Happy Halloween!

Oct 31, 2009

It's Halloween today! Day of witches, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, demons, and many others unearthly beings. After all, today is said to be the day when the border between our world and the other world is thinnest and the two worlds interact. Which means that witches and spirits appear in our world and do mischief and cause harm to people. That's why people started to wear costumes. They believed they would protect themselves if they disguised themselves as spiritual beings. Costumes have remained so far, but people wear them in order to entertain themselves. No need to fear any witches. Why? The answer is simple. Witches do not exist! And I'll deny their existence now. Repeat this, Bea- *cough* That cough of mine hasn't gone away yet.

Enjoy some Halloween-themed pictures!

Hatsune Miku

Touhou

Akiyama Mio

And a video, too! Warning: It's gore!

And some treatment after that bloody video.

And one more, that amazing recent Touhou Shadow Art Video, Bad Apple. In case you haven't seen it yet, do watch it now! That's an order!

So, once more. Happy Halloween!


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Anime Quotes Database

Oct 30, 2009

People die when they are killed

I believe there were times when you told yourself: "Oh, that XX, he had such an awesome remark. What was it again?" I bet it has happened to most of you. To me, it has. And not just once. At such times I would say that a database of anime and manga quotes would have helped. Now, one such database has been created. Check it out here!

AnimeQuotes.net database is divided into four parts, most memorable quotes, meaningful quotes, romantic quotes, and funny quotes. But you can also browse all the quotes by anime titles. The number of quotes is quite outstanding and it keeps growing, of course.

You, too, can lend a hand and contribute to the database by submitting a quote. Help it growing!

So, next time you want to remember a quote from anime and it just won't come to your mind, you can try looking at AnimeQuotes.net database.


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Pettanko Thursday - Nagi, Sumi, Yunyun

Oct 29, 2009

Nagi

Your regular portion of pettanko characters is here again, focusing on characters voiced by Tomatsu Haruka today. This seiyuu is quite a new face in the seiyuu world, having debuted in 2007 as Corticarte Apa Lagranges in anime Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica. Born on February 4, 1990, she was about 17 at the time of her debut. Since then, she has voiced several well-known characters, mainly in ecchi animes. Fresh voice for fresh girls? ^^ In 2008, Tomatsu graduated from high school in Ichinomiya city. Now, she lives in Tokyo where she also attends a university.

She has a blog diary, which she updates quite regularly.

Nagi

Probably best-known character voiced by Tomatsu Haruka is the insecure god, Nagi, from anime series based on the same named manga, Kannagi.

Nagi is a goddess who wakes up from a very long sleep, when a high school boy Jun uses a trunk from the sacred tree in which she has been enshrined as a material for a wooden sculpture. She is very angry at him that her tree was cut down, but she is quite amazed by having a body from flesh and blood at the same time.

Nagi says that she has a duty to cleanse the world of impurities. However, since her tree was cut down, her powers are diminished and it is difficult for her to eliminate the impurities on her own. Therefore, her awakener, Jun, to whom she has moved in, helps her catch the impurities, and she then exorcise them using a mahou-shoujo-themed staff she has put together.

Nagi

Nagi is not troubled only by the impurities. One of her other concerns is her feeling of inferiority, at least in terms of body proportions. This feeling was aggravated when she found Jun's hidden box with health material and examined its contents. Jun's collections seemed to be full of very well endowed girls and that left a scar on Nagi's heart.

Kuroi Sumi

Another flat-chested character who got her voice thanks to Tomatsu Haruka is Kuroi Sumi from perverted anime Moetan. Despite her appearance, Kuroi Sumi is a 17-year-old girl. She comes from a rich family and has a very spoiled personality. Her most favorite animal are cats and she loves everything that is cat-themed.

Kuroi Sumi

Sumi has become a magical girl and when she transforms her hair turns red from her natural blue. She also gets a mahou-shoujo outfit. However, the elevation, or rather evenness of her chest remains unchanged of course. She is known as Tempera Sumi in her magical form.

Yunyun

Tomatsu Haruka lent her voice to Yunyun from anime Canaan, too. Yunyun is an energetic, young girl, who does a lot of part-time jobs. She seems to like to visually enlarge her breasts by putting various edible objects, such as watermelons or nikumans, under her shirt.

She was experimented on in the past by a terrorist organization called Snake. Snake tested the effects of so-called Ua Virus. As a result, Yunyun has to take medicaments that suppress the symptoms of the virus infection. I won't tell you more about Yunyun because I think I've spoiled just enough and anymore would be too much.

Yunyun

Tomatsu Haruka has voiced many more characters, many of whom were much better developed than the three above, and you can check them out here.

This is all for today. Look forward to next PT.


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MSLN the Movie Double Release - figma Fate, Nendoroid Nanoha

figma Fate Testarossa the MOVIE

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha, previewed yesterday, and figma Fate Testarossa are up for preorders beginning today. Retail price for Nendoroid Nanoha is 3,500 yen, and she is due to February. Figma Fate Testarossa retails at 2,800 yen and is due to January.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha the MOVIE

You can get them at Hobby Search now, Nanoha, Fate. Or you can wait and try CDJapan, Play-Asia, or HLJ later.


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Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha Preview

Oct 28, 2009

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha

Mikatan's blog has been updated with news that many people have been hoping for since long ago. Nanoha is joining the party of Nendoroids.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha

She has 3 interchangeable faces, standard face, serious face, and closed eyes face. Nanoha is also well equipped. Her partner, Raising Heart, comes in the battling form, the form of magical staff, and you can choose between two of its modes. Either display it in Device Mode, or in Cannon Mode.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha

And that's not all. There is also Nanoha's Axel Fin, those small wings she uses to dodge an attack or perform instant movement.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha

Yuuno-kun in his ferret form is also included in this Nendoroid release. GSC have been very generous this time.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha

Preorders will begin tomorrow.

Nendoroid Takamachi Nanoha


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Test Your Otaku Knowledge!

A friend of mine gave me a link to a very interesting video on Nico Nico Douga. It's a test of your otaku knowledge. Do you know those tests were they show you a picture and you have to say what you see in it? This is quite similar. It's a series of pictures and as the line in the video says: "Understanding this picture means that you are an otaku." Most of the pictures refer to some characters, but there are a few tricky pictures, so watch careful.

Try counting how many you've got right. I've got 13, so I'm quite satisfied with my result, since there was a lot of old characters I hadn't seen before. But it pissed me off that I didn't get right two pictures, which I should have got right. I suppose that you will feel the same.

Anyways, enjoy it!

You need to have a NND account in order to see the video. If you don't have one and can't make one because you can't read Japanese, check this how-to.


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Chikan among Tokyo Police Anti-Chikan Troop

Oct 27, 2009

During an anti-chikan campaign carried out by Tokyo Metropolitan Police, one cop was spotted by his colleague taking up-skirt photos with his cellphone. The perpetrator broke his phone in half to destroy the evidence as soon as the other policeman approached him. Though, he later admitted to the charges, left his post and apologized. He even confessed that he had committed the same act more times in the past.

The incident occurred on September 18 on Hibiya Line in Tokyo. The charged sergeant, who served for an organized crime department, is going to be prosecuted under prefectural nuisance prevention ordinance.

Source: Japan Today


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Am I a Herbivorous Man? NO!

Oct 25, 2009

Kururugi Suzaku and Lelouch Lamperouge

I have read the article about top 10 traits that Japanese people put down to herbivorous men that appeared on Sankaku today and I have found out that I myself match all those 10 traits. So I wonder, does it make me a herbivorous man? I've never really thought about whether I'm herbivorous, or carnivorous. I am certainly somewhere in the middle, more herbivorous than carnivorous though. Nevertheless, the results of this survey somewhat differ from the picture of reality.

Let's go over the 10 traits and I will try to analyze myself. If you don't want to read it, skip to the link at the end.

1.He’s an indoor type.
Of course I am. If I were not an indoor type, I would pelt after a ball and play football (soccer) outside, in worse case hang around with some strange guys and take some addictives, instead of watching anime, browsing the Internet, reading manga online, playing visual novels, writing blog posts, follow the news about anime, games, and related merchandise industry, looking for various interesting ecchi material, and so on, and so on.

I am not the type that is reluctant to step outside of his house, not any hikikomori. I regularly attend the school, I attend my Japanese classes, I go out to a café with friends sometimes, I drop by grannie's place sometimes. But all of the things I've mentioned must be considered as being indoors. In my opinion, outdoor activities are things like jogging, doing some sports outdoors, strolling, cycling, hiking, etc. And I am not really fond of any of these. Therefore, I match the trait no.1. I am an indoor type.

2. He likes spending time in his room.
Yes, I do. Basically, I've already covered this point. In my room, I watch anime, play games, write blog posts, browse the Internet and so on. And I enjoy these activities, otherwise I wouldn't do them. Thus, I like spending time in my room.

3.His voice is quiet.
Yes, my voice is quiet. Not like that other people can hardly hear me. It's just I can't shout. If I were asked to yell, I wouldn't be able to do that. As if there was some kind of hindering device in my throat. I can raise my voice a bit only if someone else is shouting at me. But on the whole, my voice is quiet.

4. He arranges himself around his girlfriend.
Don't have a girlfriend, but if I had one I would act in an arranged way, dress tidily and behave myself. I think that it is the only way to maintain the relationship. Doing the contrary is like asking for a break-up.

5. He is weak to alcohol.
I don't like alcohol in the first place and I am weak to it. It makes me feel dizzy and that's the main reason why I dislike it.

6. He doesn’t play rough sports.
Well, I don't know where exactly is the line between rough sports and gentle sports, but I figure I don't play any of those that are considered rough. Which means, I don't play rugby, american football, box, ice-hockey, bondy-hockey, etc. Sometimes we play soccer or basketball at school, but these sports doesn't seem to be rough to me. Of course there are some injuries caused by opponents in soccer, but that is only on the professional level. When you play with friends, it's something different. Though, I admit that you can get hurt a bit. But you would have to be very unlucky to sustain a serious injury.

Nevertheless, I think I don't do any rough sports.

7. He likes flimsy pantsu.
If it means he likes to see girls wearing flimsy, revealing pantsu, then who wouldn't? Every man reading this article, can you say you don't like thin pantsu? And the answer "I don't. I prefer when girls wear nothing" doesn't count.

In case this is supposed to mean that he likes to wear then himself, then I don't meet this point. No matter how much I like sexy pantsu, there's no way I would be willing to wear it.

8. He’s a good listener.
People tell me I am. Probably, I am better at listening than at speaking.

9. He likes games.
Of course I do. No ado necessary.

10. He can’t decide what to eat at restaurants.
Yes, I have this problem. I'm very indecisive, perhaps even more when it comes to food. Whenever I'm at a restaurant, it takes me long to choose what to order. There's always more than one meal that would suit my tastes so I have trouble to decide on one of them. It's always like this: "This sounds good, I will have it. But wait, this might be good, too. Which shall I choose?... Even this must be good, there's no doubt about it... What shall I do? I can't choose one." So you see. It's quite bothersome as others have to wait until I decide. But there's just nothing I can do about it.

Okay, let's suppose that number 7 means 'he likes pantsu on girls', how many points have you scored? I've got about 9.5/10. Which means I could probably be regarded as a herbivorous man according to the results of this survey. However, the reality of what a true herbivorous man looks like is very far from this.


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Strike Witches Plush Dolls

Oct 24, 2009

Miyafuji Yoshika Plush Doll

Aoshima Bunkai Kyouzai company has announced they are producing plush dolls of characters from anime series Strike Witches. The first three plushies will be released in January and it will be Miyafuji Yoshika, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, and Sanya V. Litvyak. Next characters will follow and the company intends to release plush dolls of 11 characters.

Miyafuji Yoshika Plush Doll

The plush dolls will be 20 centimeters tall and they will be made from polyester. Each doll will be equipped with their detachable Striker Unit. Furthermore, Yoshika Miyafuji will also have her sailor hat.

The price is 3,900 yen for each.

Miyafuji Yoshika Plush Doll

Source: ANN


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Windows 7 Whopper in Action

Oct 23, 2009

Windows 7 Whopper

Microsoft have decided to promote their new OS Windows 7 in an extraordinary way. They have joined forces together with Burger Japan, where you can get a special Windows 7 Whopper now. This Whopper has seven patties inside, it measures 13 cm, and its weight is over 800 grams. Ideal for gluttons. Windows 7 Whopper is a limited action that lasts until October 28, so it lasts for 7 days.

This post wouldn't be complete without an actual video of somebody eating this gigantic burger. YouTube hasn't let me down and supplied me with these two videos. It's quite funny how they try to fit the large burger into their mouthes. Though, it looks a bit nasty.

Source: Japanator


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Pettanko Thursday - Yuki, Chiaki, Kuchinashi

Oct 22, 2009

Nagato Yuki

This week's Pettanko Thursday targets characters voiced by Chihara Minori. Some info about her: She was born on November 18, 1980. Besides her seiyuu career, she also follows the path of many seiyuu and works as a singer. Her father was a baseball coach and this probably led her to join the baseball club at junior high school. She played the center fielder.

Her best known role is undoubtedly Nagato Yuki in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. I don't think it is necessary to introduce this character, but here comes some details about her. She is a humanoid interface, or artificial human. She comes from space and is a member of an organization called Data Overmind. Her task is to observe a problematic girl, Suzumiya Haruhi, who can create enormous data quantities that could distort the entire universe from thin air.

Nagato shows some abnormal abilities, such as structural recomposition, surroundings alternation, or physical body reconstruction.

Nagato Yuki

However, when it comes to social contacts with other people, Yuki falls behind. I don't remember seeing her start a conversation. And when she's prompted to speak, she does so in the succinctest possible way.

Nagato Yuki

She doesn't really understand the principles of human world, social standards or backward human technology. She seems to be cold-hearted, but it is not the case. It's more accurate to say she is unable to express her feelings.

Nagato Yuki

Her hobby is reading. At least it seems so. It's hard to tell how much she enjoys it, because she never changes her expression. Neither when reading a book.

Minami Chiaki

Next very popular character voiced by Chihara Minori is Chiaki Minami from manga and anime Minami-ke. She comes from a family of three sisters and is the youngest of them, she attends elementary school. It's unknown to me where their parents disappeared to. I don't think it has been mentioned in the anime, and don't know what about manga version.

Despite being the youngest sister, she is the meanest of them. She often calls other people, particularly her older sister Kana, "bakayarou", which is a bit stronger form of "baka" (idiot).

Minami Chiaki

Chiaki is very intelligent and it makes her look down upon her idiotic friends and sister. Her condescend aura is so significant that her classmates sometimes call her "hime" (princess).

Minami Chiaki

She admires her oldest sister, Haruka, who acts as a mother for Chiaki and Kana. Haruka does basically all the chores. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, and so on. And she still manages to have excellent results at school. So it is only natural that Chiaki looks up to her.

Minami Chiaki

One more thing, Chiaki's stern look can inflict a lot of psychical damage.

Kuchinashi

The last girl today is Kuchinashi from ongoing anime series Needless. Her name means gardenia in Japanese, but at the same time it can mean voiceless or mute. And Kuchinashi seems to be unable to speak, but it is not actually true. Though she first spoke in episode 13.

Her fragment (fragments give special powers) is Fragrance, which gives her the ability to control other people's brain and nervous system once they inhale the fragrance she disperses.

Kuchinashi


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Shana, Kagami and Pumpkin Bread

Oct 21, 2009

It will be Halloween soon, which means the season of pumpkins. My mom has bought a gigantic monster pumpkin almost 10 kg in weight, and we've made a lot of various food from it. And there is still about a quarter left ^^ The pound cake resembling thing in the picture is actually a pumpkin bread, I think in the recipe they called it Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, and it is delicious. The spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove, have given it a very pleasant scent and its texture is agreeably moisty. Do you like pumpkin food? And how available are pumpkin in your area? Here, pumpkin is available only from late August until mid-November, so it is quite limited. Neither I have seen any can with pumpkin puree, so there is no way of making food from pumpkin off the season.

I did a short photo story featuring the pumpkin bread and figma Kagami and Nendo Shana. I didn't have much time so the montage didn't turn out too well, but I still hope that you will like it.


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Nendoroid Megurine Luka - Final Preview, Preorders Tomorrow

Oct 20, 2009

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

Reservations for Nendoroid Megurine Luka will open tomorrow. Finally. With this information, we have been also shown the optional faces, which remained secret up to now. So, what are we going to get besides Puchi Tako Luka that has been revealed before? Some pretty amazing stuff, I tell you.

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

The second face is "Singing Luka". She has closed eyes and sings her heart out. Looks very dignified, doesn't she? You can very easily perceive her mature aura when she wears this face. Simply lovely.

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

Her third face is the exact opposite of the stately second face. However, it's extremely adorable. Those watery eyes and wishful expression make her extraordinarily cute. This face is based upon Luka's appearance in her song Double Lariat, which I love.

You can recreate this video with Luka Nendoroid as shown in this video at Nico Nico Douga.

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

Luka's faces are interchangeable with other Nendoroids. Particularly the third face is very useful to make other Nendoroids look very funny and lovable. I wonder how Shana would look with this face.

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

Nendoroid Megurine Luka

Source + more photos at Mikatan's blog.


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