When I first started buying anime DVDs in the UK, the Shaftesbury Avenue mothership of Forbidden Planet was my outlet of choice. And I enjoyed my purchases of Azumanga and Noir very much. Nonetheless I felt the pinch of skipping lunches to save up for one DVD a week and was enlightened about how it was often better value-for-money to buy thinpak boxsets from The Right Stuf. Popular titles (e.g. Ghost in the Shell) were also deeply discounted at Amazon.co.uk; the UK arm of the Bezos empire also offered free delivery for a minimum spend that the price of one DVD easily covered.

But I’ve been impressed by FP’s fightback for my wallet. After browsing comics yesterday, I saw that it was selling Paprika (which I enjoyed tremendously) for GBP 14.99 which matched Amazon UK’s price while it had marginally undercut Amazon UK price of GBP 15.48 on the GITS: Solid State Society DVD with its offer of GBP 14.99 and won hands down on the Vision of Escaflowne box sets – Amazon UK at GBP 34.98 each; Forbidden Planet GBP 24.99 each.

Of course TSRI could beat FP (marginally after factoring in Got Anime! 10% discount and international S&H, or hands down if there was a 40% Bandai sale) but the desire for instant gratification, especially with the current postal strike, and the fear of GENEON contagion led me to make the above purchases. Forbidden Planet, good job!

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

On Day Two of the Tokyo expedition, this Zaku took it easy. Slept in to nurse my worn out leg servos and gyros, blogged yesterday’s happenings before having lunch with an old university friend and only after that did I launch off towards Nakano Broadway via the Tozai line. Less photographs than yesterday because of the high staff to area ratio, making it much harder to get away with snapping close-up pictures of stuff and thus having a high risk of breaking the 11th Commandment.

Navi. The above is what you’ll see after leaving Nakano Metro station via the North exit, head for the arched shopping arcade entrance.

Entrance into Nakano Broadway. Brings back memories of the Yuri Revolution when I was first introduced to this place by Erica and the rest of the merry Yuricon/Lililicious crew.

One of the things I’ve noticed on this trip, around Akiba and Nakano, is that I’ve been seeing and hearing more non-Japanese. Americans, Australians, Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, even the odd Singaporean (you can tell by their SAF-issued sandals or shoes). I’ve been asked for directions twice so far and I actually knew the way to the places the lovely old Australian couple and Nigerian wanted to go! -_-;;

The ground floor and basement level are not for us anime fans. Take the first escalator on the right. Or was it elevator? One is boxy and the other one is moving stairs… straight to the third floor which plunges you straight into our world. Maps of the 2nd floor, 3rd floor and 4th floor.

Despite Kabitzin’s anticipation, I did not manage to get sufficiently moéd up to break my Spending Limiters. For example, I don’t really see much point in buying DVDs since I need the subs to be able to enjoy them fully and especially if TSRI is going to release a value-for-money boxset.

I did check out the MariMite DVDs though since I don’t think they will licensed and sold via TSRI anytime soon: Vol.1 for JPY 840, Vol.2-3, 7 for JPY 1,890 each, Vol.4 for JPY 2,940, Vol.6 for JPY 2,100. Haru Vol.1-2 for JPY 1,890 each and OVA 3 for JPY 3,850. Stinker was that Vol.5 of the first season was missing otherwise I would have been seriously tempted. Maybe I’ll check again with the Furuhon Ichiba stock to see if they can fill that gap…

I’ve already bought almost all the manga and older doujin I want – mainly from Kinokuniya back home and from Akiba yesterday so that eliminates another source of breaking AAA limits.

Figurines-wise, I also already own most that I want already. Also, I have been imbued by the Stripey aesthetic in the process of looking at his collection and hearing the comments of other experienced collectors. Despite my good bro’s seeming profligancy, he is actually a very picky buyer not just in terms of the colour, pose, painting, detailing, extras but also how the figurine will fit within themes and sub-themes of his harem collection.

Though this is further reinforced by another limiter – a strong disinclination to buy figurines from series that I’ve not watched or games I’ve not played; mainly out of fear that the figure will not be a good likeness or that it doesn’t capture the ‘feel’ of the character. Being a chara-worshipper, the figurine having a lot of the character’s… well, character is of utmost importance to me.

Comparisons for figurine prices, Stripey’s recent acquisition of Megachuu’s Fauna was retailing at JPY 9,450. There was a Max Factory 1/8 Mikuru (Combat Waitress doing Mi-mi-mikuru beamu!) for a whooping JPY 8,000! Poor Lunamaria (pilot suit) was being sold for JPY 1,299! Next to Meer who was still going for JPY 3,800 in that nameless shop next to the Wa Edokyu restaurant. T_T I think someone seriously over-produced GSD figurines and I guess demand tanked after seeing how the story ending was just so Anime Hell with some characters getting a bad mauling of their screen cred in the process. *shiku shiku shiku*

So today’s haul consists mainly of OSTs from Mandarake’s UFO Centre on 2F. Paprika OST for JPY 1,890 (vs RRP JPY 2,800), Claymore OST for JPY 2,835 (vs RRP JPY 3,150), GITS:SAC 2nd Gig OST3 for JPY 2,520 (vs RRP JPY 3,045), Noir OST 1 for JPY 1,365 (vs RRP JPY 3,045) and Noir OST 2 for JPY 2,100 (vs RRP JPY 3,045). I’m listening to the Claymore OST as I type this. Still hunting for a lower-than-RRP Black Lagoon and Nanoha OSTs.

Also pictured are Stripey Mystery Package 2 and the out-of-stock Kotobukiya 1/8 Sumino Yukiduki (from the Mandarake in the photo before the above one) which is on Stripey’s Want-to-buy List. She was retailing at JPY 4,725 vs her release price of JPY 3,480. I took this as a good sign – unlike poor Lunamaria, she seems to have enduring appeal among collectors. A nice discovery to round off a good day’s hunting!

Add: Also saw two Saber plushies similar to the Capcom special goods for ComiKet 72. Difference is that this was for Wonder Festival and Saber is holding a drumstick of meat rather than a sword. Very cute but being sold at the significant markup at JPY 4,500! Sorry, no photos as it in the glass counters just under the noses of the shop assistants!

Slices of life:

Breakfast of cinnamon bread, banana and tomato juice from Meidiya.

Lunch at Cicada just a few walks from Hiroo Metro station (turn right coming out of Exit 1). Crab cake was held together by a crunchy but not oily batter, the crab meat for the filling had retained its original texture without being mashed up and the tangy sauce with touches of chickpea, cumin and herbs was a fantastic complementary condiment.

Panfried snapper was juicy on a bed of seared potatoes with fried thyme and chicken tangine was infused with the fragrance of saffron.

Fennel and apple mini-cake. Not very sure if I could taste the fennel but the cake was nicely spongey, went well with the vanilla ice cream topping and baked apple slices on top. With an expresso, the total bill was JPY 4,400.

I was recommended Butagumi by a friend who also passed me this Japan Times review.

Excellent stuff. I had a basic rosu kenton tonkatsu set (JPY 1,950 – about SGD 25) and a Suntory The Premium Malts 500ml (JPY 900). The first good sign was that the batter and the pork were firmly stuck to each other, indicating that both were at the exact same temperature when it went into the oil. The batter was light and crisp, not oily at all, indicating that the batter was cool and the oil was at the right temperature. When done properly, deep-frying with a batter cooks the enclosed meat by steaming before the oil can penetrate the batter and this is exactly what I got: succulent pork with melt-in-your-mouth fatty portions. I do like the fatty bits but only if it is very fresh outside it will have a faint but discernable odour.

It was also a match with the homemade worcestershire sauce – nice balance of sweet, sour and salty, complementing rather than overwhelming the pork; excellent consistency – just thick enough to stick but not runny or that other more common state of being much too thick and sticky. Other members of the team played their part for a memorable dining experience: rice (good balance between firm grains and stickiness), cabbage (almost bitterly vegetal but with a pleasantly clean and even sweet aftertaste to balance the fried batter), a perfectly balanced miso soup (most are too salty) and a delicious assortment of pickles that ranged over crunchy, mild to gingery to cleanse the palate between bites.

Service was very friendly and that staff tried their best to cope with my dim-witted three year old child level of Japanese. Took me 10 minutes to read the menu – and if it wasn’t for the Japan Times review, I would have been completely defeated! A great dinner – the only thing that could make it better was if the beer had been draft Malts. And if I had a pretty girl to dine with, like for lunch.

Long-chained bicycles serve a public purpose too! / I wonder what variety of tomato this is?

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

The big screen is the added spice of Paprika! Spicy is the sound of the voice who said “…” to Dragooooooon SLAVE! No tying down the bright smile, light-footed, fancy-free woman set against the cold, harsh, terrible beauty of the winter sky scientist! Since when can science and technology tell the heart what to feel or who is a part of who? Oh the heart groans fonder absence makes it flutter higher! Raising my raging heart pure my heart for the leading ladies I heart the movie! The series of images trip the light fantastical through wonder and madness! A Madhouse animates a dollhouse showcase strutting its stuff in a parade! My shoulders march to the rhythm of the parade! The parade procession winds its way through the story on the screens on the screen in the screen of my mind of my mind’s eye! The apple of my eye the worm nibbling a bite that reveals like desire unhidden! I love you Paprika! I love you Atsuko Chiba! Welcome back to the Megumi Hayashibara!!

©2012 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.