hontou ni » Anime Vices

[Stripey] My fledgling but bank-breaking anime/2D tapestry collection

Stripey — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:35:47 +0000

There are a few things in life I firmly believe one should never touch with a ten thousand foot pole - Drugs, loli-porn, Nia Teppelin's cooking and Kyuubey's contracts. After 2 years collecting anime/2D tapestries (taps), I'm adding that to the list.

If my 2D expenses (consisting of scaled figures, artbooks, anime blu-ray/DVD) were not already crushing enough, tapestry collecting would certainly push me over the financial abyss. My most expensive 2D tapestry to date is 20000 yen (a litte more than my Mai HiME blu ray boxset?!) and the median price of a tapestry is about 10k yen. Frankly, it makes little sense that these printed material should cost so much when a scaled figure which takes a great deal more craftmanship can be acquired for less. (A fact kindly brought to attention by my loving wife who has declared my next tapestry over 15k yen would be wrapped around my infant son's cute bottom).

In retrospect, my path to taps has been a curious but probably inevitable one. At the core of the obsession is my passion for the 2D bishoujo. It started with anime, mutated into lust after 2D artbooks/figures and is now manifesting in my unhealthy love for tapestry. Indeed the path of anime is a dark and slippery slope to financial ruin.

Anyhow, since the money has been sunk in, here's sharing my very small tapestry collection which I'm utterly torn about growing.

Left to right

1.Minase Sakurako (Flyable heart) B2 tapestry

2. Mitsurugi Asuka (Wizard girl ambitious) B2 tapestry

3. Snow miku (WNB illustration) C79 B2 tapestry

4. (Tinkle illustration) Comiket79 B0 tapestry

5. Tinkle illustration Etsu special B0 tapestry

6. Kantoku illustration Etsu special B0 tapestry

7. Tenshin Ranman B1 tapestry

8. Tinkle illustration JIF special B1 tapestry

9. Izumi Tsubasu C79 B0 tapestry

10. Atelier Totori (Kishida Mel) B1 tapestry

11. Fujibayashi Kyou (Clannad) B1 tapestry

12. Tomoe Mami (Plum illustration) A1 tapestry

13. Petitejeuness (Tinkle Illustration) B2 tapestry

14. Tinkle illustration JIF special B1 tapestry

Some lessons I have learnt from tapestry collecting.

1. Size matters. Don't get anything smaller than A1 size. B2 and below just doesn't have the impact/room presence

2. No group illustration. Maximum of 2 bishoujo per tap else beauty diminished, again due to size and composition proportions.

3. Keep abreast of tapestry releases. Once you miss the boat (preorder etc), you have to charter a rocket to the next galaxy for the same taps (on Yahoo Japan Auctions).

4. Promo pictures can look very different due to the material of the taps used. Try to source for an actual fan-taken photo to confirm no unscrupulous photo-shopping.

And there you have it - my fledgling tapestry collection. I know they don't look much in thumbnails but trust me, when the B0 (1.4m X 1m) tapestries are sprawling across your living room walls, they're almost as breathtaking as the credit cards bills they come with.

[Stripey] K-Books Trump Collection 2010 – Spades suit

Stripey — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:01:20 +0000

My path to financial ruin can be traced back to the Summer of 2007 when Zyl returned from Japan with the fable K-books trump collection. That box of concentrated bishoujo goodness subsequently ignited a frenzied love for 2D artwork that further led to a crazed acquisition of artbooks.

3 years later, K-books releases a new deck as if to rejuvenate our love for 2D art (not that there was any sign of a flagging interest actually). And an ambassador of bishoujo love, it is both my privilege and pleasure to share the Spade suit for the K-books trump collection 2010.

My favourites in this suit include

1. Ace of Spade (Ryouka)

2. Five spades (Asukabe Akira)

3. Queen of Spades (Kantoku)

I'm especially intrigued by Ryouka's frilly work given my penchant for bishoujos in lace/ribbons. Asukabe sensei needs to bless the world with an illustration collection too. His soft rendering of bishoujo is clearly in the realm of the divine.

Special mention to Jack of spades (Muririn) whose works I'm not familiar as yet but am very glad to have made acquaintance with. Will surely be keeping an eye out for his releases from here on.

Clubs suit up next!

Near infidelity with 2D bishoujos

Stripey — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:47:02 +0000

Wife-chan has never felt threatened by my 2D loves before – not even by the like of resident Hontouni goddesses Shirakawa Kotori or Yuasa Hiromi. So it came as quite a surprise when my request to engage in 2D schoolgirl courtship (via Love plus) was rejected.

“It’s as harmless as tamaguchi except, well, it’s a high school girl…” And a very VERY beautiful one at that, I hesitated to add.

“You don’t get to kiss your pets or frolick with her in bed.” At once I knew I had over-educated Wife-chan on the Nintendo DS hit and the upcoming sequel LovePlus+.

Having said that, Wife chan and I had a great deal of fun checking out the impact of the lovely Love Plus girls on Japanese marriages (via Sankaku Complex ~ NSFW). It was interesting to learn that Wife chan concurs with Japanese wives on Nene being the most threatening of the trio (based purely on character design). Myself, I’m a STAUNCH Manaka supporter and plan to acquire the Nintendo DS for her sake alone.

“Hmm maybe you can get together with Manaka then start to pursue Nene?” Wife chan knows her tanuki-hubby just too well although School Days came immediately to mind... Sadly I understand there’s no harem option for Love Plus. Hopefully that will change in LovePlus+.

“Of course that doesn’t mean your application has been approved.” And she went to explain what emotional infidelity is.

“Even if I promise not to kiss Manaka?” I pleaded with the signature puppy tanuki-dog eyes only to be consigned to the dishes.

It looks like Manaka chan would have to wait a while for tanuki love, hopefully before peace in Middle East.