Primo Familia

after last week's recap episode, i sorta expected that they were going into filler-mode much like the Arcobaleno trial arc.

true enough, this week's ep178 is the start of the Primo Familia arc.

not that i'm complaining.

if you've been following the reborn manga, you would know that the future arc ended 2 weeks ago and the most unresolved thing was that Amano-sensei DID NOT show the future form of Tsuna. and i'm fairly sure i'm not the only one who's badly disappointed.

with the new Primo Familia arc, we get to see Vongola Primo, AKA "what-Tsuna-would-probably-look-like-TYL". not forgetting the Primo Guardians, who all bear similarities to their Decimo counter-parts.

this week also marks the start of the new OP and ED. once again, the ED shined through as the better song, and also the better sequence.

here's a group photo of the Primo Familia from the ED.


but my favorite scene is actually a continuation from the previous ED.

from the previous gr8 story ED, the Decimo Familia group photo.


from the current Familia ED, Varia barging into the photo session.


haha.

Italian 101:
Primo - First; Decimo - Tenth; Familia - Family

Marineford Arc FINISHED!

in case you haven't already known, the Marineford arc has finally come to an end at Chapter 580!!

man, Odacchi better be getting back to the rest of the crew soon.

yes i know.

i'm already said this before.

yes i know.

i'm ranting.

GIVE ME SANJI BACK!!!

Nodame Finale

as i've been expecting all along, Chiaki's dad didn't appear at all in the Finale.

it did irked me as i've previously blogged about, but the last episode sort-of made up for not extending it to a 24-episodes series.

i thought it was very fitting that they ended with Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, which Chiaki and Nodame performed in the very first episode in Season 1. thankfully, they did a totally different arrangement and not use the same one from before.

and yes, i'm still hoping for another season or at least an OVA. like i said, there is the Opera-hen side story that is currently under-going in KISS magazine, so not that they would have a lack of materials to work on.

for now, we can just wait for the second movie and the unaired episode that will be bundled with the first DVD that will be shipping out on Apr 7.

it's titled "Mine to Kiyora no Saikai" ("Mine and Kiyora's Reunion"). not sure whether it will follow the manga story, but at least it redeems pulling Kiyora out from the Finale series.

Winter wrap-up

so these two weeks would be all the wrap-ups of most Winter series, and some others from last Fall.

shows that i am hoping for a Season 2,
1) Kimi ni Todoke!! (come on! everyone wants to see them really together!)
2) Kobato (an OVA perhaps? since it's already an anime-original ending)
3) Nodame Cantabile!! (hey! they definitely should continue the Opera-hen side story)

i'm kinda excited for the upcoming Spring season, even though the number of shows that have sparked my interest have decreased significantly over the years.

either i'm becoming more picky, or the number of shows being released every season have decreased.

*shrugs*

oh well, all the more reason for me to watching more dorama.

ohohohohohoho.

show stealer

from Reborn Episode 176.


OMG KAKKOI!!!


Mukuro's CV, Iida Toshinobu, sounds so so sexy.


confrontation with Byakuran!

OP Impel Down Submarine Prison

this thing is tall.

the Impel Down Submarine Prison.

front and back view

Hetalia Ep 52

Episode 52: Canada makes a new friend?

and...
MU-KYAA!!! Holy Roman Empire and Chibitalia!!!!

updated on 05/04/2010: last episode of Season 2. now that i think of it, it is befitting to have HRE and Chibitalia appear.

a test of patience

that's what the Nodame movie is about.

because there's at least a 3-month wait before anyone in SG will get to watch the grand finale in the 2nd movie!

well, at least the 2nd movie is going to include the Kiyora violin competition. that'll make up for not seeing it in the anime finale. HA!

and, i could recognize at least one voice seiyuu, Fujita Yoshinori, that dubbed for one of the french oboe player in Marlet orchestra. incidentally, he is also the seiyuu for Masumi-chan in the Nodame anime.

Tamaki Hiroshi has also improved his "conducting" skills. it actually looks like he's really conducting a proper orchestra now instead of just flapping his hands around. mwahahaaha!

but me and lydia concluded that he lost a bit of weight since the last time he was in the special. he really needs to put it back on.

*sighs*

3 months.

Hetalia Ep 51

finally! the veoh video is loading!

here's to a fun-filled season 3!
updated on 05/04/2010: this is the second last episode of Season 2.

Episode 51: Italy is sick

the bulk of the video is focused on America and Japan though.
America-kun is really terrified of horror.

One Piece re-reads

i love re-reading manga.

as i'm quite a fast reader, i tend to not notice much details during the first read-through of any given manga.

so now that there's nothing much to catch up on, since most of the books are being published at near snail-rate, i finally have the time to do a proper re-read of the One Piece manga.

nevermind that i should be concentrating on reading my Sunday School MBA (Make Bible Alive, NOT Master of Business Administration) course literature instead.

i know. i'm a procrastinator and in self-denial.

i promise i'll try to start reading by at least next week. *cross fingers*

anyway, back to One Piece.

currently at vol 6, i'm fully enjoying the intro of Sanji and the Baratie history. and of course after that, comes the first real arc where Mr Arlong will come in.

hmm. maybe i need to supplement with watching the anime at the same time. shall have to think about that.

AND, i've only discovered this from reading the SBS in vol 6.

in terms of drawing, Odaachi is almost always 3 chapters ahead of the current chapter in Shonen JUMP!

that's damn fast!

is that a usual thing or is it the same with the other shonen mangakas?

in any case, i'm very impressed!

go Odacchi!! get the Epic arc over already!

we want back the Strawhats crew!

more importantly,

give me back SANJI!!

----------------------------------

*coughs*

*change of tone*

on another note, i'm going to watch the Nodame film with the Hong sisters tomorrow night. that's provided Miss Ruth don't PS at the last minute.

she better not. i will most definitely scream at her if she does.

OP Anime Heroes ~Skypiea Arc~

as i've mentioned before, this is my favorite arc in the One Piece storyline.

presenting the Anime Heroes ~Skypiea Arc~


1st row (L->R), Gan Fall, Conis, Wiper, Karugara, Norla (snake), Montblanc Norland, Montblanc Cricket, Bellamy
2nd row (L->R), Pierre, Nami, Usoppu, Luffy, Sanji, Robin, Zoro, Chopper
3rd row (L->R), Shura, Gedatsu, Eneru, Ohm, Satori, Maxim


Strawhat Pirates.

Going Merry-go in a park

news from ANN:

"the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly in southwestern Japan discussed a plan to erect a pirate ship from the One Piece anime series at a city park. A citizens' group has been pushing a plan to erect a replica of the manga's Going Merry (Merry Go in English) ship at Karashima Park in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto City — the birthplace of One Piece's creator, Eiichiro Oda."

unbelievable.

but how cool that's gonna be!!!

pity it probably wouldn't be erected before our trip in Oct.

i'm still hoping for Laguna Theme Park to extend the One Piece Attraction to end of the year.

CLAMP combi

in case you haven't already known from the obvious change in the blog picture, and the even more obvious mentions throughout the blog,

i'm a huge CLAMP fan.

the ones who caught my eyes this time was Sumomo and Kotoko from Chobits.

so, it was time to get my less-than-desired photoshop skills to work again.

and no, i haven't gotten any better since the last time.

thankfully, this didn't need much editing except for some simple cropping.

kawaii!!

OP Obahan Time

another omake under the Mugiwara Theatre, the Obahan Time.


(L->R), Chopamori, Robino, Sanjida, Zoroyama, Usokawa, Luffyzaki

aerial shot, to see the dishes on the table.


Zoroyama & Sanjida

as what ah gu said, the most okama-looking obahans.

Chopamori & Robino

Robino's head is super heavy and always falls off the tatami.

Usokawa & Luffyzaki

the best looking obahans of the lot. at least you know they look good in make-up. mwahahahaha.

Skypiea Anime Heroes up next~

One Piece Manga #57

and another record first week sales for Odacchi and Shueisha.

1.69 million copies.



as much as i'm happy about it, the current arc is getting a little out of hand that. so much so that i'm starting to dread it.

and i can't remember if there ever was a time when i wanted an OP arc to be over.

Odacchi need to wrap this up soon.

MOVE ON!

OP Mugiwara Theatre Time

been so busy over the weekend that i haven't had chance to unwrap all the gashapons i've picked up on friday. so instead of an all-in-one post, here's each of them separately.

Mugiwara Theatre Time

Sanji-kun


kawaii!


i didn't get the whole set, which includes Luffy, Nami, Zoro and Robin, but i couldn't resist this.

USOPP!


better view of his nose. haha.


another angle.


i hate to be unfaithful.

but i gotta say, Usopp looks cuter here!

i'm sorry Sanji!!

to make up for it, i promise to take lots of photos when this comes in July.

KYAA!! Sanji Strong World POP!!!
this looks even better than the NEO Sanji.

*drools*

Obahan Time coming up next~

it's a good thing...

... that i'm not that into nendoroids as most other otakus.

it's also a good thing that Good Smile Company doesn't produce any One Piece or Bleach or Reborn nendoroids. i would definitely be unable to resist it.

just like how i was unable to resist this.

the Junjou Romantica Petit Nendoroids!


KYAA!! KAWAII!!

these will be mine to behold in Aug.

i should seriously consider getting some nendoroids when i go japan in Oct.

hmm...

Nodame Cantabile The Final Score Part 1 Trailer

in anticipation of the movie opening next week.

NEXT THURSDAY!!!

WOHOO!!!

think i'll go re-watch the special just to recap.

MU-KYAA!!!!

Yamanade Episode 7

Kame-chan definitely looks better in short hair.



he looks almost like Takuya in his Good Luck! drama. he just needs the pilot uniform.

allow me to swoon one more time.

OMG!! KAME-CHAN!!



ep7 is by far the best for now. lots of character developments has happened, and the most important is definitely Kyohei's feelings towards Sunako in this particular episode.

one of the cute scenes in ep7.


he looks good even in specs!


and for the record, i am totally convinced by Omasa Aya now. she's really brilliant in bringing Sunako to life.

apologies for my lousy pictures. i'm terrible at getting screencaps.

Roar Roar's Top 10 Bishojos (2010)

the ladies are out~~

Roar Roar's Top 10 Bishojos (2010)

01) Noda Megumi (Nodame Cantabile)

affectionately known as Nodame, i’ve been hooked since the very first episode. almost always associated with her trademark “MU-KYAAs!” and “GYA-BOs!”, you will love her for all her funny antics, just like Chiaki did.

selling at LiveJournal

not much there yet, but i'm using my LiveJournal page as a gateway to sell stuff.

besides extra gashapon items, both mine and ah gu's, i might occasionally put up some of the freebies from random JUMP magazines like Hana to Yume, LALA or Asuka.

and it's just easier to cross-post to the LJ communities where i lurk.
mwahahahahaha.

feel free to take a look around once in a while.

Roar Roar's Top 10 Bishonens (2010)

many of the bishonens from the first list may not be here anymore, but that doesn’t mean i like them any lesser. it just meant they’ve taken a backseat to the newer bishonens that have emerged in the past 5 years.

Top 10 Bishonens (2010)

01) Sanji (One Piece)

HA! as if anyone thought for any moment that Sanji was gonna move down from his top place. nope, he’s still my man. i’m getting withdrawals though. he and the other Strawhat crew have been missing for the longest time. *sighs* Odacchi needs to get back to them soon.

Roar Roar's Top 10 Chibis & Mascots (2010)

it's been too long, 5 years, since the first Top 10 list.

i had all along wanted to do an update, with my last saved MSword document being dated in 2007, so you can pretty much guess how it was forgotten for the last 3 years. until now.

anyway, the first of the Top 10 lists i'll be updating in the next few posts. starting with the easiest of them.

Top 10 Chibis & Mascots (2010)

01) Potemayo (Potemayo)

it was a tough fight between Chibitalia and her, but Potemayo won with her cute dance routines.
"ho-ni, ho-ni!"

i hate it...

... when they remove manga parts i like in the anime version.

they are totally skipped Kiyora's violin competition part (Chp111-114) in the Nodame Finale.

this is why it should have been a 24-episode series! they're gonna be blazing through the manga at this rate!

now the chance of seeing Chiaki's dad in the series is getting even more bleak.

*sighs*

they do realize why Chiaki is how he is now because of him right? they should give him more backstory!

Russell

got this from birdy.

a real-life Russell!!

OMG! i don't know who or where he is, but this boy is so cute!!

another record print

One Piece manga is just gonna get record prints volume after volume.

the latest volume (#57), to be released on Mar 4, is getting the newest record for first printing at 3 million copies.

3 million copies.

gotta hand it to Shueisha for having so much faith in Odacchi's welding power.

We Are The World 25 For Haiti

previous post on the original song found here.

same recording studio. totally different group of people. and yet, the message is still the same.

have you been doing your bit for those in need recently?

there's still so much we can do for Haiti.
all links at sidebar.

"new" blog

hello and welcome to the "new" blog.

all posts have been imported from the previous blog. so if you're looking for photos, don't worry, all have been safely brought over.

^_^.``

One Piece Manga #573-574

OMG.

i'm in shock.

please tell me this didn't really happening.

i'm in mourning.

*pasted by Moo Moo who kana niamed from RR*
Spoiler! click here for photo.
Courtesy of One Piece Singapore

Deformation Katekyoushi Hitman REBORN

my very first REBORN gashapon set.

i had resisted an earlier set before, but this set i couldn't ignore.

introducing,

the Deformation Katekyoushi Hitman REBORN! ~Special Edition~


1 Yamamoto, 2 Tsuna's, 2 Gokudera's, 3 Hibari's, 3 Mukuro's and 1 Chrome.

OP Strong World ~World Collection~

much overdue.

mainly because my parents went to harbin in the first week of Jan and so brought out the only camera in my house.

after that, i just got pre-occupied with other things.

anyway, here's my most expensive collection to date, the Strong World ~World Collection~, Luffy team.

Strawhat Pirates decked out in their mafia suits.


difference between this and the previous set? it's 7cm high and workmanship is definitely better.

UP in Best Picture running

there's 10 movies nominated for Best Picture this year, with a good mix of drama, action, comedy and suspense.

that also includes UP.

it isn't gonna win Best Picture. not with the rest of the power-packed movies that are in the running. but i'm glad it got the recognition. cos it really is one of the best movies released last year.

and it obviously has the highest chance of winning the Best Animated Film, which it is also nominated for.

anyone wanna guess how many awards Avatar is gonna sweep up??

mark your Oscars night on 7 March. (SG live telecast on 8 Mar @ 9am)

One Piece theme park ATTRACTION

news from ANN:

it's not like previous One Piece exhibits in theme parks.

but REALLY a One Piece theme park attraction that will be hosted by Laguna Gamori marine resort complex!

so if you're in Japan during Spring (20Mar-27Jun 2010), don't forget to go down to Gamori City in Aichi.

OMG.

i'm so sad i'm only going in Nov.

DAMMIT!

*sighs*

do you think they'll extend the attraction to Nov?

exciting upcoming episodes

in One Piece,
- Luffy is facing Magellan in the next episode (#435).
- THE Okama Queen will be revealed soon.
- Ace's pending execution! also soon.
- Whitebeard VS World Government!

in Reborn,
- Choice game starts!
- Vongola family in suits. most of the time.
- more Hibari.
- more Hayato.
- more Mukuro.

in Cross Game,
- Seishuu starts its summer baseball tournament.
- Kou and Akane are advancing.
- Aoba and Azuma are advancing. (?)

in Bleach, not that it is particularly exciting but,
- the current filler arc is finally ending. YAY!
- we have another couple of smaller filler arcs before going back to the main Hueco Mundo arc. YAY!!

Winter 2009

thought i'll do it different this year and blog each new Winter series as i watch them. if not, it'll be another 2 weeks before i can get all my biased opinions up.

all biased opinions are up!

posted 19 Jan,

Dance In The Vampire Bund
a vampire princess and her werewolf protector. sounds similar to Underworld anyone? though the vampire princess definitely looks more like Kirsten Dunst from Interview with the Vampire compared to Kate Beckinsale.

at least i wouldn't need to read the manga, given that it's not following the manga story, just using the settings and characters. the first 2 episodes were good, so it's safe to say i will continue watching to the end.

Nodame Cantabile Finale
once again, i'm not happy that it is another 11-episodes season. i mean, this is the Finale, how are they gonna round everything in 11 episodes? they have at least 5-6 books of materials to cover!

they've also changed the flow of the story, as i've noticed from the Paris-hen, so i'm not very sure how they're gonna fit Chiaki's dad back into the story.

well, as long as they don't have to rush through it. seriously though, it should be a longer series.

update on Haru Toki 3:
turns out, this is only a 1-hr special!! i totally missed all the parts that said it was only a special!

the only decent news is that the DVDs that ships in March will extend the special to 1.5hr. but still, this is somewhat depressing.

i need Ryuuki Kuro-sama.

posted 12 Jan,

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu
although this has the magical aspect that usually appeals to me, i'm not very convinced by how the "summoning war system" is being carried out. each team "fight" by summoning chibi-versions of themselves, but there's really no actual fighting involved, even though they went to the extent of having battle systems in place.

once in a while, there'll be that one harem show that will interest me enough to watch. like Toradora, or Tokimeki Memorial.

this just happens to be it. at least for now.

as long as it doesn't irritates me as it progresses, i will probably follow through to the end.

Hanamaru Youchien
4-year-olds starting kindergarten with a new male teacher in tow. how they're gonna create havoc in school is basically what this show will be about.

i'm loving this for the same reason why i love Potemayo.

cos it is just too kawaii!

it's not as brainless as Potetan is, but it is definitely a more refreshing one, especially with the overload of ecchi/moe fanservice shows this season.

someday, they will have a season where it's fanservice for the ladies.

bring out all the BLs and romance dramas that wouldn't show any part of the female anatomy!!

posted 11 Jan,

Durarara!!
set in Ikebukuro with lots of urban legends and other supernatural encounters, it has a very Bakemonogatari feel to it even though it is by separate production companies. which hopefully wouldn't kill my interest in it since it looks quite promising for me to keep watching.

episode 1 was a major character-intro, so much so that i'm abit confused/overwhelmed. i'm sure future episodes will go into the characters in more details.

i'm quite happy to hear Miyano Mamoru back. and not just back, but voicing the more "genki" type of character that i prefer him in. although with this kind of genre, i wonder if he will have a different side to him halfway through the show.

posted 06 Jan,

So-Ra-No-Wo-To
a more serious version of K-ON. that's the first thought that came into my mind after episode 1. and i'm sure everyone else who've watched this will do the usual comparison between these two.

story-wise, i'm quite happy with the pace. but then again, i'm also more used to these slice-of-life dramas than anybody else i know.

i'm also starting to love trumpets more than the usual piano/violin/guitar that appears frequently in most music-based anime. especially after watching the Macross F Galaxy Tour where they had 2 fantastic trumpeters who totally stole the concert right under the divas' (Megumi and May'n) noses.

so yes, i think i'm gonna enjoy this show quite well.

posted 05 Jan,

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei
final anime to come out of the whole franchise. looks to be a direct sequel of some sort to the special from 2007 (HaruToki: Kurenai no Tsuki).

episode 1 was one-hour long instead of the usual 20min, which totally threw me off since i kept thinking it was gonna be a series. after checking again, found out it is actually a TV special. not sure how many episodes it will be, neither when the next episode will be out.

it's not just me. the boys are really getting cuter.

or maybe because it's been ages since i last saw them. in any case, i'm still swooning all over the place.

the other good thing is that they tend to bring back all the seiyuus for HaruToki, so many of my favorites are back together again.

No.1 pulling factor: Seki Tomokazu as Minamoto no Kurou Yoshitsune. seriously, i'm getting addicted to him voicing nobles/kings. and it's not just due to my SaiMon withdrawal. fine, it has everything to do with my SaiMon withdrawal. RYUUKI!!!

Haiti Earthquake

a friend of mine was asking around the office today about pooling donations for the Haiti earthquake.

i'm rather ashamed to say that though i've prayed (during last saturday's YF program) for the earthquake victims, i've not taken the more practical step and help by giving monetary aid.

there's tons of NGOs who are collecting donations through their websites. i've listed a few of them at the sidebar of the blog.

i've just taken that step.

what about you?

MAYDAY @ Padang

latest news from a friend of mine,

Mayday (五月天) is having their encore and their Singapore's first outdoor concert, DNA創造演唱會, at the Padang!!!

it's supposed to be a similar experience to their Kaohsiung concert in Taiwan.

we're finally gonna get a taste of how their outdoor concert will be.

so exciting!!!!

keep your 17th April 2010 free for the fantastic experience!!

P.S. for those that might have already bought the S.H.E. concert tickets for the same day at indoor stadium, maybe it's time to get a refund. (that's you, ah gu.) mwahahahahaha.

Hetalia Ep 50

Episode 50: enlightenment and civilization of Japan Part 2

Kaze wo Sagashite PV

couldn't resist putting this up.

KAWAI!!

lots of straw hats, Jolly Rogers, and they tried dressing the backup singers/dancers as the crew characters. (you can see Brooke's afro-head and Zoro's swords on two of the guys.)

the single is due to be released this wednesday, 13 Jan.

gr8 story by SuG

one heck of a fantastic ED for Reborn.

black suits really do bring out the awesomeness of it all.

like what it did for the One Piece Strong World film.

and we have to remind ourselves this is probably the one manga that started the black suit craze.

can't wait to see what's gonna happen when they go into the Choice game proper.

in the meantime, i'm enjoying the ED.

Kimi ni Todoke Film

latest news from ANN is that a live-action film adaptation has been green-lit for Kimi ni Todoke!

i’m excited. but i’m also worried about who is gonna play the characters, especially our two main leads.

so i hope they do a good job. much like how the Lovely Complex movie was.

Hetalia Ep 49

Episode 49: enlightenment and civilization of Japan

Happy New Year minna-san.

hope everyone had a good start to 2010.

2009 Anime round-up

anime series i've followed through in 2009.

Winter 2008 (jan-mar 2009)
01) Zoku Natsume Yuujin-Chou
02) RIDE BACK
03) Chrome Shelled Regios
04) Hetalia Axis Powers (on-going)

Spring 2009 (apr-jun 2009)
05) Sengoku Basara
06) Valkyria Chronicles
07) Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
08) Ristorante Paradiso
09) Cross Game (on-going)
10) Tears to Tiara
11) 07-Ghost
12) Kin-iro no Cordo ~second passo~
13) K-ON
14) Guin Saga
15) Eden of the East

Summer 2009 (jul-sep 2009)
16) Sora no Manimani
17) Spice and Wolf II
18) Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
19) Umineko no Naku Koro ni
20) Taishou Yakyuu Musume

Fall 2009 (oct-dec 2009)
21) Nyan Koi!
22) Seiken no Blacksmith
23) Tentai Senshi Sunred S2 (on-going)
24) To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (on-going)
25) Tatakau Shisho - The Book of Bantorra (on-going)
26) Tegami Bachi - Letter Bee (on-going)
27) Miracle train
28) Kobato. (on-going)
29) Kimi ni Todoke (on-going)
30) Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini
31) FAIRY TAIL (on-going)

forever-ongoing series,
32) One Piece
33) Bleach
34) Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn

and series i've dropped somewhere along each season,
01) Shikabane Hime Kuro
02) Maria Holic
03) Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo
04) Shangri-La
05) Basquash!
06) Pandora Hearts
07) Hanasakeru Seishonen
08) CANAAN

definitely not as much as last year, where i almost hit the 50-series mark, but it gave me more time to catch up on alot of dorama, which i haven't been watching consistently for awhile.

and it's so much easier to choose some favorites this time round.

here's my Top 5 anime for 2009, One Piece not included,
01) Cross Game
02) Hetalia Axis Powers
03) Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
04) Ristorante Paradiso
05) K-ON

i'm keeping my fingers crossed for 2010.
>_<.``

One Piece Christmas

what i went down to latendo on Christmas Eve for.

the One Piece Strong World gashapon collection.

1st row (L->R), Chopper, Robin, Usopp, Brook, Franky
2nd row (L->R), Nami, Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, Shiki

Hetalia Ep 47 & 48

Episode 47: the growing power of America

Austria does the dishes.

Episode 48: Voice change

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Austria thought the same thing as Holy Roman Empire~

Rabbids Christmas 2.0

Merry Christmas again minna~

BWAAAAAHHHH!!!!

SW Guide Book for SALE

selling an extra copy of the OP Strong World guide book as a friend of mine bought one for me when she went over to Japan a week ago.

the plastic wrapper has been taken off, but rest assured that it is still in mint condition since i haven't had time to look through thoroughly yet.

here's the photo again.


Price: S$23 (local) or USD$16 (international)
Postage: S$5 (local registered mail) or USD$15 (international EMS)

i will be wrapping it in my own plastic just to be safe.

interested parties, please leave your name, email and country of residence in the comments section (NOT cbox) and i will get back to you shortly.

first come first serve.

edited 30/12/2009,
guide book have been sold. ^_^.``

FF:XIII

SAKAMOTO MAAYA!!

oh gosh, she's just great as Lightning.

i seem to do this every time a new Final Fantasy game is released.

my wishful thinking that someone would play the game while i just watch the beautiful CG and enjoy the story.

hahaha.

Nodame Film comes to SG

it might be due to the success of Gokusen: The Movie.

but yes, you read that right.

they are bringing Nodame Cantabile to SG cinemas!!

YAY!!

for those that still don't know what's going on, Nodame Cantabile Saishū Gakushō (Nodame Cantabile: The Final Movement) will be released as two movies. much like how 20th Century Boys was split into three.

the 1st movie opened last Saturday in Japan, but the SG release is on March 11 2010.

well, i should be thankful it's not like 6 months later.

so i'm guessing the 2nd movie will also be released 3 months later after the Japan premier, making it either a June or July release.

Nodame-lovers, don't forget to mark your calendar.

MU-KYAA~~

PS. and in case you still need something to tide you over, there's the 3rd anime series to look forward to in Jan 2010.

the Strong World effect

latest news is it had already earned 1.038 billion yen (~US$11.7 million) in its opening weekend, which by the way is just 2 days!

if you're not convinced, check out the youtube video below. not even Mr Edward Cullen or Mr Harry Potter are able to draw in the crowd like this.

One Piece BANZAI!

Strong World Guide Book

i couldn't resist getting this from Kinokuniya yesterday.



*dreamy sigh*

i need to improve my japanese language.

or at least learn my katagana again.

visit the movie thread on Kaizoku Fansubs if you haven't already done so. the excitment is just overwhelming.

ah gu, let me know if you want a copy. most likely i'll be going down to Kinokuniya on Thursday to get some other stuff.

Strong World 12/12/2009

less than 24hrs to the premier of One Piece film: Strong World.

and i just realized that there's a chinese official website linked from 東立's main page.

does that mean they're going to bring Strong World to taiwan cinemas??!!

OMG!!! that's so unfair!!!

update @ 12:28am:
freak! they're really going to show Strong World in taiwan. on joyce's birthday next year!! 12/02/2010!!

ARRGGHHHHH!!!

OMG!!! this is so unfair!!!

Post AFA09 (with photos)

Kakashi and the Fourth Hokage (Naruto).


Don Kanonji (Bleach). BOHAHAHAHA!!

Hetalia Ep 46

Episode 46: haircut


latest news!

the 3rd season of Hetalia has been announced!

more Hetalia goodness to come for the coming winter season.

ohohohohohohoho...

Handing Over of the Ultimate 損友 Title

I, Moo Moo/Ah Gu/GuGu, officially stepped down from the post of Ultimate 損友 and have assigned Roar Roar to take over the title.

.

.

.


(She snatched that title away from me with all the One Piece temptations!!
Famous Quote:"aiyah, juz buy lah.u already so tempted anyway.dun buy, and u will regret.")

.

.

.

.

kns...



Roar Roar writes,

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
finally! the title is mine!

P.S. technically, i'm not the one tempting you. latendo is. mwhehehehehehe.

Hetalia Ep 45

Episode 45: Social solidarity

One Piece Manga #56

remember what i said about the latest volume having a record print of 2.85 million copies?

well, they've already sold close to half the amount (1.36 million) in the first week alone.



sometimes, it's really scary to see how much influence Odacchi is welding.

*shivers*

2009 Top-Selling Manga (cont'd)

the Top 10 best-selling manga by series in japan are,

01) One Piece (14,721,241 copies!!!)
02) Naruto (6,836,494 copies)
03) Bleach
04) Fullmetal Alchemist
05) Gintama
06) Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
07) Mei-chan no Shitsuji
08) Fairy Tail
09) 20th Century Boys
10) Saint Young Men

there is nothing, absolutely nothing, Naruto can do to even get close to One Piece.

to think it even doubled the amount of copies (5,956,540) from last year.

staggering staggering statistics.

i'm also glad that Mei-chan is in the Top 10. they have to thank Hiro-san and the other ikemen for that. *grins*

but once again,

ONE PIECE ROCKS!!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

2009 Top-Selling Manga

news from ANN,

Top 10 best-selling manga by volume in japan,

1) One Piece #53 (2,057,528 copies)
2) One Piece #54 (1,963,696 copies)
3) One Piece #52 (1,952,551 copies)
4) One Piece #55 (1,810,410 copies)
5) NANA #21
6) Fullmetal Alchemist #23
7) Fullmetal Alchemist #21
8) Fullmetal Alchemist #22
9) Naruto #45
10) Naruto #47

all the One Piece volumes released this year are in the Top 10.

and most likely, it's gonna dominate the Top 10 for best-selling manga by series too.

i am one happy camper.

^_^.``

P.S. from the statistics, i can understand why the latest volume (#56) is getting a record print of 2.85 million copies. it's unavoidable!

Shichihenge Live-Action

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge is getting a live-action adaptation next Jan.

while i've known about the news some time ago, i'm even happier now that the cast has finally been revealed.

check out the news article on ANN.

it's Kamenashi Kazuya as Kyohei!!

excuse me while i go into fangirl-mode,

KYAAAAAAA!!!

after finishing One Pound Gospel, i've become a fan of Kazuya-kun. he is so so funny in the show!! highly recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a light-hearted dorama.

hope he's able to do a good job as Kyohei too. ^_^.``

i have doubts about the female lead though, whom they're casting Omasa Aya as Sunako.

seeing that the most recent dorama i've seen of her was as a spoilt brat in Mei-chan, it's hard to picture her as the blood and gore-loving Sunako.

oh gosh, i can't wait for Jan to come by.

^_^.``

new stands

daddy finally managed to find raw material (acrylic) and has made new stands for me.

previously,


now,


i have no idea why it still seems like there's not enough room.

trying to squeeze everything to one side so that i don't have to shift much when the new gashapons come.

~sui~

sui (美): hokkien for pretty/beautiful


i think i might just drool.

too bad they're missing Nami.

this is so gonna be my wallpaper for a long long time.

Hetalia Ep 44

Episode 44: self-defence lesson

the last part with Canada and America is so funny. poor Canada.

OP Locations Strong World

in the midst of the overwhelming crowd at AFA on sunday afternoon, moo moo and i decided to go down to kallang to collect our gashapons.

the first of all the Strong World collection.

too bad it's not the full crew.


they should have replaced the variants (Nami and Robin with color difference in clothes) with the other crew members.

in any case, i didn't get the variants. moo moo did though.

slightly more closed-up and brighter photo.

at least you can see sanji's eyes more clearly in this.

next up, the very very expensive Strong World collection.

so exciting!

Post AFA09

thoughts on AFA09...

things did get bigger and better this year.

more booths, more toys and definitely, more people.

loved the nendroids display brought in by Mr Danny Choo.

they managed to bring in more singers for the evening concerts, with the return of Aniki Ichirou Mizuki and May'n, together with Shoko-tan and Fukuyama Yoshiki.

the VIP passes were still disgustingly expensive though. i was contented just to see them from the distance.

quite pleased with the turnout of cosplayers, with much much more variety compared to last year. at least it wasn't an onslaught of bleach and naruto.

spotted lots more reborn and code geass cosplayers which is definitely a plus point.

and finally! a small group of One Piece cosplayers too.

but i think my personal favorite is this one girl who came as Kendappa-ō from RG Veda! she is very very pretty.

i'll upload photos once i get the final loot from moo moo.

Hetalia Ep 43

Episode 43: more of Russia's siblings

One Piece Special Movie-linked Episodes

ep426-429 are the special movie-linked episodes.

and to start us off, they decided to give us a brand new OP.
Kaze wo Sagashite by Mari Yaguchi.

i likie!!

definitely better than the previous one.

it's been too long since i saw the rest of the Strawhats together in action.

i miss all their antics.

and i miss Sanji.

(screencap from Kaizoku Fansub)

SANJI!!!

he looks so good in the episode!!!

Blackforest cake?

birdy's "elegant" blackforest cake.

just completed.

you can pretty much guess why it's only half a cake. there's two layers of cake required in the blackforest.

it would be impossible to finish if it was really a full one. and poor makiyo (birdy's husband) would have to be the scapegoat if that happens.

moo moo's name on it, as blackforest is supposed to be her favorite.

not sure if it's still her favorite now.

cross-section

as you can see (or rather not see), the middle part with the cherries and cream is almost squashed.

brighter and clearer photo (from meow meow)

you basically can only see the squashed cherries.

you need more work birdy.

mada mada dane (copyright to Echizen Ryoma)

Strong World 2nd trailer

video update from 03/11/2009. now with english subs!!

awesome awesome awesome

AWESOME!!

i think i almost drooled when they came out in their black suits in 0:30.

enjoy~

ohohohohoho~

Hetalia Ep 42

Episode 42: introducing Russia's siblings

and Russia's version of the ED.

NICE!

Tokyo DOGS

new series currently airing starring Mizushima Hiro and Oguri Shun as police officers with totally different personalities working together as partners.

how is it that Hiro always gets the more slapstick character in a dorama?

not that Tokyo Dogs is a very serious police dorama in the first place, cos it's meant to be half-comedy too.

Shun is also funny in his own way; usually when his mom calls him in the middle of his work, or when he tries to make puns with a straight face.

it is only up to Ep4 now, so for those who much prefer to marathon your doramas, best to wait til it finishes in Dec.

which means gives me more buffer time since i'm trying to watch Kyumei Byoto S4.

and start on 1 Pound Gospel.

since most of my current anime subs are released during the weekends and Mon, i can finish watching them, and still have time for one or two episodes of dorama each night.

not bad.

so aside from being sidetracked by a couple of other doramas, Atashinchi no Danshi and Otomen, that means i really might be able to finish at least 3/4 of the list i had back in July.

ohohohohohohoho.

Hetalia Ep 41

Episode 41: "i'm going to try taking away _____'s willpower!"

Momoiro Island

spanish subs, but most fans would know what's happening anyway.

heaven to hell.

under 4 minutes.

mwahahaahaha.

OP Anime Heroes ~Arabasta Arc~

i actually like the characters in this arc better than the Fuyujima arc. then again, the Arabasta arc is my 2nd favorite arc, No.1 being the Skypiea arc.

anyway, had no space to put them in my cupboard yet. dad is still sourcing raw materials to build my stands. being a little greedy and asking for clear plastic stands now, instead of the white styrofoam ones he made the last time.

temporarily still keeping them in the box where they came from. in fact, i'm gonna keep the box and not throw it out like the previous ones. this one actually looks very pretty. will use it as a storage for all my gashapon-related stuff. it'll come in handy when i need to do any major moving anyway.

without further ado, presenting the Anime Heroes ~Arabasta Arc~


1st row (L->R), Mr.3 Galdino, Mr.2 Bon Clay, Mr.0 Crocodile, Miss All-Sunday Nico Robin, Mr.1 Daz Bones, Miss Wednesday Nefertari Vivi, Marine Ship
2nd row (L->R), Princess Vivi, Chopper, Usoppu, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Ace
3rd row (L->R), Carue, Igaram, King Cobra, Chaka, Pell, Den Den Mushi, Monkey D. Dragon

Hetalia Ep 40

Episode 40: France VS England

oh gosh. i'm starting to get attached to chibi-America.

CHO KAWAII!!

and another 30secs worth of Chibitalia after the ED. this dream tops the one from last episode's. hilarious.

i'm feeling it again

the SaiMon withdrawal.

had just finished the latest novel (book 14) last week.

and though i still have other books to read (Tokyo Babylon, and the even longer Narnia series), i'm still pining after SaiMon.

it's also probably because book 14 ended with a huge cliff-hanger, that i'm dying to know what's gonna happen next.

Yukino Sai-sensei is a fantastic author.

book 4 of the side-stories will be published in chinese end Nov.



it'll probably be enough to curb my withdrawals for a while.

but i still wanna know what's happening in the main story.

arrggghhhh!!!