The fig is pretty long coz its 1/7 scale…Accessories like the Gumamela flower, donut (lifesaver/swimming tube) and mix with the cute polka dot two piece and innocent face…what more can you ask for?? and did I miss the “ice cream” LOL

I believe this ghost will definitely make your dying minds alive… With some fetish points here and there… this fig will be a sure buy…

you can preorder this cute girl with a price of ¥6476 and release date of late August 2012

The fig is pretty long coz its 1/7 scale…Accessories like the Gumamela flower, donut (lifesaver/swimming tube) and mix with the cute polka dot two piece and innocent face…what more can you ask for?? and did I miss the “ice cream” LOL :)

I believe this ghost will definitely make your dying minds alive… With some fetish points here and there… this fig will be a sure buy… :)

you can preorder this cute girl with a price of ¥6476 and release date of late August 2012

The official Ano Hana figure of adult Menma dressed in mizugi, in that gorgeous pose and expression, is here to melt your heart. This piece of figure is indeed one of the finest work you need to check out up close.

First to take note - Translucent hair tip

As well as the hair design and crafting ( both the fringe and the back)

Well detailed eyes and pure fine slim arms, dimensional swimsuit top.

Translucent ring float clipping between that amazing body figure and delicate arms.

Great details, between tight area and hips, Mizugi looking damn real with the cutting and linings!

A closer look at the top and arms.

This figure sure is very amazing and worth joining your collection! Get it now!

Playing in the garden

*ahem* Yes, I know that the last time I do the Random Gallery post was … umm … almost a year ago. Nevertheless, I do not think I will post this monthly, but I will try to post one when I come across some interesting Nendoroid photos. ^^

Anyway, this time’s gallery consists of mostly the newly released Nendoroid, such as Honma Meiko (Menma), Charlotte E.Yeager (Shirley), and Desert Army-san. Enjoy! ^^

Note: Credits of all pics goes to original photo owners

Peaceful time

Ready for war!?

Lynette, Shirley, and Lucchini

The flower girl

Have some - they taste really good!

Welcome party for Menma?

Homura and Army-san is ready for some action

Shirley and her new ride

Optimistic

Hachune Kamui?

RACING Miku XD

Army-san's family!?

Sanae and Miku - with Menma's expressions

Cirno x Menma

Evening patrol

Well, what do you think, Nendonesian? Which one (or more) is your favorite pic? XD

There is one anime that I distinctly – though I do admit it wasn’t too long ago – remember really changed my point of view of the media form and even affected me emotionally to the extent that it had. Released last year in mid-April, amongst many notable titles that debuted in 2011, I believe that “Ano Hi Mita Hana No Namae Wo Bokutachi Wa Mada Shiranai” (or Ano Hana for short) deserves firm recognition. Then again, I could simply be biased because I didn’t watch all the animes that came out. There was an atmosphere when I first watched that anime that entranced me in a way I still struggle to describe. I daresay that the best way is for you to experience it yourself. I can’t say that I was immediately captured in a sense of wonderment and admiration, definitely not. It was more of a numbness that spread throughout me and that let me forget the current world I was in and totally experience that of the characters’. And I could almost label it as a sort of nostalgia that engulfed me in particular of a time before I moved to Australia and where, even as a child, I was so much more aware of all the problems in the world. On a quick personal note, I find it funny that I have seem to become more ignorant as I grew up, rather than the other way around. In the end, I felt that if you were able to make the connection to the characters that deliver the plot so well, it’s quite inevitable that you jerk a few tears during that last, memorable episode.

However, enough about my sentimental drabble about this series, the initial paragraph was merely a brief contextualisation. I’ve consciously avoided writing a review of this anime for fear of unworthiness because I can’t seem to muster the right words to describe how I really feel about it. What I do feel up to writing is a short comment on the opening and ending songs, which are for me and my friends who have also watched this series, are quite distinct numbers. The opening Aoi Shiori (Blue Bookmark) by Galileo Galilei is the favourite for me. The fact that it opens this anime and the images that rush in with each bar complete the experience. The tone of the singer, the slightly deep but almost carelessly sung lyrics, and the refreshing melody really compliments the whole mood, story and aura of the anime and triggers relative memories and nostalgia much more strongly whenever I hear it again. However, the ending song which has found much favour between my friends deserves quite the same magnitude of merit. Secret Base, a song originally by the band Zone but performed by Scandal yay! in the anime and reprised in a ten years after version after the anime. It’s more of an upbeat melody but the lyrics embody the bitter-sweet aspect of the series and was a perfect and tear-triggering song to play at the end of the finale episode. The tune is arguably more catchy than the opening and does have a habit of getting stuck in your head and sinking you into a temporary state of depression for a couple of days. The words happen to match the story in a mildly symbolic way and was a fit choice for the ending song.

Between my friends at least, those two songs have become the mascots for a series we will certainly never forget and has etched a deep niche in our hearts for a long time to come. After hearing the opening after a while because the ending is sung quite frequently by my friends to troll the weak hearted I stopped to remember once again the anime and give credit to the songs. And as I said to my friends:
“You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get over Ano Hana. I’ll come to terms with it, but I won’t get over it. When I think about the plot and episodes, it can easily be overthought to become average however, it’s easy to forget and to neglect the reason and the process that made us all cry. But the fact that it happened means that there was magic there and I’d rather not forget it.”

Some beautiful fanart of a beautiful anime.

Come visit me @

 randumbrawrbit.blogspot.com.au !

Blog introduction:

Anything and everything.

RAMBLIN’ RABBIT.

Ranges from rabbits, cats, dogs, games, make-up, music, occasional panda, candy and sweet stuff.

ENJOY.

Lily.

Based from xcyz’s ShinobuBakemonogatari skin. The Original image is from Zerochan

Random post:

One of my most favorite characters  Menma from AnoHana, please Enjoy :3
note: you have to install the font included to get that cursive effect on the bubble
if you would like preview of how it looks like click here although excuse me if it’s too messy

I actually don’t have a sound effect for this, but i do have a Kill me baby rainmeter that has one but I aven’t quite finished yet if you want to see that Link

To install skin, refer here.

Download skin here
Mirror Link

Anime Title:  あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない

Romanization:  Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

Translation:  We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day

Breakdown:

• あの (Ano) – An adjective meaning that.  その (sono) also means that, however あのrefers to an object that is distant from the speaker and listener, while その refers to  something that is close by.
• 日 (Hi) – Day, can also mean sun, and is the first word in 日本 (nihon/nippon) which means Japan.  This is also the counter for days.
• 見た (Mita) – Saw, the informal past conjugation of the verb 見る which means “to see”, “to look”, or “to watch”.
• 花 (Hana) – Flower
• の (no) – Grammar particle roughly translating to “‘s“, in this situation indicating that the thing before (in this case “flower”) owns the thing after (here “name”).
• 名前 (Namae) – A noun that means name, full name, or given/first name.  Individually, the first character 名 (na) means name or distinguished, and the second character 前 (mae) means in front or before.
• を (wo or o) – A grammar particle that shows the verb after is being done to the thing before.  In this case, it is the name of the flower that is “being” unknown.
• 僕 (Boku) – “I” or “Me” depending on context, is usually used by males.
• 達 (tachi) – Literally means accomplished, reach, arrive, or attain.  When added to a noun, pronoun or name, it modifies it to become plural.  Here it makes 僕 (I) plural into “we”.
• は(wa) – The hiragana “ha”, pronounced “wa” since it is being used as a topic marker. It marks the words before it was the topic for what comes after.
• まだ (Mada) – An adverb meaning “as yet” or “still”.  When used with a negative verb, it means “not yet”.
• 知らない (Shiranai) – Informal negative conjugation of the verb 知る (shiru) which means “to know”.  Here it means “don’t know”.

Ingredients

125g ramen noodles

350ml fish stock (you can buy this if you want to be lazy)Or if you want to make it from scratch you will need one whole fish like a red mullet, 1/2 a mouli (Oriental white radish), a bunch of coriander, a bunch of watercress and a thumb-sized piece of ginger finely chopped. Put all the ingredients into a stockpot and cover with cold water, bring to the boil and then simmer and skim the stock. Simmer and keep skimming for a couple of hours before straining. You cn of course make a double quantity and freeze half.

For the topping

1 salmon fillet

some spinach

6 pieces of memma (made from bamboo shoots) – can be bought from Oriental supermarkets or online at http://www.japanesefoodshop.co.uk

Teriyaki sauce

to garnish

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic

soy sauce

Method

Put the minced ginger and garlic into a frying pan with a drop of cooking oil. Cook for a few minutes, until the mixture turns golden brown and starts to smell quite strong. Add a teaspoon of light soy sauce. Remove from the heat and pop to one side.

Brush the salmon with teriyaki sauce to glaze as it cooks

Steam the spinach

Boil the noodles in the stock, add the salmon, spinach and menma. Sprinkle over the shallots  and ginger. Garnish with the spring onion and get slurping.

I’ve safely arrived back in Singapore! PreMemo FESTA 2011 WINTER was a blast, and I really enjoyed myself a lot. 2 days of immersing myself in the midst of Precious Memories fans is to be treasured, as Singapore doesn’t give me that option and they eluded me even when shopping around Akihabara, Ikebukuro and Nakano. That’s why I took part in the Gunslinger Tournament, a continuous series of PreMemo matches until you either don’t feel like playing anymore or the time limit is up. The following is the battle report, while the full event report will soon follow. Hope you have as much fun reading as I have playing! (●´∀｀●)

First, a little explanation of the rules. Basically you queued in line and the staff will pair you up randomly, then send you to empty seats indicated by other staff waving colored flags for easier recognition. The venue is probably the biggest I have seen, with tables spreading across the entire UDX Gallery. And it was actually full O.O

After being paired up, you are handed a scoresheet and a survey form. You have to write your real name down (though I see no reinforcement of this), and this piece of paper will become the most important thing in this tournament. The scoresheet, as the name suggests, keeps track of your scores that you can exchange for prizes in the end. After a battle you will receive a stamp indicating whether you won or lost that battle, and you proceed to go around the Gallery and into the queue again for another pair-up. And thus, the loop is formed. I found this system rather well-organized, and would definitely take note of this.

Now that the rules are out of the way, here’s what I used in the tournament;

My Deck Can’t Be This Cute!

Yup, I went with OreImo, borrowed from my friend the Guru, and modded in some of my ideas. To be honest an OreImo deck really isn’t very creative as the recognized build is already out in tournament deck lists, but yeah, I was hoping the speed and power will be enough to push me to an early victory.

So the matches started thus! At 10am JST, I made a mental note that I only have around 6 hours or so to complete my ideal 10wins for both WINNER sleeves. It might seem like a lot, but given that the typical time allocated for a single PreMemo match in Japanese tournaments is 40minutes, I really had my work cut out for me. After 6 hours, it was either continue playing to get whatever number of wins I required and give up meeting seiyuus at the Stage event, or forsaking the streak and simply go for the Stage event. I have mentioned before that I am a huge seiyuu fan (a big part of why I continue playing PreMemo), so giving up that chance to meet them was out of the question. Then again, it’s possible I could push for fast wins as I was using OreImo, so I decided to leave that decision for later. I set my phone alarm, and the matches were on.

第一回 VS HomuXMado: O

I was pretty confident going into this match as I had plenty of experience back home playing against HomuXMado decks, and it helped. I started early on with my 5Cost Kirino, managed to [愉快の仲間たち(Yukai)] twice on my 2nd turn and beat him down relatively easily. Comparatively he had trouble getting his characters out and kept opting to take Point. He was 6 before I was 2. I thought he could turn things around when he played 6/2 Goddess Madoka, but thankfully his Hand couldn’t keep up well enough.

第二回 VS Denpa Onna: X

My most dreaded pair-up. My early impressions from reading the card list was that Denpa is the new OreImo, and no experience playing against Denpa decks only made things worse. I knew I was in trouble when he kept up a steady stream of [Boy Meets Girl], [Makoto Library] and [UFO] to maintain his Hand. An early [Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko] dragged [SR Erio&Makoto] into his Main Area, and double attacks from Yukata Erio was too much to handle. {Airhead 2} forced my high-costers to be sacrificed, and eventually I lost when he only took 3 Point.

第三回 VS OokamiXRingo: O

I would like to thank Glenn for playing Ookami-san, giving me plenty of experience heading into this match-up. As an old series Ookami-san just couldn’t keep up with the speed of OreImo and his Hand quickly depleted to maintain his loss of characters. And when he powered-up enough, he was stopped by Kyousuke with Freedom of Entry. I took this victory relatively smoothly.

第四回 VS OreImo: X

I hate mirror matches, honestly. Nothing is more boring than playing against an identical deck with the same game plan. On a side note, the guy I matched up with reminded me of a player in SG from another card game. He was clearly impatient and showed a look of disgust when he saw I played OreImo. He even made noises when I [Yukai]-ed 3 times in a row. I was pretty annoyed and wanted to win this, but he played more counter events and search characters than I did as I focused on brute force and speed (the Singaporean way), which swung the match in his favor. This match was pretty close I believe, with both of us on our final point. He surprised me when he played Kuroneko who tapped an Otaku character when she came into play, clearly an anti-meta move. I didn’t predict that and I lost ;A;

第五回 VS OreImo: O

Yes, another mirror match. Similarly this guy groaned when he saw me playing OreImo. Actually his deck is pretty similar to mine, just that he was a little inexperienced. An early [アキバ巡り] took him for 4 Point, and my Hand was full of Kyousuke to stop his PR Kirino&Kyousuke from bouncing my characters. Eventually he was 6 to my 0 Point. I took a Point from his PR Kirino&Kyousuke to let him bounce my TD Exclusive Kirino, and swarmed him for the final point. His final question before he scooped was ‘If I reduced your DP to 0, will your character die?’ Clearly, a WS player.

The answer is no, by the way.

第六回 VS OreImo: X

3 Mirror matches in a row… I really got nothing to say. This guy played a similar deck to the one I played against in the 4th round, so you should know how things went. He is an excellent player, choosing to end his turn without Approaching which kind of threw me off. Smart move to scout me out. The turning point came when we were both 6 Point each, and he was deciding whether to Approach. I had only 1 card left in my Hand, 2 Source in my Point. If I had Kyousuke I will win, if not it will be his victory. I balanced my card on the table… and accidentally revealed it to be an Event card. We both laughed and I scooped. He apologized but it really was my mistake. Great player to play against.

Interesting thing was that both of us were using K-On! sleeves with OreImo decks, causing participants beside us to exclaim, ‘Why do you have OreImo decks sleeved with K-On!!?’ We laughed.

第七回 VS HomuraXMami: O

This is my most treasured match-up in the entire tournament, because I learned a lot about Precious Memories here. I played against a girl who I believe is rather new to the game. How could I tell? She was reading her cards in the middle of the game. What really sealed the deal was when she played her characters, she called them ‘Homura-chan’ and ‘Mami-san’. So here we go… We had a fun conversation and I held back A LOT. As in seriously, I Approached with only 5 Cost Kirino every turn. My field was so full I had to discard cards (nearly unheard of for an OreImo deck). Eventually I remembered that I still had a time limit to beat so I ended it. Probably the longest match in this tournament for me.

Then in that case, what did I learn, you ask. It was through our conversations that I realized the folly of my ways;

Her: You like Ore no Imouto, right?

Me: Well… *hollow smile*

Her: If you’re using it, then you must like it, right?

Me: *Nods and smiles weakly* Well I’m okay with OreImo, but I’m actually waiting for A Channel.

Her: Oh! Have you read the novel?

Me: *Didn’t even know there’s a novel O.o* No I didn’t, only the 4Koma and anime.

Her: I see…

Me: You like Puella Magi Madoka Magica?

Her: Yes I do! Homura-chan is so cute!

After the match I introduced myself as a Singaporean and she was surprised (good or bad I don’t know). We talked a bit about the PreMemo scene in SG and she asks if I own any Madoka cards, and I said no. Then she said she actually plays Weiss Schwarz more, and proceeded to show me her Police Milky Holmes deck. She asked if I have Weiss Schwarz in SG and I said yes, I played Haruhi. She exclaimed Haruhi is a really strong series (this time I really watched and liked Haruhi, not just because it’s strong). We parted ways and I ran off to make up for lost time.

If there’s a chance she’s reading this, I would like to say まどか使ってた女、ごめんなさい。実は俺妹一回も見てない。俺妹強い過ぎだから、使い決定します。そうしてありがとう、この後、俺は大好きの作品、デッキ絶対作るよ！お楽しみね！

It’s not about using the strongest series, but the one you like. I bought loads of K-On! Part 1 because I simply loved that series, but abandoned it. My first light novel was the Monogatari series by Nisio Isin, but I didn’t use it because I thought I couldn’t match up against the Meta. I learned that cookie-cutting the strongest series won’t bring you the most fun even though it might get you the most wins. And that lesson is the single most important thing I’ve learned from this tournament. I hope card players out there will all realize it, sooner or later.

第八回 VS K-On! Part 2 TD: O

What can I say? He didn’t even bother to sleeve his deck. I peeped at his scoresheet and he actually won 1 match out of his 10+ matches. That guy who lost to a TD must be feeling so sad…

第九回 VS AnoHana Super Peace Busters: X

I didn’t know what to expect going into this match-up. I have never played against an AnoHana deck before in my life. I briefly glanced through the card list only once before its release date. Thankfully the guy was kind enough to read out all his cards’ effects, and for those I didn’t understand he allowed me to read the card itself. I really tried my best going blind and forcing my way through with brute force. But AnoHana is really good at swarming characters while at the same time maintaining Hand, with a humongous Menma with {Airhead 2} beating the crap out of you with stats like 60/50 every turn. Finally after loads of thinking I thought I found a way to win, as he has only 1 Point left. After setting up my characters, I played my TD Exclusive Kirino to tap his SR Menma (Red). Wrong, wrong, wrong. Big play-mistake. We both have 4 characters now, and I had 5Cost Kirino. I Approached, he declared a Prevent with his TD Exclusive Yukiatsu. His Yukiatsu Retreated, effect triggered and untapped his SR Menma. I realized I tapped the wrong character, and realizing I will lose via Deck Out next turn, scooped. My biggest regret in this tournament, though I can only blame myself for not familiarizing myself with AnoHana’s card effects.

第十回 VS MugiXRitsu: X

Damn damn damn damn damn. A K-On!! deck, featuring my 2 favorite characters in the series no less. Naturally I was very interested in the structure of the deck, and realized it actually was rather similar to one of Guru’s decks. He even offered to lend me that deck for this tournament, but I opted to go for OreImo. How foolish I am. The guy was very nice and played a splendid game, opting to go 2nd and hit me with the Mugi&Ritsu combi. Juliet Ritsu hit the table and I knew I was in deep trouble. I basically could only get 1 Point in every turn from this point on while he pummeled me with {Active} characters. Eventually he used a trick I’ve seen Guru use multiple times, using K-On!! Part 2 TD Exclusive Ritsu to pump {Active} to Bread-Eating Yui with Freedom of Entry. 6 attacks in a turn was too much and I lost.

We chatted a bit about the Meta, agreeing that Denpa was way too strong, and that MugiXRitsu is really cute :P

第十一回 VS Homura DeckDes: X

I really thought this will be an easy win, as Madoka is the main Meta in Singapore. But no one played a committed DeckDes as this guy did, and I remember reading Japanese blogs on Homura DeckDes easily defeating OreImo. I rampaged early on, hitting him with 6Points while taking only 2. But that’s when his set-up came full circle, with [うたた寝] stalling me 3 turns in a row, and 6/2 Goddess Madoka providing pumps for Homura&Kyubey combi. 5Cost Homura sped up the milling and I failed to push in the last Point, Decking-out in the end.

第十二回 VS Ika Musume: O

Wow, someone actually played Ika Musume. Luckily I have experience from playing with Ika Boy back in Singapore, so I wasn’t that worried. 2/1 40/40 Ika Musume came into play on his first turn, and a variety of Eiko&Chizuru combis helped keep a steady stream of defense. But again, old series really can’t match up against new ones, and OreImo laid waste to the Invader from the Bottom of the Sea. He was rather stoic throughout the entire game, and I understand why. My shoulders are aching from simply shuffling decks. This is really not a laughing matter, and it was only made worse by the lack of lunch/breakfast. My onigiri was with YJ ._.

第十三回 VS Denpa Onna: X

I kept praying I don’t have to meet another Denpa Onna, but unfortunately my luck ran out. After he went first and played [UFO], I exclaimed, ‘Waaaa, I really hate Denpa Onna’ to which he said, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’. This guy is quite cocky but he has every right to be as his skills are even better than the first Denpa Onna I played against. This guy even had Ryuuko for additional beatdown power. Once his SR Ryuuko with Freedom of Entry killed my 5Cost Kirino, I scooped. There was no way I could keep up with his Hand maintaining power and multiple {Airhead 2} attacks.

第十四回 VS Hidamari Sketch Yukata: X

Mixed feelings going into this match. No experience made me a little worried, and Hidamari is really pumped up with their Special Pack release. But I’m pretty confident of OreImo’s beatdown power too. The match went rather smoothly, with him getting his Yuno&Miyako combi out early and Sae support. Of course my field was filled with the usual suspects, and we kept trading Points. I thought I had a bit of an edge here as he missed [ひだまり荘の住人] every single time he played it, revealing 2 Events. He went to 6 Points when I was only 4. Then he regained his momentum and his Yukata characters came out. By this time the game was really late and our Decks were nearly depleted. But he had Discard Pile Recovery while I didn’t. He shuffled in 12 characters, while my Deck slowly ran out of usable characters. With only 4 Retrieval Events in the Deck, my fast and furious version of OreImo couldn’t hold up in this long game. My field slowly waned while my Hand was depleted, and I lost eventually.

At this point I had to make the decision that troubled earlier; with only 15 minutes to the start of the Stage Event, do I want to risk missing a segment and go for the final win to get at least 1 set of WINNER sleeves? But YJ was waiting for me already and like I said, seiyuu ranks very highly in my mind, so I decided to exchange my scoresheet for the day.

Final Score: 14 Matches, 6 Wins 8 Losses

According to my score, I will be entitled to 20 pieces of either Madoka Magica or AnoHana sleeves for each Match. Also, I will receive a set of 3 PRs featuring the 3 series with sequels in PreMemo announced; K-On!! Movie, Working!! and Shinryaku!? Ika Musume for 5 wins total.

7 sets of Madoka, 7 sets of AnoHana

Well I can make 2 sets of each series with 70 sleeves. Maybe I’ll offer 1 set each for upcoming Precious Memories tournaments, so do keep a look out! ^^

The set of 3 PRs

Well that concludes my first ever Precious Memories tournament in Japan; a Gunslinger no less. I really enjoyed myself a lot, learning a lot about different Precious Memories series and play-styles. I shall seek to improve myself! The next time I’m in Japan, I will aim to get a better score. Perhaps at least 1 set of WINNER sleeves? (`･ω･´)

And of course, next time I play, I’ll use my favorite series (:

Till next time, Good Night, and Good Luck.

Listening to : Egoist – Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~

yo!

so here goes for my first work :3 , I chose menma because

1. she’s totally adorable

2. I love AnoHana and

3. I love the fact that she’s a ghost he he

Hope you enjoy this onegai gesso..

To install, refer here

Download here
Mirror: Here

Hope you enjoy this onegai gesso..

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love for anime gave me…
6 fond memories
5 magical girls
4 unusual penguins
3 bright stars
2 adorable flowers
And a charming idol.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (abbreviated AnoHana) had a strong showing in the Spring of 2011, and it really is a great, poignant series. This series brought back so many fond childhood memories for me, and it somehow felt so nostalgic to me. I enjoyed the drama and the bitter sweetness of seeing a deceased friend and her now grown up friends struggle over their memories.

Not like the popsicle I ate back in Taiwan, but close enough.

Ah, I do remember going into the mountains with friends and cousins...

Pokemon is a classic, and I remember getting my first game, Pokemon Yellow.

I didn't actually really play with real fireworks; mostly with sparklers.

For me, AnoHana invoked a strong sense of nostalgia in myself, bringing me back to Taiwan (not Japan) amidst the hot summery air in the countryside. I was born and raised in the United States, but when I visit family in Taiwan, I truly feel like I’m at home there more than in the United States. AnoHana has had all the scenery that were so very similar and familiar to the scenery I’ve seen in my childhood back in Taiwan, and the fond memories of eating blue popsicles, going into the mountains, making a hideout with cousins (not like the one in this series), playing around near a river stream, playing Pokemon games, and playing with fireworks all comes back to me.

Aside from the nostalgia, I also found this to be a very nice series overall, with my favorite character being either Tsurumi or Anaru. Their personalities are quite nice and realistic; Tsurumi is the quiet observer who keeps her feelings hidden from the one she loves, and Anaru is the insecure teenager who has lingering affection for the one she loves. With the exception of the strange moment with the crossdressing, I really liked this series for portraying the drama and relating each one of the character to each of them, and in particular, to Menma.

This really was a very enjoyable series for me, and through its flashbacks, it brought back fond childhood memories for me. Plus, I do love the opening and ending!

So here is a bowl of Miso BBQ pork Ramen to warm you up.

Magical. I just wish they make smaller bowls.

AnoHana is a delicate show that starts off as a seemingly moe premise but gradually develops into a story of the ways in which people face tragedy and how even in the most unlikely circumstances, they can come together. The animation, while subtle, rarely lacks and the atmosphere created by the setting, music, and animation gives you this inconsolable feeling of nostalgia. Starting with the opening theme, the audience is shipped back to childhood – running around the neighborhood and not knowing the true meaning of sadness – and then brought into reality by the careful script. I have a lot of respect for a show that addresses these issues without becoming too melancholic.

Admittedly, the show itself isn’t that revolutionary in its execution. While I praise the script, there are many places in which it falls short of the expectations that it builds up in its viewers in the first three episodes. The animation, while good, is nothing groundbreaking. Even the soundtrack isn’t that memorable. AnoHana only has 11 episodes and sometimes it can feel like too many; the fun whimsical side-tracks can cause some frustration and the last two episodes felt both too fast and unnecessary.  Where this show is successful is the way in which it tampers with the feelings of the viewer. It carefully balances slapstick, serious, and tear-jerker moments and, although overused (thereby deadening the impact), the insertion of the ending them into the climax of the episode certainly directed me toward needing a hug and a chocolate bar.

While AnoHana makes itself out to be a quiet mystery adventure about a dead girl’s wish, expecting this to be the case can leave very low expectations. It isn’t about Menma’s wish. It isn’t even really about Menma as a ghost. It’s about these six friends as people, all struggling. Ignore the music, the animation, the art – accept them for what they are – and you can appreciate the core of the show – feelings. That is where AnoHana makes it’s mark. That is why so many viewers considered this show one of the better ones of the summer.

Art: B+

Music: A-/B+

Script: A

Final Grade: A-

More detail: Anohana Figure: Honma Meiko (Menma) @ Figure-Anime.com

Nendoroid Hatsune Miku: Mikumix version

pixiv market vol.2 was held earlier today, and GSC also took part in the event as well. As usual, they were showcasing their new and upcoming products, including Nendoroid there. Nendoroid Hatsune Miku: Mikumix version (a.k.a first weekly version).

Mikumix cardboard?

A mysterious cardboard is also spotted beside Miku, and the info board beside it mentioned that the pre-order will start on November 25, just as we posted yesterday. ^^

More pics can be seen after the break.

Nendoroid Aragaki Ayase

Nendoroid Morishima Haruka

Nendoroid Miki Sayaka

Nendoroid Honma Meiko (Menma)

Well, what do you think, Nendonesian? ^^

Nendoroid Petit Yamanaka Sawako and Honma Meiko

Anime Style vol.5, which includes Nendoroid Petit Yamanaka Sawako from K-ON!, is supposed to be released by this month, but it has been pushed to December, while Anime Style vol.6 with Nendoroid Petit Honma Meiko (Menma) from Ano Hana is delayed from December to January next year.

I guess the delay is caused by the strong demand for both magazine issues, forcing GSC to adjust the publish schedule. Well, what do you think about the delay, Nendonesian?

Via GSC