[Zyl] My First Year with Miku

Happy Thanksgiving

My resistance to Hatsune Miku melted, like butter under a hot knife, after seeing three of her videos at last year’s AFA09 I Love Anisong concert. With AFAX just concluded (which I was unable to attend), it’s a nice conjunction – DarkMirage has set off a discussion about Miku with Omo (via Ani-Nouto) and lelangir pitching in and my BD of the 39′s Giving Day performance arrived today.

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[Stripey] Yosuga no Sora 07 – Catfights, heartbreaks on the horizon

That’s why we have gates – To keep out lolis

Anime isn’t quite the most family-friendly form of entertainment of late in the tanuki household since the 2 series I’m currently watching are Yosuga no Sora and Legend of the legendary heroes. The 2 shows have been (rather) aptly summarised as -

1) The show where kids are sexually active.

2) The show where kids are thoughtlessly murdered.

Hardly appropriate stuff to relax with after a tough day at work but the dark/heavy themes are greatly mitigated by the absorbing tales and storytelling as we have with YnS 07. Continue reading →

[Stripey] Yosuga no Sora 06 – Akira’s smile/tears

It is said that more often than not, it's the genki ones with the problems

Episode 6 is testimony to FEEL’s powress in character-craft given how they managed to flesh out Akira so fully in 2 mere episodes. I enjoyed also how the revelations in this episodes shed light on Akira’s reactions in the previous ep. I had initially thought it was fear written on Akira’s face when she ran into Kazuha’s mother just before the miko dance. I now know it’s a pained helplessness which subsequently crystallised into miko tears. Continue reading →

[Stripey] K-Books Trump Collection 2010 – Spades suit

My path to financial ruin can be traced back to the Summer of 2007 when Zyl returned from Japan with the fable K-books trump collection. That box of concentrated bishoujo goodness subsequently ignited a frenzied love for 2D artwork that further led to a crazed acquisition of artbooks.

3 years later, K-books releases a new deck as if to rejuvenate our love for 2D art (not that there was any sign of a flagging interest actually). And an ambassador of bishoujo love, it is both my privilege and pleasure to share the Spade suit for the K-books trump collection 2010.

My favourites in this suit include

1. Ace of Spade (Ryouka)

2. Five spades (Asukabe Akira)

3. Queen of Spades (Kantoku)

I’m especially intrigued by Ryouka’s frilly work given my penchant for bishoujos in lace/ribbons. Asukabe sensei needs to bless the world with an illustration collection too. His soft rendering of bishoujo is clearly in the realm of the divine.   Continue reading →