Nendoroid Shana

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I knew this would come soon or later: A new figure is coming up on the Nendoroid line. This time it's the flaming hair Shana, which will be released in November.

Nendoroid is a series of figures under Good Smile Company, well known for the chibi size with big heads. I haven't planned to get any in the series, but they are quite popular among figurine collectors for their cuteness and chibiness. Radiant Dreamer has even mentioned how his Nendoroid Miku has helped him to improve on his art perceptions and painting skills!

This chibi-looking figure heavily resembles Shana-tan from Shakugan no Shana-tan (spinoff specials of the original anime). Fans can get their own 1/1 real size Shana-tan!


Shana without the black coat and katana.
The usual tsuntsun look is there on her tsundere face.


"Grrrr" - To be honest I didn't expect this kind of face to feature on this Nendoroid o_o
Is she angry because I called her a tsundere?


Another "Grrrr" pose, with a finger pointing at you.
A melonpan will cure the problem for her.


ウルチャイ!　ウルチャイ!　ウルチャイ！　(Uruchai Uruchai Uruchai)
"Chut up, chut up, chut up!"

The retail price for this Shana is 3500 Yen according to official site, which is about the usual price for a Nendoroid. Nendoroids are generally more expensive than the figma series; the Nagato witch ver. Figma mentioned before (which is currently the most expensive figma excluding the PS2 exclusive Haruhi) is cheaper than this by 500 Yen.

There is also a normal hair version of her (with a happy face and a melonpan) as seen in Danny Choo, which is only available via Dengeki Daiou (電撃大王) magazine. I usually like Shana with her flaming hair, but for this time it's the black hair version that has drawn more of my attention. Shana fans will not be too happy with it being a limited release though.

All images are from Hobby Search

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Local Modeler Show

Not far from where I live there is a small exhibition called "Local Modeler Show" which features a mixture of models made by the Hongkongers. Unfortunately what you see here is literally the entire exhibition, but there are some interesting models despite the small size.



1/100 Dynames Gundam with camouflage-like patterns. Those dual pistols are still reminding me of the Strike Noir Gundam.


A 1/144 Zaku II in desert colour. Perhaps it's a knock to the MG Zaku II Katsumi Kawaguchi ver. as reported in Ngee Khiong's blog?


This interesting "Gouf Test Type" is based on the Gouf Flight Type. The sword/chain whip hybrid is from Kakouon Giros of the SD Gundam line.


Custom painted 1/300 Zakus on the left, and part of the S.O.G. 1/300 Collection on the right.


1/35 Gundam head of GP-04 .


I am not too sure, but this should be a customised work from the Extended MSIA Freedom.




Various 1/35 military models are displayed in a seperate glass case. I can't decide on my favourite out of them; they are all in exceptional quality!


A small number of 1/12 motorbikes as well as 1/72 warplanes are displayed as well.

As I've hinted above, that's pretty much the majority. I wished that the glass cases are not positioned against the walls, as there are a few other models towards the back of the cases that are too far to examine. But overall it's an interesting exihibition for a random passer-by to have a look at.

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1/8 Kotobukiya Candy Shana

Although I am not exactly a figurine collecter, I have been wanting to get a good figure of Shana (from Shakugan no Shana) for a while. My first choice would have been the one from Max Factory after reading Valiant Ho's review on it, but alas it was sold out so quickly on the net that the price was getting skyrocket high. Nevertheless I got my eyes on this 1/8 Kotonukiya Candy Shana when I was in Akihabara last month. Knowing that I won't always be in Tokyo, I can't afford to miss the chance.


This Shana ~Candy Bikini Ver.~ was released sometime in February this year, which comes with a sandy-looking base, a katana, and a hermit crab. The box isn't very big, due to the fact that Shana isn't a tall character and is in a kneeling pose. This is my first time doing a review and a photoshoot on a figure (and with a new camera as well), so the quality may be a bit wonky.

Her bikini is in a darker blue than the prototype mentioned in Danny Choo last October. I was hoping that the colour would remain the same to show a sharp contrast against her semi-transparent hair, but a dark blue is fine for me. Whether she is tying her top piece up or going the other way round is up to your imagination.


Her pendant is attached to her hair by a small peg, which is not obvious unless it is observed at very close range.


Can't say much about the expression, but she seems to have a very faint blush on her face.


The base has a sandy-looking setting that resembles a beach. A small hole is there so you can put either the tiny hermit crab or the long katana (Nietono no Shana) in it. You can even turn the base into a military diorama, but that is a completely different story.


Overall I am pleased with the figure and it is a good buy. There is also a variant of this figure with black hair and a banana boat, which you can have a look via Danny Choo (prototype) or Hobby Search (actual product). I personally prefer her flaming hair, but I do know that there are quite a lot of people (including Danny Choo himself) who prefer her hair in black.


The lighting stuff is inspired by Valiant Ho's photo booth, which is based on a tutorial from Happy Soda. I have compromised it so much that it literally is just a desk lamp and a printed A4 sheet from quick and poor use of Photoshop (as shown above). However without their sources and passion on figures such post may never have happened.

I also have to thank Radiant Dreamer and his hobby group Anime Figurines Network for their share of interests and photos. Without them I may not even bother wondering why people collect figures in the first place like I do with my 1/144 tanks.

All photos available via Q's Random Photos

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Human Tetris

It was over half a year ago where I've watched a video of crazy TGM 3 Tetris Arika gameplay from Shadowzo's blog, and got myself to look up more Tetris on YouTube. It was because of this I've bumped into Human Tetris; a Japanese game show where contestants (mostly comedians) must pass through odd shapes in a moving wall.


The rule is pretty simple; a huge wall with a hole of some shape(s) comes charging at the player, who is standing on a red zone near the edge of the water.


The player must go through the hole when the wall reaches the red zone in order to clear the round.


If he can't pass through the hole, he would get pushed back by the wall and fall into the water. Fail!

For this occasion I've embedded 6 of my favourites. Will you last long enough to watch them all?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll2kajMH2u0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB3Ir3sRIJo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo8CwjblMlI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bekQU9l8hk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bekQU9l8hk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG0guVq_0uo

Still not enough? There's more out there on YouTube. Search them up!

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More info on Gundam 00 PS2 game

Following closely to the announcement of the new Gundam 00 game, Gunota Headlines has reported about in-game screenshots of Gundam Kyrios and Dynames from Famitsu.com.



Kyrios in Action Movie mode. It looks like that you have to hit the button at the right time (or follow a chain of commands correctly) to get max damage output. A common feature for many action/fighting games.


The GN shield is a notorious weapon for Kyrios in close combat, often used by "the other side" of its pilot. I wonder whether it will use its beam sabre?


Gundam Dynames about to launch a Action Movie move. No pictures available on how the actual sequence would look like.


The dual wielding GN pistols often remind me of Strike Noir gundam.

The official website of the game seems to be up, but there is no content other than the index page as of today.

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As far as I know there has been a mixed response on this game. A number of people worried that this game will turn out to be any of the following:

Confusing controls like Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow

Simply an enhanced version of the NDS counterpart

A generic hack and slash game like the Musou series

Fan-oriented

I personally will like to see Gundam 00 in a VS series like the Renpou vs ZAFT II, but that perhaps isn't too far away as the latest one, Gundam vs Gundam, has the highest potential for such instalments.

All images are from Famitsu.com.

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Gundam 00 PS2 game announced

Info from Gunota Headlines has revealed that a Gundam 00 game is currently in development for PS2 console by the name of "Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters".

Developed by Yuke's (which is well known for wrestling games such as the WWE series), the game will be released in October, which covers the entire first season of the anime as well as original game scenarios. So far the protagonists' Gundams are announced to be the only playable MS, but I think it is likely that the Thrones and the GN-004 will be available as unlocks.


One known feature is the Action Movie. By attacking and defeating enemies one can charge up the AM-Guage that can be used to perform interactive special attacks and/or combos via key input.


Gameplay screenshots of Exia Gundam. The duel with Throne Zwei as well as the Trans-Am mode can be seen.


Gameplay screenshots of Virtue Gundam. Screenshots depict the battle in Moralia as well as the space battles against GN-X.


I'm slightly surprised that they are developing the game on a PS2 platform rather than on any seventh generation consoles. Since this is all we've got so far, it's difficult to judge how the game really looks like until we get some in-game video footage. According to the footer on the magazine scans, the development progress is now up to 70%, so things should go pretty smoothly for an October release.


Famitsu magazine scans from Games Animation Forum

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Figma Nagato Witch Ver.

For those who are a fan of Nagato Yuki from the Haruhi Suzumiya anime and franchise, you may be interested at this second Figma of her, which is available for the lads attending this year's Wonfest (Wonder Festival) in August. Not to worry; the general release will be sometime in September.

Figma is a series of posable figures under Max Factory of Good Smile Company. They are well known for great articulations and posability without exposing much of the joints. I have bought myself a Figma Haruhi last month in Nakano Broadway during the trip in Tokyo for 1895 Yen, which I find it a pretty good deal. No photos though as I have yet to buy a new camera.

Unlike the school uniform Nagato, this version comes in a witch costume (instead of a cardigan) over her uniform with an electric guitar as seen in the anime episode "Live Alive". Some other accessories are from the episode "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00".



The two signs are labelled "Yamatsuchi Model Shop" and "Daimori Electronics Shop", which appear as sponsors for The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00.


A magic wand and a tea set. Notice that the pointy hat and the mantle are removable.

And last but not least...

Shamisen the male calico cat.

The retail price for this Nagato according to the official site is 3000 Yen, which is currently the most expensive Figma on the line so far (excluding the roleplay Haruhi which is a PS2 exclusive one). This is most likely due to the fact that it is the Figma that has the most accessories in the line, as well as being granted an early release in Wonfest.

Alternatively, you can get the cheaper normal school uniform Figma Nagato which comes with 2 books and a folding chair, as well as optional garments such as spectacles and school loafers. Both versions are recommended if you like Nagato, but you'd better pre-order the witch one quickly in case of reservations closing earlier than expected as a result of overwhelming number of orders.

All images are from Hobby Search
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1/35 Lancelot

It's not until reading Ngee Khiong's blog have I become more aware of Bandai's continual extensive reuse of
old parts to release new model kits. The 1/35 Lancelot from popular anime series Code
Geass (and its sequel Code Geass R2, which is currently airing) is a good example to show this.


1/35 Lancelot, released in May 2007
Image via Bandai Hobby


1/35 Lancelot Royal Coating Version, released in Feburary 2008
Same as the previous release but with a prettier coating. The price is on par to Master Grade gundam models.
Image via Bandai Hobby


1/35 Lancelot Air Cavalry, released in March 2008
Out just one month after Royal Coating Version, it features the Float system as well as Blaze Luminous shield.
Image via Bandai Hobby


UPDATED: 1/35 Lancelot Conquista, to be released in August 2008
An upgrade to Air Cavalry. It features a Hadron Blaster cannon on top of the Float system.
Image via Bandai Hobby


1/35 Lancelot "Zero Image Colour" version, to be released on 8th August 2008
Aka "Black Knight" version. Literally the same as the first Lancelot but black instead of white. The person on the left is Jun Fukuyama (福山潤), who is the seiyuu for the main character Lelouch Lamperouge. This is also reported on Ngee Khiong's blog.
Image via Toysdaily


I am not a fan of Lancelot, but the design isn't bad at all for a non-Gundam mecha. However the prices are considerably higher than any of the High Grade 1/144 Gundam model lines, which stand about the same height as the 1/35 Code Geass models. One can see that Bandai is releasing the same thing again and again with just small variations. I am pretty sure that there will be at least one more Lancelot model release in the future, featuring new wing-like system on the back (as seen in the new opening of the second season from DarkMirage).

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Guncannon Mass Production Type

Inspired by 08th MS Team anime and the Wii game MS戦線0079 (MS Frontline 0079), I have bought a 1/144 HGUC Guncannon Mass Production Type as well as a Gundam Ground Type in a local hobby store few weeks ago to make up a mobile suit team based, and for a change I have decided to give them a jungle / woodland colour scheme rather than those used in their respective original animation (which are pretty flashy for war machines).

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Planning:
Well there isn't much; I have been procrastinating most of the time while stuck on how to use the Photoshop. After some simple fiddling, I've got the first draft done on the left. The blog readers in dannychoo.com seem to be quite happy with the concept. So I went ahead and materialised it.



I want to give it a heavier weapon rather than the 90mm machinegun which came with the kit. Knowing that the 08th MS Team GM Sniper (which I have bought in Japan last month) has a nice variety of weapons, I've decided to give the Guncannon a bazooka, and it fits nicely on the trigger hand. The second draft on the right is made after assembling the model. I might do some colouring on it in the future.

The Guncannon itself is more or less assembled, but it still has a lot of red parts to paint over as I spray painted the entire runner instead of spraying individual pieces. Only the torso is okay and this is the only picture I have managed to pull off with my malfunctioned camera, which has more or less met the end of its service during the trip to Japan last month.

The Gundam Ground Type is gonna be next once I've finished the touchups on the Guncannon. I am still discussing with Ngee Khiong on the colour scheme and hopefully the plan will materialise smoothly.
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Gundam 00 Season 1

Although I've finished the first season of Gundam 00 shortly after it finished airing in March, I've decided to repost my thoughts on it. Directed by Seiji Mizushima (well known for Full Metal Alchemist and Shaman King) and with over 300 staff members, how does this new Gundam series fare?

Gundam 00, pronounced "Gundam Double O", sets the story in AD 2307, which is the first time a Gundam series is set on a non-fictional era. By that time fossil fuels are depleted, and humanity now relies on solar power generation systems supported by orbital elevators, each owned by one of the three major factions on Earth: the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations, the Human Reform League, and the Advanced European Union. However, not all countries are able to enjoy the benefits of this system, and military conflicts emerge in various places for energy and power. Arising out of the conflict, a mysterious military organization known as Celestial Being appears, with an ambitious goal to eradicate warfare using technologically superior mobile suits called Gundam.

The brand new gundam series has been quite an excitement for me, even though most of the staff (along with the director himself) are new to Gundam, which is shown by distinctive and unusual mecha designs. Shown in HD (High Definition), the animation and graphics are in general above standard, especially during fight scenes. Combined with the music by Kenji Kawai, battles shown in the series are breathtaking with fluent animation and speed, especially with the one-on-one duels and the fights towards the end. The politcal settings and backgrounds introduced early in the series are interesting and convincing, but they are soon forgotten near midway through the series. One interesting thing to note is that there are no real "good" and "evil" (with a few exceptions); the Celestial Being isn't necessarily the good side, nor the three factions are depicted as either extremes, which has brought the story away from being one-sided.

One concern I do have with the Gundam 00 is the lack of character development. The series tend to jump around a lot as it shifts from one character to another; some scenes or dialogs trying to show more about the character sometimes seem slightly forced to me. The protagonist, Setsuna F Seiei, doesn't seem too much like a main character (perhaps it's just me), and my impression of him has simply ended up as "I am the Gundam guy"... Maybe he'll do better in the next season.

Unlike the rest of the Gundam series, this particular one is split into two seasons of 25 episodes. The first season ended up a little rushed and with some stuff left short, which is a bit of a pity for its potential. However, the epilogue has shown us new stuff to anticipate for the next season in October. Overall, this has been an interesting Gundam series to watch, and I really am looking forward to the next season.

Characters and Gundams from left to right: Lockon Stratos with Dynames, Allelujah Haptism with Kyrios, Setsuna F Seiei with Exia, and Tieria Erde with Virtue

Website: http://www.gundam00.net/
(Screenshots from http://randomc.animeblogger.net/)
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Rebirth

For those of you who are wondering about the whereabouts of my previous blog (known as Q's Random Journal under the same url), I have pretty much removed it and gave it a new start. One of the primary reasons is that over these 4 years I have been in a state of astray and have no sense of focus or direction of where I want to head for. After a heavy consideration this has been given a new birth.

The title "Daybreak's Bell" comes from a song of the same name from J-Rock band L'arc~en~Ciel, which I have witnessed them performing during the TOUR 2008 L'7~Trans ASIA via PARIS concert in Hong Kong. I have originally given it "get out from the shell", but was against the idea at the end of the day as it was a bit too long for a title. The name of the song has a symbolism of some sort (for me) to hint that a new beginning has arrived.

I will share my interest of anime-related news or items to my fellow readers, as well as tidbits of Hong Kong (where I live) and Japan if possible, where both have influenced me to a certain degree. I am sorry if you are disappointed by this sudden change, but I will do my best share what I want to share to the community.

Since Daybreak's Bell is the opening song of the anime Gundam 00, let's have a look at it in the next post.

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