Inside the C.O.D.E

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Kipi and the Cosplayer

What is Cosplay?
Cosplay is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games, and, less commonly, Japanese live action television shows, fantasy movies, Japanese pop music bands, Visual Kei, fantasy music stories (such as stories by the band Sound Horizon), and novels. However, in some circles, "cosplay" has been expanded to mean simply wearing a costume.

The most specific anecdote about the origin of the word "cosplay" was that Nov Takahashi (from a Japanese studio called Studio Hard) coined the term "cosplay" as a contraction of the English-language words "costume play" while she was attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon. He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese science fiction magazines. This point is debatable, however, as the word fits in with a common Japanese method of abbreviation: combining the first two syllables of one word with the first two syllables of a second word (or, more precisely, the first two moras of each). Other examples of this include Pokémon and puroresu.

Cosplay costumes are radically different from typical Halloween costumes. Because the object of cosplay is to literally become one's character, the intricate details of the costumes are critical. Costumes must meticulously adhere to the designs of the characters' attire, and even more generic costumes are often elaborately artistic. Rigorous attention to detail may include ensuring the seams are aligned properly, thread colors are appropriate, and fabric colors precisely match the character and their attire. Some cosplayers will buy their costumes from talented artists, while others may spend months creating the perfect cosplay outfit.
Because the costumes are so elaborate, like-minded people gather to see others' costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests at different cosplay events.

General Information on Kipi
Name: Kipi
Birthday: 08/04/1988 (Flower of birth: Corn)
Astrology Sign: Leo (Leonid)
Height: 153cm / 60.25 in / 5ft
Weight: 46kg / 101.4 lbs
Blood Type: O-
Email Address: kipi@og.lomo.jp
Favorite Color: Gold
Body Fat Ratio: 3*% Fat (medium to low)
Foot Size: 23cm / 9.06in (Not to large and Not to small)
Residence: Tokyo, Japan
* = information kept secreat by her
Extra Info:
Kipi was awarded the Most Beautiful/Best Cosplay Actress of 2006 by China's offical cosplay association.
Kipi is the official cosplay character representation of Haruhi Suzumiya

Official page of Kipi: http://games.enet.com.cn/zhuanti/cplay/zhuanti/kipi.shtml
Kipi Fan page: http://www.kipi-fan.com/index.php

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

THE IDOLM@STER (Mami Futami)

The Idolmaster is an arcade game released only in Japan by Namco (now Namco-Bandai) on July 26, 2005. It was released on the Xbox 360 on January 25, 2007. The game follows the career of a producer who works for the fictional 765 Production studio and has to work with a selection of nine prospective pop idols (one of them is a pair of identical twins).

Figure/Doll
Eighteen parts are movable. Revolver joints: 8mm joint x 1, 6mm joint x 7, and 5mm joint x 2. Optional parts: optional hand x 6, and display base x 1. Optional accesory: police woman's hat x 1, cow bell x 1, cat's paw x 1, and devil's foot x 1.

Official Site of THE IDOLM@STER: http://www.idolmaster.jp/

Super Robot Taisen OG (Grungust Type-0)

The Grungust is a fictional robot in the Super Robot Wars series. It has appeared as a playable unit in Super Robot Wars 4, Super Robot Wars F, Super Robot Wars F Final, the Super Robot Wars Alpha series and the Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation series.
The Grungust series have a similar outlook overall. Being super robots, they are somewhat bulky with thick armor and are significantly larger in proportion to Personal Troopers. The body parts generally look very thick with simplistic, cartoon-like body lines. The color schemes of the Grungusts vary, but are usually portrayed in a garish red, blue, and yellow tri-color paintjob. Another distinctive feature is the large jet turbines mounted on the robot's shoulders.

Grungust Type-0 Specifications
Height: 50.3 meters
Weight: 380.0 tons
Weapon Systems:
-Boost Knuckle:
The Grungust launches its arm so it can perform an aerial punch.
-Hyper Blaster:
This is a powerful heated blaster weapon fired from the chest.
-Type-0 Colossal Blade (Reishiki Zankantou in the Japanese version):
Sanger summons his Colossal Blade which arrives using its thrusters. He uses it to deliver a massive swing to destroy the opposing target. In Super Robot Wars Original Generations, the Type-0 carries the Colossal Blade with it at all times.

Link of Product

Clannad the Visual Novel for PC

Clannad is a Japanese visual novel created by the software company Key, who also produced the successful titles Kanon and Air. Key announced in 2001 a release date of 2002 for Clannad and, after several postponements, finally released a limited version for the PC on April 28, 2004, and the regular version less than four months later on August 8, 2004. The visual novel was later ported to the PlayStation 2 on February 23, 2006, and will be ported again to the PlayStation Portable in May 2008, along with the Xbox 360 in spring 2008. The gameplay in Clannad follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. According to Jun Maeda, the main scenario writer of Clannad, the title means "family" or "clan" in Irish.

While both of Key's previous works, Kanon and Air, had been released first as adult games and then censored for the younger market like most bishōjo games, Clannad was released for all-ages; this led to a certain amount of disappointment among fans of Key's adult works. Partly in reaction to the disappointment, an adult sequel-of-sorts, Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life, was released on November 25, 2005.

Clannad has made several transitions to other media: four manga series, the first serialized in the Japanese magazine Comic Rush, the second serialized in Comi Digi +, the third serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine, and the fourth in Dragon Age Pure; an animated movie by the animation studio Toei Animation released on September 15, 2007; two anime series by Kyoto Animation, which also animated the previous Key titles Air and Kanon; and, lastly, two sets of drama CDs, totaling nine in all.

Official Site: http://key.visualarts.gr.jp/product/clannad/

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Shakugan no Shana

The Novel and the Anime...
Shakugan no Shana, also known simply as Shana, is a series of Japanese light novels and related media works written by Japanese novelist Yashichiro Takahashi and illustrated by Noizi Ito centering around Yuji Sakai, an ordinary Japanese high school boy who inadvertently becomes involved in a perpetual war between forces of balance and imbalance in existence. In the process, he befriends the title character: a fighter for the balancing force, whom he takes to calling "Shana". The series incorporates science fiction, fantasy, and slice-of-life "school days" elements into its tale.

...and the Figure
This waitress version of Shana from the Shakugan no Shana (Shana of the Blazing Eyes) anime series features a cute waitress version of Shana. Brought to you by Cospa, it is part of the Resinya collection, sculpted by the talented Hiroshi and is the black and white maid version. A nice high quality 1/6th scale PVC statue that works to capture the attention of everyone in sight of her. Measures 28 cm (11 inches).

Estimated release date, July 2008