Dream C Club sold out in the Osaka and Kobe

(tags game, gal-ge, sexy, Xbox 360, Dream C Club, ECsite)

By Sunday afternoon, all the stores I visited in the Osaka and Kobe areas (7) were sold out of Dream C Club (ドリームクラブ). Either the shipment was small, or there was a real demand for this gal-ge cabaret sim. The Famitsu 4 reviewer rating wasn't so high though, at 24 out of 40.

No I don't want to buy it, yet.

Update: Senaka Otaroad blog confirms it in ドリームクラブ完売店が続出 「思った以上に売れまくった」.

Anibro Gamers (re-)opens in Nanba

(tags store, ecsite, Osaka, telephone card)

The Broccoli Gamers store in Nanba was reborn as Anibro Gamers Nanba (アニブロゲーマーズなんば店) on 2008-05-31. The first two days of the reopening was a madhouse. The line for the register snaked all around the inside of the store. I planned to get the job done on Saturday, but I was T+15 minutes arrival which meant I couldn't get this 200 set limited edition exclusive telephone card. So I checked the merchandise and debated coming in on Sunday. It only costs 1000 yen to travel to Nanba (round-trip). Aw yeah.

On Sunday, I played it safe and arrived an hour and a half before the store opened, which meant the loitering started at 0900. Actually no one lined up at that time, so I roamed the bright morning Nipponbashi. When I got back after the 15 minute stroll, there was an unorganized scattering of young 'uns, most of them with PSPs and the occasional DSer. Jumping into the informal line that blocked the Family Mart entrance, I was able to get some DJ Max Portable 2 gaming in. Through the Gamers entrance I scoped the latest concert DVD by Yui Horie (堀江由衣) which looks very good except that she doesn't move from one spot. I always think she's weak of constitution and this doesn't change my mind.

When the store opened at 10:30, I scrambled to nab the items I selected, which included another copy of the Pop Wonderland Alice figure. Unfortunately it was gone, however I picked up some CDs that I've been back-burning. I cleared the 5000 yen minimum limit to get the telephone card pictured above. Also they gave out a free omiyage box of sweets. Never trust take candy from strangers, especially Gamers. I tried one and it was waxed chocolate. Ugh. I took a picture of the wrapping and threw out the crud.

Books Lashinbang Kobe Sannomiya opens

(tags failure, telephone card, ecsite, doujin, Kobe, anime, manga, character goods, 200803, Shining Wind, Estrian Odyessy, CD)

On Saturday I woke up early but played the FFTA. Then I remembered Books Lashinbang Kobe was opening today. I need to put these things on my calendar. And I need to review my calendar every day. :-/

Anyways I got there 5 minutes before, and the line was somewhat okay, probably about 100 people in front of me. I was able to get in around 10:30 AM. I headed straight for the telephone card (TC) cases which were in the back. It goes without saying that it was packed. I couldn't see over the other people lining up there. I didn't see anything I really wanted, and I started to peruse the rest of the store, bouncing off fellow otaku. Still I didn't want to exit just yet so I headed back to the TC cases again. I then decided to get the two TCs pictured here.

The bottom right TC is that PlayStation 2 game Shining Wind related illustration with beautiful, lovely Kureha in a miko dress. WIN. I've seen it before at Books Lashinbang Osaka and K-Books Osaka and the price is the same over there. Might as well commemorate the shop opening with something special.

The second TC at the middle left is a DS game Etrian Odyssey II (世界樹の迷宮II 諸王の聖杯) which was an exclusive to Akihabara-based game store Messe Sanoh. The game itself was release just two weeks back, and according to the description, it's a "classic RPG" with manual mapping (whoa). Emulate the grid paper on yer DS. I don't care about the game, but I love the illustrations and wallpaper. The illustration theme is receiving a belated Valentine chocolate from the (tsundere?) blond hair gunner (job class) chick. What a cute "Jack Frost" badge. I don't even think she has a name. I scoped this same card at the Telecard Paradise Osaka store for like 4500 yen, so maybe its a deal. Also, the game comes with a soundtrack with that Insert Credit sound artist favorite Yuzo Koshiro (古代 祐三) and others. The cover illustration is again the blond hair gunner. Nice nice maybe I'll get the game nice nice. No.

I also bought some cheep manga: Kyoushiro to Towa no Sora volume 1, and CDs: the Loco Roco single and Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Goodbye" single for Final Fantasy XII. I have the over-sexy Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora CD case holding my Xbox 360 discs, but I never explored the story until now. Also this is the first time I've seen a store selling Quo Card plastic sleeves. Quo cards are a different size than TCs so you can't reuse the TC plastic sleeves for them.

It's too bad I decided to get the stuff late, because I was only able to get the exclusive clear file pictured above. If I was perhaps 10 minutes earlier, I could have got the exclusive TC (with slightly more horndog illustration, rawr). Doh. I really wanted something related to Kobe because heck I live here. The illustrator is 憂姫はぐれ先生（サークル：WIRE FRAME）. I suppose this link is NSFW, but it's not up now.

There seems to be some other specials, centering on telephone cards. Goodie. Take for example this one, a Card Captor Sakura TC set "celebrating" the re-release of the manga a year or two ago. I did check the price. Each card is 3_5000 yen +. A little steep, don'cha think?!?

I went to the store again this Monday evening and there's a healthy crowd of people there looking and buying. I was hoping that the Kobe-only exclusive card was available, because net auctions rip hard. No luck.

Here begins another store relationship. This location does seem to have a lot of interesting things and good selection, for now. I do hope they expand their TC selections. I want more stuff with daishi (台紙, lit. card backing) and more all ages stuff like Di Gi Charat. I am not interesting in the eroge TCs even though they are rawr.

Tora No Ana expansion as well

(tags ECsite, doujin, Kobe)

I wasn't paying attention, but the doujin shop Tora no Ana Sannomiya (Kobe) closed its doors for a week to prep for a big renewal. They are expanding their space by incorporating the truly massive adjoining room. It opens today. I thought I could get more information from a web page, so I didn't snap any pictures. But here's a map:

image originally from Center Plaza West Building 3rd floor

The previous configuration was pretty much male-oriented (or in the parlance of the new meme now, MAXIMUM RISKY, which is great re-purposed Japlish BTW). I'd see some women try to enter the store, probably from the overflow of the more women-friendly Animate, but pretty much leave without anything in hand. The new space will hopefully hold more all-ages goods (yeah right) and dedicate some space to fujoshi (that's more like it).

I can't recall what the space was before. Perhaps it was a blood donation center or an anime trade school? Hm.

This expansion and similiarly the recent Melonbooks Sannomiya expansion recent and Books Lashinbang new store, already strengthens Kobe-Sannomiya Center shopping area as the otaku epicenter for the Hyogo prefecture. Of course we've had Hobby Base Yellow Submarine, Animate, Gamers, and even a maid cafe. Now all we need is Mandarake and K-Books and there'll be no stopping the funk. Eew.

Second floor is for otaku too: Books Lashinbang Sannomiya

(tags ecsite, doujin, Kobe, anime, manga, goods)

Passing through Animate, I got my copy of Comic Blade and I'm going to read Fairial Garden as soon as I log off. Oh wait how do I segue into the main theme of this blog post. Uh:

My stroll from Animate on the third floor of the adjacent building goes through the second story of Sun Center Plaza. Of course I'm heading for Melon Books on the way to my bus stop. But the new store right next door caught my eye. Books Lashinbang will be opening a Sannomiya branch. I was so enthusiastic that I took pictures with my own camera. Melon Books in Sannomiya is strictly retail and new doujin stuff, and Books Lashinbang is pre-owned reselling of character goods, doujin and stuff, in other words, used sales, so I don't think they'll be stepping on each other's toes.

image originally from Center Plaza 2nd floor

Lashinbang is more interesting to me. I always go to the Osaka branch to check out the "premium" telephone cards. I hope they carry some here. Oh yeah they will. The only place to buy collectable telephone cards is at a store beneath Animate on the second floor, but they have some skanky ones. 840 yen for a card? Where has it been? :-)

Frankly I need to sell off some doujinshi that I just don't need. I didn't have a good place to do it in Kobe, but now with Lashinbang I don't have to haul it all to Osaka. Guess who's going to be there on opening day? (2008-03-01 Saturday) :^)

edit: added map. I like maps and editting with Paint.NET.

Auction sniping from afar: Sekaimon JP <--> USA

(tags online, auction, ECsite)

My Japanese teacher mentioned that Yahoo Auction JP and Ebay USA are teaming up to make a "worldwide" auction site called Sekaimon. Currently it's just Japan and USA only.

I remember that Yahoo Auction USA left the market this year, but Yahoo Auction JP has strong traction in Japan. The service, starting today (but currently down, ha) will allow Yahoo Auction JP users to bid on Ebay (USA only?) items. Coming next year, Ebay USA users will have the ability to bid on Yahoo Auction JP stuff. There will be a company translating the item details for each auction. Prepare for "make your time" language shenanigans.

How shipping will be done remains to be seen. Given most Yahoo Auctions I've seen are domestic only, this Sekaimon better have a shipping service that makes it easy on sellers.

Overpriced Speed Stack Timer

(tags game, Rubik's Cube, ECsite)

Never go to Toys 'R Us on a weekend, especially in December. OMG, is it crowded with the young and the parental. I was hoping to find a Rubik's Magic, which MegaHouse will be republishing soon (thanks Rubik Cube Diary ルービックキューブ日記), but there was none. Of course there isn't any because there isn't a release date listed. But it doesn't stop me from visiting the store to check out the special Rubik's Cube display and the bargain binned video games.

I looked at the store flyer and I noticed something I wanted, a Speed Stack timer. Unfortunately it's only bundled with a "Speed Stacks Stack Pack", which is 5000 yen. I don't care about Speed Stacking and I think that hobby should just go away. Rubik's Cube is much better. :-p (I kid I kid!)

Still what this Speed Stacking company has done is commendable, which is creating the timing devices for Speed Cubing contests. But as you can see the stacking cups only kit is 1800 yen, and the DVD is priced at 800 yen, which makes the remaining items of timer and mat a 2400 yen value. Come on now.

I checked their online store and the timer only item seems to be missing from the Japanese part, but available (not updated?) in the English version. Bleh, 4000 yen for the additional features of memory and a connection port to the competition LED display.

Let's just stick with the competently full-featured, de facto standard JNetCube program on my computer for timings, okay?!

Old man habits win the war: Idolm@ster Birthday Goods "Miki" Figure Pre-Order Battle

(tags ECsite, figure, game, Idolmaster)

Got up this lazy Saturday morning at around 0800. I quickly tested the buy link, and it was golden so I got my pre-order through. The end of February will be posing madness! :^)

The 2ch thread (permanent copy) showed that the service started working again at around 0400. Good I didn't try to stay up that long. One puzzling thing is that they mentioned a pre-order count. I don't see a number anywhere. The last person's comment is especially appropriate: 「昨日仕事休んで挑む必要なかったwwww」 but I wanted to take a day off anyway.

Idolm@ster Birthday Goods "Miki" Figure Pre-Order Battle: YOU FAIL IT

(tags ECsite, figure, game, Idolmaster, failure)

Don't bother reading the whole thing... I lost the battle. :-(

----boring details----

1755: I prep my browsers for the online purchasing. Turn off the proxies. Turn off the bittorentting.

1758 and 40 seconds: I start a Rubik's Cube session.

1759 and 52 seconds: I almost finished my Rubik's Cube solve, but last minute panic makes me lose my concentration. Just one more move, but my hand starts moving toward the mouse.

1800 and 1 second: My browser was sitting on the pre-order link, so I click it.

oh it's in my cart! ...waiting...

1815: Um, is this thing on? I try resetting my browser's proxy setting, sending a ping to the host, etc. No go.

1823: http://www.happinetonline.com/ is not responding. It's the proverbial "slashdotting". shop.765.jp/idolmaster which is the referring link is also down. :-(

1827: I start blogging this post to past the time in between pressing F5.

1833: let's see if 2ch have any other people complaining. I never use 2ch so I just do a search. Yup. Only one person gloating about it.

1845: Oh, i was able to get it into my cart and start putting in my billing info. But now it's not responding again. :-(

1904: Still not responding. From 2ch: 「無駄な一時間だった」 Yer. I'm wondering if I'm going to spend another hour on this. Heck, why not.

1914: I've already started a JNetCube session and finished two solves. Still no response from the browser windows. Some people are already "giving up", but that's not going to deter me.

1923: Response, billing info input, submit...! no still not responding.

2014: Response... no its down again.

2045: Billing requires you to put in the equivalent of a ZIP code but when it goes out to that server the session times out... Still pressing. Maybe I should have registered as a Happinet luser?

2110: getting tired of typing the same thing over and over. I tried to register, but it dies in the same way. Grr.

2122: It's teasing me now, because the cart display is fast, but the billing page is timing out

2132: Now it's totally dead again. Hm. I need to eat something. I've bookedmarked the "add to cart" and "become a member" in both browsers' link bar.

2136: 「ただ今、ハピネット･オンラインは大変混み合っています。」 An actual replacement message for the whole store is now up. Naw that's just the message for saying the servers are slagged and they've taken the whole store offline, muhhahah. Uhh. Now I can get something to eat.

Idolm@ster "Birthday Goods" series

(tags game, Idolm@ster, figure, ECsite)

The last time I bought the Idolm@ster limited edition game, I missed out on the concert (raffle) and the good looking Miki Xbox 360 faceplate. This time I'm determined to be up to date on these goods.

That means keeping a eye on the Official Goods Shop. While researching the last post about the upcoming L4U game, I stumbled across the latest of the "Birthday" series (「バースデー記念企画グッズ」シリーズ), which is this fabulous "HappyBirthday! Miki! 11.23" promotion (星井美希リミテッドドール)

Excellent! This "Miki Hoshii" posable figure has a really cute face. Idolm@ster is really about playing with figures, polygon or otherwise, isn't it? I don't like the hinges on my figures, though. I can't seem to mentally block that out.

This is a online shop promotion for the limited edition game bundled with the figure, which makes it 2_6040 yen. Thus, the figure itself is around 1_6000 yen plus. The company who makes the figure is none other than Mega Hobby, who makes the "Action Figure Collection" posable doll series. I did get the Tsukuyomi "Hazuki" AFC posable doll (AFC 「月詠-MOON PHASE-　葉月」) for about 1_5000 yen retail about a year back, so that makes the price... understandable?

Talk about overpriced useless crap. (/me orders two)

Actually, only 3000 of these sets will be available. Since Idolm@ster fans have money, lots of money, and this figure is more decent than the Azusa Miura figure, I expect that the pre-order system which starts 11/16 next friday 18:00 will crash and I will be robbed, again. Maybe I should take next Friday off, because a salaryman shouldn't be hitting refresh 16 times a second from the company network.

Turn away but I'll be back: Ace Combat 6, Kyon no Imouto figure

(tags game, ECsite, Xbox 360, Wii, figure, anime, sexy, loli)

Yesterday evening I had a chance to pick up Ace Combat 6. Though I love the trailer and demo, I finally decided not to pick up the game due to a short comment from destroy tokyo. Besides I haven't played a flight game (not sim) in a long time, and my idea of flying is AfterBurner II. Also I like the 2D freedom of FPS like Halo 3 and Crackdown.

The Super Mario Galaxy demo movie which was playing at the new arrival area (thanks Senaka Otaroad) stopped me for a couple of minutes. There's just something about flying through space hanging low over a lava planet that looks spectacular. Galaxy Force II, anyone? But I don't have a Wii and I won't buy one just yet. Plus it made me feel guilty about not finishing Mario Sunshine.

I have to go to the shop again. I waste too much time just loafing around shops looking for things to buy. Stupid me. Anyway, I guess I have to pick up the Famitsu Xbox 360 magazine since it's selling out due to Ace Combat 6 and Idolm@ster special info. As an aside, I am looking at Idolm@ster auction goods and tickets for an upcoming live in Osaka and/or elseshere go for 2_0000 yen plus. If the Xbox 360 was cheaper I bet you it reign with Idolm@ster alone!

And the shop must have my pre-ordered figure "Kyon no Imouto" from FREEing. It's a 1/4 scale figure of Kyon's little sister in a bunny suit, part of the FREEing series, and based off of the Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsuu anime. I totally forgot about it and Akiba Blog reminded me (also Senaka Otaroad). As FooBarBaz puts it, it's cute but "pretty immoral". Um.... 9000 yen. You know I'm all about the bunny suit.

I suppose I need to balance this out by buying the other figures in the series (official pages: Mikuru, Haruhi, Tsuruya-san, Kyon no Imouto, Yuki), but the only other ones I want are the "Mikuru" and "Yuki", and even still, they are not smiling which is :-/ (sentence ends here).

Pink and lavender left-overs: PlayStation Portable "slim"

(tags PlayStation Portable, ECsite, purchase)

Today was the general release of the PlayStation Portable PSP-2000, the one I like to call "slim". Though I wanted to get one, I didn't bother. To tell you the truth, money is tight, because its Xbox 360 time! All colors except rose pink and lavender purple were sold out at my favorite shop. The tuner was also available.

Missing lines

(tags PlayStation Portable, ECsite, game)

Instead of trying to buy that Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Limited Edition PSP "lite" pack, I went to work (ha ha). So I missed The Lines (thanks Geemaga Blog).

Won a chance to purchase a Pikachu DS Lite!

(tags game, hardware, Dual Screen, ECsite)

Oh yeah! I won a chance to purchase the Pokemon Pikachu DS Lite (ポケモンセンターオリジナル ニンテンドーDS Lite ピカチュウエディション)! Effort pays off! Here's the postcard back and front (personal information hidden, of course, by telephone cards):

I thought I didn't win early last week because the announcement was supposed to start on 7/9 (Monday). So the whole week, I have been checking the mailbox, but dreading the disappointment. I even started looking at Yahoo Auction JP for it. Friday the thirteenth, though, was my lucky day.

The sticker on the back of the postcard is probably to protect against counterfeiting, since it has a hologram on it. Also, the postcard is numbered. My number is a 5 digits, so maybe they have a lot of these.

Now, should I take a day off work to get it on the first day? (2007/07/20 Friday) Hm, no.

The word is shunsatsu

(tags game, hardware, ECsite, Final Fantasy)

I swear that anybody that wanted a Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings Sky Pirates Edition could have gotten one, if they were around the Kobe area. Senaka: OtaRoad blog mentions that FFXIIRW:SPE was already sold out. "Shunsatsu" (瞬殺) Yes, I keep forgetting this word, but this is what I meant with that 'virtual "theft"' post.

There are limited edition PlayStation Portables

(tags game, hardware, PlayStation Portable, ECsite)

My new favorite RSS feed, PSP GadgetZ, had an article (Japanese) on the PlayStation Portables available from the PLAYSTATION Signature site. I was ignorant of the special edition PSPs "TSUKIMI" and "KACHOFUGETSU", but they are sold out. Personally I like the TSUKIMI design, because it is black and gold.

Virtual "theft": Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu - Yuki white bunny exclusive figure by Chara-Ani

(tags figure, order, anime, ECsite, failure)

This figure went on sale at 2007/04/18 21:00:00 +0900. (Picture is from after sale)

This is what my shopping cart showed at 2007/04/18 21:00:25 +0900.

The item sold out. In 25 seconds (or less).

Obviously I need to hit the refresh button faster than say 3 times a second? Or open multiple browsers? Or have multiple Internet connections? Or move to Tokyo and leach their broadband? Give me a hint here please. orz

Well, I already missed the opportunity to match my "Mikuru" white bunny girl figure with the "Haruhi" white bunny girl figure and this "Yuki" white bunny girl figure during the normal ordering period. So I can't mimic blog Kansaitei at all. Would you bet that Kansaitei will be making a trio photo-expose page to go with the "Mikuru" & "Haruhi" and "Mikuru" pages?

Other related thoughts: I saw offline the "Haruhi" black bunny girl figure at a glass box store, but going for 2_2000 yen because it was a convention exclusive. I suppose I could get the "Yuki" red bunny girl figure. Nah, it's important to match the colors.