Update!

Hello, everyone! Miss Scarlett here!

This has been a pretty rough year so far IRL, mostly due to stress at work, car problems, and health issues. (Also, vaaaaaaast amounts of time were consumed by Persona 5.) I feel like I'm gotten kind of disenchanted with the blog. I think My enthusiasm got me to the point where it's felt like a job to update this, and that makes me want to do it less. So I'm trying to view all this from a different angle. Do I need to have in-depth reviews? I'm not under the belief that I'm some sort of consumer advocate here. Most of what I like is pretty niche. I doubt lots of people are flocking to my blog to use my thoughts to help them decide to buy Nendoroids or not. Do I need to have deal updates? I'm not a dedicated deals page, and I often don't get to post here in time to announce sales. But it also feels weirdly braggy if I just constantly post "Here's what I just bought!" kind of stuff. I don't know.

The next year might see me experimenting with different content to find something that's organic to do. Maybe this might turn into more of a "slice of life" sort of thing where I just ramble. Who knows? I guess what I'm saying is that things might change, but it's because they need to change.

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a lovely day. Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Figure Review: "Yuri!!! on Ice" Yuri Katsuki Nendoroid

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Hobby Haven! It's been a while, but now that my orders from online places are beginning to trickle in, I've been trying to carve out some time for reviewing. Let's get right to it!

Halloween Extravaganza...Part 3!

Welcome back, everyone!

Last, but not least, is a review of the October Japan Crate that I picked up, which (unsurprisingly) is Halloween-themed. The regular Japan Crate differs from the DokiDoki crate in that you can pick from three "levels." There's the Mini (which gets you 5 items for $12), the Original (which gets you 5 items for $25), and the Premium (which gets you 15 items for $30, and includes a drink). Shipping is free. I managed to get a Groupon to try the Premium crate for only $20.

Halloween Extraganza...Part 2!

Welcome back, everyone! Hope your day is going well! Next up is our second review of the day, which is...another Good Smile Nendoroid set! They often sell "sets" for different occasions or concepts, and they basically consist of a body (no head, sorry), accessories, and stand. This year, they have released a "Halloween set" with a male and female variant. The male variant is a vampire, and the female variant is a witch. ...Or a devil. I think they couldn't decide.

I actually wasn't able to pick these up at Hobby Link Japan, and picked them up from CD Japan, of all places. After currency conversion, I paid about $20 per. This actually allows us to do Nendoroid Math: If an average Nendoroid sells for $35-40, we can therefore deduce that approximately 50% of a Nendoroid's value is placed in its head.

Halloween Extravaganza!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Today, I've decided to trick you...by giving you not, one, not two, but three treats! Three reviews, all day long! I've decided to take the day off--work has been so stressful lately--to give myself a breather, and relax by watching movies and eating some seasonal goodies! So while I've got some pumpkin cupcakes in the oven, I'll whip out this first mini review in no time!

September Doki Doki Crate

Hey, everyone! It's...uh...been a while, huh? 

Well, my mother had surgery two months ago, and I've been spending almost all my time with her, helping her recover. So I've built up quite a backlog of posts, although it was completely unintentional. Today, I'm bringing you the first post in my queue, my review of the September Doki Doki Crate.

To recap: Japan Crate is a company that offers a subscription-based "surprise box" service. Like the old fruit-of-the-month club and stuff. They have several different varieties: Umai, Kira Kira, the "regular" Japan Crate, and Doki Doki. The latter is filled with various collectible and home goods. You can order the "regular" crate (filled with snacks) in different tiers, but the Doki Doki crate is one price only: $30 per month. I fully admit that I like novelty, but it seems slightly steep a monthly price to me. Fortunately, it seems that when the company doesn't have enough boxes sold per month, they offer a $10 discount on them. So if that happens, I'll probably pick them up--assuming I haven't bankrupted myself on other stuff. Check out my review after the jump!

August Doki Doki Crate

Hello, and welcome to the Hobby Haven! Summer's gone, but not forgotten, and what better way to relive the last few days of summer then a quick look back at something fun? I was given a Groupon for Japan Crate, so I decided to go ahead and sign up for a box; they keep posting sneak peeks at the goodies inside each one, and I fell in love with one of the items I saw inside.

Japan Crate offers a bunch of different types of crates: your standard Japan Crate (candy and snacks), Umai (food items, usually savory), Kira Kira (beauty products), and Doki Doki. These are cutesy, feminine products; the variety is pretty good, as there will always be a snack, a wearable item, a keychain, and some other "surprise" items. Each month's Doki Doki Crate has a theme, and August's was "Back to School." I wondered how comparable it would be to the Back to School Anime Loot Crate that I got last year, so I decided to go ahead and see...