heavenly_pearl: (Freedom)
Sailor Moon Manga's Final Arc Gets 2 Sailor Moon Cosmos Films in Early Summer 2023

I'm not the biggest fan of the Stars arc in the manga, but I'm still excited. It'll be fun to see the manga-only characters like Sailor Cosmos and the Animamates who were left out of the original anime in animated form, and the wedding at the end is one of my favorite moments of the entire series, so the movies will be worth it just for that, IMO. We'll see if they actually keep on schedule, though. (I'm still waiting on Ice Adolescence news....)
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Sorry, I meant to post this earlier, but I had to take my laptop in for repairs due to a faulty keyboard. Ended up having to replace both the keyboard and motherboard, but fortunately, the computer was still (barely) under warranty, so I got it all fixed for free. Anyway, it's been a while since I did one of these, so I'm warning you, it's gonna be a long one!

Starting with two dream purchases for me!



First is a 90s-era Pegasus figure! Not totally mint-in-box since the brush and comb are missing (which the seller refunded me $20 for when I pointed it out), but the Pegasus itself is in fantastic condition. Considering that mint version sell for around the $600-$800, I consider it a steal that I managed to buy this for only $180 (after the refund). Love him so much!



Second, but no less squee-worthy, I finally own Amazoness Quartet plushes (and Super Sailor Moon)! I bought them in a lot with some other Sailor Moon plushes which I intend to resell. The AQ plushes tend to go for around $60-$75 individually, but I only spent about $23 each on average buying them in the lot, so another fantastic deal.

VERY IMAGE HEAVY UNDER THE CUT! )
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It's been a while since I posted a Merchandise Round-up, so it's gonna be a rather long list this time!



I got a great deal on the Proplica Transformation Brooch and Disguise Pen set. I bought it for $88, and got a set of ten Twinkle Dollys (five different kinds, but two each) for free! I already had the Helios one, but these were the ones that were new to me:

Click for more! )
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I promised a new Merchandise Round-up, so here's everything I bought since around Christmas, I guess?

First, two of my favorite buys!



This is a Kaleidomoon Scope from the 90s. I've been wanting a life-size (I have a small gashapon) version of this wand FOREVER. Ideally, I would have loved to get my hands on the Proplica version. Those are super-expensive, though, so this was the next best thing. Not in perfect condition -- the original owner lost the battery cover and made their own -- but it still worked after I changed the batteries, so no big deal. Best of all, I got it for around $50! (They're usually closer to $100.)



Next was a major purchase, and one of my all-time favorite pieces of SM merchandise ever -- an actual Dream Mirror! Had to pay quite a bit for it ($140), but it was actually part of a bundle with a bunch of other stuff, so it turned out to be a bargain in the end. People are trying to sell them for even more than that on its own! Most of the stuff in the rest of this post was included in the bundle.

Read more... )
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Welcome to 2020! I meant to make a post before the end of the year, doing my usual year-end fanfiction reviews and making a list of my top fifty favorite anime of the past decade, but, oops, I forgot! Well, better late than never, right?

First off, Top 50 Favorite Anime Series Of The Decade!

1. Yuri!! On Ice (2016)

2. Fruits Basket (2019)

3. Shirobako (2014)

4. My Love Story!! (2015)

5. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2016)

6. Bakuman (2010)

7. Space Brothers (2012)

8. ReLife (2016)

9. Oh, Maidens In Your Savage Season (2019)

10. Chihayafuru (2011)

11. Sailor Moon Crystal (2014)

12. Card Captor Sakura Clear Card (2018)

13. Tiger & Bunny (2011)

14. Bloom Into You (2018)

15. My Roommate Is A Cat (2019)

16. Yamada’s First Time (2010)

17. A Place Further Than The Universe (2018)

18. Yona of the Dawn (2014)

19. Zombie Land Saga (2018)

20. Death Parade (2015)

21. Your Lie In April (2014)

22. Major 2nd (2018)

23. Sound! Euphonium (2015)

24. Amagi Brilliant Park (2014)

25. Snow White With The Red Hair (2015)

26. Haikyu! (2014)

27. The Promised Neverland (2019)

28. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun (2014)

29. Hinamatsuri (2018)

30. Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits (2018)

31. Orange (2016)

32. Given (2019)

33. Free! (2013)

34. Recovery of a MMO Junkie (2017)

35. Ancient Magus’ Bride (2017)

36. Sakura Quest (2017)

37. Love Stage!! (2014)

38. My Hero Academia (2016)

39. School Babysitters (2018)

40. Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2019)

41. Hanasaku Iroha (2011)

42. How To Keep a Mummy (2018)

43. Interviews With Monster Girls (2017)

44. Idolish7 (2018)

45. Flying Witch (2016)

46. Kiss Him, Not Me (2016)

47. Another (2012)

48. Bunny Drop (2011)

49. Tanaka-kun is always listless (2016)

50. Golden Time (2013)

Honorable mentions go to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kimi ni Todoke - From Me To You, Natsume's Book of Friends, and Kobato. I only counted series that started between 2010-2019, so these didn't make the cut, despite airing partly between those years.

Now, fanfiction reviews! I answered three different year-end review questionnaires on my Tumblr, so I'm just going to link to them instead of copy and pasting. This entry is already getting long enough!

Set One
Set Two
Set Three

My review of the fall anime season and my choices for the Top Ten Anime of 2019 will be posted sometime in the next few days...hopefully.

heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Hey, it's been a while since I've done one of these, mainly because I just haven't bought a whole lot lately, but here are my newest purchases!



First off, a SuperS poster I bought for obvious reasons. (*cough*Helios)

Read more... )
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Today is Usagi's and Chibi-Usa's birthday, but it looks like we fans got all the gifts! Three pieces of amazing Sailor Moon news came out:

Sailor Moon Manga Gets Worldwide Digital Release in 10 Languages Starting July 1 - Okay, this isn't that exciting for those of us who already own at least one of the physical releases, but still good news if you like your manga in digital form.

Sailor Moon Eternal 2-Part Anime Film Project Opens in 2020 - FINALLY, some more information about the Dream Arc movies! I'm still dying to see what Helios will look like, but the new character designs of the Inners look good. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!

And the thing I'm most excited about.... *drumrolls*

Sailor Moon Franchise Gets Ice Show, Cafe, Collaborations with Uniqlo & Samantha Thavasa - Obviously, it's the ice show is what I'm talking about. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Finally, Sailor Moon on Ice! And, even better yet, Evgenia Medvedeva is going to be the star! Remember this post I made about three years ago? Literal. Dream. Come. True. Gah, I wish I could afford to go to Japan and see it in person, but hopefully it'll get uploaded to YouTube -- or even better yet, be made available for purchase. (And the ANN article says it's going to be the first in a franchise, so maybe we'll get the Dream Arc on Ice eventually? I will just die of happiness if that ever happens.)

Anyway, long time, no see. I'm really much more active on my Tumblr nowadays, but here's an update of my latest purchases. I thought I mentioned some of these before, but I don't see them in my last entry? Ah, well. Sorry for any repeats. This is gonna be a long list, starting with my very first Sailor Moon cel!



OMG, OMG, OMG! Do I really own a Helios/Chibi-Usa cel? Am I dreaming? *pinches self* Nope, not dreaming! I actually JUST won the auction for this, like, fifteen minutes ago, and my heart will not stop pounding. I never wanted to win an auction more in my entire life. I thought for sure, considering how few scenes Helios appears in his human form, that it would go for hundreds of dollars, but I ended up only having to pay about $150. There's apparently a piece of paper stuck to the back of the cel which probably hurts the value some, but I don't care. I own a Helios/Chibi-Usa cel!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Read more... )

I'll be back in a couple of days with my review of the past anime season!
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
I participated in an UsaMamo Fanwork Exchange over on Tumblr, and here's what I wrote for my giftee:

To Build A Home (AO3)

For once, I'm actually pretty pleased with how this turned out? My giftee absolutely loved it, so I'm happy!

(And I finally got a review for The Aftermath of Heartbreak, so now I don't feel like a total no-talent hack...)
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
...that I promised myself not to post anymore works-in-progress. I'm, like, thisclose to posting the first chapter of Friends With Benefits. I mean, I am ALMOST finished. I have a rough draft pretty much done. It's still really, really rough in places, but it's not like it's going to take years for me to finish like Melting Ice. The end goal is in sight.

And I could really use some encouragement at the moment... I try not to place too much importance on reviews, but I confess it bothers me more than I want to admit that I haven't received a single review yet for The Aftermath of Heartbreak. I know it features a rare het pairing in a fandom dominated by same sex couples, so I wasn't expecting it to get much attention, but not even one review? (Well, it did get three kudos on AO3, which is nice, but still...) Even my random Sailor Moon/Super GALS crossover has one review. It's just kind of discouraging when nothing I've written since my return seems to have gotten much notice. *sigh* Maybe I did lose all my writing talent after taking such a long break.

Gah, sorry for being so moody. Just fighting the writer's blues...
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Hey, we actually got snow last night! Just a light dusting, but better than no snow at all.

Speaking of unexpected happenings, I have a new fic to share! In a new fandom, even! Yeah, I know, i know, I'm supposed to be working on Friends With Benefits, but I've been reading a lot of Yuri!! on Ice fanfics lately, and, well, I got inspired.

The Aftermath of Heartbreak (also at AO3)

I can't decide if I'm satisfied with the way it turned out or not, but it was pretty fun to write! And Mila/Georgi is a rare pair that needs more love, IMO.

He's mine!

Jun. 8th, 2018 06:00 pm
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Look what I got!



*screams*

Officially, my most favorite piece of merchandise ever! Got him for a pretty good price, too. I mentioned when he was first announced that the retail price was about $200, which I actually was okay with spending on him. (Kinda.) Most of the ones listed on eBay were from Japanese sellers who were asking a lot more, though, so I was really happy to find an American seller who was only asking $180, with free shipping to boot! Not only that, but I also had a 20% off coupon, so I got him for only $144. Woohoo! Worth every cent! (BTW, the same seller has another one for sale if anybody's interested, although the coupon is now expired. $180 isn't a bad price, though.)

Some other recent purchases:



Sailor Pluto Figuarts Zero figure - Absolutely gorgeous! This pic really doesn't do her justice.



Cute Pegasus plush keychain!



A Girls Memories Sailor Saturn to complete my collection of the Outers! I have both the Moons as well, but though I would love to get the Inners, I'm a bit reluctant to pay the prices they're going for nowadays. I had to pay close to $40 for this Saturn as it is. Should have collected them when they first came out! Oh, well, I'm pretty happy to have the Outers at least.



Tamashii Buddies Sailor Saturn, also completing my Outers collection!



Queen Beryl Funko Pop! - Since this is a Toys R Us exclusive, I figured it was best to buy it as soon as possible due to the store closing.



And, finally, a Yuri Katsuki Q Posket figurine! I also splurged on the limited edition "Yuri on Ice" Blu-Ray/DVD set!
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
It's been a while since I've talked about new Sailor Moon merchandise I've bought, so here's what I've added to my collection since November.



This is probably my favorite new buy: a Proplica Moon Chalice! I've been wanting and wanting and WANTING something from the Proplica line, but everything is just so incredibly expensive, so when I found this baby on eBay for around $50, I had to get it. Regular price is more like $100, so a very good deal. Unfortunately, it needs a special type of battery to light up. I didn't really see much of a point in buying one just to light it up once or twice, so I just found a YouTube video that shows what it does. Good enough!

Read more... )
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
First, since it's almost Christmas, here's a pic of my bedroom tree, which is kinda Sailor Moon/Yuri on Ice inspired. Obviously, you can see the SM Petit Charas and the YOI Funko Pops under the tree, but I also used skate and "Silver Crystal" ornaments! The second pic shows one of the crystals better since they're pretty small and hard to see.



I also finally got around to watching Le Movement Final, the last Sera Myu, and it was really good! I was a little worried I might not like it because I'm just not a huge fan of the Stars arc in the manga, but while the show did stick pretty close to the manga, I thought it worked better in a more condensed form.
Spoilers below! )
heavenly_pearl: (Default)

I have to say this season was pretty...lackluster. Granted, several of the shows I really wanted to watch ended up on stupid Anime Strike, meaning I couldn't watch them, but it seems like I wasn't missing much from what I've heard. The best shows this season were continuations of series I already liked -- Sakura Quest, My Hero Academia, and Hell Girl (well, at least the six new episodes we got). Even they weren't quite as good as the previous seasons, though.

Thoughts on the rest:

Gamers! - The parts where they actually focused on gaming were fantastic, but, oh, my, gosh, the way all the characters would misinterpret pretty much anything related to romance (often in the stupidest of ways) drove me nuts! And, unfortunately, the romantic plots took up most of the show. I really wish the romance had been handled better, because the show actually was pretty funny with a good cast of characters, but...argh! Too many misunderstandings! Still, probably my favorite of the "new" shows.

Restaurant to Another World - Good, but VERY repetitive. I don't necessarily mind formulaic shows, but when each episode is cut into two acts that have basically the same simple plot, just with different characters, it's a bit much. The best episodes were the ones that broke the formula, especially the ones that focused on Aletta (the demon waitress). I will say that all the food looked and sounded delicious, though!

Elegant Yokai Apartment Life - This show should have been better than it was, but the pacing was really weird in the beginning, and it didn't really become interesting until a certain item was introduced halfway through the season. Even then, I still wouldn't call it great...just a little better than the first few episodes.

18if - I actually wasn't going to watch this after reading the Preview Guide at ANN, thinking it wasn't really my kind of show, but then I came  across a .gif of the figure skater who stars as the "witch" of the fifth episode. Well, of course I had to check it out after that! (Learning that characters are figure skaters -- even if they're just minor or one-shot characters -- is a great way to get me interested in a show/movie/book. Led me to checking out Ginban Kaleidoscope, Yuri on Ice, Tiger & Bunny, Diamond Daydreams, Kaleido Star, The Cherry Project, Sugar Princess...probably a few others I can't think of at the moment.) The verdict? It turns out my original instinct was right. Some of the episodes were good, but others were pretty bad, even downright nonsensical. (Each episode had a different director, all who apparently were told they could do whatever the heck they wanted with their episode.) Even the figure skating episode was kind of a let down.

Oh, well, at least the new season looks much more promising. If they have a free legal stream, I'd like to check out Black Clover, Kino's Journey - The Beautiful World (second season), Classicaloid (second season), Ancient Magus' Bride, Anime-Gataris, and March Comes In Like a Lion (second season).

Movie!

Apr. 29th, 2017 10:08 am
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Yuri!!! On Ice Anime Gets Brand New Film

YAAAAAAAS!

I was hoping for a second season, but a movie is almost as good. (And doesn't necessarily rule out a second season, either, especially if it does well.) The article says it's going to be all new material, too, not one of those recap movies, so that's great. I wonder if it might be focused on the Olympics? The timing would be right, with the 2018 Olympics just months away.
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I still have one more episode of Sound Euphonium to watch, and Classicaloid and March comes in like a lion are continuing into next season, but I think I've seen enough to give my opinion of the shows I watched this season:

Yuri On Ice - No surprise that this takes the top spot! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It wasn't totally perfect -- twelve episodes wasn't enough time to really develop a lot of the characters, and despite paying lip-service to the scoring system, the scores were basically made up and unrealistic(Yuri would have almost certainly won Cup of China and the Grand Prix Final in reality)-- but it was still pretty amazing. I especially loved that three real-life skaters (Takeshi Honda, Nobunari Oda, and Stephane Lambiel) had voiceover cameos. And it seems very possible that we may be getting another season (or at least some OVAs), so YAY!

Classicaloid - I'm surprised I like this so much, but it is just so. much. freaking. fun! I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a music-themed mansion with a bunch of famous composers with mysterious Muzik powers? Well, besides poor Kanae... Okay, so maybe not, but still, her pain is the viewers' gain. (The modern remakes of classic pieces, though, can be a bit hit or miss.)

Sound Euphonium - Not quite as amazing as the first season, but still very good. I felt the first half was kinda weak, focusing on characters I did not care a bit about and a problem that would have been resolved a whole lot faster if the people involved would have just talked to each other. The second half, however, was great, especially since I'm a big Asuka fan. Also, the mid-season performance was just incredible.

Magic-kyn Renaissance - This was so...sparkly! And it was great to watch a reverse-harem show where the main heroine actually had some personality and you could see why all the boys fell in love with her.My one minor complaint is that they made a big deal in the first episode about the two best students being named Prince and Princess Artista, yet that never happened? The only prince and princess that were chosen were roles in a play, so that was kind of strange that they seemed to forget about that.Maybe another season is planned? I don't know.

Izetta: The Last Witch - A lot of people seemed to dislike this show for some reason, but I liked it just fine. Princess Fine, in particular, was a pretty awesome charcter.

March comes in like a lion - I would say this show is good, but uneven. It doesn't help that the shogi parts are really boring since it's impossible for somebody who doesn't know Japanese to understand what is going on in the game (although I appreciate the adorable cat song that attempts to explain the rules).

Miss Bernard said. - An amusing short. That's pretty much all I have to say about it.

Though not from the current season, I also finally got to watch the second season of The Heroic Legend of Arslan, which was very good. As for next season, I don't think any streaming announcements have been made yet, but if I can watch them, these are the shows that's I'm considering: second season of Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, Fuka, and Scum's Wish.

And since the year is ending, I'm starting something new and picking my ten Best Anime of 2016:

1. Yuri On Ice
2. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
3. Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3
4. ReLIFE
5. Flying Witch
6. Classicaloid
7. Sound Euphonium
8. Dance With Devils
9. Sweetness & Lightning
10. Orange

Oh, no...

Dec. 8th, 2016 10:47 am
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Don't give me plot bunnies, Yuri On Ice! I'm so rusty. It's been months since I did any writing, and I'm supposed to be mostly retired from writing fanfiction. I don't need any story ideas!

But...but... As great as the show is -- and it is FANTASTIC -- I want more Mila and Sala! I know the focus is on mens' skating, so of course they aren't going to be given the same amount of screentime as the guys, yet wouldn't it be neat to focus on some of the ladies for a change? And I could even create OCs based on some of my favorite real-life skaters! I even already have NAMES for them, like Avery Weber (expy of Ashley Wagner -- I know Mila is already somewhat based on her. but whatever, the similarities are mostly superficial), Sarah "Sadie" Silver (expy of Gracie Gold), Ekaterina Mironova (expy of Evgenia Medvedeva), and Megumi Hanabusa (a composite of Mao Asada and Wakaba Higuchi, the latter who happens to be one of Evgenia's best friends). I wonder if anybody else has had a similar idea yet, or if all the fanfiction out there is Victuuri fluff. I should check that out.

In other news, I'm super-excited by a recent purchase on eBay I made: a Sailor Pluto Pullip doll! I've really been wanting one, but I wasn't about to spend $180 on one. Luckily, though, I managed to find one for only a $100, so I snapped it up even though I really wasn't looking to spend so much money right before Christmas. Means that I have less money to spend on Right Stuf's annual holiday sale, but, eh, it was too good a deal to pass up.

Speaking of the Right Stuf sale, I've already picked up a My Love Story! boxset and one of the Tiger & Bunny movies. I have my fingers crossed that the Space Brothers sets will be offered again so I can finish the rest of my collection, but in the meantime, I trying to decide between Shirobako, Toradora, and Black Butler: Books of Circus/Murder... I don't think I can afford all of them, unfortunately. *sigh* Right Stuf, why must you always do this to me?
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Finally finished with the season! I got a little behind thanks to marathoning Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! LOVE! and D.Gray-man Hallow when they unexpectedly became available on Crunchyroll mid-season due to the awesome new partnership between CR and Funimation. (Hope the second season of The Heroic Legend of Arslan will follow soon.) Anyway, here are my thoughts (spoilers under the cuts):

ReLIFE - This was definitely my favorite show of the season! It was really funny, and I loved the chemistry between all the characters (although Kariu could be kinda annoying at times). I'm hoping that we'll get another season of this eventually since it's a bit strange to endin the middle of Arata's "ReLIFE" (and the source web manga is still ongoing), but at least it otherwise stopped in a good place (similar to the Fruits Basket anime).

Sweetness & Lightning/Momokuri - I'm listing these two together because they're both super-duper cute and adorable. Of the two, I did prefer Sweetness & Lightning (my second favorite of the season), but Momokuri was also a lot of fun, even if the female lead was a bit of a stalker.

Orange - I really liked this series, but I have to admit feeling frustrated at points with Naho,who kept saying and doing the wrong things despite her future self telling her what to do. Then again, if she followed her future self's instructions to the letter (heh), there wouldn't be much of a story, so I guess it's fine. Still, a very touching show.

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! LOVE! - You know, I think this season was even more ridiculous than the first one...yet I liked it even more!

91 Days - Pretty good gangster series. I think I would have liked it a little more if I felt more for the characters, but the only one I was attached to was poor Corteo. Still, the plot had some surprising twists.

Planetarium - I'm not really sure what to say about this series. At only five episodes and no real plot, it felt kinda...pointless, yet I still enjoyed watching it.

B-Project - Too many pretty boys to really get to know all of them in only twelve episodes -- I couldn't even remember the names of most of them -- and the ending kinda came out of nowhere, but the music was really catchy and I enjoyed the music industry setting.

Ace Attorney - Like I said about the first season, I found this series entertaining enough as somebody who had never played the games before, but nothing amazing. (And I didn't like this second season quite as much as I liked the first, probably because the prosecutor guy was missing until the final case.)

D-Gray-man HALLOW - Kanda is one of my favorite characters in this series, so it was nice to finally get some backstory on him, but compared to the first series where everything felt a little too drawn out, this arc felt like it had way too much going on.

As for the upcoming season, I can't wait to watch Yuri! On Ice. So, so, so, so, so, so excited! I'm actually really tempted to buy a subscription to Crunchyroll so I don't have to wait a week to watch, but, eh, Christmas is coming up soon, so I need to save my money. The second season of Sound Euphonium is also a must-watch, and based on the preview guide at ANN, I'll probably check out Izetta: The Last Witch, March Comes In Like a Lion, Magic-Kyun! Renaissance, and ClassicaLoid.

Yay!

Mar. 22nd, 2016 10:49 am
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
Yuri!! on Ice Skating Anime Revealed By MAPPA

Finally, a new figure skating anime to join Ginban Kaleidoscope and Pretty Rhythm! Excellent news, and I'm so glad that Sayo Yamamoto is going to be involved. I loved the Endless Night anime short (also about skating) she directed last year, so if this series is animated anywhere near as well, it could be amazing.

In less "Yay" news, I tripped for a second time on a gravel driveway and banged up my left hand pretty bad. I've had to type this whole post one-handed. What really sucks is that I'm thisclose to finishing the last chapter of Melting Ice, and now it's too painful/annoying to work on it. *sigh* Oh, well. I'm struggling a little with the final scene, so I guess I'll take the time to think about how I want it to go while I wait for my hand to heal.

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