Friday, January 31, 2014

NEW BATMAN STATUE - YEAR ONE Maquette ( DVD Movie )



DC Direct just announced a brand-new BATMAN Statue that will be coming out later this year. It's a Maquette Figure based on the BATMAN: YEAR ONE character from the DC Universe Animated Original Movie DVD. Oh man, it's beautiful! I like the retro-style. It was sculpted by DEREK MILLER. This hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain Maquette-Statue of BATMAN will be released on September 27th, 2011. It will measure about 9.8" high x 7.75" wide x 5" deep. Also, it's a Limited Edition. The Retail price will be around $ 125.00. Remember, stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for all your Batman Collectibles News.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Movie Merchandise at Licensing Expo


Just a quick post to share the news that the annual LICENSING International Expo starts today & will run from June 14th to 16th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The BIG news of course is that Warner Bros will be set-up there & hopefully they will be announcing some of the BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Movie Merchandise! Well, at least we hope they do, ha ha! Please stay tuned to the BAT-BLOG.COM for future information. Also, if anybody goes to this event please PLEASE get us some photos!!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

What is the plot for Halo Reach's Campaign?



A screen shot from the Halo: Reach Trailer


What is the plot for Halo Reach's Campaign mode?


Well Bungie is not saying a word about Reach's plot. They never do. They give hints. For Halo 3, it was clear the Master Chief was there to finish the fight. How, we didn't know. All we knew of the plot was that the Covenant had finally found Earth and homed in on found some kind of mysterious artifact located around New Mombassa - many assumed it was the Ark - but no, Bungie was just foxing with the plot. Bless.


Halo: Reach is a little bit different. Bungie hasn't yet given any hints regarding the plot but we know its a prequel so we know where in the Halo timeline it takes place - and lucky for us, there's a novel called the Fall of Reach which is Halo canon, so we can get a indication of what the plot might be.


In essence, the Covenant find the Planet Reach, which is humankind's bastion for all things military and a main point of operation for the United Nations Space Command (it's kind of like Star Trek's Federation) - the Covenant are looking for something that will help them complete their 'spiritual journey'. To get to it, they have to take out the humans.


On a hiding to nothing, the Master Chief sends a group of Spartans to help the battle (i.e. on a campaign!) and defend some cannons which are being used to repel the Covenant onslaught. It would be safe to assume that the game's campaign plot would have something for your character to do in this vein.


The recent leaker of the campaign pictures suggested that the first three levels of the game went like this.


First Level: Find the crashed Spartans
Second Level: Provide cover support for a Spartan who is hacking 3 cannons to provide some kind of cover (which ties in with the Reach novel somewhat)
Third Level: A sniper based level where you attempt to rescue some scientists.


This should be taken with a large grain of salt - this could simply be internet tripe. Don't take it to heart. And even if it was true, Bungie could change anything.


A key element of the Fall of Reach is the end which sets up the events of the original Xbox game, Halo: Combat Evolved. Spartan John 117 and Cortana are aboard the Pillar of Autumn ship, but most of the other Spartans are presumed killed in action as the Covenant do their 'glass the planet thing'.


The AI construct Cortana initiates a slipspace course based on the glyphs intercepted by the Covenant during the battle, the course plotted takes them to a massive ringworld known as we all call Halo, thus neatly preparing the stage for the events of, Halo: Combat Evolved.


It's my pick that this is such a signifcant plot development that it just has to be referenced in a major way in the campaign plot of the Halo: Reach xbox game.


Of course, Bungie could simply choose to tell an untold story that only losely follows the stories! Fan's might be a bit irked though....


What do you think? What is likely to happen on the Reach?



Halo: Reach trailer and dialogue transcript








Here's the transcript of the Halo: Reach Trailer


Remote Scanning Outpost Fermion: Gamma station, this is Fermion RSO. Unconfirmed report of an in-system slipspace rupture.


REACH Orbital Station Gamma: Impossible. Check your source.


[Pause]


Fermion Remote Scanning Outpost : Reading multiple pings below the Orbital Defense Grid.


Gamma Station: Oh, this can't be happening.


Another Station Officer: There's no mistake. It's them.


Commander: Winter contingency has been declared. All units are mobilized and ready.


Spartan-320: This is Sierra 3-2-0, prepped for combat insertion.


[Nuke explosion sound]


Marine: What the hell was that?


Pilot: We're coming in hot. Hold on!


Marine: We just lost our bird!


Another Station Officer: Oh my god!


[Begin chatter; the following takes place all interwined]


Gamma Station: What the hell is happening down there? A city just dropped off my map.


Civilian/Marine: There are people down here!


Marine: We're falling back! Where's our evac!


Civilian/Marine: Indeterminable chatter


Marine: We're getting overrun. We're holding position as long as we can.


[End chatter]


Commander: I need you in that fight, Noble 1. [Pause] Noble 1, come in. Noble 1, do you read me?


Spartan-259: This is Sierra 2-5-9. You got Spartans on the ground, sir. We're not going anywhere.


This transcript is possibly not 100 percent accurate, but its sourced from the Nikon Forums which are usually filled with people who know a thing or two about Halo.


Here's the actual Reach trailer itself:







Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Space Ships of Halo: Reach


Long Night of Solace
The Long Night of Solace was the Covenant super carrier that destroyed the UNSC Grafton in the Halo Reach game and destroyed several other UNSC deployments.


Grafton


Pillar of Autumn
The above Pillar of Autumn was where Halo really first began - as the Master Chief you were woken to fight the Coveant who had found you - so in the context of Reach, the Pillar escapes with Noble 6's help, to which then the Master Chief takes over the protection of Cortana.
Ardent Prayer



The Ardent Prayer was used as part of the plan to destroy the Supercarrier, Long Night of Solace. You may not know that Ardent Prayer is the setting of the Halo: Reach multiplayer map Zealot, and the Firefight map Corvette.

The Space Ships of Halo: Reach (The below was all speculation before the Reach game was released)


You can't have an epic space battle between two different races without one at least having got to the battle in a space ship. Where the Fall of Reach is concerned, the allied forces of the Covenant had a massive armada of ships and the humans had a few too, with perhaps the Pillar of Autumn being the most famous.


So what are the human ships that might be found in the game of Halo: Reach? Here's some of the contenders:


Three UNSC ships, the destroyer Heracles and the frigates Arabia and the Vostok, were sent to investigate the destruction of the Harvest colony by Covenant forces. Only the Heracles survived the subsequent encounter with the Covenent and made it back to the planet Reach.







During the battle of Reach most of the UNSC space ships in the area were destroyed. Some confirmed KIA, others MIA. The Herodotus was a UNSC Destroyer that notably got carved up by an Energy Projector. The projector is a laser that the Covenant used to glass Reach and many other places including a bit of Earth in the game Halo 3 to prevent the spread of the Flood.


Other vessels to fall to the Covenant included the Musashi, the Minotaur and the Tharsis. The Frigate Euphrates also was KIA and the Applebee and the Lark also got pwned. They all might rate a mention in the game.


The Longsword Starfighter bomber Knife 26 was also used:



Longsword
During Reach, a Longsword was used by Lieutenant Keyes destroyed a Covenant Supercruiser. The Longsword delivered a Nuclear Warhead to the ship - it was was an unmanned sortie flight controlled by remote piloting.

During the Fall of Reach, Keyes is in command of the ship Iroquois, in which he showed gallantry in destroying 4 Covenant vessels. This is perhaps ironic given Keyes was unwittingly responsible for the Covenant finding Reach as the Iroquois was tagged by a Covenant Spy Probe which gave them the planet's positioning.

Given this ship had a fairly prominent role in the space battle over Reach, it is possible that Iroquois will be mentioned in the Halo: Reach xbox game - it all depends on the timing of the ground mission of the Spartans as it's understood the game is focussed largely on the ground.

Given the sad fact that the Pillar of Autumn is the only known UNSC space ship to have survived the reach episode, and all other being presumed to have been destroyed (stated in Halo: CE, I think?) the fate of the Iroquois is that it is presumed to have been destroyed as well.






Pillar of Autumn

So the Pillar of Autumn is probably the only space ship that we can pretty much guarantee will be in the Halo: Reach game as it was the ship that found the Halo installation after Keyes followed the Cole Protocol and its the ship the the Master Chief eventually ended up on. In the original Halo: CE, you start and end the game in the space ship - so it must surely be going to feature!

Extra for Experts: Aegis Fate

One keen Halo fan has made a Lego version of the Aegis Fate which although having a larger role in the time frame of the Halo 3 game, during Reach it was on duty protecting Earth.






Aegis Fate made of Lego

Oh, Falls has more than one meaning?




Sometimes I'm a bit slow. I accept that, I was run over by a bulldozer when I was 3 months old and then an out of tune piano fell on me and caught on fire. The fireman who rescued me from the fire tripped and I then fell down a cliff and had to wrestle an alligator with bad breath. So bear with me when I tell you I just realised 20 posts into this blog the pun of Bungie's logo "Halo: Reach Falls 2010".

Whenever I've seen it, I've just figured it means a reference to dropping like Halo: ODST or it was coming in the season of fall in 2010.

But it's not is it? It's a direct reference to the Fall of Reach. Can I spell s.l.o.w?

In other news, Bruce Willis is a ghost in The Sixth Sense.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

What is the plot of The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole?





The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole plot summary


In the beginning, before Halo: Combat Evolved was even released on the original Xbox, Bungie had thought big and organised a book tie in. That book was The Fall of Reach. It's job was to set up the events and plot that had lead to the start of the Halo game. It's author was a chap called Eric Nylund and he went on to write two more of the 5 Halo novels that followed the Fall of Reach.


Halo: Evolutions is a collection of Halo fiction in the 'short story format'. It seems only natural then that Microsoft bought back Eric Nylund to have a crack at a story. 'The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole'


is his take on one of the Halo universe's key characters.



The title itself is most interesting. On the face of, it says nothing. It's almost in the style of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and other book titles that seem to describe the plot.

Players of the original Halo game may remember that the Pillar of Autumn arrived at the Halo, after following the directive known as The Cole Protocol. Named after the protagonist of Nylund's short story, the Cole protocol was itself the subject and name of the sixth halo novel.

The plot of Nylund's story gives an insight into what may have really happened to Admiral Cole as according to the official records, he died...but did he?

-

Clearly, this isn't the full plot summary, it will be here when I've read the whole thing!

Watch the Halo: Reach Trailer from the VGA Game Awards





Halo: Reach Trailer from the VGA Game Awards

Once apon a time, a very short Reach teaser trailer was released that suggested Bungie was going to finally take over the universe with an Xbox game. Nothing else was really spoken about Reach by Bungie since then. They clammed up tighter than Uncle Scrooge. Expectations grew to be as big as since, well, the last Halo 3 announcement

After a month of speculation since it was announced that fans of Halo would see the first true pictures of the forthcoming Halo: Reach game, it can now be watched.

Today, it's finally here, in all its Full Halo Glory (TM), the Halo: Reach trailer:





And the fanboys go wild!

So what does it all mean. What are the secrets and hints contained within the video?

What do you think? Reach - Fly or Die? Ha, that's a rhetorical question for the haters!

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Cutest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle At Comic-Con [Cosplay]


little girl tmnt




Leonardo has never looked so adorable. This little girl at Comic-Con nailed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's costume. She's got the weapons, the mask, and is pretty much ready for battle. )By the way, I think not painting yourself or your kid green when they dress like a turtle is a good decision for everyone.)



Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.



(via EricIGN)


John Barrowman Gets In a TARDIS That’s Smaller On The Inside [Cosplay]


john barrowman sdcc




Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.



(via Tumblr)


Sunday, January 26, 2014

All The Venture Bros. Cosplay You Can Stand


venture bros cosplay top




The popular show The Venture Bros. had a panel at Comic-Con last week, and fans cosplaying characters from the series showed up in droves. They snapped some pictures together after the panel, and it's fun to see a big group like this. They've got Dr. Girlfriend, The Monarch, and so many more. Shots like this are one reason why Comic-Con is an awesome event to attend.



Check out even more after the break.





venture bros cosplay 2




venture bros cosplay 3




venture bros cosplay 4




venture bros cosplay 5




Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.



(Illumosated via LATFG)


This Little Kid Knows How To Deal With Daleks [Cosplay]


tiny doctor and dalek




Look out Daleks of the universe, tiny children know how to take you down! You should all be very afraid. Allen Harris spotted this little lady Doctor at Comic-Con, and she's obviously not scared. She has her trusty sonic screwdriver at the ready, and if it doesn't work she'll just take down the villain with adorableness. I wouldn't mess with her!



Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.



(via Allen Harris)


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Bleach: Inoue Orihime 02


bleach cosplay - inoue orihime 02


I've recently shown a nice cosplay of Inoue in her Shinigami disguise... Now how about a school uniform version?



She has the most striking blue eyes I've ever seen... Although her eyes are supposedly brown in the manga and grey in the anime series... Hm...



I forgot to mention before that Inoue is actually an orphan in the Bleach series. She apparently ran away from her abusive home along with her older brother, Sora. Orihime was bullied when she was a child because of her hair, so Sora decided to give her hairpins. Orihime refused to wear them, thinking they were childish. Unfortunately, on that same day, Sora was killed by a car accident, and Orihime wore the hairpins ever since.



Anyway... Isn't she cute? Fair white skin!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, bleach, cosplay, cosplayer, orihime, inoue, shinigami, healer, sora, anime, manga

Ragnarok Online: Sohee (and a side rant)


I've been seeing a couple of blogs taking my articles... without giving me credit..! It's made me a little upset... even though the pictures are not all mine (the picture of Zagato was taken by me), all the writings in this blog were done by me, and I give credit to the people who cosplay as well as the photographers...



I wish people who post my articles on their site would give me credit too. Otherwise, plagiarism is still stealing...



ragnarok online cosplay - sohee


Anyway... Enough ranting! I went to Flickr to search for some cosplay photos and found something recent... Comiket 72 was held in Tokyo Big Sight last 17th to 19th of August this year. A particular album by a-mole caught my eye with its fabulous gallery of cosplays! This one I love, because Ragnarok Online is a pioneer MMORPG game!



Sohee is actually a monster in Ragnarok which, if you're lucky, you can capture as a pet! I haven't played Ragnarok Online before, so I'm not entirely sure about what a Sohee is and what it can do... I do know, however, that this cosplay is really done well!



Here is a short description of what a Sohee is from Wickedly Cute:



A sohee is a monster that can be found on level four and five of the Payon Caves. According to Ragnarok the Animation the Sohee (along with Bonguns and Munaks) were once people of old Payon City and the reason for their aggression is that the Moonlight Flower disturbs their souls and will not let them rest. With a Silver Knife of Chastity you can tame and hatch a Sohee egg for your own cute-pet demon virgin.



Thanks for sharing us your gallery, a-mole! I'll post other pictures I like from him soon. Make sure you check out his gallery when you have the time!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, plagiarism, stealing, rant, cosplay, comiket72, comiket, 2007, sohee, ragnarok, ragnarok online, mmorpg, monster, pet, payon, payon caves, bongun, munak, payon city, moonlight flower, silver knife of chastity, a-mole, zagato, magic knight rayearth, wickedly cute, fanlisting

Friday, January 24, 2014

Trinity Blood: Cain Nightroad


trinity-blood-cain-nightroad.jpg




The elder twin brother of Abel Nightroad and the main Antagonist of the story, Cain is the oldest of the Test Tube Babies who was once the beloved leader of the Mars Colonization project.



Because of an accident, his younger brother Seth injected him with Crusnik nanomachines, a sort of vaccine that turns normal humans into vampires that feed on the blood of other vampires. This saved Cain's life, but it also drew him into insanity. His decision to support the Vampire Returners and to murder prototype Lilith Sahl angered Abel and Seth, killing Cain in the process. But it seems even turning Cain's Crusnik body into ashes is still not enough to stop him, as he is able to regenerate later on in the series.



This is a most impressive cosplay of Cain! It's rather controversial that Cain looks angelic and Abel looks demonic, when the two of them play opposite roles! But you really have to love the details of his armor!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, trinity blood, cain, nightroad, twin, brother, seth, abel, marshmallow, colonization, project, crusnik, vampire, blood, insanity, vampire returners, lilith, sahl, regenerate, controversy, angel, demon, armor

Lucky Star: Shiraishi Minoru and Kogami Akira


lucky star cosplay - shiraishi minoru and kogami akira


I'm so sorry for not updating over the holidays... I've been quite ill for a while, and no one wants to spend the holidays sick in bed... But that's how I spent my Christmas. :(



Anyway, I found a bunch of pretty awesome cosplays, and it's a nice welcome for the new year to post a bunch of them to start of with, right?



This is the one I saw that was most amusing. You see, in the anime "Lucky Star", there's a special segment at the end of the show called "Lucky Channel". The girl, Akira, is apparently an idol who can be super cute when she's in the mood, and a huge pain when she's mad. Minoru is her assistant, who became more famous than Akira, though this picture makes it look as if he's trying to get a spot in the limelight!



Pretty accurate cosplay! Lucky Star rules!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, lucky star, lucky channel, shiraishi, minoru, kogami, akira, photobucket, holidays, christmas, new year, 2008, cosplay, idol

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Fruits Basket: Souma Akito


fruits basket cosplay - souma akito


People who only watched the anime of Fruits Basket will argue that Akito should be cosplayed by a guy, but the manga reveals that she is actually a girl! I was pretty shocked when I read it... She probably doesn't want to be a girl because she despises them, saying that they are sneaky creatures that seduce the male Juunishi away from her.



The reason why she is basically the head of the Souma Clan since she is considered to be the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac, so her word is absolute. She's also very sickly, and the anime mentioned she only has 30 years to live, though I've never seen that in the manga.



This is an awesome cosplay of Akito! Very accurate, though I'm not too intimidated by her...


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, fruits basket, souma, sohma, akito, mangaka, anime, chinese, zodic, juunishi

xxxHolic: Watanuki Kimihiro and Ichihara Yuuko


xxxholic cosplay - watanuki kimihiro and ichihara yuuko


This is probably one of the best cosplays I've ever come across!



Then again, I tend to say that about all the cosplays I feature here don't I?



Watanuki Kimihiro is an ordinary student in an ordinary world... But he has a secret. He can see ghosts, demons, and spirits! He meets Ichihara Yuuko, a time and space witch, who claims to have to ability to grant any wish, for a price! And what price does Watanuki have to pay to grant his wish to never see spirits again? Work in Yuuko's shop as a part-time job, which includes cooking, cleaning and other household chores!



I really love Yuuko in this picture... Watanuki as well! Thanks to DigiBook for sharing this picture!


Technorati tags: nanano, research, xxxholic, watanuki, kimihiro, yuuko, ichihara, time and space, witch, wish, price, digibook, cosplay, demon, ghost, spirit, photobucket

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Air Gear: Simca


air gear cosplay - simca


Simca is the leader of the Genesis group from Air Gear. She wants to gather all the Kings and their Regalia in order to conquer the Trophaeum Tower and acquire the Sky Regalia. It is also perhaps because of this that she has taken a great (somewhat romantic) interest in Minami "Ikki" Itsuki because she believes he is destined to become the legendary Sky King. She was able to convince him to take the lead on Genesis after Kogarasumaru's triumph over Behemoth.



This is a very convincing cosplay of Simca the Swallow. Love the costume and the attitude. Great cosplay!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, air gear, simca, genesis, swallow, kings, regalia, trophaeum tower, sky regalia, sky king, ikki, minami, itsuki, kogarasumaru, behemoth, cosplay, cosplayer

Lucky Star: Izumi Konata


lucky star cosplay - izumi konata


The stereotypical otaku (anime lover) character in the series Lucky Star, Izumi Konata is fun loving, athletic girl who prefers her hobbies over studies and sports. Since she needs a lot of money to keep up with the latest anime and manga series, she works part time in a cosplay cafe.



Parodies of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi can be seen in this anime while Kona-chan works in the cafe. In one episode, Konata cosplayed Haruhi and danced the signature ending theme song. Ironic, considering Konata and Haruhi have the same seiyuu (voice actress), Hirano Aya, and yet you wouldn't have noticed if you don't read the end credits.



Cute cosplay! She got Kona-chan's expression perfectly. Even that one strand of hair sticking out on top. Nicely done!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, otaku, lucky star, anime, manga, izumi, konata, kona-chan, cosplay, cafe, cosplayer, seiyuu, voice actress, aya, hirano, the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi, suzumiya, haruhi

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Gensomaden Saiyuki: Cho Hakkai


gensomaden saiyuki / journey to the west cosplay - cho hakkai


Probably the most level-headed member of the group, Cho Hakkai is the 4th Member of Genjo Sanzo's group. He is formerly known as Cho Gonou, a school teacher who loves children and his beloved Kanan. Unfortunately, his life changed significantly when Kanan was kidnapped by the Hyakugenmaoh, a demon tribe.



He attempted to rescue her and was successful in killing of a thousand yokai (demons), turning himself into a demon as well. However, his rescue ended in failure as Kanan killed herself in front of him, saying that she is no longer worthy of him for carrying the child of a demon within her.



A sad story, but Hakkai eventually found solace with Sanzo's party. He's usually the one who has to make sure everything is in order and that the other members don't end up killing each other. His demonic self is controlled by the 3 ear bands he wears on his left ear. Once removed, he is said to have enough power to rival Goku's.





Technorati tags: nanao, research, cho, hakkai, kanan, gonou, gono, genjyo, genjo, sanzo, gensomaden, saiyuki, hyakugenmaoh, demon, yokai, tribe, manga, anime, suicide, kidnap


Get Backers: Fuchoin Kazuki


get backers cosplay - fuchoin kazuki


The scion of the noble Fuchoin family, Kazuki is often mistaken for a girl being that his fighting abilities emphasize on "grace". His feminine looks come as an advantage to his job as an information seeker, making him one of the most knowledgeable characters in the series. He is often naive when it comes to the people he chooses to associate with, because he trusted Saizou Tofuin and Uryuu Toshiki even after they betrayed him. This undying form of trust is also what makes his true friends stay loyal to him. He uses koto strings as his primary weapon, and is so good that he is given the title "Prince of Fear".



Obviously, this is a girl cosplaying Kazuki, but the characters does look and act like a girl anyway. Wonderful cosplay!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, anime, manga, get backers, fuchoin, fuuchouin, kazuki, koto, stingy, bell, cosplayer, grace, information seeker, annaiya, saizou, tofuin, uryuu, toshiki, prince of fear, naive, loyal

Monday, January 20, 2014

Lucky Star: Izumi Konata (Seiyuu, Hirano Aya)


hirano aya - izumi konata smile


It's one thing to have a cute cosplayer portrayer the anime character, but how about a cute seiyuu (voice actress) who looks like the cute character?



This is Hirano Aya, the seiyuu behind Lucky Star's Izumi Konata. I'm not entirely sure about the story behind this picture, but you can't deny her smile looks like Konata's.



Aya is a voice actress and a J-pop singer in Japan. She has had many roles in TV commercials, visual novels, and of course, several anime series. Hello Kitty fans will also recognize her as the voice behind Emily in the 2007 animation film, Hello Kitty: Apple Forest and the Parallel Town. Aya is also the voice behind Suzumiya Haruhi, whom Konata cosplays as in the series.



hirano aya - anime version in lucky star


All in all, I'd say Aya is pretty famous in the Otaku (anime fans) circle. In Lucky Star, she even made an appearance in the anime itself, shown in the icon on the left. I think the real Aya is a lot cuter though.


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, aya, hirano, seiyuu, lucky star, konata, izumi, the melancholy of suzumiya haruhi, suzumiya, haruhi, voice actress, j-pop, singer, hello kitty, hello kitty: apple forest and the parallel town, apple forest, parallel town, otaku, anime fans, anime, manga

Saiunkoku Monogatari: Shi Seiran 02


saiunkoku monogatari / color cloud palace cosplay - shi seiran 02




Another cosplayer of Shi Seiran, but this time, in his full body armor. He became the official bodyguard of Ko Shuurei as ordered by his majesty, the emperor Shi Ryuki, which is actually his younger brother. Ryuki would want nothing more than to give his palace to his beloved brother, but being he was exiled, doing so may cause another war, something both of them do not want.



I think this cosplay is more accurate than the first one, although Seiran's hair color can be interpreted both ways. This is the proper length and style though.


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, saiunkoku monogatari, shi, seiran, ryuki, bodyguard, ko, shuurei, majesty, emperor, war, exile, hair color

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Gyakuten Saiban 4: Lamiroir

gyakuten saiban 4 / ace attorney apollo justice - lamiroir / thalassa gramarye / arumajiki yumi


Warning: This review has a lot of spoilers for Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney). You have been warned!
A famous singer from Borginia, Lamiroir has a little secret. She has no idea who she really is, and she's pretending to be "normal" when she's really... blind. Her assistant and pianist, Machi Tobaye stays close to her and pretends to be the one who is blind in order to avert suspicions from himself. It is later reveled in the series that Lamiroir is actually Arumajiki Yumi (Thalassa Gramarye in the English version), the only daughter of Arumajiki Tensai (Magnifi Gramarye) and the mother of Odoroki Housuke (Apollo Justice) and Naruhodo Minuki (Trucy Wright).
Beautiful eyes... I wonder what she looks like without the mask?
Technorati tags: nanao, research, gyakuten saiban, ace attorney, apollo justice, gyakuten saiban 4, borginia, lamiroir, blind, machi tobaye, arumajiki, yumi, thalassa, gramarye, tenasi, magnifi, odoroki, housuke, apollo, justice, naruhodo, minuki, wright, trucy, cosplay, cosplayer

Loveless: Agatsuma Soubi 02

loveless cosplay - agatsuma soubi


Beloved's Fighter, Agatsuma Soubi, is a 20 year old art student who used to attend Shichisei Gakuen, a school for fighters. Ritsuka's brother, Seimei's true name is Beloved, as Ritsuka's is Loveless. Under Seimei's orders, Soubi became Ritsuka's fighter, despite it being considered taboo. Eventually, Soubi abandoned the name altogether and operated under the name Loveless.

Wow... this cosplayer looks like he/she jumped out of the Loveless anime or manga. Really love the hair and how it was styled. I think this cosplayer is a girl though, but that doesn't matter much since Soubi looks like a girl..?

Technorati tags: nanao, research, loveless, agatsuma, soubi, shichisei, gakuen, art, student, manga, anime, cosplay, cosplayer, ritsuka, aoyagi, seimei, beloved

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Naruto: Uzumaki Naruto 05


naruto cosplay - uzumaki naruto




Since I didn't number the other Naruto cosplays I had up, I didn't know that I already have 4 Uzumaki Naruto Cosplayers, and this makes the 5th one.



This is also one of the popular cosplays I found on the Internet, namely in Photobucket. You've got to love the snowy background on this one too. Although I think it was Photoshop-ed. I can't tell for certain though.



Either way, beautiful cosplay. Which one did you like best? One, two, three, four, or five?


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, ninja, uzumaki, naruto, cosplayer, photoshop, snow, background, internet, photobucket

The World Ends With You: Sakuraba Neku


the world ends with you cosplay - sakuraba neku




From one of the popular games in NDS, "The World Ends With You" comes Sakuraba Neku. He is a quiet boy who prefers to listen to his music than interact with other people. But Neku is no ordinary teenage boy, he has a strong imagination that allows him to use "psychic pins".



The picture is a little over-exposed, but it's convincingly Neku. I love the hair and the headphones..! No wonder his nickname is "Phones". Good job!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, the world ends with you, world, end, neku, sakuraba, music, headphones, phones, psychic pin, imagination, nds, nintendo

Friday, January 17, 2014

Lineage II: Gatekeeper Jasmine


unknown cosplay 006




Here is another unknown cosplay I've yet to figure out. Looking for her information took up some time, but I still came up with nothing. I can't remember where I got this image from, but it might have been from Cosplay.com... Or was it Cosplaylab.com?



Not sure, but whoever knows where this character is from, feel free to comment and/or send me an email.



And yes, this is the 6th. The 5th one I'd already found out who she is before I posted it as an Unknown. ;)



EDIT: Thanks you very much to Soyoungim for commenting that this is Gatekeeper Jasmine from Lineage II!



EDIT again: Thanks to anon for directing me where the image came from! The cosplayer's name is Erika Door!


Technorati tags: nanao, reasearch, cosplay, cosplayer, cosplaylab, unknown, character, black

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Rei 02


evangelion cosplay - ayanami rei 02


She is the First (Child) Children, the pilot of Unit 00, and the clone who is a vessel for the Angel Lilith. In the beginning of the series, Ayanami Rei seemed like an emotionless puppet who apparently only had a relationship with Ikari Gendo. However, when she met Shinji, something changes, even though Asuka wants little to do with her.



It's been a long time since I featured a cosplay from Evangelion. I love the wig used for this one, it looks so natural. Great work!


Technorati tags: nanao, research, evangelion, ayanami, rei, angel, lilith, puppet, vessel, clone, first, child, children, pilots, unit 00, ikari, gendo, shinji, asuka, soryu, langley, cosplay, cosplayer, neon, genesis

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Saiunkoku Monogatari: To Eigetsu / Yogetsu


saiunkoku monogatari cosplay - to eigetsu / yogetsu


The shy, intelligent boy who passed the Provincial exams at the age of 12, Eigetsu possesses dissociative identity disorder. He becomes a completely different person when he drinks alcohol, calling himself "Yogetsu". Yogetsu is very good in combat, and slightly arrogant, but he is also very intelligent like Eigetsu.



Eigetsu passes the Imperial Exams at the age of 13 and became the governor of Sa Province along side Ko Shurei, making him the youngest governor appointed to office.



He's one of my favorite characters in the series, next to Seiran and Ryuki. But I still think Seiran should have been Emperor... or ended up with Shurei at least. I've yet to find the second season for Saiunkoku Monogatari, so who knows what happened in the end?


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cospalyer, saiunkoku monogatari, to, eigetsu, yogetsu, provincial exams, imperial exams, dissociative identity disorder, alcohol, combat, arrogant, intelligent, governor, sa, province, ko, shurei, shuurei, seiran, shi, si, ryuki

Darkstalkers: Felicia 02

darkstalkers cosplay - felicia


The similarities of this costume and the first one makes me wonder whether or not this is a pre-made cosplay outfit in Japan. Which really wouldn't be all that surprising with all the cosplayers there.
But even still, I suppose each cosplayer has her own appeal in portraying the character.
So, where everyone's favorite cat girl game character is concern, would you chose this cosplayer or the previous one? I like them both very much. Must be the cat ears...
Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayers, felicia, darkstalkers, japan, cat girl, cat ears

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

I’s: Yoshizuki Iori 03


i's cosplay - yoshizuki iori 03


Wow..! How come all of the the Iori cosplayers are so pretty?



Although... the color of the uniform varies. I'm not sure which color is right anymore, and this one is just... glaringly bright purple. Maybe in the manga it was in this hue?



Anyhow, lovely picture! She really does look like Iori, but I can't decide among the 3 of them. Can you?


Technorati tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, iori, yoshizuki, i's, i"s, manga, anime, uniform, seifuku, purple

Bleach: Neliel Tu Oderschvank 02


Sometimes, I don't understand why people feel the need to Photoshop images when the original is already impressive enough as it is.



Take this for example:



bleach cosplay - neliel tu oderschvank 02


Do you remember this image? This is the original picture of the previous Neliel cosplay that I posted.



As you can see, she is quite pretty. So why would people still want to edit it?



Then again, it may have been merely for Photoshop practice. The edited version was actually made by Deviant Artist, Opeth Metal.



I don't know about you guys, but I think I appreciate this original cosplay more now that I've seen the 2 versions. Metal's photo manipulation was definitely impressive, but I like natural looking cosplays better.


Technorati Tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, bleach, nel, neliel, tu, oderschvank, deviant art, opeth, metal, natural, photoshop, photo manipulation

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Lucky Star: Takara Miyuki

lucky star cosplay - takara miyuki


The well-mannered young lady of the Lucky Star group, Takara Miyuki was the class president for her grade level in her first year. She prefers glasses over contact lenses because she's afraid of putting the lenses into her eyes. Konata often teases her for embodying a large number of moe archetypes.

She makes a cute Miyuki, don't you think? It's interesting to note that she even colored her eyebrows for this cosplay. Nice work! I love her choice in eye glass frames too.

Technorati Tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, lucky star, takara, miyuki, konata, izumi, well-mannered, class, president, glasses, meganekko, contact lens, moe, achetype, frames, anime, manga

Onegai My Melody: Kurumi Nui


It's someone's birthday today in Sanrio, and I know just the present to send her.



onegai my melody cosplay - kuromi / kurumi nui




Kurumi Nui is actually Kuromi's human form. It's incredibly rare to find good cosplays of Kurumi/Kuromi, but this is my pick from the bunch. She even has Kuromi's Notebook in the corner.



Happy birthday, Kuromi! I hope you're not too mad at Hello Kitty anymore. At least there are a lot of people cosplaying you, right? You're quite pretty as a human, no wonder Hiiragi Keiichi fell in love with you!


Technorati Tags: nanao, research, cosplay, cosplayer, onegai my melody, onegai, my melody, kuromi, kurumi, nui, sanrio, hiiragi, keiichi, human, rabbit, bunny, love, birthday, notebook