Hentai is not all about the Moe game!

Photo by Rokunon


I'm busy!

... in playing adventure games.

... I, I've also been busy for other than games! (tundere)

I mean adventure games(ADV) not as true adventure, but as something like bisyojo game, of course (^^;

There's many way to express "bisyoujo game" or "cute girls game". In fact, I didn't played bisyojo game, not hentai game, but ADV, and it's gal games.

In short,
Gal games(Gal-Ge): Games with some(many) moe girls. In some cases, it doesn't include Ero games.
Ero games(Ero-ge): Games with Hentai scenes. The most common word to mean games with Moe.
Bisyojo games: Usually means Ero games. Often used in magazines, not orally.
Adventure games(ADV): Games mainly focusing on reading text, originally. However, usually it means Gal games. it doesn't include role playing games or action games.
Hentai games: This word isn't used in Japan.

I meaned, I played a game with moe girls, without hentai scenes.
How can I say about this type of game in English?

Oh, I must add BL(Boys Love) games as another category...

Anime Music Video in Japan

Photo by Risa-Nyanko


Who is interested in "alicia florence with her hair down?" Someone googled this site with this keyword. I'd say, me too (^^;

I'd like talk about anime music video today. Mechataku told me anime music videos are very popular in US and Europe and almost every anime con has that sort of contest. Though I knew there are some show of anime music video by watching the website of anime con in US, I didn't know they are so popular.

In Japan, I think there're nothing like anime music video contest in common anime conventions. However, still they're very popular in Japan. Their stage is not anime conventions, but internet (usually on Youtube or Smilevideo). They are usually called as MAD movie.

I think the reason might be the troublesome process of getting approve of copyright. It is strange that in the case of dojin-book we don't care much about copyright... One of the reason might be the copyright organization of music (JASRAC) is quite powerful. (They "must" come to the organizer of anime con and say, "pay or being suited.")

JASRAC tries to remove unlicenced anime music video from internet too, but the pressure is not so strong at present.

Another reason would be that Japanese anime con is quite different from ones in US or Europe. For example, Comic Market has dojin market and cosplay, but nothing like contest or discussion. (I'd say Comic Market is not an anime convention, just a market) Show of anime music video has no space to join...

I think it is interesting to see anime music video or MAD movie in a large hall. It would be possible to get approved by JASRAC, then the problem is who would host and how to gather videos. Togethermore, I wonder how is the legal situation of anime music video abroad.

Appendix: In Japan, the most popular movie posting site is moving from Youtube to NicoNicoDouga(Smilevideo). In Smilevideo, you can leave your comment on the movie, and this is the source of popularity. It's difficult to explain the fun, but you can try it! (Though it is needed to register in Japanese language, and almost all comment is Japanese language)

Aricia, Snow White

Here comes Ms. Alicia Florence from ARIA!

She is my favorite character from my favorite manga. It's AD2301 in "Neo-Venice" on Mars, She is standing out as one of the best gondola-driver.
In my point of view, this manga is based on the concept of "slow-life" and classified as a healing manga. The atmosphere of this manga makes me forget the hardness of real life and message from a heroine Akari reminds me the beauty of life and nature.


Photo by Raise

Anyway, the most important thing is:
Misuzu would look like Alicia if she make her hair braided ^^;

And at first I thought I should try it: but honestly, it seems that Misuzu's pony tail is just attached. If her poiny tail is untied, her hair would fallen off (;_:)

Though my ambition failed, I'd like to be with her at the event!

How they love figures

Photo by Koma

I like figures, but since space to place figures in my room is limited, I stringly stops me from buying new one; roughly one figure in 3 months.

However, there is a limit; I must sell my figures sometimes.

The problem is that, often I have affection to the figure when I sell it. It's very hard to sell such a figure...

Thus, I asked on my website how to cope with this feelings. An answer came:

"Figures are my wives! I can't think of selling it!"

He is a true lover of figures! I can't say I am the fan of figures...

---
It affects how to treat figures, whether you see a figure as "sculpture" or "family," as the answerer mentioned.

The same applies to kigurumi: I once joked that "why don't you sell your mask and buy a new one?" However, I think I can't sell it...

Is she Sailor-Moon?

Photo by Rokunon

I went to Toshimaen Cosplay Festival last Sunday (^^)

Misuzu has blond hair. And, despite of over 10 years from first broadcast, the most famous character with blond hair is Sailor Moon. Thus they often say "look! there is a sailor moon!" ^^;

If watched in detail, Sailor moon has a so-called "twin-tail", and Misuzu has a single pony tail. Please look me carefully and don't call me Sailor Moon!

However at Toshimaen, a new rival came, Marin. (Misuzu was called Marin)
She is a very famous character from Umi-Monogatari(Marine Story), Pachinko.
http://www.sanyobussan.co.jp/products/pk_supersea_okinawa/index.html A girl in the left

She has a pony tail, side hair... just same as Misuzu! Moreover, this pachinko is so famous that there're Umi-Monogatari in almost every pachinko hall, and some of them has 1/1 sized figure of Marin! What a difference in popularity!

The only difference might be, Misuzu has white ribbon. You need to be very careful to call kigurumi's name (lol

Doll, Doller, Dollest

Photo by Risa-Nyanko

Kigurmi players are sometimes called as "doller." In my feeling, it seems this usage is valid for only in kigurumi community; I think "doller" is usually who has dolls, or human-like toys.

In this two years, it seems more and more Moe-type, or anime-type dolls came on the market. I myself have dolls in this meaning, thus I'd like to review the world of character-doll today.

First, definition. Dolls are different from figure, in the point that has joints, so that you can make the doll to have different pose. And also, you can change the clothes of dolls and this would be the most important feature. The feeling of clothes are never copied by PVC figures!

In addition, Dolls are divided to two category: "Action Figure", which has hard PVC hair, and narrow "Doll", which has soft string hair. But it seems action figure is also called as doll.

Second, size. Roughly, dolles are taller than figure: about 27cm, 60cm, or human-sized. There're few moe dolls of human-sized, thus I'd like to show examples of 27cm and 60cm dolls.
Megahause, Action Figure Collection (27cm, PVC head)

http://www.megahouse.co.jp/products/figure.html '06-
Lunamaria Hawk(Gundam Seed Destiny), Kosaka Tamaki(To Heart 2), Asahina Mikuru(Suzumiya Haruhi)

Azone, Hybrid Active Figure (27cm, String Head)http://www.azone-int.jp/cct/index.html '05-
Saber(Fate/Staynight), Katase Shima(Stellvia, 60cm), Suzumiya Haruhi(Suzumiya Haruhi)
Volks, Dollfie Dream (60cm, String Head)

http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/dollfiedream/charactors/nemu/index_menu.aspx '04-
Asakura Nemu(D.C.), Ayanami Rei(Evangelion), Komaki Manaka(To Heart 2)

Not-Moe-type dolls are also very popular among people especially women, clothes and accessaries are widely made. There're some market of dolls and clothes, like Dolls-Party (it's similar to Comic-Market).

Recently, major figure maker Kotobukiya announced the join to the dolls market. Although perfect mimic of anime character would be difficult in today's level(especially for string-haired one), along with the movement to the more active posed figure, we must keep an eye for dolls!

Light Novel is Expanding in Anime World

Photo by Hayarina

Many animes are based one Manga. This type of anime includes DRAGON BALL, Card Caprtor SAKURA, DEATHNOTE, Doraemon... Nowadays, I think more than half of animes on air are originally started as Manga.

Other source of amines are game and light novel, which are particularly increasing. I'd like to talk about "light novel" today.

Light Novel(juvenile novel) is basically novels for teens. Though the definition is not clear, it can be said they usually have many illustrations in the novel, in some cases by famous dojin illustrators. This may be because the readers are tend to be otaku...But the influence of light novel isn't limited to otaku; Quite frequently some light novel are listed as #1 sales among all novels.

This category is not so new, there have been since 1990 or more past. The early examples of anime introduced from light novel would be Slayers(1995). However, the number of animes seems to be exploded in this three years. Namely, Suzumiya Haruhi, Shakugan no Shana, Full Metal Panic... it would be impossible to show them all.

I'm frequent reader of light novel from my younger times, I grew up with Slayers and Records of Rodoss War. Usually these novels are written by plain text, however some have inpressive expression. My definite recommend is "Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu" or "Iriya's Sky, Summer of the UFOs" by Akiyama Mizuhito. Though his novel also transfered to anime, it seemed to me that the sense of the text was not fully transported. Full translation might be impossible by today's level of anime.

The distinction between light novel and common novel is becoming more vague. Some writers started their career in light novel have got most respected prize in literature (Naoki prize). In the othre case, Otsu-ichi(he's one of my favorite, also light novel writer at first) is now considered as one of the most prominent young mystery writer.

We can't take our eyes from light novel!