RG FX-550 Skygrasper with sword/launcher pack~

Skygrasper Box art~

Skygrasper Guidebook

Skygrasper parts~

Skygrasper~

Skygrasper with sword pack~

Skygrasper with launcher pack(sorry about the bad lighting...)

Skygrasper with parts of sword and launcher packs~

Did this after I was back from my trip a while ago. A little different from the normal gunpla; this is an airplane. Yet, once again, the stickers really give me a lot of problems and also the one who took up most of time...

Aside from that, what's most surprisingly is how small the freaking plane is!- different from what I expected when I saw online review of how strike gundam could stand on the plane! 

All in all, it was an interesting built and something new to try out(maybe I could building vehicles next time~) 

If you've seen the stuff I bought from my trip, I gotten 2 gunpla:

I've decided to put my 00 Raiser on hold; for my next break- at least I've something to do in my next break if I do run out of stuff to do... 

And so, for now, this'll be put aside~

Till the next break!

This is Yaiji signing off, ja ne~

Yaiji~

[Short ramble] First time doing an online purchase~

So it's my first time doing an online purchase and a pre-order as well. I guess I was afraid and worried about online purchase where it really require one's full trust in that online company that it is really trust-able since u gt to provide your add, cards' info and most of all... Your money is first given before the order come... 

However, there r times it's hard to get things from overseas without doing online shopping and hence... I shall try this time!

Wonder what I order? Well, it's nothing much(yet not cheap); I pre-ordered the [Love Live Sunshine 1st single CD+DVD]. 

Initially, I was going to be like always; wait for ppl to upload and see if the song's nice before buying but... I guess I like to support them! After all, this new Love Live is pretty much under quite a lot of pressure from the previous one. Also, with this 1st single, I would also rmb(for life?) of their first single!

Not just buying to support them but that this new grp... The VAs pretty much are around my age.- You can say they r in my generations so kinda... gt this feeling I may be able to relate more with them! 

Currently, my fave's Riko but I voted Chika(2nd fave!) for the 1st single's center~ It's only right for the leader to be the 1st single's center. After that, the others should get a chance like U's did(though Honoka gt both the 1st and 3rd singles' center...)

I'm really geared up for their first single!-Can't wait for it! That's y... Pls don't disappoint me, Aqours!(sounds a little too much>8<)  

This is Yaiji signing off, ja ne~

Yaiji~

[Weekly Update]: 'summer' break's ending soon(T.T)

Recent works:

Just realised that since the day I came back from my trip, I did not do any weekly update... The above is all the 'new'(ones I haven't shown on blog) fanart work done until now- All these have been uploaded on Devianart, Insta and Twitter~(twitter normally has all the work~)

And with the latest work; yuyuyu new project fanart, my sketch bk's only left with about 7pages... Think I'm going to finish the whole sketch bk and compile all work inside before uploading onto Pixiv(after scanning)

Just A Dream Re-edit(JAD Reedit)

Moving on, I've decided to start Just A Dream Re-Edit chapter 2- yet to decide the name. To make thing simple, the project will be called Just A Dream Re-Edit or JAD reedit for short. As for the name of each chapter, yet to decide each one of them(-.-)
The schedule's about like this:
This Week: -Char designs; old char in autumn/winter outfit & new char [coloured ver.]
                     -Getting started(planning phase) on drafts of first 5(?) pages
Next Week: -Drafts of the first few pages & Inking them(act as a form of teaser)

Said before, I'll only work on this project during my break and my break's ending in another 2 weeks(this and next) Beside chapter 2 teaser, a small chapter 3 teaser as well~(the rough idea is already done; just nid some refining~)

Misc.(warning: ramblings ahead)

My break's ending & school's starting in 2 weeks. Time to switch modes; holiday mode > study mode... It's a bit... sad? to start school but the various upcoming things are what made it bearable. Like how there's an anime convention from aug 15-16 and then, there's the LL movie coming in October! Plus LL Sunshine debut first single! But more than anything, the new yuyuyu and LL project announced in August Dengeki G's Magazine make everything exciting! 

There're also the summer animes- quite a lot potential animes this season! Such animes really make every schooling day great!- When you came home, exhausted but still gt the nid to do your sch work; you wouldn't have the mood to do but just thinking there's a new ep of your fave animes waiting for you to watch... You just gt your motivation to work so that you've time to watch and get some 'time off' from the hectic and cruel world called reality! For me, drawing is also an escape for me but there're times I don't have that luxury... 

Anyway, been away from school for so long, I'm worried I may not be able to cope in the coming semester...Just have to see how is it~ 

This is Yaiji signing off, ja ne~

Yaiji~

Sp(Exclusive) Post 4: Kanda Shrine~

This is my first time going after finding out this sacred place from the net(quite slow to know until now since don't-know-how-many akiba trips...(-.-)

FYI: Kanda Shrine is a shrine near Akihabara. And, if you're a lovelivers(or not), this shrine was featured in the show LoveLive and thus making it even more famous to anime fans than before! 

The route to the shrine can be confusing if one walks from Akihabara. However, it's possible to walk but just hard to get there- the walk's not long; about 5-7 min but that is if you know your way there cos to go there, one has to navigate around the side streets to the shrine and you'll be shocked(if you've been to other jap shrines) that the shrine's located in between buildings... 

The nearest and also easier(not that confusing) would be through the station Ochanomizu.-It is just one stop from Akihabara but the line's JR Sobu Line(the yellow one) so if you came using JR Yamanote line, pls change to that Sobu line instead. Outside the station, there're directions(it's in english) toward the Ochanomizu's bridge, follow that direction till you reach a traffic light and cross the road towards the convenience store(you can see at the traffic light). From the convenience store, continue forward and you'll reach the shrine gate here:

And this is the shrine entrance:

And the procedure/behaviour to follow:

Made this to help myself (and maybe others?)

For more info: http://www.mustlovejapan.com/manner/shrine.html

You may wonder(for LoveLivers) where's the stairs that the U's members use to train in the anime.(That's part of the reason y I went to this shrine twice...) The stairs that U's members use is at the side of the shrine- (if I did not rmb wrongly) from the entrance, walk straight till you see an entrance to your right, you would see the stairs. 

But if you want to go up from there to the shrine, going from Akihabara will bring you there. 

when I gt there in the morning, there were two fans(I'm assuming) trying to time their run up the stairs

But like I said, route from Akihabara to the shrine is not easy unless you're familiar with the route; even though I've tried(and succeeded) going to the shrine from Akihabara, I'm not confident that I know my way since it's only once. That could be why you don't really see ppl writing reviews of how to go to Kanda Shrine from Akihabara; there're many ways yet not many landmarks for you to use to direct ppl(gt to see the map and infer from there...)   

But this shrine really is a must go for all anime fans(esp LLivers!) 

Now, the inside of the shrine:

First Trip

(From Ochanomizu station side) I got there a little late and only got to buy one omikuji.- Omikuji is something to check your luck/fortune. First, you purchase one(normally one costs from 100-200yen). It comes in the form of a slip of paper and depending on the shrine, some omikuji has both jap and eng translations while some only has jap translations. If you don't know jap, you wouldn't know the details of your fortune but the basics; whether your fortune/luck is good/bad can easily be understood by matching the chinese/jap words that mean good/bad fortune. Here's the list:

More info from here: http://zoomingjapan.com/wiki/omikuji-fortune-telling-paper-strips/

Normally, for curses, you gt to tie your slip of paper to the provided 'stands'- you would see those 'stands' with many tied-up papers on it. And of course, for blessings, there's no procedure for u to do; you can keep it or throw away- it's all up to you~ 

So I 'played' it in my first trip to the shrine(and it was the only thing I could do before the store there closes) 

Here's mine:

Not showing the english translation...)

It was my first time getting great blessing yet at that time, I was a little exhausted(after trying to find the shrine) so took me a while to process before I understood(haha...) 

And for Kanda Shrine, there's English translation at the back(tbh, most Tokyo area shrines' omikuji has english translation) but was slight costly at 200 yen per 'play'. 

Second Trip

I went in the morning and this time from Akihabara to find that stairs... And since there was plenty of time, I was able to explore more and buy the stuff I want~ 

Nozomi Omamori/Jap charm- bought for my sibling who liked Nozomi`

Various Ema

Spotted one nice Ema with the chars voiced by Mimori Suzuko(one of my fave VAs!>8<)

Beside just 'playing' omikuji, you can buy omamori/jap charm and there're various for ppl to choose, depending what type of charm you want; like if you're a student, you may want to consider buying the scholarship charm. Normally, one charm costs from 500-800 yen~ Since I gt one myself, I simply just bought the one I promised to buy for my sibling. There're also other anime(beside LL) Omamori-Do check it out if you gt a chance~

Moving on, you can also purchase an Ema. Ema is a wooden board for you to write your wishes down and hang like the pics above I show. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ema_(Shinto)

I never knew what Ema was till I researched it online. I was planning to write one in that trip but due to time restraint so...Maybe next time... As this is a shrine known to anime fans, there're many wonderful anime art on various Ema!- a lot of Love Live fanart and other anime art as well!

Ema price varies; the highest I have seen is 1000yen- those with longer board which made sense since you gt more space to write your wishes~ 

Beside all these traditional stuff that can only be done at jap shrine, I bought my Kanda Shrine X Love Live Chocolate food there at 900 yen(without tax~) and there's also ice-cream store, considering it is summer there~

Afterword

All I can say, Kanda Shrine is quite a unique shrine from those I went before. Normally, the shrines I went before like Meiji Jinju(near Harajuku station) has this long walk before reading the shrine gate and entrance. Not just that, shrines are normally located at some quiet areas like in a forest type yet Kanda Shrine is actually in between buildings! Really gave me a big eye-opener!

Fun Fact: Kanda Shrine was featured in one of my local-jap magazine:(found out that the matsuri lasted from 9-10 may when my exams had long finished...)

Misc.

A few pics I took in akihabara:

Love Live!

UDX building- LoveLivers would know the school Arise went, UTX is based on this building~

From Sega~

Not sure if it is always but during Sunday, the roads in Akihabara are closed off so one can walk at ease without waiting for traffic lights- great for anime fans to rush for the stuffs they want~

Shown in last post; gt it from sega~

Some 'tips' for anime fans going to akihabara first time: 

tbh, I would advice to stop and look through all shops with anime stuff if you're buying anime figurines cos akihabara has many that prices and availability of products differ in different stores. But if you don't have the time then... Suggestion of some notable stores would be: Animate and Volks- they are quite easy to find, btw; animate can be easily seen near the big softbank store and while Volks is near the station. Gamers is also not bad. (FYI: Ikebukuro has the biggest and is the main Animate outlet.)

And if you r gd at claw machine, you can play at Sega which is quite big or the other side claw machine stores~ 

For Gundam and gunpla fans... Well, Volks has some but quite limited in my opinion. Not sure of the side street since I don't really explore those in case of losing my ways. My best suggestion would be Yodabashi Camera- it has quite a big selection of gunpla plus other building kits there sold. In addition, there's tax free for tourists(need passport for verification) but u gt to spend at least 10,000 yen...  

Also, there's tower records for jpop or anime music fans in Yodabashi Camera~  

That ends this special and exclusive post, and also the last one in the list of special posts~ Hope all like this and the other special posts as well~

This is Yaiji signing off, ja ne

Yaiji

Special Post 3: Japanese Magazines and Books~

This post will showcase the jap magazines and books I bought~ I'll first intro the magazines before the books(manga)

Magazines

Here's a overview of the magazines:

 Dengeki G's Comics

Cover

Side

Back

First, the Nozomi Figurine:

It was sad that the previous batch, Kotori, Maki and Nico cannot be found when I checked those 2nd hand shops...It was unfortunately(for me) that that batch came out after I knew Love Live... My collection couldn't be completed as a result(-.-)
TBH, I was able to find Maki and Nico but... It costs 3000 yen each... I'm like 'what???' Sigh...

And now, some sneak peeks:

Eli, what???!!!

Honoka's reaction~

Hair down Eli!

NozoEli~

Well, it's mostly this issue's school idol diary manga though-Pls buy the magazine if you want to see the full chapter~ And some news of it(randomly found out):

The next volume will be out on 26/8/15!

Dengeki G's Magazine

Magazine with the gift

Front

Back

Showcasing the gift first:

Written in clear english of the warning(what if the person only understand chinese or other languages beside eng and jap 0.0)

The gift is 3 magnets of each yr design. Its use?- Bookmark I suppose~ (Squeeze your brain juice if you've any out-of-box idea to use these 3 magnets~)

And now, some sneak peeks:

Not a bad anime-I recommend it for this season~

New LL Project~ Stay tune in the next issue! 

Exclusive U's VA interview~

ChrisXTsubasa: Kohai-Senpai pairing~

Can't wait for its broadcast this summer~

New YuYuYu project- gng closer to the truth~

LL Sunshine, featuring another 3 members(can't wait for their first single!!!)

Fun Fact: her VA's bday is 23/7; same as kotori's VA~

If I'm not wrong, you can now vote for the center of the first single(I've yet to vote though... Have until 29/7...) with the code in the pink slip below:

This issue's yuki yuna (chibi?) comics/manga

Bought this month's issue cos of the info inside and didn't know you need to buy this to have the chance to vote for center of Aqours- tbh, I love to buy their single yet... My mind gt the better of me that I should at least listen first before buying and then there's the 'way' to get it as well... 

Oh and the magnets seem like good bookmarks for me(I'm actually a bookworm~) though I'm worried I may dirty it or damage it... 

Voice Actor & Actress Animedia

Normally I don't buy this magazine and rather this is my first time buying but! The front cover's what made me buy it:

Front(U's no VA!!!!) 

Back

The poster that came along- had already pasted on my wall so... Sorry for the bad display...

Not just that free poster, there are individual posters of each member as well, inside! Plus each VA's msg/interview! It's a must for die-hard LoveLivers to know, not just the anime char but the voices behind those chars! 

Love Live School Idol Festival Illustration Book 2

Front

Back

And together~

Free gift- Front

Free gift- Back 

 Like the Honoka Coaster(showcase previously; pls take a look at [special post 2: anime food]), for fear of dirtying and damaging it, I placed the free gift in plastic and wrapped:

And beside that physical free gift, there's the awaken UR Nico!

For this book, it showcases the card design until 2014 November; constellation theme with the other awaken SRs you can get from buying Eien Friend(sang by Printemps), Aki No Anata No Sora Tooku(sang by Lilywhite) and Fuyu Ga Kureta Yokan(sang by Bibi)

It's a must for SIF LLiver(esp jap users)~ Beautiful HD quality illustration of the cards inside~ The code does not end till next yr 30/6!

Yuki Yuna Wa Yusha De Aru Fanbook

Front

Back

It's sad but this book was sold out in many stores- I had a rat run till I found out from the Kinokuniya staff that only some outlets have and the quantity...One... Sigh... 

In the end, bought this at my local Kinokuniya store instead and... It was ex(that's y I covered><)... Very ex and this is the last time I am buying such anime fanbook locally... 

Some sneak peeks:(the bonus light novel chapter's illustrations~)

Notice Yuna's expression...

This chapter was showcase in Dengeki G's magazine March 2015 issue~

The fanbook basically got all the illustration and char designs.(great material for fanart) Plus compilation of official art- Here's a sample:

But I think these 2 books will be better(yet it's too much for me-.-):

The above 2 images are from: http://www.gokumi.co.jp/shop/

Freebies from buying magazines~

Overview

So these freebies... I get to choose 2 from 2 categories. When I saw the 2nd yr chibi...Postcard? in first category, I immediately choose that and as for the 2nd one... Well... I feel bad(?) for choosing 2nd yr again so went for third yr(knowing my the other sibling who is also a LLiver likes Nozomi)
While choosing, I did not know... That 2nd category's...Freebies...Are for the LoveLive comics/manga(I'll explain ltr) and thus is useless for my sibling...sigh...

Never mind about that; let's showcase each freebie then~

Front

Back~

 Once again, I wrapped it in plastic for fear of dirt and damage to it... Not sure how to use so for now:

Act like a 'wallpaper' for my mini LL figurines~

Next up~

Front

Back

Full View

?!

(0.0)

The 2 types~

Original edition~

And Movie(?) edition~

 I think the images pretty much explains the use of the freebie but I will just explain a bit or rather summarise in one sentence- that freebie is a book cover for LL comics/manga volume 3. Not sure if you know(you got to go to the jap book section often to know), for some Jap comics/manga volumes, there r times there are different covers(a form of marketing? Image marketing?) The comics' the same but it has different covers and sometimes(or should I say most of the time)... The new cover designs come out after the original.- Die-hard fans may just buy those books despite already having one at home.
And that's what this is and luckily, the chinese translated LL comics vol. 3 was out after I came back or this cover would be useless(for the time being...)
Just realised that the cover is with the angelic angel's outfit! So, choosing third yr was right with Eli being the center for that song~
And again, Jap's trying to earn money; it's weird with one volume having special cover and that brings ppl to spend more to get the other volume covers(><)

That ends the [Magazine] section; now's the [Book] section~

Books    

Over view 

Got these 3 books with 2 chibi types(same author btw~) and the WIXOSS manga is something I found out and decided to buy~

Selector Infected WIXOSS Re/Verse Vol. 1

Front 

Back

Free 2 cards(look below for the cards)

The 2 free cards~

I haven't opened and see the free 2 cards.- About this, jap ppl really are...Cautious? When I bought this, the person asked me, is it alright to tear off the plastic wrapping(tbh, I wasn't sure till the person tore off the wrapping) so as to show me that the free item(the 2 cards) is inside.- I find it nice(maybe some don't) and my country don't really do that so... It was a nice confirmation in my opinion. 

Additional pt: I bought this not just cos I watched WIXOSS(but did not play the game) but also cos the author's Meki Meki- knew him/her from the Nanoha doujins he/she drew and the stories are quite unique and interesting~

Yuki Yuna Is A Hero (chibi) manga vol. 1

Front

Back

 Vividred Operation (chibi) manga vol. 1

Frankly speaking, I've not read either of the chibi manga yet(only look through...) but it's quite worth the money with the amt of content inside~ Plus I like the artist's chibi art style- that's partly y even though these 2 books weren't really in my to-buy list, I ended up buying(for that art)

And that ends the both sections, [Magazines] [Books] and now... Some extra stuff~

Misc.

Found this in akihabara animate(not the main store). It was only left with Lily White(no Printemps or Bibi...) and only 3 files of it! Was too cute to resist buying~

Got this fan from Akihabara SEGA- distributed by the staff at Sega. (And then after I came back, found out there's other yrs designed fan given out as well...-.-)

Afterword

How was this post? Left one more special post; an exclusive one- My trip experience; mostly about the anime part of the trip~

(Fun Fact: was quite tiring to take all these photos plus what's with me haven't read into all these magazines and books, haha~)

This is Yaiji signing off, ja ne~

Yaiji