Daybreak's Bell

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-25T23:59:00.001+08:00

Image of Huang Lingyin from Infinite Stratos (IS) by Aoi Masami (蒼まさみ), via e-shuushuu

It's a bit late, but Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it!

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, which is the only animal in Chinese Zodiac that is a legendary one; all others are real animals.

I've been taking a bit of a break for myself and catch up with some sleep. It's good to have a bit of a quiet moment to oneself now and then ^^

Let us hope that this year will be a good year for us and to our hobbies!

FREEing ex:ride American Bike

2012-01-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

As seen previously in figma Racing Miku review, here is FREEing's ex:ride American bike.

I wanted to get a black one for my figma Black Rock Shooter originally, but could only find a gold one as other colours were sold out when I wanted to look for one. ^^;

The FREEing's ex:ride is a series of transportation accessories that mainly complements Max Factory's figma action figure line. However other 1/12 scale figures will go well with them too.

This is the 7th of the line - the American bike. Three colours are available: gold, red, and black.

There is not much stuff that comes in the box - just the bike and the stand (as well as a decal sheet).

4 views of the bike with the bike stand on the rear wheel. This is a cruiser, where some of its distinctive features include foot pedals at the front and the handles pretty high up compared to other types of motorbikes.

The handle can be raised or lowered, as well as rotated upwards or downwards to suit the rider's height

A kickstand can be swiveled out so that the bike can stand on its own

Racing Miku posing for the bike

figma BRS with Rock Cannon. I personally think that she suits well with the appearance as a biker. The coat of her kind of gets in the way, so she can't sit too comfortably unfortunately.

Pass the finish line!

There is a hole at the bottom of the bike for you to plug a figma stand on it...

... So you can pull off a wheelie or any other fancy things with it

There is a sheet of water transfer decals for you to decorate the bike with. The most ideal place to stick them would be on the white spot on either sides of the bike.

For 1900 Yen, this is not bad for a big accessory to give to a figma or other similarly scaled action figures, such as Revoltechs. Some parts like handles and pedals are a bit fragile and may break if handled carelessly.

And last but not least, one extra picture to conclude the post:

FEAR THE BALL BIKER AND THE CANNON ON ITS HEAD!

AKB48 x Nobel Gundam

2012-01-19T23:59:00.000+08:00

A group of modelers from RRM (Real Robot Modelers) used 12 HGFC Nobel Gundam to make members of AKB48 girl group based on the "言い訳Maybe" album cover.

12 "girls" all lined up in a row. Each of them have their own characteristic traits by their hairstyle or other accessories such as hats or ribbons. Since I don't know the members very well, it would be much appreciated if you can recognise some of the ones listed below!

1st from left:Atsuko Maeda (前田敦子)
2nd from left:Tomomi Itano (板野友美)

3rd from left:Tomomi Kasai (河西智美)

1st from left:Minami Takahashi (高橋みなみ)
2nd from left:Mayu Watanabe
(渡辺麻友)
3rd from leftAmina Satou (佐藤亜美菜)

And here are the two in comparison:

The Nobel Gundams resemble the AKB48 girls don't they XD

This work is called Project 12, and it was inspired by AKB48 coming to Fukushima for a live concert after earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March 2011, and the modelers' homes in Fukushima were especially affected due to it being close to the epicentre of the earthquake, as well as the fact their home was under threat by the radiation from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor. Seeing the idol group coming to sing for disaster relief, it brought hope and lifted the mood for the modelers.

Even though I am not big into AKB48 at all, it's pretty funny when I first saw the pictures. It was only until I read into their backgrounds have I found a bigger meaning behind the reasons for making this. They made this as a tribute and as a big thank you of some sort to the idol girl group for coming to help out on the disaster. One way or the other, that sure is a lot of effort and passion that the modelers made for this tribute, and I'll give them that for sure! :O

More on Gizmodo & Kotaku

RRMオラザクチーム2011
Pictures from RRM (Real Robot Modeler)

Cosmo Fleet Collection Gundam Act 6

2012-01-15T21:20:00.002+08:00

The Cosmo Fleet Collection Gundam Act 6 is the sixth series for Gundam warship shokugan toys. As the name suggests this is the 6th set of the line, where it focuses on ships from Gundam UC OVA, Gundam F91 movie, and Crossbone Gundam side story manga.

A whole set comes in 5 boxes. As the outer box is mostly for shops to display the boxes, the lid can be folded back and become a label of some sort.

The first one in the box is Nahel Argama and Sinanju from Gundam UC. The two are not in the same scale, or else Sinanju would have to be much smaller or vice versa.

Most of these ships are about 5-7cm long.

The Sinanju. It's about the size of a small coin, and it's pegged onto one of the arms of the base. It's not too well painted, and it can be explained by its small size I suppose (though I have seen miniature toys with much greater details and better paintwork before in similar sizes).

The Nahel Argama damaged by Sinanju. A normal version was available in Act 4 set which comes with Unicorn Gundam instead of Sinanju.

The stand has several joints for you to position the ship and the accompanying MS. The bottom is a peg for 360 oscillation, whereas there are two ball & socket joints for the arm connecting the ship and the stand.

The second one is Garencieres and Kshatriya also from Gundam UC.

Kshatriya

Garancieres. Due to its shape it is supported by a clear holder with two prongs attached to the main stand.

Moving on to Gundam F91. Here we have the space practice ship Space Ark and the eponymous Gundam F91.

Gundam F91

The Space Ark.

Also from Gundam F91 is Zamouth-Garr and Vigna Ghina

Vigna Ghina. Personally I think this is the best looking painted MS in this box set so far.

Zamouth-Garr, flagship of the Crossbone Vanguard.

The last ship in the box is Mother Vanguard and Crossbone Gundam X-1

Crossbone Gundam X-1. Facial work looks a bit odd (almost like Shining Gundam in Super Mode ^^;)

Mother Vanguard. It has pretty good colouring (with gold paint on the prow, where there is a figurehead just like on some of the earlier ships between 16th and 19th century). The beam flag has to be attached on the ship by hand.

And finally the special item: The MA Rafflesia from Gundam F91. Each petal comes in one of the boxes, so one must have all 5 boxes in order to assemble the Rafflesia. Like

The Rafflesia has a peg just like other MS so it can be pegged onto a base. One can reenact the final battle between Rafflesia and F91 with Vigna Ghina.

The ships come fully assembled this time, whereas previous series need you to cut out the turrets and other finer parts out of runners and assemble them by hand, which can be a little hard due to their small size. However, the trade-off is that the turrets cannot be rotated for these ships while the older ones can.

Overall, like the previous series, the ships have pretty good paintwork and details for their sizes, while the accompanying MS tend not to do as well. The very first set featuring ships from Gundam 0078 was pretty good though, and I have the Magellan which comes with a Ball. The next series will be ships from Gundam 0083. Being shokugan toys, I won't be surprised if people don't know this line very well, but it's a nice collection to have for warships if you are interested, and are nice to have on a desk or something as they don't take up much space.

Coming Soon…

2012-01-11T23:59:00.003+08:00

"Ships ahoy!"

Been taking a break from the Internet recently since New Year's Day, and with the start of a new year I got myself a few stuff that I plan to review this month. Some of them are pretty new, while some have been around for quite some time. Hope I do get around to get through them and not procrastinate anymore! ^^;

I actually had the bike for some time but haven't got around to talk about it until the Racing Miku review. Maybe more about it sometime this month.

My doll may finally have something in similar scale to interact with.

Part of a bigger picture

I really gotta finish building these 2 Dra-Cs, they have been left like this for 2 weeks!

That being said, looks like I got a lot of catch-up to do after staying away from the Internet just for a few days. Anything you look forward to particularly? :o

End of 2011

2011-12-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

Time to bid farewell to year 2011. Somehow it didn't feel that long ago when I did the same to 2010.

2011 has been a relatively calm year for me despite a lot of events happening over the world, from disasters to revolutions. I didn't travel anywhere this year, but getting to meet various people from the Internet in person, as well as having events such as Hong Kong C3 as well as the annual ACGHK convention with them is a nice change of things.

The biggest thing I have treaded on is most likely the Dollfie Dream Black Rock Shooter. Admittedly I have started to look more into this hobby since November last year, and gave in when I actually successfully won a bid on Yahoo Auction Japan in earlier this year. That aside, I also met a lot of doll enthusiasts in the Dollism Plus earlier this summer. I'm still very shy on this hobby, especially as it's something I'm not too familiar with, but I hope I will get the gist of it eventually.

Apart from the doll, a fair amount of money has been spent on limited stuff, such as figma WRS and figma Racing Miku 2011. Turns out that more and more stuff I fall for are actually limited stuff ^^; Well, let's just hope this is manageable and not going out of control.

I still do Gunpla kits now and then. Apart from 00 QAN[T] and its GN Sword IV Full Saber equipment, all other ones I have done this year are mass production units, such as Dreissens and Jestas ^^;

Game-wise, I got on a frenzy of Ace Combat series since this summer, and got hooked onto most of the games up to Assault Horizon. It has been a while I got so fired up since my passion into WWII tanks~

On that bombshell, I wish you a Happy New Year!

figma Racing Miku 2011

2011-12-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

At last, after six months of waiting sicne its annoucement, the figma Racing Miku 2011 is ready for pickup!

To sum things up, every year (since 2009) there is Miku as a mascot and a race queen for the GSR (GoodSmile Racing) & Studie with TeamUKYO team. This year the team has won one of the races, and the figma is made to celebrate it.

The figma is available in 4 different "sponsor courses" in NicoNico webshop, and the goodies that come with it have arrived a month earlier.

Here are all of the stuff that are available in the box:
The figma itself, a closed parasol, open parasol, a sign board, one extra face, two trophies (the clear one as a bonus item that is packed sperately from the box), 4 pairs of hands, a figma standard and a bag for storage.

Front view

Back view. The skirt itself is slightly transparent.

Viewed from the sides. Depsite having heels Racing Miku can stand pretty well by herself, so balance is not so much of an issue there.

A race queen parasol.

Racing Miku with the parasol opened. The tube can separate from the canopy so that the hands can go in.

The signboard. A special pair of hands is required to hold it. You can put what you want on the signboard with the stickers provided in the box.

And the stickers for the signboard. There are 4 for each kind so you don't have to worry too much about spares.

Here is how the signboard works from a pre-release preview on figma blog:
In the picture "P-IN, L18, 04" means "car number 4 pit in at lap 18".

Racing Miku with the chequered flag and a happy, cheerful face.

A couple of extra shots with the parasol.

Posing in front of FREEing's ex:ride American bike, which is compatible with figmas

Winner~

And yes the trophies themselves. The clear one comes separately from the figma box as a bonus item, and it has "Goodsmile" and Champion 2011 GT 300" printed on it. The other one has "Goodsmile Racing" and its logo printed on it.

A final picture with original figma Miku, Racing Miku, and Miku Append. Which one do you like the most?

This Racing Miku has taken a more mature appearance over previous years', and also over most other Miku variations. She also has a somewhat cyber looking view with a hint of transparency in the clothings, which add to the sexiness of the design.

There isn't too much to complain about, but the main problem is that many parts are a bit loose, be it some of the hands, or even the front hair piece when the cheerful face is used. Hopefully that is just the problem with my paritcular figma, but it's hard to say. Apart from that and the money one has to pay to get this, this is a pretty neat figma I'd say, even though I don't pay much attention towards racing in general. Well, maybe we'll see a new one next year? The nendoroid will definitely be in, but we'll see if there's another figma as well too (this 2011 version is a first timer for a figma). :o

Gashapon Senshi NEXT Shamblo

2011-12-24T23:59:00.000+08:00

Gashapons are not something I own a lot, except with a few exceptions.

This time, it's the AMA-X7 Shamblo, a gigantic mobile armour that features in Gundam UC, and most recently episode 4 of the OVA adaptation. It's highly unlikely to see this guy to appear in model form, but a gashapon, being cheap and small, is something I'd welcome to have~ ^^

All parts are packed in a polybag.

On a side note, gashapon toys and capsules come separately. Store owners may pack them in capsules and have them placed in the dispenser machines so people will randomly pick them when they put in coins and get them out. On the other hand, some will put up a price for each one depending on popularity or rarity so one can get what s/he wants without having to blindly go for a random piece. I went for the latter this time from a good friend of mine who sells mainly shokugans, which is basically boxed versions of gashapons.

All parts laid out. There is no instructions as for how to build it, but it's not too hard to work things out unless one has never seen the Shamblo before. It's a bit like putting puzzle pieces together.

Some panel lining done on the parts. The two shoulders parts show the difference before and after panel lining.

Complted Shamblo with some panel lining. It's funny how the the arms are connected to the forelegs of the MA, rather than onto the main torso itself.

And the back of the Shamblo

The articulation of this Shamblo are mostly on the top half of the whole thing - the claws, arm, legs, and neck. The rest of the base / lower half is immobile.

Shamblo in comparison with Kshatriya. The Shamblo is supposed to be humongous, but in gashapon size it's about the same size as Kshatriya ^^;

Unicorn Gundam vs Shamblo. Sort of re-enacting the scene in episode 4 of Gundam UC OVA

But... The Shamblo finds a nice truck to be used as a hostage.

Banagher in Unicorn: ... I can't bring myself to shoot!

Riddhe in Delta Plus *kicks Unicorn away*: Hopeless emo, let me finish the job. -_-#

Depsite its ferocious appearance in the original settings and story, this gashapon version of Shamblo is rather cute; it's almost like a little dragon in a way. XD

Oh and last but not least, I wish you Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas I wish you Happy Holidays!

Hear the chimes of the 30 mm on Christmas Eve!

Image from Project Nagase, a character blog for Project Aces of the Ace Combat series. The Christmas A-10 skin in the picture is actually a DLC for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Too bad it's not free though ^^;

Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011

2011-12-21T18:25:00.003+08:00

Coverage photos for Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011 are now up! Known as Gundam Expo Hong Kong in the past few years, this year's Gundam Expo is renamed as Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011. I went with AstrayP03 to check the event out on Sunday. Too bad the finalist entries for Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011 as they will be shown from Chistmas Day. Will put captions later in the day.

A brief introduction on Gunpla at the beginning of the "Gunpla History Tour"

A huge poster showing the evolution of Gunpla (using RX-78-2 Gundam as example) over the years.

History of Gunpla - it's impressive to see how far they have advanced over the past few decades :o

G Gundam Gunpla. Nobel Gundam fell down ^^;

HG 1/144 Extreme Gundam from Gundam Extreme Vs (arcade & PS3 game).
Despite being a boss "character", Extreme Gundam never fights in this form.

The GMs released in 2011. This year really is the year of the GM~

MS that appear in Gundam UC OVA

MG 1/100 Astray Red Frame, Astray Blue Frame, and Strike Freedom Gundam

MG 1/100 Zaku II Ver 2.0 & RX-78-2 (OYW ver?)

MG 1/100 Unicorn Gundam & ReZEL

MG 1/100 Delta Plus & Sinanju

MG 1/100 Gundam 00 series and Gundam Wing series

RG 1/144 Aile Strike Gundam

RG 1/144 Freedom Gundam

RG 1/144 Char's Zaku II

RG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam

RG 1/144 Zaku II

The PG 1/60 Gunpla kits...

... And the even bigger 1/48 Mega Size Gunpla

BB Senshi Strike & Force Impulse. I don't build BB Senshis but I miss how they have elbow joints in the past as the ones nowadays don't have such feature.

BB Sensh 00 Raiser & 00 Gundam Seven Swords/G

BB Senshi Wing Gundam Ver. Ka - one of the most detailed BB Senshi kits IMHO

Gundam UC BB Senshi Gunpla

A wall of displays dedicated for 1/144 Gundam UC Gunpla

Sample display of yet to be released HGUC 1/144 Unicorn Gundam Banshee in Unicorn & Destroy Mode

A diorama of Unicorn Gundam and Sinanju

Sample display of MG 1/100 Full Armour Unicorn Gundam

Another display of Full Armour Unicorn Gundam.
Personally I think it should be called Full Arms Unicorn Gundam as there are no extra armour for this upgrade, but rather extra armament!

AG 1/144 Gundam AGE kits. Unlike older beginner 1/144 kits these have much closer resemblance to their HG 1/144 brothers thanks to advance in technology.

1/48 Mega Size Gundam AGE-1 Normal

A wall of display showing kits of Gundam AGE released so far

HG 1/144 Gundam AGE-2 Normal revealed

Another display model of Gundam AGE-2

Prototype sample of MG 1/100 Gundam AGE-1 Normal

Prototype sample of MG 1/100 Gundam AGE-1 Titus

Prototype sample of MG 1/100 Gundam AGE-1 Spallow

A diorama display showing a custom built 1/144 Diva warship and the Gundam fighting the UE MS

HG 1/144 Gundam AGE-1 Normal on display with various display-only effect parts.

A re-enactment of the scene in first episode of Gundam AGE

Huge wallpaper of RG1/144 Freedom Gundam boxart

RG 1/144 Freedom Gundam diorama. I think there are supposed to be the full burst beam parts on the guns (as seen in 51st Japan Model Hobby Show here) but I have a feeling that they got snapped and broken during transport ^^;

MG 1/100 Duel Gundam and Assault Shroud equipments

MG 1/100 Duel Gundam

Beam rifle, shield, and bazooka for MG 1/100 Duel Gundam. It's nice to see that the bazooka is included as it was stolen for Astray Gold Frame to use in the side story, so Duel never got its hand on this weapon.

The outer armour parts and weapons for Assault Shroud of Duel Gundam

RG 1/144 Sky Grasper with Sword and Launcher striker packs

RG 1/144 Strike Gundam with Launcher and Sword striker packs

Strike Gundam vs LaGOWE

Upcoming HG 1/144 LaGOWE

Overhead posters showing what's updated for the re-released versions of Gundam SEED Gunpla. Apart from slight colour changes, there are more stickers and markings available, as well as having an extra joint part included for Action Base 2 stands that are sold separately.

Overhead posters showing the new upcoming HG 1/144 LaGOWE and upgrade parts for HG 1/144 Strike Gundam (including a Grand Slam sword) that will come with 2012 April issue of Hobby Japan. With that said, the localised Chinese version should have this as well.

SD Sangokuden Gunplas on display

New BB Senshis Gundam AGE Gunpla on display.

Many different colour variations of Bearrguys XD

Various Gunplas on display that are made by fans and people who have particpated in the Gunpla Builder World Cup. Some of them have appeared in ACGHK 2011 as well.

HG 1/144 Beginning J & Beginning D Gundam

The Gashapon area

Children playing on the Gundam AGE arcade machines. Apparently there are some in Hong Kong (and not just these 2 machines here), but I have not taken notice of them yet.

Children building AG 1/144 Gafran in a Gunpla workshop

Effect parts for re-released versions of HG 1/144 Gundam SEED Gunplas, which will be available around end of December.

The event shop

Album set:

Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011

Kanji of Year 2011 - Kizuna

2011-12-16T16:15:00.000+08:00

This year's kanji of the year is 絆 (kizuna), which means "bond", as in link / connection between people.

Image from Business Recorder

Kanji of the year is chosen annually by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society.

Image from BBC News

This year's choice of word is quite fitting in my opinion. There has been a great earthquake an tsunami that has drastically affected the nation in March, and people stand up for each other in spite of the natural disaster. Some support by donations, while others give spiritual support by sending out words of good will and drawings to keep up the morale. It impresses me to see how people remain to be very organised and seeing infrastructure getting repaired and rebuilt in just months. The kanjis 震 (shin, i.e. quake) and 災 (sai, i.e. disaster) have already been listed in 1995 and 2004 respectively, and it's nice that people have responded to the bad stuff with positive attitude this year.

On a side note, the character of the year in Chinese is 控, which means control. In a contrast the same character in Japanese means "to restrict" or "to withdraw".

And what does 絆 mean in Chinese? Funny enough it is actually "to stumble" or "to trip (on something)". Quite a difference isn't it? ^^;

Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011 Finalists & Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011 Preview

2011-12-08T17:43:00.005+08:00

UPDATED: Added pictures for Malaysia entries

The upcoming Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011 will take place in Discovery Park in Tsuen Wan from 15th to 27th December.

Date: 15th - 27th December 2011
Time: 11am - 8pm
Venue: Discovery Park - Shopping Centre
Free admission

The regional champions of Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011 will also gather up as finalists for the World Cup Final, of which the grand champions of the competition will be announced on 25th December (which would be a nice Christmas present from Bandai wouldn't it? ^^).

Below are the confirmed entries (open course and junior course) set to appear in Hong Kong so far for next week. Unfortunately due to the recent flooding Thailand is not able to participate in the finals. The English names of the entries are rough translations, and if anyone knows the names of the entries from other regions please do let me know!

KOREA:

PG Hybrid gundam rx-78-2 by KIM SO RI

Mk II AEUG by YOUN TAE HO

CHINA:

三国争霸图 - the hegemony map of the Three Kingdoms by GUO TIAN YOU

心灵对话 - Spritual Dialogue (Conversation by Heart) by LAO JIA HONG

HONG KONG:

冥王．剎帝利 - Hades Kshatriya by KONG YIU MAN

第四空間中的二次大戰 - The 2nd great war of 4th dimension by YUENG WONG YIP

TAIWAN:

那些年我在幽谷的日子 - Those times I spent in AEUG by LIN ZIH-CIAO

00Q by LIN TSUNG-HAN

AUSTRALIA:

Custom Built 1/100 MG Rickdom by MARK CARLISLE

Custom Built 1/100 MG Hi-Nu plus 1/100 MG Nu by DARRYL CHOW

NORTH AMERICA:

Sazabi's Final Mission by Gamera Baenrae aka CLEMENT ENG (thanks gundamjehutykai for the info!)

ITALY:

RX-78-2 Gundam - Close Combat Mobile Suit by DOMENICO FEBBO

INDONESIA:

Kshatriya by BUDI SALIM

Fishing in a wrong day by ALLEN FEBRIANTO

SINGAPORE:

The Sazabi by ONG POH THEAN

Zaku F2000 “Omen” by TEO ZHI SHENG

PHILIPPINES:

Buster Impulse by MICHAEL T. COSTA

MOSAZ by ELIEZER B. QUIRONG

MALAYSIA:

Kshatriya IV by HO YICK YIN

Frozen Hero by TEOW JIAN LIM

JAPAN:

願い - Wish by 山口達彦（TATSUHIKO YAMAGUCHI）

ザクとの戦い - Fighting against the Zaku by 畑めい（MEI-HATA）

Event exclusive items have been announced but prices will be confirmed on a later date. They are of the following:

MG 1/100 Char's Zaku II Clear Colour Ver.

MG 1/100 00 QAN[T] Clear Colour Ver.

HGUC 1/144 Z Gundam Clear Colour Ver.

HG 1/144 Gundam AGE-1 Normal Full Colour CoatingVer.

HG 1/144 Pink Beargguy

BB Senshi Ryuubi & Hakuhin Ryuuseiba Clear Colour Ver.

Notable displays will include upcoming HGUC Unicorn Gundam Banshee (Unicorn and Destroy Mode), MG 1/100 Gundam AGE-1, as well as new MG kits (e.g. Duel Gundam) from Gundam SEED.

Unlike the past 3 years the annual Gundam public event is renamed from Gundam Expo Hong Kong to Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011, and BAKUC (Bandai Action Kit Universal Cup) being Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011 this year. The event has also been moved back to Tsuen Wan for the first time since 2008, which was the first event I went back then.

The location is a bit far this time, but I think I will spend an afternoon there one day like previous years. We have finalist entries from a lot more places this year, so it will be great to see them in person~ Have you got any favourites in your mind? So far the winged Sinanju of the Japanese entry and the Hades Kshatriya from Hong Kong has caught the most of my attention. :o

Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011:
http://bandai-hobby.net/GBWC_JAPAN/GBWC2011.html

Gunpla Expo World Tour Hong Kong 2011:
http://www.bandai-asia.com/gunpla-expo2011/index.html

GA Graphic:
http://ga.sbcr.jp/mgundam/018895/

Hatsune Miku Wedding Dress Figure sold for 389,000 Yen

2011-12-05T23:59:00.002+08:00

A modified and repainted Hatsune Miku figure in wedding dress has been sold for astounding 389,000 Yen (~5000 USD or 3741 EUR) on Yahoo Auction Japan.

The figure had 96 bids from 1 Yen to the final bidding price over the course of 6 days (4th November to 10th November). Despite this being a month old the news only spread recently over the Internet.

Front

Back

The figure is actually a hybrid of two existing figures with a bit of touchup. The two figures are:

Max Factory 1/7 Hatsune Miku Tony Taka version, released in March 2011 for 8800 Yen

New Line 1/6 ToHeart2 Tamaki Kousaka -Marriage-, released in October 2010 for 9800 Yen

More pictures found from other sources:

So the idea was to use a head of a slightly smaller scale on top of a wedding dress figure (Kousaka Tamaki in this case) to create an image of an adult Miku ready to marry off to someone.

Apart from the repaint, there are minor modifications such as the head bands. According to the descriptions there are apparently also stuff that we cannot see from the pictures, such as miniskirt beneath the wedding dress (as the figure can be cast off, i.e. dress can be removed to reveal what is underneath) and decal markings for Miku.

It's... Impressive how the final bidding price for this Miku wedding dress figure ended up at 389,000 Yen, especially when it was modified from existing figures. This price utterly dwarfs that for my biggest stunt and most expensive purchase of the year. That being said, I won't comment directly whether the figure really worths that much of a price, but I am sure we all have our own opinions on this. Let's just say that some people sure have a lot of love for the characters they like ^^;

Sources:
Yahoo Auction Japan item page (page will be expired approximately after 6 months)
オレ的ゲーム速報
http://blog.livedoor.jp/insidears/archives/52510212.html

Deux Dra-C

2011-11-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

Got a couple of HGUC 1/144 Dra-C recently. These guys will be my latest addition of my grunt units after Jestas and Dreissens of the Gundam franchise.

Dra-C art by raybar on pixiv

Dra-C is a bit of an odd hybrid between an MS and an MA, with the upper body made out of Zaku F2 and the lower body constructed from Gattle fighter-bomber parts.

The Dra-C, which was produced after the One Year War and had mainly participated in Delaz Conflict (i.e. Gundam 0083) as well as other conflicts in smaller numbers such as Haman Karn's forces (as seen in movie version of Zeta Gundam), represents an interim solution of some sort for keeping Zeon remnant forces equipped well enough as an effective fighting force, using spare parts and salvaged from other damaged or obsolete units in order to make a new one.

I bought 2 Dra-Cs rather than 3 due to two reasons: One is the increasing prices of pretty much everything these days so I am conserving a bit of money for my other purchases this coming month (one will be mentioned below, while the other would be the figma Racing Miku 2011). The other reason is that the incompletness will also represent the ragtag nature of remnant forces whose equipment tend to be incomplete or some sort of compromise. I may think of getting a Zeon Zaku F2 to complement them though (I do have an EFSF version to go with my GM Kais).

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my replacement parts for my GM III to come, which is taking a long time to come from Japan. Once they have arrived (hopefully this month) I can resume progress on them after months of hiatus for these guys.

On the other hand, should I be away or not active in blogging this coming month this would probably be the reason:

Gundam Extreme Vs will be out on 1st December. So if I am not shooting down planes on Assault Horizon, then I'd be blowing up some MS on this instead.

However, a scan from recent Famitsu magazine shows downloadable contents (DLCs) for Gundam Extreme Vs. In the image The-O, Gottrlatan, Freedom, and Arche Gundam are hinted to be some of the DLC units. I guess DLCs are now something that is a bit hard to avoid these days, but that's the way it is. I just hope they won't be too expensive for me to consider unlike those in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, where the prices really put me off (480 Yen for an alternate aircraft skin and at least 720 Yen for a new playable aircraft).

Got a lot to do this December. I hope I have the time to get around them all!

Kaiyodo Supersaurus figure

2011-11-28T23:59:00.000+08:00

Digging out one of the older display items I have from the shelf, and it's one of the more unusual ones - a Supersaurus dinosaur figure from Kaiyodo. :o

This Kaiyodo Supersaurus miniture is a limited figure from "The Gigantic Dinosaur Expo 2006" that was held from 15th July to 10th September 2006 in Makuhari Messe. During my Tokyo trip with my family in 2006 Makuhari was one of the few places that we have visited, and while I'm not big into shopping there I noticed big posters promoting this dinosaur event. Since I was a fan of dinosaurs during childhood I thought it won't hurt to give this event a peek. The venue was huge; you can say it's like a whole museum being put on a temporary exhibition!

After going through the whole exhibition, I came upon the gift shop section near the exit. As the supersaurus was the one of the main features of the event I thought I would buy a small miniature of it. Although this is a non-scale figure I'm a fan of things in small sizes with fine details, so it fits my taste pretty well there~

View from the right

View from the left

Head and neck

Torso and base

Tail

Clear parts can been seen on the main body along with the neck and front end of the tail where the bones are painted on top of. It makes sense for it to adopt this since the figure is very small.

Viewing from front, with the focus mainly on the head itself

View from the back

Supersaurus with HGUC 1/144 Zaku F2. According to the data the Supersaurus is approximately 33m long, so the two are not in the same scale (the Zaku is about 12.5cm tall); the dinosaur would have to be bigger in order for the two to match.

A random last shot of the Supersaurus with some 1/144 scale German soldiers (I don't have civillians of similar sizes). The two are not in the same scale, but I can always treat it as some similar sauropods in this particular case. Tried to make it seem more mystifying with a quick omni lighting effecto on the Photoshop ^^;

I didn't realise that I have this figure for 5 years already, and that was before I got into bishoujo figures too. Time really flies. :o

For something that is this small with bones that are mere millimetres thick in this size, the level of details on the ribs and vertebrae are really well done, not at least to say the paintwork in order to make it seem like cast bones as seen in museums.

Although I have lost the photos that I have taken in the exhibition, at least I have this to remember the event by. It's also something I can remember my childhood love for dinosaurs back then ^^

Robot Damashii Byarlant Custom preview

2011-11-24T12:43:00.000+08:00

Bandai's Tamashii Web Shouten has put up Robot Damashii Byarlant Custom pre-order page, of which the MS has made a pretty appearance in the 4th episode of Gundam UC released earlier this month.

Robot Damashii Byarlant Custom banner and preview images from Tamashii Web Shouten

The RX-160S Byarlant Custom is a customised and a further development from the RX-160 Byarlant. Like its original it is one of the few MS that can fly and even hover in mid-air on its own without having to transform or rely on a separate support platform. Being left over from the Gryps War back in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, it was not mass produced but 'upgraded' using existing parts for testing and development purposes.

Original Byarlant from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, image from MAHQ

Byarlant Custom as seen destroying Zeon remnants attacking Torrington Base in OVA episode 4. With its spectacular "eye candy" performance there were viewers even spculating whether it was the legendary Gundam pilot Amuro Ray piloting the Byarlant Custom.

Byarlant Custom in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrk8g7lpUE8

Byarlant Custom as seen in manga. Some backstory has been given to both the MS and its pilot. The pilot is revealed to be an ex-Titan pilot (named Robin Diez) who later rejoined the EFSF as Unit 1 of Byarlant Custom. There was a Unit 2 as well, but due to startup error it could not be launched, but destroyed the roof of the hangar in order for Unit 1 to sortie.

The Robot Damashii Byarlant Custom will be released in April 2012 for 6090 Yen to those who have pre-ordered it via the web shop (which is mainly for domestic Japanese customers). It will also come with beam sabre effect parts as well as a marking sticker set.

As the Byarlant Custom was not in the original novel, it seems to have appeared specifically for episode 4 of OVA adaptation as well as in the manga adaptation. Too bad the Robot Damashii action figure is web shop limited (i.e. proxy service is required for most overseas collector who want it), and has a big price tag of 6090 Yen. Sure one can justify that the Japanese economy is bad, but seeing more and more things that people like end up being limited only can be quite frustrating.

I must say that I am a little moved by the Byarlant Custom after seeing its performance in the OVA, especially as I am a fan of grunt units in the first place. The story and plot is said to be greatly cut and even altered from the novel, but action scenes don't disappoint most of the time. I am tempted to get it, but I'm now on the fence about it. Sure, I have pulled off stunts for expensive limited stuff several times before, but seeing more and more are ending up this path along with the strong Yen sometimes doesn't encourage me from buying these toys, but to refrain me from buying them instead sometimes. :\

Racing Miku 2011 Goodies

2011-11-19T23:59:00.001+08:00

Goodies of Racing Miku 2011 have arrived last week (a month earlier than I have expected). These are part of the sponsor course set up for Super GT race by the GSR (GoodSmile Racing) & Studie with TeamUKYO team with a BMW Z4 GT3, of which the mascot character is Hatsune Miku herself. The figma Racing Miku 2011, which I have mentioned a few months ago, should arrive in late December.

Well, with the goodies come a month ahead of the figma itself, let's have a look at those!

These items are part of the Racing Miku Sponsor courses that were once available for pre-order in NicoNico Chokuhan. There are 4 different courses one can choose, with the more expensives ones having more items over the less expensive ones. All will contain the figma Racing Miku 2011: First Win ver. The one I have pre-ordered was the 7000 Yen course, which is the one with the lowest cost among the four. But still, this is no cheap figma to get along with the fact that oversea buyers would have to go through some kind of proxy service to get their hands on it.

First off, ticket holder and strap. Both have the "Made in China" sticker stuck on the packaging.

Other side of ticket holder and strap unfolded. The holder is wide enough to put a postcard in.

Wrist band and Racing Miku rubber strap

And finally a sticker. The sponsorship ID card is not with this lot; it may come with the figma itself in December.

Image from Good Smile Company's product page

With the goodies having arrived, there's still a month to wait before the figma (which is the main thing) is available. It's a bit odd how the two lots don't come together in one go, but at least they come early so I'm not complaining. Let's hope the figma is worth the wait!

On a side note, the nendoroid version is now out. You can have a look at it in blogs such as cafe Yui.

Meet the Desperado, Gundam AGE style

2011-11-15T23:59:00.002+08:00

Official Desperado image from Gundam AGE official website

Despite the initial mixed to negative reception on the latest Gundam series Gundam AGE, viewers often manage to find something interesting to talk about here and there. Meet the Desperado, the construction use MS that made appearance in Gundam AGE last Sunday.

The CMS-328 Desperado is a construction use mobile suit that made its debut on episode 6 of Gundam AGE. Piloted by Iwark Bria, a man from the underground society of a space colony, the Desperado was used to attack the MS of warring factions Zalam and Euba from previous inter-colony conflict that were responsible for hurting his adopted daughter, as well as his people to be exiled into underground society. Despite being only armed with a heat shovel and pickaxe, Desperado proved capable enough to take down several enemy MS before being overwhelmed by additional MS with machinegun fire and saved by the progtaonist Flit with his Gundam AGE-1.

After episode 6 was aired on Sunday, parody fanarts start to appear. For example "Hyper Desperado", with more shovels attached on the back as wings

"Variants" of Desperado. Gundam 00 designs such as Tieren and Alvaaron are present, along with Leo and Tallgeese from Gundam Wing and even Lancelot from Code Geass.

"Gundam Desperado Exia (Dexia?), digging the target!" Image from pixiv

A touch-up design of Desperado, image from pixiv

One of the manly art of Desperado, image from pixiv

Custom model of Desperado in Super Deformed size is also spotted, as seen here from fg-site using HGUC 1/144 Ball as the main base

Desperado is confirmed to appear in upcoming game G-Generation 3D for Nintendo 3DS

So, away with Trainer GM, Worker Zaku, or Works GINN; you are nothing in front of the Desperado and its mighty heat shovel.

A few more fanarts on pixiv before closing off~

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=22201886

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21789146

Parodying the first episode of original Mobile Suit: Gundam XD

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21532021

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21089868

Sometimes, I am amazed with how people can react to things and come up with all these fanarts and parodies ^^; Well, at least it's something creative and positive out there rather than the usual bashing and criticisms, right?

Gundam AGE not doing well in Japan?

2011-11-10T23:59:00.003+08:00

Mobile Suit: Gundam AGE has been unpopular with Gundam franchise fan ever since its annoucement. Now that it has been aired for 5 episodes, it appears that that its unpopularity is proving itself with Gunplas not selling out well.

どーすんのよこれ！？日野さん！
(What to do with this?! Hino-san (director of Gundam AGE)!)
ガンダムAGEプラモ見切り処分
Gundam Age [plastic models] throwaway sale

HG Gafran is going for 777 Yen (retail price is 1200 Yen exlcuding tax)

Both pictures appears to be taken from the same hobby shop.

299 Yen for a model kit is quite something, though it does not imply which ones are getting such "discounts" ^^; For a Gundam TV series that is now airing and its merchandise to fall in prices drastically like so, this is pretty shocking even for a series that is unpopular. I remember Gundam SEED Frame Astray was doing pretty bad too as I have managed to buy HG 1/144 Leon's Arms Astray PMC Custom for 500 Yen only in Akihabara (HG 1/144 Alec's Kerberos BuCUE Hound was selling for the same price too), but that was for a manga side story. Later that summer Ngee Khiong also blogged about other SEED Destiny Gunpla in some shops were going from 500 Yen upwards too.

On the other hand, the view rate in Japan is not doing spectacular either, with an overall rate hitting 2.5% for all ages by episode 3. Ironically despite the series' main audience is targeted to be children, there are very few children who are actually watching it, in fact even fewer than adults. Apart from Gundam SEED, SEED Destiny, and 00 statistics available for comparison above AGE, the other two series being compared at the bottom are Kamen Rider Fourze and Danbouru Senki, of which both are airing at the moment and have children view rate in two-digit percentage.

Most people I know who are watching Gundam AGE are just watching it to see how bad it can really get. I am watching it because it's a Gundam series. While initial observations show that overall reception is leaning on the negative, it's perhaps still a bit too early to start judging it (which is a tempting thing to do). I originally put some thoughts in this post, but after a bit of retrospective look I decided to take them back. Who knows, this series might get epic later on? Well I will leave them as it is here.

Well, at least Yurin is a character many viewers have taking a liking of, and some even calling her Yamada due to her similar appearance to the said character in Working!!. At least there are some gems that makes people to look forward to the future episodes ^^

Sources:
2channel
via オタク.com & 大斗ポスト
My Game News Flash

Dollfie Dream Black Rock Shooter

2011-11-04T23:59:00.002+08:00

I know this may be a very profound contrast to what I have for my usual hobbies, but yes the one in my mosaicked teaser post is actually a doll. A Black Rock Shooter doll to be precise.

Please note that this is not an official Black Rock Shooter doll as there is no such thing at the moment. The resin head, eyes, wig, and costume are available as a set made by a group called SQ-LAB. The main body has to be purchased separately, and in this case it's a Volks Dollfie Dream II body with small bust part.

Some items are only available on their Yahoo! Auction Japan page, and this is one of them, which means proxy service is the main way to get it.

A blue flame part is available as well, which can be stuck on the eye with ordinary blu-tack.

Lying down. There are metal wires in the coat down the zipper lines so the coat itself can be posed in a limited way.

A full body shot

A closer shot of previous picture. The eyes, despite being opaque, gives this illusion as if they glow when sufficient light is available.

A different angle of the same pose.

So yes I have fallen for this Dollfie bandwagon too. 3 months ago actually as I have been putting it in the dark except for a couple of tweets on twitter. Put Black Rock Shooter together then it's one fad combined with another (if you want to put it negatively that is, and I know some will glare at me like so by now).

I have to admit that this is quite a stunt I've pulled off. Not everybody finds this kind of thing appealing; some will find them creepy too, especially with the eyes. Dolls or Volk's Dollfies are no action figures, which means they are not expected to do anything dramatic or dynamic; their restricted joints (especially those of Dollfies) will prohibit such poses anyway, so the main concern is more about how to pose like human beings, and how to take pictures of them. The latter has been a bit of a challenge for me since I have always been so casual on photography with a point-and-shoot, and taking pictures of dolls requires a lot of lighting setup or better equipments which I really don't have to make the pictures look particularly good. But with a little bit of workout I am happy with the results I have made so far, especially those taken on the bed.

I actually almost decided to go for Dollfie Dream Fate T Harlaown almost exactly a year ago, but didn't do so at the end because of the face sculpt and the potential nightmare of staining from darker clothings, which is a well known problem for Dollfie Dreams. Then one day I bumped into an auction page of the BRS doll set via posted links in a local forum, and I fell for it. While I actually had little hope of winning it in the first place due to its ridiculous bidding prices, I won one eventually with a price that was within my budget, and so I have to claim it. I was actually quite worried how it would be like since this is no official stuff, and I have seen no pictures from other hobbyists despite a number of them have been sold. The end product actually looks pretty nice, and I am quite glad that things worked out at the end.

Despite all that, like military-related hobby I think I won't plan to talk very often about doll(s) here, as I worry I may lose track and head off in a very different direction for my blog. I have no plans or intentions to have this become my main hobby, or it to replace my other toys such as figma; they all have their own places in my opinion, though some people don't think so and I'd leave them as so.

Last but not least, I want to thank SQ-LAB on making the character set and their help on my inquiries, as well as friends and fellow hobbyists in the online community for the kind support! It's interesting to see it myself how it is like to own such big "toy" there as an outsider and in an attempt to understand it better (rather than to judge something downright ignorant without knowing much about it in the first place). This hobby is still a fairly niche one, and with its massive price tag this is no ordinary thing to jump into. Go in only if you have something that you really, really, really want.

Ack, with all that revealed out, I am actually pretty worried how the response will turn up. Well, I am just sharing things out afterall - that is what blogging is about, right?

Boxes

2011-10-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes.

Boxes of Gunpla underneath my bed... Some have yet to be started too. Ack the everlasting backlog is something that Gunpla fans tend to worry about ^^;

Figure boxes. I hesitate to throw them away in case I have to pack the figures away in the future for whatever reasons.

Boxes of figma and a couple of Revoltechs as well. All unused accessories are still stored in them rather than in bags.

Current state of my shelf.

I personally dont like putting things into shelf for display, because I won't get to interact with them as often, or worse if they get too crowded I worry that I may even start to forget them. This is the reason why the shelf still looks relatively spacious compared to... Say, Yui's collection ^^;

Posting this is some sort of a reminder for me to start to be more cautious for future purchases; space is limited and is always an issue for any sorts of collection, but we as collectors often try to defy this statement nonetheless. One extreme example would be this guy's collection which I have blogged about sometime last year. Well, I still have the space to sleep at least!

I know a lot of collectors throw their boxes away because they take up a lot of space. I keep mine just in case I have to pack my stuff away again for whatever reasons in the future. Do you keep your boxes or not?

Triple Jestas

2011-10-29T23:59:00.000+08:00

At last, my 3 units of Jestas are ready to roll out! Apart from the slight colour changes and the markings, these ones I've built are pretty much a straight build without modifications.

The HGUC 1/144 Jesta was released in mid-September for 1600 Yen. An advanced version of the Federation's ordinary grunt Jegan, the Jesta will make its debut in a team of 3 in the upcoming 4th episode of Gundam UC OVA.

Jesta with beam rifle (which is known as a beam carbine), which is an advanced variant of the Jegan's original beam rifle.

The shield can be connected to the backpack via an option of 2 different connecting arms; one that is contracted and the other expanded.

The expanded arm piece (as seen on the left Jesta above) can allow rotation of the shield, whereas the contracted one (as seen on the right Jesta above) will have the shield restricted to face backwards only.

The shield is derived from that of the original Jegan. The shield missiles are still present but both pairs are now on the same side rather than being laid out symmetrically on each side.

The beam sabre is tucked in beneath the left arm, whereas spare beam rifle magazines are store beneath the right arm. The Jesta can reach it with its right hand as shown in the picture above. Two open palms are used in this picture as well.

Charging forward with the beam sabre.

The side skirts are grenade racks just like the ordinary Jegan model.

Three Jestas in action.

Fighting in unison and professionally. These guys are no ordinary grunts.

Jesta in comparison with Stark Jegan. Despite being derived from the same original Jegan the two do look very different here.

In case those who are curious about the white stars on the left shoulders and the shields of the Jestas, they actually spare paper stickers from 1/8 GSC Black★Rock Shooter -animation version-. The original figureb had a missing star on the coat, so GSC sent a set of 8 white star stickers to the customers. I thought that I would use some to make them stand out a bit in terms of markings.

Previous WIP posts can be found here and here.

My sloppy pictures aside, the HGUC 1/144 Jesta is quite a complete model kit there; at least there are no parts that you have to borrow from other kits unless you want to swap out the backpack with other Jegan models. The overall design is dark and sleek, giving the Jesta an overall impression that it is no ordinary grunt unlike most of Federation's mass production mobile suits.

A big thanks to BMecha for hosting this Jesta group build! It's been fun doing this and seeing what others have tried on their own Jestas. Mine is a bit ordinary out of the bunch, but I suppose simplicity also has its own beauty too right? ^^

Snow Miku Magic Show

2011-10-25T23:59:00.001+08:00

Snow Miku wants to do a magic show! This comes at good timing as I am busy with other stuff at the moment. Well, let's have her take the stage this time shall we?

Before the show starts, an assistant Ball hands over the trusted leek to Snow Miku.

The leek magically turns into an icy leek, much to the Ball's surprise~ Well, I guess the show has already begun!

With her icy touch Snow Miku will demonstrate her magic on the 1/144 Nashorn and Tiger II.

Poof, and both have gone white!

Next thing Snow Miku will try will be on a HGUC 1/144 Kampfer.

A white Kampfer appears!

Last but not least Snow Miku will test her magic on figma Black★Rock Shooter, without the latter's prior knowledge of what's going on at this moment...

... And with that figma WRS has been summoned. Probably a bad move. Oh dear that didn't go too well now did it? ^^;

For those who are interested my Snow Miku review can be found here

This post is to also be made for a local forum posting game where one has to make their own thread with pictures of Q-version toys (i.e. chibi). While I have very few of such toys, the game suddenly gave me some inspiration with what I have in my collection, and I came up with this post. Hope you've enjoyed this silly but lighthearted post though!

It feels good digging up some older toys even if it's just for a quick snapshot. That way they don't feel forgotten as you interact with them now and then :o

Something New

2011-10-23T23:59:00.001+08:00

???

Having a bit of a writer's block recently, so I decided to show something a bit... Different. Anyway here is a teaser picture with the good ol' mosaic effect. If you have been to my other stuff you would have known what it is already.

I guess it's only a matter of time before I will talk about it here. ^^;

Evangelion Sachiel Swiss Roll

2011-10-15T23:59:00.000+08:00

Anime goodies can be random... And edible too! Premium Bandai has recently released a limited Swiss roll set with a knife and Asuka figure from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. Gigazine has done a review of it, and let's see what it really has to offer.

The boxes come as they are. The red one has the cake while the orange one has the Asuka figure along with the progressive knife inside.

Cake unboxed.

The cake itself. The face is distinctively that of the angel Sachiel in the anime and movie. The outer layer is said to be made of chocolate sponge, while the inner layers are chocolate cream and ordinary white cream. That is a lot of cream in the cake...

Progressive knife of Eva-02. The knife is made of stainless steel and is 17cm long.

The progressive knife comes with a stand as well as an Asuka figure, which stands about 13cm tall.

So what do you do when an angel cake appears? Cut it down of course!

Even though Sachiel has been cut, a new face still emerges from the cut portion...

... Just like in the anime and the movie ^^;

The cake, knife, and figure set was sold for 4410 Yen (tax inclusive), and it was only available for pre-order in Premium Bandai's pre-order site. Reservation is long closed on 31th July, and the cake is released on 8th October.

Sachiel has been a rather popular "character" in the Evangelion franchise, with a lot of merchandise released for it. My sister is absolutely frightful of it, and she does not understand why it is appealing at all ^^; Anyone here a fan of Sachiel though?

Sources:
Premium Bandai
Gigazine

My History with Anime

2011-10-12T14:40:00.002+08:00

Fellow blogger Nopy has started a project back in February encouraging like-minded bloggers to share their own histories on watching anime. Many have shared their colourful experiences on it, and how anime has become part of their life now.

My history is nothing as amazing as those I have read so far, but I thought I will give this project a shot and share my story out. My childhood memory is pretty vague now, but I will do my best to put together the fragmented pieces to a picture of some sort.

For many years Hong Kong has been submersed in a lot of Japanese media, so watching anime, tokusatsu, or reading manga have been something that many people have shared in their childhood, and perhaps into their adulthood too. That being said, I actually don't get exposed to them as much as many other Hongkongers have. There were no particular reasons as for why this was so, but I remember that watching TV was not something I do very often, even back in childhood. Most things I have watched really early on were those I watched with my sister, rather than just by myself.

I can't remember what the first anime series I've watched back then (it may have been Princess Knight that I have watched with my sister), but I think Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid was the first anime film I have watched on a video tape, which follows closer to the original story unlike Disney's adaptation. I remember I was never able to hold my tears back by the end of the film.

While I have glimpse through a few odd episodes of various anime series on local TV network, Doraemon remains to be the one I've watched and read the most in my early childhood. The variety of gadgets/tools Doraemon has, the distinctive personalities of each character, and overall family-friendliness of this franchise is really appealing, and Doraemon is still one of my favourite characters to this day. I still have the 45 volumes of short story manga in my shelf.

I have watched a few Ghibli films back then on VCD, such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. The music composed by Joe Hisaishi is still some of my favourite music even to this day. Among the Ghibli films I have watched, Graveyard of the Fireflies was surely one of the most profound one, and even though I have only watched it once it is one of the few movies that gives a vivid and stark image of war in my mind.

Around mid to late 90s, me and my sister have started to become more interested in watching anime, and like many people this was started with the more well known ones, such as Gundam Wing, followed by Rurouni Kenshin and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Other less well known ones include Yu Yu Hakusho, Fushigi Yugi, Hoshin Engi. Hoshin Engi was also one of the very few long manga series that I have read and actually finished. This was considered one of the peak times when we both watched a lot of anime I suppose.

Most of the 2000s had been a gap of some sort where I have very little contact with animation in general. It was also the time I have slowly reformed my interest in military, and mostly in WWII. It was in the late 2000s a fellow Hongkonger has tried to reintroduce me back into anime with series such as Gundam SEED, and Fullmetal Alchemist, as well as some of the older series such as the original Cyber Formula TV series (I have watched the 4 OVAs beforehand with my sister), Slam Dunk and Dragon Ball GT (though admittedly I have paid very little attention to the Dragon Ball series despite its worldwide popularity).

It was shortly after that I have then finally started to watch some of the series by myself, with some of the really popular series at recent times such as Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, Shakugan no Shana, and Fate/stay night. They are a few examples along with the Gundam franchise and Evangelion where they have been heavily promoted for merchandise, and it appears that it is becoming more common for more series nowadays, but this is another discussion to be made in another place at another time.

This was the time shortly before I take up blogging again, and it was about the time when Gundam 00 started airing I begin to follow anime series as they start to air. With the aid of blogging network and the availability of the Internet watching anime, or choosing what to watch, has become much easier than it has been in the past.

And from then onwards is where I am now... I suppose.

If you are nosy into what I have watched and see what I like, you can always have a look at my anime list. You can easily tell what kind of series I like as well too. I tend to like series that are bound to be serious (e.g. Gundams, Fullmetal Alchemist etc.), while comedy or slice of life are usually not what I would watch or that I would find myself hard to enjoy.

So what can I say about the anime I have watched all these years?

There is a clear trend of what I have watched from those geared towards children, and later for teenagers, and later those that are a bit more complex. This is a change of sign in age, but perhaps also what anime is trying to do these days, from back then having a clear theme and point of what they want to do, to something that has become muddier and sometimes perhaps even "pointless". It's not surprising that a lot of people have yearn for things in the past, though now and then there are some gems that pop up now and then, but it is perhaps less obvious than what it has been for the past decade or two.

As long as there are still nice gems out there, there's still hope. While I don't watch anime as much as I have used to nowadays, I will still watch some as long as there are some that may pique my interest.

I do want to thank Nopy for making this project and get everyone to share out their history of watching anime. I have left this article backlogged for too long, but I am glad that I did manage to write it up at the end, despite the fact that the project was started more than half a year ago ^^; It's an intereting feeling to try and recall what one has done in the past and recollect them like putting puzzle pieces together. If you are interested, do check out others' histories as well, or even share your own!