To The End Of The Galaxy: 2018

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Sader

Just look at those eyes ♡

Sader is often described as a poorly done bootleg, but she is actually a shanzhai figure. She was never meant to be passed off as the actual Clayz figure she was modeled after, except in the minds of those who only know of her from stories filtered through the lens of anti-bootleg propaganda.

The original figure was a bonus included with a Fate/Stay Night special issue of the magazine Donghua Jidi (動画基地). For a mere 30元 (~US$4), you could get the magazine and a small scale replica of a figure that sells for ¥6,400 (~US$60).

Here's my theory on what happened during the production process for the figure:

The publisher commissions a figure to include as a giveaway for their magazine.

The sculptor is familiar with anime and really likes the 1/6 Clayz Saber figure, so he makes a scaled down version of it for the publisher.

The publisher okays the prototype, and sends it to the manufacturer who has a shallow understanding of anime figures. "Got it. Those big-eyed Japanese cartoon characters for kids, right?"

The production instructions are drawn up, and get handed down to the workers on the manufacturing line. These folks don't know Saber from the Lizard Queen, and have been painting Simpson's figures day in, day out for the past 10 years.

The end result is Sader.

Despite all the scorn that is heaped on Sader, I have a soft spot for her. I kinda wanted the figure, but since I'm only interested in petits, I knew I would have to make my own version.

I started out with a bootleg petit of Fate Testarossa, and removed her twin tails and cut off the back of her hair.

Then I used rubbing compound to remove the eyes from the figure.

I prefer using rubbing compound to acetone or lacquer thinner (the method popularized by Kahotan's Blog) because it does not dissolve the PVC and leave behind a slick melted surface.

Underneath the painted eyes there were red and purple imprints that had leeched into the PVC. Not a big deal since I could paint over the color, but it would cause some issues with how I was going to achieve the half lidded look of Sader's eyes.

I painted in the whites of the eyes, but the eye proportions of a petit are rather different from scale figures so I couldn't really get the proper shape that I wanted. I had to draw in some lines with a Sharpie in order to pull off something approaching a half lidded appearance.

Next I painted in the pupil and iris of each eye, and her mouth. I cut the pointy ends off of her bangs, and added an ahoge made of Kneadatite. I didn't really get the cock-eyed look of the real Sader, but it's close enough for me.

I think I have a small plastic knife from a Warhammer miniature that I can use as a weapon for my Sader petit (if I can ever find it among my many bitz boxes).

Friday, September 28, 2018

Fuurin and the End of Summer

The wind chime or fuurin (風鈴) is often used in imagery of summer, and the sound is associated with the cooling sensation of the breeze on a hot summer day.

The clapper has a tanzaku (短冊) suspended from it to catch the wind so that it can produce sound. The glass is painted on the inside to protect the design from the elements.

The custom of hanging bells outside of buildings originated from China, and was brought to Japan during the Heian period. Japanese articles about fuurin say that it was derived from a Chinese fortune telling instrument called the senfutaku (占風鐸).

One origin story says that during the Tang dynasty, a king suspended precious stones at the four cardinal points in a bamboo grove and used the sound of the stones and direction of the wind to perform divination. At some point, the practice changed to using bells in place of precious stones.

I couldn't find any references to this practice in Chinese sources, but the purported function (both then and now) seems to have been more in line with how bells are used for feng shui (to dissipate negative energy).

The first bells were known as futaku (風鐸), and made of bronze. They produced a deep note that was supposed to prevent misfortune and ward off evil spirits within range of the sound. They were primarily used by temples and the nobility due to their cost.

Pagoda in Gotokuji with bells at corners of eaves.

It is said, that later in the Kamakura period, the first fuurin were developed. These bronze bells produced a higher pitched chime than the futaku.

Glass fuurin appeared in the Edo period after glass-making techniques were introduced to Edo from Nagasaki. At that point, cheap glass products could be produced, making fuurin affordable to the masses.

The sound of the chimes were heard in every corner of Edo, and the glass wind chimes came to be known as Edo fuurin (江戸風鈴) to distinguish them from other types of fuurin such as Nambu fuurin (南部風鈴) and Hibashi fuurin (火箸風鈴).

Fuurin peddler, Meiji 30 (1897)

Fuurin peddler, Showa 8 (1933)

Anyway, I had wanted to get a fuurin for a long time, but could never find any places where they were sold when I've been to Japan. It was only during my most recent trip that I finally came across a small shop in the Satake Shotengai (佐竹商店街) that I was finally able to buy a fuurin.

The shop is called Shinohara Maruyoshi Furin (篠原まるよし風鈴), with the proprietor Mr. Shinohara being a second generation artisan.

The Shinohara family has dedicated themselves to preserve the traditional art of the Edo fuurin, and teach classes on how to make them as well.

I chose a traditional goldfish design for my fuurin, and it is currently hanging in the front courtyard.

Friday, August 17, 2018

Senlin Ascends

I haven't been able to really sit down and read a novel in a long time, so I'm very happy that I found Senlin Ascends and was able to finish the book over the course of two days. It is the kind of adventure story that is set in the type of complex and fantastical environment that I really enjoy, and written by author Josiah Bancroft in a rich but clear style.

The story was originally self published in 2013, then picked up by Orbit Books and released sometime earlier this year.

The tale begins with Thomas and Marya Senlin on their honeymoon to visit the magnificent feat of architecture and engineering that is the Tower of Babel.

The tower consists of an unknown number of levels known as ringdoms, and reaches high into the sky. The outer walls are a quarter mile thick, and the surface of the tower are studded with docks for various types of airships that allow people and goods to ascend the tower without having to make their way up the stairs at the center of the various ringdoms.

Moments after arriving at the foot of the tower, Thomas and Marya become separated, and the remainder of the novel describes Thomas' efforts to make his way up the tower to be reunited with his wife. It may sound a bit like Tower of God in this respect, but the stories are quite different.

Some reviewers have complained about the slow pacing, but I did not particularly feel that there was any need to hurry the story along. I will have to admit that the flashback sequences did somewhat interrupt the flow and tension that was building up at various parts of the story (though I also understand the reason they were used where they were). Others have complained about the nature of the main character, but I think they fail to remember he is more Ichabod Crane than Prof. Henry Walton Jones Jr. (particularly at the start of the story).

I'll just leave it at that, but I highly recommend the book, and can't wait to read the remaining two volumes of the series.

One of the things that I found with this book was that I seemed to recognize some very specific references to other forms of media when I read various passages in the book. I think that some of these are probably intentional, while others may just be the product of my imagination. I guess only Bancroft can confirm or deny my suspicions. In no particular order...

Marya in the classroom

The ~~towel~~ handkerchief is the universal utensil of the seasoned traveler.

The Red Hand(s)

Inside a Crumb house

I went bird watching and saw a grackle.

Monday, July 9, 2018

AX 2018

July is here, and once again I have attended Anime Expo. It was a good show, but I'll have to admit I wasn't as excited about attending this year as I have been in the past.

One of the first things that I noticed upon arrival at the LACC on Day 0 was the uncharacteristic lack of crowds. I think that this was due in part to AX going back to having badges mailed out in advance like in days of yore, and also due to the 4ᵗʰ of July holiday landing in the middle of the week. Of course by the weekend, the crowds were back to typical AX levels, and temperatures were in triple digits.

One of the changes that has been made to AX include the implementation of a new badge swipe system to get in and out of the venue which seems to have resulted in improved flow of traffic. They have also finally started stationing a person with a sign to indicate the end of a queue, which really helps to organize lines. A more annoying change is that they now close the South Lobby off after 10 p.m. They don't even allow people to pass through to get into the parking structure, and force you to walk all the way around the building to get to your car. だせえ!

One strange thing that happened on preview night was that premier badge holders got to use the escalator down to the South Lobby, while the hoi polloi were told to use the stairs. I'm not sure if the premier people got to go through to look at the exhibit hall or something, but I thought it was kind of funny.

The top guests for me this year were the legendary Go Nagai, and Yui Horie.

Go Nagai

Cutie Honey(s)

Yui Horie was promoting the appearance of
Miss Monochrome in SHOWMAKER,
but no photography was allowed during the panel.

I was able to attend more panels during this AX than others in the recent past, so that was nice. I particularly liked the panels held in the JW Marriott because you could wait indoors with air conditioning, as opposed to being outside in the heat. The line for Workshop 1 was particularly bad for anything during the morning or noon because there were no canopies set up like at other waiting areas.

I'll close out the post as usual with cosplay pictures from AX.