Belated Updates Part 1

For whatever reason (usually a combination of procrastination & knowing that not many people read this), I'll take pictures of stuff that I get, but not post them for a long time. In the last month or so I've gotten lotsa little one-item packages & posted em, but I didn't post the more elaborate shipment I got from my proxy bidding service. So here comes the backlog:

In Japan, the Morinaga candy/food company has a mascot Kyoro-chan that I love a lot. Somehow through random searching I found a series of "Campaign Presents" (i.e. - contest prizes) that you'd collect points from Morinaga items to enter with.

These are called Omocha no Kanzume, or, おもちゃの缶詰, which essentially means "toys packed in cans". They go back several years, and they span from cheap plastic toys packed in metal bins of different shapes, to what you see here.

This one is a wind-up music box featuring several Kyoro-chan, dressed up like various musician-in-an-orchestra stereotypes. It plays the Kyoro-chan/Morinaga theme

Close-up

Bleach Netsuke Gashapon, Ichigo & Kon

Bleach Netsuke Gashapon, Hitsugaya, Byakuya & Rukia

More Bleach Netsuke Gashapon, (my first Mayuri figure)

Bleach Soul Ring Swing Gashapon

Bleach Soul Ring Swing Gashapon (again)

Reimu Hakurei Touhou Nendo

Reimu Hakurei Touhou Nendo

Sakuya Izayoi Touhou Nendo

Sakuya Izayoi Touhou Nendo

Marisa Kirisame Touhou Nendo

Marisa Kirisame Touhou Nendo

Touhou Project Puchi Nendo Set 1

And again.

Touhou Project Puchi Nendo Set 1

Another Kanzume, from 2001

Closed up

Opened. When you turn the switch on, the column lights up with a pattern, the Kyoros whirl & dance & it plays music

A spring-loaded Kyoro-Ball candy box, kinda like a variation on the snake in the peanut jar gag

Bought a bunch of random Kyoro stuff from one seller, this huge metal Kyoro Kanzume came with it. He's like 13 or 14 inches tall, he's huge!

Touhou badges that Toranoana threw in with the box of figures you see below.

Toranoana Touhou figures, they were a lot bigger than I thought they would be, and they're very cute!

Another Kanzume, the latest, in fact. I bought it for the chest, the contents were kinda crappy, lol

Another Kanzume, the latest, in fact. I bought it for the chest, the contents were kinda crappy, lol

Another Kanzume, the latest, in fact. I bought it for the chest, the contents were kinda crappy, lol

More Kyoro stuff I bought en masse from one seller

A full set of Bleach Soundrop Gashapon

A really cool Keroro Cuckoo Clock. I was disappointed to see that Keroro only weaves back & forth & doesn't come out on the hour or anything, but still really cool nonetheless.

Had to create a shelf just for all of the new Touhou stuff!

[Loot] Monster Hunter Airu Trading Mascots

From Otacute today came a box of Monster Hunter Airu "Friends in the Village" Trading Mascot figures/dioramas/vignettes. I really didn't know what to expect, because Japanese companies love to make you put things together sometimes, so I thought perhaps that I'd be getting figures + a base + accessories. I was pleasantly surprised to see that, that wasn't the case. Everything was already assembled & held in place.

But, despite the fact that these were preassembled & they looked good for the most part, there were one or two figures that you can see in the pics, that had kinda messed up paint jobs. I mean, not to the point where they look terrible or anything, but there was one that looked like he'd been smeared with something brown. >.>

I usually take my time opening stuff when I buy a whole box, but since these were already put together I was kinda unceremonious about opening these. They're definitely cute, I got the whole collection of "7 + 1 Secret!" & was surprised by the awesome secret figure of the Airu with Poogie. A few of the figures look very similar, with different expressions on their faces or whatever, but overall it's a neat little collection.

Yahoo Japan Auctions: Fanta Shogun?

Simply searching Yahoo Japan auctions for the word 'mascot' yields over 20,000 results. Sifting through those results, I've found an amazing amount of "nifty", strange or otherwise wonderful-in-some-way, auctions. "Fanta Shogun" was amongst them. More about Fanta, and why it is popular outside of the United States, but not inside, here.

Hetalia Rubber Strap Collection (Or Possibly Something Less Gay Sounding)

Today's arrival (Yeah, I've had a lot of arrivals lately. I'm a weak individual.) is tiny but kinda awesome. I love Axis Powers Hetalia, especially the character design. So how could I pass these up? (I also have purchase-related impulse control issues ^^;) Not really much to speak of here, just a box of 8 straps with 8 different countries, anthropomorphized into cuteness, pigeonholing their more stereotypical qualities. (But if you've ever seen the anime/shorts, you already knew that) Anyway, on with the show. We have:

Italia

Japan

Great Britain

Doitsu

Canada

America

Russian Federation

France

The box was especially cute.

Strike Witches Francesca Lucchini Nendoroid

I ordered her on the spur of the moment because I really like the Strike Witches girls & I really love Nendos! (Also, I didn't want to decide to get her down the road & have to get her through proxy bidding & pay fees & have her marked up to 4500-5000yen or something)

I was exceptionally pleased with her because she came with a very unique stand & option parts (far better than the generic stand that comes with most Nendos that doesn't even hold them up properly due to their giant heads & tiny bodies) She comes with 2 tails, a gun, airplane leg parts, etc.

Initially, I didn't like her very much because the face that they took the advertising or "teaser" shot with, wasn't so hot looking. But when I was browsing stuff after she was released, I noticed her other 2 faces were really cute. Also, they snapped the ad pic with her regular legs, so she looked like any other Nendo if you were just browsing items on a search page or something. Also, I guess because she's Italian or whatever, she has a weird skin tone, which is fine with the 2 other faces, but with her "main face", she just looked strange. (Yeah I'm a Nendo "racist", lmao)

But yeah, I've definitely been charmed by her, and the pose that I've taken these shots in, I really enjoy. She looks really chibi with the legs installed. ^^