AWESOMENESS that it was the first time the song appeared. Natsuko Kuwatani was pretty good from what I remember, although I think she did struggle through a little of her character’s song. And once again, I enjoyed the guys’ performances as Daisuke Ono’s made him look like a pimp while Tomokazu Sugita’s still had that Kyon-like “yare yare” feel to it.

Overall a pretty decent concert that helped satisfy 99% of the Haruhi fans out there. However, as mentioned in various posts in AS’ forums, it could have been better. Not so much in the concert itself, but at least what was offered on the DVD as it was pretty slim pickings in terms of extras beside the concert itself. I think the only extra was some quick words from the main vocal cast set against different nature backgrounds. Not exactly that impressive given how the Haruhi DVDs had a lot more (both US and Japanese releases).

Would I recommend the DVD to anyone? Not really. Unless you’re a fan of the series or the vocal cast involved, I say pass on the purchase and use the money elsewhere. Like say on Aya Hirano’s semi-recent photobook or various figures instead

Kanon v8 LE Front Slip Cover.

Kanon v8 LE Back Slip Cover.

Kanon v8 LE Case Cover.

Kanon v8 LE DVD.

Kanon v8 LE last 2 puzzle cards, bookmark, and POP entry card.

Kanon v8 LE Folk Ayu and Amano (looking mighty fine BTW) plus the last 4-koma.

Clannad CD Cover Insert (Front).

Clannad CD Cover Insert (Back).

Kanon‘s Da Vinci Code puzzle completed.

All 9 Kanon DVDs. What sad is the series is also getting licensed in the US so I’m going to have to re-buy the whole series again. Same thing I’ll also have to do with Air, Haruhi, and Fate/Stay Night ;_;

Not much to say about the last DVD since I haven’t had a chance to watch yet but I know the last episodes are some of the best. Adult Makoto for one reason. On the series itself, I think I’ll let Riuva’s new staff writer Ascaloth handle that aspect as I felt the same as him. The only way Kanon (2006) could have better, at least for me, was if they had ended with Nayuki instead, but alas it does have to be Ayu given her story is the most emotional of the group.

It would have to be one of the few times I root for a blood-related pair that after everything was said and done, there was no chance in hell for such an ending to ever happen :aorz:

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ v7 LE Front Box Cover.

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ v7 LE Front Back Cover.

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ v7 LE Ayame Shiina figure.

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ v7 LE DVD.

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ v7 LE fold-out poster of Ayame Shiina.

I think with Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~, I’ve pretty much stopped rewatching the DVDs and am just buying the rest to finish off the collection. Actually forgot to order the last two volumes but luckily, CDJapan still had them available for pre-order. The last volume does look interesting though, as it seems it will contain DVD only episodes and clips from some live event the series had at one point. Hopefully we’ll get to see the main cast in person for once