Tag Archive for anime

Animal Crossing New Horizons – Squid Girl Cosplay Code

ACNH Squid Girl Cosplay Able Sisters Code

Here is another custom design code for a cosplay I created in Animal Crossing New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch: Squid Girl cosplay dress.

I like to wear this with the white Knit Hat, which is the closest thing I could find to Squid Girl’s squid head/hat (my custom design attempts for the hat didn’t work out too well). Make your hair blue with a long hairstyle and wear white shoes, such as the Mary Janes, with short blue socks (such as light blue Vivid Socks).

ACNH Squid Girl Cosplay Able Sisters Code

I’ll be posting a few more custom designs for ACNH today, so stay tuned!

Animal Crossing New Horizons – Elfen Lied Nyu/Lucy Cosplay

ACNH Elfen Lied Nyu Cosplay custom design code

I know I made this same cosplay design for for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but I decided to just redesign in for ACNH instead of importing it via my old QR code. Just enter the design code or my creator code into the kiosk in the Able Sisters’ shop.

ACNH Elfen Lied Nyu Cosplay custom design code

I haven’t found any socks or leggings that really work well for this cosplay in ACNH, but the monotone Striped Socks are probably the closest. The red Mary Janes work well for shoes. Use a pink hair style, though there aren’t any purple hair ribbons to complete the look (at least not yet. Hopefully Nintendo will add some more items in future updates).

10 Reasons Why Jigglypuff Is the Ultimate Cat Pokémon

Is Jigglypuff a cat?

Jigglypuff is the ultimate cat Pokemon in the series. Here are ten reasons why.

10 Reasons Why Jigglypuff Is the Ultimate Cat Pokémon

I know what you’re thinking: “Jigglypuff is a ‘balloon Pokémon,’ not a ‘cat Pokémon!’” I, personally, don’t see why this Pokémon couldn’t be classified as both. Jigglypuff is obviously a cat. This pink puffball Pokémon perfectly exemplifies what it means to be a cat, in both looks and behavior. Allow me to explain.

Read the rest on LevelSkip.com

The 10 Best Yuri Anime Series

Top Ten Yuri Anime

Yuri anime features lesbian relationships between two female characters. Here is a list of the top 10 best Yuri anime series.

The 10 Best Yuri Anime Series

Yuri is a term for Japanese anime and manga featuring lesbian relationships as a main plot point. Yuri focuses may focus primarily on the sexual orientation or the romantic orientation aspects of the relationship, or sometimes both. Yuri is also sometimes called shōjo-ai, or “girls love,” by the Western fandom

Yuri as a genre has its roots in the Japanese lesbian fiction of the early twentieth century. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that lesbian-themed works began to appear in manga. More Yuri-themed content began appearing in both manga and in anime in the 1990s. Yuri anime and manga continues to be popular with both male and female fans.

Many Yuri anime series focus primarily on the romantic aspects of the relationship between two female characters. These series may feature relationships between two younger girls, such as middle schoolers, or adult women. These types of anime series are suitable for all ages. There are also “adult” series that are more focused on the sexual aspects of such relationships between adult women, which should only be watched by adult viewers who are interested in watching that type of series.

Read the Rest on ReelRundown.com

Elfen Lied – Anime Review

Elfen Lied

Here is a review of the anime series, Elfen Lied, that I wrote. This is one of my favorite anime series, and I have watched both the dubbed and subbed versions several times.

A Review of the Anime Elfen Lied

Though many reviews of the anime series Elfen Lied on the Internet criticize the series as being little more than senseless violence and nudity for the sake of shock value, I have found that there is much more to this series than the surface level shock content. Elfen Lied is an excellent anime series about the darker, and often inhumane and inhuman, side of humanity.

Elfen Lied is a short anime series about a race of mutants, called Diclonii. Diclonii, as a species, are highly motivated to kill human beings and destroy all of mankind in order to create a new world for their own species. Diclonii are mutated humans who are born to humans who have been infected by a Diclonius. The main physical differences between Diclonii and humans are that Diclonii have two horn-like protrusions coming out of their heads, as well as invisible “arms” called vectors, which they can use to manipulate objects around them. Diclonii often use their vectors to kill their human victims.

Read the rest on ReelRundown.com

Subbed Vs. Dubbed: Which Is the Best Way to Watch Anime?

Should you watch anime subs or dubs?

Anime subs and dubs each have their own pros and cons. Is either subbed or dubbed anime better to watch overall? Or are there some instances where the dubbed or subbed version of an anime series is better?

Subbed Vs. Dubbed: Which Is the Best Way to Watch Anime?

If you spend any time in the anime fandom, you have likely run into the age-old “sub vs. dub” debate. Anime fans often argue whether anime is best viewed in its original Japanese, with English subtitles, or dubbed over by English-speaking voice actors. Hardcore anime fans, or purists, tend to prefer to watch anime in it’s original form with the original Japanese voice acting preserved, even if they do not understand the Japanese language. Other fans prefer to hear the dialogue in their own native language so that they can enjoy the animation rather than focusing on reading the subtitles. Both types of anime fans have specific reasons for preferring one over the other.

Read the Rest on ReelRundown.com

Pumpkaboo Cosplay and Nyancon 2015

pumpkaboo cosplay 1

We went to Nyancon this past weekend. Nyancon is a free one-day local convention at Lakeland Community College. Even though it is small, only lasts one day, and has free admission, Nyancon is still better than some paid multi-day conventions I’ve been to (I’m looking at you, Shinbokucon!).

There were a lot of different panels going on at any given time, so there was almost always something interesting going on. There were also several different screening rooms, though we didn’t check any of them out (I’d rather spend convention time doing other things, and watch anime at home). The only thing I didn’t like was how crowded the dealer’s room got. The aisles were way too narrow for the amount of people there.

My favorite panel that we went to was Pixlbot’s Retro Game Challenge. It started off with the contestants playing Super Mario Bros. 1-1 with a dance mat instead of a controller. After that challenge, they had to play through several pretty evil Mario Maker levels created by the panelists.

pumpkaboo cosplay 3During the week leading up to Nyancon, I decided to put together a Pumpkaboo cosplay to wear to the con and for whatever Halloween events I end up going to. The only new thing I made just for this costume was the headband. I also used the cape I made for my Dragon’s Crown elf cosplay, the boots I got for my Skyrim cosplay, a brown skirt and vaguely medieval-looking belt I already had, an orange dress I bought just for this cosplay, a belt, and two potion bottles filled with yellow sand tied to the belt. I thought potion bottles would be the coolest looking thing to use to represent the yellow circles on Pumpkaboo’s body for a human version of Pumpkaboo. It’s sort of like a Pumpkaboo-themed witch! I also got a pumpkin basket and tied to amber potion bottles too it and brought my Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist plushies that I made last year for Halloween. I thought it turned out pretty good for being mostly a closet cosplay.

Lately I’ve been enjoying gijinka types of cosplay (well… just Pokemon) more than regular cosplay. It’s fun to think of how to design a human outfit for plant- or animal-like characters than to just try to match what a character is wearing.

pumpkaboo cosplay 1 Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist

Anyway, Nyancon was really fun, despite being so small. I think I like smaller conventions better than the larger ones anyway. Smaller cons are less crowded, more relaxed, and have much shorter lines. They tend to be more fun, as long as there is enough interesting programming to keep everyone entertained.

Midoricon 2015

Midoricon-Sylveon-Cosplay-1

We went to Midoricon over the weekend. This was Midoricon’s fourth year, as well as the fourth year Hans and I attended. This year we cosplayed as Inklings from Splatoon on Friday and part of Saturday and Pokemon for the Pokemon events on Saturday. I was Sylveon and Hans was Lucario again.

I didn’t bother making a whole new cosplay for this con this year. I adapted my Sylveon cosplay a bit to be more weather-appropriate. With as many layers as my Sylveon costume was, I didn’t want to overheat in September. I didn’t use the top layer of the costume, and attached the bow and tail to the under layer. I think it still looks cute this way!

For the Inkling, I just used my Inkling hat that I bought on Etsy and a pink polo shirt and workout shorts with a pink stripe. I brought my Splatoon squid plushie to the con so that I’d at least have omething I made myself for this costume!

Midoricon-Sylveon-Cosplay-2 Midoricon-Splatoon-Inkling-Girl-CosplayMidoricon-Splatoon-Inkling-Girl-Cosplay

Midoricon-Sylveon-Cosplay-with-KyubeyMidoricon is a lot different than most other conventions. It takes place at a lodge in a state park. For the past two years it has been at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio. It is a lot less crowded and more relaxed than other conventions and there are a lot of outdoor events. Midoricon is my favorite convention that I’ve been to, and if I had to pick on con to go to a year, this would be it.

That said, I think it was better last year. It seemed like there were less people there this year, which makes me worry that the organizers might decide to stop doing this convention. They pushed the date back a few weeks this year, so it might have conflicted with people going back to school. 

We got there Friday night, so we missed the Live Action Mario Kart event, which was earlier in the day. We did get to do the Live Action Pokemon Snap on Saturday, though.

Midoricon-Sylveon-Pokemon-CosplayI think there were fewer Pokemon cosplayers at the Pokemon photoshoot and Pokemon Snap event this year. It was still fun, though. It’s hard to not have fun being a Pokemon in a game of Live Action Pokemon Snap!

They had the Pokemon Gym Leader Challenge event again this year, but it was on Sunday. We didn’t participate because it was after we checked out from our room and we didn’t want to have to change into regular clothes in the bathroom. I feel like they really should have had all of the Pokemon cosplay events on the same day, so that people could just stay in costume for all of them. 

Midoricon-Vendors-Room-LootThe dealer’s room was awesome, as always. I got a Kyubey plushie, a pink sheep plushie, and a rainbow narwhal plushie. The dealer’s room was smaller than at other cons, but it still had plenty of cool stuff. I managed to find two of the specific things I was looking for (Kyubey and the Amuse sheep plushie). Like at all cons, there were some good deals and some overpriced items. Luckily, my phone reception was good enough to compare prices online!

 Midoricon-Kyubey-with-Splatoon-Inkling  Midoricon-Kyubey-with-Splatoon-Inkling

I’m hoping that next year they take everyone’s feedback into account and make Midoricon even better. I would really hate to see such an awesome convention go down hill. I hope to be able to attend Midoricon for years to come!

We’re going to be a Nyancon this weekend too. It’s a free one-day convention at Lakeland Community College. I will be there as Pumpkaboo if I can get my last-minute cosplay ready by this weekend.

Sailor Venus S.H. Figuarts Review

Sailor-Venus-Figuarts-Heavy-Metal-Snapseed

This review is on the Sailor Venus S.H.Figuarts figure. Sailor Venus has always been my favorite sailor scout, so of course I jumped at the chance to get this awesome figure of her.

She comes with her Sailor V mask, different interchangeable faces and hands, and Artemis the cat. She can be displayed in many different poses and her joints and the paint applications look great.

Sailor-Venus-SHFiguarts Sailor-Venus-Figuarts-with-Artemis

The stand is a bit awkward. It has a clasp to hold onto her leg instead of a peg and a hole on her back like most figures I have. She falls over occasionally because of the stand design. It is also more difficult to swap out her face and hands that on some other figures I own, such as the Nendoroids. Sometimes, it also feels a bit awkward to try to pose her.

Sailor-Venus-Figuarts-with-Hello-Kitty-POP

I briefly considered trying to collect all of the sailor scouts, but that would get far too expensive, so I will most likely stick to just this one. If they ever make one of her in her Sailor V  outfit, I might get that one as well too. If Good Smile ever comes out with Sailor Moon Nendoroids, however, I just might have to collect them all.

Sailor-Venus-Figuarts-Heavy-Metal-Snapseed

I do wish she came with some more accessories, however. Her transformation pen or wand would have been nice. Still, Sailor Venus is an awesome figure and she is worth getting if you are a fan of Sailor Moon.

Tasty Peach Studios: Nomwhal and Disapproval Meowchi Plush

I preordered the Nomwhal and Disapproval Meowchi from Tasty Peach Studios back in April, and they finally arrived in the mail yesterday!

Before I talk about the latest items I purchased from this company, I feel like I should give a bit of background. Tasty Peach Studios is a small company based in Indiana that sells items featuring cute Japanese-inspired characters. They offer a variety of plush toys, t-shirts, jewelry, and more. They sell their merchandise on their website and at various anime conventions. I’ve only purchased their plush toys, so I can’t comment on the rest of their adorable items, though I’m sure they’re just as awesome as the plush.

Most of their plush toys seem to be based on food. Their main line of plush, Meowchis, are mochi kitty cats. They also have plush dolls of several other food inspired characters, as well as Zombie Alpacas. The first plush I purchased from Tasty Peach Studios was the Kyandi llama plush, and I’ve been in love with their plush characters ever since. Eventually I caved and bought the Strawberry Meowchi too. It’s a super cute pink cat! What’s not to like?

Nomwhal

Nomwhal-front-TPSI was super excited for the Nomwhal plush when it was announced. Nomwhal is an ice cream cone narwhal. It is the perfect companion for Kyandi, the cotton candy alpaca. It looks like vanilla ice cream covered in strawberry syrup and sprinkles. Its horn is an ice cream cone, of course.

He is made of super soft minky fabric. The main part of his body is pure white and he has pink on his back and head with embroidered sprinkles. The pink color is a darker, more hot pink shade of pink than the pictures on their website and Facebook page.

Nomwhal-from-Tasty-Peach-StudioHe is kind of awkwardly shaped, and it is difficult to get a good picture of him that shows his face and body details. I guess that kind of goes with the territory of being a narwhal though! His awkwardness is part of his charm! (I keep calling him “he.” Truth be told, I don’t know what gender Narwhal is supposed to be. It is pink, but I think of it as a “he” for some reason.)

Nomwhal is quite a bit bigger than the rest of the plushies from Tasty Peach Studios. It measures 15 inches long. At $35, it is also the most expensive plush they currently offer. If you are a fan of large plushies, it is well worth the price.

Disapproval Meowchi

Nomwhal-and-Disapproval-MeowchiDisapproval Meowchi started off as an April Fool’s day joke. Due to high demand, Tasty Peach Studios opened up preorders for it so everyone who wanted one could actually get it. It’s grey and its face is the “look of disapproval” emoticon. ಠ__ಠ

He is just a hair bigger than my Strawberry Meowchi. He feels slightly more densely stuffed than the Stawberry Meowchi as well. The fabric on each Meowchi also feels a little bit different. I’m not sure if this was intentional or if they switched manufacturers at some point. I have a Lychee Meowchi ordered as well, and I’ll compare all three of them once it arrives.

Strawberry-and-Disapproval-MeowchisMeowchi’s are pretty small. They stand at 5.2 inches tall. As with all of the limited edition Meowchis, Disapproval Meowchi was $25 (the regular “flavors” are $20 each). This seems pretty steep for such a small plushie. They are made of high quality minky fabric, however, and have beans in their bellies to help them to sit upright. Still, for the price I would say that they are more collectors items for adults/teenagers than toys for small children. Disapproval Meowchi’s face alone makes him worth the $25. The only thing I don’t like is the tag placement. It covers his face too much when it is facing down the right way.

A few more things

Tasty-Peach-Studios-plush-toys

The gang’s all here! At least until my Lychee Meowchi arrives!

I was a bit disappointed that it took so long to receive my plushies. The shipment for the Nomwhals came in on time in July. I wasn’t aware that it wouldn’t be shipped until my Disapproval Meowchi came in as well since I ordered them together in one order. After inquiring about it, they said they won’t ship items separately if you ordered them together. The shipment containing the Disapproval Meowchis (as well as the Lychee and Mango Meowchis) was delayed by customs, so I had to wait almost two extra months to get my Nomwhal as well.

Considering how much they charge for shipping (not to mention the costs of the products themselves), I would have thought that they would make an exception for preordered items, and just ship them as they came in. If the shipping costs really are that big of an issue, some kind of acknowledgement that they actually appreciate their customers would have been nice (such as a coupon code for my next order or some small trinket or something!).

Instead of appreciation for the people who preordered, I noticed on their Facebook page that they were starting to get a bit rude to customers who asked about their preorders over the last few weeks. I understand that it can be annoying answering the same questions over and over again, but not everyone reads every single Facebook post or knows to scroll to the very bottom of their website and click on a tiny, tiny link to read the FAQs. Normally Tasty Peach Studios seems friendly to their customers on Facebook, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt this time and assume they either let someone new respond to customers on Facebook, or that it’s just a one time thing do to the stress of getting these items out.

That said, I will still likely buy more plushies from Tasty Peach Studios in the future. I will just try to be careful about ordering multiple items at once if they are preorder items. I plan on getting their Pug Wonbon plush when it is released, as well as a Unicorn Meowchi and Rainbow Meowchi if they ever release plush of those characters.