The Dollhouse: Issue 1: Finally!

About 2 years ago I ran an article about the Dollfie hobby here on the site, I really didn't think a ton of it at the time, figured that maybe with any luck one day I might get my hands on one of the dolls to add to my Anime collectibles. When I went back and checked the stats for the site a few months later I was shocked at the volume of hits on that single article. So I did more research and found out how deep this hobby runs, since then my girlfriend and roomates have gotten interested in making clothes for the dolls, so I decided to start running a feature article for the hobby every other week.

Happy Holidays!

Just wanting to wish all my readers a Happy Holidays! Please have a safe and wonderful time with your family and friends!

Life And Holidays

Hey folks, sorry there hasn't been much new content here the last week or so, I have had sick roomates, girlfriend and toddler, and that has been making for a less than ideal posting schedule. Anyways that all being said, I am working on a pre Christmas surprise for the site, then we are kinda in hibernation until mid next week.

Thanks for your patience.

Preview for the week of 12/13/2010

Ok, last week was a minor victory all things considered, I managed to get the VIZ Media Manga app review posted, given how crazy my life has been that was an accomplishment in of itself.

That all being said, here is the preview for the coming week:

Wed: Gundam Garage will finally make its debut with an introduction to SD Gundam, and my own project journal.

Thur: The Dollhouse kicks off with an article on getting started in the hobby, with some useful links and tips

You will see that the Friday figure news update isn't listed, I am having some issues with getting the informaton reliably in English at the moment, I am working on a resolution, until then we will just be going with the two feature posts a week.

REVIEW: iPad Manga App from VIZ Media

When the iPad was announced one of the first things I thought was "Man this would be a nice way to read Manga on the go" not that it would ever replace my softbound collection, but having a mobile option I could just throw in a bag that could store a batch of volumes would make long trips that much easier.

So here comes VIZ Media with one of the first options for building your virtual Manga collection, so how does it stack up compared to owning the real thing, join me past the jump and find out!

Preview for the week of 11/29/2010

Ok first off, yes I am aware that this is being posted on Wednesday, I was sick the last two days and wasn't able to look at the monitor without feeling sick sadly. That being said we still have a lot to cover this week:

Wed: As promised, a review of the iPad Manga reader from Viz.

Thur: Again the two new articles make their feature debut The Dollhouse with an article on getting started in the hobby, with some useful links and tips, and Gundam Garage takes a look at the world of SD Gundam kits, and I begin my first kit build journal!

Fri: We'll take a look at all the latest figure release news and notes.

An appology!

Sorry folks, when I posted the preview I completely spaced Thanksgiving this week, with all the friends and family time needed I didn't get the other two articles ready, they will go up next week instead.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just want to wish all our American readers a happy US Thanksgiving, have fun and be safe!

Layout Changes

Hey all!

You are probably going to notice that I am in the process of changing the layout and adding graphics, it does mean that it might be a bit strange looking for a few days, give me a few days and I will have it all together.

Thanks!

Where Danger Lurks

This feature article is going to be a little more sobering than a lot of the ones that I normally write around here, but given recent events, I felt it was needed, no matter how uncomfortable it is to write.


Many of you out there may be aware of the situation that has recently come to light in the state of New Jersey, where the organizer of an after school Lego program has been charged with molesting four young girls, it's a terrible situation and one that has rocked the adult Lego fan community to its very core.

Past the cut we will discuss how adults with unique hobbies can protect both themselves and the young people we come into contact with on a regular basis.

iPad Manga App from VIZ Media

As a proud iPad owner I have been longing for some time to have an app that might actually cater to the legitimate Manga scene, now it looks like VIZ Media has come through:

Official Press Release

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its long-awaited digital manga (graphic novel) application for the Apple® iPad™ mobile device, launching today for FREE download through the iTunes Store. With this launch, the VIZ MANGA APP instantly becomes the leading destination to read Japanese manga on the iPad, with a downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world.


The VIZ MANGA APP will launch on its first day with five legendary manga series, BLEACH Vols. 1-2, DEATH NOTE Vols. 1-2, DRAGON BALL Vol. 1, NARUTO Vols. 1-2, and ONE PIECE Vols. 1-2, as well as the recently launched BAKUMAN。 Vol. 1. In Week 2, the shojo fan favorite OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 1 joins the lineup. All volumes will be available for purchase and download directly within the application for $4.99 per volume. In addition, DEATH NOTE Vol. 1 will be available as a FREE download for a limited time only. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series for the iPad will also be featured and added on a frequent and regular basis.

“Fans have been clamoring for an official manga-dedicated app from the moment they heard of the iPad’s existence,” says Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VIZ Media. “It’s easy to see how manga and the iPad make for a perfect and natural fit. The VIZ MANGA APP is a great start, and this is just the beginning of manga’s brave new world. Look for plenty more developments to come.”


For more information on the VIZ MANGA APP, please visit www.VIZ.com/apps/.

I will be doing a full review on the app in the next couple of days, it looks like its going to be pretty limited on titles right now, but knowing VIZ Media, they will be upping that sooner than later. The iPad is definately canging the way people view traditional books and media, and applications like this are just the beginning.

Preview for the week of 11/22/2010

Ok so this is going to be a special week, as both the special features The Dollhouse and Gundam Garage will be published for the first time, after this week they will alternate each week, and as [hopefully] more features are added their schedules will shift again.

Anyways onto the preview!

Wed: This week we are going to take a look at how as adults we need to be careful with a hobby such as Anime/Manga fandom that crosses such a wide age range, we will talk about specific concerns, and give some tools to handle those situations should they arrise.

Thur: The Dollhouse makes its debut with an article on getting started in the hobby, with some useful links and tips. Gundam Garage takes a look at the world of SD Gundam kits, and I begin my first kit build journal!

Fri: We'll take a look at all the latest figure release news and notes.

UPDATES - 11/22/10 - New schedule and changes

Ok, so here goes, this is the "Proposed" schedule for site updates for the forseeable future:

Mon: Preview the week ahead
Wed: Feature Article/DVD Manga Review
Thur: Gundam Garage/The Dollhouse
Fri: Figure News

So thats it, we have a 4 day a week update schedule, as always its subject to change as needed, but I am going to try to adhere to this as best as possible going forward.

New special feature Gundam Garage

Well after adding the Dollhouse special feature [the first of which should be published this week] I am going to be adding a second figure/model related special feature, Gundam Garage this feature will focus on Gundam modelling in all its forms, and also where I will be keeping my own kit building journals.

The first installment will premiere later this work, with a look at the unique world of the SD Gundam model kits.

Forums update!

Well given the number of hits that the note on forums has generated I have decided to go ahead and start getting those setup, it will be pretty basic to start with and will be hosted offsite.

They should be up and running in the next week, and I will do a post here when they are ready to go, thanks for your patience on all of this.

Term of the week updated!

What better way to kick off again than with a new term of the week, this week we look at "Otaku"

UPDATES - 11/17/2010 - Welcome Back!

Wow! I didn't realize it had been this long between updates, my life has gone through a lot of changes in the last year, I am divorced [again] involved with a wonderful new woman, learning what it is to raise a toddler, and finally started a new job!

So where does that leave the blog? Well thats a good question, I have been struggling with what to do with this site for some time, but then I came back and looked and you know what? I found that I was getting more hits than I ever did previously, and almost all of it had to do with the Dollfie articles that I ran! That leads me to believe there are far more people interested in the Dollfie stuff than I realized, so I am going to try and see if I can keep this going with more Dollfie content as I get it, and continue to do other reviews and articles as time allows.

Welcome back folks, its going to be a fun ride!

- Gryfon