あけおめ 2018

Since I was in Tokyo during New Year's Eve, I figured that I would participate in hatsumode (初詣) at Kanda Myojin.

We arrived at about 21:30 and it was a balmy 3°C. A line already formed from the shrine and down the street.

I bought some amazake to warm us up from the Meishu Center next to the shrine. This branch of the sake promotion chain just opened up over the summer.

When the countdown to the new year was completed, the crowd began to move, and everyone filed into the grounds of shrine.

Unsurprisingly, there were many Love Live fans in the crowd. Some were readily identifiable by the jumbo nesoberi plush dolls they carried, while others were more low key, but I could overhear them talking about their favorite Love Live characters.

The crowd outside the shrine was even larger by the time we left.

On the walk back to the JR station, Akihabara's Chuo-dori was lined with itasha. I'm not sure if this is a regular weekend event, or if the owners were there for hatsumode.

Comiket 93

I've always wanted to attend Comiket, but I always felt it would be selfish on my part when travelling in Japan with normals. This time was not particularly different, but being in Odaiba on the weekend that Comiket 93 was being held, and with time to kill until sunset so we could view the nighttime illumination of the Rainbow Bridge, we went to take a look at day 2 of the event being held at Tokyo Big Sight.

The cosplayer section was off to the left of the entrance, and extended over to the lower level.

Photography in the lower level seemed more in line with what I was familiar with at events in the U.S., where photographers would kind of surround a cosplayer and take pictures.

On the upper level however, photographers queued up in line to get photos of the cosplayers. The crowd was big, and the first time we got into the cosplay area, we got carried out almost immediately when we became caught in a moving line of people that flowed out the exit.

Here are some of the pictures that I took of cosplayers on the upper level.

Yuuki Asuna

Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee

雪姫 as Minami Kotori

Sakuranomiya Maika

Robot Ram and Rem

Erika of Celadon City

あす as Kanzaki Ranko (Limited SSR ver.)

Aquors

Ruri as Mizushima Saki

I was thinking about getting to the lower level, but I didn't want to spend too much time trying to figure out how to get down there since it was starting to get late, and I wanted to take a look inside as well.

There were a lot of people inside, but it was a lot easier to move around than outside. A booth outside in the central area between the East and West Halls sold various C93 goods and snacks.

I bought a mug for a friend, then we proceeded to the East Halls.

I was expecting it to be a lot more crowded from all the stories I heard, but traffic was quite manageable. I'm not sure if it was because it was already rather late in the day.

We wandered around the perimeter of the tables, but didn't really go down the aisle, or pause to look at any of the doujin being sold since I was with a normal (I explained that these were amateur comics, but didn't say too much about the subject matter...).

By the time we arrived at Halls 7 and 8, many of the circles were already packed up and leaving, so I decided it was enough for the day. I'd love to come with like-minded companions in the future, but who knows if that will ever happen.

After leaving Tokyo Big Sight, we started walking over to Diver City. along the way over, I saw several places where cosplayers were gathering to take photos. There were some Houseki no Kuni cosplayers I would have loved to get photos of, but I couldn't really understand what the girl manning the entrance at the TFT Building was saying, so I apologized and made a hasty retreat.

At Diver City was the new Unicorn Gundam that was unveiled in the Fall.

As night fell, the sound of thunder and a couple of flashes of lightning announced the start of the Gundam light show. I think that there was a countdown timer that let you know when the action was going to start, so if I had been paying more attention, I could have filmed the entire sequence.

When the Gundam light show ended, we wandered around a bit then headed toward the waterside near DECKS Tokyo Beach and Joypolis.

The day ended with pictures of Rainbow Bridge.

Which? Witch?

Witch☆Activity parody by siro

To get into the spirit of Halloween, I've assembled all of the witch-themed petits that I own for some comparison shots along with Deep Sea Girl Miku.

The first picture is of a Niitengo version of Carina Verritti from Shukufuku no Campanella (left), and the Dancing stars on me! version of Toujou Nozomi (right).

Nendoroid Petit version of Metallica the Swamp Witch that came with the Majo to Hyakkihei game.

Marisa Kirisame from the Touhou Shushuroku Vol. 1 Set (left), and Vol. 3 Set (right).

Next is the Marisa produced by Hakurei Jinja Shamusho (left), and the Nendoroid Petit version from the Touhou Project Set #2 Set (right).

Patchouli Knowledge aka the "Witch of the Spring Haze" from the Nendoroid Petit Touhou Project Set #2 (left), and Touhou Shushuroku Vol. 1 Set (right).

Alice Margatroid aka the "Witch of Death", or "the Seven-Colored Puppeteer" from the Touhou Shushuroku Vol. 2 Set (left), and Nendoroid Petit Touhou Project Set #2 (right).

The Nendoroid Petit version of the Shanhai Doll (far left) with Nendoroid versions of the Shanghai doll (x3), and Toranoana Shanghai Dolls.

I also have a Toranoana Alice Margatroid key chain that is based on artwork by haniwa (葉庭). Yakimoki Alice herself is only 5cm tall and noticeably smaller than the Nendoroid Petit Alice.

The Hourai Doll that comes with Yakimoki Alice is only slightly smaller than the Nendoroid Petit Shanghai Doll. The Hourai Doll's hair ribbon sits flat against the back of her head, so it is not visible like the ribbon on the Shanghai Doll.

I drilled out the solid underside of the Hourai Doll, and inserted some hastily sculpted legs made from plastic sprue.

Maybe if I have the time, I'll hollow out the underside of the doll some more, and sculpt some proper bloomers for her.

Yakimoki Alice is too small to go with my other figures, but I think I'll keep her around to use as a model for a custom faceplate.

Next is the Asahina Mikuru no Bouken version of Witch-Yuki from the Nendoroid Petit Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu #1 Set (left), and Caster from the Nendoroid Petit Fate/Stay Night Extension Set (right).

The last picture is of the fortune-telling version of Witch-Yuki (right), and the warui mahoutsukai (悪い魔法使い) version of Konata from the Lucky Star OVA (left).

The conversion is pretty much a simple head-swap, but I had to cut off Konata's ahoge, and modify the witch hat so it would fit on her head better (which involved reforming the brim with a blow dryer, and some Dremel-work).

Witchcraft Works original ED ～ Witch☆Activity ～