[Unboxing] Hatoful Boyfriend Official Plush Project! Kickstarter Reward

Over half a year ago, I backed a Kickstarter project titled the "Hatoful Boyfriend Official Plush Project" by Erick Scarecrow (ESC-Toy Ltd).  As per their campaign title, ESC-Toy Ltd.'s goal was to bring the cute, little birdies from the "Hatoful Boyfriend" otome game to plush form.  I ended up getting all eight of the available normal tier plushies and a limited edition one.

Basic 3-Pack birds: Shuu, Okosan & Ryouta

Limited Edition bird: Souma Isa 

Souma Isa was one of three limited edition plushies available.  Along with Maid Ryouta, only 100 Souma Isa plashes were made available during the Kickstarter for backers of the $75US Souma Isa tier, which included Souma Isa and the "Basic 3-Pack birds".

Stretch Goal Add-on birds: Nageki, Sakuya, Anghel, Kazuaki & Yuuya

The Kickstarter project also included stretch goals, wherein after fulfilling certain monetary targets, ESC-Toy Ltd. would make the other plushies available to backers of the $16US Shuu tier and above.  Each of these plushies were available for an additional $12US.

PVC Character Tags

All the plushies were accompanied by their own PVC character tag during for Kickstarter rewards.

Stretch goal freebies

Members of the $16US Shuu tier and above received a complimentary lanyard and complimentary pins for meeting the stretch goals.

Thoughts & Comments

I was really excited when I received this parcel, so I decided to post up some unboxing photographs.  As you would expect from 5'' plushies, they're all pretty small and pretty darn cute >.< .  Although they are not synthesised from fur-like material, they're still nice and soft.  In fact, the material actually feels rather nice to touch!  From the quality of the plushies I've received, I can testify that they are quite well-made.  However, I have seen others complaining about their plushies having wonky heads or other issues.

ESC-Toys Ltd. also provided excellent customer service.  I e-mailed them about a parcel delivery issue and they promptly replied they day after with some helpful information.  Due to this experience, along with the quality of the plushies I received, I would willingly purchase one of their plushies in the future, or back another one of their Kickstarter campaigns.

If anyone is interested in purchasing any of the Hatoful Boyfriend merchandise from this campaign, they're available at:

http://hatofulshop.limitedrun.com

For those of you who have not played the game, but are interested in it, you can purchase it here:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/310080/ (Mac OS X, Linux & Windows) 

https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/hatoful-boyfriend/cid=UP3643-CUSA01957_00-HATOFULBOYFNDPS4 (PS4)

https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/hatoful-boyfriend/cid=UP3643-PCSE00653_00-HATOFULBOYFNDPSV (PS Vita)

Any comments made are a reflection of my personal opinions and are not endorsed by ESC-Toys Ltd. in any way.  Please note that the merchandise designs belong to ESC-Toys Ltd. and Hato Moa.

[Ramblings] Hollywood live action adaptations of anime

Like what everyone does after their exams, I went to my backlog and  began working my way through it.  After a while, I worked my way down to 'Scandal in the Spotlight: Takashi Ninagawa - Love Rivals' route. I couldn't help, but reminisce about Hollywood adaptations of Japanese manga/anime series.  Let me replay what was happening in my head XD.

#1

What about something more modern like this?

Dragon Ball

Or something futuristic like this?

Ghost in the Shell

#2

How about an anime amongst anime fans with a cast kind of like this?

Dragonball Evolution

Or this?

Ghost in the Shell

#3

Like this?

I hope that, unlike Dragonball Evolution, the adaption for 'Ghost in Shell' is able to maintain its integrity.

 Any comments made are a reflection of my own personal opinions and are not endorsed by Voltage Inc., the Dragon Ball and Ghost in Shell franchises in any way.  Please also note that the images belong to Production I.G, Production Reed, Toei Animation, Voltage Inc. or their respective owners.

[Unboxing] Notice Me Senpai! Keychains

 A while back, I ordered two "Notice Me Senpai!" keychains from "Skillshot Labs": "Lazy Senpai" (Ren) and "Crammer Senpai" (Hideki).  

Oh, the irony!  The day they arrived was a day before a huge university assignment was due.  I couldn't help but laugh my head off.  Although I had finished my assignment a few days ago, it was so half-assed that I couldn't help but cringe whenever I read it.  However, since I'm a LAZY procrastinator, I couldn't be stuffed fixing it for a while, and before I knew it, it was almost time to hand it it. Haha!  I ended up pulling an all-nighter XD.  

Lazy Senpai (Ren)

Crammer Senpai (Hideki)

Thoughts & Comments

Since I've finally gotten some time to myself, I thought I'd post some unboxing photographs of these 可愛い男 >.< ....ahem ahem, I mean keychains.  As you would expect from the game, they're all cute chibis.  The particular keyring that is used for these keychains makes it much easier to attach keys compared to the conventional keyring.  However, for those who prefer acrylic coating on both sides of a keychain, I have to warn you that these keychains only have it on one side.  They're no longer available individually, but if anyone is interested in purchasing them in sets, you can get them at: http://skillshotlabs.storenvy.com/

For those of you who have not played the game, but are interested in it, you can play it here:

 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skillshotlabs.NoticeMeSenpai&hl=en (Android)

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/notice-me-senpai/id1066691993?mt=8 (iDevice) 

Any comments made are a reflection of my personal opinions and are not endorsed by Skillshot Labs in any way.  Please note that the keychain designs belong to Skillshot Labs.

[Notice] Voltage Inc CGs

Hey guys,
As some of you guys may know, Voltage Inc has updated their 'Terms of Use' agreement, which states that CGs are not to be uploaded unless they've been released by Voltage Inc for promotional use.  Therefore, I've decided to take down my Voltage Inc CGs to avoid any future complications.  Ok, time for me to go back to studying and gaming.
Game on! :D

[CG] Pirates ~Treasured Love in the Ocean~ - Drake: Main Story

Happy Ending

All rights to these images belong GignoSystem Japan, Inc. and NTT Solmare Corporation, I do not claim any rights whatsoever.

[REVIEW] Under the Moon - Trial Edition

Producer: SugarBeans
Translator: OGE
Systems: Windows

Trial Link:

 http://www.sugar-beans.com/products/sb02/dl/data/UnderTheMoon_trial.exe (日本語)

Trial Patch Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/kgbnqghzvc6gela/UTM_Trial_Translation_v1.0.exe 
(ENGLISH)

Official website: 

http://www.sugar-beans.com/products/sb02/

Plot: "Ashe is a daughter of the Devil. She has never been out of the castle, just a pure little girl. She has never talked to boys and fallen in love. The Devil blood has been taken over from generations to generations, but she doesn't have enough power to take over the position. The current Devil gets weaker, and it's time to transfer the position to the successor. One day, the news comes out that someone, who lives in the human world, is nominated for the next Devil. Soon after the news comes out, a terrorist group attacks the castle, and Ashe runs out of the castle with Kyle. They run away into the forest, and accidentally fall into the hole to the human world and lose their magic power. They roam around the human world, and bump into twin brothers Leni and Seizh, who are the nominees for the Devil. Ashe asks them to come to the Devil world as soon as possible, but they are not interested in the position. Also, the people in the human world start the Devil hunting, and they lose their way back to the Devil world. Ashe and Kyle start to live at the twins house, but they seem to have a secret...? What will await them in the end..., a pure love story or...?"

Kyle, the game's saving grace!

One of my friends, luna venus,  from Blade's Lair and Hotel, whose a a big fan of R18 games requested a review for the trial edition of "Under the Moon".  Normally, I stay away from R18 games, but she ensured me there were no extreme R18 scenes in the trial edition, so here I am doing a review on it.

Pros thus far

• Kyle (i.e. he's the sweetest thing)

Cons thus far

• Story feels rushed (e.g. castle gets attacked as soon as she stops talking about her treacherous uncle. who is planning a coup against her father)

• Copypasta was clearly evident in Seizh and Leni's routes 

• Characters do out-of-character things (e.g. one minute Leni is insulting her and the next minute he's snogging her) 

• Character design (e.g. even though Ashe is supposed to be a demon who appears to be high school aged, she looks like a child with big boobs and sounds like a kid)

• Ashe's personality (e.g. she screams at the guy who catches her after she jumps off a building and takes her rage and embarrassment on Kyle)

• Reusing CGs (e.g. kissing CGs between Leni and Ashe, and Seizh and Ashe were reused)

 If you're interested in an in-depth review of the full game just visit Hinano's blog at:

http://breadmasterlee.com/2009/06/10/otome-game-review-under-the-moon/

This review is a reflection of my own personal opinions and are not endorsed by WillPlus Ltd. or SugarBeans in any way.  Please also note that the plot blurb belongs to ErogeShop and images and videos belong to WillPlus Ltd. and SugarBeans.

[REVIEW] Tokyo Otaku Mode

Location: Online
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Ships to: All countries

Being someone who's into all things cute, I sometimes have the urge to buy cute plushies and that's when I go to my favourite plushie provider, "Tokyo Otaku Mode".  Why exactly are they my favourite plushie provider?  Well, they have quite a nice range of plushies and lots of promotions going on!  Not only that, but they also have a good variety of other anime/Japanese merchandise (i.e. anime and game OSTs, anime and manga art books, anime calendars, cosplay, Japanese clothes, Japanese snacks, stationary and even piggy banks), so it's like an all-in-one store!  However, despite the nice plushies and convenience the store offers, I have to admit that the variety of shipping methods is quite limited and that the shipping cost to Australia is also a bit expensive.  Other than that, I would definitely recommend this shop to any otaku or Japan fanatic!

Ratings

Cost:
⭐⭐⭐

Product condition: 
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shipping and product handling: 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros

• Fast shipping
• Freebies with products shipped, but they vary
• Lots of promotions
• Reliable
• Wide range of products

Cons

• Few shipping options
• Shipping is expensive to Australia

 If you're interested in shopping here just signup here:

https://otakumode.com/invite/67dab5

This review is my own personal opinion and is not endorsed by any company or organisation.  

[CG] My Secret Spies - All

Producer: Genius Inc.

Systems: Android, iDevice

Favourite Route: Wataru Kiryu

Plot: “You were living an ordinary life.
Assassins suddenly appear in front of you and declare that you are the daughter of the Werewolf.
“Werewolf” is merely a codename referring to the legendary conman who obliterated the two strongest mafia groups. There is no one in the underworld who doesn’t know of him.
You were targeted with the intention of making you the bait to lure out the legendary Werewolf.
Four handsome special police show up in front of you.
Is the Werewolf truly your dead father? Can the special police succeed in protecting you?

This is a romantic suspense drama following the tale of finding out the hidden secrets about your supposedly dead father!”

CGs 

Ko Ayase: Happy Ending

Wataru Kiryu: Happy Ending 

Naoto Amagami: Happy Ending 

Takashi Horai: Happy Ending

All rights to these images and the plot blurb belong Genius Inc., I do not claim any rights whatsoever.  However, the favourite route feature is a reflection of my own personal opinions and is not endorsed by Genius Inc. in any way.

[CG] Midgard Love ~The Oath of God~ - All

Producer: Genius Inc.

Systems: Android, iDevice

Favourite Route: Hodur

Plot: “You spent unchanging days together with your older brother, Kamui. That is until one day your brother disappeared. On that same day, a strange man showed up at the history museum where you work. The strange man told you his name is Hodur, and claims he will take you to Kamui.

Three gods appeared the moment you reached out to take Hodur’s hand. The gods are Odin, Od, and Loki. Why did they appear before you?

The secret surrounding the heroine’s birth will slowly be revealed. Now begins a romantic tale that spans a world of Norse Mythology!”

CGs

Odin: Happy Ending

Od: Happy Ending

Loki: Happy Ending

Hodur: Happy Ending

All rights to these images, the plot blurb and the video belong Genius Inc., I do not claim any rights whatsoever.  However, the favourite route feature is a reflection of my own personal opinions and is not endorsed by Genius Inc. in any way.

[CG] Dream of Anastasia - All

Producer: Genius Inc.

Systems: Android, iDevice

Favourite Route: Dionysus

Plot: “Your life as a student was spent living unchanging days, until the day of the long awaited school trip came!

On the day of the trip, your bus was suddenly involved in an accident. By the time you came to, everyone aside from you seemed to be unconscious!

You escaped the bus to search for help. Suddenly, the Greek gods appeared while you were searching for help. The gods inform you that the bus accident was caused by the god of Hades, Kronos.

You end up taking on the challenge to rewrite the history of the bus accident with the gods. Will it be possible for them to rewrite history?! Now begins a romantic tale that spans a world of Greek Mythology!”

CGs

Apollo: Happy End

Paris: Happy End

Ares: Happy End

Dionysus: Happy End

All rights to these images and the plot blurb belong Genius Inc., I do not claim any rights whatsoever.  However, the favourite route feature is a reflection of my own personal opinions and is not endorsed by Genius Inc. in any way.

[CG] The Fateful Encounter - All

Producer: Genius Inc.

Systems: Android, iDevice

Favourite Route: Yahiro Tsubaki

Plot: “You were just living out your ordinary college days, when one day, you noticed someone’s shadow pursuing you…their target was your precious pendant! 

How fortunate for you that the acquaintance you were sent to stay with runs a detective office. Four handsome detectives with distinct personalities are staying there as well!

You overcome many difficulties and slowly approach the truth behind everything. Over time, the distance between you and the man you choose draws closer…

What is the true identity of the person after your pendant? What will be the outcome of your love!?”

CGs

Tosho Akigiri: Happy End

Kodai Oguruma: Happy End

Yahiro Tsubaki: Happy End

Kaoru Rindo: Happy End

All rights to these images, the plot blurb and the video belong Genius Inc., I do not claim any rights whatsoever.  However, the favourite route feature is a reflection of my own personal opinions and is not endorsed by Genius Inc. in any way.

Why'd I stopped backing "Love Series REGENERATE - Visual Novel"?

Hi guys,

Some of you guys may have noticed a banner on this blog encouraging you to support AKISEKAI's new kickstarter, "Love Series REGENERATE - Visual Novel".   Contrary to that banner which I have taken down, today, I'm here to warn you that that cute, frilly visual novel that some of us may have already backed may actually be a scam!  Here's why I think this:

How I discovered the possibility of it being a scam

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

The artist's tweets

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink

AKISEKAI's counterattack 

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

AKISEKAI just seems more suspicious when we see the artist's reply via twitter

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink/with_replies

More disturbing news about AKISEKAI from other sources 

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink/with_replies

Source: https://twitter.com/EccoPink/with_replies

Another person's view of AKISEKAI's counterattack

 

 

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

Another person's view of AKISEKAI's other many responses

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

So apparently AKISEKAI don't consider you a backer is you only back the $1 tier...

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

From my perspective, by addressing the commenter's $1 pledge and saying that he/she is not a backer because of it is quite rude considering that there 4 or 5 other backers who haven't said a word against them, but backed the $1 tier.  Does this mean their not backer's either?  Honestly, this comment just makes AKISEKAI seem money hungry.

... and apparently they believe the mountains of testimonies against them are the commenter's lies?!

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

Rather than say that the commenter is lying, shouldn't they address the claims and evidence?  Saying that someone is "lying" is not a valid argument, especially when there is mountain of evidence against you.  

More evidence if you read all the tweets that tag their deleted twitter page

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

AKISEKAI'S RESPONSE

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/367314396/love-series-regenerate-a-romance-visual-novel/comments

Ummmm....could you please address the mountain of evidence?

After seeing this altercation, other anecdotes, external opinions and AKISEKAI's questionable responses, I could not help but be suspicious of AKISEKAI and so I also decided to stop backing "Love Series REGENERATE - Visual Novel", I mean it's better to be safe than sorry, right?  This is my own personal decision, so please don't think that I'm trying to urge you guys to stop backing this project.  I just think that current and potential backers should know a little about this conundrum before backing this project and possibly regretting it in the future.

Please note that I have no affiliation whatsoever with the parties involved in this dilemma.  I'm also neither the commenter nor  twitterer in the images above, I'm just following this story by observing tweets and project's kickstarter page.  Therefore, any opinionated input aside from the tweets and comments above are my own