Month: June 2012

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The GSC Sales Team 4700km Japan Journey!

The sales team is super busy!

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The reason for this hectic business is that two of the staff are off on…

The GSC Sales Team 4700km Japan Journey!

The Good Smile Company Sales Team will be driving around in a Good Smile Car and displaying upcoming figures around to stores all over Japan between the 11th June and the 29th June. The journey will begin in the Kantou region, moving through to Touhoku, Hokkaido, Tokai, Kinki, China, Kyushu, Shikoku and the Shin-Etsu region – in each region they will be visiting some of the partner shops in that region, displaying figures such as Ultimate Madoka and Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier which is due for release soon!

When and which stores they are stopping by are listed at the end of this blog post!

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They will be traveling in this car!

I can’t believe they’re going by car! This is going to one long and harsh journey for the sales team! ^^;

The two who are going on the trip are Nagaizumi and one of the new recruits – Murakami!
We’ll find out how the trip is going by phone a little later on…
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The main focus of the campaign is of course to display Ultimate Madoka!  (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

Posters like this one will be given out at Hobby Shops – a lovely picture of Ultimate Madoka with a spacey background. I’m sure there are lots that want to get their hands on it…

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If you reserve Ultimate Madoka while the sales team is at the store…

You’ll get one of these double-sided B3 posters!

The front is the Madoka figure with the universe background and the reverse side is a background for you to display behind your Ultimate Madoka! Awesome!

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Let’s take a look at the stores!

The first day was at Ibaraki – Akiba Sofmap Mito!

As you can see there is a lovely big cardboard stand for everyone to see! Plus even though the photo was taken quite far from the figure, she still has an amazing presence!
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The customers have arrived!

The first day was a weekday, so I was worried that nobody was going to be there! A big thanks to everyone who stopped by to see Madoka!

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Nagaizumi is the one in the turquoise shirt!

Excellent! He seems to be treating the girls with the utmost respect! If there is anything you want to know, don’t hesitate to ask him!
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Tochigi prefecture’s Volks Utsunomiya Showroom!

Wait? From Ibaraki to Tochigi…?

They moved from Akiba Sofmap Mito to the Volks showroom on the same day! That’s quite some distance to cover in just one day!
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Ah! The preorder poster!

As I mentioned before, the sales team will be giving out the B3 poster as a present to everyone who preorders while they are at the store!
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Madoka is just as popular in Utsunomiya!

The prototype hasn’t yet been out of the Chiba/Tokyo area, so it’s great that everyone else can finally get a chance to see it! It’s much better to see it for yourself than try and figure out the size from images all the time. ^^;
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Photo by Nagaizumi!

A picture of Madoka from above, giving us a nice look at the pedestal as well!
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The next day: animate Miyagi in Sendai!

Ooh! We got lots of space to show her off once again! It makes for a very colorful area that nobody would want to miss out on!
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Along with Ultimate Madoka, Phat Company’s Hibari and the soon to be released Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier were also on display!

I’m still amazed at the quality that Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier – this wasn’t the prototype but a early release sample! If you’re not sure if you want to order her, be sure to go take a look at the display and see her for yourself!
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Next up: Volks Sendai Showroom in Miyagi!

Wow! The display is enormous here! We also have GSC’s 1/8th scale Madoka on display!! Ultimate Madoka is the same 1/8th scale as the previously released Madoka series, so they’ll look great displayed together!
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QB-san as a teru-teru bozu!!

Not to mention he is huge!! xD If he was real I think I’d have to make a contract…!
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The display looked like this here!

Uuko’s circular display stands really give a classy feeling to the display! I want them for my Nendoroids!

And I have to say it again… Madoka is really big… 😛

Right, let’s call Nagaizumi and see how they’re doing!

“Hey! How is the trip going?”

∩
||　　／￣￣＼　　← Nagaizumi
|| ／　　 　─　　＼
／〔|　 　 （ ○）　（○）　　　”No time to stay at a hotel… I can’t charge my PC!”
〔ノ^ゝ　　（__人__）
ノ ノ^,-　　　　｀ ⌒´
/´ ´ ‘　, ^ヽ　　　　　 }
/　　　　　ﾉ'”＼.　 ⌒
人　　　　ノ ＼／,＿ __ノ
/:::::＼_／l:::::::＼ｰ-.,ノ､ﾞ,

“Eh?! You’re just staying in the car?!
How are you going to send me text for the blog?

∩
||　　／￣￣＼　　← Nagaizumi
|| ／　　 　─　　＼
／〔|　 　 （ ○）　（○）　　　”I’ll send it at the next parking space…”
〔ノ^ゝ　　（__人__）
ノ ノ^,-　　　　｀ ⌒´
/´ ´ ‘　, ^ヽ　　　　　 }
/　　　　　ﾉ'”＼.　 ⌒
人　　　　ノ ＼／,＿ __ノ
/:::::＼_／l:::::::＼ｰ-.,ノ､ﾞ,

No! It’s okay, really!

They’ve only just started, it’s definitely going to be quite a tough journey! Just make sure you stay healthy, and be careful when driving!

For the next three weeks the 4700km Japan Journey will continue!  (`･ω･´)

This is the schedule, so if you have the time when they are nearby then come by for a visit!

2012/6/11/(Sun) [Ibaraki] Akiba Sofmap Mito(Web)/[Tochiki] Volk’s Utsunomiya Showroom (Web)

2012/6/12/(Tue) [Miyagi] animate Sendai(Web)/[Miyagi] Volk’s Sendai Showroom(Web)

2012/6/13/(Wed)　[Iwate] animate Morioka(Web)

2012/6/14/(Thur)　[Hokkaido] animate Sapporo(Web)

2012/6/15/(Fri)　[Hokkaido] Volk’s Sapporo Showroom(Web)

2012/6/16/(Sat)　[Aichi] Joshin Kid’s Land Oosu(Web)

2012/6/17/(Sun)　[Osaka] Sofmap Gigastore Nanba (Web)

2012/6/18/(Sun)　[Kyoto] animate Kyoto(Web) /[Hyougo] animate Sannomiya(Web)

2012/6/19/(Tue)　[Tottori] HobbyShop Rearia(Web)/[Okayama] Medio! Nishiichi Hobby Section(Web)

2012/6/20/(Wed)　[Tokushima] ufotable CINEMA(Web)(animate Tokushima/Nankai Books)

2012/6/21/(Thur)　[Hiroshima] Hobby Zone Hiroshima(Web)

2012/6/23/(Sat)　[Fukuoka] animate Kokura(Web)

2012/6/24/(Sun)　[Fukuoka] Asobit City Canal City Store(Web)

2012/6/25/(Sun)　[Osaka] Geestore Osaka(Web)

2012/6/26/(Tue)　[Aichi] animate Nagoya(Web)/[Aichi] TamTam Nagoya(Web)

2012/6/27/(Wed)　[shizuoka] animate Shizuoka(Web)

2012/6/28/(Thur)　[Nagano] Liondo Panda Record(Web)

2012/6/29/(Fri)　[Tokyo] Volk’s Akihabara Showroom(Web)

If you want the B3 poster, you should follow the Sales Team’s twitter!

Sales Team Twitter (Japanese)
https://twitter.com/gsc_sales/

They will be tweeting where they are and when they arrive! On the 23rd/24th at Fukuoka, I might also stop by to see how things are going – feel free to come and have a chat! It’ll be my first time in Hakata, so I’m actually looking forward to it!

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

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Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #2 and a Message from Aoi Yuuki!

Anime Festival Asia in Malaysia!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

GSC had a booth there on the 9th and 10th of June!

ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA is more commonly known by the acronym of the name, ‘AFA’! This report is a continuation from yesterday, so be sure to read the previous blog entry first: Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #1

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This is how the GSC booth looked!

We had displays of upcoming products which loads of people came by to look at! I was so glad to see that anime and figure culture has spread so much all over Asia now!

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This is the backstage area!

The stage that featured all the interviews and performances was located in a separate building away from the booths. Those appearing on stage would wait here in the back for their turn on the stage… it was actually quite high up and scary to stand on. ^^;

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The audience area was huge!!

I guess for celebrities and musicians this is quite normal, but  for me it was amazing to see so many people! Thanks Malaysia!!

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MAX Watanabe and Aki were both on stage with Danny Choo!

Danny would translate everything that MAX and Aki would say so that everyone in the audience could understand! Thanks Danny!

During the talks a number of figures would be put up on the monitors and the audience would all cheer together – it was incredible!!

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Back to the booth!

Today was also the day of the preliminary races taking place in Sepang, Malaysia – in which the Miku car was racing. Kaula Lampur and Sepang are about one hour apart by car, so Aki actually came from the race to be here for the stage performance!

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Chatting with some customers!!

MAX and Aki definitely chatted with a number of customers, but even I got some customers that came and told me things like, “I love reading your blog” or “Looking forward to the next blog!” which made me really glad!

Everyone in Malaysia was really kind, and most would try hard to speak to me in Japanese as I can’t speak English at all – it really meant a lot to me! Now that I’ve seen how many people are looking forward to GSC’s products even outside of Japan, I’m definitely going to work as best I can to show the best products to everyone!!

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That brings my AFA report to and end!

I’m sure it wasn’t the best event report ever, but I hope you enjoyed it! It’s not easy to get to an event like this if you don’t live around Malaysia, but I hope you were at least able to get a feeling for the event from my report!

The thing that really leaves an impression on me from this event is that even though the event hall was always in chaos, people wanting to take photos would always patiently wait their turn and if someone just slightly bumped into you they would apologise – I think that considerate mindset is absolutely wonderful.

It was my very first visit to Malaysia, and I’ve come to love it! If I ever get the chance I will definitely be back. A big thank you to everyone who came by the booth at the event, as well as to everyone who came to speak with me!!
But that’s not all!

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The main display at AFA – Ultimate Madoka!

＿＿＿_
／　.u　　　＼　　　　”You brought the prototype with!?”
(（○）)　 (（○）)
/⌒)⌒)⌒. ::::  （__人__）　l_j :::＼/⌒)⌒)⌒)
|　/　/　/　 　 |r┬-|　　|　(⌒)/　　/　 /　 /／
|　:::::::::::(⌒)　U　.||| ／ ゝ:::::::::::/
|　　　ノ　　  　|　|　 |　　＼　/　）　/
ヽ　　　/　　　   └ー.┘　　　ヽ /　　／

Of course! (Megurin did)

At the airport while they were inspecting hand luggage and just before we got on the plane, everyone kept aksing things like “What is that you’re holding?”, or “Isn’t that a little too big?”. ^^;

Normally there are two prototypes created of any figure – one more promotional use and another to be sent through to the factories in China for manufacturing. But this time around we only had the one and it needed to be displayed once in Japan and then again in Malaysia, and now it’ll only be sent to China!

The picture above came out a little bit blurred because of the display case glass, but somehow I quite like the way it came out anyway – it actually looks quite pretty!

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Plus I have a message about the figure from
Aoi Yuuki, Madoka’s voice actor!!

Look at the picture above and imagine Madoka’s voice saying the following!

Ultimate Madoka only appeared in the anime for a brief moment, so I never expected to see a figure of her!! I’m so glad to see how she came out!! (*´ω｀*) 

I absolutely love the skirt with the universe inside it! Not to mention the beauty of those transparent wings! Just seeing how divine she came out makes me want to kneel down and praise the creators!! To think that Madoka’s final form will be delivered to so many people looking this wonderful makes me incredibly happy!!

I hope you’ll spend lots of time together with Madoka once she arrives! (>ω<)

What a lovely message!!

I promise I’ll spend lots of time with her!! I’ll stay by her side forever!! I love you Madoka–!! 😛

Those who want to hear her voice, don’t miss out on the commercial for the figure either – if you haven’t seen it yet can take a look right here:

If you haven’t preordered your’s yet, be sure not to miss out!
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!!  (・∀・)ノ゛

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Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #1

.　　／￣￣￣＼

.　／　─　　 ─　＼　 　　”It’s incredibly hot here in Malaysia!

／　 <○> 　<○> ＼　　　I knew it would be hot, but not this hot!

|　　　（__人__）　 |

＼　　　 ｀ ⌒´　　／

／ 　し 　　　　　 ＼

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Thursday, 7th June. 22:00.

Arrival in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia!

It took just less than eight hours to fly here from Japan. The time-zone is one hour different from Japan. It was also incredibly hot!!

The air is very humid, so it was very similar to the heat in Japan, but the strong aircon inside the buildings made it seem even warmer outside than normal.

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My room for the next four days!

I got a corner room, yay!  Not to mention it had a load of space, there was an internet connection and I had a great view! I couldn’t have asked for a better room!

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After one day of preparation…

AFA Day 1 Begins!

AFA is an acronym for ‘ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA’!

The day of preparation caused a lot of trouble with packages unable to get here on time, and road congestion causing delays for the GT team… but if I was to write on that I get the feeling it’ll end up being way too long, so I’ll have to drop it for now. 😛 Luckily, all the prototypes managed to arrive safely!

AFA was held at a place called ‘PWTC’! It looked pretty much like a shopping mall, but there were cosplayers walking around as if it were normal. Whenever I go overseas for events, I’m always glad to see things like this!

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Here we have the entrance!

From the main building you take a passage down to a smaller annex. Just like at Animelo Summer Live there was a fine mist spraying down from the ceiling. Anyway, let’s head inside…

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The GSC Booth!

The Good Smile booth was right near the entrance! Normally at events like this I have a hard time finding our booth…

This time around the booth was decorated with a racing theme!

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By the way…

Danny Choo’s booth was opposite the GSC booth…

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with Bushiroad next to us!! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Being close by to some of the booths that I know back from Japan was very reassuring. ^^ Let’s take a peek into Bushiroad’s booth…

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Lots of Cardfighers!

By the evening, there were so many people watching that the entire booth was surrounded! But Good Smile mustn’t lose!! 😛
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A photo from the pathway!

At the far end of the photo you can see the black and white chequered booth which is GSC, and on the left you can see parts of orange which are Danny’s booth! As an extra bonus we have a lovely looking back of a maid at the front of the photo! 😛
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The back of the GSC booth!

The same day as AFA, a GT race was being held at Sepang, right here in Malaysia – So the pit was recreated at AFA to celebrate!

That also explains why we decided to make the booth’s design have racing theme! The image above is Car #0’s pit – you can see Racing Miku looking absolutely lovely!

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Next to Car #0 we have the pit of Car #4!

The project mirai Miku Car! Isn’t she adorable!! Obviously I’m supporting #0, but I have to say I really want the mirai car to do well too!!

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Everyone taking photos!!

It makes me so happy to see everyone taking photos of our figures! Thanks everyone!! But what was the main attraction of the GSC booth at AFA…?

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It can only be Ultimate Madoka!

The case  we were using had lights in the top which worked very nicely for Madoka – the light on her wings and bow looks absolutely fantastic!

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A true goddess!!

The light shining up from the heavens only makes her look even more divine! Seeing her with lighting like this really makes me want to install lighting for my own figures at home…

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figma Saber & ex:ride Cuirassier

Note that they are both sold separately! As a part of the ex:ride series, Saber can of course ride on the Cuirassier perfectly – it was designed for figmas!
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The 1/8th Scale Saber & Cuirassier!

This isn’t the prototype, but in fact an actual sample from the factories! The manufacturing team have done a magnificent job, just look how incredibly she has come out!

I know a lot of you have been waiting for her – but the wait will be over later this month!

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figma Kiritsugu Emiya & figma Airi!

I might not be very good at it, but I tried to make some nice poses for the figmas – what do you think? ^^;

Kiritsugu is a prototype, and I was constantly worried I was going to lose his cigarette…

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The 1/7th Scale Luka-san!

Luka enjoyed all the attention of having everyone look through at her! Everyone else was taking photos from the front, so I decided to take a picture from the back instead!
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We also had a sales corner!

We were working with one of Singapore’s wholesale stores for this. They also helped us a lot with setting up the booth – thanks a lot guys!!

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These were the goods on sale!

On the first things sold at light speed and we were out of stock of many products in no time at all…

The Vocaloid products in particular were incredibly popular! There was also lots of Vocaloid cosplay – I guess it is just as popular overseas as it is in Japan!

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The Sepang race was being screened!

At the GSC Cafe back in Japan we were hosting a public viewing of the race, so we decided to host one here at AFA as well! This photo was taken on the first day, so this was actually the preliminary race.

The next day we of course had the actual race showing, and every time the Miku car made an appearance the audience would all shout ‘Oooh!”. It was great!!

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Time to wander around the event!

The event wasn’t that big, probably about half the size of the enterprise booths at Comiket. But even though it was smaller, it did seem more dense with things to do!

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Sailor uniforms and maid outfits!

I love maid outfits, but I think the sailor uniforms are even better. It really captures a unique kind of student feeling from Japan, along with a unique kind of sexiness!

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There were also swords on sale!

Whenever I go overseas I always see swords on sale – and lots of them!!

This store was also selling cat and rabbit hats that were incredibly popular! (There were tons of people wearing them at the event, which was absolutely adorable!)

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Capsule toy machines!

There were quite a lot of them to look through, all with all sorts of toys very similar to the ones you would find in Japan. I wanted to try them myself, but I didn’t have the right kind of coin on me… 🙁

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A maid café and a butler café!

At the very edge of the booths, there was a corner filled with tasty places to have lunch! The left side here is the maid café and the right was a butler café!

You can probably tell which was which just by which customers are lining up where – the queues for both seemed like they would never end. ^^;

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Dolls in the pathway!

Not even off to the side – right in the middle of the path!! I know they have stands, but I’d be worried that someone was going to kick them over!!

But it seems everyone in Malaysia is careful!

There was about a 1m area around the dolls that never had anyone inside, with people taking photos on the outskirts!

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Japanese kimonos! ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

They all look absolutely lovely! From the kimonos down to the sandals on their feet!! There are even patterns used on the straps of the sandals! They are so amazing! I also love the bow in Reimu’s hair – it’s perfect!

Anyway, my AFA report will be continuing tomorrow! 

I’ll also be getting some comments from a special guest – look forward to it!

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

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1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka (Painted – Part 3)

Ultimate Madoka!!

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She is now up for preorder! (=ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

I had one of the lovely ladies in the office hold her for this photo to help everyone get a better feeling for the size! The pedestal alone is about the size of her hand!!

Time to continue my review of this lovely figure!!

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First from this very popular angle!

As I mentioned when I reviewed the non-painted version of the figure, the side of the face on figures is normally not something you’d normally want to take photos of,  but with Ultimate Madoka it looks absolutely wonderful

She really looks great from absolutely any angle!

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What a stunning outfit!!

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This is how she looks from the top!

From the top you can really get a good feeling for how much volume she has! The fair flowing behind her is definitely the highlight for me when looking from the top.

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A glimpse of the universe in her dress!

I absolutely love the way the sculpting reproduces the look of fabric from a side angle like this – it looks so nice and flowing. You can also easily tell that the bottom pink fabric is a different fabric to the white layers of fabric above. It’s amazing what a difference good sculpting work and painting can create!

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Looking at her face-on! (`･ω･´)

She’s looking right at me!! Right at me!!!

Although, I guess she is also aiming an arrow right at me… I better make sure it avoids my knee! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

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I’ve taken way too many photos…

It really has been so much fun to photograph this figure that I’ve taken well over 500 photos of her now… 😛 It was really hard to decide which pictures I should use… I want to show all of them!

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The bow was resculpted lots of times.

The top of the bow is rather big, and when you take a good look at it, it really has just as much impact as Madoka herself! It makes use of a white and pink gradient, and has a sort of twirling effect that looks absolutely lovely!

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The pedestal is also gorgeous!!

Just as with all the previous 1/8th scale Puella Magi Madoka Magica figures, Ultimate Madoka makes use of a round pedestal with a transparent effect applied to it. But Ultimate Madoka takes it even a step further and features the magical symbols that appeared whenever she fired an arrow.

It also features a lovely gradient and the spacey background. I think once she releases I’ll try and display her with a  light beneath the circle – I think it will look fantastic! （´∀｀）

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Today’s last shot!! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

　　
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Good Smile Company’s:

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka!

She is currently up for preorder!

If you have any sales or order queries, be sure to contact our partner shops!

The Ultimate Madoka Special is still set to continue!!

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

(C )Magica Quartet／Aniplex・Madoka Partners・MBS

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1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka (Painted – Part 2)

　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿＿
　/　) ) )／　 ＼　　／＼　　
　{　 　⊂)　（●）　 （●） ＼　　　”Hey!
　|　　 / ///（__人__）// ＼　　　It’s Digitarou from Nitroplus!”
　!　　 !　　 　`Y⌒y’´　　　　|
　|　　 l 　　 　 ﾞー ′　 　,／
　|　　　ヽ　　　ー‐ 　 　ｨ
　|　　　　　　　　　 　/　 |

021

…Hey!!

I was going to say that he wasn’t allowed to take pictures before I had, but then I remembered that as the publisher, I guess he is allowed to… 😛

I’m sure he’ll be uploading his photos as well, so let’s see who takes the better pictures!!

– Digitarou’s Twitter –
https://twitter.com/digitarou

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Good Smile Company’s:

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka!

From the last episode of the hit anime series ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’, comes a 1/8th scale figure of Ultimate Madoka – the form Madoka took once her wish was granted and she became a Puella Magi.

Her long flowing hair, the deep space confined within her dress, her transparent wings and even her bow that looks like a budding flower – every part of Ultimate Madoka has been carefully sculpted to faithfully reproduce the original.

023

From this distance we can see the whole figure!

Isn’t she beautiful!?

I want to believe that you can tell just how amazing she is from the photos, but I really don’t think they do her justice! You have to see her with your own two eyes!! The size, sculpting, paintwork and beauty are so amazing it’s impossible to put into words!!!

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A universe inside a skirt!

　　　　 ／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー ＼ 　← Hiro
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　　
　　　|　　 （__人__）|　　　”The skirt makes use of MAZIORA paint.
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　　 It was very hard to recreate that look,
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　      and we had to try all sorts of options!”
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ

The paintwork for Ultimate Madoka was done by Hiro-san! I think this skirt could easily be one of the biggest highlights of the figure – it has a lovely shine and the changes between dark and light look fantastic. Just looking at it makes me feel like it’s going to suck me inside!!

42

The expression is also stunning!!

It’s not even exaggerating to say this is the epitome of art!! Also take note of the arrow and the delicate fingers that hold it in place – everything is made to perfection!!

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This is how the skirt looks from the side!

The skirt is separated into three different layers, and even the underside of the layers is fully painted! The light and airy feeling the skirt gives off is also wonderful!

If you look from just a little lower it seems like a completely different experience! (I- I swear I don’t mean that in a perverted way!)

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She looks divine from the back too!!

This photo somehow didn’t end up completely behind the spacey background. ^^; She looks so lovely from the back, I really don’t know how I would want to display her…!

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Let’s look a little bit closer!!

I just can’t get over how incredibly detailed she is, or how much space she takes up! The white areas are painted with a pearl paint that has a lovely shine to it!

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Her wings use transparent plastic!

The top is white, with a slow gradient moving to pink at the tips. Plus the base of the wings are more transparent and slowly become less transparent as it moves outwards. At certain angles the pink hair reflects on the wings and looks amazing!

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Good Smile Company’s:

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka
 
Available for preorder now!

If you have any preorder or sales inquiries be sure to contact our partner shops!

I’ll be continuing this review on Monday!! (`･ω･´)

– GSC Shanghai Diary #10 –

Dàjiā hǎo! It’s Suzuki from Good Smile Shanghai!

The third member of staff I’ll be introducing is another sculptor, Usagi-kun!

He has really been improving his Japanese recently! I need to work on my Chinese as much as he works on his Japanese! We’ll be showing some of his works to everyone shortly!

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Hello everyone, my name is Zhōumò, but all my friends call me Usagi. I was born and raised in Beijing.

Some of my favorite characters have never been made into figures, so it was on;y a matter of time until I became a sculptor so I could make them myself! My goal is to create something that combines an huge weapon with a really cute girl for the perfect combination! I’ll get it done!!

Last year I spent a year in Japan training. Ever since I was a student I have admired Japanese machinery, and after spending some time with Good Smile Company which was just as amazing as I had always imagined, I have came to love Japan even more.

If any of you ever get the chance to visit China, I strongly recommend you try all the different snacks and treats sold in various cities. You’ll be amazed at how many there are out there, and many of them are each made in their own special way- each of which is very interesting. There are also more and more Chinese manga artists I can highly recommend to you. Seen they are in Chinese it might be quite difficult to read, but they are definitely worth a look!

Anyway, I hope one day we can meet in China!!

That brings my three days of staff introductions to an end. Just like everyone in Japan, everyone has a great, unique personality! I hope we’ll be able to work with everyone in Japan and expand the market here in China as best we can!

Anyway, Xià xīngqí!


Usagi-san!

The first time I heard his name I couldn’t help but think it was a really cute name! It sounds better with “-san” than with “-kun” in my opinion, so I’ll call him Usagi-san! I’m looking forward to seeing his work!!
 
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again next week!!  (・∀・)ノ゛

by

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka (Painted – Part 1)

　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿_
　 　 　 　 ／　　　　　＼　　　 　”Oooh!!
　　　　 ／:::::─三三─＼　　　　 Ultimate Madoka is on TV!!”
　　　／:::::: （ ○）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　 ＿|_|＿_|＿

‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’ is currently being rebroadcast…

And today we’ll be taking the first look at the painted version of Ultimate Madoka!

Read this first! 1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka (Sculpture)

022

Ta-da!! Want to see her closer? ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

023

There we go!! Even closer!!?  Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟ ）

024

She’s finally here!!!

35

The 1/8th Scale

Ultimate Madoka!

　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿＿__
　　　　　 ／:υ::─ﾆjjﾆ─ヾ　
　　　　／:::li|.:（ ○)三 （ ○)＼ 　　　”She’s complete!?
　　　 （:::|.::: （__人__）):::|　　　 When can I order her!!?”
　　〃　）:::::. 　 |r┬-|　li::/
　　　 /: : : : : l＼`ー ‘/j: : ヽ
　 ＼ヽ :ヽ: : :　7ヽ　/>: : : :r:＼　

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!

She’ll be up on the GSC website from about noon tomorrow, the 8th June. You should be able to preorder yours from one of our partner shops shortly after!
 
But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!!  (・∀・)ノ゛

by

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka (Sculpture)

The figure that debuted at the 2012 Wonder Festival…

001

Good Smile Company’s:

1/8th Scale Ultimate Madoka!

　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿＿__
／:υ::─ﾆjjﾆ─ヾ
／::li|:（ ○)三 （ ○)＼ 　　”She is huge!!”
（::||!:: （__人__）):|
〃　）:::::. |r┬-|　li::::/
/: ::: : l＼`ー ‘/j:::ヽ

Even though she is a 1/8th scale, she looks enormous!

The blog has a set width for photos which is the same size I always use, but I’m not certain if the size is big enough to get the feeling of just how big this figure is! You need to compare it to the size of the monitor and the keyboard! But the size isn’t the only incredible thing about this lovely figure!

She looks incredible from any angle!

We were never able to show off the figure from every angle at the events she has been at, so today I’ll be taking a look at all sorts of different angles! The first time ever I’ll be looking from this many!

003

Let’s start on the left side!

I think this angle is my personal favorite! You can really see the way that the skirt opens up behind her from this angle – I definitely recommend it!！

005

A look directly from the left side!

Just look how big she is!! Plus look at the long flowing skirt and hair! It’s absolutely fantastic!!! ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)･ﾟ･｡

006

The reverse left side!

If you like the wings on her back, then this angle is best! I can’t wait to see what this angle will look like once she is painted!!

007

Onto the back of the figure!

Just look at the amazing amount of detail and volume that skirt takes up!! It’s got a whole bunch of layers all expanding out further and further! The hair flowing out behind her is just as incredible!

008

The reverse right side!

From this side you get a good view of her nocking an arrow! Her slender back is also a very sexy sight from this angle!!

009

A direct look from the right!

Because of the way her body is twisted, this angle actually gives you a front look at her upper body. There is so much to look at – from her arms and waistline down to her belly! They all look so amazing!

010

Finally, a front right angle!

The bow just comes out in the front of this photo, so I think I got the perspective to come out nicely! You can see her whole body nicely as well – also a very nice angle in my opinion.

002

Back to the front view!

　　 　 　 　 ／￣￣￣ ＼
／　　 :::＼:::／＼　　 “She is just too amazing!!”
／　　 ｡<一>:::<ー>。
|　　　　.｡ﾟ~（__人__）~ﾟj
＼、　　　゜　｀ ⌒´,;／゜
／　 ⌒ヽﾟ 　'”‘”´(;ﾟ　｡
/　,＿ ＼　＼／＼ ＼
と_＿＿）_ヽ＿つ_;_ヾ_つ.;.

Normally when I’m taking photos of figures I find areas that I think will look good, or cute… but with Ultimate Madoka it doesn’t matter where I take photos! She always looks incredible!!

Let’s take a look at a few…! (`･ω･´)

011

Her waist and skirt!

012

The side of her face!

Often an angle that is considered taboo with figures, but Madoka looks lovely!

013

Her lovely thighs!

014

1/8th Scale

Ultimate Madoka!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
／　　 　 　＼
／　　＼　 　 ／＼　　　”I wanna see the colored version!”
／ 　　 （＞） 　（＜）＼
|　 　　 　 （__人__）　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
＼　　 　 　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|
ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
／´ 　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
|　　　　ｌ 　 　 　 　 　 　　　　　| |　　　　　　　 　　　|
ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿__|
ヽ ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

I’ll be showing the colored prototype soon!!

Sorry for having taking so long!! The sculpting is incredible quality as you can see, so just wait till you see the colored version – it won’t be long now!

– GSC Shanghai Diary #9 –

Dàjiā hǎo! This is Suzuki from Good Smile Shanghai!
Today we continue the Shanghai staff introductions with kiking, a sculptor!
Miku Hatsune: Cheerful Ver. was sculpted by him!

49

I was born in Shanghai in August 1989. My hobbies are making models and spacing out. I’m really glad to have become a sculptor for GSC Shanghai. It’s great fun to be able to sculpt your favorite characters, and it’s even better when everyone loves the work you have done!

My ultimate goal is to become a stylish gentleman with a showcase of all my work built in my house, so I can look at them whenever I like! When I think of Japan I think of blue skies, everything looking very clean, everyone being so kind and absolutely delicious rice! (and cutlets!) Not to mention the holy land of Akihabara! Everything I could ever want is there for me!

Have any of you ever been to China before?
When I came to Japan, there were a number of delicious foods that tasted nothing like the food in Shanghai, but I’m sure the same goes for people who visit Shanghai – there are so many different delicious foods to try here! I personally recommend trying the Shanghai dumplings!

Anyway, that’s all! Bye! ^^

Normally kiking-kun is very shy, but when it comes to sculpting he is overflowing with inspiration and works on the smallest of details! He is currently working on something that I think everyone will should be looking forward to!

Anyway, Míngtiān jiàn!

kiking-kun!

Cheerful Miku was an absolutely stunning figure!!
I can’t wait to see his next piece of work! Good luck!! (`･ω･´)b
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

by

The New Recruits have Joined GSC! They’ll Be Running a Brand New Project!

The GSC Offices, June 6th 2012!

001

We have so many more comrades nowadays!!

　 　　　＿＿＿_　　
　　　／　　 　 　＼
　 ／　　　─　 　 ─＼　 　　 “When I joined, GSC had 15 employees
／ 　　　 （●） 　（●） ＼　 　　 and was run from an apartment!”
|　 　　 　 （__人__）　|　））
/　　　　 ∩ノ ⊃　　 ／
(　 ＼　／ ＿ノ　|　 |

This year we have 8 new recruits!

That’s almost a 10% increase in staff for us here at GSC! Today I’ll be giving a brief introduction to all the newcomers, along with an interesting project they will be running! (`･ω･´)

004

New Recruit #1 : Nutty

008

New Recruit #2 : Edako

003

New Recruit #3 : Kahoyamo

002

New Recruit #4 : Hamako

009

New Recruit #5 : Gou　

007

New Recruit #6 : Ina Bauer

005

New Recruit #7 : Matsuzawa

006

New Recruit #8 : Kamatani

 
These are the 8 new recruits of Good Smile Company!

Of the eight, two are joining the production team as novice sculptors, and the other six are on job rotation, working with all the divisions and learning in the process!

Along with these tasks, the newcomers are also trying to develop…

A product to display figures more ideally!

Oooh! That sounds pretty cool!!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　 　 　＼
　　　　 　／　　　─　 　 ─＼　　　”Display figures more ideally? Huh?”
　　　　／ 　　　 （●） 　（●） ＼
　　　　|　 　　 　 （__人__）　 |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　 　　 ＼　　 　　 ｀ ⌒´ 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　 ／´ 　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　 | |　　　　　　　　 　　|
　|　　　　ｌ 　 　 　 　 　 　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿_|
　　ヽ ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

There might be some of you wondering what that means! Well, so am I! 😛

I guess I’ll have to wait and see – but perhaps I’ll be able to display my figures in a more interesting way soon!

They’re also starting up a new blog!!

– Good Smile New Recruit Blog – (Japanese)
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/

The new recruits of 2012 are starting a new project that has the aim of ‘Making figures more fun for everyone!”

What exactly will we be doing? Well our goal is to develop…

“A product to display figures more ideally!”

The project will run from planning to development to sales! This blog will keep everyone updated with the progress of the project, and we hope you’ll be reading to make sure we don’t mess anything up! 😛

There are eight new recruits here at GSC, so we’ll be updating the blog virtually everyday, each taking turns. Hopefully each of us will have a little something extra to add to the blog for you to enjoy! ♪

The blog will only be running for a limited time – most likely until December this year. It might not be that long, but I hope you’ll all subscribe and read what we have to say! m(_ _)m

If you have something you want to comment on, or something you think will help us with our project then please contact us at gsc-shinsotsu2012@goodsmile.jp! (*^_^*) (I don’t think we’ll be able to respond to all mails personally, but anything you have to say will be read by all of us!)

I’m sure there will be a number of stepping stones for us along the way, but I hope the blog will be an interesting read!

There will also be more detailed staff introductions on the new blog! The newcomers have an interesting first year, and I hope everyone will be there to support them!

Here is the address once again!

– Good Smile New Recruit Blog – (Japanese)
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/
The blog is aiming to be updated every weekday!
Good luck guys!!  ヽ(´ー｀)ﾉ .:*:･’ﾟ☆｡.:*:･’ﾟ★｡.:*
 

And finally, a quick notice!

11

Win a Chance to Purchase figma Giant Warrior and Early Entrance Tickets to Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects Museum!

Yesterday it was announced that before Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects Museum opens to the public on the 10th July, there will be a special 10000 person invite-only opening taking place from the 6th July (Fri) to the 8th July (Sun).

Good Smile Company will be offering a chance for 1500 people to purchase tickets to the invite only event taking place on the 6th July. Those who purchase these tickets will also receive figma Giant Warrior, which is based on the short film that will be shown at the event, ‘A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo’.

To break everything down in a quick summary:

・ From the 6th July to the 8th July there will be an early invite only event for 10000 people!
(The actual opening is the 10th July!)

・ You are purchasing a set with both figma Giant Warrior and tickets to the event on 6th July!

・ The price for the set is 3500JPY! Great value!

・ 1500 sets will be sold. If over 1500 people apply, winners will be selected by raffle.

That about sums it up! Not only do you get figma Giant Warrior, but you also get an early chance to go watch the film that he features in! I want to go myself!! (Note that the figma will only be given out at the event!)

You can apply here!
http://www.ntv.co.jp/tokusatsu/invitation.html

– GSC Shanghai Diary #8 –

Dàjiā hǎo (Hello everyone!), it’s Suzuki from Good Smile Shanghai!
From today for the next three days, I’ll be introducing some of the staff here at Good Smile Shanghai, along with some comments from them!

First up we have GSC Shangai’s only female staff member, Ryuu-san!
She is involved in lots of things, from management and office work to translation!

10

Hello and nice to meet you! My name is Ryuu. ^^

Once when I was feeling down in my college years, one of my lecturers taught me the proverb, ‘A smile a day will bring happiness your way’. Ever since then, I’ve been determined to get through each and every day with a smile across my face!

I’m fairly certain it can only be fate that I ended up a company called Good ‘Smile’! When I first started I wasn’t really certain what was going to come of it, but now that Good Smile Shanghai has found it’s footing, I think I’ll be able to continue to grow alongside it for some time to come. I’ve set myself a rather outrageous goal as well – I aim to one day become Good Smile Shangai’s poster girl! (But that starts off with me going on diet. :P)
　
I was born in Shangai, but I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, and I’m not very familiar with the tourist attractions around here. If you ever visit Shangai, I hope you’ll visit both the bustling cities as well as the more rural areas and experience the joy that lies here in Shanghai, growing more and more everyday.

Ryuu-san really goes through each and everyday with a lovely smile!

I’ll be continuing the staff interviews tomorrow!
Míngtiān jiàn!

Ryuu-chan looking lovely!!

She looks like an idol in that photo! I just want to hug her!!!
The real version is just as cute!
 
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

by

1/8th Scale Totori

This is Ayupan’s desk!  (`･ω･´)

001

　　　　　　　　 ＿＿＿
　　　　　　　／　　　 　＼
　　　　　 ／　　 ＼ ,　, ／＼ 　　　”Quiz Time!!”
　　　　／　 　 　（●）　 （●） ＼
　　 　 |　　 　 　 （__人__）　| 　 　
　 　 　 ＼　 　 　 ` ⌒ ´　　,／　　　
.　　　 　 /⌒～”￣,￣￣〆⌒,ﾆつ 　
　　　 　 |　　,＿_＿ﾞ＿__､rヾｲｿ⊃
　　　　　| 　 　 　 　 　 　｀l￣

Which figure will I be playing with today…?

It’s a pity the title of the post kind of gives it away, but it is of course the figure right in the middle! (Although I must admit I’m quite interested as to why the penguins at the top are tied together with a ribbon…)

002

Phat Company’s:

1/8th Scale Totori!

From the PS3 game, ‘Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland’ comes a 1/8th scale figure of the young alchemist who travels the world, Totori!

Her characteristic dress, staff and even her shoes have all been faithfully sculpted to match the original character design! She also comes with a large base that features all sorts of test tubes, flasks and other cute items!

A lovely figure that captures the atmosphere of the Atelier Totori world!　

003

This is how she looks from the back!

It might look quite tall from the back, but the stand is actually sloped at an angle to show off the floor space of the base. The front of the figure is basically lower down than the back!

It’s amazing that sculptor’s can create an effect like this without taking anything away from the figure at all!

007

A lovely upward gaze!!

　　　 ∩
　　　 ( ⌒)　 　　　∩_ _
　　　/,. ﾉ　　　　　 i　.,,E）
　　./　/”　　　　　 /　/”　　　”Plus the tilted head is adorable!!”
　 ./　/ _、_　　 ／ ノ’
　/　/　,_ﾉ` ）／ ／
（　　　　　　 ／　　
　ヽ　　　 　|

There is no way anyone could say this isn’t cute!!

006

Totori’s beautiful outfit!

What an adorable outfit! Plus it is so intricately designed, I feel like I could stare at it forever and never get bored!!

You can also see that the reverse side of her jacket is painted a lovely pink!

005

The skirt uses clear plastic!

Also have a look at the lovely body-line formed by her legs – the right leg in particular! The skirt is stunning and quickly pulls your attention, but don’t let it stop you from noticing the lovely detail and paintwork on her boots!

004

She can be removed from the base!

Because the base is at an angle, unfortunately Totori can’t balance upright by herself.

However the ribbon on her back is so stunning that I had to include this photo as well – it makes use of clear plastic with a blue to pink gradient! Isn’t it beautiful?!

008

The stand is also incredibly detailed!

There are all sorts of test tubes and flasks with various colored liquids which really builds up the Atelier atmosphere! There is also a bottle with some colorful balls inside, I’m not entirely sure how that will be mass produced… I get the feeling making just one of those bottles is going to require a lot of work. 😛

The figure is on the more expensive side, but the included stand is so detailed it almost feels like another complete figure itself! I think it really helps recreate the atmospehre from the series, so I’m certain that fans will be happy with their purchase!

009

Phat Company’s:

1/8th Scale Totori!


She’ll be shipped out from GSC on the 6th June!

If you have any sales inquiries, be sure to get in contact with our partner shops!

 – GSC Shanghai Diary #7 –
Nihao everyone! It’s Suzuki from Good Smile Shanghai.

In China the main form of gathering info is the Internet, and there are loads of anime and manga information sites available.

All of the information regarding Japanese anime and manga is almost instantly translated into Chinese on these sites. I check the sites everyday to see what is popular with our Chinese customers! Let me introduce some of the websites that have this kind of info.

● General Information
178动漫频道　http://acg.178.com/
和邪社 http://www.hexieshe.com/

● Figure Information
AC模玩网　http://www.actoys.net/
我爱手办网　http://www.woaishouban.com/
78动漫模型玩具网　http://www.78dm.net/index.htm

Along with these sites, I also check Asia’s largest search service ‘Bandu’, which has a figure bulletin board (http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kw=%CA%D6%B0%EC&tb=on).

Anyway, míngtiān jiàn!

 
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(C) GUST CO.,LTD. 2010

by

Kuroyagi-san’s Letter Corner! (Number 65)

Today is the monthly morning meeting!

aa
bb

The Good Smile Cup Figure/Model Contest #1!

All the wonderful creations that the staff came up with! The winners will be announced during the morning meeting! It’s nice to be rewarded for your hard work! All the comments I received via twitter I will pass along to those who made each model!

Anyway, today we’ll be continuing this corner once again! (`・ω・´)

Kuroyagi-san’s Letter Corner!

(ﾟдﾟ) Letters asking about changes to products are quite hard for me to reply to… but I do pass the info onto the design team!(ﾟдﾟ) If there is a problem with your product, please email the Good Smile Support Team at: support@goodsmile.jp

(ﾟдﾟ) If you want to let me know something without me talking about it on the blog, just let me know in the mail and I’ll be happy to keep it quiet!

Please note that whatever I write in this section isn’t official – it’s just my thoughts on matters! If you’re only looking for official news, you might want to dodge this post!

Today we’ll be taking a look at everyone’s lovely photos!


I’m always reading your blog, really enjoying the figure reviews and cherry blossom photos! My figma Sayaka Miki recently arrived so I took some photos of her with one of my other models. She comes with so many weapons and is a blast to play around with! I can’t wait for my Nendoroid to arrive as well!

　　　- Lilisia

010

Absolutely stunning!!

The fabric cape really gives a lovely dynamic feeling to the photos – she looks like she is about to jump into the real world! The pictures really make her look like she is in an epic battle –  with just these two frames I can imagine an entire story behind Sayaka’s battle!

Not to mention how incredible the pictures themselves look as a whole! Thank you for sending them through to me!!

Good Smile Boxes!

　　　- ≠∀´

026

The Square-chan with a bomb on his head!

This isn’t a Good Smile product, but it was released just the other day!

Gakkun from the production team bought one so I’ve had a look at it myself, and it was so adorable that I regret not getting one myself. They say that you should rather regret buying something than not buying something – I think that becomes very true in the case of hobby goods!


I’m always looking at the lovely quality photos of figures on your blog, so I decided I’d have to send mine through for you to take a look at as well.

The room in the photo is a diorama made from wood that I made last year during summer vacation, inspired by the K-ON figmas. It was my first time working with wood, so the walls didn’t really match up neatly and it was very much a trial-and-error project. The wiring for the lights was particularly difficult to get right.

　　　- Giniro no Nanashi

003

It’s perfect…!!

I’ve had other dioramas of the K-ON clubroom sent in before, but I don’t think they have ever been in such amazing detail! Even the lights are working!!

It also looks like it is the perfect size for the figma characters! Everything must be so small!! I can really feel the love and effort you put into it, thank you for sending the photos through for me to enjoy as well!


I’ve attached some photos of Miku based on my favorite Miku song, World is Mine! (*´ω｀)

I hope we’ll see more and more Miku and Nendoroids!!

　　　- Sayuu

001

Another perfect figure rendition!!

You really captured the spirit of the song into the photo nicely! Plus the contrast between the two photos is lovely!

I think you’ve also added in some custom paint work? It’s lovely that the changes don’t throw off from the effect of the photos at all!

Hello Mikatan! It’s a pleasure to meet you!  This is my very first mail, so I’m super nervous!

I had my friend take some pictures of my adorable Miku-san! ♪ In front of her you can see some delicious ham cutlets, and in the back you can see my senior!

I don’t have an actual camera of my own, but I definitely want to get one soon! I don’t really have the money, but if it’s for my Nendoroids then maybe I can splurge! I want to be able to take lovely photos like you do!! (*^_^*)

　　　- Shia

012

A lovely slice-of-life photo!

As I’ve mentioned before, I love photos that are taken in everyday situations like this! Some how the figures always look really exited in photos like these! ^^

The relaxed lighting also makes for a lovely effect. When you get your camera be sure to make lots of memories with all sorts of photos like this one!!  (*・ω・*)


The other day I went to Tokugawa Gardens in Nagoya to take some photos of the pum trees, so I thought I’d send some to you. It’s been rather cold this year, so there were still quite a few unflowered buds which was a little bit disappointing, but I still think it is a photo that captures the start of Spring quite nicely! (｀･ω･´)

　　　- Luka

007

Yozora enjoying non-imaginary blossoms!

You don’t have to imagine the lovely blossoms like you do for your friends! Don’t worry Yozora!! That smile on her face is lovely!!

We’re heading into the rainy season now, but seeing a photo like this really shows how different each of the seasons are here in Japan – it’s lovely!

I had the day off work today, so I went down to Kyoto where the cherry blossoms were still in bloom for some photos!

It was very crowded which made it quite difficult to get a good picture, but in the end I had a lot of fun and ended up with some alright pictures. On the way home I grabbed some lunch on Shijou Street and then headed back home.

　　　- Nankoku Inu Chappii

009

The drooping cherry blossom branches are lovely!

I’ve been wanting to go to Kyoto for the cherry blossom season for some time now. I often end up going to Osaka, and next year I’m definitely going to take some Nendoroids along for some photos like this one!


从QQ邮箱发来的超大附件

　　　- Anonymous

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A letter from China!!

A lovely picture of Yuyuko laughing up with the cherry blossoms! It’s amazing how well the pink blossoms suit Touhou characters!

Apparently the message above means that the mail was sent successfully by a mail service called ‘QQ’!


The warm days of Spring have finally arrived!

Everyone thinks of the cherry blossoms during Spring, but don’t forget about the plum-tree blossoms!! They are just as beautiful!

　　　- TATI

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Girls enjoying the Spring!

What a lovely clear blue sky, along with two adorable Nendoroids and beautiful blossoms! I love photos of girls eating, it makes them look so defenseless! 😛


The warm weather has arrived, it’s time to head out with a camera and take some pictures of the cherry blossoms! These may look like fairies, but they are certainly no illusion!

Title: “Resting Together”

　　　- Takuan

019

No comment!!

 

My Cheerful Luka arrived and I was so happy with her I had to send a mail to you! I expected her to come with only a single fringe part that you would exchange between the two hairdos, but she came with two complete hair sets!!

I decided that Luka would try on Kaito’s outfit and both the Lukas could cheer together! Thanks GSC and thank you Mikatan!

　　　- Dorayaki

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Luka in Kaito’s outfit and a ponytail!

She is absolutely adorable!! The team worked very hard on the new optional parts for the Cheerful Vocaloid products, so if you enjoyed them then we couldn’t be happier! (`･ω･´) I also love the headdress on Octo-Luka!!


Always remember to take Nendoroids with you when traveling! I went to Germany with mu Nendoroid Miku!In the background you can see the river Rhine and the Speyer Cathedral World Heritage Site!

　　　- Saikoatakku

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Always take Nendoroids when traveling!

A picture of the scenery alone is great, but add in your favorite figure and it really becomes a picture to remember!! I also personally think that it becomes easier to remember! I hope to visit Germany again myself one day!


I just bought Nendoroid Shuukan Hajimete no Miku Hatsune! My main inspiration for the purchase was the kicking pose and face that you introduced on your blog!

The only flying kick pose I could think of was on-chan from ‘Douyoubi Dou Shiyou’, so I made a pose of Miku flying kicking him! Getting the position and angle of the Nendoroid was a little tricky – I’ve attached the photo for you!

　　　- Nagatsuki

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“Hi-yaa!”

I can just picture her shouting that in my mind! ^^

I’m glad you’re enjoying her! (I feel a bit bad for on-chan, though) Shuukan Miku-san has her lower and upper arms separated as different parts, making action poses like this very easy to make!

Ever since Project mirai was released I have been playing it religiously, and my favorite from the game is ‘Piano Girl’, so I tried to make a figure of her!

I’d love to get hold of the diorama of the room from the opening. I hope it’ll be released!

　　　- Tono

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“I am a Piano Girl~♪”

She is so cute!!! I also love the outfit from the piano girl song, so it is great to see it in Nendoroid size! The scenery and little piano also help recreate the atmosphere perfectly! I can understand why you want a diorama by looking at this picture!!


I’m yet another blog reader who has always dreamed about becoming a sculptor and working at Good Smile Company.  Even if I can’t become a professional, I at least want to play around with sculpting as a hobby. If I keep at it, maybe one day my dream will come true! I’ll keep trying as best I can!

As proof of my determination, I’ve attached a photo of some sculpting that I started doing yesterday. I’m trying to make a Nendoroid Saber Lion Petite Ver.! I had quite a bit of trouble with the the neck and hair, and the paint kept peeling off… but I kept at it as best I could! I’ll do my best to beat all the other blog readers that send in similar photos! 😛

　　　- Nyanyako

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Very nice! You’re getting it!!

That is very, very cute! You’ve even for the rounded stomach of Saber Lion coming out nicely!! It’s always harder to keep doing something than it is just to start something, but I’m certain you will be able to keep at it and reach your dream! Everybody has to start somewhere!!

I look forward to the complete product!!  (･∀･)ﾉ *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡.:*･゜


At the Good Smile Booth at Summer WonFes 2011 there was a board about Good Smile Company Shanghai that featured an illustration of Princess Knight Miku. She was so cute that I had to try and make a Nendoroid version of her for myself – she is finished now, so I thought I’d send you a photo.

　　　- NaＨＮ/Monban

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Thank you!!

I’m sure the Shangai staff will also be very happy to see this! As a scale figure she is sure to take up a large amount of space, but even as a Nendoroid that seems true. The colors you have chosen are also spectacular! I kind of hope to see this turned into a product! 😛


That brings this Kuroyagi-san’s Letter Corner to an end!

I read through every single one of them, and as always, I’m always looking for more mail from readers!

If you have any questions, photos, product requests, want to talk about what you ate today, whether or not you think June is rainy season… no matter what you want to talk about, send it through to me! Girls and boys both welcome!

　　　　　 　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　 　 　＼
　　　　 　／　　　─　 　 ─＼　　　　”I promise I won’t eat your mail!”
　　　　／ 　　　 （●） 　（●） ＼
　　　　|　 　　 　 （__人__）　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　 　　 ＼　　 　 　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　 ／´ 　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　 | |　　　　　　　　　 　|
　|　　　　ｌ 　 　 　 　 　 　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　 　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

(ﾟ∀ﾟ) Mikatan Mail
mikatan-b@goodsmile.jp

– Good Smile Shanghai Diary #6 –

Nihao everyone! It’s Suzuki from Good Smile Shanghai.

To tell the truth, I can’t speak Chinese myself. Well at least, I can only speak just enough to get by here in China, and I really want to improve my Chinese so that I can better communicate with customers at events!

So I’m studying each and everyday!

002

However, there are obviously lots of words that are commonly used in the figure industry that you’ll never find in a textbook like this. Today I’ll be taking a look at some of these words for everyone, as it’ll be of use to my studies as well!

・动漫 (Dòngmàn) -> A general term for things like anime and manga.
This word takes the start of the word for anime which is ‘dònghuà’ and the start of the word for manga which is ‘mànhuà’ and puts them together to form a more general term, ‘dòngmàn’.

・手办 (Shǒubàn) -> Figure
If you translate this directly, it means something like ‘Handle with your hands’. It was originally a term used mostly for garage kits, but has come to mean all figures now.

These are definitely two words that I’ve had to use a lot recently! But there are many more interesting words which I may introduce in the future!

Anyway, míngtiān jiàn! (See you tomorrow!).

Repeat after me! “Dongman”, “Shouban”!!
Hopefully I’ll be able to remember these as well now!! (`･ω･´)

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