Mandarake Merch Madness: Part 2 – Untold Questions

And now we continue the merch post with figurines, yeah? Indeed, if you’re reading this and you haven’t read Part 1, you really probably should. Unless you don’t want to! That’s fine too. But yes, this second part of my Mandarake Merch Madness will be focusing on figurines that I got with my most recent order.

Right, let’s see ’em then! Well first, there’s a couple of things kinda figurine adjacent, well one’s an acrylic stand which is not a figurine but the second are Banpresto chibi-style figurines. The reason the pictures look different to the others is because the irl waifu took these to work to sit on her desk before I could take photos!

Sleepy Umaru acrylic stand from Himouto! Umaru-Chan.

Kageyama and Hinata Banpresto mini figurines.

Hey look! Things that aren’t cute girls! What a pleasant change of pace for this merch post! If you’re trying to make me feel bad for my cute girl obsession, it won’t work. And while on the subject of Banpresto mini figurines, we also have the four main girls from Yuru Yuri. Still in their boxes as I haven’t decided where to put them.

I swear it was just a coincidence that Akari’s face got obscured! Even real life is trying to make her disappear!

And now the main event as it were? The figurines? Well, let’s get one thing out of the way first, these aren’t the expensive bishoujo figurines that you see going for prices upwards of 10,000 yen. These are what are called ‘prize figurines’ called that because they’re usually used as prizes in UFO/crane games in arcades around Japan. It’s always funny because on the boxes they say ‘for use as prize in Japan only, not to be resold’, and yet there’s dozens of stores in Akihabara that sell them with impunity. Because they are prize figurines their prices are lower, but of course so is the level of detail. While I would love to be able buy proper expensive bishoujo figures, I personally can’t justify the price. I’d rather have 5 or 10 prize figures then 1 bishoujo figure, besides they’re all bishoujo’s to me 😉

…and what does bishoujo mean? Argh! don’t you ever listen! It means ‘beautiful girl’.

Right, okay, I get it now. So um pictures please?! Oh right! I won’t put much commentary between these pictures (just captions), as there weren’t any “surprises” like there was with some of the other merch from the previous post, these all came as expected and I’m happy with them all!

Rize from Is The Order A Rabbit?

Not sure on her name but she’s from the Monogatari series, which is a personal favourite, haven’t seen the season she is in yet but the price was exceptionally low on this one and I couldn’t pass it up.

Sengoku Nadeko from Nisemonogatari (Monogatari series).

Best girl Hitagi Senjougahara from Bakemonogatari (Monogatari series)

Mayoi Hatchukuji from Bakemonogatari (Monogatari series)

And last but certainly not least, a very familiar face, Kuroneko from OreImo.

Well that wasn’t nearly as troublesome as I thought it might be, I have expected some lewd figurines in their. Oh my no… the Yayoi Barnard Lutwidge figure I want is far too expensive for my budget.

*google Yayoi Barnard Lutwidge* Oh… oh my god what is she doing to that carrot! Why do you do this to me?! I didn’t make you Google it.

Tsk. Anyway that was the merch post, how do we want to go about wrapping these things up? I hope you enjoyed reading about all this lovely merch I got from Mandarake. If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask me, I’d love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading!

OreImo – 20 Question Anime Review (Mild Spoilers)

What’s the show? OreImo (2010).

And what’s that mean? It’s a shortening of the full title ‘My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute’. It makes more sense in Japanese, trust me.

Right, and what’s it about? Listen, listen, you’re just going to have to go along with me for a bit because it’s going to get weird. Japan weird. So… It’s about a high school student named Kosaka Kyosuke and his fourteen-year-old sister Kirino, who’s a model student. Literally, she’s so perfect she models in her spare time, and along with perfect grades, being athletic and popular there’s nothing she can do wrong. Except she’s got a secret see, she’s super into erotic video games about younger sisters! Haha, this is really awkward to talk about with another person!

I’m sorry, what? Just whatever you do, don’t Google lolicon.

Oh my god, I’m going to jail. What the hell?! I told you not to Google it.

What else am I supposed to do; I literally live on the Internet. Listen, it’s not illegal in Japan. But it is still looked down upon, which is something this show actually goes into and treats it in a semi-serious way. There’s a plot point with one of Kirino’s model best friends who finds out and is so disgusted she tries to get her to quit her hobby. It doesn’t sugar coat the issues around such content, but at the same time it is still an anime, and she is a main character so it still takes her side.

I didn’t expect this to get so complicated so quickly. I thought this was going to be just another ‘cute girls doing cute things’ anime with a title like that! That’s one of the admirable things about this show, it knows these issues are messy and can evoke strong reactions from people, even within the anime and otaku communities.

Well, with a questionable hobby like that I assume she’s at least a likable character? Well, she constantly verbally and physically assaults her brother for the crime of existing in her presence. She’s temperamental and demanding and mean spirited too.

So why are we watching a show about her? Not exactly painting an enticing picture. Because it’s interesting and in a way that’s hard to exactly quantify. She isn’t completely irredeemable though, she has moments of kindness and it’s hard not to sympathise with someone for whom so much is expected of on a daily basis, but all she wants is someone to talk about her interests with.

You mean the kind of interests that involve romancing digital little sisters? I said it was messy, didn’t I?

So what’s the genre of this show? It’s a bit slice of life but it’s heavy on the confrontation, so it’s not nearly as relaxed as those shows usually are. It’s got comedic elements but I’d stop short of calling it a comedy. It’s almost a dramedy, even though that genre doesn’t really exist in the anime world. It’s pretty unique all things considered.

And the supporting characters? They really shine. Kuroneko a gothic lolita who is into darker, teenage oriented anime is a personal favourite, but all of the side characters get a decent amount of character development throughout.

Don’t say ‘lolita’ again, I’ve only just erased the images from my mind from that previous Google search. Knock knock. Who’s there? It’s the police coming to take you away!

Don’t even joke! So how do you recommend a show like this? Unless you’re deep into anime, there’s no point really. It throws around otaku terms without explanation, kind of like this blog, only way more frequently. But if you are an anime fan then give it a go, I was hesitant at first but only because I thought it was going to be a lot more siscon than it actually is.

*Googles ‘siscon’* Well I suppose I should have seen that coming. Why did you think it would be like that? Well, it’s from the same author as ‘Eromanga Sensei’, and well, the brother’s intentions are pretty clear from the start of that series.

*Googles ‘eromanga sensei’* Oh dear. I think I need to sit down. I think I need to revoke your Google privileges… either that or make you watch ‘Kiss x Sis’ and break you completely. Muahahaha.

*Googles…* actually no, I think I’ve learnt my lesson. No more Googling! That’s probably for the best.

So is there anything else I need to know? It’s got a second season so there’s plenty time yet for him to bang his sister!

…Why do I talk to you? Because who else is going to be your guide through this anime world? Plus, you enjoy this, just admit it! Deep down you’re just as twisted as me!

Final score? Please. I enjoyed it a lot; it’s complicated and complicated can be worthwhile, and very entertaining in this particular instance. 88 out of 100.