When I read through season previews and check out promo videos and websites, I notice that several triggers often toggle my interested/disinterested switch. So while I was taking an initial look at some summer previews for 2008, I wrote down some of the factors that triggered my flags. I guess as I become [...]
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Episode 9: Lelouch doesn’t know how to play Chess Schneizel putting himself in check is one thing, calling “Checkmate” after doing so is another thing, and then having Lulu continue the match as though that move isn’t flagrantly illegal is something else entirely. I thought chess was some big analogy in this series, so what are [...]
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There was a Gundam 00 modelling competition not long ago. I was at Ngee Ann City the other day and saw the participating entries on display at the basement where a toy sale is going on. My favourite is the Gundam Virtue casting off into Gundam Nedleeh. The modeller really did a good job in securing the armour in midair. I’m very impressed.Click here to read the rest of this entryBelow are some of the entries are not bad. Please pardon the poor quality pics the shots is taken in low lightning indoor environment and through dirty glass cabinets.This one of Gunam Dyanmes with the orbital shooter is very coolThis one with the GN Armour Type D is awesome tooThis Exia is nicely painted as wellOther the sompetition entries, new upcoming model kits are on display too.Like MG Shin Musha on the left and MG Force Impulse on the right.1/100 Overflag on the left and a human sized Destiny Gundam on the right. Too bad the Destiny is not for sale. ^^;There’s also lots of SD Gundams on display too. I like this one very much. The dragon is so cool!Ok end of coverage. Btw, there’s a 20% discount for all gundam kits so if anyone is interested, do make a trip down and check it out yourself. ^^;Click here to hide
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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. Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone ~ Limited Pressing. I've seen the new Evangelion 1.0 movie, and subsequently had my socks knocked off. It's a total rebuild of the original, with *all* new footage and the highest quality standards imaginable. J-List is happy to have gotten our mitts on limited stock of the limited first edition, which comes with 2 DVDs, a deluxe boxed case, and -- get this -- real film from the movie. Sakura Lucky Cat Baby. The new Lucky Cat Baby is here, and he sure is cute! This al-new solar powered toy will wave good luck into your home or business, and he never needs batteries because he's solar powered. Rin Tohsaka 1/8 Cast-off Figure Maid ver. ~ Fate/Stay night. Wow, this is a real treat: a gorgeous new figure of Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night in a maid costume, which comes complete with stand. Best of all, this figure is cast-off-able, allowing you to have all kinds of fun. Hello Kitty Boiled Egg Shaper. Warning: another cool item for your bento. This time it's a mold that will turn hard boiled eggs into Hello Kitty shapes -- wow. Also can be used to make Hello Kitty onigiri. Dengeki Daioh June 2008. A popular huge manga magazine with 600+ pages of great comic art from Japan, this is Dengeki Daioh ("Electric Shock Great King"). Enjoy such hits as Gunslinger Girl, Jinki, EF - A Fairy Tale of the Two, the new Type-Moon manga, and of course Gurren Lagann. Plus, you get a figure from Jinki free with this issue! Hobby Japan June 2008. Then enjoy a rare single issue of Hobby Japan, the #1 hobby magazine in Japan that covers everything you need to know about plastic models, figures, and more. Lots of Gundam, Code Geass, and more. Myojo Jan 2008. The word for really good looking guys in Japanese is ike-men (EE-kay-men), which combines iketeru (a slang word for cool) and men which is face. That's what you'll see in the new issues of Myojo -- lots of good looking male models and Johnny's-kei stars, from Kat-Tun to Kinki Kids to V6 and more. DUEL LOVE. An innovative game for Nintendo DS owners that's an otome game, or a love simulator specifically made for girls. You're a new transfer student to the school, and you're surrounded by many hot guys. Whose heart will you win? Includes amazing "wipe sweat off their ribbed bodies" gameplay action using the stylus. New Japanese Snacks. Also, enjoy a new Italian Pizza flavored Meiji Kopan, which is really buono! Also, Hi-Chew in Golden Kiwi flavor and ramune flavored gummy globs with faces on them. Totoro 3D Bento Boxes, More. We've restocked both of the popular My Neighbor Totoro bento boxes today, as well as the "Trio Set" that gives you a spoon, fork and chopsticks for your bento. Also, more of those heavy duty chopsticks for men to use. Zippo Type Lighter ~ Japanese Navy Flag, Japan-America Friendship. Here are two high-quality Zippo-style lighters from Japan, featuring the flag of the Japanese Navy on one, and both the U.S. and Japanese flags on another. Fill with standard lighter fluid. (The lighters are shipped empty to you.) Restocked Japanese Traditional Items. Today we've gotten more of the Onegai JIZO Lucky Buddhist Monk figurines in, which are cute to display, as well as a great Sake Style Cup for enjoying rice wine, a Japanese keychain with the flag of the samurai group called Shinsengumi, and a noren curtain for adding privacy to your home. AGARI ~ High Grade Green Tea Powder (Restaurant Style). Yummy matcha (green tea) powder -- make your own tea ceremony! This is the stuff you get served in sushi shops, so you know it's good. Audio Companion for Kana Flashcards. One of the best ways to learn to read and write hiragana and katakana is the Kana Flashcards from White Rabbit, the gold standard of Japanese study cards. By customer request, we've gotten in the new Audio Companion for the Kana Flashcard series, which gives you valuable help in learning to pronounce Japanese correctly right from the start. Highly recommended item. iTunes Japan Music Cards. Up for some enka (iTunes link)? There's an excellent lineup of songs on the iTunes Japan store, which you can purchase from using the prepaid iTunes cards J-List sells, from greats like Sayuri Ishikawa to my own favorite, Ikuzo Yoshi, who often sings about the cold, lonliness of Japan's freezing northern regions. Yes, they sell the songs of Jero, the first black enka singer from the U.S. Zero(R2 ver.) Figure ~ Code Geass *Preorder*. For fans of Code Geass, here's the perfect Lelouch of the Rebellion figure. Absolutely perfect detailing, this figure stands a full 12 inches tall. Wow! Sasahiro Illustrations. A great art book the female "H" artist known as Sasahiro, who has created thousands of illustrations for popular eroge. Enjoy her first-ever published collection of her illustrations which will keep you gazing for hours. Panda & Frog *Sex Style* Green Tea Cups. There are 48 traditional positions in Japan, and you can see them illustrated by cute panda bears and frogs on these traditional Japanese green tea cups. Capoeira Love. Capoeira is a form of martial arts and dance from Brazil, and now Deep's has brought it to the AV world as well. Enjoy the spicy new concept that blends amazing dance and ero for you!
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About the Mangaka Azuma Mayumi started out life as an assistant for none other than Amano Kozue, the mastermind behind Aria and Aqua. As well as the Elemental Gelade series, which is still on going in Japan, she also created it’s spin off series; Elemental Gelade - Flag of Blue Sky. She also adapted the Star Ocean: [...]
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I simply couldn’t resist the temptation. Look below and you might just understand why. My loyalty lies with Nerv, hence the Nerv flag. The Rei and Kaworu poster, because Rei’s in it. The Asuka and Shinji poster’s to complement the former poster. That way, Rei’s beauty will stand out even more and I get to complete [...]
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Whatever could this ingenious tactical plan be?
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An official site was opened on Monday for eroanime brand Nihiki no Dozeu. The maker is the Anik subsidiary brand responsible for the production of the second episode of Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro that we've been reporting on over the past month or so, and is apparently taking over operations from the Amour brand as well (Anik subsidiary Suzuki Mirano remains a discrete entity; their flagship brand Himajin closed in 2006). This is all very confusing but it seems the upshot is that we can keep an eye on this new site for current and upcoming news on Anik brand releases. The second Soramizu episode is still on target for its June 27th release. (no more)
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Bento is the famous boxed lunch consumed millions of times daily across Japan, and fast becoming a sensation all over the world. As a rule, bento lunches in Japan are almost always comprised of a quantity of rice along with meat, fish, vegetables or other foods that go well with the rice, which is collectively called okazu, the "main course." Although there are endless varieties of bento you can create, there are several well-defined categories that I'll tell you about. The most basic type of bento there is is probably noriben, white rice with nori seaweed over the rice, which you can easily make at home. Another is toriben, essentially chicken with teriyaki sauce over rice, although one of the great mysteries of Japan is that no one seems to use the word teriyaki here. I love jubako, the "stackable" bento that comes on two or three levels, and you never know what the next section will contain until you open it -- it's quite fun. When my mother-in-law was growing up in the 50s, her family didn't have much money, so she had to eat hinomaru bento, or "Circle of the Sun" boxed lunch, which is a big section of white rice with a small, round ume-boshi (pickled Japanese plum) in the center, like the Japanese flag. In general, the kind of bento lunch most men would love to eat is called aisai bento, literally "loving wife lunch," the word for the delicious hand-made lunch a man's wife will make for him. If a married man is eating bento and a Japanese person passes by, there's a 77% chance they'll smirk and make a comment about how jealous they are that you're eating aisai bento and they're not.
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Aaaaaand I’m back with the last installment of my Projects. Those who have no idea what this is, you can refer to here and here. Warning! Long post! Took my time to do these 2 since reality has a habit of butting into my life. So first up would be Graham’s SVMS-01E Union Flag Custom. Before he got that [...]
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