Figure Review: Horo 1/8 PVC by Kotobukiya

One might have already guessed, but photography, image editing, and most things that have to do with multimedia is not my field of expertise. I’ve been using a camera-phone for most of my posts, and obviously as a result, most of my images lack quality. So now that I have acquired a digital camera, you would expect the quality of the images to increase right? Well, right. The pics I took today of lovely goddess Horo are far superior to any of the other figurine reviews I have previously done, but with that said, I still need some advice, and some help on how to get the best out of my new digital camera. Some advice on how to optimize images on photoshop would also be helpful. Also helpful  tips on scanning, would be doubly helpful.

With that said, let’s get on with the review! Remember, don’t hound me for not bringing in A+ material to the game, I’m still relatively new to digital photography, and if the images appear to be sub-standard, please bear with me. I’m still learning how to use this new beast.

Figurines, Figurines, and more Figurines…

I wish someone would translate this…

I’ve been busy these days with work and school, so I haven’t had much time to blog, plus I’ve been sick for the past few days, which has only made things worse. Luckily I feel much better, and decided to review a figurine to celebrate. I did happen to get a digital camera, so the picture quality will be substantially better, although not by much since I am still getting used to it.

I bought a good deal of figurines over the past 2 months, and here is a brief rundown of them.

Moe Moe Uniform Picture Book: Moe Moe Figurine Hunt

That sure is moe alright…

As I promised I have returned with freshly baked scans and a review on the “Moe Moe Uniforms Picture Book” A brief synopsis of the book is as follows: “A picture book that introduces an array of Moe Uniforms at its best! Comes with an array of unique costumes such as Sailorfuku, Maid Cafe, and famous fast food restaurant uniforms!”

Format: Softcover,
ISBN: 978-4-8614-6130-9
Publisher: © Eagle Publishing, 10/23/2007
176 pages (Color 128 pages)5-1/8″ x 11-1/2″
Japanese text

So thats a brief look into it, the book comes with a snall poster in the inside fold, and has 8 chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a certain kind of uniform ranging from school unfiroms, to various random cute shit.

Shikabane Hime: Episode 1

What a badass title screen. That is seriously pretty fucking badass.

Every so often a show will come along and that will have a genuine charm and draw. However, it seems that the shows charm is only picked up by a select few individuals, while everyone else just passes it by. Shikabane Hime is one of these shows. Even before I saw the first episode, I remember telling myself, what a delightfully simple concept. A girl has to kill 108 corpses in order to be allowed to go to heaven.

Toradora! – 1/8 Aisaka Taiga PVC Figure

Ara Ara~

Egad! Two reviews in one day? You sure are an overzealous one John. In any case, I bought this Taiga figure quite a while ago, but since the show has started airing I thought it would be a good idea to bust it out an do a review on it. So here we go!

The figurine is absolutely adorable, and is probably the best one I own. Then again, I don’t own that many figurines to begin with, so it’s no wonder. It was made by Max Factory and I bought it for 50 dollars. Once again, it’s a bit overpriced compared to other stores, but since I dislike buying things online, I had to go into an actual shop and purchase it that way. It was the last one left, so I feel very happy. The figurine is great, and I don’t really have any qualms with it. Great quality plastic, and Taiga’s expression and pose is just moe to the max. We are talking about nosebleed inducing goodness. I recommend anyone who is a fan of the show, or who just likes collecting figurines to go out and buy it, either online, or in a store. I might not be a figurine expert, but the novelty of having a figurine like this is just too hard to pass up. Taiga is absolutely <3. How I adore her. Anyway, here is a gallery from my craptastic camera phone. Maybe I’ll take new pictures with a decent camera later. A cell phone really doesn’t do this figurine justice.

Haruhi Suzumiya: Extra Figure Live Alive

The whole gangs here!

So this is the first of a series of reviews I will be releasing every day. Today’s item is a Haruhi figurine obtained from Anime Jungle. It cost 22 dollars, which is a bit overpriced, but it’s still quite cheap. There are a few inconsistencies in the paint as well as some general oddities, but for the price it’s quite good. I didn’t expect it to be perfect. I decided to buy this on a whim, but I’m pleased with the purchase. Overall the figurine isn’t of the best I’ve bought, but by no means is it bad. My only one real complaint is the fact that Haruhi’s face seems a bit…off? It doesn’t seem natural, but it’s a slight discomfort. Overall it was a great purchase, so no worries. I normally wouldn’t recommend this kind of figurine, but because it is so cheap, I say go ahead and buy it. Pics after the jump~

Serial Experiments Lain: Review

Today’s Feature: Serial Experiments Lain

The original thinking man’s anime

Introduction: I find myself typing this review thinking more about the conceptuality of existence, than the anime itself. Above all, there are two standards I hold true for anime. There are anime that simply entertain for the sake of enjoyment, and there are anime that stretches the boundary of human imagination. Serial Experiments Lain falls in the latter category and for this reason Serial Experiments Lain stands out as a true classic.
Serial Experiments Lain pushes the envelope of what the perceived notion of what can be done with television as a medium. The show doesn’t just provide entertainment; it provides insight, and profound views and beliefs about technology and the role it plays in society. With that said its time to get on with the review.

Spice and Wolf: Review

Todays Feature: Spice and Wolf

I wish I was in that cart…

Prerequisite: There is nothing I love more than being pleasantly surprised by anime, and Spice and Wolf delivers on all fronts, even managing to excel in some areas. Spice and Wolf certainly has captured my heart, and with a collection of memorable characters, charming and witty dialogue, and beautifully detailed scenarios, Spice and Wolf is a definite step ahead of most anime and deserves to go down in the books as a classic, if not a genre breaking show…CONT.