Happy Birthday Koizumi Hanayo! (1-17-17)

January 17 is the birthday of my best girl in Love Live! School Idol Project, Koizumi Hanayo a.k.a. Kayo-chin. Like what others do on birthdays of their best girls, I wanted to celebrate Hanayo's birthday. I can't do that at home, or just somewhere, because I would look crazy. So I carefully picked where I would do the celebration.

A friend suggested that I go to Red Monster Shop + Cafe, as it is an anime/k-pop themed cafe. Being anime themed, I find it as the perfect place where I can celebrate Hanayo's birthday.

First part of the celebration is from the game, Love Live! School Idol Festival. Of course, I wanted to see Hanayo's message on her birthday. I had Hanayo Chinese dress version, idolized, as the partnered girl, as Chinese New Year is also close.

I had a busy afternoon, so I arrived at the cafe at around 6:45 pm. Finding the cafe is not that hard, thanks to online guides, and their own map. The challenging part is trying to commute to get to Maginhawa Street.

Along the road, my playlist consist of Hanayo solo songs, from the album Wakakusa no Season.

Here are some of the pictures that were taken inside the cafe:
These can also be found in my Facebook account of my otaku self.

I intentionally ordered omurice, so I can write my birthday message for Hanayo. It's still rice, Hanayo's favorite food, except that it's inside the omelette. I brought my own Nendoroid Hanayo, so it would feel like I'm taking her on a birthdate. I could've brought the training outfit version, but I don't have that yet.

Hanayo reminiscing the time she joined μ's.

The cafe has a huge TV. The shop attendant asked me if there is a video that I would like to play. I had this episode on my flash drive, so I had it played. Now shoeing: Love Live! School Idol Project Episode 4. This is the episode which is dedicated to Hanayo, showing her story on what she went through before she joined μ's.

After the episode, Love Live! μ's Live Collection was played, featuring all the animated live shows. As that was playing, I opened LLSIF again, this time to do some scouting. Hanayo only scouting was the promotion.

I always wanted to do this to articulated figs

A lucky scout for this one, I would say. used 100 gems, and got a 3rd UR Hanayo, Christmas set. Her skill is now level 3. Luck ran out when I did 4x coupon scouting though. Got 4 SRs.

I browsed through the shop's items in stock, and I found this fig on sale. Then the store has a special promotion of discount for their items, so I got this one for a low price. I've also been told that this fig is hard to find nowadays. Behold, a new one for my Hanayo collection. And Nendoroid Hanayo is the first to meet her.

Here I am on the shop / cafe, wearing my Hanayo jacket, and with my two figs currently with me. This is the first time I did something like this by the way. I'm having fun, and at the same time, I'm showing my dedication to Hanayo being the best girl of their group.

The best part? I'm the only customer during my stay there. No conflicts on the tv.

But, I'm not yet done. 

In the game, Fire Emblem Fates, I made a file for each path, with the IGN Hanayo. Since birthdays are celebrated in this game, I thought of adding this.

I tried to make her as accurate as possible. Too bad FE Fates has a limited array of hair styles, unlike FE Awakening.

This will always be a wonderful experience. I hope that for next year, I will be able to complete my Hanayo shrine, then it would be a grand birthday celebration.

A Change in "Collector Interest"

Collecting has always been one of my hobbies. Back then when I was on my pre-teen years, I've started a book collection, because I love reading. My first book collection was Harry Potter series. After the series ended, the next series that caught my eye is Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which continued to The Heroes of Olympus. The next series that I'm planning to collect is the Maze Runner series.

But that is not the main discussion of this post.Starting over...

Three years ago, when I first got my Nintendo 3DSXL, my first game is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Then I think this is when a collection was formed. From 2013 to early 2016, I've accumulated as much as 20+ games in DS and 3DS cartridges. The games are mostly RPGs and strategy games, with the addition of some multiplayer fighting and racing games.

I've accumulated that much games because I'm thinking of collecting those with game series. For example, all the Final Fantasy games that are in the Nintendo DS and 3DS. There are also some games that I've bought because these games hold a special meaning in my life. These games are those made by Intelligent Systems, the company known for making challenging strategy games like Advance Wars and Fire Emblem.

I thought my collection is going to last, but during the second quarter of 2016, I have to let go of some of my games. The games that I sold are those that (for me) does not have any value after finishing the main story, and those which I can let go without the pain of losing my save files.

As of this month, these are the only games remaining in my library. These are still plenty, but not as much as I had before I started selling them one by one. I might even let go of some of the remaining ones in the following months.

Insert: Bravely Default (which is borrowed)

Those on the left are games by Intelligent Systems, and I have no intention of selling any of these, especially those two DS games above. These two games are very rare, and is worthy of keeping. Advance Wars was the stepping stone into me playing Fire Emblem. Advance Wars is also a part of my awesome gaming childhood. Intelligent Systems is why I appreciate turn-based strategy games a lot.

Those on the right, Pokemon games, might be sold when the time comes. I might sell them as a bundle, so I could get enough cash to purchase Pokemon Moon. Thanks to Pokemon Bank, I will be able to transfer those from Y and AS easily. What hurts is the effort that I've put into farming battle points, and getting those battle items, since you can't transfer them through the Pokebank.

I haven't bought a new game, since February 2016, because of having a change of interest as a collector. Thanks to collecting "keybies" as the stepping stone, I have taken interest in becoming more serious in collecting anime and game figures. Blog post on keybie collection coming soon.

Late 2014 is when I bought my first game figure. It is Dissidia Trading Arts - Terra Branford, bought 2nd hand. The problem with collecting that specific character is, she does not have a lot of items to collect, compared to other characters of Final Fantasy. This is why I settled for collecting other stuff of her such as custom-made ones.

Only two are legitimate SQEX stuff, while others are custom-made and one is customized.

I've thought of starting collections for other characters, because my Terra shrine will not really be a large one, and I've also taken interest in other characters.

Amiibos of some Fire Emblem characters that also appear in Smash

I've thought of collecting amiibos of some characters, since I can also use them in my games. These four amiibos can be use in three games that I own: Fire Emblem Fates, Codename: S.T.E.A.M., and Super Smash Bros. 3DS. Three of them are given as gift, while I purchased one, and the amiibo reader, because my unit does not have a built-in one.

My first piece in my more serious collection, is a Figma Lucina. Being a character from my favorite game series, I thought, why not get her? And until today, I haven't get her out of the box, because I don't have a space for display (yet).

I have taken interest in Black Magician Girl, blame the anime for giving her a lot of personality, and making her so adorable. I only have one figure of her, and the Figma I pre-ordered might arrive this month.

As I venture deeper into Idol Hell (see details here), I've also started a collection for my best girl, Koizumi Hanayo. I've already got a lot of stuff of her, ranging from legitimate items, to fan-made items bought from artist booths on conventions. There's much more which is not included in the picture below. I will have a more complete picture in the future.

Doing a ritual to get UR Hanayo in SIF.

TL;DR

I used to collect games, but in the second quarter of 2016, I've started selling them one by one, because of change in what I'm interested in collecting. With collecting keybies as the stepping stone, I now collect anime and game figures.

My current figure collection are:

• Terra Branford - Final Fantasy VI
• Black Magician Girl - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
• Koizumi Hanayo - Love Live! School Idol Project
• Some Fire Emblem stuff

Collection that I'm considering to build:

• Kunikida Hanamaru - Love Live! Sunshine!!

I know this hobby is expensive, which is why I'm aiming to finish our thesis this semester, so I can graduate, and start working. Some of these items are hard to find also, which is why I'm really aiming to go to Japan, specifically Akihabara, someday in the future.

Some people think that this hobby is crazy, but at least this is better than doing vices. I don't smoke, and I rarely drink. This collecting hobby is one of my new sources of happiness. I feel that this is fine, as long as I don't overspend just for these.

Nowadays, I'm less of a gamer because of this new hobby. I gave up a part of my gaming library, just so I can continue this new passion that I have.

Welcome to "Love Live Hell"

There is an anime, in which I watched because of curiosity. Many of my friends are sharing posts of this anime on Facebook. A friend of mine also said that once you enter this fandom, there is no escaping it. I jokingly commented that I'm accepting the challenge. Months ago, I watched the series called Love Live! School Idol Project, because I want to know why this anime is so popular. Curiosity kills the cat.

The anime is nice, so nice that I have to resist falling into Love Live Hell. This lasted for a few weeks, until October 2. This is when I finally let go of my restraints, and accept the fact that I'm already in Love Live Hell, thanks to some friends who are with me in a convention. I'm pretty aware that I'm already very late in this fandom.

How deep have I fallen into Love Live Hell? Here are some examples:

1. My phone is filled with songs from µ's.

The name of the main school idol group is µ's. The anime is full of songs, considering the history of this group where they started out releasing singles and doing live shows before having an anime adaptation. When on the road, my playlist would be purely µ's songs, or mixed with my other songs. Some of my favorites are START:DASH!! and No brand girls.

2. I play Love Live! School Idol Festival (everyday)

 LLSIF is a rhythm game for Android and IOS, pretty similar to O2Jam. Just like other mobile games, there is a luck based system for obtaining rare in-game stuff. For this game, players aim to get the UR (ultra-rare) cards, which would help in scoring better on live shows. One and a quarter month into this game, and I got my first UR.

Rings move from the center towards the characters.

My first UR, dated 11/19/2016.

 3. I have a best girl / waifu in the anime.

For some people like me, we believe in having one waifu per game / anime. For this anime, my waifu is..... *cue in drum roll.

Koizumi Hanayo (a.k.a. Kayo-chin)

It took me a long time, just to pick from the nine of them. Each of the characters are unique in their own ways. In the end, I decided to pick Hanayo. Here are some reasons why I picked her over the others:

3.1. I see myself in her.

Hanayo is known to be really shy, and the quiet type. That is how I really am. Believe it or not, this is because of me being an introvert. How do I relate to the second picture? I explore a lot of different things, but I don't specialize in any of them. This is also known as being "jack of all trades".

But when it comes to something Hanayo really likes...

Hanayo then becomes someone who talks a lot, like the loud type. Her shyness also disappears when this happens. This is me when I go to anime / cosplay / otaku / etc. conventions, and socializing with other people. This especially happens when the topic of Fire Emblem or Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI) is brought up.

Hanayo also happens to be a rice lover. As Asians, rice also happens to be our staple food. There's nothing better than rice. Rice is life. If only our local rice can be eaten without any dish. I'm gaining weight because of rice, but I can't help it. Reducing rice intake is difficult, when it is your staple food.

3.2. I find her the most adorable among the members of µ's.

All of the characters of µ's are adorable in their own ways. I was also considering Nozomi, because I find her the most mature member of µ's, or Kotori, because of her cute voice, and her appearance, also mentioning all those Rowlet memes.

In the end, I chose Hanayo above everyone else. She's cute, in appearance and in voice. I love her personality. I adore her more than the other members of µ's.

3.3. We're similar. We both wear eyeglasses

Okay, that is not really a reason to choose her. I already picked her, before my friend told me about this. In a convention, I showed the Love Live fanart stuff that I bought, and majority of them are Hanayo. I told my friends Kia and Denise that my pick from µ's is Hanayo. Then Kia told me something like this. "Hanayo. You also have 'megane' just like her." I'm not sure if that is supposed to be a complement or a joke.

On the side note, this is where I officially fell into this fandom, also thanks to both of them.

4. My phone wallpaper is...

I can also change my laptop wallpaper, but that would be the ultimate betrayal to my "best among the best" waifu which is Terra Branford.

5. The sounds that my phones produce are...

a. message tone: "Dareka Tasukete!" - Hanayo's signature scream which roughly translates to "Someone help!"

b. call ringtone: START:DASH!! (2nd years version) and No brand girls for the two lines I use.

c. notification sound: "Zura?" - Hanamaru of Aqours saying zura because of her dialect. She is from Love Live! Sunshine!!

6. I would like to make a collection dedicated to Hanayo.

This is related to my new hobby (to have a separate blog post) which involves being a collector. As I have just started with this, I only have one at the moment.

Koizumi Hanayo - Korekara no Someday

by

Furyu

I've searched for some more, and I'm planning to buy them in the future. All for my love for Hanayo. (Well, that's what collectors do right?) Here are some of my aim for next year.

A CD, seriously? Yes, I'm serious about this. This is an album which contains songs sung by Hanayo in solo. Just imagine the opening theme song, but it's just Hanayo you hear.

 Nendoroid Koizumi Hanayo - Bokura wa Ima no Naka de

Nendoroid Koizumi Hanayo - Training Outfit Version

These two Nendoroids are really cute.  There are other changeable parts which are not shown in the pictures. Hanayo is the reason why I got interested in Nendoroids (somehow).

Figma Koizumi Hanayo

I've been thinking of using this for a diorama contest, just like what I've joined last June during Toycon. I just hope the theme for next year would fit what I currently have in mind. Figma Lucina and Figma Black Magician Girl would be involved, if the contest theme would be the right one.

There are some more to add to the collection, like the ones made by Sega, and Hanayo - Love Wing Bell version. I won't be placing them all here because there are a lot more.

This is how deep I am now in Love Live Hell, and it's bound to get deeper. Is it that bad? I don't know. I've known people who are deeper into Love Live Hell than me.

Cosplay Mania '16 - Wanted: New Companion

Two years ago, I've started showing up on different conventions which involves toy collections, anime, cosplay, and etc. Last October 1-2, I went to Cosplay Mania, and this, no doubt, is the convention that I enjoyed the most, when in comparison to other conventions that I attended for the year. I attended both days of the event, and it was totally worth it!

The thing I like about this convention, are the cosplay. It's fun seeing your favorite characters. In my first convention two years ago, I would be happy when I recognize the characters. For some instances, I would even socialize with the cosplayers, when we have the same interests.

Here are some of the shots taken by me at the convention.

Hana (Kazahana in JP) from Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright


Although many people do not like this character, it's nice to see cosplay of the most recent Fire Emblem game. Seeing cosplay from Fire Emblem is good enough, as most of the cosplay on conventions are from anime. Kazahana actually is my waifu for FE:Fates Birthright.

Shidou Hikaru from Magic Knight Rayearth

Two words. Childhood crush. My younger self would be very happy.

Neku Sakuraba from The World Ends With You

One of my favorite shots, and I even have to edit this for maximum effect.

Johnny Bravo

A blast from the past! Main character of one of the famous shows of Cartoon Network back in the 90's.

The Final Fantasy X squad.

This is what makes cosplay fun, group cosplay!

I always wanted to try cosplay, with a group of Fire Emblem characters. Sadly, this plan got ruined two years ago, for the same convention, because of some reasons, and then I had trust issues.

Batman V Superman

Parenting done right! This kid attracted the attention of crowds. He's dragging a superman mannequin around the hall, and steps on a tomato pillow thing. The fruit is labeled "Rotten Tomatoes", the "true" enemy of the DC universe.

The different cosplay in the convention shows that there's no such thing as "outdated" in cosplay. As long as you love the character you cosplay, why not?

Apart from the cosplay, there are also other activities which can be done, mainly from sponsors.

Answer the question correctly, and get a "medal", and some souvenirs. This is from NHK World channel. I always get the hard topics, and have to do it three times before I answered correctly (with luck). At the same booth...

A pic with Domo! There's also the Domobics, where you do acrobatic exercises with Domo.


Like every other conventions, I always leave the event with some hauls. Most of these are from the fanart section, where there are stalls which sell their art in the forms of keychain, bookmarks, button pins, and etc. Requesting an art for commission is also available there.

I shouldn't have this many stuff, but because of me recently getting into another fandom, Love Live!,  my haul increased drastically. In fact, half of these stuff are from one fandom only. Could've been more, but the art stores ran out of my favorite character of this fandom.

For the next convention that I will be going, I would wish for a new companion. Why? I have a friend who goes with me to conventions, but as the time flows, I don't think he's the right one for company. I'm kinda fed up with how he behaves during these events.

He criticizes people, and sometimes loud enough that people might hear him. It also feels like he's complaining about everything in the convention. I was with him during the first day of Cosplay Mania, and I've heard enough. He would say things like, "That cosplay is not accurate enough", "The cosplayer is not even pretty", and stuff like that. Little did he know that the first time I attended this convention two years ago, I would appreciate any character that I would recognize, and take pictures.

He also complained that most art booths contain Love Live! stuff and Mystic Messenger stuff, and he has harsh words when it comes to hating.. I hope he realizes that sometimes it is better that he just shut his mouth, so he would not hurt others. What he had done is ruining the mood. I'm supposed to be enjoying, and now I also have to deal with him.

Going back to my haul, my Love Live! stuff were bought at Day 2, because I do not dare buy them with my friend around, which is why some stuff of my favorite character ran out of stock. If I did, I would have to deal with his hate comments. I tried explaining in a calm way, how this certain fandom became so popular, but this does not seem to convince him. He could just say that it's not in his books, but he would go too far by saying "yuck".

I would like to say to him, "Walang basagan ng trip." which roughly translates to "Don't ruin what others want." Each of us have different likes, so just respect each other and appreciate each others' fandom. Even once, I did not bash any of the fandom he is into.

As for cosplay, in my opinion, I would cosplay a specific character, because of how much I like/love this character, and most cosplayers would do the same. Even though the cosplay is not perfect, people put their heart into that character, and that's what cosplay is all about.

And again, here I am saying that I need a new companion when I attend these conventions.

Characters I Adore (From Facebook)

I saw this picture on Facebook, and I thought, "Why not?". There are a lot of characters to adore anyway. This could be fun.

I saw that others just comment pictures on their post. I like to make this more interesting by adding why I adore these characters.

I'm just hoping that I will not run out of characters. Also, please note that they are not arranged in any manner, well, except for the first one. Also note that for characters from anime series, I use their Japanese translated names rather than their localized names.

If there are changes in the number of likes on my Facebook timeline, I will be updating this.
Current like count: 13

1. Terra Branford - Final Fantasy VI

There's a very long explanation on why I chose her. Long story short, she's my game waifu. I will be posting a complete explanation in the future, on my gaming blog.

2. Ophelia Dusk - Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest / Revelation

She's the daughter of my Owain (Odin Dark in Fates), favorite guy in Fire Emblem: Awakening. She's so adorable, and she speaks just like her dad. Others may find that weird, but I actually like her manner of speech. She is my waifu in Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest route.

3. Hana - Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright / Revelation

She is the retainer of Sakura, a princess of Hoshido. She may be a tomboy, but she's whom I picked as my waifu in Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright. She may have a lack in self-restraint, causing other players to dislike her, but I find her adorable nonetheless. Who wouldn't want someone who is better than most of Hoshido's troops?

4. Black Magician Girl - Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

She is one of the special cards in Yugi's deck, and she has a lot of personality. First seen in the battle against Pandora, she plays an important role throughout the different arcs, until the finale. She's like my waifu of the anime, because I don't find anyone else more adorable than her. I'm actually planning to build a collection of her, starting with the upcoming figma of her.

5. Nowi - Fire Emblem: Awakening

I'm actually fond of Manaketes, people who can turn into dragons. What's the best part for Nowi? She's so cute, yet she can be a dragon. She's my waifu in Fire Emblem: Awakening. Her childish personality is one of which made me like her. More details on why she is my choice in the game can be found in this post.

6. Celes Chere - Final Fantasy VI

She is my second favorite in Final Fantasy VI. She may be the serious type, but she can do unexpected stuff like singing in an opera. The opera scene is one of my favorite scenario in the game (although vocals does not exist in the game). She goes through a great development as the game progresses, and becomes a strong character, notably during the World of Ruin.

7. Ilyana - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance / Radiant Dawn

Ilyana is my favorite character in the mentioned games. She's very adorable, and she is just like me, always hungry! I remember when I first recruited her, I made sure to always use her so she can fight well on the endgame. If only there is an avatar in the mentioned games, I would have married her (or at least, reach the highest support level if marriage is not possible).

8. Elsa - Frozen

From Toycon 2016

Long story short, I'm such a fanboy for Elsa, and I can't seem to let it go (pun intended). I liked her a lot, from when I first watched Frozen.

9. Sakura - Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright / Revelation

This cute little sister of the avatar is the reason why I chose Birthright over Conquest, during the game's launch. Thanks to the trailers, I was able to make my choice even before the game released in our region. Sakura is one of my choices as the waifu(?) for the game (explanation of this contains spoilers), but I ended up choosing Hana over Sakura.

10. Nah - Fire Emblem: Awakening

Nah is the daughter of Nowi (and in my case for the game, mine also). I grew pretty fond of Nah for the same reason as Nowi, manaketes. If I would pick from the child characters of the game, she would be my first choice. She's adorable like her mother, although she does not act her own age. She is more mature than her mother.

11. Shidou Hikaru - Magic Knight Rayearth

She is my favorite from the three main characters of the anime. Although she is known to be a tomboy, she is still cute. She is one of my childhood crushes (well, I don't remember if there is anyone else). I've rewatched the anime, and kinda got jealous when she and Lantis are to end up together.

12. Airy - Bravely Default

She is a non-playable character who acts more of the party's aide. Though her personality may be annoying, she is actually cute. Well, until you find out the truth about her. Don't worry, I'm not gonna spoil that here.

13. Patamon - Digimon Adventure

Partner of Takeru, Patamon is my favorite Digimon from the main characters, since childhood. Cute, yet he evolves into one of the best in the series, HolyAngemon! The way I see it, he put WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon to shame during the battle with Piemon.