Coming Soon: Kuroko no Basuket & Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Hey there everyone!

I realized I hadn't posted this yet, though I'd made a note to do it right after AN. I had pre-ordered these two boxes a couple months ago, and they won't be arriving for a little while, but I will be taking reserves for them from now. And at special pre-order period prices too!

First up is the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Karakore Swing Figure Collection
Scheduled release: June 2015

Character line up:
Nozaki
Sakura
Mikorin
Hori
Wakamatsu
Kashima
Seo
Tanuki

Now normally I sell karakore at $15 each, but if you make your reserves (spots to be paid to ensure pick up) before the box is shipped out to me, I will be selling them at $13 each or 2 for $25.


Next is the Kuroko no Basuket One Coin 4Q Figure Collection
Scheduled release: August 2015

This upcoming release features our favorite color-haired basketball idiots in their Teikou middle school uniforms, or in Kagami's case, street clothes.

Character line up:
Kuroko
Kagami
Kise
Midorima
Aomine
Murasakibara
Akashi

Note that this box will contain 9 figures, despite there only being 7 possible models. What that means is that there will be doubles of two of these cuties! Though at this time I can't say which they're going to be. Single figure pricing will stand at $15 each, however as a preorder special (reserves paid to hold spots) if you reserve before August, I will sell these guys at 2 for $26. If there is enough interest (meaning all known figure spots are reserved), I will consider ordering a second box!

And one final preorder special is a set price of $70. Yep, that means you get one of each of the 7 characters at only $10 per figure ◦°˚\(*❛‿❛)/˚°◦ [But please note that this special set offer is only available until the end of June or as long as I am able to acquire boxes!]

If any of this has piqued your interest and you would like to make a reservation, feel free to drop me a line here on the blog, or email me at ari0aki.toritate@gmail.com

Figure Thursdays: Free!

Hello again!

Sorry it's so late. Trust me to get side tracked on my way to work on a blog post. See what happened was, I went to grab a yogurt from the fridge, and decided to check my deviant art while I ate. I noted not one but three of the artists I follow have new artbooks for sale compiling their work and began debating over whether or not I could afford to order all three of them right now... I'm not kidding, I meant at the very moment I saw that they were available for order. The regrettable answer to that, however, turned out to be no. The books themselves are well worth their cost but add crazy international shipping (with insurance of course) and I just couldn't do it ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡ 

I mean I could... But then I'd be completely screwed for the figures I have pre-ordered for the next couple of months. So I settled for ordering one of them for now. I'm considering buying one more and somehow justifying it as a necessary cost for a paper on appropriated and reinvented concepts of Japanese folklore in popular culture. It could fly since it's one of the things I do research on... maybe? Well I have all night to agonize over it so in the mean time, I'll get to the real point of this post. Meet the newest addition to my collection.

Tachibana Makoto from Alter's ALTAiR figure line!

 

Yep, it's that swimming anime again. Seems as though I'm hopelessly obsessed with sports anime. Now there's a funny story about this figure and it's a bit of a painful one for my wallet. You see, Makoto actually came out towards the end of last year, late October if I recall correctly. At that time I was still hurting from my 2014 Japan trip and didn't have the money to order him. I could have borrowed money from my mom and paid her back, though she would most definitely not have approved of my spending $80 - $90 on a piece of colored plastic ^^; That and Haruka came out around the same time (which I also didn't buy then and had to go on a hunt for later). That being said, I missed that narrow window of opportunity to purchase him for the list cost. February rolls around and I have money saved up and ready to buy him... Naturally he's out of stock everywhere. So I spent the better part of the last two and a half months searching for him at $90 cost to no avail. And in a fit of irritated desperation, I caved and bought him for around $40 more than I would have paid had I just preordered the damn thing! The same goes with Haruka, though he ended up being around $50 more on Yahoo Auctions. I truly hate myself, because I could have bought a whole other figure with the extra money I ended up having to spend to get these guys (๑¯д¯๑) Yeah I know I'm stupid, what else is new? That wasted money is going to haunt me until I die! I didn't make the same mistake with the Rin one though, I preordered him the day preorders for him opened!

My stupidity aside, the figure itself is lovely. Alter always does a great job with their figures.Well sculpted body, easy going Makoto-esque expression, fun goggle accessory addition (yes they're removable). I especially found the detailing on the jacket to be well done, everything down to the zipper is accurately reproduced here. And as you can see from the way the light catches on the contours of the figure, even the muscles under the swim pants are defined (♥ω♥ ) ~♪

Needless to say, I'm very happy with the figure, and am glad to see it finally take residence among the rest of my collection. Makoto is super sweet in the anime, and if I had to choose, I'd say he's my favorite character. I kind of wish they'd put out a glasses wearing version, or a with cute neighborhood kitty version... Whaaa! The thought of Makoto carrying a kitten is almost as endearing as when he's with Ren and Ran! Gosh his siblings are just too cute! Anyway, I ought to get going now, so in the true Free! tradition, I'll send you all off with my favorite ending card! See you next water time... Or in this case, see you next blog post time. Hmm, doesn't have the same ring to it. Oh well ┐(´∀｀)┌

SALES!

Hello everyone! 

I had meant to get this up earlier, but I've had a few special orders to deal with and getting my stuff in order for my upcoming trip. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. 

These are my current items for sale. Which means all the stuff I have on hand. I've organized everything into PDFs by general item classification. I uploaded them to my google drive so they should be easy to access and view without downloading. If anyone has any problems opening the links, let me know. 

SALES

Figures, Straps & Charms

Manga, Doujinshi, Artbooks, DVDs, CDs, Games

Posters

Other (Cushions, Towels, Bed sheets, Stationary, Bags, Etc.)

Cosplay

Please do take a look and see if there's anything you're interested in. And as always, feel free to make an offer, but be reasonable. 

The only section I haven't cataloged yet are the lolita-esque clothes I have for sale. I'll try to get to that soon. I do have pics in my photobucket, so if you want to take a quick look shoot me an email.

I will be posting tomorrow, the details about my Japan trip and the shopping service I'll be offering while I'm there, so don't forget to check back. 

I'll also be doing a new figure post on account of needing to gush a bit about my most recent acquisition \(^o^)/

Anime North Recap

Hey there everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Thanks to all of you who came out and visited me at registration and the Nomi, it was good meeting you! I will be posting a revised list of the merch I have left over from the Nomi over the course of this week. I still have lots to sell so do check back when you have the chance.

And as many of you may know, I will be going to Japan in June and will be there until the end of July. I mentioned that I will be offering a shopping service while I'm there, for any things you might not have seen at AN that you want. I will be posting details about that this week as well.

I had a lot of fun this year, got commissions from a bunch of very talented artists, networked with them for future commissions ^^ and went to my first photo shoot (the Haikyuu one on Sunday). It was every bit as awkward as I assumed it was going to be. I found myself completely at a loss for what to do. I wonder if everyone has that problem, or if I'm the only one who felt so out of place there? Oh well, it was an interesting experience if nothing else. There was one pose I knew I wanted, and there was even a Yachi there! But not enough Karasuno cosplayers had the sports jersey, so it wouldn't have worked out T-T

I would post pics of my cosplays from this weekend now, but I don't have any on my phone, so I'll have to wait to get them from my mom when she gets home with her phone ^^;

My question for you all today is what series did you want merch of and weren't able to find at AN, and what kinds of things, would you all be interested in buying if I brought it back from Japan? Feel free to drop me a line right here on my blog, or email me at ari0aki.toritate@gmail.ca

Figure Thursdays: Haikyuu!

Hello and a good day to you all on this moderately windy Thursday afternoon!

I'll be leaving shortly to go set up registration at the TCC, but before that here is my promised figure post. And given my cosplay for today, I thought it fitting to display one of the figures I have of that character (ؑᵒᵕؑ̇ᵒ)◞✧

Kenma Kozume from Jamma's Banpresto Haikyuu!! DXF Figure Vol.2

























Kenma is one of my favorite characters from Haikyuu, and the DXF figure line does not disappoint. Though simple, it is true to the details of his character. The clothes have very natural creases, color is vivid and clean, and Kenma's expression is spot on.


My only real issue - and it isn't really an issue pertaining to the figure itself but the base - is that it's hexagonal shape and size makes it take up more space than I'd like. For one figure, perhaps it wouldn't be so noticeable, but I have six of the DXF series now and am expecting two more, so it's glaringly obvious to me every time I look in my display. The shape also makes the only possible positioning of the figures altogether to be a strange sort of staggered two lines. I could split them up, but it seems a waste to have characters from the same series occupy different display spaces.

Aside from this one, I have the Kenma karakore figure and the gashpon as part of my collection as well. Takara Tomy released some really nice Hinata and Kageyama figures, that I was seriously tempted to buy, it would be nice if they put out one for Kenma as well. I definitely wouldn't be able to ignore that ^^

Well, if I don't get ready to leave now, I'm going to be late, so this is where I'll say goodbye for now. Check back soon to see pics from the con and all the commissions and art I pick up this year d(ゝ∀･) 
If you're going to the pre-reg this evening and you see a glasses wearing Kenma, feel free to say hi!

Package Update: Kuji Cushions!

Hey everyone!
I just made my final nomi list updates, so feel free to head over and check it out ٩(^ᴗ^)۶
I've notified those of you whose items have arrived in this box, so please check your emails.

Among some random DVDs and games lying around, are some gorgeous kuji cushions! I'm honestly tempted to keep them all, but I already can barely fit on my bed with all the blankets and pillows on there.

Now onto the cushions!

First up is Shinji/Kaworu from the Piece of Memories Ichiban Kuji series. I do love the composition for this one. I actually bought two of these because I wanted one to give to a friend for her birthday, but the auction I found was only for two of them. I don't really know why anyone would want two of the same thing, unless they have symmetry issues like Death the Kid, but now I have an extra one to sell. It's about as big as a normal couch cushion but a bit taller.

Next up are two giant cushions from the K Missing Kings AniKuji series. And when I say giant, I mean giant, these cushions are as tall as the back of my couch!




<< Misaki/Saruhiko Front
   <Misaki/Saruhiko/Rikio Back












<<Kuro/Shiro/Neko Front
  <Kuro/Shiro/Neko Back









Next is Yogi/Gareki from the Karneval AniKuji series. This one is also giant sized and oh so huggable looking ^///^

And last but not least, is a slightly bigger than standard sized Saitou/Souji cushion from the Hakuouki Taito Kuji series!

The Free! Lawson and regular stick posters are also here. Unfortunately the Lawson Haru and Makoto's boxes got a bit squished in transit so the posters have creases in them, so I've reduced the price on those.

And because I seem incapable of saying no to pretty clearfiles, I've also added these two K ones to my collection from the same AniKuji series as the cushions. The top one is my favorite! It combines two of my favorite things, Anime art and Alice in Wonderland motifs! I think they're all pretty well casted too, I can totally see Saruhiko as the Cheshire Cat. Neko makes a cute Alice, but I think it would have been more accurate if she were the white rabbit and Shiro was Alice given their roles in the show. Hmm, there's an idea to ask someone to commission this year at AN if I find an art style I like for it...

Well that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by. I'm still thinking about what figure to post for tomorrow's Figure Thursday. I'll post it early though, before I head over to the TCC for reg set up.

See you all at the con!

Anime North Update

Hello everyone!

Is everyone ready for the con! This is just a quick update with regards to the Nomi. I have sent out reserve numbers for everyone who has stuff to pick up from me. Please bring that number with you to my table to claim your items. This is both to help me organize everything and also to make sure people don't say they're someone else in order to pick up their items. I kid you not, this has happened before. For those of you who do not have a registered account on the Anime North forum, I can not be held accountable in the instance that your order is claimed by someone else.

I am still expecting some last minute things, mostly special orders people have commissioned me to get. I will continue to update my listing as necessary, but if anything these last minute things will just be brought to the con. So if you've seen the sales list and stop by my table, ask if there's anything new.  If they don't arrive before the Nomi, I'll update here with new items. If you've special ordered something with me, please stay in contact after the con for information on where and when to pick up your items.

My cosplay line up for this year is as follows:
Thursday - Kenma Kozume (Haikyuu)
Friday - Genderbent Aomine Daiki (Kuroko no Basuket)
Saturday - Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul)
Sunday - Hinata Shouyou (Haikyuu)

I'll be working at registration all of Thursday, Friday until just before the nomi and Saturday and Sunday before noon. Say hi if you see me ^^

I'll also be attending the Tokyo Ghoul photo shoot on Saturday and the Haikyuu photo shoot on Sunday... probably (if I can screw up enough courage to do so).

As for things that are en route to Canada, there are some Free! stick posters both the regular run and the limited Lawson convenience store run; doujin event items like circle illustrated mugs and towels, and kuji items from various lotteries (Taito/Animate/Banpresto).

As always if there's anything anyone wants special ordered, send me a message and I'll see what I can do!

After the con, I'll be making a post on my upcoming Japan trip, and asking for your input on what kinds of merch to pick up and which series you're all interested in. So check back here to weigh in on that.

I hope everyone has a lot of fun this year at Anime North. See you there! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Artbook Tuesdays: Shiho Enta

Hello everyone \(^v^)/

As you may or may not know, with AN swiftly approaching, I've been stressing like crazy over reviewing the staff manual and procedures for those of us who man the registration table during the con, fighting with my cosplay line up, and preparing all my stuff for the nomi. Needless to say, I'm frazzled and sleep deprived. Not to mention I strained my hamstring last week, so I've been forcibly prevented from going on my daily run... It wouldn't do to not be able to walk after all ^^;

Naturally, with all this stuff going on I didn't even notice that a whole week has passed since my last post Σ(ﾟﾛﾟ;) so today while nursing my insomnia and celebrating over my completed cosplays, I decided to start up another cheesy weekly/biweekly post from my collection. This time for artbooks! And it just so happens that I received this gorgeous artbook by Shiho Enta in the mail towards the end of last week.

Shiho Enta is a Japanese illustrator who has designed many book covers. One that many of you might recognize is the haunting cover design of Yukito Ayatsuji's Another. If you haven't read this yet, I encourage everyone to give it a chance. Yen Press released a hardcover translation of the complete story in October of last year.

I find it somewhat difficult to articulate the nature of Enta's style as I instinctively tend towards describing it as being smooth with a soft palette, however her palette is not limited to peach and pink hues. In fact, she has expressed her preference to using darker colors. Still, it is the contrast between the inky blackness or vivid ginger and vermilion against the ethereally pale yet life blushed skin of her subjects that intrigues me.

Another unmistakable feature of her work are the eyes of her subjects. Enta claims that her aim is to create pictures which will enrapture the viewer - that they just won't want to stop looking at. Especially pertaining to cover illustrations, she wants their eyes to meet our eyes no matter where we're looking from - to make us stop and stare. She aims to create covers which one can only fully grasp after having read the book they adorn. You can be the judge whether she's succeeded in her goal. I personally think that she does, and the cover for Another, took on new depths of meaning for me after having completed it.

If I had only one word to describe the nature of Enta's art, it would be "sensual," as her pieces arouse and stir the soul. A delicate, innocent sort of sensual that sounds like a summer breeze and smells like floated camellias. A haunting sort of sensual, filled with transient phantasms.

I adore Enta's work and am ecstatic to say that this book, collecting some of her most notable works from 2005 -2014, is now a part of my collection. I look forward to her future work, particularly hunting down all her illustrations that accompanied the serialization of Tow Ubukata's novel, Hana to Yume, which depicts the culture and atmosphere of the imperial court during the Heian period and in the life of Sei Shonagon.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my first artbook post! Check back soon, for more of my collection, and final updates on Nomi sales for this years' Anime North.

Package Update: Kuroko no basuket

Hi!

I picked up the package on my way home earlier! Funny thing is, when I got home there was another delivery slip in the mail box, so I'll have to go out tomorrow too. Luckily the post office is only a 10 - 15 minute walk from my house, because I seem to somehow miss delivery even when I'm camped out in front of the door waiting ^^;

Anyway, the Kuroko no Basuket rubber straps are here, along with some other fun stuff. I added a new clearfile to my personal collection as well. It's by the group Ameria. I haven't actually read any of their stuff because they only do fiction and I like my doujinshi heavy on the images - at least until I can read better. Still, Ameria's cover art and insert art for their doujinshi are gorgeous so I jumped at the chance to pick up a clearfile of their work to add to my collection!



<< Front

<<Back (I'm displaying this side in my folder)









Also in the box was this lovely MidorimaxTakao clearfile by Hakkekkyu Sekkekkyu. I don't actually ship them but impulse had me click buy before I could think it through. Takao is just so cute! I'm selling this one for $20 if anyone's interested. I've already updated my nomi sales list with it.

<<Front












Then we have the Ichiban Kuji rubber straps I mentioned in an earlier post and Aomine and Kuroko from the Karakore swing figure series. Each $15 on my sales post.

And last but not least, the Kuroko no Basuket stick poster collection! See my earlier post for the list of names.

Well that's all for now. More stuff to come, so don't forget to check back!

Package Update!

Hi everyone!

I hope you're not stressing too much to finish your cosplays in time for the con like I am *mumble* stupid Kaneki mask *mumble*

That aside, here's a quick update for you regarding my Nomi sales! The Mekaku City Actors one coins and Durarara karakore swings have arrived! They're a lot cuter than the pictures make them out to be, and a nifty little feature of the MCA ones is that their heads are on a ball joint, so you can tilt their view towards anyone you like.

One of my other packages arrived today as well but I was out and just missed the post man, so I'll have to pick that up tomorrow and update you on the contents then. If it's the one I think it is, then there's some spiffy Kuroko no Basket merch to be added. Not much mind you, half the order was stuff I ordered for myself.

So don't forget to check back tomorrow to see what's in the package. I give you a hint in the form of a quickly drawn rendition of a Kuroko karakore ;)  

Okay, that's all for now. I'm off to test various methods for adhering fabric to skin without spirit gum. I've already gone over my cosplay budget for this year so it's time to get creative... I hear double sided medical tape and hair spray are two good candidates. Hopefully one of them will work out. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd gladly welcome them!

Figure Thursdays: Natsume Yuujinchou

Hello again! 

I'd like you all to bear witness to the birth of "Figure Thursdays!" It's a bit tacky, I'll admit I'm a bit embarrassed saying it like that, but if you're anything like me, then unless you have a schedule to keep, things rarely get done ^^;  That being said, every other Thursday, so long as I'm in a position to do so, I'll be posting about a figure or perhaps collection of figures from my collection. Compared to other things in my collections, I don't actually have that many figures, since I only started collecting in this area a couple years ago and as you all know, figures are the farthest thing from cheap. That being said, I'd like to start off my first collection post with my favorite figure to date:

Ichiban Kuji Natsume Yuujinchou Tribute Gallery - Oshibana Gatari B Prize

Yay for Natsume and Kogitsune (this kid really needs an actual name). And don't forget the tiny Nyanko sensei off in the bottom corner wearing his trademark smile.While it's definitely not the most impressive figure in existence, it is cute. The soft palette colors compliment the series' watercolor style and Natsume's got this super gentle expression going on, with the fox child practically glowing beside him. I can't help but smile every time I look at them *fuzzy feelings* 

Nice to note as well is the detailing on the Kimono. The design is is simple but the color gradient looks a lot better than my camera does it justice.

So now my question for everyone (at least all of you who like Natsume Yuujinchou) is: who is your favorite character? Even if it is one of those super obscure yokai that appear only once, I'm curious to know which characters are most loved and why. And as a special bonus, out of those who respond, I'll select one and do a quick sketch of that character for you ;) 

This one is a quickie I drew up for this blog post after gushing over how cute the fox child is. My art isn't all that great so I don't know if that's even an incentive, but I would be happy to hear what people think!

 

Coming Soon: Kuroko no Basuket

Hey everyone!

I have another update for you today. Tracking says that I'll have these in sometime next week, which means in time for the con! Like with my previous post, I'll be updating my Nominoichi sales list when I physically have them but will be taking reserves for them on here for now. Both the stick posters and rubber straps I'm listing here will be $15 each (price negotiable for large orders)!

First up is the Kuroko no Basuket Part 2 Character Stick Poster Collection
(released at the end of March)

Got to love those school uniforms ;)
Character line up:
Kuroko Tetsuya
Kagami Taiga
Kiyoshi Teppei
Kise Ryota
Kasamatsu Yukio
Moriyama Yoshitaka
Midorima Shintaro
Takao Kazunari
Miyaji Kiyoshi
Aomine Daiki
Imayoshi Shoichi
Sakurai Ryo
Murasakibara Atsushi
Himuro Tatsuya
Fukui Kensuke
Akashi Seijuro

Next up is the Ichiban Kuji Kuroko no Basuket Rubber Strap Version 1 Collection

Super cute in their Teiko uniforms!
Character line up:
Kuroko Tetsuya
Kise Ryota
Midorima Shintaro
Aomine Daiki
Murasakibara Atsushi
Akashi Seijuro

I you see anything you want feel free to message me here or head over to my table thread and drop my a line there ;)

Also, please look forward to my first personal collection update later today!

Coming soon: Mekaku City Actors & Durarara

Hello all!

Hope you're doing well wherever you are. According to tracking information, these two boxes will be in some time within the next ten days or so. I'll be updating my Nominoichi sales list with then when I physically have them, but you're welcome to message me about holds in the interim. Like all my new One Coins and Karakore swings, they're going to be listed as $15 each (price negotiable for larger orders)!

First up is the Mekaku City Actors One Coin Figure Collection
(released at the end of last month)

Aren't they just adorable?
Character line up:
Ene reserved for paperhat
Shintaro
Hibiya
Konoha
Kido reserved for darkinsanity13
Seto reserved 
Kano reserved
Marry
Momo reserved for darkinsanity13

Next up is the Durarara!! x2 Karakore Swing Figures Collection
(released also at the end of last month)

Character line up:
Celty
Mikado
Kida
Anri
Izaya
Shizuou
Shinra
Kyohei

So if you see anything you want, feel free to drop me a line a post here on my blog or head over to my table thread and private message me!

Anime North 2015

Hello all!

As you may know Anime North is an annual anime convention in Toronto, Canada, which celebrates anime, manga, music, games and all other forms of Japanese culture. This year Anime North will be the weekend of May 22 - 24, 2015 at the Toronto Congress Centre and International Plaza Hotel on Dixon Road.

If you were planning to go but haven't already bought your tickets, you better hurry up. Only Friday and Sunday day passes are left!

There's an interesting event held at Anime North every year called the Nominoichi. In essence it's a marketplace of con-goers just like you and me, who get to sell their wares for a few hours on Friday night. There's really no telling what you'll find as everyone will have something different, but you can be sure there'll be lots of interesting things. For more information, please visit the Anime North Nominoichi page on the official website.

This is it's tenth year running, which means that it's my ninth year selling! The event has grown to a massive couple hundred table affair located in the heart of the happenings at Anime North - the Congress Center - from a small maybe 20 table event in some nondescript room at the... Was it the Sheraton or the Marriott? It's been so long I don't even remember. In either case it was small and everyone had to hike over the damn bridge to get to it and that's if they even knew about it...

Like the Nominoichi has grown, so too has my offerings as one of it's repeat sellers. This year after my first trip to Japan last summer, I have a bunch of things to sell coming directly from the birth place of Otaku culture.

If you're interested at all, please do check out the Nominoichi threads on the official Anime North forum. You can find my sales list at Table N205. I'll be taking reservations until the 19th, that's the Tuesday before the con. I'll be sending invoice numbers out on the 20th which people with reserves will need to have to claim their items at my table on Friday at the event.

The Nominoichi will be held on Friday, May 22nd, from 7:00pm to 10:30pm in Hall A at the Toronto Congress Center (TCC).

Hope to see you all there!

Welcome!

Hello to all friends and fellow fanatics! Whether you've come here by invite or happenstance, I'd like to bid you a warm welcome to Toritate.

People collect all sorts of things, taking pride in their collections which they've painstakingly fostered from their conception. I am no different. Here you'll find the documentation of my treasured collection of Japan-ish things. From anime, figures and manga, to things of a less tangible nature such as the collection of places in Japan I've visited as documented through trinkets, sketches and photographs.

You'll also find sales posts to help you grow your own lovely collections! With new items coming in from Japan all the time.

Please stay and take a look around, perhaps something might catch your fancy. And if it is to your pleasure, I would love to welcome you back in the future ;)