Released in May 2007, Kotobukiya faithfully recreates Kanon’s Mai Kawasumi in a dynamic action sculpt. This one’s been on the market for about half a year and has been near the top of my figure review list. Mai is probably my second favorite Kanon girl so she deserves this review. The first run even came packed with a pair of bunny ears; A cute albeit useless head decoration that will ultimately end up damaging her hair. Sorry for the lack of photo variety. This figure has a limited viewing range because of the pose.

Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Scale: 1/8
Price: ~$38
Release date: May 2007

The figure overall is nice but is riddled with a lot of paint problems. As you can see from the pictures, the paint on her hair and uniform is very splotchy and uneven in spots. Not pictured is a giant black scuff on the bottom of her thigh straight out of the box. It’s a shame too, because she would otherwise be fine and earn a higher score.

Sculpt: 8/10
The pose really captures Mai’s demon hunter spirit. It looks like she’s prepared to strike in the middle of a battle while Yuuichi watches on in awe. As previously noted, the pose does limit what angles you can view her.

Paint: 3/10
Terrible paintwork. I expect much better from an established company like Kotobukiya. Mine may have slipped past the QC department so results may vary.

Base: 9/10
The bases does its job and holds Mai securely in place. She’s standing on what I presume are light blue tiles. The base is a fairly off shape though. Maybe she’s supposed to connect to the other Kotobukiya Kanon gals.

Predicted Reliability: 8/10
Chances of leaning are low but not out of the question.

Total Score: 28/40 = 70%

Overall: Get it if you’re a diehard Mai fan. Despite all the paint problems, she still looks a lot better than any of the other Mai offerings on the market. If you’re willing to wait for an indefinite amount of time, Max Factory should produce something of a higher caliber.

The wizards are enjoying their usual tea time at Anzelotte’s palace and are introduced to a fellow Wizard named Nightmare. Eris has a sudden headache, and Anzelotte surprises the group when she reveals the Jewel of Temperance to them. Upon touching the jewel Eris immediately loses consciousness. Renji loses his temper, but Anzelotte feigns ignorance while explaning the situation in whole to the group. Eris is trapped in the world of her mind, and it is up to Renji and company to enter her dream and wake her up. All too conveniently, Nightmare offers his services as a Dream Hunter to help everyone save Eris. Renji easily sees through the facade and agrees to the mission.

Read the rest of this entry »

You love filler posts. Don’t deny it. Here’s a sign of things to come. Night Wizard episode 6 and a figure review featuring Koto’s Mai Kawasumi.

I use the term “original” in the sense of an anime having no prior source material and not in reference to originality in story, plot, and characters. The latter point is more of an indirect consequence of relying on source material. Anyway, a good chunk of anime that have aired throughout 2007 are adaptations from existing works. Examples of such are anime that have their original roots in mediums like manga, games, visual novels, and light novels. I suppose sequels and spin-offs can be added to the point total too since they’re riding on the coattails of previous successes.

I can understand why animation studios stick to safe bets that are already popular in other mediums. The big cash cow is just too irresistible so we end up getting a bevy of h-games, manga, and novel adaptations translated into anime form. It is difficult to come up with original story concepts for a fresh anime with no ties to another medium. Why pay writers to come up with original stories and scripts when a profitable series is already on the table? Maybe all the truly original ideas have already been sapped up in years past. Who’s to say?

Read the rest of this entry »

“According to rumours among informed people, there is a deep connection between Imago and Cybercures.”

Dennou Coil, Episode Nineteen - The Black Visitor

Read the rest of this entry »

“According to rumours told by kids, Miss Michiko’s true identity is whispered to be that of an Illegal.”

Dennou Coil Episode Nine

Miss Michiko: From the Other Side.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ishibashi challenges Tamaki and declares that the outcome of the duel will officially decide the match’s winner. After some gentle persuasion by Kojiro, Kirino, and Sayako, Tamaki accepts the offer.

Ishibashi explodes from the very start of the match and uses his size advantage to pressure her. Tama is pushed down but is quick to get back on her feet. Their shinai clash again and the two fight on a level much higher than what was seen in the practice matches. Tamaki connects on a one handed head strike, but Kojiro overrules the call because he deems the contact too light. His call upsets Tama as they begin the next set. Tama delivers a stronger one handed strike which gets an unanimous point from Nakata and Kojiro. Ishibashi finally gets serious and assumes the ascension stance for the next set. Upon seeing it Tama is reminded of her mother and goes into a daze. Ishibashi realizes that Tama has lost her concentration and decides to end the match.

Read the rest of this entry »

As per the usual, we see a scene two years ago presumably a bit after the shuttle incident. Jin transfers away and parts on bad terms with Kazuki. Back to the present, Jin tells Toa his desire to return to Earth and live there with her. Gio thinks that he is in their way, but Jin doesn’t think so and requests that the three of them live together.

Toa has a dream and receives orders from Thanatos whom she adresses as her mother. She is reminded of her mission before waking up and leaving Jin yet again. He and Gio awaken to find her missing again and they quickly search the area for her. Kazuki and Widow ambush the two in the park. Jin pleads his case to let him go so that he can find Toa. Kazuki will have none of this however and tells Jin that Gio is his belonging. Gio slugs Kazuki in the stomach and tells his “master” that he belongs to no one and proceeds to escape with Jin.

Read the rest of this entry »

We are given the complete details of Kojiro’s strategy to place Tamaki first and last in the match. Since her identity is obscured by the kendo gear for the first match, she is an easy shoe-in to fight again. He also instructs her to only use half of her strength, with Nakata knowing full well that even half of her total strength is still overkill.

Tamaki easily takes the first victory for the team and scores two easy points. After the match, Tamaki sneaks away, and Kojiro makes up a lame excuse for her sudden departure. Miya and a depressed Asakawa begin their match. Before Miya can fight at full strength however, Dan leaves to go to the bathroom. Evil Miya easily dominates her opponent with a berserk barrage of swings, but her form is sloppy and none of the attacks are valid. The momentum shifts when Asakawa receives a phone message apology from her boyfriend. With renewed vigor, Asakawa easily lays the smack down on Miya and bolts out after the match.

Read the rest of this entry »

Actually scratch that. However, I am working on a few articles for your reading pleasure. Since this is one of those times when I’m just waiting for new fansubs to be released, it’s something to pass the time between studies and whatnot. With that said it’s back to business as usual.

Edit on 11/21: Lots of quiet updates here and there that you probably won’t notice. If you do notice them, then you are a very observant person and will need to be disposed of. The articles are coming along as is the episode synopsis of Bamboo Blade episode 6.