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Winter 2011 Anime Season – Concise First Impressions
Since I have only gotten around to doing a single First Impressions post, here are the rest of my first impressions put together in concise form.
The series I look forward to watching each week the most are listed first, and it goes down from there....
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 5 (The Great Buddha of Kamakura)
The Great Buddha of Kamakura was within walking distance of Hase-dera and was also our final stop in Kamakura.
It wasn’t as large as I expected when I first saw it in person.
You could pay a nominal fee to see the inside, but we opted out since i...
Happy Chinese New Year 2012!
Happy Chinese New Year!
I wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Year of the Dragon!
We only had a small family dinner this year. It seems as I get older, holidays and celebrations aren’t as big in my family anymore since everybody is busy working....
Figure Haven: January 2012 Shipment
The first shipment of 2012 has arrived!
January 2012′s Additions:
figma BRS2035
figma Homura Akemi
figma Rider
figma Saber: Armor Ver.
Fate/stay night: Rin Tohsaka ~Unlimited Blade Works~ [GSC]
Fate/stay night: Saber Alter ~Vortigern~ [GSC]
K-ON! U...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 5 (Kamakura: Hase-dera)
We left early in the morning on Day 5 to travel to Kamakura.
The train car was quite empty.
Upon arriving in Kamakura, we had our first experience of the small-town feel in Japan.
The first destination was to visit Hase-dera.
On the u...
Figure Haven x MFC – Picture Contest
We are sponsoring a 4-koma picture contest over at MyFigureCollection.net!
The prize is Good Smile Company’s Nendoroid Rinko Kobayakawa. The contest runs until the end of this month, so there’s ample time to get an entry in.
Follow the banner below...
Amagami SS+ plus – First Impressions
The Winter 2011 Anime Season is here with a whole slew of new series to watch, with my favorite so far being Amagami SS+ plus.
The format is similar to the first season except with only 2 episodes per heroine. Since it starts with Ayatsuji Tsukasa’s...
Working’!! – Final Impressions
Although I didn’t do a First Impressions post for Working’!!, I feel it deserves mentioning.
The core formula remains the same in the second season with the same cast of characters and only a few new faces. My thoughts about the first season over a...
Happy New Year 2012!
It’s the start of a brand new year!
Some highlights of 2011 for me include being a new exhibitor at Anime Expo, traveling to Japan for the first time, and surviving my first year working as a software engineer. What were your highlights of the year?...
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai – Final Impressions
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (also known as Haganai) was one of the three series I watched every week without exception.
The characters are the strong point of the show. From the clashes between Yozora and Sena to Rika’s outbursts, all their persona...
Figure Haven: December 2011 Shipment
Lots of restocks on popular figures as well as new additions!
December 2011′s Additions:
figma Hitagi Senjougahara
Bakemonogatari: Hitagi Senjougahara [GSC]
Bakemonogatari: Mayoi Hachikuji [GSC]
Black Rock Shooter: Animation ver. [GSC]
Black Rock S...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 4 (Yokohama Chinatown, Ikebukuro)
Continuing on from the previous Day 4 post, we took the train to Yokohama to visit the Chinatown there.
Unfortunately, we somehow got lost and ended up walking an extra 30 minutes.
The entrance to Chinatown was quite obvious and a welcome relief...
Merry Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone has an awesome Christmas weekend. Be sure to spend time with family, stay warm, and have fun!
As for me, I’ll probably be working on a few side projects and just having a Christmas dinner in the evening. Nothing too...
Mashiro-iro Symphony – Final Impressions
One thing I always look for in a visual novel adaptation is an ending where the main guy pairs up with a girl. Those open-ended non-endings where there’s a clueless guy surrounded by a harem are not to my liking.
When I first started Mashiro-iro Sym...
Winter 2011 Anime Season – A Concise Preview
The Winter 2011 Anime Season is soon upon us!
Amagami SS Plus – The first season was highly enjoyable with its innovative short arc format for each girl. I’m highly anticipating what the second season will bring.
Nisemonogatari – A must-watch for t...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 4 (Shinyokohama Ramen Museum)
Day 4 of our trip had an ambitious plan involving a visit to the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum, Yokohama Chinatown, and Ikebukuro.
Since I took a ton of photos, I’m splitting it up into multiple posts. This one will only cover the Ramen Museum.
The tra...
Figure Haven: December 2011 Kotobukiya Shipment
A couple new Kotobukiya figures arrived last week!
December 2011′s Additions:
Shining Wind: Blanc Neige Swimsuit ver.
Shining Hearts: Urayukihime Hayane
Shinryaku! Ika Musume: Ika Musume
Kotobukiya has been on a roll lately with their Blanc Neige...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 3
I’ve been back from Japan for over a month now and I’m only on Day 3 out of 11.
My goal is to speed these posts up before I forget things about the trip. Time constraints and all that, but here are my photos from Day 3.
We took an early morning t...
Rest of Fall 2011 Season – First Impressions
Once again in the interest of time, here are the rest of my first impressions on the series I’ve started watching this season.
Guilty Crown — One of the better shows this season. Interesting enough premise, lots of action, and crisp visuals. The on...
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam – First Impressions
For some reason, I was under the impression that Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam was going to be a movie after hearing about it premiering at this year’s Anime Expo. Since I was busy most of the time manning the Figure Haven booth, I was unable to attend...
Figure Haven: Black Friday 2011
For this year’s Black Friday, Figure Haven is running a free shipping promotion for any orders shipped in the United States. This promotion will last for 1 week, ending next Friday.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and maybe picked up some sl...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 2
The second day had a light schedule in order to recover from jet lag.
Our first stop was the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, which is around 50 minutes or so from Tokyo Station by train. You actually have to buy reserved tickets in advance if you want to v...
Mashiro-iro Symphony – First Impressions
Mashiro-iro Symphony is surprisingly good considering its visual novel origins.
I’m usually hesitant about these adaptations since I’ve seen many turn out poorly, but this one nails it.
The premise is nothing out of the ordinary:
One day, Shingo’s...
Figure Haven: November 2011 Shipment
I think this is one of our largest shipments yet!
November 2011′s Additions:
Bakemonogatari: Black Hanekawa [ALTER]
Bakemonogatari: Hitagi Senjougahara [ALTER]
Bakemonogatari: Tsubasa Hanekawa [GSC]
Black Rock Shooter: Strength -animation version-...
Japan Trip 2011 – Day 1
I finally got around to processing the photos I took during my time in Japan. My plan is to have them organized and put into separate posts according to which day I took them on.
So here goes!
We arrive at Narita Airport around 3:30 pm JST, which is...
Japan Trip 2011
I’m still doing some last minute packing since we’re leaving for the airport early in the morning tomorrow.
Here’s a more detailed itinerary with the major places we want to hit each day:
[Accommodations]
5 nights (Tokyo): Hotel Yanagibasi
1 night (...
Ben-To – First Impressions
After reading Ben-To‘s ridiculous premise, I dismissed it as a series I would potentially follow.
Nevertheless, I always give all anime a chance by watching a few episodes to see how it really is. Ben-To is one of those series where I’m glad I did....
Figure Haven: October 2011 Shipment
Lots of nendos and re-releases in this latest shipment!
October 2011′s Additions:
Code Geass: Lelouch Zero ver. [MegaHouse]
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun: Shirai Kuroko Maid ver. [Kotobukiya]
Bakemonogatari: Nadeko Sengoku [GSC] (Restocked!)
figma Miku...
Upcoming Japan Trip 2011
Around 3-4 weeks ago I decided that I needed a break from work and as a result I’ll be in Japan for 12 days.
I leave next Wednesday and won’t be back until the end of the month. A complete and detailed itinerary is still in the works, but I have a g...
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai – First Impressions
Another good series this season is Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai.
The general premise is that a transfer student named Kodaka and his classmate Yozora both have difficulty in making new friends, so they decide to make a club for people like themselve...
Figure Haven: Japan Shipment #2
These shipments arriving from Japan are more like “mini-shipments” that contain a few new figures and tapestries.
A couple more excellent figures have been added to our selection!
Gunslinger Girl: Triela [GSC]
Fractale: Nessa [GSC]
Nendoroid Morita...
Chihayafuru – First Impressions
Besides Fate/Zero, all the other new series this season have been disappointing so far. That is, until I saw Chihayafuru today.
The story is about a high school girl named Chihaya who plays karuta (a Japanese card game). She wants to start a karuta...
Fate/Zero – First Impressions
The Fall 2011 anime season is off to an amazing start with Fate/Zero!
Fate/Zero is a 25-episode prequel to Fate/stay night and tells the story of the 4th Holy Grail War. Seven magi and their summoned servants fight to obtain the legendary Holy Grail...
Mayo Chiki! – Final Impressions
Mayo Chiki! was entertaining to watch during its entire run. That’s the main reason I finished it versus falling behind on other series.
I usually don’t find these school romantic comedy shows with harem and ecchi aspects to be appealing, but this p...
Rou Kyuu Bu! – Final Impressions
At the start of the season, I didn’t even think I would finish Rou Kyuu Bu!, but I surprisingly liked it more than No.6.
There’s nothing really special about the series, but it has no major faults either. The story sticks with building up the girl’s...
No.6 – Final Impressions
What I thought would be one of my favorites this season instead turned out to be a disappointment.
The best thing No.6 had going for it was the futuristic city itself, which was not adequately explored. Multiple scenes focused on the honeycomb struc...




