30 January 2008

Completing a Game

Completing a game isn't just beating a game and that's it.

What i mean completing a game is, 100% completion of a game. And here i'm talking mostly about RPG, since RPG has so many things to do including secrets.

Last Monday night, i managed to beat Atelier Iris 3 : Grand Phantasm and i realized that completing a game 100% it's really hard thing to do.

This is the normal task you have to complete for 100% completion game for RPG:
- Beating secret bosses
- Completing subquests
- Collecting secret items

Atelier Iris 3 itself is quest oriented RPG, so subquests have to be listed in quest list. But in the other RPGs you have to find your own way to the subquest.
And i have to abandon subquests in AI3 and strive through last dungeon to beat the game because the latest subquests i got are beating a couple of annoying secret bosses. Starting from poisonous mushroom, dragon with devastating power, magical pot that can summon unlimited bodyguard, etc.



Hey, i managed to beat 100% completion for Kingdom Hearts 2, with level 99 at end game. And all i got is very short secret ending, which people believe as a sneak peak to Kingdom Hearts 3.

Not only subquests. Item collection is essential in 100% completion. In Kingdom Hearts 2, you have to collect certain number of items, especially material items which you can get randomly from enemies.


Aside from RPG, another genres such as: racing, action, fighting, etc are as hard as RPG to get 100% completion. You have to complete every mission, every stage, every race, getting every characters, or whatever you can achieve. Even worse, you have to get max rank in a mission if the game have ranking system.

It's easy to beat a game, but it's hard to reach 100% completion. How many games you've completed with 100% completion?

23 January 2008

Back to Campus : New Semester

Yeah... Yet another semester has started. So that mean, another 6 months of hard works is coming ahead of me. But i'm glad i started this semester with 100% A mark for all last semester subjects.

Although it's looks like a good start, the fact is... I got worse lecturer this semester. Moreover, one of my teammate decided to quit and change course. That's why i don't know how will i be in this semester.

BTW, for otaku needs, i got this fun thing:


Found this thing in Danny Choo News item. Originally from Neta.

17 January 2008

Local Figure Stores

Have you ever wandered around your city, looking for figure stores?

In the communities around me there are not much otaku or figure collectors. So opening figure stores could be considered a risky business. What's the risk? You'll have your items unsold for a loooong time.

I've been wandering around city to find figure stores. It's not surprising for me but i only found 8 stores. Hey, i live in Surabaya, do you know that Surabaya is the 2nd largest city in Indonesia (the largest city in Indonesia is Jakarta of course). In the 2nd largest city in a country you can only find 8 figure stores.

So with just a little number of stores around, you can't really rely on them to get your wanted item. But to be honest, i have 6 figures, and i got 5 of them from the local stores. I almost never bought PVC figure from online shops. I bought a set of Haruhi keychain and trading figure Rin from eBay.

From 8 stores i came across, 2 of them are serving orders. Normal stores usually have displayed items, and if certain item is displayed that means you can buy that item / the item is in stock. But not for the 2 stores. They display item that already ordered by certain person. And if you want the item, you can order and wait for 1-2 weeks.



You know, i kinda amazed on how they get the items. Let's take an example at Kureha by Max Factory. In HLJ detail, Kureha was released around October 2007. From Japan to Indonesia it took around 1 month or more using SAL delivery. So you can expect Kureha comes around late November or early December.
Let's say i came to the store in late November. I met the store's staff, and happen this conversation:

Me : "Do you have Max Factory's Kureha?"
Staff : "Yes, we have 3 of them in stock, but all of them were already ordered"
Me : "Is there any chance for me to get one?"
Staff : "You can order 1, my boss will add more stocks in 1 weeks"
Me : "Do i need to pay DP?"
Staff : "If you want 100% possibilty to get one, then you should"

So i ordered one, and a week later i got one. I'm kinda surprised on how they get more stocks while in international order, they already out of stocks.

A week ago, the store's staff sent me a message telling me new items (indlcuding Fauna) just arrived, so yesterday i went to that store. I asked, "can i take a look at Fauna?", and she said "I got 3 of them, and all of them already sold out, if you want 1 you can order and wait for 1-2 weeks, my boss will add more stocks". It happened again, except this time i didn't order Fauna.

Once again i'm surprised on how they add more stocks for internationally sold out items.



I tested on how they get old items, so i asked about old items.
Me : "can you get old and already internationally sold out items?"
Staff : "if you hand me over the details and photos, i can work that out for you"

So i planned to give her photos and detail for Alicia Florence (ARIA) by Good Smile Company, that has been released October 2007. But i'll have to wait for the result.

BTW, photo of Alicia Florence is taken from http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/

So basically, local stores around me have "connection power" to get old items from distributors. Making the impossible became possible.

As far as i know, if you want to look for sold out item you'll go to eBay to look for the item.

09 January 2008

Nanyateee!!! Yakitate Ja-Pan!

"Nanyateee!!??" or "What was that!!??"

That line is the most line Kyosuke Kawachi -character from Yakitate Japan- ever said.

Don't know Yakitate Japan? It's old anime, but i just watch it recently in Animax Southeast Asia channel. Too bad it's dubbed English, so i can't hear the Japanese VA for people who reacted too much from eating the characters' breads.

"Most civilized nation has its own bread, but sadly not Japan. This is the touching story about the young Kazuma Azuma, who is trying to create Ja-Pan." - i forgot the next line.

Kazuma is a young man and he's trying to create Ja-Pan. What's a Ja-Pan anyway? Ja-Pan is his breads' name. Because he want to create a "national bread" just like other nations have. He named all his creation Japan followed by numbers.

In this anime you can find people goes to heaven with just a bread. Ridiculous isn't it? I guess this anime is total joke, but it's good to get some knowledge about bread around the world.


I've been watching this anime up to 28 episodes. In episode 25 or 26 (i forgot) there's a recipe to make Ja-Pan no. 2. I wonder if anyone has ever make it in real life.

Kid : I don't think i can make it.
Kazuma : Don't worry, even Yakitate JaPan dubber can make it.
Tsukino : Is the people who dubbed this show really bad at cooking or making bread?
Matsushiro : Yeah, that's embarassing.

Kazuma said it was easy, but i wonder did anyone ever succeded in making Japan no. 2?

07 January 2008

1/7 Mitsuru Kirijo (Persona 3) by Kotobukiya

This is another figure i have, Mitsuru Kirijo from Persona 3. Here's the detail:

Mitsuru Kirijo - Persona 3
Company : Kotobukiya
Scale : 1/7 (doesn't seem like it)
Height : 20cm

Mitsuru Kirijo from Persona 3

Her eyes.


I bought Mitsuru in Surabaya Toy Festival. I guess i got this figurine with low price, i got it with discount. You can change her sword with her gun.

If you noticed at my first photo, there's LCD screen beside her. I used LCD screen to create simple lighting.

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention my camera. Here's the detail:
Canon EOS 400D
Canon Lens EF 50mm 2.8
For the Haruhi photos i used Canon Lens EF-S 18-55

1/8 Suzumiya Haruhi by Toranoana

Just as i said before, i'll post some of my figure photos. So here they are:

This first figurine is Suzumiya Haruhi from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, here's the detail:

Fine Scenery Suzumiya Haruhi
Company : Tora no Ana
Scale : 1/8
Height : around 18-20cm

The Guitar of Suzumiya Haruhi (this is my favorite)


Suzumiya Haruhi (using HQ photo tricks to get this photo)


Haruhi points to you (cropped and edited this from 2nd photo).

This is my first expensive figure i bought, and i bought it in Singapore, to be more precise i bought it from a store in Cineleisure, a Plaza in Orchad Road area.

As this is my first figure, i know that i chose a not very good figure. But i like the bunny suit. If you look at her skin, you'll noticed that her skin is too white. That's why i said this is not very good figure. Well, now i know that good figure is made by famous companies too, just like Max Factory, Kotobukiya, Alter, Good Smile, etc.

Started to decorate my blog

I just realized that my blog is plain, including the template i chose.
Here's the things i do for decorating:
1. Put my photo in my profile
2. Added some new elements, that is :
- Links
- Links to my friends' blog
- Featured picture of the week
- Fate web based clock.

Thanks to ron~ from otadesho.com i got a script for this clock. Go here if you want to get more clock. Those web based clock are made by Capcom.

05 January 2008

Just started my blog today

Yeah, this is the first time i blogged. I planned to make this blog as my place to put some photography, especially figure photography.

The reason why i put my figure photos here, is because if you upload your figure photos / works in photographers community such as AyoFoto! , Fotografer.net , or any other photographer communities, you won't get much comments and appreciations, since the photographers there will only love modelling photos.

But that's not the whole reason why i started this blog. So look forward to my next post.

BTW, i'll post some of my old figure photos Monday.