Miku-4 (mikuyon)

Miku-4, pronounced mikuyon, is a doujin 4-panel comic by Nagimiso that took the net by storm some time back. This comic has very few words but tells a pretty long story of Hatsune Miku's (the vocaloid character) coming of age.

I got the tankoban bound edition at BookOff! this week. This version varies slightly from the web edition but the majority is the same. (I recommend getting this version if you can because the art is much larger and nicer.)

You can read it here (some Japanese).

Societal Impressions of Otaku, Gyudon, and Saikano Ultimate Edition

SOME CONTEXT : If you understand otaku, oteiku and all that just skip down to the main point

Here in America, Otaku has two meanings. The first is a "badge of honor" positive happy title for a anime fan. Used like : "OMG I'm such an otaku!!!!! I watch 50 episodes a week!". Cartoon network and shonen jump create many of these fans. Those people annoy me but are generally harmless and a lot are good people on the inside. Hereby referred to as oteiku because a lot of them simply can't pronounce otaku.

The other meaning is closer to the Japanese one : a nerdy introverted person who spends a lot on thier interests and likely has encyclopedic knowledge on thier favorite fandoms. Often having to try to explain their purchases to confused non-otaku friends and learns to keep quiet around non-otaku because explaining gets old. Stereotyped as socially-inept and a failure in life (not true in many many cases!) and close to the virgin DnD comic book nerd of American lore. The book/film Densha Otoko shows this well. Commonly but not exclusively used for anime fandoms. You can be a military otaku or a train otaku or any type of otaku your passion leads you to. Not a badge of honor: a fairly negative term.

For the sake of this blog I'll note Akiba-kei, Akihabara-type. A subset of otaku that hang around in Akihabara and like anime/games/etc. I prefer the term Akiba-kei when describing myself because it is more specific, less negative, and avoids possibility of confusion with oteiku.

THE MAIN POINT

I went to Book Off with Aki and I got the Saikano Live Action Ultimate Edition DVD. It will probably suck but I can't buy the standard edition for Saikano. I love it. Brilliant series. Aki bought a Junjo Romantica Boy's Love artbook (18+; Nice art ^_^). Then we went to Yoshinoya because it was a) right behind bookoff b)cheap c)not a burger. Aki takes the artbook inside and is paging through it while I order food. She's talking to me about the art when a lady employee walks behind our cashier:

Lady Employee : "Oh! Otaku! Shes a Japanese Otaku!"

Us: "........................"

Cashier: "Oh they're otaku. You're an otaku aren't you??"

We just kinda freeze at this point. They continue giggling or whatever (its hazy)

Me: " Uh... Yeah I'm an otaku... ^^;" *tries to laugh along and holds up Haruhi wallet* "Here's the money."

*gets change and sit down*

Yeaaaah.... the staff up right up laughed at us. For an artbook. An no it wasn't a "hey you like that stuff too?" kind of thing. I've gotten that at bookoff and its very different (and nice to see other eroge fans! :D). This was more of a "lets make fun of the stupid people" thing. Right to our faces, not in the breakroom later, but "oh they won't mind! if we talk about them while they try to buy lunch!". I don't think I've ever gotten worse customer service anywhere. I've been treated with more respect when getting lunch in cosplay.

But its Yoshinoya so I'll go back XP

UPDATE: Email customer service is gonna open a cup of whoop ass. After this post, I just forwarded it to them and said I like beef bowl. XD (cause its so good!)

Dear Ms. [name removed]:

Thank you for contacting Yoshinoya America, Inc.

I apologize for any inconvenience. It will be reported to the Store Manager at Kearny Mesa, as well as the District Manager right away so they can take the necessary precautions to prevent this from happening again.

We appreciate your feedback to continually improve our products and services.

Please do not hesitate to contact us in the future.

Thank you for choosing Yoshinoya and have a nice day.

[name removed]
Customer Relations Specialist
Yoshinoya America, Inc.
customerrelations@yoshinoyausa.com
[phone number removed]

Fate/Stay Night & Kanon Artbooks

Went to BookOff! and found some nice art/fan books.


I don't keep the obis but it seems many people do since all these used books have them.They make it hard to shelf books so I always take them off. I've started to fold them (on the spine crease that already exists) and keep them in the back of the book now.

Also notice how much thicker the Kanon Visual Book is than the F/SN fanbook. It's actually 6 little books, one for each character and system book.


Kitty loves eroge artbooks!


The Kanon Visual books. On the back of each one is a small sketch version of the cover to show though the back of the slip case. Each is set up like its own little artbook with sections, etc. The Game System book has walk through charts and interviews.


A mini book is a bit thinner than a issue of Mac|Life or other perfect bound magazine.

Book Off is a bad place for me to go. Too much good stuff and and oddly large eroge artbook section.

I bought Realta Nua....

So I can voice patch Fate/Stay Night. Its expensive but since it was availabile locally I went for it. I hope the voice acting is good. I played the prologue last night and enjoyed it but the music didn't impress me much so I feel voice acting could add a lot to this game. Art and plot are fun so far. :)

I paid 35+ tax at bookoff but it seems to be a completely new copy. The plastic wrap had the warning sticker and PS2 printed on it. The disc is mint. That eases the pain a bit but 35 for a voice patch hurts -__-

Domo is deciding which version to play

WITH THE LIGHT: Raising an Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe

Yen Press : WITH THE LIGHT: Raising an Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe


This is one of the hidden gems of manga. A serious story about raising a disabled child that runs in a magazine aimed squarely for mothers. It has much to offer to the rest of us however, the characterization is wonderful and the price is a bargain (double to triple the size of many manga released for only a bit more money: 14.99 a volume). Sadly I haven't seen any news (like ANN >.>) coverage or other deserved attention for it. A shame really, this is not a title to miss.

Now to go find the drama at bookOff while I wait for the slooow release table.

Damn you BookOff... Ayu Tsukimiya by Max Factory

I was looking for CDs...

I have nothing more to say.... I'm really running out of room and shouldn't have bought her but for under 35 how could I say no?

LOVE SONG〈2002〉Saikano Artbook

LOVE SONG〈2002〉 (Big spirits comics special): 高橋 しん: Amazon.co.jp: 本

Another great find at Book Off! I went in to sell books and plump my wallet but instead found this gem for 14.50$. Now, I know the Amazon page says 'used and new' (and not shipping outside Japan) from 250yen BUT the copy I found has all of the first press bonuses (and the obi but I don't care about them), the first copy on Amazon with all of these items is 2800yen. Also the CD-ROM was unopened :D

What it comes with:
*A large gorgeous artbook by Takahashi Shin (duh XD)
*A4 size plastic card of the cover image with the logo disappearing depending the angle (lenticular)
*CD-ROM with voice clips, trailers, music, and comic to storyboard comparisons.
*B2 size double sized poster with a drawing by Takahashi on one size and the same image in the anime's style on the other.
*A special letter "by Chise" on her trademark diary paper (and a note saying said paper can be bought at Animate countrywide)

This is an amazing book.

Saikano Supplementary Volume : You and the Two of Them at the End of the World (?)

最終兵器彼女 外伝集 世界の果てには君と二人で

Bit shaky on that title translation ^^; but yes, this is a supplementary volume of Saikano!!! I found it unsuspectingly at my local Book Off (still one copy in stock at San Diego branch!) Several color parts for every story as well as a Saikano illustration gallery make this a nice buy :D

Stories included:

• わたしたちは散歩する （We go on a stroll) Chapter 4 : This is Shin Presents! 4 koma series chapter four. The chapters are seemingly not connected.
  
• 世界の果てには君と二人で。。。(Long title I am not typing it out）：This is a long story with a long name I haven't tried to power through yet. New cast and subtitle: "The Last Folk Song on This Little Planet" Set during the time of Saikano.
  
• LOVE　STORY,　KILLED. ： This one was published a couple years back around the anime announcement and quite a few fan translations can be found on the net. An excellent story.
• スター＊チャイルド　（Star Child) : Again I have not read this story yet (as I am lazy and have eroge to play) but seems likely to be an aftermath story.
  
• ギャラリ　「最終兵器彼女の世界」(Gallery : The World of She, The Ultimate Weapon)　Color art SinPre has made of Saikano since the release of Love Song 2002 artbook.
  

Don't expect to find this in English any time soon despite that Viz hold the license for the original 7 books.


She, The Ultimate Weapon, or Saikano is an amazing romantic seinen manga and I would highly recommend it to all mature fans but just as a reminder, Takahashi Shin puts the graphic in graphic novel as this series (including this supplementary volume) contains serious depictions of war and sex (sometimes together). XP

Goods Round Up : Small purchases add up

These are three otaku goods I have acquired in the last week or so. First on top is a Little Busters! pass case. This was originally destined for my work ID but since I have one maybe two days of work max for the next several months I have not decided what to do with it except put my currently useless pasmo in it and wish longingly to return to the land of the rising sun. ^^;

Secondly, I have a small note pad featuring Saya Tokido from LB!-EX scored off ebay. This normally comes with Dengeki festival! Comic 3 but that magazine and the other goods (a CLANNAD anime poster and towel featuring the image used for the LB pillow from Dengeki Festival! 9) did not thrill me enough to order the whole package. This little one is destined to be used up by Aki and I planning similarly fetishistic purchases.

Lastly, we have a true gem. This is the schedule book included with the Chobits First Press Limited Edition manga volume 4. I found this FPLE book at my local Book Off! for $9 (I also bought Shana 1 for $1). I am scheming to create refill pages but a recent bout of severe illness has cut in to that.