Haruhi-chan episodes 5 and 6 out

The 5th and 6th episodes of Haruhi-chan are out. Man are they releasing them fast. BUt still no new episodes of Churuya-san. Episode 5 the computer club challenges the SOS Brigade to a game of video dodge ball, which Haruhi quickly changes into a game of real dodge ball complete with super moves. Episode 6 features a cosplay battle between Yuki and Mikuru, Yuki lending Kyon some eroge, and more on chibi-Asakura. The chibi-Asakura scenes are on par with the chibi-Miku 4koma

END POST
Read more On "Haruhi-chan episodes 5 and 6 out"!

Figma Kagami Hiiragi Cosplay version available for pre-order

The cosplay version of Kagami from the Lucky Star OVA is up for pre-order. She will retail for 2,500 yen and be released April, 2009.

Using the smooth yet poseable joints of figma, you can act out various scenes.

Two face parts are included to suit Kagami's personality - a shocked expression and an embarrassed expression. The expressions can be switched with other Lucky Star figmas.

The figure is a new sculpt to match Kagami's body shape. Parts of the body use the same metallic coloring used on the Miku Hatsune figma.

Two of the "must have" leeks are included, made to look just as they did in the OVA.

Her long pigtails are also loaded with figma joints, allowing for more dynamic poses.

Comes with a poseable figma stand that makes it possible to recreate various scenes.

I like the fact that the faces will be interchangeable with the regular Kagami. She's defiantly on my want list, but not sure if I will be able to pre-order her. Will probably have to wait until she's released to order.



You can pre-order Kagami and other great figures at the following retailers
J-List
Play-Asia
Right Stuf
AnimeNation
Entertainment Earth
Sideshow Collectibles
Kid Nemo
Hobby Search

Images from Good Smile Company

END POST

Read more On "Figma Kagami Hiiragi Cosplay version available for pre-order"!

Finished the Xenosaga series

I finally finished playing the Xenosaga series. I had been playing a year ago on my PS3, but halfway though episode 2 my PS3 broke, luckily still under 1 month of warranty, and had to be replaced. And after losing my save games and having to start episode 2 over, I didn't really feel like playing when I got my PS3 back. After watching the anime a few weeks ago though I decided to finally finish the series.

Episode 2 was a good game story wise, but I hated how they changed the combat system. They even changed the character models which took some getting used to. Episode 3's combat system was much better. I was afraid episode 3's story might be rushed, since they had originally planned on making Xenosaga a 6 game series. But, they did a excellent job in setting up the 3rd by skipping ahead 1 year from the end of episode 2 and then including a database that detailed events that took place during that time. These events would of supposed happened in the games that didn't get made.

More after the jump...
(Warning) Contains some slight spoilers.



The actual end of episode 3 did feel rushed however. They set the story up to require you to defeat these 6 specific bosses before the end of the game, and 5 of them were placed one after the other right at the end of the game. Actually 2 of them were 1 battle. Three of these fights were even part of other plot lines which made it feel even more rushed. Like they knew they needed to close up these plot lines but ran out of game to do it in. One of the plot lines was between Jin and Margulis and Pelligri. The other was between Ziggy and his relationship to the Testament Voyager.

There are a couple of twists I wasn't expecting. One was at the end of disc 1 concerning the origin of the gnosis, and the other was exactly who Kos-Mos is. The end of the game was left open with both Kos-Mos and T-elos floating in space, and Shion, JR, and Allen aboard the Elsa heading off to find Lost Jerusalem (aka Earth) while MOMO, and Ziggy stayed behind to build a new network for faster than light space travel. The previous network having disappeared with the defeat of Zarathustra. chaos, Jin, and Kos-Mos had stayed behind after defeating Zarathustra to transport the Gnosis and prevent the destruction of the Universe. It would be nice if they used this open end to make a new game or series for the PS3.

If you like RPG's with a good story then I would recommend this series. And I would really like to see more game series like this and the .hack games where the story continues from game to game. Do you prefer games that tell their story in a single or game or games that carry their story across a series of games?

Image from RPGamer Read more On "Finished the Xenosaga series"!

DC Universe Online vs Doomsday

A new video of gameplay footage and info from the developers of DC Universe Online has been released. The video features a scenario where the players fight along Superman and try to take down Doomsday, or if the players are villains they fight along side Lex Luthor to try and capture Doomsday for Lex's evil plans. During the coarse of the scenario the hero and villain players might cross paths and have to fight each other, altering the coarse of the scenario.



I am really looking forward to this game, unfortunately it's not due out until 2010. Anyone else planning to get this when it's out?

Image and video from The Feed

END POST

Read more On "DC Universe Online vs Doomsday"!

Blogger Tutorials

Just finished adding a left sidebar to my Blogger template. I found a very easy to use guide at The Blogger Guide. The only thing missing from guide was exactly how to change link colors in the new sidebars, as they want to use the link colors from the Main section and not the colors from the right sidebar. If you use Blogger and want to change up your current template and not sure how to do it then I suggest checking out The Blogger GuideAnd here is the rest of it. Read more On "Blogger Tutorials"!

Working on blog layout

Going to be working on the layout of the blog, so if you visit and it looks weird then it means I messed something up and am working on it. And here is the rest of it. Read more On "Working on blog layout"!

Haruhi-chan episode 4

Kadokawa has released episode 4 of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan. This is the best episode so far. The second half when Asakura comes back to life is hilarious. As of right now a 4th episode of Churuya-san has not been released, but I'm hoping it's out soon.

Haruhi-chan 4

END POST
Read more On "Haruhi-chan episode 4"!

Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san #3

They are releasing these pretty fast. Just noticed the third episode of each is out. I liked the Haruhi-chan more that the previous ones. Churuya-san wasn't quite as good as the second episode, but was still pretty good.

Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan #3
Nyoron Churuya-san #3

Funny Churuya-san 4koma

END POST

Read more On "Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san #3"!

Max Factory Naru Narusegawa

A few weeks ago I was reading a post at How A Girl Figures about how she found a Max Factory Naru Narusegawa in Mexico for only $100.00 US. As a popular out of print figure it's not uncommon to usually see her going to $160.00 or more. Since Naru has been on my want list for awhile now, and seeing someone find her for such a great deal I headed to EBay just to see how much people were asking for her there. And I actually found someone selling theirs for $100.00 Buy It Now. So I quickly snatched her up.

More after the jump....




She came in earlier this week, and was a bit dusty from being previously displayed but great condition otherwise. Naru was sculpted by Chieri who did an awesome job. She just captures the feel from the manga wonderfully. It's like Naru stepped out of the page and into my room.


The translucent effect with the hair is pretty cool, and I think they should do it with more figures.



Naru's shorts cast off revealing a matching bikini bottom for her leaf bikini top. Although, I think I prefer her bluejean shorts on. The slightly opened jeans just looks sexier. Do you prefer Naru cast on or cast off?

So far of the figures I own Naru is my #1 favorite. I giver her a 10/10


Here's a pic of my desktop figure layout.

Naru is out of print, but you can look for other great figures at the following retailers:
J-List
Play-Asia
Right Stuf
AnimeNation
Entertainment Earth
Sideshow Collectibles
Kid Nemo
Hobby Search Read more On "Max Factory Naru Narusegawa"!

My First Petite Nendoroids

My first petite Nendoroids came in last week from J-List. It's actually my first Nendoroids of any type, petite or regular size. This set came with 11 figures consisting of 2 versions each of Ryoko Asakura in school uniform, Yuki Nagato in school uniform, Kyon's Sister in casual clothes, Haruhi Suzumiya in casual clothes, and Mikuru Asahina in a maid outfit, and the rare figure Mikuru in a frog costume.


They even sent the box with the set which I thought was nice. To show off my new Nendoroids I decided to try telling a little story with them. So hope you like it.

More after the jump...




Yuki was enjoying a new book while Kyon took some pictures.


Suddenly Ryoko appeared behind Yuki with a knife.

Ryoko, "I said you couldn't protect him forever, Nagato."
Kyon, "Um, Nagato-san."


After a series of attacks to fast for Kyon to capture on film, Yuki unleashes a final attack that Ryoko is unable to block.


Yuki goes back to reading while Mikuru cleans up the mess.


Haruhi, "Hey, Yuki, want to play some cards?"
Yuki, "Busy."

Kyon thinking: Ofcoarse she shows up after the battle between aliens. And don't you see the corpse Mikuru's sweeping up?


Kyon's sister, "Kyon! Kyon! Take my picture to!"

Here are pics of the figures not used in the above Nendoroid Theater. The Kyon's sister figure on the right comes with Shamisen.




While I think these petite nendoroids are cute, I did have a one major issue with them. Some of the stands were very hard to put together, and I was constantly afraid I might break them trying to force the pegs into their slots. I'm not sure if I'll buy to many of these because there is really only one other set I'm interested in right now, and that's the Lucky Star set that comes with Konata Saber.

Overall I think I'd give these petite Nendoroids a 6/10.

You can look for these and other great figures at the following retailers:
J-List
Play-Asia
Right Stuf
AnimeNation
Entertainment Earth
Sideshow Collectibles
Kid Nemo
Hobby Search
Read more On "My First Petite Nendoroids"!

Become a Co-Producer of a Movie for Only 49.00

And did I mention it's a Uwe Boll film? That's right Uwe Boll is having trouble securing funds for his next great film. Hard to believe I know. So in order to get the money he needs he is offering YOU, his fans, the opportunity to help fund his film in exchange for co-producer credit and the chance to win

a trip to the set (in Canada!), a possible supporting role in the film, cash prizes (amounts based on the film profits), or various yet-to-be-named prizes

And this once in a life time opportunity is yours for only $49.00 US. Visit www.theblackoutfilm.com to find out more.

*Above article is full of sarcasm. I'm surprised it took this long for studios to quit giving him money.*

Image and News Source The Feed

END POST

Read more On "Become a Co-Producer of a Movie for Only 49.00"!

Some Lucky Star figures up for pre-order

FREEing Konata Izumi is scheduled for release in June, and will retail 11,239 yen.

Wave's Konata and Kanata Izumi Treasure's Set is sheduled for release in July and will retail for 10,000 yen. There will also be single figure editions sold of each character for 4,700 Yen. The single figure edition of Konata will have an Akira doll instead of a doll of her dad. And Kanata will have a different facial expression and will be hold a hat in her hands.

Atelier Sai's Kagami Hiiragi is scheduled for release in May and will retail for 4,800 yen.

All the Konata figures are defiantly on my to buy list, but I'm not sure on Kagami. While I like the look of this Kagami figure, I've seen some bad reviews of the quality of Atelier Sai's final production figures. Although since I have never bought a Atelier Sai figure, I might pick her up to see for myself how the final quality is.

Images are from Hobby Search

You can pre-order these and other great figures at
Play Asia
J-List
Kid Nemo
Hobby Search

END POST
Read more On "Some Lucky Star figures up for pre-order"!

Haruhi-chan 2 and Nyoron Churuya-san 2

Kadokawa has posted episode 2 of both Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san. I liked Churuya-san, especially the fire drill scene. Haruhi-chan still didn't seem that funny.

You can check them out at YouTube

Haruhi-chan 2
Churuya-san 2

Image from Haruhi-chan 2

END POST

Read more On "Haruhi-chan 2 and Nyoron Churuya-san 2"!

More Feb. Loot

Some more of the figures I ordered last month came in. I ordered these from Kid Nemo. They are Yamato's Saki Kasukabe, Kotobukiya's Sango Himeyuri, and FREEing's Mikuru Asahina. With these pictures I tried some backgrounds using poster board. For Saki and Sango I only placed the board behind them. For Mikuru to cut a strip of the board to place under her which looks a lot better. Now for the bonus question. Can anyone spot the dolphin in this picture?




First up is Saki Kasukabe from Genshiken cosplaying as The Chairman from Kujibiki Unbalance. She was sculpted by Yasuhiro Uchijima. This is my first figure from Yamato, and I do have some issues with this particular figure.


Her hair just isn't as nice as some of the other figures I own. When viewed from the rear it just seems kind of flat. And it has no detail underneath the helmet at the back.


There is also a very large seem along her hair. I assume they figured most people would display her with her helmet on, so didn't bother trying to conceal this seem completely.


However from the front her hair doesn't look that bad. Overall, I'd give her a 6/10.


Next is Sango Himeyuri from To Heart 2. Sango was sculpted by Jun (E.V.). This is my first Kotobukiya figure and I have to say I am very pleased with the quality. She just looks so cute sitting there holding her teddy bear.



Her two side antenna are just little metal rods. They make a nice look, but they look like could easily snap off or become bent if your not careful.


Such a cute little bear.


What would you do in this situation?

I give Sango a 8/10


And now my favorite figure of this bunch. Mikuru Asahina from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Not sure who sculpted her because I couldn't find it on the box, at least not in English. This is my second FREEing bunny. I had already purchased Haruhi last month. With Mikuru you can really tell the detail that goes into these FREEing figures. The shading on her outfit and hair is amazing. The shading on Haruhi is good, but because her outfit is black and she has dark hair it doesn't stand out as much.



It took a little while, but I was able to convince Mikuru to let me take some close up shots of her "eyes". I had to make her believe I actually meant her face.




As I was taking these last few shots, I noticed they missed one small detail that kind of stands out on a figure this size. They forgot her star shaped mole

Mikuru gets a 10/10

You can try finding these or other great figures at
Play Asia
J-List
Entertainment Earth
Animenation
Right Stuf

Read more On "More Feb. Loot"!

New Kanon Patch

NDT has released an updated version of their patch. This one lets you play Shiori's path to the end.

Get the patch at NDT

Image from Kanon Fans

END POST

Read more On "New Kanon Patch"!

Huge Sale on ADV DVD's at Rightstuf

Rightstuf has a lot of their ADV videos on sale for $3.00-$10.00. I picked up all 3 volumes of Comic Party Revolution for $18.00 total. Not sure how long this sale will last, but if you want to pick up some cheap DVD's now's the time.

END POST

Read more On "Huge Sale on ADV DVD's at Rightstuf"!

Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan

Kadokawa has released the first episode of the new Haruhi-chan anime. You can watch it at Kadokawa's YouTube Channel. It has been subtitled in English.

I thought it was ok, and it had a couple of funny moments. But, I'm not going to judge the series as a whole yet, because I didn't think the first episodes of Azu Manga Daioh or Lucky Star were that great. And if I had stopped watching them based on the first episode, I would of missed out on great series. So I'm hoping future episodes are better of this series.

What's your opinion of the first episode?

END POST

Over 2500 unique products from Japan -- click now!

Read more On "Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan"!