In the vast world of anime figure collecting, male figures are a minority. finding out a male anime figure is being released is like seeing a picture of big foot, you think it's cool but you doubt it is real.I think that male figures are not that popular is because the figure companies know that they will not make a profit. So, was they do is that they make statues or cold cast figures and sell them at a very expensive price at a limited supply. The only male figures that will sell at bishounen characters or Kamina from Gurren Lagann.I have been seeing in the last 2 years a trend of male figures being made of older characters like Seiya, the guys from Fist of the North Star, Cobra, and the guys from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It seems that these figures are being made because of the nostalgic value to them. Can you name the figures below?The figures in the Picture above are the only male Figures I have. I only bought the one in the middle while the other two I got them for free. What are your thoughts on male anime figures?
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Naturally, the Japanese that's taught in textbooks isn't always the most natural-sounding, and I remember being frustrated by some of the language I was learning at college, which seemed to be too formal to me. I augmented my own studies by reading lots of manga in Japanese, a great way to expose one's self to the language as it's spoken since nearly all of what's written on the page is character dialogue, which gave me a model to use when speaking myself. (Plus reading manga is fun.) I'll never forget how taken aback my teacher was when I first asked her for help in understanding what I was reading in the comics, though: "That is not Japanese! You should not read it!" she said, refusing to even answer the question I had. Now looking back, I can understand her position somewhat, since when learning a foreign language it's important to avoid being rude when using words you might not understand completely, and erring on the side of politeness is never a bad idea. I certainly have offended more than one Japanese person by using all those cool words I learned from Fist of the North Star on them. The question I'd tried to ask my teacher back then was certainly one that would never have appeared in any textbook: it was the colloquialism tte, that is, a small pause and the syllable te, which is put on the ends of words or sentences. It's meaning can be quite complex, but it usually corresponds to "he said" or "or so I've heard." For example, if you are telling someone that you've heard this parfait shop is good, you can add tte to the end of a sentence, i.e. kono mise wa oishii tte, meaning, "They tell me that this shop is really delicious."
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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. Hai Hai Daisuki Akachan (Crawling Baby)-- Frog Green Pants. In Japanese, hai hai is the wound of a baby crawling, and these cute crawling babies are all the rage in Tokyo this season. They crawl just like the real things, shaking their butts as they crawl. So cute! Revoltech Kenshiro Fist of North Revolution. I'm a big fan of Fist of the North Star, the classic 80s anime and manga that combined a Mad Max world with martial arts and really strong men who look like Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and so on, and this new Revoltech figure is to die for -- make any pose at all! Megami Magazine Nov 2008. Oh yes, it's another issue of Megami Magazine, the #1 reserve subscription item we sell, since everyone just loves all the free posters and other stuff in each issue. This issue is bursting with great anime, like Zero no Tsukaima, Code Geass, Ikki Tousen Great Guardians, Platonic Heart, Rosaria and Vampire and of course Clannad After Story. egg Oct 2008. A gorgeous issue of egg (all in lower case), the smooth magazine of stylish Shibuya and Harajuku lifestyle, which shows you all the trends embraced by young people in Japan, especially the cute sub-set known as gyaru (or "gals"). The quality of the photography is top-notch. Aliens 1/12 Scale Power Loader. One of the most excellent toys ever made from the classic Aliens film, this is the fully detailed Power Loader used to combat the Alien queen in the final scene of the movie, which made everyone who loved Japanese anime robots know that their dreams would come true if they'd just be patient. Order this amazing toy now! Mizuho Kazami 1/7 Figure ~ Please Teacher. I'm a big fan of Please! Teacher and Please! Twins, having made a pilgrimage to Lake Kizaki, Nagano Prefecture, where the show was "filmed." This is a gorgeous Please Teacher figure of Kazami that's in stock and ready for you to order. But hurry, since (as usual) most of them sold out as preorders. Fate.T.Harlaown Figma Action Figure ~ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. For fans of the extremely awesome Figma toy line, we've gotten in this deluxe figure of Fate. T. Harlaown, also known as Fate Testarossa Harlaown, from the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime series, as well as Figma toys for Haruhi fans. These figures are amazing because you can put them in any pose you like. Great New Snacks & Gum. First, Glico (the Pocky people) have a super new snack for you: Prime Gauteau, delicious medallions of chocolate and cocoa and strawberry that will warm you all winter. Then enjoy great chewing gum from Japanese snack maker Bourbon, made with Japan-grown apples and peaches, and more amazing Meiji Copan ("small bread") in Mentaiko, a popular flavor from Kyushu. Japanese T-Shirt - Personal Health Instructor. Next, we've gotten a wacky new kanji T-shirt in San Diego: Personal Health Instructor, which is a euphemism for someone who gives, ah, private lessons. A fun T-shirt that could be the start of some interesting friendships with the Japanese coeds on campus. Japanese Paper Craft ~ Let's Make 2009's Calender. We sell a lot of traditional things from Japan because they're so darned cool. Here's a nice twist on origami that lets you make your own 2009 calendar, complete with a folded image of the Year of the Bull. It's fun! Code Geass Artbooks. We love Code Geass, the awesome anime by CLAMP and Sunrise that takes the medium to its highest point yet. For fans of the new Code Geass season 2 ("R2"), enjoy fresh stock of great artbooks that capture all the characters and story. Restocked Bento Boxes. Then see some great restocked bento box sets that come with everything you need to enjoy fun Japanese boxed lunch. See the Putifresh serires (puti meaning pucchi or small and cute). Also, the deluxe bento box we posted on Friday wasn't added to the site properly so we're posting it today. Mini Boiled Egg Shaper. In Asia, it's common for families to eat not just chicken eggs but also smaller eggs from quail, and this is a wacky bento "egg shaper" that will turn small eggs into cut characters for your lunch. You can also use it to press regular eggs into fun shapes (if you separate the whites), or use it as a mini onigiri presser to turn your everyday rice balls into something more interesting. Restocked Bento Accessories. Then see some fun items for your bento life, including our Monkey-shaped Furikake Bottle for bringing your favorite condiments with your lunch, onigiri shapers that turn boring rice balls into cute bears or flowers, and more. Japanese 3D Greeting Card ~ SAKURA. We always get requests for Japanese Christmas cards at J-List, so this year we're posting our offerings early. See some uniquely Japanese cards here, with beautiful holiday messages inside. Fresh Cuts Vol. 2. Enjoy the hottest indies music from Japan with this great release from JapanFiles, with such bands as Ketchup Mania, Dogg Bone, Rocket K, Swinging Popsicle and more. In stock in San Diego for you now. BAKKANTOU ~ Diet & Detox Germanium Hot Bath Salt. Here's an interesting way to experience your very own Japanese hot springs bath: a Hot Salt Bath that makes your body very hot as you sit in the tub and get clean. Fantastic new item for the onsen-curious. Great Anime Calendars (Clannad, More). J-List carries hundreds of the best anime, manga, traditional photo and other magazines for you. One of the most popular calendars this year has been Clannad, the beautiful game from Key that was turned into an anime in 2007, and the sequel is running right now. We've posted great photos from the new calendars, so browse them now! Other 2009 Calendars. We've got tons of other calendars on the site today too, including hot idols like Yoko Kumada and Rina Akiyama, art calenadrs by Seizo Watase and Kiyoshi Nakajima, JPOP legend Ayumi Hamasaki, and off-the-wall but fun calendars like Classic Japanese Cars or the New Roadmap of Japan. More than a dozen calendars are now in stock! Japanese Study Materials. Just a reminder that the Japanese Language Proficiency Test is coming up fast. If you need any tools to help you study, we've got them in stock right now, from study cards to the legendary Genki textbook series. Browse the top-selling study items now. Ceramic Totoro Music Boxes. J-List carries really great ceramic music boxes from Sun Arrow , and we've restocked several today, Wind them up hear beautiful Totoro music. Yuki Nagato 1/7 Figure Lolita Costume ver. *Preorder*. This is a great prepainted figure for Haruhi Suzumya fans: Yuki dressed in a really pretty ELG / Elegant Goth-Loli outfit. This figure is 1/7 scale, larger than usual and positively beautiful in its detail. Claire 1/8 Figure Excellent Model ~ Claymore *Preorder*. Claymore fans who missed out on getting this figure the first time have another chance, since the manufacturer will be reissuing it soon. Preorder your copy now! Restocked J-Snacks Finally, got restocked snack items for you, including the amazing Men's Pocky, Glico Breo breath mints in Peach Flavor, Choco Eggs with Super Mario toys inside, Glico Cratz snacks that go great with beer, and Cheeto's in Wasabi flavor (!). Sabra Magazine Nov 2008. Sabra is the #1 magazine of beautiful women in Japan, and each issue brings you amazing top-name swimsuit idols to fawn over. This is a special perfect-bound issue that focuses on Rio, aka Tina Yuzuki, the half Japanese, half Portuguese who is all woman, as well as Miu Nakamura, Aki Matsumoto, and Aki Hoshino. They also give you a free document protector starring Mikie Hara! Dengeki G's Festival vol. 13 ~ *Preorder*. Dengeki G's Festival is an awesome special issue of the popular anime and game magazine that comes with special extras. Vol. 13 will be released soon -- it comes with a free hug pillow from Koi Hime Musou, and since we expect it will be very popular, we're posting it for preorders now. Queen's Gate -- Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury). Fans of the Queen's Gate / Queen's Blade series, the best-selling Mai Shiranui artbook from Fatal Fury is back in stock. Amazing art on every page, and you can use the book as part of the Queen's Blade battle system, or just drool over the pages.
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Toy’s work is going to release the MM ( エムエム ) 1/8 PVC figure from the manga/anime “Kemeko-DX” ( ケメコデラックス ). Will be released in January 2009. Around 190mm tall, 9,980 yen. Anybody watch the anime? It’s sooooooo funny! However I don’t really like the CV of MM. I don’t think her voice really fit MM, [...] Related posts:Solid Works Collection DX Claymore bust statue trading figures by Toy’s works Toy's works is going to release the Solid Works...2008 Fall anime Part 3: Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh, Kurogane no Linebarrel, Kemeko Deluxe, Netsusou Kame 1 Grad Prix, Shugo Chara 2, Jigoku Shoujo 3 Mitsuganae, To Aru Majutsu no Index, Zettai Yareru Grecia Shinwa 2008 Fall anime Part 3: Hokuto no Ken Raoh...Ikkitousen (Dragon Destiny) Chouhi Ekitoku 1/8 PVC figure by Toy’s works Toy's works is going to release the SMC (Suger...Shakugan no Shana II Soild Works Collection DX trading figures by Toy’s Works Toy's Works is going to release the Shakugan no...Ikkitousen (Dragon Destiny) Kanu Unchou PVC figure by Toy’s works Toy's Works is going to release the SMC (Suger...
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…Or something. Just got a press release from CrunchyRoll announcing that the site has now partnered up with anime giant Toei to release some of the company’s biggest anime titles: Pretty Cure, Fist of the North Star, Slam Dunk, and Digimon Adventure. All of these series will be available on CrunchyRoll starting October 27th, and if [...]
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Revoltech Expo 2008 was held in Tokyo Anime Center on October 25th. In there we see a lot of new products from Kaiyodo! =D Fraulein Bunny Haruhi, waitness Mikuru, and bad witch Yuki Revoltech Queen’s Blade Reina, Ekidna, and Airi Revoltech Hokuto no Ken series And much more! Fraulein Bunny Haruhi, waitness Mikuru, and bad witch Yuki. Will be released [...] Related posts:Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Revoltech No.50 Gurren Lagann action figure by Kaiyodo Kaiyodo is going to release the Revoltech No.50 Gurren...Macross Revoltech No.51 Regult action figure by Kaiyodo Kaiyodo is going to release the Revoltech No.51 Regult...Street Fighter Online Revoltech SFO Teiran action figure by Kaiyodo Kaiyodo is going to release the Revoltech SFO Teiran...
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"This is the 'Riot Tour,' and I'm going to get riotous. Let's start a riot!" said Hirano Aya at the beginning of the first in her four-concert tour of Japan.It seems they did. The fans in the pit were so riotous that at one point someone was pushed to the ground and Aya had to ask if they were okay.As you can see from the photos, she was pulling out all the stops.It seems to have been a highly successful concert. Fans posting on 2channel were thrilled, and said her live singing and performing were getting better and better.Even someone who said he thought her work at last year's Suzumiya Haruhi concert was "awful" said that this year she had risen to "average." Lol. Hard work is part of who this woman is.She's not doing big halls -- this one was filled with 1200 people -- but sales are good enough that they have added Yokohama (16 Oct) to the original three-concert tour of Tokyo (Shibuya, 24 Oct), Nagoya (30 Oct), and Osaka (14 Nov). True to her ambitious nature, she said she wanted to do bigger and bigger venues. Aya, who tears up easily in performance, said she was determined not to cry...until Yokohama. I believe, without a lot of justification, that her family home is around there.Aya acted as her own MC, and according to a report on Sanspo said at one point that Hello! Project producer Tsunku♂, with whom she worked on her recent single, told her to let the rhythm soak into her whole body when she performed. Reports on 2channel suggest that is just what she did. In the Sanspo report it says that she wore three different pink lame dresses, and sang 17 songs. The concert lasted about two hours, and was entirely her and her new band, which is called Goshasei. This name means "Five Chariot Stars" and refers to Auriga, the charioteer constellation.This is also a reference to the Nantou Goshasei, a band of fighters in Fist of the North Star, which is one of Aaya's favorite manga series. She has said she hung out with the boys in junior high.Reports on 2channel were generally favorable about the band, and posts said that the drummer and lead guitarist were both excellent. Aya herself has been featuring the band in recent blog posts.There was a special section set aside for women, and a couple of posts on 2channel mentioned being surprised at how many female fans were there. Some girls even posted. Set list:1. LOVE★GUN2. Bouken Desho Desho?3. MonStAR4. Aimai Scream5. Namida, Namida, Namida6. God knows…7. Lost my music8. Maybe I can't good-bye.9. NEOPHILIA10. Harmonia vita11. Hoshi no Kakera12. Unnamed world13. HERO15. RIOT GIRLencore:16. For You17. Yorokobi no UtaMost photos above are from the Sanspo report. Below are some photos from Aya's blog, showing the band, and the final rehearsal. The last photo is of her at a pre-concert mini-live for the media. Below are some photos from her week of rehearsals, including shots of her sleeping, and of her poor feet: because her shoes were chafing her heels as she danced, she went barefoot -- which was almost as bad.
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After three episodes of most shows, 2channel has declared itself.The Japanese anime fans who post to that vast complex of message boards favor Clannad After Story and Gundam00 among new seasons of old shows.And among new shows, they like Toradora and Kannagi, with To Aru Majutsu no Index only a little behind.Threads for sequels tend to continue numbering from where the earlier series left off, so it is hard to tell how many posts a sequel really has. But in this case, Clannad and Gundam look to be far ahead, at 276 and 250 threads each (each thread holds a thousand posts), with ef - a tale of melodies at 46 and Rosario to Vampire 2 at 34.Among new shows, it is easier to see what's what, with Toradora and Kannagi in a virtual tie, at 27 and 26 threads, respectively. I myself think Kannagi is an outstanding moe comedy, with stunning animation, voice-acting, and storyboarding.To Aru Majutsu no Index has 21 threads and Kurogane no Linebarrels has 20, but that means that Linebarrels is sinking like a stone, since it had almost half that number before it aired. And Index is rising fast, probably due to its moe quotient, which is almost off the scale, especially for a show that involves fighting, as well.Ga-rei Zero, Hyakko, and Tales of the Abyss come in the next rank, at 12 and ten threads.Of course, TV ratings are quite different, as reported here, with the top-rated new shows being Nodame Cantabile Paris, Gundam 00 S2, Yozakura Quartet, Kuroshitsuji, One Outs, Mouryou no Hako, and Clannad.Here are the figures. Some shows are missing because I only report the hundred or so most recently posted-about shows:SequelsClannad After Story 276Gundam 00 250ef - a tale of melodies 46Rosario to Vampire 2 34Vampire Knight - Guilty 8Jigoku Shoujo 3 6Hokuto no Ken 3Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter 2New ShowsToradora 27Kannagi 26To Aru Majustsu no Index 21Kurogane no Linebarrels 20Ga-rei Zero 12Hyakko 10Tales of the Abyss 10Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka 8Shirabane Hime Aka 8Chaos: Head 7Kyou no Go no Ni 7Kemeko Deluxe 6Mouryou no Hako 6Kuroshitsuji 4Skip Beat 4Tentai Senshi Sun Red 4Yozakura Quartet 4Casshern Sins 3Michiko to Hatchin 3Tytania 3Hakushaku to Yousei 2Kurozuka 2Macademi Wasshoi 2One Outs 2Bihada Ichizoku 1
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This time in Anime Pulp: Badass Anime. That's right folks. We're doing New Fist of the North Star, a 3-part OVA based on the original television series Fist of the North Star. In a post-apocalyptic Earth, mankind is under constant oppression by tyrants who use the fact that they're three times the size of normal human beings and ride motorcycles. The star of the story is Kenshiro, a powerful man with a unique fighting style known as Hokuto Shinken. By controlling the area's water supply, a man named Sanga enslaves the villagers nearby in order to create his own fortified kingdom called Last Land. Now it is up to Kenshiro to save the heroes of the village and defeat the evil tyranny.We talk quite a bit before the review this time around. A woman in New York researching hentai wants your thoughts. Street Fighter IV to get its own anime. Nam reflects on the Answermans' thoughts on anime today.<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://pulpfortress.pu.funpic.org/Podcast/player.swf" id="audioplayer1" width="290" height="24"><param name="movie" value="http://pulpfortress.pu.funpic.org/Podcast/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&amp;soundFile=http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/22/406484/Podcast/09%20-%20Episode%2009%20-%20New%20Fist%20of%20the%20North%20StarShin%20Hokuto%20no%20Ken1.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object>Download Podcast (Right click: Save as)Time stamps for those who need it:(00:00-01:19) Intro music and introductions(01:20-31:54) What we've been watching(31:55-50:06) What's new(50:07-63:57) Spoiler-free review(63:58-72:21) Spoiler-filled review(72:22-75:53) Final thoughts and ratingOpening song: Kuusou Runba by Kenji Otsuki and Zetsubou Shoujo-tachiTransition: Lu:Na by GacktEnding Song: After, in the dark by Yoko Kanno
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