Fresh reviews and notes
2 min read
The Best Masterpieces of 100 Eshi ver.3 (BNN, 2017)
Eshi 100 nin – ver.3 is a collection of carefully selected illustrations by 100 artists (very well known and respected), twenty of whom have done their work exclusively for this publication. This is the third edition in the series, yet again in B5 format. The publisher boasts that Brilliant Pallet (ブリリアントパレット) technology was used for printing, allowing for almost complete reproduction of the original colors.
2 min read
Homura – 1/7 – Max Factory / Good Smile Company (Xenoblade 2)
I'm a huge fan of Xenoblade 2, which you could actually see in my review of that game. Unfortunately I didn't catch the preorder of Homura, and then it was quite hard to get it at a reasonable price. I found it on Amazon Japan a few weeks ago, and basically without thinking I used the カートに入れる (add to cart) button.
3 min read
Yabuki Kentarou – “Harem Gold” To LOVEru Darkness (Shueisha, 2016)
Yabuki Kentarou - a creator who probably needs no introduction. Best known for his record-breaking manga To LOVEru. This artbook is a collection of his illustrations from the continuation of that series, To LOVEru Darkness.
1 min read
Nyaruko – B-style 1/4 – Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (FREEing, 2015)
Another FREEing figure from the B-style series has just dropped into my collection. This time it's the title character from the Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, whose review you can read here. I ordered it from Amazon Japan, and it was shipped by DHL courier company, which broke the delivery record - after 2 days the courier with the package appeared at my door.
2 min read
Shokuhou Misaki – B-style 1/4 – To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (FREEing, 2022)
I ordered the figure as a preorder somewhere around the middle of last year and received it a few days ago (unfortunately, the package was sent by mail, so the waiting time was over two weeks instead of five days). This is another FREEing B-style figure in my collection. In this case, however, I was surprised by its size. The box itself was already quite tall - I wasn't expecting such a height after all (almost 50 cm).
2 min read
Mateusz Urbanowicz – Tokyo Storefronts (MdN Corporation, 2018)
Tokyo Storefronts is a collection of illustrations by Mateusz Urbanowicz. He probably doesn't need any introduction (at least in my country, because he's from Poland), but I'll just write briefly that he went to Japan to study the art of drawing. The fruits of his work in the form of backgrounds can be seen in the movie Kimi no Na wa (and to have such a thing in your portfolio is really a feat for a gaijin).
2 min read
Yuuki Mikan – B-style 1/4 – To LOVE-Ru (FREEing, 2018)
I've been hunting for this figure for a long time - I didn't manage to preorder it a few years ago. Unfortunately, either the prices were sky high, or the sellers offered really expensive shipping options (the box is quite massive, after all). Recently, however, I managed to buy it (and in the version I wanted, because there is also one without tights) at quite a reasonable price (considering this particular model and series).
7 min read
Desuraba / Destiny Lover (2018) | manga
A long time ago, Fujishirou Kosuke confessed his love to his friend. He vowed to remain pure until they could be together so he could experience his first time with her. Years later, the boy wakes up in a prison cell and realizes that he has been kidnapped...
2 min read
Fuzichoco – Sai Gen Kyo (Genkosha, 2020)
The publication contains 192 pages. It consists almost exclusively of illustrations printed on very good quality chalkboard paper. It features fold-out pages with, among others, characters from Fate/Grand Order, Touhou Project or Vocaloids, Onmyoji and Hachi-nan tte, Sore wa Nai deshou!
9 min read
Nazo no Kanojo X / 謎の彼女X (2012)
Tsubaki Akira is an average high school student. One day Urabe Mikoto joins his class and takes the seat next to him. Urabe Mikoto gives the impression of being secretive and even cold - the fact that her hair covers half her face doesn't make it any easier to read her emotions. On the very first day she gets the name of the weirdo, because she suddenly bursts out laughing during the class.
2 min read
Nanao Naru – Rainbow-colored IceCream (2005)
Nanao Naru is an illustrator whose character designs have been used in many visual novels and their adaptations. These include Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two (and both Shaft studio adaptations), Sola, Da Capo, Canvas 2: Niji-iro no Sketch, Shuffle! and Wind -A Breath of Heart-. This artbook contains quite a few original illustrations that have appeared in various magazines or doujin circle publications founded by the author, Ice to Choco, but also some of the titles mentioned above. Sources for each drawing are given on the final pages.
4 min read
Plastic Little (1994)
The seventeen year old Tita, captain of the ship Cha Cha Maru, is one of the colonists of the planet Yietta that benefits from the unique oceans of liquid gas. She and her crew specialize in harvesting the exotic life forms that live in these oceans and selling them to intergalactic pet stores.