Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link. Anime Shakugan no Shana II We love Shana of the Blazing Eyes, designed as she was by Noizi Ito, who also gave us Haruhi. This just-released fan book documents everything about the Shana anime series for you. Afternoon Dec 2009 Then, I'm a huge fan of Afternoon, the elegant and super thick monthly magazine that is so cool, Oguie from Genshiken wants to draw manga for it .Enjoy a new 1000+ issue, posted to the site. Hiragana Times Feb 2009 No. 280 Read about world events or local Japanese culture in both English and Japanese with Hiragana Times, a fantastic study tool that I recommend to everyone. Kanji Practice Flashcard SALE Good news -- we're having a big SALE on the White Rabbit kanji flashcards, which are frankly the best way to learn Japanese we can think of. The Kanji Poster is included too. Monster Hunter Hunting Card Artbook Monster Hunter is the popular video game line by CAPCOM, loved by fans both for its fun gameplay as for the gorgeous art the series has always maintained. Here's a great artbook for fans. Restocked Anime Artbooks J-List has a huge stock of artbooks from Japan's top artists, and today we're restocking some of them for you. I'm a big fan of the Bakemonogatari Official Guidebook and the Pixiv Fantastia offering. Rilakkuma Deco Mouse This year has really seen a boom in "DECO" fashions, which means things decorated with bright and flashy colors. Here's a great USB computer mouse featuring Relax Bear made out of colored jewels -- awesome! Miku Hatsune Diva Miku T-shirts Restocked See fresh stock of the awesome official Miku Hatsune T-shirts from COSPA, unique shirts with beautiful designs. Make sure you get your size before they sell out. GATSBY Quick Moving Mist ~ Three Types When the commercial starring Japanese heartthrob Takuya Kimura and a cute little dog went viral on the Japan blogging scene a few days ago, we were inundated with requests for this product. We have it for you now! My Melody Lovely Mini Ring Memo For those of you wanting to spruce up your office with a little Japanese kawaii, here's a Lovely My Melody Mini Ring Memo pad, in the new design for 2010. Happy Buddha Pen Large ears are considered to be good luck among the Japanese, who believe that good luck and especially money will "flow into the ears." This is a seriously wacky pen that features the Great Buddha of Nara with ears you pull down to release the two pens inside. Japanese Fish Parody Fishing Action Strap A wacky fish keychain that opens up like a door when you pull the string. Can even be attached to your iPhone, too. Delicious Snacks from Japan Fun new snacks from Japan today. We have two new flavors of delicious Meiji Copan rusk like snacks, a positively yummy Oreo Chocolate Bar in Strawberry Milk flavor, plus a limited flavor of Choco Ball from Morinaga. Soup Curry FURIKAKE (Sapporo) ~ Japanese Food Furikake The boom in furikake (powered food you sprinkle over rice) continues, and J-List has restocked several flavors for you to sample. Metal Mode Stylish Bento Set Here's an elegant bento lunchbox with a top made of stainless steel, for a super modern look that you will really love carrying with you. Remove the metal lid and it's a standard bento box that's microwave safe. 950ml Volume Lacquered Bento Box Set Need a bento box that looks great and has the volume for heavier eaters to be satisfied with? Then enjoy this great offering from Hakoya which we restocked today. Awesome Japanese Sandwich Makers Remember when you were a kid when you hated eating bread crusts? The Japanese feel your pain, and have developed amazing sandwich cutters which remove the crusts and "seal" your sandwich for you. Several types restocked. Kinchaku Bento Bags by Sanrio Wow, these Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars cloth printed bento bags are great -- carrying your lunch has never been so much fun. All new designs for 2010. Hello Kitty Special BENTO Making Set Then: get the most popular Hello Kitty bento accessories ever with this handy set. You get the Hello Kitty onigiri shaper, furikake sprinkling bottle, vegetable cutter, boiled egg shaper and more. Restocked today. More Totoro Bento Boxes Another day at J-List, another opportunity to type the magic words "Totoro bento boxes" which always makes me happy. Both of the new "Totoro in Flower Garden" bento boxes are restocked. Mousse-chan Fuwa-Fuwa Paper Clay Set When we started carrying the Mousse-chan kami-nendo ("paper clay") fun toy sets, we had no idea they’d be this popular. You take the included molds and make different things, like jewelry or little cakes, which you can dry and display. Several mold sets and clay refills have been posted to the site today. Lucky Cat, Lucky Frog Display Items Increase your personal good luck with the Lucky Cat and Lucky Frog Family decorations that we've restocked today. So cute and so lucky! Restocked Anime Games for PSP, DS Also: fresh stock of the popular Clannad visual novel, compatible with every PSP in the world. Plus, Acquarian Age ~ Perpetual Period for DS owners. Restocked Traditional Things from Japan J-List always stocks cool traditional items from Japan that you never expected to find. Today see the Sushi Non-slip Chopsticks, Green Hello Kitty 3D Kimono Frame Picture, Hand Carved Boxtree Ear Cleaner, and beautiful "Maiko" style decorated combs. Fun Good Luck Charms from Japan Also, got some great authentic omamori good luck charms in red and blue, plus the "Make a Wish Temple Bell" phone strap that's just like those bells you ring before praying for good luck at a Shinto shrine. Money of the Edo Period Also, the gold coins used in the Edo Period were oval shaped, called koban, and we've restocked two different replicas that are really great. Evangelion, One Piece iPhone Screen Protectors Here's a cool item: iPhone screen protectors with awesome Evangelion and One Piece art etched into the protective sheet. Several types you can preorder now. Misao Minakami 1/8 Figure ~ Asura Cryin' *Preorder* We've also posted this incredibly cute figure to the site, based on a popular light novel and new anime. She's a ghost so she can go through walls. Awesome Restocked J-Snacks Finally, enjoy some of our most popular Japanese snacks restocked, including Doritos Tuna and Mayonnaise and Wasabi Mayonnaise, Japanese Kit Kat, Fuwarinka Rose Essence Gum, Kompeito traditional 5 color candy, Meiji Sushi Gummy, Baked Toppo plus Morinaga's awesome caramels in Green Tea and Okinawa Black Sugar. Dengeki Hime Apr 2010 Dengeki Hime (Electronic Shock Princess) focuses to the genre of dating sims and related anime games, always bringing you the most beautiful visual content from the newest titles. Awesome pencil board included free inside! Rrestocked Stress Relief Toys See some amazing toys for taking the edge off after a hard day at work, including Bible Black hole toys, Pepee Lotion and the amazing "Meiki" hole that simulates her first time. Uncho Kanu 1/7 Figure Black Maid Costume *Preorder* This is one of the most amazing anime figures we've ever seen, featuring the hot Kanu from Ikki Tousen / Dragon Destiny in a gorgeous goth-loli outfit...and nothing on underneath. Sengoku Rance Got an excellent new import game for you on our Visual Novels from Japan page, Sengoku Rance by Alice Soft. Preorder it now.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

26th Miyazawa Model Exhibition event just commenced earlier today, and a number of photo coverages are already in ^^ Having some internet problem right now, so I’ll just cover the new ones for now. 1/8 scale Senjougahara Hitagi from Bakemonogatari by Kotobukiya. Summer 2010 – no price yet. Aegis from Persona 3 FES by Cospa. No date or [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

After pre-ordering the first 2 Bakemonogatari Nendoroid Petit sets, I can’t wait for the 3rd set, which consist of Tsukihi Araragi, Karen Araragi and Shinobu Oshino, to be available for pre-ordering. If I am not wrong, they were displayed at the recent Wonder Festival 2010 Winter. As you can see they are still unpainted and I [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Doughnut bait trap only works 100% on Homer Summary: While Black Hanekawa is subdued, like a damsel in distress, Koyomi and Meme launch into an exposition on symptom and cause. The solution is no longer readily at hand though; Shinobu has gone walkabout on a journey of personal self-discovery. Kiyomi activates EX VAMPIRE SEEK, with [...] Related posts:Bakemonogatari 11 Bakemonogatari 13 Bakemonogatari 10
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Kotobukiya updated their Blog with preview images of their upcoming 1/6 scale figure of “Yuzuhara Konomi Innocence Ver.” from To Heart2, now in colour ^^ Reservations for her will open on March 17th, 2010. Next previews will be 1/8 scale Senjougahara Hitagi from Bakemonogatari ^^ Via Kotobukiya’s Blog.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

If you can date a fictional character, or the said fictional character happened to exist in real-life, which character would you like to date? Last year I posted 10 female anime characters I want to date, and now here is the list of 10 female anime characters I want to date for 2010! XD#10 Temari from Naruto#9 Ichinose Kotomi from Clannad#8 Sengoku Nadeko from Bakemonogatari#7 Lucy Heartphilia from Fairy Tail#6 Mio from K-ON!#5 Yoko Littner from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann#4 Jessica Ushiromiya from Umineko no Naku Koro ni#3 Anzu from Hanamaru Youchien#2 Suzumiya Haruhi#1 Izumi KonataDo you have anyone in your head? Mind sharing with me your list of male/female anime characters you want to date? XD
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

[ Episode 14: Tsubasa Cat, Part 4 ]   [ KAWAIIIIIIIIIII~ ヽ(´▽`)/ ]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Sigh. Here we go again. A hilarious new comedy is being trashed by people who don't seem to get the humor of the absurd.It happened last fall with Seitokai no Ichizon, which opened to a chorus of abuse and only gradually found the large audience it deserved.Now it's happening again with Working!!, a new show set in a "family restaurant" in Hokkaido. It will start its run in April, but the first episode was streamed as a preview a few days ago.Personally, I found the first episode extremely funny, as I did the bit I read of the comic strip it is based on. But various bloggers and forum posters have described it as boring, cliched, just "cute girls doing cute things" -- the same things people said about SeiZon. (click images to enlarge) Certainly cute girls are part of the appeal -- and highly appealing they are, too -- but in fact this is classic Monty Python-style absurd comedy, with physical comedy and moe thrown in. Like SeiZon and Ichigo Mashimaro, I found it not only hilarious but humane and potentially enlightening, as well. It may not equal them, but it is playing in the same fields.Humor is notoriously impossible to explain, but I am going to try anyway. Absurd humor depends on setting up an apparently normal situation and then unrolling events that violate one's expectations in a way that is ridiculous but not ultimately disastrous. For instance in Working!!, a diner complains to the restaurant's manageress that the restaurant is too warm. Instead of doing the normal thing and either saying she will turn the heat down or explaining why she can't, the manageress tells the plump middle-aged woman that she should go outside and run around to burn off some ugly fat. A young waiter and waitress hustle the manageress off and then come back and smooth things over with the customer in a charming little scene. Laughter has been explained as expressing relief at the passing of danger. An absurd situation is felt as an existential danger, and laughter is our instinctive joyous declaration that the danger isn't real.I call the kind of humor seen in SeiZon and Ichigo Mashimaro "humane absurdity." It seems to me to overstate our normal human weakness and selfishness in absurd ways, converting them from dangerous faults to ridiculous foibles. That is not an encouragement of immorality, in my view, but a way of revealing human weakness in a context devoid of pressure. In fact it may help us become able to see our own weaknesses, rather than concealing them even from ourselves. It certainly helps us to forgive ourselves, thereby contributing to our mental health.At one point in this episode, two young men are hassling the little waitress who is the lead girl in this show. The manageress, who has previously been established as a fairly sympathetic character, comes over to stop them. Instead of talking them out of it, as one might expect, she immediately boots one of them to the ground. They call her a "damn bitch" and leave without paying. She then takes her cell-phone and calls some local toughs she knows, telling them to stop the two guys and take all their money. Absurd. When the girl who was hassled says this is going too far, the manageress replies that she has to protect her cute staff. But then she adds quietly that they called her a "damn bitch," so we realize that her own pride was the real reason she had them attacked. The situation is absurd, then we see the manageress's weakness (pride). But this is just comedy, not real life, and we are basically on her side, so we accept it as understandable humanity, more like a cute human foible than some great sin. And we laugh.This perception of human cuteness works beautifully with moe. In fact, in this show I think it is not just the short, genki, optimistic lead girl who is moe in this way, but other characters as well. There is some well-animated physical humor as the girl struggles unsuccessfully first to put a cup back on a high shelf, then to pick up a big tray of dishes, and has to ask for help in both cases -- so that we realize she, who is supposedly showing the new-guy protagonist how to do the job, actually can't do parts of it herself. Cute human incapacity. The rather obtuse male protagonist is also fairly moe. He once happens to ask the manageress how old she is, and when she says 28, comments absently that that is quite old. Then he can't figure out why she starts harassing him by giving him too many shifts too close together and saying he should be able to manage because he is so young. When the genki girl explains the situation to him, he agrees to apologize, then comments under his breath that that's what he hates about old people. Clearly, he doesn't really get it at all. We are all this dense about some things, but that doesn't make us bad people, just people.The characters in this show are mostly set up with contradictory characteristics, giving all of them a fundamental bit of irony: the straight-seeming 16-year-old protagonist is a lolicon; the genki little waitress, who looks about 12, is actually older than he is; the mature-seeming manageress is lazy and violent; the pretty and gentle-seeming crew chief carries a sword as she waits on tables; another waitress is very shy around men, but reacts to her shyness by launching sudden violent physical attacks. When she meets the protagonist for the first time, and he greets her in a friendly way, she screams in shock and suddenly punches him in the face, and her panicked screams of "a man! a man!" echo through the restaurant. Totally absurd, with slapstick added. Although I think absurdity is one of the fullest and funniest kinds of humor, it's okay if others don't happen to appreciate it. There are other kinds of humor that I don't appreciate. But just because we don't get something doesn't mean there isn't something there to be got. And just because a show is moe doesn't mean that's all it is. In any case, I regret that some people are denied the pleasures of this kind of humor.For a show like this, it's the how, not the what that counts. Sure, we have seen similar archetypes before. But this show re-envisages them in a vivid and entertaining way, and uses them to deliver a style of humor that I love.This show may end up just repeating its little memes over and over again ad nauseam and become uninteresting. Or it may not. This first episode introduced the characters in amusing ways. I have hopes that the same level of intelligence and inventiveness will continue.The voice-acting here is good all round. Fukuyama Jun is terrific as the protagonist, with subtle shifts of tone to sell the humor. Asumi Kana, a favorite among Japanese otaku, is more entertaining here as the genki girl than I have ever found her.Watanabe Kumiko, a veteran star who plays Keroro in Keroro Gunso and Shippo in Inuyasha, and who was Fran Doll in Turn A Gundam, is note-perfect as the manageress, subtle and dry.The show is based on a four-panel comic strip that runs in Young Gangan magazine and is popular enough to have published twelve volumes.The animation by A-1 (Sora no Oto, Fairy Tail, Kannagi) is detailed and smooth (at least in episode one), with a bright look and a nice range of character designs. Director Hiraike Yoshimasa has directed shows as different as Solty Rei and Sketchbook. He himself is doing the adaptation of the manga. Can he make it work? We shall see.Top sound director Tsuruoka Yota (Turn A Gundam, Keroro Gunsou, Suzumiya Haruhi, Requiem for the Phantom, Bakemonogatari, etc., etc.) is there to get the most out of the seiyuus, who also include Itou Shizuka, Kitamura Eri, Fujita Saki, Hikasa Youko (Mio in K-On), Saitou Momoko, and Shiraishi Ryouko. The past two winners of the top male seiyuu award, Kamiya Hiroshi and Ono Daisuke, play two cooks who act as the show's Greek chorus, observing and commenting drily on the weird happenings around them. Fukuyama Jun was a previous winner of the award. Asumi Kana won one of last year's "new seiyuu" awards.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

The merciless, fierce battle called International Saimoe League reached the end of the Preliminary Period and the rest of the Regular Season participants have been decided. The list of all 50 Regular Season contestants is as follows.Aisaka Taiga (Toradora!)Akaba Chizuru (Seitokai no Ichizon)Akiyama Mio (K-ON!)Asahina Mikuru (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)C.C. (Code Geass)Fate Testarossa (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)Fujibayashi Kyou (CLANNAD)Fujibayashi Ryou (CLANNAD)Fukuji Mihoko (Saki)Furude Hanyuu (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)Furude Rika (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)Furukawa Nagisa (CLANNAD)Haramura Nodoka (Saki)Hiiragi Kagami (Lucky Star)Hiiragi Tsukasa (Lucky Star)Hirasawa Ui (K-ON!)Hirasawa Yui (K-ON!)Horo (Ookami to Koushinryou)Ibuki Fuuko (CLANNAD)Ichinose Kotomi (CLANNAD)Ikaros (Sora no Otoshimono)Ilyasviel von Einzbern (Fate/stay night)Izumi Konata (Lucky Star)Katsura Hinagiku (Hayate no Gotoku)Kawashima Ami (Toradora!)Konjiki no Yami (To-Love Ru)Kushieda Minori (Toradora!)Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière (Zero no Tsukaima)Maria (Hayate no Gotoku)Minami Chiaki (Minami-ke)Misaka Mikoto (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)Nagato Yuki (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)Nakano Azusa (K-ON!)Nymph (Sora no Otoshimono)Okazaki Ushio (CLANNAD)Saber (Fate/stay night)Saginomiya Isumi (Hayate no Gotoku)Sakagami Tomoyo (CLANNAD)Sakurano Kurimu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Sanzenin Nagi (Hayate no Gotoku)Saten Ruiko (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)Sengoku Nadeko (Bakemonogatari)Senjougahara Hitagi (Bakemonogatari)Shana (Shakugan no Shana)Shiina Mafuyu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Shiina Minatsu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Sunohara Mei (CLANNAD)Suzumiya Haruhi (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)Takamachi Nanoha (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)Tousaka Rin (Fate/stay night)Now for some interesting data and figures.18 contestants are KyoAni girls (8 from CLANNAD, 4 from K-ON!, 3 from Lucky Star, and 3 from Haruhi)(btw, no Kanon girls, unfortunately)11 contestants are J.C.Staff girls (4 from Hayate, 3 from Toradora, 2 from Railgun, 1 Shana, and 1 Zero no Tsukaima)9 contestants are Studio DEEN girls (4 from Seizon, 3 from Fate/stay night, 2 from Higurashi)12 girls are from other studios.16% of contestants is from Clannad.Former big aces such as Kinomoto Sakura, Kawasumi Mai, Suigintou or Ryuuguu Rena didn't make it in.Nary Rozen Maiden character advanced to the Regular Season. A bit pitiful.5 pairs of characters bear the same surname. 6 if we count Furukawa as Okazaki. Namely, Hiiragi sisters, Shiina sisters, Fujibayashi sisters, Hirasawa sisters, Okazaki mother and daughter, Furude Rika and Hanyuu.About 20 contestants are from 2009 anime, not counting 2009 aired sequels.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Vaaale, vaaale, ya sé lo que me vais a decir por no haber posteado esto antes, pero es que el Star Ocean The Last Hope International me tiene bastante enganchado, y encima este martes sale a la venta por fin el Final Fantasy XIII… se me acumula el trabajo =P pues bien, de la mano [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)