I told myself I should do something for the 2nd “anniversary” of the blog. I was thinking of writing a review of a figure… but which one ? o.O and then I knew it could not be done without moving from my armchair T.T
I finally choosed a figure that I was selling: the Sagittarius by Medicos. I changed my mind and decided to enjoy it (it’s in my Detolf right now). Someway this review were kinda improbable few times ago 😛

En instance de mise en vente, j’ai finalement décidé de garder et de profiter de cette figurine. Je ne regrette pas ma décision 😛
Voici donc une petite review personnelle de ce Sagittaire de Medicos pour le 2ème anniversaire du blog 😉

The new anime season has begun this month with Angel Beats!, K-on!! (be careful: there are 2 Exclamation marks ’cause it’s the 2nd season), Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, Rainbow, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Hakuouki, etc…
Angel Beats! was one of the most expected because members of its staff had already worked on famous series like Clannad, True tears or Canaan… no, I’m jokin’ for Canaan 😛 So I follow every week this serie. There were already 4 broadcasted episodes and I liked.

La nouvelle saison d’animes a débuté ce mois-ci avec Angel Beats!, K-on!! (attention, il y a 2 point d’exclamation car c’est la saison 2), Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, Rainbow, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Hakuouki, etc…
Angel Beats! était l’un des plus attendus car le staff associé avait réalisé certaines séries avec un certain succès comme Clannad, True tears ou Canaan… non, j’déconne pour Canaan 😛 Je suis donc de façon hebdomadaire cette série et pour l’instant, je ne suis pas déçu avec les 4 premiers épisodes déjà diffusés.

Since the beginning of my collection (2007), I had  several blues. I told myself several times I would stop. Once I even told myself I would stop if I found 10 reasons to. I found 10 reasons but I was still collecting… I am really weak. This reasons were:

1 – the custom duties (in France)… it’s rather “classical”. It’s true we should pay the VAT (about 20%)  but the administration costs are too high. Besides, note that the custom officers have specific method to convert currencies and the value is sometimes much expensive than the real rate.  The final price can have+50%. What a shame.

2 – the exchange rate. The Global Financial Crisis completely devalued the  Euro. It makes the prices more expensive. Some other crisis (eg the Greek crisis in February 2010) do not help and I have always the feeling to be in a unfavorable context.

3 – The deliverymen and the local post do not take care about the parcels. That’s a kind of urban legend: do they play soccer with the parcels? Anyway, several times the deliveryman fold my parcel to make it enter in my maibox and the box of the figure was damaged. Baka baka baka !

4 – the differences between the prototype and the final version. Sometimes the painting or the sculpting are not like on the pictures of the prototypes… and they’re not better of course. Then it can be too late: either the parcel has already been sent, or the shop does not cancel orders. Examples:  Shiki Ryougi (Kimono) by GSC for the painting and Canaan by GSC.

5 – the disappointments with the second-hand buying. I bought once a toy that was dirty. I was really pissed off. The real problem is the sellers: some sellers do not describes the defects, some other increases the price or just disappear. They are just perverted collectors imo. Anyway I prefer to pay more and get a new item because of that.

6 – the quoted values. Prices increased for for rare figures (eg Konjiki no Yami and Alice by Alpha x Omega). That is sometimes scaring. As I am concerned I wait for good opportunities: maybe someone who is not focused on earning money? Well anyway I had so many other preorders to pay, and I was not worried with that. Someway that’s the game: one of the pleasures to collect is to see the PVC figures to have a higher price.

7 – the inflation of the release prices. The products are more and more expensive… I understand for some gorgeous PVC figures: the sculpt is sharper so it is harder to produce, etc… but there are some common toys that has the same content and they are more expensive. Example: Odin Seiya Myth Cloth costs 6,000yen while a Gold Saint costs 4,000yen.

8 – lost parcels. I never received some parcels. I thought about several reasons for that because one day someone gave me a parcel that he received in his maibox: the deliveryman gave it to the wrong person. Baka baka baka. Maybe some people just kept them instead of trying to give me them back 😦

9 – no more money. Everybody needs money… and particularly Hikkikomoris. It has been proved in NHK ni Youkoso!

10 – no more space. I know some people throw the boxes and I can’t : it is a part of the figure imo. So I have all my boxes in my room and my bro’s room and we can’t call it a room anymore. The only way is for that was to sell but I am always buying more than I sell.

Lately the 8th reason became “stolen parcels”. The delivery manager brought an empty cardboard with my name and said it was found in a garbage. There are 4 stolen parcels for sure (Registered SAL) and maybe more for the SAL Small Packets. I am really outraged. I don’t know what I did to earn this. I have to write emails, to go at the postoffice, to go at the police station but I feel so blue. The stolen amount is really high and I do not know if I will get any reimbursment.
This story is unfair and makes me wanna be NEET… oh gosh I am already.

My mailbox is not safe anymore. I do know how I can receive parcels right now (EMS is too expensive). Anyway I am not in the mood to collect. I don’t say I will stop: I will limit my orders and will sell. So stay alert.

I wish none of this 10 reasons would be yours but as I am concerned I guess I should go back to my basis: just watching animes, reading mangas and playing video-games.

Here is a review of Mikuru Asahina adult version by Max Factory. I didn’t see lots of her’s: foo-bar-baz… and that’s all 😡

Voici une review de Mikuru Asahina en version adulte par Max Factory. Je n’ai pas vu beaucoup de reviews d’elle : foo-bar-baz… et j’n’en ai pas trouvé d’autres 😡

The titel of this articles comes from some rememberings of my school courses (the reverse supply chain in logistics courses). Don’t be afraid of that, I just want to explain an easy concept.
At the beginning of my toys/figures collection, I bought products following a “normal chain”:
I watch an anime -> I like the anime -> I have a favorite character from this anime -> I buy a figure of this character.

J’ai choisis ce titre en me rappelant de quelques souvenirs de cours de logistique (la reverse supply chain). N’en soyez pas effrayés, le concept qui se cache derrière est vraiment simple.
Au début de ma collection de figurines et de jouets, j’achetais les proders suivant une certaine logique :
Je regarde un anime -> j’aime l’anime -> j’ai des personnages préférés dans cet anime -> j’achète une figurine de ce personnage.

Lately I didn’t know which anime to watch… and I was guided by some crushes on PVC figures: Canaan by GSC made me watch Canaan, Akiha Shishidou by GSC made me watch Sora Kake Girl, the prototype of Mikoto Misaka made me watch Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (21 episodes to be more exact), and the one of Senjougahara-sama made me begin Bakemonogatari.
It’s half-scaring and half-understandable. Someway I would say that my interest for the Japanese culture “evolved” 😮 What about you? :p

Dernièrement, je ne savais pas quel anime regarder. J’ai au final fait des choix en prenant en compte des coups de cœur pour des figurines: Canaan de GSC m’a fait regarder Canaan, Akiha Shishidou de GSC m’a engrainé à Sora Kake Girl, le prototype de Mikoto Misaka par GSC au dernier Wonderfest m’a décidé à visionner Toaru Majutsu no Index ainsi que Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (21 épisodes en fait), et j’ai commencé Bakemonogatari à cause/grâce au proto de Senjougahara-sama.
Vous trouvez ça effrayant ? D’un point de vue personnel, je le considère comme une évolution par rapport à mon hobby pour l’univers de la japanimation. Qu’en est-il de vous ? 😛

Sample pictures from:
Good Smile Company : http://www.goodsmile.info/
dannychoo : http://www.dannychoo.com/
dengeki : http://news.dengeki.com/