Friday, February 27, 2015

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon "Sailor Uranus" S.H. Figuarts

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Today, I'm bringing you yet another entry in the S.H. Figuarts line of Sailor Moon figures, the World Shaking-ly awesome Sailor Uranus! I am feeling a bit less verbose today and more to the point, so let's jump into things, shall we?

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Odds and sods

Another weekend, another mini-post. Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everyone.

I finally gave up on finding Duchess in a store near me anytime soon, and ordered her online. I've noticed that stores around me that stock Monster High and Ever After High have selections that get worse as time goes on. New releases come weeks and weeks after their street dates, and in incredibly limited selections that get snapped up quickly. And I'm just tired of wasting gas by making a trip to find something that I know probably won't be there.

It's a catch-22: stores can't stock a lot of merchandise if they don't have enough customers coming in to buy it...but customers can't buy the merchandise they want if a store doesn't have it! So I threw my hands up in the air (because I just didn't care at that point) and bought Duchess off of Amazon. So there, Target.

I met up with one of my best friends, Mrs. Peacock, a few days ago to exchange late Christmas presents. (She is, oddly enough, not married nor is she a man, but I think she'd like the moniker nonetheless.) Oh and by the way, spoilers for one of the ends of the Clue movie in that video!

What was I saying? Oh, yes. Her Christmas gift to me was one of the best gifts of all...the gift of Tsum Tsums. She remembered how much I liked the mini Tsum Tsums that I got earlier, so she splurged and picked up two of the medium sized ones for me. I'll be reviewing them later on, so please look forward to it!

Continuing on the Tsum Tsums, Disney has just released a line of 101 Dalmatians mini Tsum Tsums, as well as a Cinderella mini line! There are still a bunch more that are Japan-exclusive for now (Disney, I'm still waiting on Oswald and Donald's nephews...), but the fact that we're getting new ones here shows that there's enough demand. I'm sure we'll get them in time.

(And in the "Let's indulge Miss Scarlett's video game problem" corner, just some quick rambling news about my favorite video game series... A few weeks ago, Atlus released the first gameplay trailer for Persona 5. I've been watching it over and over, it's so good. I'm especially excited because 1. the characters are confirmed to be "phantom thieves," kind of like Lupin III, and 2. it looks like the enemies in this game are demons again; you can see the characters fighting against a Sandman and Pyro Jack in one clip. There also seem to be some platforming and stealth elements involved, possibly? There's a lot more elements going on here, but that might be deserving its own post. For now, we still have no release date beyond "2015," although Atlus stated that the Japanese first-print copies of their upcoming summer game "Persona 4: Dancing All Night" will include a special Persona 5 Blu-ray disc. I'm guessing this is a promotional disc with trailers and maybe a demo on it, so it seems unlikely that it will be released before the summer.)

And with that, I'll get going...Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Miss Scarlett's Latest Haul

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

I got deliveries of some of my review...things...but I also bought a few things lately, so I figured I might make a mini loot haul post to tide people over until it's review time.

I found some good sales recently, so I had to take advantage! The first of which is from an online game retailer called the Humble Store, which a friend made me aware of recently. They offer PC games, just like Steam and Good Old Games, but 10% of the proceeds is donated to charities, like the American Red Cross. They also offer "humble bundles" where they will bundle together a few games, and you can pay whatever you like for them. So, for only $5, I was able to buy 7 adventure games, including the first two Broken Sword games, plus Detective Grimoire, both of which look really fun. I've signed up for their newsletter, and I think I'll be keeping an eye on them in the future.

Good old Barnes and Noble also ran a promotion through January and February where you could buy two Viz manga and get a third free! Since they also offered it on the website, I decided to shop online--I've noticed that Barnes and Noble will sometimes price their books slightly cheaper online, even if only by a dollar or two--to save money. I had $30 worth of gift cards, so I ended up getting 6 books--that way, I would have enough to get free shipping. I've become a lot better, I've noticed at curbing my impatience in order to find better deals online. Plus, it saves me a bit of money on gas! I bought some back volumes of a few manga series that I was missing: Loveless, From Far Away, and Butterflies, Flowers. I have a weakness for fantasy stories and romantic comedies, so I find I buy a lot of fantasy-themed shoujo manga.

For those interested, B&N seems to run this sale at least twice year, usually in winter and then in summer. It's a great way to catch up on series, and if I get more gift cards, I might do it again.

In housekeeping news, I'm sallying forth again this week to see if I can find Duchess (research indicates she's in-store only at Target). I've got most of my reviews and posts written and scheduled to be posted up until May, when hopefully the rest of my pre-orders come in and give me enough to have reviews throughout the summer. Fingers crossed, since my car needed a lot more repairs than I thought when I took it for inspection, sooo....yeah, Miss Scarlett is on an even tighter budget for the time being. Hopefully finances should be looking better towards summer. What are ya gonna do, you know?

Anyway, this is Miss Scarlett, signing off!

Friday, February 13, 2015

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts "Sailor Saturn" Review

Edit: I was going through my posts, since I have a few that are being worked on but not published yet. Then I realized that I NEVER POSTED THIS EVEN THOUGH I KEPT SAYING THAT I WOULD. DRRRR, SCARLETT. So, many many apologies about this, guys. Here's the long-awaited Saturn post.

October is here! Let's all cheer! The air is cool, the trees are ablaze, and I'm preparing to bunk down tonight with a pumpkin-based treat and a spooky movie. (But which one? The eternal dilemma.) Welcome to the Hobby Haven.

The first full review for October (EDIT: or not, sorry) is the next entry in the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts line: the Sailor Senshi of Death and Destruction (and Rebirth, too!), Sailor Saturn! It's kind of fitting, given that Saturn is a little spooky, herself. What could be better timing?

I pre-ordered her from Amazon (oh Amazon, of the generous exchange policy--a necessary evil with these figures, it seems) for $43.99. (I had a gift card, so my out-of-pocket was less than that, but that is the MSRP.) I chose the free shipping offer, as usual. I live near an Amazon fulfillment center (there is one half an hour away from my house), so I usually get my packages within a day or two after it ships. Your case, dear reader, will vary depending on how far away the nearest fulfillment center is.

If you remember from an earlier post, even though I had her pre-ordered, I did not get her until just recently. Amazon had problems with obtaining stock, and ended up delaying orders for weeks. I, and many other customers, were a little peeved, given that there was very little communication on Amazon's part about the issue. Some chose to cancel their orders and place orders with other vendors, I chose to wait it out in order to get free shipping and use a gift card.

I went in very cautiously with this, given the problems that I've had with the other entries in the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Figuarts line. I opened her immediately after receiving the package, and inspected everything closely. I'll let you know what my findings were after the jump.


Monday, February 9, 2015

Where Does Miss Scarlett get her news from?

I'm sure that some readers would be interested to know, primarily because I can't post news all the time. I've noticed that my news often happens to be toy-related, particularly Ever After High, since it's my favorite. I thought it might be more beneficial to post the sites I get all of my news from, so readers particularly interested in various categories will have reading material.

Video Games and Electronics:

  • Kotaku - I've found that Kotaku is great for information about the North American market 
  • Siliconera - They tend to report mostly on games being developed in Japan, and a good portion of the games they discuss will never get licensed here; but it's nice to see the development of stuff we do get, plus look at the trends in general.
  • Steam - You can buy tons of new PC games here, both from big studios and indie developers.
  • Good Old Games - GOG is terrific for playing older/retro games, and has great prices.
  • IGN - Not only great for video game news, but also pop culture in general.

Books and Popular Culture
  • io9 - It has a little bit of everything, from current news to fandom-related discussion, to actual science!
  • Goodreads - I get lots of book recommendations here; it's a great resource.
  • Buzzfeed - This is the best time-waster ever. Period.

Toys and Figures

Anime and Manga
  • Anime News Network - The best, most reliable source of information about anime and the anime industry that I have found. A very useful site.
  • I have also "liked" the Facebook pages of FUNimation, Sentai Filmworks, Discotek, Aniplex of America, Viz Media, Vertical, Inc., Seven Seas Publishing, Dark Horse Comics. And their tumblr pages are very informative, as well.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Some Sailor Moon figure news!

Oh, lordy. Miss Momo just sent me some news, and I am all aflutter with anticipation and a tiny bit of despair. I mean, I expected it and all, but it's still too soon!

...oh, welcome to the Hobby Haven.

Anyway, Miss Momo just sent me a link about the Wonder Festival 2015 exhibition that is going on in Japan right now. Seems like Bandai made some announcements regarding new figures. We are finally getting Sailor Pluto's Figuarts! ...Along with a whole bunch of other head-scratching things.

I may have mentioned this before, but it's finally confirmed that Bandai will be making an "original anime version" Figuarts of Sailor Moon. All this means, dear folks, is that her outfit will be colored the same as in the anime, as opposed to the design more frequently found in promotional artwork/the live-action show/etc. The latter design of Sailor Moon has a soft blue skirt and a pink-ish bow (and sometimes the boots are pink-tinged), while the former has a dark navy skirt and collar, with a very flat red colored bow and boots. That's it. That's the difference. It's a slightly different shade of red and blue. Color me unimpressed, Bandai. Pun very much intended.

We are also getting--wait for it--a Figuarts version of Super Sailor Moon, as well as Sailor V. I am wondering if this means that we will inevitably get Figuarts of the other senshi in their Super forms, as well as their Eternal forms. (Although a Figuarts of Eternal Sailor Moon might be rather unwieldy.) From the pictures. Super Sailor Moon looks very lovely; the white of her costume is painted a lustrous white with a pearl finish, and her back bow and sleeve frills are translucent. Sailor V seems to have the same type of paint finish as the other girls, not as many bells and whistles here. I am wondering if her mask is removable...

Lastly (and most oddly), we are getting a Figuarts of Zoicite...but not in his regular Dark Kingdom uniform. Remember that episode in the first season where he cross-dressed as Sailor Moon and went around the city impersonating her? Yeah. They're making Sailor Zoicite. I am...well, I'm scratching my head here. Are they trying to get as much use out of the Sailor Moon mold as possible? (All they would have to do here is paint the boots and bow purple, and make a different face plate.) Are we going to get Figuarts of all of the Dark Kingdom? I just can't figure this out.

Lastly, they displayed the Figuarts Zero models of Sailors Moon, Mercury, and Mars (but their Sailor Moon Crystal designs, not the original anime), and the "Tamashii Buddies" version of Sailor Venus. For the curious, the TB (heh) are miniature figures with a display stand. You can get them on Amazon for pretty cheap (less than $15), but I don't like them because I don't find them to be as cute as the Petit Chara figures.

The photos of all of the display models are up on HobbyLink Japan's Facebook page, for the curious. (Oh, and no release dates yet, either! These are just reveals of all of the designs.) What's my takeaway on all of this? Well, I won't be getting most of these. I really am not big on buying more than one version of the same character, and both "original anime colors" Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Moon are firmly in that camp. Sailor Zoicite I am puzzled by. It might be cool to get him, but I don't think I desperately need to have him. Not the same way that I need Pluto. Sailor V...well, I'm torn. I love Minako, she is my favorite character in the franchise. And I don't see Sailor V as being the same as Sailor Venus. I suppose it will ultimately come down to this: what other Figuarts are we getting? Will Bandai release the Super Sailor and Eternal Sailor versions of the characters? Will they release villain characters? Will we get the Sailor Starlights and other ally characters?

If they're just going to keep releasing different versions of the same characters, then sure, I'll get just Sailor V and be done with it. But if they release more characters, I would probably pass on V, since the money would be far better spent on other figures. I'd love to get the Sailor Starlights, Princess Kakyuu, the Four Heavenly Kings, Sailor Galaxia, and Luna and Artemis.

Being a Sailor Moon fan: Not for the faint of heart. Miss Scarlett, signing off!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Media Review: Kamisama Kiss "Goddess Edition" Limited BD/DVD Set

Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everyone! For your reading enjoyment, I have the honor of presenting my first media review of 2015. This is a bit of a throwback, since this product was actually released last year. Whatever.

I've got to admit it. I like the idea of "premium" editions of my favorite show, with attractively designed boxes, goodies, and lots of on-disc extras. It's a concept that is still fairly new to the US anime market, especially the more "mass media" licensors/publishers, such as Funimation. They hadn't really done "premium" editions before, at least not in the same way as some of their competitors. (Aniplex of America is notorious for "premium editions" that contain extras of dubious desirability, and pretty much anything released by NISA gets a premium set with a chipboard box and a goodie.) 2014 saw Funimation experimenting and trying out premium editions with two of their hottest shows: Psycho-Pass and Kamisama Kiss.

I pre-ordered this from The Right Stuf back in November in 2013, and got it that following February. Because TRSI offers special pre-order discounts for many of their products, I was able to get it for $78. This "Goddess Edition" is limited to only 2,500 copies but is still available for purchase from several other retailers for a slightly higher price. At this moment, TRSI has it for $98, and RACS has it for $89, as does Amazon.  Funimation has also released it in a basic DVD/BD combo pack for a $30-40 price point for more price-conscious fans.

We'll go over the actual show in a moment, let's just focus on the goodies for now.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Miss Scarlett is rather frazzled.

Oh, my. Hi, everyone! Miss Scarlett here. I'm in the midst of so much to do, but so little time. I'm at my parents' right now; my father is having another round of knee surgery, so I'm going to be helping out with taking care of him. There's so much to do to prepare, and it seems to never end! (And every time I try to sit down to do *anything* relating to blogging, my mother seeks me out: "Oh, Scarlett, good, you're on the computer not doing anything. Here, come help me with some more chores." NOOOOO.)

I stopped by Target this past weekend to pick up some necessities, and of course checked out the toy aisle. Their Monster High and Ever After High section has shrunk! I looked, in vain, for the new EAH signature dolls; not there, and the employees had no idea when Duchess, Kitty, or Ginger would arrive, if ever. They did have some of the Spring Unsprung dolls, but I'm holding off on them because I really want Duchess! I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get her online. It seems like Target has fewer and fewer items every time I go, which is sad. I really prefer shopping in person...

Miss Momo has told be that she's going for a brief vacation in April...to JAPAN. I'm so excited for her, and am already putting together a "shopping list" for things that I hope she can find in Tokyo. Fingers crossed!

This week, we're getting the Spring Unsprung movie on Netflix, PLUS the Persona concert in Japan where we might hear some Persona 5 news! Lots of excitement!

Now, if only I can sneak away when no one is looking... Hopefully I can get some more writing done~

Miss Scarlett, signing out!