Month: April 2012

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Nendoroid Sayaka Miki

　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　／　　 　 　＼　　　
　 ／　　＼　　　 ,＿＼　　 “That’s weird…　
／ 　　　 （●）゛　 （●） ＼ 　　I’m sure she was in the
|　 ∪　　 （__人__） |　　  upcoming products box yesterday…”
/　　　　 ∩ノ ⊃　　／
(　 ＼　／ ＿ノ　|　 | 　　
.＼　“　　／＿＿|　 | 　

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…why does the web team have it!?

This is Omura’s desk from the web team… I can’t believe he got hold of the figure before me!! I don’t care if my seat has been moved further away… you’re not allowed to steal figures away from me!

I’ll take it back to my desk, alongside with that Famitsu magazine beside it!

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Today we’ll be looking at this much anticipated figure!
From Puella Magi Madoka Magica:

Nendoroid Sayaka Miki!

From the popular anime series “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” comes another Nendoroid, this time of the energetic and strong-willed Sayaka Miki! She comes with three expressions, including a standard smiling face, an upset face and a pained expression for combat scenes.

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This is how the packaging looks!

Obviously the figure itself is the main concern for most figure fans, but I have to say that in my opinion those swords are absolutely incredible! Looking back on the figure though, I love the gold lines painted all over her outfit – they really contrast the blue and white outfit very nicely. Overall I’d say she came out very nicely!

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This is how she looks from the back!

The stand connects behind her cape, fitting into her back. At first I was a bit worried that it would get in the way of some poses, but it didn’t bother me at all in the end! It also connects very firmly into her back, so you won’t have any stress issue on the stand either.

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Her upset expression and sword!

This pose also makes use of the bent arm part for a very epic looking pose – ready for battle! There are eight swords included with the figure, but only two of them can be held like this. The handle on the two that can be held has a little protrusion on the handle which can be pushed into her hands just like this.

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The pained face is so cute!!

I feel bad for her, but at the same time I can’t help but think she looks adorable!! The single closed eye, grinning expression and indented eyebrows all look so good together as an expression! You have to see this expression in person to really appreciate it fully!

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The swords can be placed on the base!

A special stand for holding all eight of the swords is included! It creates more of a scene for you to display her in!

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Displayed with Madoka!

Although you probably didn’t notice just by glancing at the photo, I’ve actually also placed Sayaka’s cape on Madoka’s shoulders! You can remove it entirely, or instead try it on other Nendoroids instead!

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Now she’s with Kyouko!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　 　 　＼
　　　　 　／　　　─　 　 ─＼　　　”Hmm? Is that the prototype?”
　　　　／ 　　　 （●） 　（●） ＼
　　　　|　 　　 　 （__人__）　 |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　 　　 ＼　　 　　 ｀ ⌒´ 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|

Actually, it’s a production sample!

Kyouko will be released in May – look forward to her!

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The 4th Nendoroid to join the Madoka Magica series:

Nendoroid Sayaka Miki!

She’ll be on sale from the 24th April! (･∀･)ﾉ
Be sure to contact out partner shops if you have any sales queries!

– 10 Years of Good Smile Company : Nendoroids of the Past! –

There are only 19 days left until GSC turns 11 years old!
Today we’ll be taking a look at yet another Nendoroid of the past!

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Released in February 2010:
Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi : The MOVIE 1st Ver.!

She was Nendoroid number 95! Even with the current level of Nendoroids, I’m still amazed at the paint work on Nanoha’s barrier jacket!

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Her intelligent device, Raising Heart!

The device was included in two different forms – Device Mode as well as Canon Mode! Yuno-kun was also included with posable legs, plus those adorable wings on her feet were included as clear parts. A great addition to the Nendoroid world to say the least!

She also made me wonder exactly when it was that Nendoroids started coming with so many extra parts… I’ll be taking a look at that question in more detail in the future!

Also, don’t forget to vote in the resale & new product requests polls!

– Nendoroid Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_nendoroid.php

– figma Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_figma.php

– Scale Figure Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo//index_scale.php

– New Product Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_project.php

– Current Results –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/answer.php

We want to know what all of you want to see more of, so let us know with the above links! We can’t guarantee that the top products will go on resale, but there is always a chance – so don’t miss out on having your say!

Plus!

I’m once again looking for beautiful cherry blossom photos this year!

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This is a photo of Reimu going out to see the cherry blossoms last year!
I apologize for letting everyone know about this photo search so late… I hope the blossoms are still blooming where you are!

Last year’s photos can be seen here!

http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/kuroyagi-sans-letter-corner-cherry-blossom-special-1-no-50/

http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/kuroyaki-sans-letter-corner-cherry-blossom-special-2-no-51/

If the blossoms are still blooming by you, take a walk with your favorite figure and take some photos for the blog! You can send in your photos to this address:

mikatan-b@goodsmile.jp
 
But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again next week!!(・∀・)ノ゛
This weekend I’ll be playing ‘Mahoutsukai no Yoru’!!!!
 
(C) Magica Quartet／Aniplex・Madoka Partners・MBS
(C) NANOHA The MOVIE 1st PROJECT

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Millhiore F. Biscotti Release Sample

A box filled of upcoming products!

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A whole bunch of pre-release samples came through from the manufacturing team! (･∀･)ﾉ

When I can’t find a prototype to play around with, this is now the new box to turn to for treasures! Koyamada placed them all together in a single box for quick and easy use in blog reviews!

So today, we’ll be taking a look at this lovely figure:

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From DOG DAYS:

Millhiore F. Biscotti!

She is from the popular anime series with a second season on the way, ‘DOG DAYS’ – a beautiful 1/8th scale figure of the Princess of Biscotti Republic and world-renown songstress!

She is shipping out from GSC on the 25th April!
If you’re lucky, you’ll find her in stores from the 21st!

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This is how she looks from the back!

The figure is based on the pose from the ending theme of the anime, with both her arms out to her sides. Looking at her from the back you realize just how big that long flowing gsc is!

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She was sculpted using 3DCG data!

Although I guess that wasn’t the most ideal caption for this photo. 😛 Obviously final touches and fixes are always performed by hand, but the bulk of the figure was all made using 3DCG data!

I previously took a more in depth look at the CG data, so go back and take a look if you missed it – it was a very popular article!

A Look at How Millhiore F. Biscotti was Made Using 3DCG Sculpting:

http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/a-look-at-how-millhiore-f-biscotti-was-made-using-3dcg-sculpting/

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The final product is simply adorable!

It’s often said that the face makes the figure… if that’s the case then I think this is one of the cutest figures ever! Just by looking at her huge smile gives me the power to get through the day! (`･ω･´)

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This area caused some trouble!

It’s well known that Millhiore’s image color is pink, but if you look carefully here you’ll see there are multiple different shades of pink here. According to Tsukki it was very difficult for the manufacturing team to get the colors to come out nicely around here.

Pink is definitely a difficult color to work with, but after all the team’s hard work, you can see it came out beautifully!

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Her bushy tail and delicate fingertips!

The way her dress is shaped around the tail is really lovely to see! The fingertips actually feature a very subtle pink coloring, but you can’t really see it on this photo. It’s really pretty to see up close!

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From DOG DAYS:

Millhiore F. Biscotti!

She’ll be sent out to stores on the 25th April!
If you have any sales or preorder queries, be sure to contact our partner shops!

– 10 Years of Good Smile Company : Nendoroids of the Past! –

There are only 20 days left until GSC turns 11 years old!

Once again, I’m going to reminisce about an older product that you may or may not remember…

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Released in June 2011:

Nendoroid Reimu Hakurei!

The very first Touhou Project Nendoroid was the ever popular Reimu! At the moment we have reached out 9th Touhou Nendoroid – Cirno. The Touhou series has been a hugely popular set of figures!

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Relaxed while drinking her tea!

Those who go out to view the cherry blossoms this Spring should bring some tea with them, and relax and enjoy the view just like Reimu is doing here!

Also, don’t forget to vote in the resale & new product requests polls!

– Nendoroid Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_nendoroid.php

– figma Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_figma.php

– Scale Figure Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo//index_scale.php

– New Product Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_project.php

– Current Results –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/answer.php

We want to know what all of you want to see more of, so let us know with the above links! We can’t guarantee that the top products will go on resale, but there is always a chance – so don’t miss out on having your say!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
(C)PROJECT DD
(C)上海アリス幻樂団

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1/8th Scale Inori Yuzuriha

New employees have joined GSC from this April!

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Over ten new coworkers – including some new graduates and some still working on their degree!

With the newcomers arrival, I have also been moved to a new seat! Although it already pretty much looks identical to my previous seat…

Today we’ll be looking at this prototype from the brand new seat! 😛

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From Guilty Crown :
1/8th Scale Inori Yuzuriha!

From the Noitamina anime series, ‘Guilty Crown’ comes a 1/8th scale figure of EGOIST’s vocalist and Undertaker’s member – Inori Yuzuriha. The pose is based on a new illustration by redjuice specially created for the figure – and everything from the expression to the tips of her toes has been faithfully reproduced in figure form!

Just look how beautiful she is…!!

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This is how she looks from the back!

The dynamic pose is a perfect example as to why her beautiful red and orange outfit is known as ‘Goldfish Clothes’ – the clothes really appear as if they were wafting around in some water. Her hip-line is also absolutely gorgeous!

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The outfit has a lovely flowing feeling!

Making use of open spaces to bring out the volume of a figure is definitely one of the finer arts of sculpting that is captured very nicely in this figure. The clear pink accessory cloth around her arm is made from partially clear plastic for a kind of airy feeling as well – it contrasts very nicely with the warm colors of her outfit!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

A close shot of her entire body!

I had to actually take this shot a number of times until I was happy with it. 😛
She has such a lovely design!

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Inori’s lovely breezy appearance!

The way that the sculptor and finisher are able to create such a dynamic appearance through nothing but sculpting and coloring is absolutely incredible. I also love the way that her mouth is open by just a tiny bit… and those glossy lips are also great!

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Exquisite gradient painting!

The varying reds, oranges all over the outfit are definitely one of the highlights of this figure! There is gradient paintwork done in areas in which the painting shouldn’t even matter – the attention to detail is outstanding!

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A super sexy body-line!!

Such a perfectly sized bust… and the sculpting makes her body look so realistic!!

I like the over-exaggerated bodies in the 2D world, but these more realistic proportions like these are incredible to look at in figure form!

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I had to include this shot!

To be able to enjoy your favorite characters from any angle you please! The wonders of the figure the world! 😛

I’m sure many of you will know that redjuice is known for the wonderful hip lines on his illustrations, so we made sure to capture the same feeling on the figure as well! Also don’t miss out of the lovely touchable appearance of her thighs!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

Her back is also beautiful!

Just look at the wonderful sculpting of her spine and shoulder blades to give that curved effect to the figure! It’s not easily noticeable, but when you notice these small details you realize just how much care goes into these figures!

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From Guilty Crown:
1/8th Scale Inori Yuzuriha!
 
She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!

Be sure to contact our partner shops if you have and preorder or sales queries!
 
But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(C)ギルティクラウン製作委員会

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Rerelease & New Product Requests!

Good Smile is 10 years old!

Thanks to all your support over the years we’ve managed to grow more and more!

In May we will be turning 11, so to celebrate the end of our 10th year we will be running a special project!

http://partner.goodsmile.info/sousenkyo/index_nendoroid.php

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Rerelease & New Product Requests!

We’ll be listening to which products you want to see go on resale, and which characters you want to see figures of in the future! Unfortunately we can’t guarantee that all the most voted products will be put on resale or made into products, but there is always a possibility – so feel free to add your opinion!

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These buttons are the resale buttons!

They are divided into three categories – Nendoroid, figma and scale figures. All the products released up until 2012/04/10 (with the exception of Cheerful JAPAN! and limited edition products) will be available for you to vote on.

For example, just select the ‘Nendoroid Series Resale Button’, and then all the Nendoroids will pop up for you to select which one you want.

　　　　　　　＿＿＿＿＿_
／　　＼　 　 ／＼
／ 　し （＞） 　（＜）＼
|　∪　 　 （__人__）　 J |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
＼　　u　　 ｀⌒´　 　／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　　|

You can select up to five products that you want to see rereleased!

Of course you can also select beneath five if there are only one or two figures you want to go on resale. You can only vote once though, so be careful with your vote!

Once you’ve made your selection, head to the bottom of the page and press the ‘Select These Products’ button. (上記内容で送信する)

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Then the top 20 products will be displayed!

These results will be updated in real time, so those who have voted or those that just want to see the results can simply click the ‘See Results without Voting’ button (回答せずに結果を見る), where you’ll be able to take a look at the up to date results.

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The button on the top right is the ‘New Product Request’ button! (商品化希望アンケート)

You need to fill in:
‘Series Name’ (作品名) : ‘Character Name’ (キャラクター名) : ‘Product Genre’ (ジャンル).
For example…

Inu x Boku SS : Ririchiyo Shirakiin : Nendoroid
Fate/Zero : Ryuunosuke Uryuu : figma
KAITO : KAITO : Scale Figure
Good Smile Udon : Gumako : Plushie

Just input your own requests like the examples above!
Please be sure to input everything in correctly!

The deadline is the 1st May at 12:00 PM (JST)!

Please send in all your requests!!

http://partner.goodsmile.info/sousenkyo/index_nendoroid.php

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　 　 　＼
　　　　 　／　　　─　 　 ─＼　
　　　　／ 　　　 （●） 　（●） ＼
　　　　|　 　　 　 （__人__）　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　 　　 ＼　　 　 　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　 ／´ 　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　|　　　　ｌ 　 　 　 　 　 　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　 　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

Finally I’d like to reiterate that there is no guarantee we can put the top figures on resale or make figures out of the most requested new products.

There are a number of reasons that could cause this, so I’m just pointing it out ahead of time… of course we will do whatever we can to get the most popular products back into production, so we look forward to seeing what you request!

– 10 Years of Good Smile Company : Nendoroids of the Past! –

There are only 21 days left until Good Smile turns 11, and so today I’m going to take a look at a very old Nendoroid!

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Released in February 2008:

Nendoroid Joy Max!

At WonFes 2008, Nitroplus’ public relations mascot got the Nendoroid treatment!! Looking back on it now I can still hardly believe it… It was also the first Nendoroid to ever have realistic hair… an interesting challenge for the production team. 😛

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This is how the packaging looked!

So much more simple when compared to the packaging of today’s Nendoroids… she came with three optional parts – a microphone, comb and fluffy pink accessory!

She cost 3000JPY back then… at the moment you get so much more for the same price. ^^;

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
(C) 2007 Nitroplus

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Nendoroid Petite: Fate/hollow ataraxia

　　　　 ／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー ＼ 　　← Production Team
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　　
　　　|　　 （__人__）|　　　　”We’re sending them through to China soon!
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　　　 You’d better get your photos done!”
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　　　　　　
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}　
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ　

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W-What!!?

The production team has been sneaking me info like this to make sure I don’t miss anything for the blog. Generally speaking once the prototypes have been sent to China they don’t come back, so I have to get the photos before they make their journey.

Today’s prototype takes the form of a whole set of Nendoroid Petites…

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Nendoroid Petite: Fate/hollow ataraxia!

We all know about the popular Fate/Zero anime that will be airing again this season, but these characters are from the Fate/stay Night fan disc, Fate/hollow ataraxia!

The set includes Saber, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou and Rider all wearing maid outfits, along with figures of Caren, Taiga Fujimura, Bazett, Leysritt, Stheno and more!

There are a total of 12 figures including one secret character!  (`･ω･´)ゞ

Nendo Petites may be small, but that by no means they are not detailed and balanced just as well as other figures! There are even some characters that have never been figures before in this set!

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Saber and Rin in maid outfits!

In Fate/hollow ataraxia they appear like this for a fairly short amount of time, but even that short amount of time was enough to get figure versions of them wearing these outfits!

They are posed in a cute Nendoroid-sized versions of the poses they took in the game – Rin’s is just so adorable!

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Sakura and Rider in maid outfits!

I know we’ve kept Sakura fans waiting for a long time, but we finally have Sakura joining the set in a very cute pose and outfit! I think her outfit is my favorite of all of them – the headband is super detailed!

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Illya and Taiga from the minigame!

The adorable Illya in bloomers!! I think there were lots of fans who wanted these two to join the Fate/stay night series. They are both posed with their one hand in the air in a lovely energetic pose!

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Bazett & Dark Saber!

Bazett has a very sexy body-line, and the detail on her suit is incredible! Dark Saber beside her is just as amazing, holding the Dark Excalibur in her right hand!

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Leysritt & Caren Ortensia!

Of all the figures in the line-up, I think these two bring the most to the set!

Leysritt’s axe has an incredibly detailed pattern on it which looks fantastic – even the connecting joints have been carefully sculpted along the axe!

Beside her is Caren with her hat removed – you can see it attached in the group photo above!! Also… she has a very sexy reverse side… you’ll get a little look at it in the next picture if you look carefully! 😛

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A secret character and Stheno!

I believe this is the very first time Steno has even joined the figure world! (Definitely the first for Good Smile, at least) That stubborn expression staring ahead is so cute!!

Plus there is a secret character included with the set… you’ll have to wait and see who it is!

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You can also switch around the outfits!

Rin always has that energetic look about her, so I thought the bloomers would suit her well – what do you think?  The prototypes and the actual products also have slightly different sizes for the joints, so I had to be super careful while playing around like this… I don’t think they would be very pleased with me if I broke the prototypes just before sending them out to China. 😛

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

Nendoroid Petite: Fate/hollow ataraxia

They’ll be up on the GSC website and up for preorder from tomorrow!!
If you have any preorder or sales queries, be sure to contact our partner shops!

But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all gain tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

(C)2004,2005 TYPE-MOON

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Nendoroid Sakura Miku

　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿_
　 　 　 　 ／　　　　　＼　　　　”Wha- What a wonderful photo!”
　　　　 ／:::::─三三─＼
　　　／:::::: （ ○）三（○）＼
　 　 |　 　､”　ﾞ)（__人__）ﾙ ﾟ｡ ﾟ　　　　　_＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　 　 　 ゝ’ﾟ　　　 　 ≦　三　ﾟ　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
＿＿／ 　 　 ｡≧　　　　　　　三　＝　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| |　/ 　　 ,　　　-ｧ,　　　　　　　≧=　 | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | /　　 /　　 　.ｲﾚ,､　　　　 　　＞　　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | |　⌒ ーnｎｎ ,≦｀Vヾ　　ヾ　≧　 　|_|_＿＿＿＿_＿＿＿＿_|
￣ ＼＿_､(“二）｡ﾟ　/｡･ｲﾊ ､＼､ｌ二二ｌ二二　 ＿|_|＿_|＿

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I’m sure there are some of you have already seen it from twitter last night…

Nendoroid Sakura Miku in her element!

I heard that the cherry blossoms were blooming at Matsudo Shrine, so I went out with the new Sakura Miku prototype for some outdoor photos of Miku together with the cherry blossoms!

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The Nendoroid we are looking at today is the figure form of this Sakura Miku illustrated by Puchi Devil!

Just look how lovely she looks! It must have been quite difficult to capture the same cute feeling when sculpting the figure version!

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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

The sculptor for this lovely Nendoroid was Mesuka! The Miku Nendoroids based on the seasons are always quite difficult to get right – but you can see she has come out brilliantly just like Snow Miku before her!

　　　　 ／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー ＼ 　　← Aki
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　　
　　　|　　 （__人__）|　　　　”Very cute!
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　　　 She’s just as detailed as a 1/8th scale figure!”
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　　　　　　
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}　
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ　

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Each of the cherry blossom prints on her hair features a lovely two-color gradient!

I truly think that Good Smiles’ manufacturing team is one of the most skilled in the industry – which allows them to continuously create wonderful effects like this!

I really hope the final product will still keep the gradient looking just as amazing as this… but I’m sure it will!

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The cherry ribbon on her back was also a part of Puchi Devil’s design!

The fact that the ribbon is a cherry is such a lovely idea! Plus those round, red cherries look absolutely delicious – they really add a little extra something to looking at her from the back.

If you look closely, you can also see cherry blossom shapes on her sleeves… such incredible detail!

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A headset made up of three blossoms!

This headset has gone through all sorts of changes by Good Smile, Crypton and Puchi Devil, but in the end it came out wonderfully as you can see! It makes use of partially clear parts for a transparent effect that looks great!

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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

At this point in time, the prototype is just the Nendoroid itself, so there are no extra parts to look at just yet….

The release date and price are not yet decided, but she will become an official product!

Unfortunately the official announcement will still be awhile away, but I just had to take this opportunity to introduce her to everyone while the cherry blossoms were still in bloom!

 
Plus…!! ((((ﾟДﾟ))))

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To commemorate the completion of the Sakura Miku prototype Nendoroid, the “Project mirai Cafe” at the Akihabara and Good Smile Cafe will be running a special Sakura Miku event!

The “Sakura Miku Fair!”

There will be some lovely new things to get your hands on during the event!

(1) Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set

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Unfortunately we only have a hand drawn example at the moment! 😛

A lovely Japanese Spring menu featuring sakuramochi and sakura tea!
This menu option will be available from the 7th April until the 21st April, and each and every order will also come with…

(2) Sakura Miku Badges!

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They feature lovely illustrations specially drawn by Puchi Devil for the Sakura Miku Fair!!

Thank you so much for the lovely illustrations!! They’re just so adorable!!

Everyone who orders the Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set will get a badge as a little bonus gift – there are two available but you’ll have to select the one you want!

(3) Sega’s Sakura Miku Coaster

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A coaster that makes use of models from the 3DS game ‘Miku Hatsune and Future Stars Project mirai’!

The coaster is blurred out for the blog’s images, but it really is incredibly adorable! This will also be given to each order of the Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set!

The GSC x Testujin Cafe is the only place you can get your hands on these badges and coasters, so don’t miss out!! (`･ω･´)

Plus you might get a chance to see Sakura Miku in the exhibition booth!

(4) Sakura Miku-san Life Size Cut-Out!

018

Another one of Puchi Devil’s adorable illustrations!

Once again, thank you so much for drawing all these lovely illustrations for us!

This version of Miku will be a life-size cardboard cut-out display to be displayed on the stage for everyone to take photos with!

(5) Nendoroid Sakura Miku Display

Come and take a look at the prototype!

The event won’t last that long, so don’t miss out on the Sakura Miku Fair!

Since we’ve reached cherry blossom season in Japan now, it only makes sense to come down and enjoy the season before it comes to an end! If you’ve got some spare time and need something to do, head down to the Akihabara GSC x Tetsujin Cafe for a wonderful Sakura Miku experience!
 

Also, everything I’ve been through today…
Will be introduced as a live broadcast today from 21:00! (JST) – you can watch here:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/gate/lv87896471 

We’ll have Sega and Crypton representatives around, so come along and enjoy the broadcast! (Although it will be in Japanese!)

Finally, on a more serious note…

As it was announced on the GSC website, Nendoroid Sakura Miku has had various bootleg releases. These releases are without the permission of Good Smile Company, or Crypton Future Media.

Don’t end up with cheap pirated figures! The figures we produce have the utmost care put into them to reach you as the products they deserve to be, and seeing bootleg versions of them is very sad for all of us here at Good Smile. I hope you’ll all take care not to be fooled into picking up inferior goods – check the following post for more details.

http://www.goodsmile.info/post/en/3354/
 
 
But that’s all for today!
I’ll see you all later during the live broadcast!! (・∀・)ノ゛

(C)Crypton Future Media, Inc.

by

Nendoroid Plus : Cardfight!! Vanguard – Grade 01

　 　　　 　　 　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　 ／ 　＼　　／＼　 ｷﾘｯ
.　　　　　／　　（ー） 　（ー）＼
　　　　／　　 ⌒（__人__）⌒＼　　　
　　　　|　　 　　　|r┬-|　　　　　|　　
　　　　 ＼　　　　 `ー’´　　　 ／
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　 　　＼

001

Tori Bird striking a classy pose for the camera! (`･ω･´)

He really looks to be very cheerful in this picture, which is understandable since the figures he worked so hard on are nearly ready to ship out to stores! Samples arrived here at Good Smile, so I’ll be taking a quick look at them!

002

Nendoroid Plus:

Cardfight!! Vanguard – Grade 01!

From the popular anime series, ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard” comes a set of miniature figures of characters and units from the series! Each figure also comes with one of three possible random Vanguard! cards – either “Wyvern Strike Gyuntor”, “Mithril Summoning Arts” or “Dark Dragon Monk, Makoraga”.

Each only costs 315JPY!!

An incredible price for both a figure and a Vanguard card!

One big box like the one above contains 9 small boxes!
Each small box contains a random character – you can’t tell what is inside. You just have to wait and see who you get!

Today I’ll be opening the boxes one-by-one until I have each of the figures to show on the blog! I’m looking forward to opening up Aichi and the Wyvern Strike Gyuntor card!

003

First up is Blaster Blade!

The card included is ‘Mithril Summoning Arts’!

The figures are very small, but by no means does that make them poor quality! For just 300 yen you get an incredibly detailed miniature figure! For those unsure of just how small they are…

004

Size comparison with a Nendo Petite!

　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　 　／::::::─三三─＼
　　　　／:::::::: （ ○）三（○）＼　　”Eh? Conan?”　
　　　　|:::::::::::（__人__）::|
　 　　 ＼:::::::　 　|r┬-| 　 ,／
　　　　ノ:::::::::　　`ー’´　　＼

I’ll be introducing this Conan at the end of the blog as well… but for now we’ll just use him as a size comparison! 😛

005

Next up is Soul Saber Dragon!

The card is once again, ‘Mithril Summoning Arts’!

For those who have never seen a Nendoroid Petite and need a separate size comparison, I placed a ruler in the front of this photo to give you a better idea. The body of the Soul Saber Dragon is about 1cm long!!

006

Blazing Flare Dragon!

The included card is ‘Dark Dragon Monk, Makoraga’!

That Gatling gun is really impressive! So intricate even though it is so tiny! Although for some reason it seems the Aichi figure I wanted just isn’t popping up…

007

The forth is Toshiki Kai!

The card included is ‘Wyvern Strike Gyuntor’!

Finally the card I was looking for!! I’m not actually a cardfighter myself, but I just really like the sound of the name ‘Gyuntor’, and the lightning attacks he uses! Pika!!

008

The fifth is… Aichi Sendou!

He also came with the ‘Wyvern Strike Gyuntor’ card!

　　 　 　 　 ／￣￣￣ ＼
　　　　　 ／　　 :::＼::／＼　　　”Yaaay! I finally got them both together!!”
　　 　 ／　　 　｡<一>::<ー>。　　
　　 　 |　　　::｡ﾟ~（__人__）~ﾟj　　　　　　
　　 　 ＼、　　　゜　｀ ⌒´,;／゜
　　　　／　 ⌒ヽﾟ 　'”‘”´(;ﾟ　｡　　
　　　/　,＿ ＼　＼／＼ ＼
　 　 と_＿＿）_ヽ＿つ_;_ヾ_つ.;.

I know there are a lot of female readers of this blog, (I think almost half the people who call out to me at events are girls!) and I know lots of them were very happy to see the prototype review of these figures!

009

And finally, Draconic Overlord!

The card included is “Dark Dragon Monk, Makoraga”!

Each of the characters also have posable necks that can move left and right for some posing variations! Some of them also have posable arms as well!

010

This is how the stands look!

Only these three figures include stands, as the others can stand on their own just fine! Aichi and Toshiki both have the connector pressed into the lower part of the stand and then stand on the higher part. The Soul Saber dragon has the connector pressed into the higher part and then just flies up in the air!

“Arise!! My second self!!” ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ゛

012

There is also a secret character!

Along with the six figures I just introduced… there is also one secret character to look forward to! Lots of readers have specifically requested that I don’t show the secret figures, so this time around I’ve hidden it from view!! Just look forward to finding out for yourself!

011

Nendoroid Plus :

Cardfight!! Vanguard – Grade 01!

They will be on sale at Circle K Sunkus stores and our partner shops from the 24th April!

If you have any sales queries, be sure to get in contact with them!

013

Plus, heading back to the character who made a guest appearance earlier…

Nendoroid Petite: Conan Edogawa!

In commemoration of the release of the most recent Conan film, “Detective Conan and the 11th Striker”, two different kinds of Nendoroid Petite Conan figures will be available around the 14th April. I never thought I’d see the day when a legend like Conan would join the Nendoroid world!

015

Nendoroid Petite:

Conan Edogawa – Tokyo Spirits Ver!

The Conan manga has finally reached it’s 75th volume, and this version of the Nendoroid Petite in a Tokyo Spirits uniform will be included with the special edition of it! The blue stripes are a simple, but lovely design! The soccer ball is also very accurately sculpted!

014

Nendoroid Petite:

Conan Edogawa – Big Osaka Ver!

The special edition manga focusing on a collection of Conan soccer stories, ‘Detective Conan Soccer Collection’ will come with this Big Osaka version of the Conan Nendoroid Petite!

This will be sold exclusively at Seven Eleven!!

Both of them look really cute, I think it would be well worth it for Conan fans to grab them both and display them together!
 
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(CPV/TVA

by

Nendoroid Inori Yuzuriha

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　 　 　＼
　　　　 　／　　　─　 　 ─＼　　　”Ooh!
　　　　／ 　　 　（●） 　（●） ＼ 　　It’s been awhile since someone put
　　　　|　 　　 　 （__人__）　|   a prototype together for me on my own desk!”
　　 　　＼　　 　|r┬-| 　 ,／
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　

01

Normally I end up stealing the prototype from somewhere and putting it together myself, but this time around Shuu-chan from the planning department came by to do it for me!

So today I’ll be playing with this lovely figure… although she seems a bit fragile, so I’m going to have to be super careful!

The sculpting and painting is really incredible!

03

From Guilty Crown:

Nendoroid Inori Yuzuriha!

From the Fuji TV noitaminA block series, ‘Guilty Crown’ comes a figure of the Undertaker’s member, singer and heroine of the series, Inori Yuzuriha! She is posed wearing the lovely red and orange outfit from the series!

Plus Fyu-Neru, the little robotic helper is also included!
He has a whole bunch of fun gimmicks, which I’ll introduce later!!

04

This is how she looks from the back!

There is so much lovely gradient paint work on her!! Just look at her beautiful pink hair… and that outfit is my personal favorite highlight. The red to orange gradient is simply a work of art!

Plus the hips have stamp painting done on them!! So much fine little detail!!

05

The ‘Cat’s Cradle’ string scene!

The shoulder and sleeve are separate parts allowing you to switch the shoulders out and place her arms out in front of her like this. You can then make use of the string parrts and special hand parts to recreate this scene that will leave a deep impression on anyone who has watched the series!

Not to mention… that expression is to die for!
Gazing innocently ahead with her cute little mouth open!!! ･ﾟ･（ﾉД`）･ﾟ･｡

06

A serious combat face and two guns!

Now it looks like Inori is ready to fight! She comes with extra parts that let her pose her with her arms crossed like this while holding her guns.

These arm parts are connected at the shoulder and all together make up a single piece. (In other words, the sleeves and shoulder won’t be detachable on these parts… unless something changes during production!)

The difference between her cute self and this pose is incredible!!

07

Closed eyes and void effect parts!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　 　／　　＼　 　 ─＼　　”Ooh! What incredible effect parts!”
　　　　／ 　し 　（○） 　（○）＼
　　　　|　∪　 　 （__人__）　 |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　 　　 ＼　　u　　 ｀⌒´　 　／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　　|

I actually really like these effect parts, although the one problem about effect parts is that they often look a little bit too 2D on the figure…

08

It also looks great from the side!

No matter what the angle, she still looks absolutely outstanding! The effect parts are inserted into her body in order to create this pose.

To add a little more info to the parts…

・ The effect parts have a lovely clear gradient!
・ The parts are sculpted as if the void was being pulled out from her!

They are incredibly detailed for extra parts!!

09

The adorable Fyu-Neru!

This is how it looks from the back! We took a look at him during the WonHobby live broadcast as well, where we saw that it was sculpted using 3D data – very intricate 3D data!

The eyes can rotate around for different expressions!!

Plus…!!!

10

The front cover opens up!
 
Inside you can see a capsule! It’s just too much! You can make it look angry, happy or exhausted just with those eyes, and then still choose to display it opened up or leave it closed. There are so many options!

03

From Guilty Crown:

Nendoroid Inori Yuzuriha!

She’ll be on the GSC website from tomorrow!!  (`･ω･´)ゞ
If you have any preorder or sales queries, be sure to get in contact with our partner shops!
 
But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(C)ギルティクラウン製作委員会

by

Nendoroid Nano Shinonome

The new GSC employees have arrived! (･∀･)ﾉ

021

From here on out the newcomers will go through a week of training, and then be joining the rest of us in the offices! I look forward to working with them!

A whole lot of PCs are being set up for them here…
but along with the PCs is this prototype!

022

From ‘Nichijou’:

Nendoroid Nano Shinonome!

From the popular anime that is now showing on NHK Educational TV, ‘Nichijou’ comes a Nendoroid of Nano Shinonome, the robot high-school student who lives in the Shinonome Laboratory!

Those shiny, innocent eyes are perfect for Nano! Plus she comes with a load of optional parts for fans to enjoy! We’ll be taking a look at them all shortly…

023

This is how she looks from the back!

Nano’s most noticeable feature – the wind-up key!

Of course it can also be removed, so you can choose whether to display her with or without it, depending on what you prefer!

024

A smiling face, bent arm and shark hand!

Nano includes some interesting options such as this shark hand! Nano was built by Hakase who loves sharks which explains this particular part.

This of course allows you to recreate the popular rock-paper-scissors scene from the series! Plus, the other hand parts included allow you to make rock, paper and scissors poses as well! 😛

025

A crying face and machine-gun hand!

The worried crying face is so cute! I can understand why Hakase is always so keen to tease her!

Plus we have the second adapter hand part – a machine gun, as well as a bent leg part which allows for a bit of a dynamic pose!

027

Kneeling parts and a roll cake hand!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　 　／::::::─三三─＼
　　　　／:::::::: （ ○）三（○）＼　　”W-What the heck…?”
　　　　|::::::::::（__人__）:::|　
　　 　　＼::::::　 　|r┬-| 　 ／
　　　　ノ:::::::::　　`ー’´　　＼

026

Kneeling pose and a chikuwa hand!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　 　／::::::─三三─＼
　　　　／:::::::: （ ○）三（○）＼　　”Eeeh?”
　　　　|:::::::::::（__人__）:::|　
　　 　　＼::::::　 　|r┬-| 　 ／
　　　　ノ::::::::::　　`ー’´　　＼

For those who don’t know, a chikuwa is a kind of fish sausage. I have to admit the first time I saw these two parts I was really dumbfounded… I’m pretty sure I’ll never again have the chance to say a figure comes with chikuwa and roll cake hand parts. 😛

By the way, you can also remove the arm part at the shoulder, so you could instead connect the strange hand parts directly onto the shoulder.

028

Let’s try the wind-up key on Miku!

The wind-up key will connect to any Nendoroids that make use of an arm-type base that connects to the back! Snow Miku’s expression seems so appropriate here! It also means your figures will depend on you more than ever before…

“I’ve got to turn the key for her! If I’m not here, she would be no more!!”
At least, that’s how I see it, I hope everyone can see from my point of view 😛

029

Nendo Hakase is also on her way!!

I decided to pose them together! Even though Hakase is just an illustration at the moment! 😛

They really do look good together though, and I’m sure the final Nendoroid of Hakase will look perfect displayed with Nendoroid Nano!

022

From ‘Nichijou’:

Nendoroid Nano Shinonome!

She is up for preorders as of today!  (`･ω･´)

If you have any preorder or sales inquiries, be sure to contact our partner shops!
 
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(C)あらゐけいいち・角川書店／東雲研究所

by

Anime Contents Expo

　　　 　　　／￣￣￣＼
　　　　　／　─　 　 ─ 　＼　　　”The Jouban line isn’t running… that’s not good….”
　　　 ／　 <○> 　<○>　 ＼
　　　 |　　　（__人__）　し　|　　
　　　 ＼　　　 ｀ ⌒´　　　　／　
　　　 ／ 　し 　　　　 　 　 ＼　← Saturday

001

The strong winds on Saturday were causing havoc with the public transport, I hope everyone who visited the event didn’t have too much trouble. I was sitting in the offices silently doing some work. ^^

But on Sunday I went to the Anime Contents Expo, also known as ACE!! (`･ω･´)ゞ

The event was held in Chiba at the Makuhari Messe. GSC had a booth up as well!

002

Arrival at the GSC Booth!

There were a load of people at the event…!! It felt considerably busier than the Tokyo Anime Fair that was held the previous weekend. There was also a ton of cosplay which I was happy to see. (I remember screeching in happiness when I saw a Ririchiyo-sama cosplayer!)

020

These were given out to everyone!

A Black Rock Shooter flyer, as well as the same Insane Set that was given out at TAF. I hope you all enjoyed the free goodies!

003

Alright, let’s head clockwise around the booth!

First up is the BRS Corner!

This was the biggest corner at both TAF and ACE, and always had a stream of people flowing through! There were also a lot of folks who just stood and watched the monitors with great interest.

005

Lots of people taking photos!

The majority of the photographers were very young looking, and lots of them were just taking photos with their phones rather than actual cameras. I’m so glad to see people so very interested in the figure and Black Rock Shooter world!

004

Insane-chan was also on display!

As I’ve said before… that weapon is just way too big, but that’s what makes it so incredible!! The figure was probably the one that attracted the most attention at the event… probably due to the recently concluded anime series.

006

Next is the Madoka Magica Corner!

The entire event saw a wall of customers in front of the glass cases here… it was almost impossible to get to the front!! 😛 With a movie on the way, the Madoka series is still set to be popular for some time!

007

This is how the display looked!

S-Sorry about the angle… I didn’t want to get in the way of any of the customers that had been waiting so long to see the display cases. There were all sorts of scale figures, figmas and Nendoroids on display for everyone to enjoy!

008

The next booth had the latest figures on display!

Let’s take a look at what is coming up….

009

From Guilty Crown:

figma Inori Yuzuriha!

Even though she is figma size, the paint work and gradient on her outfit is absolutely outstanding!! The production team are going to cry when they see this…. it’s such a perfect rendition!

010

Nendoroid Inori Yuzuriha!

This particular pose lets you display her as her Void is being taken out! These effect parts are amazing! She’ll be announced on the GSC site soon!

011

From Senki Zesshou Symphogear:

figma Hibiki Tachibana

Definitely a character very suited to becoming a figma! I can’t wait to see the colored version!! She will also be announced shortly, I promise!

There is also an event surrounding the series on the way, so check that out as well!

●Event Outline
■ Event Title : Symphogear Live 2012.
■ Place: Zepp DiverCity (Tokyo)
■ Organizers: Project Symphogear
■ Date: 2012/10/06 (Sat). Times not yet decided.
■ Guests: Aoi Yuki (Hibiki Tachibana), Nana Mizuki (Tsubasa Kazanari), Ayahi Takagaki (Chris Yukine), Yuka Iguchi, Hideo Ishikawa (Genjuro Kazanari) and others.
■ Ticket Price: 4,900JPY (Planned)
■ Ticket Presale Lottery : Lottery ticket will be included with the 6th Vol. Blu-Ray of Senki Zesshou Symphogear which will be released on 2012/08/29.

Each ticket will have a serial number.
■ Standard Ticket  Sales Date : Undecided.

For more details, check the official site here:
http://www.symphogear.com/

●Queries
Project Symphogear
symphogear@kingrecords.co.jp

012

Indotei & Good Smile Cafe!

Indotei had ‘Black Rock Curry’ on sale, while Good Smile Cafe had two different BRS themed drinks as well as ‘Kamokawa Energy’. Unfortunately they all sold out very quickly… sorry to all those who didn’t get a chance to try them!

018

A wild life-size Gumako appears!

She was very popular with everyone at the event, and we even had a photo session for everyone to take photos! I joined in with the crowds and took some pictures for myself!

017

But what about the other booths at the events?!

“Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita“!

The booth looked like a giant pile of stacked up books and was very artistic and had a lovely playful atmosphere!

015

‘NicoNico Douga”!

The NicoNico Douga booth was constantly in an uproar of excitement and was great fun to look around. There was a huge glass booth that they were broadcasting from.

014

“BS-11!”

Another artistic booth – circular and based on the image of a film roll! The bulk of the booth was all digitally displayed and had a very fresh feeling to it!

013

Persona 4’s Teddie!

　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　 ／_ノ ‘　ヽ_＼
　　　／　（≡） 　 （≡）　＼　　”I wanna take it home!!”
　 ／ ///（__人__）///＼　　
　 |　　u　　|r┬-| 　　　　 |　　　
　 ＼ 　 　　｀ ー’´ 　 　／　　
　　ノ　　　　　　　　　 　＼

016

It was a very brief summary, but that brings my coverage of the Anime Contents Expo to an end!

It was GSC’s first time at the event, but we had so many people coming to visit the booth and it was a great event! It’s not certain that we’ll be attending the next ACE, but I’m glad we were able to give so many people a good look at the world of figures!

At the end of this month we’ll be attending the NicoNico Chokaigi!

We’ll be putting more info up about that shortly, so look out for it!

019

The back room of the event!

In the back we had people hard at work sorting out the goodies to be given out at the event! 😛
 
 
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛