figma Tohsaka Rin School Uniform ver.

Max Factory has released figma Tohsaka Rin normal clothes ver. from visual novel and anime Fate/Stay Night sometime in late August this year, but what about this school uniform version?

Find it out after the break~


This figma Rin school uniform ver. is modified by MAX from Toysdaily forum, after he complained that there's not enough Rin figures in school uniform ^^;;

The parts he used is from a trading figure of Rin from the Type-Moon Collection shokugan by Alter, which costs about 840 Yen each and was released in January 2007 (What is shokugan?). Pictures of the shokugan collection can be seen via Hobbylink Japan or Hobby Search.


Non-scale Tohsaka Rin from Alter Type-Moon Collection
Image via Hobby Search

Comparison side-by-side...


It is clearly seen that the modder has exchanged the limbs and the head of the trading figure with the figma ones, and due to the similarity in scales the mod works very well~ Like the figma Lacus Clyne, this one can almost fool me as an official product!

Before and after:

Another amazing figma modification work there. Would you prefer Rin in casual wear or in school uniform?

More pictures available on Toysdaily forum
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MS IGLOO 2 Episode 2 Trailer

UPDATED: YouTube Trailer added!


Trailer for the upcoming 2nd episode of Gundam OVA series MS IGLOO 2 is now up on dot-anime. With the previous episode having anti-MS infantry ditching against the Zakus, this one will feature the battles between the Earth Federation's Type-61 tanks and Zeon's Zaku.

Screenshots after the jump.



The name of the second episode is called 「陸の王者、前へ！」, which roughly means "Rulers of the Land, Forward!" (name translation from Gundam|News). The main character here is Herman Yandell, a commander of a tank unit from 44th Mechanized Composite Regiment, which happens to be the same regiment the previous protagonist Ben Barberry belongs to.

The double-barreled Type-61 tank has made recurring appearances in the original Gundam series and 08th MS Team, though only as a cannon fodder. With this time coming back as the protagonist's main ride, I wonder how it fares this time compared to anti-MS squad in the previous episode?


Type-61 vs Zaku II
Images from MS IGLOO 2 official site

「陸の王者、前へ！」 will be released on DVDs and Blu-Ray DVDs on 23rd January 2009.

The ending theme this time will be "Places in the Heart" by Kakijima Shinji (柿島伸次), and the single will be released on 21st January. There are no YouTube videos of the trailer at the moment, but if one does come out successfully I will insert one here. Trailer can be found at the end of post.

For the previous episode of MS IGLOO 2, Anime History has a very good review on it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfZ1v14ahc
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Marrying a 2D character

Image from Sankaku Complex

About a month ago a person of the name 高下太一 created an online petition for the right to marry 2D characters.

The petition comes with the following text (without translation bit):

もはや、僕たちは三次元には興味がありません。
We don't have interest in the 3D world.
できるならば、二次元の世界の住人になりたいとすら考えています。
If possible, I want to become the husband of a 2D character.

しかしながら、現在の科学技術ではそれは実現されそうにはありません。
そこで、せめて二次元キャラとの結婚を法的に認めてもらうことはできないでしょうか？
Does not look like this matter can be solved with today's science and technology so at least make it legal to marry a 2D character.

もし、これが実現したら企画者は、朝比奈みくると結婚する予定です。
If this law is passed then I want to marry Asahina Mikuru...

Translations from Danny Choo

The petition is filed under Human Rights on the online petition website "署名TV" and it can be found here. If it reaches 1 million signatures, then the petition will be submitted to the Japanese government.

This very soon hit the otakusphere, with a lot of sites and blogs mentioning about it including Danny Choo and Sankaku Complex. Even Yahoo! Hong Kong News has reported that over 1000 people have signed the petition within a week.


"No, Yuji is MINE!"
From Shana imageboard

It has been a little over a month now, and there are over 2800 signatures on it as of now. While it's not as explosive as the numbers first seen after a week, it's still a huge number compared to other petitions under the same category. However, if the rate is to continue at 3000 a month, then it would take over 20 years for the petition to reach 1000000 signatures. Talk about waiting -_-;;

On a side note, 高下太一 has also created another petition on the same day, which was to propose the removal of mosaic/censoring on adult videos, but this has received much fewer signatures at the moment.


As far as I know, signing the petition requires registration, and after that just click on the orange button to submit your signature to it. You can sign it anonymously by ticking the first checkbox. The second checkbox just saves your name for further petitions in the cache should you put your name on the textbox while submitting.

So, would you support this guy's petition and sign it? Or would you find his idea a bit too crazy to handle? ^^;;
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November Fatigue

It's that time of the year when the day gets shorter and shorter, and yet things get busier and busier as well. Inevitably, I'll get tired over the period, and my mind activity begins to slow down...

And yes, as the picture as hinted, I've recently resumed watching Nanoha, but I've been really slow on it ^^;;

(Warning: Random pictures ahead!)


I'm so tired I'd sleep on an anti-tank mine!
From Battlegroup42 Forum (game mod forum)


I know I shouldn't have taken guard duty today!
(some old Counter-Strike: Source screenshot I took many moons ago)


Allelujah: "Oh noes. My head's spinning..."
Lockon: "Told you not to play so much eroge last night!"
From Random Curiosity


Konata couldn't withstand the might of sleepiness...
From Tedfox


Even Danny the Trooper needs to take a break
From Danny Choo

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All I want is a good night sleep without having to worry about anything, just like Vivio sleeping happily with Fate, but one can only hope. ^^;;

Vivio is sooo lucky...
From Meronpan

Even a pat on the head will be a blessing to me already.

Matsuri: Don't worry. You're gonna be fine~
For those who don't know, Matsuri is from anime/manga called Sola.
From Random Curiosity
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Melonpan & Pineapple Bun

If she's not holding a katana, she will be holding one of those.
Those who have watched Shakugan no Shana will know that melonpan is: Shana's favourite food - sweet, hard crusted baked bread with typical cross hatch pattern on top.



Melonpan or meronpan (メロンパン), as described in Wikipedia, are inexpensive, sweet bakery products made from an enriched dough covered in a thin layer of crispy cookie dough. Having a shape that's like a melon, its name actually comes from two different languages: "meron" from English for melon, and "pan" from Portugese for bread (pão). Those sweet hard-crusted bread are what Shana loves.

Although it is originally not melon-flavoured, manufacturers and bakeries begin to add variation to melonpan with different flavours (mostly melon) or different fillings. In the more western regions of Japan, they're usually called "sunrise" (サンライズ) due to its different local appearance.


Melonpan can be seen now and then in anime
Images from Gelbooru





On the other hand...







Pronounced as "bo lo baau" or "bo lo bao" in Cantonese, pineapple bun (菠蘿包) is the Hong Kong equivalent of the Japanese melonpan, where "Bo Lo" means pineapple (菠蘿), and "Baau" or "Bao" means bread or bun (包). The checkered pineapple-like surface of the crusts gives name to this pastry. Just like melonpan, they're named after their appearance, not their ingredients or flavours.

Compared to melonpan, pineapple bun has a thin golden-brown crust made from egg and sugar, which is actually a seperate layer to the bun itself. I remember how I used to just peel off the crust and eat it bit by bit because it was so sweet (yet it's high in calorie) ^^;;


Despite the similarities between the two, melonpan and pineapple buns did not base their origin from each other. Maybe it's because of that I never see a melonpan in Hong Kong, nor do I see a pineapple bun in Japan.

Have you had a melonpan or a pineapple bun before? If so, how's it like for you?
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Kugimiya Disease

Kugimiya Disease (釘宮病) is a deadly disease in the otaku culture, and is particularly well known in Japanese and Chinese communities. Those who find the voice of seiyuu (voice actress) Kugimiya Rie (釘宮理恵) moe tend to be victims of the disease.

The origin of the disease was known to have come from Saimoe 2007, where 3 characters voiced by Kuhimiya Rie have come prominent in the competition. Those 3 character are the most well known (and deadlist) strains of the notorious illness:

1. S-type: Shana from Shakugan no Shana
2. L-type: Louise from Zero no Tsukaima
3. N-type: Nagi from Hayate the Combat Butler (aka Hayate no Gotoku!)

The "Big Three" of Kugimiya Disease
Via Uncyclopedia

Common victims of Kugimiya disease tend to have the following symptons:

• Tend to take a liking of young, flat-chested tsundere type of girls
  
• Won't get enough of scolding from various tsundere characters
• Won't get enough of notable Kugimiya quotes such as "Urusai! Urusai! Urusai"
  
  

Like flu, the Kugimiya disease has different strains, as the seiyuu has voiced other chracters.


Can you recognise all of the characters here?
Via Uncyclopedia

Samples of Kugimiya Disease featuring Nagi, Shana, Iori Minase (from Idolmaster), and excessive amount of Louise.
Warning: Take the dosage at your own risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzw0BAUVMHI

Instead of taking precautions of the disease, Sofmap took the oppurtunity to promote the virus by bundling everything Kugimiya-related media in one place!

The "Kugimiya Corner" in Sofmap Amusement Kan
Via AkibaBlog


DVDs can be seen bundled together in one place, with a sign on top explaining what the disease is about.

So far there is no known cure for the disease. Various attempts, including taking more dosage of the virus, quarantine, or infusing with other seiyuu diseases, have little effect.

Of course there's one new strain that should not be ignored:

The T-type Taiga Aisaka from Toradora! fits in the typical Kugimiya style of tsundere character. This new strain could cause a new epidemic if left uncontrolled.
Image from Danny Choo

Are you a victim of the notorious Kugimiya Disease, and if so which type(s) are you affected by?
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Anime I'm Watching

It has been a hectic week for me so far, and this has kept me occupied from trying to do my own stuff... Badly orz.

Nevertheless I have been watching a few anime that are currently airing whenever I have the time, typically in the weekends. Due to the fact that time is not a luxury I enjoy, I am just keeping track of a few titles at the moment.

Gundam 00 Season 2

Following closely after the end of Code Geass R2, Gundam 00 resumes its series on the Sunday timeslot. Set 4 years after the end of the first series, the second season has made an explosive start with the new Gundams rolling out against the unified Federation's independent security preservation force A-LAWS.

There are already a lot of promises that this may outdo the first season, and with a lot of things yet to explain from the last season, as well as the strange designs and gimmicks from the new mechs, Gundam 00 will hopefully keep me entertained for the rest of the 20 weeks.


Clannad: After Story

Despite the great things I've heard from the first season of Clannad, I left it for the summer as I was watching Gundam 00 and Shakugan no Shana Second already. I admit that I had a problem trying to remember all the names at the beginning, but I got over that eventually ^^;;

I enjoyed the first season quite a bit, despite it not being my preferred genre at all. The second season would focus on Tomoya's relationship with Nagisa, as well as other character's storyline (like the first season). Although I have been partially spoiled on what would have happened at the end, I'm still looking forward to this Kyoto Animation (KyoAni)'s production.


MS IGLOO 2

Definitely not gonna be the killer series, but as a military and a Gundam fan, this military science fiction will be a hit for me. Set in the early stages of the One Year War from the original Gundam series, MS IGLOO 2 will focus on the Earth Federation soldiers. As I've yet to see a coverage on the first episode of this low profile series, I would like to blog on this sometime soon.


Eve no Jikan

In a not-too-distant future, andriods co-exist with humans. Although they are human-like, andriods are generally treated like tools. Those people who have feelings or affection towards andriods are considered socially unacceptable. The main character Rikuo has an android called Sammy, and one day he notices on the activity log that she starts to behave strangely, and tracked her path to a strange cafe, where there is to be no discrimination between humans and androids.

This is an ONA (Original Net Animation) recommended by a friend of mine. Again this is not a genre I've touched upon often, but the concept seems interesting as Rikuo tries to explore this grey area between humans and andriod. So far two episodes have been aired so far, and I'm not sure when the 3rd one will come out.

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So that's two on-going series and two that are released periodically for me. I do wish I have time to try out others, such as Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka or Toradora!, and many other older series. How many anime are you currently watching this season? I hope that you're not in a tight schedule as I do though.
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