I've been away from this blog for a while, but I couldn't pass up saying Happy Birthday to one of my favorite iM@S idols, Yukiho. Happy Birthday! Yes, I know it's not the 24th here in the USA, but it is in Japan, so that means it's her birthday to me. Now go get the free wallpapers and such from the official site !

So I got THE IDOLM@STER2 First-run Limited Production Edition today for PS3! I was so excited! I would have gotten it the day before yesterday, but I just didn't get home early enough to pick it up from the post office. Anyway, I picked it up yesterday, and there was no stopping me. First, a shot of the box. The box it came in next to my 360 copy of iM@S2 When I picked it up, it was lighter than I had imagined, and I it seemed a little small to get an A1-sized tapestry in it, but opening up would show my fears to be unfounded. Unpacking it all, I found everything I'd hoped for. The contents of the shipping box I unrolled the tapestry and the poster to take a look and them, as I had bought the game specifically from Gamers to get them. They are pretty awesome. The A1-sized tapestry The B4-sized poster I also opened up the foil packet to see what was on my anime film strip. Turns out it's the same as the Gamers postcard I got with the set. I wonder if maybe ce

So I just made some Kara-age tonight from some kind of Kikkoman kara-age mix. It was really straightforward. I just cut up some chicken, shook it around in a bag with the mix, and then fried it. My results are below. I made some rice to go with it and just ate that. Wasn't bad. Some of the pieces were still a little powdery, but I blame that on my poor cooking ability. I feel like it was saltier than I would have liked, but I guess it's hard to adjust it when it's a pre-made powder. I'll have to look into a real recipe for kara-age sometime.

I just saw the banner today about the iM@S Social Game (temp name) coming out at the end of November. Although I had seen the blog post when it came out yesterday, I hadn't gotten around to reading it and sorta forgot about it. Anyway, it's certainly an interesting idea, and I'm curious how it will turn out. It seems that there will be over 100 girls to produce, including the already present 765 Production idols. I do hope the 876 Production idols will be available too, but no news on that. It will apparently be on Mobage . You will put together a team of 5 idols that you will produce from those over 100 girls and you can do jobs with them, raise their abilities through lessons, and have concert battles with rival idol teams. So far, it sounds a lot like regular iM@S, but with a lot more idols. But then they say they're going for some kind of card battle type game. So I'm curious as to what they're going to do with that. I was already getting my card battle ID

It's Hamuzou's birthday today! Also Hibiki's. Anyway, as usual, you can get all your wonderful birthday extras from the official iM@S anime website .

The first DLC for iM@S2 PS3 has been announced ! The video is below. So the most exciting part of that was the end! I'd read from ANN a few days ago that Miku was going to be iM@S2 PS3 as DLC, but I got the impression from the article that maybe she'd just show up in the DOTOP TV as a PV with her song, and maybe show up as a rival at a festival. But she'll be in S4U! as well! That's awesome! Ok, sure it's not quite as awesome as if you were able to produce her in the regular game, but it'll still be amazing to have her in S4U!. I hope that she'll work the same as the other idols and you'll be able to choose her songs, clothing, stage, and stage partners. Looking closely at video though, it looks like "World is Mine" is to be Miku only though. I still hope it means there are Miku versions of the iM@S songs so that you can still put her with the other idols on stage. I'm really looking forward to it. As for the other DLC, it seems like th

So just the other day, I tried out the Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Demo on my Xbox 360. It was an interesting experience, but I'm not sure I like it a lot. First thing I want to say is that my comparisons will mainly be to Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. I think that's reasonable, considering that was the last game in the series to come out on the Xbox 360. Anyway, there are two modes in the demo, fighter plane mode and attack helicopter mode. I tried plane mode first. There are two control schemes you can choose for plane mode. One is called Standard, and the other one is called Original. Standard is an easier mode where the plane auto-levels in the absence of control inputs, and you simply push the left control stick in the direction you want to go. The rudder is still a separate control though that can be used for yaw adjustments. The demo defaults to this control scheme. Original gives you full control, making the x-axis of the control stick control the plane's roll

For those that are interested in what had been keeping me busy for the previous week, I have pictures up now showing my trip out to Illinois to help do job fair recruiting for my company. Of course pictures of me hanging around a booth at a job fair wouldn't be very exciting, so the pictures were mainly taken when I was hanging out with friends before and after the job fair. Just click on the picture below to be taken to the appropriate Picasa album.

So I've been busy the past couple weeks, so I wasn't able to update, but here's a quick rundown of a few missed iM@S updates. First, is belated Happy Birthday to Ryo! His birthday was was on September 15th, as shown in Ryo's official character profile .. Unfortunately, there was no love for Ryo on the iM@S anime website, so you don't get the wallpapers, banners and twitter icons this time. Next, the Official IDOLM@STER Blog announced that a new opening song will be used for the iM@S anime next month! It will be called CHANGE!!!! (Wow that's a lot of exclamation points!). The single CD for it will then be released on November 9th. It will have a first-run limited edition version in a Digipak with a DVD, which will at least contain the non-credit video of the new iM@S opening featuring this song. The first-run edition will be 1,800 yen with tax, and the standard edition will be 1,200 yen with tax. Finally, there has been some updates on the details on the con

It's Kotori's birthday now in Japan! I hope she has a wonderful day filled with delusions! As usual, you can get the standard birthday wallpapers and icons and such off of the iM@S anime website's Special Page . Also, I couldn't just leave this with a post just about the birthday freebies, so I've also included a Kotori video I enjoyed from the recent 7th MMD Cup on Niconico. <a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm15356768">【第7回MMD杯本選】カードキャプターな魔法少女</a>

So I couldn't let a iM@S x Sakura Wars video go by without posting it so here it is. I think it's pretty cool. Enjoy! <a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm15515555">アイドルマスター　サクラ大戦 「巴里よ、目覚めよ」</a>

I think the post title speaks for itself. ほっとステーション by くろのくろ on pixiv

Started watching Kami-sama Dolls (神様ドォルズ) last night and am basically caught up now. I like it. I was amused that the moment I saw Aki, I thought: "It's Accelerator", and I've been more or less right. Utao is really cute; I bet I would tease her like Kyouhei does since she's so cute. I don't understand how most of Hibino's clothing clings perfectly to the underside of her breasts. I blame danbooru and their "impossible_clothing" tag for making me even notice such things. And mikos? Mikos are awesome. Moyako is awesome. I'm glad to see even after they've left the village she will be around. And her sister wears an orange hakama. I'm not sure I have ever seen an orange hakama before. That was weird. And the opening is pretty cool and the songs for the opening and ending are both Chiaki Ishikawa goodness. I'd give a YouTube link, but all the ones I've found there have had their audio made crappy so YouTube won't take it down

Yukiho is too cute! <p><a href="http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=21224577" target="_blank">ゆきほ</a> by <a href="http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=12404" target="_blank">い～どぅ～</a> on <a href="http://www.pixiv.net/" target="_blank">pixiv</a></p>

I just found out from her official blog that Yumi Hara (原由実) is afraid of dogs, even small ones like Chihuahuas. That's so cute! It's just like Yukiho, except it's Takane!

Now I have only seen the first episode of Nichijou, but watching this video has totally made me want to watch more of this show. <a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm15384779">【日常MAD】日常・ザ・ファイヤー(ルパン・ザ・ファイヤー)</a>

If you're one of those rare people that actually come to visit this blog, you may have noticed that the visual style has changed. I've been learning CSS lately, so I thought I'd give customizations a shot. What do you guys think? Feel free to leave feedback in the comments.

The official IM@S blog brings us new details on G4U! First off, Although the video has been up since the beginning of August, I never linked it, so for those who haven't seen it yet, here is the G4U! playthrough promotion video. G4U! VOL.1 will be on the beach, and as can be seen from the video, the featured outfits are swimsuits. G4U! VOL.2 will be in a school classroom, and we get two school related outfits, one being the school uniform, and the other being the school swimsuit. There are no details yet on further volumes of G4U!. As posted previously, G4U! VOL.1 will be included in the the PS3 [THE IDOLM@STER 2] First-run Limited Production Edition Special Box, while subsequent volumes will be included in the [Anime & G4U! Pack] for each anime Blu-ray. The IM@S blog warns however that like the Special Box, the Anime & G4U Packs will also be limited production, so to be sure to pre-order if you want to get the later volumes of G4U!. And it has been confirmed that a fil

Official news on IM@S 2 for PS3 and G4U! Vol. 2 comes by way of Dengeki Online ! Some of it confirms what I posted previously, but there is a bunch of brand new stuff too. First-run Limited Production Edition (19,800 yen, tax included) PS3 Software [THE IDOLM@STER 2] Anime Blu-ray [THE IDOLM@STER Vol. 1] Complete Production Limited Edition Vocal CD [PERFECT IDOL 01] Newly commissioned novel Voucher for priority event ticketing Digipak case with commissioned illustration by Atsushi Nishigori Special Pin-up Box to hold all 9 Blu-ray volumes of the anime PS3 Software [THE IDOLM@STER Gravure for You! VOL.1] Soundtrack CD for [THE IDOLM@STER 2] [Monthly Idol Gravure VOL.1], a seasonal idol support magazine For Monthly Idol Gravure VOL.1, Haruka and Iori are the "PUSH GIRL" for it, which I'm guessing means they're the featured idols. As for the PS3 game, it will have a new song and a new costume for Ryuuguu Komachi. The song is 七彩ボタン (Seven-colored Button)

Nooooo, if this source is correct, IDOLM@STER 2 is coming to PS3 on October 27th! Now I might need to buy it again! It will include all the clothing, songs, and accessories up through DLC catalog 3, and it will also include "READY!!", the new anime opening song. I wonder if it will include Little Match Girl? Anyway, I'm actually kind of sad that it's losing Xbox 360 exclusivity. Hopefully it'll be a good port though; I still want people to experience IDOLM@STER favorably. It might be interesting if it did some kind of hook up with the PSP versions to unlock stuff if you had their save data. I doubt it though. Update: After reading more stuff on the internet, it seems they will be releasing some kind of super edition of the game that includes a the first disc of the anime as well. This site says this edition will contain: PS3 Game "IDOLM@STER 2" PS3 Game "IDOLM@STER Gravure for You! Vol. 1"* First Blu-ray disc of the IDOLM@STER anime (Lim

So I went to a nearby hi-fi audio store the other day to see if they had headphones that I could audition there. I didn't go in with any kind of prepared playlist or anything; I just tried songs off my iPod that I thought might be interesting. Anyway, they allowed me to audition the following headphones: Grado SR80i Bowers & Wilkins P5 Denon AH-D5000 Beats by Dr. Dre studio Grado SR125i So out of all of them, I liked the Grados and Denon the best. The Denon I liked better for punch and clarity, but the bass was too strong for my taste. They were very comfortable too. The Grados were pretty good, but like other open-backed headphones I've used, they feel like they're missing some impact. It's like they can't focus the music into my ears. That doesn't stop me from using open-backed phones, but it's not where I want to go for impact. Anyway, both Grados sounded very similar; I wasn't able to tell the difference, but I also wasn't able to lis

Keeping in mind the advice I got from you all on things to keep in mind when doing arcade stick artwork, I have created a second design. I think this one should still look fine even when hands are covering most of it while in play. Still don't know if I should do something with the buttons or not. Once again, any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks! New and improved(?) arcade stick artwork design After some advice from another friend, here is an alternative. Perhaps more improved?

So I bought a bento box from Kofuku Shop at Harvard Square in Boston, MA this past weekend, and decided to try to make use of it today. This was my first time making a bento. When making the food for it this morning, I discovered that it didn't actually hold a whole cup of rice in the bottom tray, so I'm thinking next time I make rice for it, maybe 3/4 cup is the way to go. Nevertheless, I didn't really plan out the box, so it's not a particularly balanced meal, but still, at least I got some vegetables in it. It's got some approximation of tamagoyaki in it, a hot dog, and my first effort at blanching spinach. Spinach really does take up a lot less room after cooking it, so I'll have to make more next time. Anyway, I have a picture below of my finished efforts right before I was going to start eating it for lunch today. The milk coffee is mine too, but anything past that is not. My delicious first-time bento (with Milk Coffee!)

Just got my Japanese keyboard from Lenovo today. They were FAST! I just ordered from them yesterday! They also spelled my name totally wrong, replacing all S's in my last name with F's. As I expected from when they gave me the part number, I got a Chicony-made keyboard. I haven't really used it enough yet to say if I think it's any better or worse than my old keyboard. Taking out the old one though, I discovered it was an ALPS-made model. Anyway, successfully installed it into my laptop. Some pictures are below. My new Chicony-made JP keyboard installed in my laptop My old ALPS-made US keyboard after being removed With the new keyboard in, of course I had to now get Windows to understand that I had a 106-key keyboard now instead of a 101-key keyboard, so I relied once again on my friend caelk's posts on his experience with changing the mappings , and did the instructions in reverse, since he was trying to change from 106-key layout to 101-key layout. I fol

The IDOLM@STER blog announced that Bushiroad is releasing the IDOLM@STER 2 Trial Deck this weekend! It will include the GO MY WAY! climax card, and a the BK MANIAC event card. It will sell for 1,300 yen (tax included). Need to pick it up sometime! Go my way, whoo!

After modding my Mad Catz Fightstick TE recently with the Toodles MC Cthulhu and Imp v2, I started thinking about maybe replacing the artwork on it with custom artwork as well. I put together a quick design with gimp...well, it would have been quick if I could use gimp properly.   Anyway, what do you guys think? Feel free to leave impressions and suggestions in the comments.

Just finished Pretty Cure Splash Star! Moving on to Yes! Pretty Cure 5 after this. Hopefully will update later with actual impressions of Splash Star.

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. However, I recently went to Anime Boston, and now you can see my photos here !

Just found out today about a fighting game to be released by Examu (the makers of Arcana Heart) and Aquaplus, called AQUAPAZZA -AQUAPLUS DREAM MATCH-. It's kind of crazy that this exists. I remember playing many years ago a doujin Aquaplus character fighting game called Queen of Heart (by 渡辺製作所, no longer active), and I would never have expected an official fighting game to eventually happen. So far, it looks like the game will have at least the following Aquaplus properties in it: Routes To Heart To Heart 2 Comic Party Tears to Tiara Utawarerumono It will be for the TAITO Type X 2 hardware, and it will use the NESiCAxLive service. The first trailer is below, and the second trailer can be watched on the official website .

Just got through watching a bunch of anime from this season. I have included below a one sentence summary of what I've seen of the show (which may only have been one or two episodes), followed by some brief impressions. Take them as you please. Infinite Stratos: A fanservicey show about girls at a school who pilot flying robots, and the one guy that can also pilot the robots. An okay show, initially annoying due to how dense the main character is. Cecilia made me think of Mint from Galaxy Angel, due to her blue color scheme, high-class background, and mech that uses remote controlled bits to allow her to fire from any angle. Also, so far Charlotte is totally the cutest. I'll plan to keep watching it. Yumekui Merry: A guy who has the ability to see when Dream Demons are attempting to enter reality helps a girl with no memories of her past try to return to the world of dreams. There's more to it, but I couldn't figure out how to do it in one sentence. A pretty good sh

The IM@S anime website updated today with brand new info on the the series! We now know who some of the staff are besides the voice actors. They are: Original Creator: Namco Bandai Games (That was a given) Original Character Design: Toshiyuki Kubooka (Another given) Director and Character Design: Atsushi Nishigori Nishigori's Former Works: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (Main Character Design, Animation Director) Gurren Lagann (Character Design) Series Composition: Touko Machida and Atsushi Nishigori Machida's Former Works: Lucky Star (Series Composition, Screenplay) Tears to Tiara (Series Composition, Screenplay) Series Director: Noriko Takao Takao's Former Works: K-ON! and K-ON!! (Storyboard Direction for several episodes) CLANNAD (Storyboard Direction for several episodes) Lead Art Directors: Haruko Iizuka and Akira Takata Iizuka's Former Works: WORKING!! (Art Director) A Certain Magical Index II (Art Director, Key Animator f

Earlier today on the official IDOLM@STER blog , they revealed that a new IDOLM@STER anime had been announced at "THE IDOLM@STER 2 765pro H@PPINESS NEW YE@R P@RTY !! 2011" event that same day! Further details will be contained in the March issue of Megami Magazine, due to be released on January 29th. The broadcast of a new IDOLM@STER radio show at HiBiKi Radio Station, tentatively called " Anime IDOLM@STER Radio " will also begin on that day. You can listen to a pre-broadcast commentary found there currently. Although many details will not be available until the release of Megami, all current info can be found on the newly opened anime official site , including the 1st PV below that was shown at the event. The site includes a countdown to the 29th, and for each day, a celebratory handwritten message from the cast will be added to the site. From what is provided in the PV and the pre-broadcast commentary, we can determine the following about the new IDOLM@STER anime