The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱

Finally, the first set of figurines that we want to show everyone:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱. It is an anime which is about the high school life of Haruhi Suzumiya and those around her. Haruhi is an active girl who has joined all her school’s clubs but quitted from them as she felt that they are boring. Until one day when Kyon (Haruhi’s classmate) initiated a conversation with her which inspired her to set up her own club- SOS Brigade. Kyon is the second founding member of SOS Brigade. Other members are Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and Itsuki Koizumi.

Haruhi Suzumiya 涼宮 ハルヒ
Haruhi is the founder and recruiter of SOS Brigade. She is interested in aliens, espers, time travelers and sliders but do not care for ‘odinary’ human beings. Due to her desperation in searching for these phenomenon in the world, she often cut off from anyone whom she felt uninteresting. Also, Haruhi is not aware that whenever she is angry, unhappy or jealous, she will activate her power to change, create or destroy a new reality.

Yuki Nagato 長門 有希
Yuki Nagato is the only one who willingly joins SOS Brigade. Yuki is a quiet and intelligent girl who enjoys reading. She is an artificial human (Haruhi does not know her true identity) whose mission is to observe Haruhi and make sure Haruhi does not use her godlike powers. Yuki has supernatural powers that is able to manipulate and change the environment or materials around her. For example, in a baseball game, she created a baseball bat that hits home runs only.

Mikuru Asahina 朝比奈 みくる
Mikuru Asahina is the fourth member of the SOS Brigade. She is a shy and timid girl who gets scared easily. Mikuru likes to daydream and at times, she is rather clumsy. Mikuru’s actual identity is a time traveler from the future to observe Haruhi and to investigate a massive timequake.

Cloudlover & Roxas80

Rurouni Kenshin(るろうに剣心) II

神谷 薫 (Kamiya Kaoru)

Kamiya Kaoru adheres to her father's ideal of "Katsujin-ken" or "Swords that give life," which teaches that swordsmanship should be used, not to kill but protect. Kaoru inherited a small dojo from her father after he was killed during the Seinan War (also called the Satsuma Rebellion) and operates it by herself. This is quite a feat, considering that she's only seventeen. Kenshin feels that her beliefs should become a reality: "If this one had a wish, it would only be that her lie become the truth of this world."

One of Kaoru's biggest fears is that Kenshin might someday return to wandering, leaving her to be alone again. She gets jealous whenever another girl is also interested in Kenshin. Her obvious feelings toward Kenshin are noticed even by his enemies (many of whom refer to Kaoru as "Kenshin's woman"), and often use Kaoru as a chink in his armor. In reality, Kenshin cares very deeply for Kaoru, and expresses this when he gives an emotional farewell to Kaoru before leaving for Kyoto near the beginning of the Kyoto Arc. After saying goodbye to her and then leaving(thinking that they may never see each other again), Kaoru went into a deep depression, but was soon given the courage to go to Kyoto in order to see Kenshin after a more than irritated Megumi gave her a pep talk. Till the end Kaoru finally gains both Kenshin's trust and love and eventually got married, and have a son named Himura Kenji.

相楽 佐之助 (Sagara Sanosuke)

Sanosuke left home at an early age to join the Sekihoutai. The Sekihoutai fought for the imperial alliance at the end of the Tokugawa regime and Sanosuke admired his captain, Sagara Sōzō and took the surname Sagara from him. The Sekihoutai were on assignment to spread word of the halving of taxes proclaimed by the revolution. However, when the revolutionary government encountered financial problems, they labeled the Sekihoutai as frauds to bury their promises. This setup was engineered by Shindō Tatewaki, a former officer in the imperial alliance. The Sekihoutai were designated scapegoats and to be executed; Sanosuke was the only survivor, other than his friend Tsukioka Katsuhiro.

Full of anger and bitterness, Sanosuke made a living as a fighter-for-hire who bore the nickname "Zanza" derived from his weapon, the zanbatō. The symbol on the back of Sanosuke's jacket is the Japanese kanji 惡 (Aku), which means "Evil". He bears this symbol as a mark of his loyalty towards his past in the Sekihōtai, but also serves as a reminder to defend innocent people who have been wronged. This kanji can also be interpreted to Bad Hearted. Eventually, he was hired to kill Kenshin, but after being defeated by the former assassin and learning of Kenshin's no-kill approach, Sanosuke becomes a valuable ally. He later adopts a boxing-like fighting skill, known for the strength of his right fist. Because the zanbato was broken during the fight, Sanosuke no longer wields it on a regular basis, using only one more time in the manga to defend the Kamiya dojo during the Jinchu arc.At the end of the manga series, Sanosuke leaves Japan to avoid becoming wrongfully arrested and travels the world. He is not heard from until five years later during a reunion of the Kenshin-gumi, in which he tells them via a letter that he is in Mongolia and will stay there for a while before heading back to Japan.

To be con't....

Coming up next....Shinomori Aoshi (四乃森 蒼紫), Makoto Shishio(志々雄真実).

Yien

Rurouni Kenshin(るろうに剣心)

Rurouni Kenshin(るろうに剣心)originally appeared in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from September 2, 1994 to November 4, 1999, and the completed work consists of 28 tankōbon(単行本)volumes. Rurouni Kenshin, is a manga and anime series created by mangaka (漫画家, comic artist) - Watsuki Nobuhiro(和月伸宏),. The story is set during the early Meiji period in Japan.( 明治時代,, Meiji-jidai), or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running, in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912. During this time, Japan started its modernization and rose to world power status.

This set of 5 figurines is a long awaited prized collection since…I don't even remember when. Fans of Kenshin, this is a must have. The characters being included in this set are, Himura Kenshin (緋村 剣心), Kamiya Kaoru (神谷 薫), Sagara Sanosuke (相楽 佐之助), Shinomori Aoshi (四乃森 蒼紫), Makoto Shishio(志々雄真実). The detailed facial carve works and the rich colours are the plus points for this set to raise it above normal collection. I do hope my lousy photograhphy skill is able to do justic to them.

For our first presentation, we've chosen Kenshin to be our first model. Hit…it..Kenshin…Smile…?

Himura Kenshin (緋村 剣心)

The story tells of an assassin named Himura Kenshin (緋村 剣心), who was known as the Hitokiri Battōsai ("Man killer - Master of the Sword"). The title implies he has mastered the technique of Battōjutsu (sword drawing technique, studied in modern times as Iaijutsu) and can draw his sword with lightning speed. Hitokiri was the title given to samurai assassins ("man slayers" in the English anime).

After the Revolution, Kenshin grieves for all the lives he had taken, and vows that he will never kill again. He picked up a reverse-blade sword, Sakabato, given to him by a master swordsmith and assumed the life of a "rurouni". This word was created by Watsuki as a fusion of the words "Ronin" (masterless samurai) and "wanderer"). Kenshin becomes a technical master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū swordstyle after completing his previously abandoned training with his master, but declines the official mastership and title of "Hiko Seijūrō",given to each disciple who masters Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu swordsmanship along with a traditional cape that is passed down to each "Hiko Seijūrō". Kenshin's master, Hiko Seijūrō XIII, has always find it hard to pass the cape to Kenshin, because Kenshin is not comfortable with the cape. Plus being a small built guy, both master and disciple agrees that Kenshin look awful with the huge cape dragging alongside.

To be con't...

Next character coming up….. Kamiya Kaoru (神谷 薫)….

Yien

Ranma 1/2 (らんま½)

I suppose Ranma ½ is definitely a familiar manga to most us. Thinking back to the time of holding this fun loving manga in hand and laughing till I fall flat sure brings back lots fond memories for me (though I really can't read or unserstand most of the content) . Started from all the way back to the year of 1987–1996 by Rumiko Takahashi (高橋 留美子), I was still a little brat who was too poor to buy any of Ranma's stuff….sob…sad….. But who would had thought that after so many years later (2007), I was able to get my hands on these beautifully craved figurines of Ranma ½ by chance, during a clearance sale….ah…my childhood memories….in a clearance sale….

The missing piece of this set of 5, is actually one that has Ranma(Male) walking on the fence with Akane along side on the ground. It's a scene that depicts the usual quiet moment that Ranma and Akane have when they are either on their way home or to school...

Ranma ½ (らんま½: ,Ranma nibun-no-ichi) is a comedy manga and anime series created by Rumiko Takahashi. The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Saotome Ranma(早乙女 乱馬, Saotome Ranma) who was trained in martial arts. As a result of a freak accident during a training journey with his father to the Jusenkyo Springs, life for Ranma is never to be the same anymore. While sparing with his father, he fell into one of the cursed spring pools and is cursed to become a girl when cold water is splashed onto him, but fortunately with another splash of hot water will change him back into a boy again.

天道 あかね(Tendō Akane) & 早乙女 玄馬(Saotome Genma) & Ranma(Male)

Akane (16yrs old) is a rather insecure, awkward and sensitive girl with a hot temper but she has a big heart which somehow overrules all her 'shortcomings'. After her first encounter with the male version of Ranma in a form of a naked stranger in the bathroom and becoming further upset by his acid tongue insults, the engagement between them isn't off to a good start. Akane often feels inferior to Kasumi (oldest sister) in beauty and feminine pursuits, to Ranma and his other fiancées (Shampoo, Kuonji Ukyō, Kunō Kodachi) in cooking, martial arts ability or gymnastics, and to other students in swimming. Ranma has frequently, belittles her lack of success, or calls her ugly, over muscled, unfeminine and tomboyish (which she agrees with, but has a complex feeling about them) something which she often gets upset over with. Still regardless of the insensitiveness of Ranma, Akane has consistently risked herself to help or save Ranma, something which won the heart of Ranma….

Genma is Ranma's insensitive, selfish and greedy father. He took Ranma to Jusenkyo without even checking out the background of the cursed place beforehand. Like Ranma, he had also become the victim of the cursed spring. His curse causes him to turn into a panda with a splash of water. True to his nature, he doesn't have much trouble with the curse, due to the fact that he can get away from his troubles in his panda form. One thing which Genma fear most in his life is to face up to his wife, Nodka (早乙女 のどか, Saotome Nodoka). The reason for his fear is that Genma had made a contract with her to raise Ranma as "man amongst men", and if he failed, they would both commit Seppuku. However, because Ranma's curse, which makes him a woman half the time, they spent most of her appearances hiding from her as Ranko Tendo and her pet, Mr. Panda.

響 良牙(Hibiki Ryōga) & Ranma (Female)

Ryoga has known Ranma as for all his life and has always deemed Ranma as his ultimate rival in martial. He is known for his poor sense of direction, thus losing his way is a common feat for him. Ryoga spends his time wandering through the wilderness, training and amassing new techniques to hopping to defeat Ranma one day that is if he can ever find old his friend. Just like Ranma, Ryoga fell into one of the Jusenkyo spring too during one of his training but unfortunately it was due to being 'kicked' by a totally oblivious female Ranma. Thus he is cursed to change into a small piglet. He makes his way to Japan to seek Ranma out for revenge and by chance gets to know Akane. Not realising that the piglet which Ranma is fighting with is actually Ryoga, Akane 'adopted' the piglet and named him "P-chan". On normal day without the fighting, he's usually a shy, humble and polite teenager, especially when around women. Even though he sees Ranma as his ultimate rival, at times he will still risk his life to help Ranma, but the competition between the two will likely persist forever. Ryoga spends his time wandering through the wilderness, training and amassing new techniques to exceed Ranma — if he can ever find his friend and nemesis.

Shampoo (珊璞: Shān Pú) & Ranma(Male)

Shampoo is an Amazon from an isolated village of china who has come to Japan to kill the female version of Ranma. The reason is simply because Ranma had defeated her in an annual Amazon martial contest. The main intention for Ranma to participate in the competition was so he and Genma (Ranma's father, 早乙女 玄馬, Saotome Genma) could eat the prize, which was a fully stocked banquet table. Shampoo gave Ranma the "Kiss of Death", a promise to track Ranma down and eventually kill her - until she realized Ranma was actually a boy. According to the Amazon law, Shampoo must now marry Ranma instead. She returns home to be re-trained at Jusenkyo by her great-grandmother Cologne (可崘, Koron), but she too fell into one of the cursed springs and is cursed to turn into a cat with a splash of water— the one thing which Ranma fears most.

天道 かすみ(Tendō Kasumi) & Ranma(Female)

Kasumi is the eldest of the Tendo girls. She spends her days by cooking, cleaning and helping her family, making sure the Tendo household is well look after. Thus, she's like the family's substitute "matriarch" ever since her mother's untimely death. Even when the Saotomes (Ranma & Genma) moved in with the family, she gracefully takes on the responsibility to care for their needs too. Sweet, innocent, caring, self-sacrificing, she seems unaffected by the lunacy that is surrounding her. Dr. Tofu (小乃東風, Ono Tōfū), who is the resident chiropractor and well-liked by the residents of Furinkan. He is also a martial artist, though never seen practicing. He is madly in love with Kasumi and becomes quite dangerous (albeit unintentionally so) when she is around. In these instances, he becomes an incompetent fool, sometimes harming his patients. Sadly, Kasumi seems totally unaware of his affection for her….

To be con't....

Yien

Gintama (銀魂) - Part 1

This is the first installement from Animerooms and we have chosen "Gintama" voice box figurines as our pilot display. These voice box figurines are really a rare find, which I suppose most figurine collectors would understand this. What makes this set of five a must have is that the recorded dialogues of the characters are from the recording of the actual voice artist of each chacracters. With just a press of a button (which can be switch on/off), an interesting dialogue will be delivered in the crisp clear voice of the voice artist. It's as if having the real deal right at the palm of your hand.

銀魂

坂田銀時, Sakata Gintoki

Sakata Gintoki is the main character of "Gintama". He is a samurai living in Edo(Tokyo) era when samurais are no longer needed. To worsen his situation, oppressive aliens have moved in to invade his world. Gintoki has to takes on odd jobs, which sometimes coincidently made Edo a better place...and of course helps pay his rent. Yorozuya Gin-chan (万事屋銀ちゃん) is the name of Gintoki's business. He has naturally permed silver hair, which he blames for his lacking love-life. He rides a motorscooter and wields a bokuto(wooden sword), which he supposedly bought in Lake Toya during a class trip. In reality, the bokuto he wields is the 'Hoshikudaki', which he bought off of a TV shopping program. He had merely inscribed "Lake Toya" on it.

桂小太郎 Katsura Kotarō

Katsura is Gintoki's former comrade as a Joui. Even after the Amanto(aliens) have invaded, Katsura continues to resist the Amanto, and has amassed a band of followers. His choice of weapon is a metallic grenade. He is a wanted man due to his involvement in terrorist activities against the Bakufu, and is constantly on the run from the Shinsengumi. Because of this, he is often seen wearing disguises. He has the uncanny ability to know when someone has called him something other than Katsura, even in their head. Katsura's companion is a weird looking creature by the name of Elizabeth.

土方十四郎 Hijikata Tōshirō

The deputy leader of the Shinsengumi. He takes his work seriously, and is fiercely loyal to his leader, Kondo. Hijikata has a reputation as a fearsome leader, earning the nickname of "demonic deputy leader" (鬼の副長). Hijikata is obsessed with mayonnaise, and thus has the nickname "Mayora" (マヨラー). He would go as far as covering his whole bowl of rice with a thick layer of mayonnasie. He was apparently popular with girls until they discovered his obsession. He also has a tendency to cry after watching movies that aren't particularly emotional, as demonstrated after he admits to crying during "Alien Vs. Yakuza" which is absolutely hard to imagine the reason behind his tears. Hijikata enjoys fighting and sees Gintoki as his rival in many aspects, ranging from swordsmanship to food.

田総悟 Okita Sōgo

Okita is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Personality-wise, he tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish. He has continuously tries to 'kill' or at least badly wound Hijikata whenever he has the chance so that he can become the Vice-Commander. Sadistic as he may seemed like, he is actually a kind soul. Two most important person in his life are his elder sister ,Okita Mitsuba (沖田ミツバ) who loves Hijikata and is loved by Hijikata too; something that makes Okita having the dislike for Hijikata, and leader of the Shinsengumi, Kondō Isao (近藤勲) whom Okita deeply respected. He wears a distinctive eye mask when taking a nap during duty, which is a frequent occurrence. At one point, he refers to himself as the best sniper in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he uses a bazooka more often.

山崎退 Yamazaki Sagaru

Yamazaki's main responsibilty is to be the spy of the Shinsengumi, whose specialty is naturally gathering intelligence. Yamazaki is often caught by Hijikata playing badminton by himself and he is subsequently beaten by Hijikata. His is role as a ninja is never really exercised besides one unsuccessful attempt to spy on Gintoki. Despite having a rivalry with Shinpachi, they occasionally see eye-to-eye. Despite his lack of screentime, he still manage to come out top in the Gintama character popularity poll. He is definitely one of my all time favourite character.

To be con't.....

Yien