Because I like beautiful girls.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

World is Mine Miku: Brown Frame ver.

A lovely lady arrived at the post office this week. Please forgive the crappy iPhone photography, my camera is a state away. This is a 1/8th PVC version of Miku from the World is Mine PV by Supercell/ryo.

Even if you don't play the video above, the snapshot gives you a pretty good idea what this figure is supposed to look like. Audio quality on that video is pretty terrible compared to the CD anyhow. I did not like World is Mine at first but then I listened and realized how silly the lyrics are and it fits really well. Its a really fun song so I was quite excited to get this figure.

The box has one window and opens up from the front.

The box is simple, elegant, and has images of both frame versions on the sides. Stickers on the top and bottom indicate which color frame is included and the UPC for that version.

Miku and the frame are housed in completely separate layers of plastic.

I got the Brown Frame version. The frame is made of ABS plastic and has a nice satin finish (except the wood-like part which looks like wood, duh.) I really like the headphones laying near the corner. The song name and "supercell" are printed on in silver but can't be read in this shot.
Miku sticks on with magnets so the base is pleasantly clean. The design is quite sturdy, she will stay on quite firmly if you want to hang her on the wall. I even turned her upside down.

The world's number one princess (according to her anyhow ;) ). The iPhone really doesn't do her justice but she does look as good as the sample images promised.

The first thing I noticed is how BIG this set is. She is normal 1/8th but the post and base make her quite large. She draws attention, just like a princess. The frame is not flat but molded so she sinks into it. This also means she looks silly laying on smooth surfaces like one's table.
From the side, you can see how her back arches up a bit and her feet just barely rest on the frame. Her socks are smooth and shiny. White pantsu.

She can sit on edges but isn't very sturdy. The first photo is from this same pose. Her face is rather devious isn't it?

In short, I'm quite happy with this figure. The colors are just fantastic together, unfortunately my iPhone and bad lighting don't show that. I really hate the natural (light colored) frame version (not pictured since I don't have it) but check them both out before you buy.

With the frame she feels a lot more like a piece of artwork than a toy (as my mother calls them) and is a quite elegant way to show off your fandom (said mother actually liked this one). No Miku fan should pass this one up.

UPDATE:
Size wise she's almost as tall as a 15inch laptop screen. Here you can see her on my 15 MacbookPro (easel stand is at an angle over the keyboard)


Monday, December 14, 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Education Rant

You have no right to a formal college education.

There I said it. Bring out the pitchforks. Its a hot topic in CA nowadays for student to demand the state continue paying much of their formal education. They're wrong. The state of CA made sure they got to adulthood reasonably educated and with life habits that come from school work. Now its their choice on how to grow them (or not).

You have a human right to information for self study.

Most likely this is via the internet. Maybe the books at the library. Maybe you work a job where you can hear another language or you post pictures for feedback on a website. Maybe you learn programming from a website or history from a old textbook. You do NOT need a professor to learn. You do not have a RIGHT to be taught by a professor. Your high school teachers did not teach you so you continue to rely on others, they taught to to be an effective human so start applying those skills.

I go to a private university because it is more efficient and enjoyable to learn in a formal environment (particularly that of my chosen school). I am majoring in Japanese studies and would like to do a 3-2 MBA program. My parents and I feel that the private formal environment is more efficient and enjoyable and that it is worth the cost. State students ought pay because they feel the formal environment is better for them than self study but they do not want to pay for the differences of a private school.

ALL students can self study if they do not feel their education is worth paying others for or if they can't pay/don't want loans. I started studying Japanese in middle school or early high school (don't remember) by buying a 10$ kana book and using David Hallgren's Japanese page. After a while of this when I began moving on to kanji, my parents decided to send me to a private Saturday class in Japanese. I got up at 7:30 every Saturday for years to go to a 4 hour class in Japanese language and culture. I love that school, I am grateful for them. While they didn't push students very hard, a motivated student could learn quite a lot and I passed JLPT 4-kyu last December (took it on a whim). I placed into Japanese 331 for freshman college and took JLPT 3-kyu this year. I won't say the formal education didn't help me (it did) but the motivation that made this happen can be applied to self-study.

Only you can better yourself. If you don't like the system, stop relying on it and study on your own.

Preorder Hell

I would like to post more but so much of my otaku funds have been tied up in two preorders that keep being delayed. Rumor has it that World is Mine Miku and Black Rock Shooter are coming out on the 10th and 12th respectively. (Note: AmazonJapan says 12th and 22nd) I'm so excited!!!!!