Image via moe.imouto

As my last official post from here, I would like to say “Thank you” to all of you for contributing to my site. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have gotten this far or even be bothered to make an effort in blogging this long. I started off expecting nothing but enjoying myself and blending into the community but I’ve gotten more than that and I’m truly grateful. ^^

I hope you will continue your contribution @ The dis-Jointedzone.com. It’s a new zone full of fun and excitement and maybe more laughs as well. lol

As for this blog, I will be leaving it alone for stats and backup purposes. With so much effort put into it,  it will be a waste just to delete it. ^_^

Finally, don’t forget to change the link in your blogroll. If you forget, I will hound you until u do. xD

A poor attempt to find a related image. -_-

It’s been a week since I updated my site or even paid a visit to your site. Not only have I been busy working and preparing for my epic China trip, I was also working on my new site. That’s right, Optic is moving to a new zone and I hope you all will follow. ^^

“The dis-Jointedzone” is the name of my new site. The name is inspired by my love of figures, especially FIGMAS (it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out lol). I had been working for the past 2 weeks to get this rolled out asap ever since I decided to make the move from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. I initially planned to roll it out after my trip but considering it’s almost complete, I decided to roll it out early and hopefully catch any bugs before it becomes a real issue. Even though I had been testing it on a daily basis, I can never be 100% confident it’s bug free unless luck is on my side for once. >_>

A big thanks to Koshiko for helping me out on the migration. I wouldn’t even consider moving in the first place without her considering I dread .php the most. Well, considering coding is not my area of expertise, she did give me a helping hand in working through it and I thank her for that. I understand it’s great to learn new things from time to time. ^^

Well, I will be rolling it out in 72 hours. I will be making my last official post here to give you guys a heads up. If things work out, it could be sooner than expected but I’m not making any promises.

Here’s a sneak peek. ^^

Image via e-shuushuu

Lately, I’ve been reading many post from various bloggers about their current preorder list which includes early 2009 releases as well. With the current economy at it’s present state, it surprises me where not many people’s list are affected. I kinda find many people are buying more or they don’t need to cutback at all. I’m not complaining but just surprised that’s all. lol

Unfortunately, this economical crisis has affected my spending spree significantly and the biggest hit is my preorder list. It was just yesterday I made my 3rd round of cancellations over a 2-3 week period and it just pains me to click on the cancel button. T_T

So who got cut? Hit the jump to find out.

All images via Hobby Search

Nendoroid Midarezaki Kyoka

Very cute but not enough to make me keep her in.

Nendoroid Saber Lion

She was gonna be my first nendo saber. T_T

Nendoroid Shana Enpatsushakugan Ver.

It was a tough choice between the nendo version and the figma version (honest ^^). But, as I’m a figma otaku, I went for the figma version. But really, I want both. T_T

1/7 scale Suzumiya Haruhi -Beach Side Ver.-

If I can find her on my trip then I would bring her home. If I don’t then it’s bad luck for me. -_-
Doing the math, I don’t find she’s worth 100AUD which includes shipping.
She was tough choice overall because canceling ‘two-piece’ figures are rare for me. T_T

figma Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len

Two of the most toughest choices. I just can’t afford to start on another complete series. Maybe when the Aussie dollar rises again, but who knows when. T_T

figma Ryomou Shimei

Was just gonna get her on a whim because I got Kanu and the idea of seeing these 2 dueling each other looked interesting. I guess that won’t be happening anymore. T_T

The next line up are the ones still on my preorder list. These are the ones I really, really, really, really want and no whatsoever crisis or situation will make me stop having them. Well…. if it’s a life or death situation, then that’s a different story. lol

1/7 scale Signum

She is just too damm good to pass up. Her pose is dynamic and the detail of her armor and sword is just magnificent from the promo pictures.

1/8 scale Louis Uniform Ver.

Not only the quality is great but the pose is just too eye-catching to pass up. It’s like she’s actually showing you her pantsu. xD
Noel, u should reconsider and put her back into ur list. xD

1/8 scale Sakagami Tomoyo

I thank Kotobukiya for doing a re-release. I missed her out on the 2nd or 3rd run ( I can’t remember ) but I’m damm straight not missing her in this run. It could be the last re-release ever.
Besides, M12 never stops talking about her. I can’t tell if it’s love or just over obsessed? >_>

Nendoroid Miyafuji Yoshika

I’ve watched the OVA but haven’t started on the series yet but she’s already one of my favourite characters. Nendo holding petit guns is my style. xD

Nendoroid Yoko

Again, too damm cute to pass up and besides, it’s Yoko and she will be my first Yoko figure. ^^

figma Asakura Ryoko School Uniform Ver.

As I’m dedicated in collecting the whole figma Haruhi set, I cannot pass her up. Even though she’s not my favourite character, the group will feel empty without her. :)

figma Takara Miyuki Winter School Uniform ver.

She is just too moe to pass up and again, I’m dedicated in collecting the whole figma Lucky Star set so she is a MUST HAVE!!!!

figma Shana Flame Hair ver.

Last but not least, I chose her over the nendo one. I’m also getting the Black hair version as well which is kinda pricey but at least I don’t need to go on a ebay hunt and fork out a ridiculous price for her.

That’s it from my list for now. I have 3 figures incoming this month and I hope they arrive before I go on my trip. Considering no one will be home in the morning, I don’t wanna come back and deal with a missing parcel. -_-

So who else preorder list is affected by the economical crisis?

One of the most enjoyable songs I’m listening to daily at the moment. I gotta thank my sister for sharing. :3
Jason Mraz is one of the most talented singers out there. This song is so easy to singalong with where it’s hard not to join in. In addition, it has a funky beat as well which will get you moving in no time.

I found an awesome AMV which fits perfectly with this song so enjoy. ^^

Hmmm… she’s been bugging me to get this movie for a while now. I’ve watched it over many times so I’m in no rush to get it.

Official video clip

(HQ is recommended)

The scene of another crime @_@

As a figma otaku, I’m starting to get hang of these figma incidents. To be honest, after reading similar incidents via Dannychoo and other blogs, these incidents doesn’t really surprise me anymore. After already having experienced an incident first hand on my Wonfes 2008 Konata, I’m disappointed I haven’t learnt my lesson when it came to applying excessive pressure on my figmas. I hope she will be the last victim but I get the feeling she won’t as my figma collection grows and the variety of their joints and design changes. T_T
I hope this post delivers an another example of  ‘what not to do” to your figmas,  for you figma owners out there.

Where's her stick? -_-

Well, Kanu from Ikki Tousen is indeed my next victim. After reading Blowfish post where her spear paint got scratched off when he tried to put it in Kanu hand, I was careful enough to not make the same mistake as he did. While the spear fits through perfectly into both hands, it wasn’t the case when I tried to fit her figma stick behind her back.

The consequence of applying excessive pressure. T_T

As seen from above, the figma stick end got snapped off from her extendable piece. The difficult part was not fitting the stick into the extendable piece but fitting the extendable piece behind her back hole. I’ve noticed her back hole was slightly smaller than usual but that was okay as the stick was not suppose to fit it directly behind her back like other figmas. That’s because if Max Factory didn’t provide the extendable piece, it would have been difficult to pose her considering her hair is almost down to her legs and it will interfere with her portability without it.
While it was noticeable where the stick does not directly fit behind her back by judging the small hole other than seeing the extendable piece provided, I had a hard time sticking in the extendable piece. Getting it in half-way through was as far as it could go but eveytime I pose her, it keeps falling off. Well, by this time, I started to apply excessive pressure and at this point, I tried a variety of ways to get it all in. Unfortunately in one of the ways, I left the figma stick stuck in and as a result, this was the outcome.

A clean snap. >_<

Impossible to get it out anymore. -_-

Unlike my figma Konata, I didn’t really try to take the stick end bit out. The entire end bit is inside the hole and smashing it into tiny pieces and picking it out will not work this time round. T_T

So what happens to my Kanu now? Well, I’m keeping her balance using her long hair. With the correct formation using her legs, I can keep her upright in a battle position. As this limits her portability without falling over, I will be keeping her that way until I can get my hands on another figma stick and the extendable piece. I can only hope Danny and his GSC team is still working on a plan to make figma replacement parts available to their international customers. ^^

I gotta thank the strenght of her ponytail. Ponytail FTW!!! ^^

Finally received my DVD loot from Rightstuf on Thursday morning. I was surprised when my sister carried it into my room. She was demanding me to open it immediately because she was curious to know what was inside and she knew it wasn’t figures for once. lol
I was kinda curious as well because the package was huge. 0_0

The loot are as follows:

• Samurai 7 Boxset (Thinpack)
• Rozen Maiden Boxset (Thinpack)
• Suzuka Boxset (Thinpack)
• Noein Boxset

And last but not least

• Gunslinger Girl Limited Edition (Autographed) Lithograph

The reason why the package  was so huge was indeed to keep this Lithograph crease free. It measures between 16″ by 20″ and it’s personally autographed by Laura Bailey (Henrietta), Monica Rial (Angelica), and Caitlin Glass (Triela) who did the english voices of the series. Pity the last 2 cast, Alese Watson (Claes) and Luci Christian (Rico) did not sign it because it would’ve been great if all of the main casts signature was on it. As I like all of the characters, Rico is my favourite so I’m disappointed Luci Christian signature is not there. T_T
Who is your favourite?

Woot!!! I got the 102nd piece.

Personally, I enjoyed the english dub more than the japanese because it was done so well. Funimation did a perfect job in picking the right cast for the characters. What I find in a good dub is when the cast be themselves. If they tried to depict the same dialogue and personality as the japanese cast, then most of the time, it will not work and you can tell instantly they are being unoriginal. It’s just another example where a good dub turn can turn sour where it can ruin the whole series. T_T

I hope the original cast returns and do Gunslinger Girl S2 -Teatrino-. They licensed the series not too long ago and I can’t wait when it comes out in 2009.