UFO Catchers: FURYU FOR YOU

Alrighty kitties, here’s the deal: Since starting this blog, I have been trying for the life of me to figure out how to and what to focus this blog on. I have no attention span for many things, but a few things. And...you all (those who have actually visited) seen my obsession with nemunekos. And from that will branch something new.

So I shall start the official blog subject---> In the Sky: UFO CATCHERS

As you have possibly seen, the title has changed.

And here is the first segment: FURYU FOR YOU.

**ATTENTION: This blog is not professionally affiliated with the Furyu Corporation, San-X or any other company. Everything seen on this blog has to do with a sick girl’s obsession with adorable products. I do not claim that these products are mine (unless of course I actually bought them), that I made these products, or that I created the ideas for these products. Everything belongs to FURYU CORP, SAN-X or other companies that I give credit to. If anyone tries to sue me for showing my love and fandom over products made by this company, I will be very sad.

Legal spiel aside, for the next couple of months (or depending on my attention span, maybe a year) this blog will show off the new products that Furyu releases. Furyu Corporation is a company that creates the toys that the Japanese population views in their crane machines. These crane machines are certainly much different than the ones I grew up knowing, with two prong claws instead of four and -supposedly- are easier to win prizes from than American versions. I personally like that. Japanese crane machines make it so you can actually win. They don’t completely stuff the prizes in the bottom so they are impossible to get and you have to pay a left leg just for one prize that isn’t even worth fifty cents. 

Damn American crane machines. Look at all those crappy prizes. Really, American kids DO NOT understand what junk they're getting, or better yet, if they get anything for the five to whatever money spent to get the prizes.

Though we just got a UFO Catcher in our mall, and I was excited when I saw it. It had Domo in it. Brown and pink ones.

Oooh, why so Domo? :D Yeah. Awesome.

Btw, I love pictures. They will be present a lot during these blogs, so best prepare for them.

I’ll not only follow Furyu’s products, but Crane Machine prizes in general. Anyway, I really want to save Nemu-nekos for last, so I’ll start with something else just as catlike. Marunekos.

Cuteness Factor: 6 out of 10

These distant pets of the cousin’s of weeble-woobles, Marunekos are round, adorable little cats that are always smiling. Then again, many cats are rather cheerful creatures. There are plush and plastic varieties of these cats, found -of course- in claw machines and -for those who aren’t so good at catching these kitties, like many people seem to have a problem with- are available online, at sites such as kawaiishopjapan.com.

**Side note: The shop owner’s name is Miki and I have bought from her and the shop four times, and every time I have shopped there, the items are always in great shape, the products are cheap, her packaging is spectacular, and Miki is one of the kindest women I have ever dealt with. I will recommend over and over to anyone and everyone to go to her shop. And I recommend that everyone who reads this should at least visit her shop.

Here are some videos of claw machines in action: 

Doraemon Crane Machine Win

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUp2kThTVI

Unexpected Win

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjr0h26AHOI&feature=related

I also love videos. Expect those too.

And so, good night, my kittlies. May your New Year glitter like the northern lights. <3

To my Sister

Oh, dear sibling...

I have a sister. For the sake of names, I'll call her Lynn. She's seventeen months older than me, but short and round as I am tall and...round, but distributed evenly. We both have brown hair, hers highlighted with blonde, mine with red. Brown eyes, green eyes. She dresses classy, whereas I wear a relaxed kind of style.  Look-wise, we aren't alike, but you can definitely tell we are sisters, that if our mother was around, people could tell that we take after her. But we are not quite the same. We like the same things, but we are not the same.

She likes Abercrombie and I like Torrid, but that's not really what I want to point out. When dealing with people, you see that she is pretending and you can tell with me I am honest. I refuse to pretend, and she does it every day. But Lynn has always had an attitude, and pretty much bullied me up until now. She still kind of does. She's one of those girls who pretends she accepts other people peculiar ways, and then talks about how 'weird that girl/guy was' when they're gone. We both were molded differently than other people, yet somehow we ended up at opposite spectrums. Probably because of college. She went to a NJ private school that had a tuition of 40k a year and I went to a local community campus much cheaper. She had a very small group of friends and I ended up making a lot of them. I know what you're thinking. Having a lot of friends doesn't mean they were all close ones. Very true. But I found in that large group a smaller group that I love. The difference between our friends was the fact that my friends are real and will do anything for me. Lynn's friends won't last forever and don't really care about her (only because they don't have many friends either).

Lynn doesn't like geeks. Geeks are my friends, the people that really like me and I really like them back. My boyfriend is a geek. I am a geek. Lynn used to be a geek, but she's decided (probably to keep her only best friend and her rich friends from Jersey) that being a 'grownup' is better than being different. And she criticizes me for being lazy (I like relaxing, just because I don't break my neck to work means nothing), not doing anything for her (I was basically her unpaid servant from 4yrs up to 19. I'm almost 22), when I do something for her she is not appreciative. There are so many things that I could complain about. I'm just tired of her bitchyness and her "I know I'm a bitch, but feel sorry for me" bullshit.

Do you want to know what triggered this rant? An engagement.

I went to school with this kid that likes hunting, is kind of a hick (then again, most of the town is 90% hick and there's nothing really wrong with it. But they kind of annoy me if they are uber-hicks), is really hairy (honestly, it's kind of gross), has the nickname of Tatertot (by me and high school friends), and has a slight ego. But I haven't really spoken to him for a year or so. He's probably changed, like most of my class has. And I find out tonight on facebook that he got engaged. On Christmas Eve, cheesy but really sweet and cute. I'm happy for them. But my sister? She doesn't get it. She even said that someone as hairy and gross as him found a girlfriend -whom he wants to marry- and someone like her hasn't ever had a boyfriend.

Lynn...Fate will NOT let you meet your future husband unless you change. Stop being so critical and judgemental, and maybe a guy will like you.

END RANT

So, until next time kittlies. And I'll try to stay on top of this blog better in the future. Have a Great Christmas everyone, a Good Holiday, Happy Hannukah (I probably spelled that wrong, sorry), and merry good day to all. Night <3

Neko Ramen, Muyho and Manga

I just realized: what kind of dumbass whom likes Japanese cat type things doesn’t mention Neko Ramen?

Not to mention: What kind of dumbass whom loves cats and Japanese culture doesn’t mention Neko Ramen that hasn’t posted in almost two to three weeks?

My apologies, children. This dear writer can be quite the forgetful moron. And self-deprecating.

Neko Ramen is about a Purebred American Shorthair named Taisho. He hates being purebred, since it’s associated with the fact that his father is a cat model and spent most of his childhood being forced to model as well. After escaping that, Taisho found his true calling in the ramen business. Problem is: it’s terrible ramen. But for some reason his only customer -businessman Tanaka- keeps coming back. Maybe he sympathizes with Taisho, or it’s still a marvel for him to see a cat make ramen. I know I would go for that.

The series is basically gimmicks that Taisho tries to pull off to attract customers, from elaborate puzzles (ie, “FILL IN THE BLANK: Taisho is a CA_T.” That’s one of my favorite parts. Tanaka was so confused. :D) to actually making curry. And Taisho hires some interesting characters, mostly two cats who just sleep all day, Shinge-chan: silent hippie looking guy whom steals constantly from the store, Second Shop Guy who keeps changing the other Neko Ramen location. Other weird people that come by are Tetsu: a friend of Taisho’s whom creates card games with no actual point to them, Mariko: Tanaka’s coworker whom he likes, but she’s too ditzy to notice and always insults Taisho’s ramen, Taisho’s family (his mother, father, and brothers.) and a few others too.

I just got the fourth book today, and I’m happy to be able to put it on my shelf. Tokyopop’s American branch is being shut down, meaning a lot of their manga series are being stopped, dropped, and hopefully will be picked up by other American publishers. I actually saw the price on the fourth book as being over two hundred dollars. I couldn’t believe it, but it still freaked me out and made me want to get my hands on it while I could. But the German branch however is not shut down though. I mean, that’s so dumb. I don’t know the selling demographic for Germany, but I think Americans make up most of the anime/manga loving people, second to the Japanese, of course. Well, we might be first since our country is bigger...I don’t really know. But it shouldn’t have closed. It’s the one that I’ve identified as the best publishing company. It’s really disappointing.

I suffered the same incident with the thirteenth volume of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. Well, there weren’t volumes that cost hundreds of dollars. I just kept running into sites that said it was available, so I would order it from the site. But then an email would show up saying how it wasn’t available and I ended up being refunded. And I did it a few times. And I never got the manga.

I’m a big fan of that series. And I fought to find that book. Book selling sites: PLEASE DON’T SAY YOU HAVE SOMETHING AND YOU ACTUALLY DON’T. Hypocrites. And I’m sorry I subjected you to the dreaded all caps shouting thing. I don’t like to use it, but it somewhat gets the point across.

But Beck has been moved to number two on my list of favorite manga series. Well, it’s definitely tied with this one: Muhyo and Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. It’s about these two characters (I don’t have the proper grounds to call them men or boys. Maybe guys? I don’t know how old ANY of the characters are. Hear that, Nishi Yoshiyuki? Now would be about time to tell us since the series has been over for about three years) Toru Muhyo and Jiro Kusano (is actually called Roji, ninety-eight percent of the time), who use Magic Law to solve cases of the supernatural. It goes so much deeper than that, and it's a tad hard to explain. Reading it would be the best option from here. The plot is fantastic, and I love most of the characters, even the villains. Except Teeki. No on likes Teeki. Except murderers, maybe...Or crazy people. Then again, he is pretty interesting- Okay, this is just an awesome, AWESOME series that you need to get into right now so it gets really popular again to the point where Shonen Jump can’t deny it and may Muhyo and Roji into an anime. SJ, if you ever do and need an American voice actor for Muhyo or Rio, blog me.

Sigh. What I wish for...

Until next time, kitties.

CATS

Since my first entry was all serious like a bowl of angst cereal, I'd like to make this one a little more whimsical and humorous.

Let's discuss the first order of geekdom itinerary:

Motherfucking CATS.

Those felines, fluffy and adorable creatures. I love them. I gush like a freak when I see cats or kittens or both. Or plushies. Or books. Obsession doesn't cover what's wrong with me.
(Okay, I'm not one of those uncomfortable people who like to...ehm, fornicate with them. I am just a fan. I don't understand bestiality. Really, people are so much more huggable than animals. I mean, it's a much more rewarding of a relationship. What's the point in having sex with a goat? I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with an animal. It probably is, but it's just very wrong.)

Wooooooooowww, I got very off track. But, I really hate bestiality. It pisses me a mite off. And by mite, I mean I would kill people for doing such acts. Along with pedos and children murderers. People, innocence needs to have boundaries again. Let the kids live. Fuck them up when they're older. Don't be bitches and hurt them because they're the ones that can't fight back. Fucking wimps (by that, I mean the pedos and murderers) GOD.

Okay. Cats. We're talking about cats now. I'm sorry about that. I rant endlessly.
The following things are my main obsessions at the moment.
Chi's Sweet Home (the New York Time's best selling manga and anime series)
Nemu Neko (friggin adorable plushies that are from Japan. They're crane machine prizes. WHY CAN'T OUR -USA- CRANE PRIZES BE THIS AWESOME AND CUTE?!)
Cat Paradise (five volume manga)
And I'll toss in Azumanga Daioh, since I am quite the fan of Chiyo-Dad (that weird ass catesque creature, WHO I LOVE.) And Namineko (the "Biting Cat") and Maya, that Iriomote mountain cat cub that imprints on Sakaki in her senior year....

ANYWAY.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO0hwNQKUf8


Chi's Sweet Home is about a little kitten whom was separated from her mom and siblings, and stumbles upon a new family, The Yamadas. The family consists of young son Youhei, stay at home Mom, and graphic designer Dad, whom all live in an apartment building that has a no pet policy. So many of Chi's adventures involve hiding from the building super. This series is such a simple story, yet it captures the mannerisms of cats perfectly, so I reccommend it to cat lovers and people who love really adorable things.

WARNING: There are going to be a HELL lotta pictures coming up.



















As you can see, they're fucking adorable. Nemunekos (Sleepy Cats) are from the crane machine and/or plushie manufacturing company FURYU (I'm honestly not sure). I can't believe that Japan's crane prizes are so cute, especially these. I have literally becomed obsessed with them. They're so cute. Like, SO CUUUUUUTE. I can't get over them. First time I ever saw these adorable plushies were at Genericon '11. I wanted to buy all of them, but they were so expensive. I found them again online and I look them up just to dream about buying them again. My friends joke about my obsession and say how I would never be seen again if my room were filled with Furyu nekos. That isn't far from the truth. But if I spent all of my time with them, they would soon be crushed from my body weight and aged with time. There are quite a few holes in that theory, and I am slowly working them out. Point is, they're so awesome, cute, and YOU NEED TO BUY ONE NOW.





Cat Paradise is about a teenage girl Yumi, whom attends a special school that allows cats, hence along with her comes her pet cat Kansuke. The school is founded by a man who made a deal with spirit creatures, whom most of these creatures have a vendetta against mankind. So a lot of the time, you see giant animals trying to kill students. Well, just the student council, who were granted powers by this priestess and her feline companion to protect the school and humans. The art is so different and great, the plot is good too, and it's only five volumes long. It stinks, but with the way the plot folds out quickly, I understand why it's a short series.





http://www.watchdub.com/english-dubbed/azumanga-daioh/

And Azumanga Daioh is about a group of interesting high school girls who just go through the daily goings on of high school life. Very slice of life and funny. Quirky too. The group consists of ten year old child prodigy Chiyo-chan, outrageous and excitable Tomo, brainy and sharp tempered Yomi, shy, cat-loving Sakaki, space cadet Osaka, and competive Kagura. Then there are even more crazy characters, like their homeroom teacher Ms. Yukari, lazy and eccentric, her best friend (though I don't know how she is) gym teacher Ms. Kurosawa and perverted Mr. Kimura...

You have to watch it to fully understand it. That's why it's one of my favorite animes.

But the sad thing about loving cats as I do, I can't draw them, which is such a shame. There would be at least a couple of kitty comics floating around in some of my notebooks, maybe on the web. It's a nice thought, and I have yet to find my style. Trust me, it's been a long progress.

So I stick to my glorified sticklike figures. Only one of the comics I drew up made it on to my Deviantart account. But the scanner used to transport the visual onto the interspace was not so good at capturing the good while enhancing the bad. The whole page had a sheen that makes it hard to read, the lines in the word bubbles faded, as were the drawn lines of my characters. It was just a big mess, so I didn't scan on anymore. It's name is BLiP (not to be confused with Blip, a comic about some angsty girl and spacely creatures -from what I've seen- that's wonderfully drawn) I might change the name of it. I'll figure something out. My characters are basically diffferent aspects of my personality.
BLiP- anti-social, hates people a lot of the time, and is sarcastic
CaRL- music loving, mellow yellow, and just awesometown
MauRiCe aka Mo- GAY (as in he's waaaay flamboyant and he loves my boyfriend too), whiny, and totally sweet with a fifty-eight percent chance of vindictive
DeNNY- Destructive, choatic, and adventurous
CoRN- Weird, diabolical (The D in my Diabolical title), and very different

The devil has a few cameos, and acts like the best villain, all charming and beautifully evil. I have to figure how to get them online. And then there's the of inking UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Mama don't like inking. That's why I use .5 mm mechanical pencils (preferrably Papermate Clear Points)

And so the conclusion of this blog: Everyone should like cats. And drawing is quite difficult.

And here we are

Warning: This isn't for the young people who are ages 8 and under. I believe when you hit 9 years old, you know when or when not to swear. You know your boundaries then, sometimes you don't acknowledge it and go with your urges. It's okay. And warning to people who have a hard time following a person who -persay- goes off track of the RantLikeBlog Train and takes a bus to Somethingelsetown. Trust me, it's going to possibly get weird, in the best way.



I was trying to decide if using 'Otaku' somewhere in the title to make my denomination powerful. The title tells you everything in just a small sweet sentence. That's why I like titles, well, words. And that's one of the reasons I'm a geek. By using That Diabolical Geek, it represents properly what I want from this blog. People view geekdom as a plaguelike creature, something evil. And I have this wonderful image of a geek snatching someone's cookie or another nice treat and that someone shaking their fist after them, shouting. "That Diabolical Geek!" That makes me think of a superhero geek too. So many views from such a small sentence.

Back to Otaku though. I'm not through with that just yet.

But using a term like that, people from all over the world can trip onto my page, and view it wrongly. For instance, Otaku can be a person who had no social life of any sort (a loser, if you will) and therefore has plenty of time to surf the web and watch japanese animation, aka anime. Otaku means social deviant and/or pervert. Or people who know of Miyazaki Tsutomu's story...

Yeah, I can understand why I wouldn't use Otaku either.

As much negative attitude that follows it, I still like the term Otaku, because from my world and understanding, it's just a person who geeks over anime. And by saying geek, I'm paying many compliments. Unlike a lot of not-so-normal-people-trying-to-act-normal people who make out being a geek, nerd, freak and so on, not so glamourous. I'm not looking to be accepted by people who won't admit that they're just as freaky as me. Why should I? From what I've taken from observation and the conjurings of opinions, being normal means you act like a jerk to everyone, dress like you're too easy, look down on people that aren't perfect while you avoid looking in the mirror at that same person. I know too many people like that. I've met guys that are full of themselves and totally oblivious to not knowing how not "hot" it is to thinking you're the shit. I know girls who make fun of someone for being fat while at the same time complaining how fat they are. I'm a big girl, and my sister (who is also big) has a friend (who is not so big AT ALL) that complains about how fat she is. She's beautiful, but doesn't know it. But at the same time, she gussies herself up and goes out to bars looking like a hooch. People most of the time don't make sense.

My sister. Her friend. I can't get started on them. I'll save it for the next blog.

So, I've concluded, purely from observation: Being a geek means being yourself, and being yourself is so bad for your health.

Bullshit. I love how there are shows like Glee, music about staying true to yourself, and life coaches that empower people to be themselves...And yet, there's still a good chunk of human kind that look down on other people. Egos are as common as eggos. Kids have been catching the disease of ego, already preying on the kids that just want to be friends. I'll admit that there are some very strange people out there, some becoming lawyers or murderers, or murderous lawyers. That'd be a pretty sweet plot on Criminal Minds.

I have a habit of spiraling completely off track. Try to keep up, kids.  Besides, the one or two liners give your eyes a break from the paragraphs. That's why they're here. For your eyes' pleasure.

But with the territory of strange people, come from stranger people who find strange people. Sad thing is people don't know how strange they really are. That's why we have the folks who believe they're above eveyone. They refuse to accept that they're weird, like everyone else and not like everyone else.

To the point: I want to use this blog as a better network for Diabolical Geeks like me. Maybe recruit some DG babies. They can start in the closet, and then rocket catapult out of there and geek out with me. With everyone.

And now I leave you kids for a bowl of mushroom soup. Because mushrooms are my soulfood. Along with chocolate goods and other delightful things I'll mention another day.


Catch ya later, kiddies....Kitties... Geekies...

I'm calling you bitches DG Kitties, because cats are awesome. <3