Benjamin Chu
[GSC] Nendoroid Kuroyukihime
I am a sucker for cute things. Even worse off I am also a sucker for Accel World goodies, so as soon as Good Smile Company released their version of Nendoroid Kuroyukihime. I was INSTANTLY sold.
Just look at dress! How elaborate and detailed it is! It has everything from the butterflies climbing up the dress, to the the folds on the fabric. Even the umbrella is embellished a little.
More info and photos inside.
Fate/Zero Opening Singer LiSA is Coming to America!
SANTA MONICA, CA (March 31, 2012) – Fans of the hit anime series Fate/Zero can really look forward to this summer. At her recent concert at the Anime Contents Expo in Japan, Recording Artist and Fate/Zero opening singer LiSA has announced her US debut appearance at Anime Expo 2012 in Los Angeles. In celebration of this occasion, just in time for her appearance at Anime Expo, Aniplex of America is bringing LiSA's music to North America. From her full-length album to her chart toping single release, North American fans will have the opportunity to own their very own copy of LiSA.
Pre-orders for all the SKUs starts Monday, April 2nd.
Four of LiSA's releases will be imported to North America. Two of the releases will be Limited Edition combos which includes a Blu-Ray or DVD depending on the release. The imported releases will be all available on May 1st. In addition, the official digital downloads of LiSA's music is coming soon. Release dates and titles are listed below.
Akihabara's Good Smile Cafe [Madoka x Type-Moon]
Though a little dated, better late than never. As with every winter, I make a yearly trip back to Asia and I always stop by Japan for a couple of days just to indulge myself in the wonderful place known as Akihabara. This time was no exception and with the short time I had, I made a quick stop over to Akihabara's Good Smile Cafe.
Akihabara is a constantly changing within Tokyo, and sometimes shops move around throughout the years, therefore, here is a convenient map for exactly where the Akihabara Good Smile Cafe is. Keep note, the pictures were taken in December of 2011. The location may have changed since I last visited.
I also happened to make several trips to Taiwan's newly opened Good Smile Cafe. Full review of the place can be found here:
http://www.t-ono.net/Anime-News/Taipei-s-Good-Smile-Cafe-Madoka-Cafe.html
Photos after the break.
[GSC] Nendoroid Sakura Shinguji & Koubu Set
Anime fans from the 90s rejoice! Good Smile Company has put their best foot forward and made a return to anime from the good old days. Like a blast from the past, pre-orders for Nendoroid Sakura Shinguji from the popular series Sakura Taisen is open! Any serious anime fan from the 90s will remember this monumental Japanese franchise. From Visual Novels, to Dating Sims to Tactical Role-Playing Games, Sakura Taisen has done them all.
ClariS Set - Irony Ver. Nendoroid Petites
Alice and Clara are definitely special. Being the popular junior high idol unit known as ClariS, they have been made famous by singing the opening songs for popular anime series such as Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. In tandem with their recent single release, Good Smile Company has created the vessel for their Nendoroid debut.
More information and photos after the jump.
[KOTO] 1/8 Takamachi Nanoha -School Uniform- PVC
Figures from the series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha seem to never stop releasing, maybe because most of them are either insanely cute and/or well sculptured. In any event, this time around Kotobukiya has released yet another Nanoha centered figure. It is a 1/8 Scale PVC figure of Nanoha in her School uniform. Struck in a moving pose, this figure is sure to attract even the not-so-hardcore fans.
Nanoha is casted here as if she is just on her way to school; with a slice of bread in her mouth, Yuuno (in Ferret form) sticking out from her bag and a fluttering skirt, this is a must buy in my book. The face carries a surprised but very cute expression. Promo photos show a very decent paint job on the demo model; however, we shall see how she turns out on the mass production line. Kotobukiya has their hit and misses, hopefully this one will turn out to be a hit.
Scaled at 1/8 for a retail price at 5,800 yen, this figure is actually on the expensive side. There isn't much complexity to the figure and it doesn't come with an elaborate base. With the current exchange rate, this is an expensive buy. Several online retailers should have it for a little bit cheaper, so check your favorite web retailer. Even though this figure is slated to be released in January of 2012, pre-orders have already started.
More photos after the jump.
[GSC] Katsura Hinagiku Nendoroid
At number 125, Good Smile Company has released the Katsura Hinagiku Nendoroid! From the popular series, Hayate no Gotoku!, Hinagiku quickly stole the spot light from Nagi. Being the first Nendoroid of the anime series to reach retail shelves, Hinagiku will be the favorite for a long time.
As the student council president, Katsura Hinagiku comes with a variety of facial expressions; from her normal face, to embarrassment, to anger. Also included are her favorite beloved wooden/bamboo swords and an optional nekomimi headpiece.
This figure is up for pre-order right now at your local online retailers for about ~3,600 yen.
More pictures below...
[GSC] Nendoroid Petit Angel Beats! Set 02
Goodsmile Company's latest release comes in the form of another Nendoroid Petit set! This time they release the 2nd set of Angel Beats! characters. This time the set features Tenshi, the flat-chested student council president, Otonashi, the main protagonist of the series, and finally the adorable vocalist and guitarist of the band Girls Dead Monster, Yui!
Each figure comes with optional items, such as Tenshi's Hand Sonic parts, Otonashi's gun and Yui's guitar, allowing for a variety of different poses and scenes to be remade in Nendoroid form. Tenshi also comes with two facial expressions: her standard emotionless face, as well as the smiling face that she showed in the final episode.
I'd personally say this set is far better than the first one, given they put Yui, Otonashi and Tenshi together in a single set. I was thinking they would've split these characters up, considering their popularity. But no matter, the set retails for 2,000 yen at your local hobby shops and is available for pre-order right now! The petit set should be set for release sometime in November. Keep your wallets full as there are sure to be more sets coming in the future!
Akio Watanabe: Bakemonogatari Animation Director Interview
Apart from the impressive official guests at this year's Anime Expo, English visual novel publisher MangaGamer brough their own all star line of guests including Akio Watanabe. Watanabe has provided character designs for series including Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Magical Canan, Nurse Witch Komugi, and Popotan. He is probably most well known for his recent work as Animation Director and Character Designer for the highly successful anime adaptation of Bakemonogatari. Each DVD release in Japan has seen a rough average of 40,000 copies sold the first week of its release! See what he had to say in our brief interview with Watanabe!
[GSC] Nendoroid Petit Racing Miku Set 2010 Version
Good Smile Company really likes teasing us. Posted on their Facebook page, they recently uploaded pictures of their latest Nendoroid Petit set: Racing Miku Set 2010 Version. Featuring Miku, Rin and Luka all in racing/pit-stop outfits, this set is sure to be another hit. Like the previous Nendoroid Petit Miku Racing set, this package also features another Nendoroid race car. Users that missed out on the exclusive and limited full-sized Nendoroid Racing Miku now have a chance to recapture her in petit form! The release date and exclusiveness for this Nendoroid Petit set is unknown, but usually when Good Smile Company posts images on their Facebook, the figure in question becomes available for pre-order in a couple of days. So keep your eyes peeled and check your local online retailer.