Black Friday

Welcome to the Hobby Haven! I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving (even if you don't observe it, I hope that it was a good day for you!)

I completely meant to do more updating on the shopping guide and possibly do a quick Black Friday deals post, when I realized that 1. Kotaku does a much better job than I ever could (and CheapassGamer does too, to an extent), and 2. My sniffliness might not be seasonal allergies but a cold. Once I realized both, I eloquently shrugged and then downed some more DayQuil and hid under the blankets, occasionally emerging to browse various websites. As a result: no blog posts, but some Christmas shopping got done!

The first half of Black Friday was spent cuddled in bed and shopping online. I bought a Blu-ray player (and some HDMI cables) from Best Buy for my parents; most retailers had these hovering between the $40-70 mark, and I found a nice wi-fi enabled unit for $50. If you're in the market for a BD-player this holiday season, there are a lot of options to pick from. Amazon had some good deals on Blu-rays: I picked up The Heat for $6 and Warm Bodies for $8. I think Bridesmaids is at a similar price point, so I might go get that one later. (Those are for me, by the way. Merry Christmas, Miss Scarlett!) I found a DVD copy of Steve McQueen's Bullit (why can't I find this on BD?) for $5. Lots of CDs were also marked down, so I got the deluxe CD/DVD edition of Within Temptation's latest album for almost 50% off. (Also for myself.)

After that, I buckled down to look for a PS3. Decided that I couldn't wait anymore. There were more or less no good bundles to be had--apparently last year, Walmart had offered a PS3 (don't remember what type) bundle for $200, which I am still furious at myself for missing out on. After scouring lots of listings, I decided on a PS3 bundle from Newegg. It's a brand-new 500GB model that comes bundled with retail copies of Lego Batman 3 and the Sly Cooper Collection. The whole deal was $250, plus $5 shipping. Which is not bad, honestly. I'm hoping to sell off the two games and recoup a bit of money that way, maybe even put that towards picking up a game.

I was feeling better by the late afternoon, so I spent the second half of the day hitting up actual brick and mortar stores. I needed to replenish my NyQuil stock, so I went to Rite Aid--they had some free stuff for rewards members (if you bought certain items, they gave you store credit for the same amount) like cotton balls and laundry detergent, so I got some, plus new laundry baskets. Highly exciting. Went over to Target, and got the first two seasons of Pretty Little Liars for my sister, $10 apiece. Also got some $5 socks for my dad, plus some Walking Dead blind box toys for my mom. She came along, and bought a new slow cooker and some boots. We hit up Best Buy next and got some Christmas CDs (Michael Buble and Josh Groban), plus cheap Blu-rays (Labyrinth, Day After Tomorrow, and the original Batman movies on a Blu-ray boxset, only $25!).

Today, I started perusing the Amazon Cyber Monday deals, and found the Jason Bourne movie trilogy boxset on Blu-ray for $15. It should still be live! Snagged that for my dad, so my Christmas shopping for him is done.

I didn't end up buying anything from Right Stuf's Black Friday sale (holding out for the Christmas one), and Steam hasn't had much to interest me so far. We'll see if I end up buying anything else. In summation: when in doubt, use Kotaku as a shopping guide. I'm going to go to bed and then see if any good Cyber Monday deals pop up. I could use a new Keurig.... Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Media Review: Sailor Moon Season 1, Part 1 Limited Edition

You know how everyone has that one show that they love beyond all others? For me, that's always been Sailor Moon. That was my gateway into anime as a young lass, and my fuel for superhero fantasy daydreams. You might be a clumsy, awkward teenager in real life, but in the world of Sailor Moon, you can also be a hero fighting to protect the world and uphold the values of love and justice. It's hard to say just why and how it captured my heart, but it did, and has never let go.

I have fond memories of waking up at 6 AM to watch syndicated episodes of the first two seasons as I got ready for school, and of racing home later on to watch it on Cartoon Network's Toonami. I even filled up as many VHS tapes as I could with home-taped episodes to rewatch over and over.  (This is probably outing what an old lady I am!) This was back when home media releases for anime were hard to find, and hard to afford, in that odd twilight period between the full demise of the VHS and the rise of DVD. Getting legit copies of Sailor Moon on any format was hard--the first two seasons were released on VHS (later on in DVD singles that seemed impossible to track down and had horrible cover art), and the latter two in singles (Ugh, remember those? $25 for a DVD with 4 episodes?). We later got the first two seasons uncut (Japanese language and English subtitles only) from ADV, but with pretty crappy quality, and the latter two with hella hard to find season boxsets. The fifth season never came at all. The movies were surprisingly easy to find, which were all that I had for years and years.

Then earlier this year, in May, Viz announced they'd licensed the whole Sailor Moon anime. Everything, All to be made available on home video! The first of these releases hit the streets on November 11th of this year, which is what I'll be taking a look at today.

The Sailor Moon anime has 5 seasons and 200 episodes. Viz has announced that they will be breaking up each season into half sets, meaning we get 10 sets in total. The first set here is for the first half of Season One. The first season is 46 episodes long, so the half set has 23 episodes. Not bad, considering Viz tends to release 11-13 episodes in one of their average box sets and call it a day.

I pre-ordered the Limited Edition from Right Stuf the instant that the pre-ordering went live. I paid $56.99 for it. Was it worth it, and what did I get? Let's take a look at it.

Disney Store Classic Queen Elsa Doll

Well, winter is almost upon us, with snow, frost, and ice to come. What better way to herald the impending season than to review the Snow Queen herself? Welcome to the Hobby Haven, folks.

Like the rest of the country--no, the world--I was caught up in Frozen mania last year when the movie launched. It was probably the first time ever that I'd gone to see a movie and immediately went to buy the soundtrack once I left the theater. Of course, I didn't find out that dolls were available of the characters until after Christmas, because that's how my luck is. But I became determined to snag them so they could join my Belle and Ariel dolls.

 Well...if you don't have small children in your lives (or if you don't collect Frozen merchandise), you may not realize how crazy things were. Merchandise for Frozen sold out very quickly after the movie's launch, and Disney--who hadn't anticipated what a hit it would be--simply couldn't keep up with the demand. Disney Stores across the country would sell out of the small shipments of merchandise within hours once they arrived, and eBay scalpers began taking advantage of the situation by reselling NIB toys for upwards of 3 to 10 times what they originally cost. If you have a few minutes to kill, I suggest Googling "Frozen merchandise shortage," you'll find no less than a dozen articles on the subject.

Anyway, during the spring, there were periodic restocks on the Disney Store website. You had to be quick, because the toys would sell out within minutes to hours. I am not exaggerating. A lot of it came down to luck. After getting burned twice (putting a doll in my cart only to have it sell out once I got to the checkout), I managed to get my hands on the Frozen sisters, about two weeks apart during the late April/early May restock.

While they *should* be available at the Disney Store retail locations, your best bet is to grab these ladies from the Disney Store website. They retail for $16.95, which is a little more expensive than the average Barbie, but much cheaper than most Monster High or Ever After High dolls. Shipping is about $5, and takes roughly a week. A word of warning; a lot of customers have complained on the Disney Store Facebook page of packages arriving crushed or damaged, and with insufficient packing material. They seem to have died down (I feel a feeling most of this happened during the restock craze, where warehouse employees were probably under pressure to ship orders as quickly as possible), but be aware if you plan on buying from the website.

Elsa, as the eldest, will get to go first. Anna will be the next review.

Sales post

It's dark and cold and snowy this morning, and when I woke up, I thought it was several hours earlier than it actually was. Brrr. Welcome to the Hobby Haven.

I just wanted to do a quick sales post here, and state that I'll be putting up my Sailor Moon review tomorrow probably.

I think the Hobby Haven will be buzzing with lots of deals posts the next few weeks, as I gush about sales and whatnot. Just so you have an idea of what to look forward to.

Amazon is having a flash sale on select Monster and Ever After High dolls, TODAY ONLY. Check out their site for more details.

Wave 3 of Right Stuf's sale is live! They are offering all three seasons of Revolutionary Girl Utena as a flash sale bundle, which I highly suggest you investigate if you like mind-bending stories and heroines with grit. The Sailor Moon LE is also on sale (sort of) for $70. Quick explanation: Viz released Sailor Moon in several "flavors": a basic DVD pack, a limited edition DVD/BD combo pack with several goodies, and (later) a basic DVD/BD combo pack with no goodies. Right Stuf is offering the limited edition pack with their exclusive "gift with purchase" collectible coin. Keep in mind that Viz's anime DVDs and BDs rarely go on sale, and relatively new shows almost NEVER are on sale. So the 12% off is the best sale you're going to get on  it for now with you desperately want the edition with the pack-in extras.

I personally am a little conflicted on whether to pull the trigger. I have a list of shows that I want to buy, and a strict $100 budget. BUT. This wave is offering the Dark Horse re-release of "The Sky," which is a Final Fantasy artbook set solely featuring Yoshitaka Amano's concept art. It's normally offered for about $80-90, is on sale for $45, and I am so conflicted over whether or not to get it or wait. I might just keep an eye on the website while I wait for the 12 Days of Christmas sale and see. Nothing that I *really* want has gone on sale yet.

Kotaku has posted their own Black Friday Deals roundup, and it's worth taking a look at if you're shopping for electronics.

That's all for now, guys! I'm off to finish cleaning up for company tomorrow...and to make my Black Friday/Cyber Monday wishlist! Have a great holiday!

EDIT: Oh dear, I forgot to add that Steam has kicked off their Autumn Sale today. It goes until December 2nd. As a handy tip: if something you're interested in is a daily deal or flash sale, buy it right away--otherwise, wait until the end of the sale.

Odds and ends

It's Thanksgiving break, and Miss Scarlett is spending today relaxing, writing up some reviews, and doing some assorted chores (because like as not, I can't spend the whole day goofing off). I'm going to make sure we have enough posts to last out the year, and hopefully cover January.

It's the last day of GOG's Fall sale, so if you've been holding off, now is the time to act! Unless you're waiting for Steam's holiday sale, that is.

The third wave of Right Stuf's Black Friday sale goes live tomorrow, and they have confirmed that the limited edition Sailor Moon BD/DVD set of Season 1, Part 1 (episode 1-23) will be part of tomorrow's sale. This will also include a limited edition coin. I already got mine, and I'll have that review up soon. 

For those Monster High fans out there who want to buy the Student Disembodied Council 5-pack (featured Slo Mo and Gilda Goldstag), Target has a flash deal ending tomorrow! It's 50% off--making it only $30! With free shipping, it's a steal! Also, Toy R Us will be bringing back the Dawn of the Dance dolls as a Black Friday special. Last I saw, they were $17, but this could be subject to change. Mattel will also be making non-posable vinyl figurines of the main characters, which should be available next year. No info about retailers or price points yet, though. Fans are finding the "Haunted" dolls in stores now, so keep your eyes peeled!

We've also gotten confirmation that the Ever After High "Spring Unsprung" collection will feature a Kitty Cheshire doll, which will be a Wal-Mart exclusive. No pictures available yet, though. Still no word on when we can expect any of the playsets, Mirror Beach, or the basic dolls for Kitty, Duchess, and Ginger. Mattel, my hype is dying a little more for each day you don't announce anything!

The next toy review will be this Friday, get hyped, guys!

EDIT: The Toys R Us Monster High deal is this: Dawn of the Dance dolls are $9.99 each IN STORES from 5 PM to 9 PM on Thanksgiving day. Also, Right Stuf's Wave 3 starts at 12:30 AM CST on the 26th, so it might behoove you to stay up a bit to make sure you get the best deals.

Random news roundup!

Whooo! It's been a long time without updating! Sorry about that, but Miss Scarlett got swamped with work and has had to do overtime covering for a colleague. But Thanksgiving break approaches, with the promise of some down time. And shopping! And deals. Deals everywhere! Some nattering about my shopping after the cut.

Review: Bandai D-Arts Raidou Kuzunoha

Another Friday, another review. Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

I've picked up another figure, but *not* a Sailor Moon one. Very surprising, I know, given how many of the Sailor Moon Figuarts I've been ordering over the past year. (It feels odd to think that there will come a time when they will finish releasing those. No new figure to look forward to every few months...unthinkable!)

This is related to the Persona 4 figure that I reviewed back in...what, October? It seems so long ago. This is from another Atlus video game, "Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha," which falls under the Megami Tensei franchise. There's lots of semantics involved here (it's kind of a spinoff, but yet its own series), but we'll just leave it at that, mainly because I doubt anybody is overly interested. If you'd like to know more about the Megami Tensei franchise, Hardcore Gaming 101 has a great page, chock-full of information.

Let me explain--no, there's too much, let me sum up--the Devil Summoner Raidou games. They're set in pre-WWII Japan, one that happens to be home to supernatural forces and all manner of creatures from myth and legend. Our intrepid and taciturn protagonist Raidou Kuzunoha is a teenage Devil Summoner who moonlights as a detective's assistant while defending the Japanese capital from any and all threats. He's accompanied in his endeavors by a mysterious and fluffy talking black cat named Gotou-Douji. They fight crime! 

Ever since I found out that Bandai was making a figure of everyone's favorite magical detective, I've been hunting for a good place to buy him. Amazon seemed to sell out of their stock pretty quickly, and only secondary sellers were left...and I'm not entirely comfortable with buying from them, as you well know. My other usual figure site didn't carry him, so for a while, I was completely stumped. Then, back in July, the folks over at MyFigureCollection directed me to check out Big Bad Toy Store, which turned out to be one of the best recommendations I've gotten for figure buying.

They had my boy Raidou in stock, and had put some discounts on him since all the stock they had left were the ones with boxes damaged in transit. I got him for $32.19, plus approximately $8 for shipping. I was pretty impressed with the service I got, so take this as an endorsement for a great retailer! (No, I'm not getting anything for endorsing them, although if they happen to read this, I wouldn't say no to some free figures!) Anyway, let's take a look at him.

Where Miss Scarlett is Very Surprised

In a move that completely shocked me, The Right Stuf opened up their Black Friday deal one week ahead of the day I predicted. (I've been looking at the starting dates for the sales for the past few years, and they seem to always start their Black Friday sales on the Monday of the week before Thanksgiving.) Their sale is offered in three parts, with one part up live right NOW. But the next part isn't until the 20th, which has me confused.

Here is the listing of what is on sale in this Black Friday sale. They are also offering one "Mega Deal" per day on hot-ticket items, with heavy discounts. The Mega Deals are only good for 24 hours and seem to be available in limited quantities, so if you see something you like, go for it!

Some of the hot items in this wave include the Attack on Titan DVD/BD, both seasons of Junjo Romantica, the Watamore BD and DVD, and an Oreimo manga bundle. Check frequently, as items go quickly!

There's not a whole lot that interests me in this first wave. Some of these I already have, and the three that I'm interested in are "maybes" on my list of priorities. I'll pass on this wave. I'm hoping for some good sales on Inuyasha: The Final Act, Bunny Drop, Cat's Eye, the new Moribito BDs, and Spice and Wolf. (Among others, heh.) I got a $60 Visa gift card that expires in February, which has me miffed, because that will be too soon to use it on any of the purchases I'm making this spring (the second Sailor Moon BD set, the Sailor Uranus and Neptune Figuarts). But I can probably use it on the Right Stuf Black Friday/Christmas sales.

As a quick note to those interested: Right Stuf has great customer service, and I do highly recommend purchasing from them. They offer free economy shipping at $49 or more, which should be easy to do at this time of the year. Just keep in mind that they're located in Iowa, so depending on where you live, you might be waiting a bit to get your package.

I'll keep everyone posted when I hear of deals! I'll also throw a plug for the CheapAssGamer forums, which are a great resource for deals of all kinds. And now I must bid you adieu, there are dishes and a dirty kitchen calling my name. Sigh.

News Roundup!

Welcome to the Hobby Haven: Where Miss Scarlett tries to keep a regular update schedule and fails miserably. But one does one's best!

A bit of news here, and something I've been meaning to touch on.

Miss Scarlett's Holiday 2014 Shopping List!

It's getting colder, the air is getting crisper, and the stores are already decked out in red and green. It's the holiday season once again, folks. Welcome to the Hobby Haven.

As you know from my many, many earlier rambles (because if there's one thing that Miss Scarlett likes more than shopping, it's talking), I'm pretty much done with my holiday gifts for my family. (I make scrapbooked calendars with scans of family photos, they're a big hit.) But this is the time of the year when I go on the hunt for bargains, because I love a good sale.

So, what am I on the prowl for this holiday season?

• Digital games: I'm hoping to get some good discounts on the games on my GOG and Steam wishlists. I'm especially interested in picking up The Longest Journey and the Tales of Monkey Island bundle if I can get it for about 50% off (hoping to get it for $7 or so). Discounts for the other assorted indie games on my list would be nice, too.
• Ever After High Duchess Swan Signature doll - It will kill me not to have Duchess. The Signature dolls are about $20 or so, and I doubt that Duchess' price will drop because of the holiday season. I'll probably have to buy her NOT on sale, sob. (Still don't have a release date for her, COME ON MATTEL)
• PS3 - Yes, yes, I still don't have a PS3. Honestly, 99% of the PS3 games that were released in NA didn't appeal to me, so I saw no reason to get one. HOWEVER. Persona 5 is coming soon for the PS3. And the PS4, but guess which console is still unbelievably expensive and not backwards compatible? And guess which other console is now getting huge sales? And guess who discovered the Atelier series for the PS3? I am not looking to spend more than $150 on one of these, so we'll see if this ends up happening or not.
• Disney Infinity Anna and Elsa game piece character things - I don't care about Disney Infinity, I just want collectible Frozen figurines. Gimme.
• Anime Blu-rays: I'm counting on the RightStuf holiday sales for some good discounts. (You can get up to 50% off of Blu-rays, which is amazing.) I'm particularly focusing on getting the Persona 4 adaptation, and either the Spice and Wolf re-release or the Vampire Princess Miyu re-release. Or let's be realistic, all of them.

I have a bunch of items coming via pre-order that will be making an appearance, as well. Some anime (the first Sailor Moon Blu-ray boxset, and the Funimation.com Cowboy Bebop Blu-ray boxset), some manga (the latest installments in the series I follow), and (assuming it doesn't get delayed again) a book called "Silver Wings of the Campanula," a "gothic fantasy romance set in the late 1920's." It's being released by a small press that I want to support, so I'm snapping up their publications as soon as I can.

There are some other items that I'm contemplating but which aren't huge priorities:

• Monster High Frankie Stein Sweet Screams doll - I've been waffling back and forth on picking her up for a while. The Sweet Screams line are exclusive to Target, and are intermittently in stock at my local store. They are roughly $25, and I am hoping that there will not only be more of them on Black Friday, but that we could maybe see a sale on them to $20 or lower.
• Ever After High C.A. Cupid Thronecoming doll - It took me forever to decide to get this. I don't have any particular devotion to Cupid, but her design for this line has won my heart over time and oh my god this rhymes. Ahem. Toys R Us is offering her for $19.99 for the holiday season, which is good. 

We'll see how the holiday sales turn out. Will I strike out or score? This is Miss Scarlett, signing out!