Birthday:October 10 Zodiac:Libra Height:177 cm Weight:65 kg Age:20's
Sakata Gintoki is a samurai living in an era when samurai are no longer needed. To add to his troubles, oppressive aliens have moved in to invade. Gintoki lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs to make the world a better place...and to pay their rent. In the Joi war, he was known as the "White Devil" (Shiroyasha) due to his silver hair and white coat he wore in battle, which, combined with his impressive capabilities as a swordsman, made him famous among his comrades and struck fear into Amanto. Gintoki has naturally permed silver hair, which he blames for his lacking love-life. He has a big crush on the TV's news weather girl, Ketsuno. In fact, to date, the only time he is seen to have blushed is when he tries to make use of Sadaharu and Ketsuno's dog to get a chance to talk to her. Though several female characters have shown an interest in Gintoki, he usually does not show any response back and merely puts up with them as annoyances. Gin has two major obsessions in life. He is obsessed with sweet foods such as parfait, ice cream and cake. His second obsession is reading the manga anthology magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. (Which, not coincidentally, is where Gintama is published in). Gin will go to great lengths to get the latest Jump issue, to the point of reckless behavior. His Jump obsession makes him easily dream of being like other Jump heroes, including wishing that he had a "Bankai" similar to the hero characters of Bleach.
The story takes place on an island, where a "Fractale System" is beginning to collapse. One day, Clain finds an injured girl called Phryne under a cliff. She disappears leaving a pendant. Clain sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret of the Fractale System.
Alternate Name: Knights
Year of Release: 2006 Status: Ongoing Author: Murao, Minoru (Story & Art)
Artist:
Reading Direction: Right to Left
Genre: AdventureDramaHistoricalShounen
Summary:
Knights is a shounen manga tale about squire Mistletien, called \'Mist\' for short. Taking place in a medieval world in which the church and her representatives are burning people en masse on suspicion of witchcraft, Mist and his organization are taking a stand against the church and the \'Saints\' who are perpetuating the witch hunts. Mist is feared and hated by the village-folk because of his appearence, wearing a mask to disguise himself and going by the moniker \'The Black Knight.\' He travels with Euphemia, a young girl who is as expert with mixing potions and poisons as Mist is with a sword, and together they rescue those who are to be executed on suspicion of witchcraft.
Back when I wrote about Kotobukiya’s Dizzy, I mentioned that I wished a better manufacturer like Alter or Max Factory had done the figure instead. Dizzy was the main reason I first played the Guilty Gear series and while I enjoy the games on their own merits now, Dizzy is still one of my favorite characters across all fictional media. While I did not dislike Kotobukiya’s figure, I still hoped that someone would do a better job of it. I didn’t expect to ever see that happen; after all, I’ve been pining away for an Irma figure – since MegaHouse has done almost all of the other Queen’s Blade figures – and an Itsuki Kannagi figure – since Good Smile Company sponsored Sora Kake Girl – to no avail. But fate works in strange ways and Dizzy now has two figures. I’d still like to see Irma and Itsuki get figures but when it comes to wishes made on a wing and a prayer, one out of three ain’t bad at all.
Dizzy is one of the fighter girls in Arc System Works’s Guilty Gear series. She made her debut as the final boss in Guilty Gear X and then became playable in Guilty Gear X2. Her backstory describes her as an outcast from human society due to her status as a half-human and half-Gear hybrid, a living superweapon. Her mother is Commander Gear Justice, a very powerful Gear, and as Dizzy is considered extremely dangerous herself, she is continuously persecuted as a threat to humanity. However, she wants nothing more than to be left alone and in Guilty Gear X2, when she is three years old, she quietly lives in a forest with her protector Testament. She later encounters the Jellyfish Pirates, led by carefree May and suave Johnny, and joins them.
Although she was a boss character and dresses in a provocative manner, Dizzy is actually a gentle and innocent girl. She loathes violence but shows determination when she must fight. She is soft-spoken and shy and tends to form strong relationships, particularly with Testament and May.
And also Ky Kiske. I have yet to play Guilty Gear 2 Overture, but there is a great deal of circumstantial evidence that indicates Ky and Dizzy are married and have a child named Sin. This revelation bothers me far more than it should and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I think Ky is a dreary imbecile. Johnny would have been a better match. Testament would have been a better match. Heck, Sol Badguy would’ve been a better match, although that is hilariously inappropriate. Regardless, Dizzy fans unhappy with this situation have a couple of options: one is to recognize that as Ky is a human, he will eventually expire at some point while Dizzy’s Gear biology will give her a much longer lifespan. The other is to simply assume that this never happened, since it is never canonically confirmed. Ah, the things we feel about fictional characters. Everything I’ve heard of Guilty Gear 2 makes me think that it would upset me, so I don’t believe I’m going to play it.
Like many of the characters in Guilty Gear, Dizzy takes her name from a musician. In this case, she is probably named after Dizzy Reed, the keyboard player of Guns n’ Roses, although it’s also possible she is named after jazzman Dizzy Gillespie. Her wings are named Undine, the angel wing, and Necro, the reaper wing.
Dizzy is manufactured by Alter in 1/8 scale. Alter generally stays true to scale sizes but this is not the case with Dizzy. She stands about 20 centimeters tall from base to the top of her head and if one neglects her high heels and the risers she is standing on, she’s more like 18 centimeters tall. That would make her 4’9, well short of the 5’6 listed in her official bio. Her small size is a bit disappointing but not surprising given her large wings. She still takes up quite a bit of space, with a total height and wingspan of about 31 centimeters in both dimensions.
One of the things I lamented about Kotobukiya’s figures were the plain and unimaginative wings they gave her. Undine and Necro comprise a major part of her arsenal in the games and it was unfortunate that they gave her simple bird-like wings. Alter, however, is made of more ambitious stuff. Dizzy’s wings slot into holes in her back and seem reasonably sturdy despite being rather heavy. Necro is particularly astonishing; he sports an evil leer with each decayed tooth shaped individually. Undine is elegant although is not as visually interesting; she appears to be asleep or meditating. Even so, the complexity and detail evident in both of her wings are stunning and understandably form a large part of her appeal.
To be honest though, Dizzy’s costume was what initially piqued my interest when I first saw screenshots of Guilty Gear X. Formed from black leather and comprising a collar, some straps, and a thong bikini, it’s reminiscent of bondage gear, and can certainly be labeled fetish wear. It’s not an overly elaborate costume but Alter has done a fantastic job modeling it. Despite being very scantily-clad, Dizzy still effects an aura of dignity. And innocence as well, from her puffy sleeves and the bright girlish ribbons tying her hair and decorating her tail.
Dizzy’s backside is very cute and is completely exposed, seeing as how her thong doesn’t seem to actually go all the way back. Maybe it’s more of a maebari?
Dizzy’s expression is mostly unreadable; it’s a neutral expression, perhaps a bit inquisitive, perhaps a bit surprised, but not displaying much emotion, at least on the surface. It’s an appropriate expression given her enigmatic appearance and turbulent history, although I wouldn’t have minded a smile either. Her character portrait in Guilty Gear X2 is one of my favorite portraits in video games.
Alter has sculpted Dizzy with a thin body build, and I would have liked to have seen her with a bit more substantial physique, as her game sprite doesn’t portray her as this skinny. Nonetheless, her body is still very attractive, and her slenderness gives her a slightly younger, more vulnerable appearance.
More importantly, they’ve done a great job of capturing the essence of her look. She has a monochromatic color scheme by design, her black and white wings separated by human flesh and augmented by an unnatural black tail. As a whole, Dizzy radiates power and presence, as is befitting for one of the most powerful Gears in the plotline. She also evinces disquiet, loneliness, and even fear in the slight tilt of her head, the nervous pose of her hands – and in her face, with her half-open mouth and uncertain gaze, suggesting that when taken whole with her body language, her expression is perhaps not as unreadable as it may seem. Accentuating her solitude are the expressions of her wings – Necro has an insane grin, preoccupied with his own motivations, and Undine is looking away. Dizzy looks dangerous, but she also looks like a girl who is tired of being hunted.
Of all these issues, her small size is the only one that I find to be regrettable. I like big figures and it would have been nice if they had made this figure in a true 1/8 scale, although perhaps that would not have been practical.
At any rate, I maintain no pretense of objectivity when I review a figure, and this is even more so when it comes to perhaps my favorite character made by my favorite manufacturer. It should thus come as no surprise that I love this figure and this is now my favorite figure from Alter. Is it their best? Objectively, perhaps not, though it makes an extremely strong argument. But it’s my favorite. I don’t always know much about the characters whose figures I buy but when I get one of a character I really like, it’s all the more special to me, especially when I’m not expecting it.
Now MegaHouse, how about that Irma figure?
Here’s Alter’s Dizzy compared to Kotobukiya’s earlier figure. The older figure is based on Dizzy’s Queen’s Gate appearance whereas Alter’s version is closer to the game art, particularly her Guilty Gear Isuka artwork.
Backside shot of the two Dizzies. Incidentally, as a Queen’s Gate character Dizzy is set to make an appearance in the upcoming PSP game Queen’s Gate Spiral Chaos. I’m looking forward to it, though I’ve still yet to buy a PSP.
Here’s my Guilty Gear collection. I figure buying pretty much the same game three times is enough, so I never did get Accent Core. Also, it never came out on Xbox to my knowledge and I only have a joystick for that console.
Here is “Awe of She”, Dizzy’s theme song in the video games. To be frank, it’s not my favorite song in the soundtrack; I much prefer “The Original” (Faust’s theme), “Suck a Sage” (Chipp’s theme), and “Simple Life” (Bridget’s theme).
Curiously, the Korean version of Guilty Gear X2 #Reload got a revised soundtrack done by Korean band N.EX.T. It still features thrash guitars and the heavy metal sensibilities of the original Guilty Gear soundtrack but it has a much different feel than Daisuke Ishiwatari’s compositions. In particular, I like “Child of the Wild,” the revised version of Chipp’s theme. It starts with a menacing riff and then the militant, staccato drum track kicks in before the psychedelic guitar, a perfect song for a drug abuser. Perhaps even better is “Blacklight Babe,” I-No’s theme. The irresistably seductive hook kicks off right away and the song segues into a funky, energetic beat that jacks control of your neck muscles. Dizzy’s theme is “Tears are Forever“; it begins with a jarring, dissonant, almost repulsive set of guitar notes but then a smooth, heroic riff begins before giving way to more dissonance; this alternation between melody and chaos is a continuous motif throughout the whole song, juxtaposing Dizzy’s own personality, history, and struggle to control her own body with music. It’s hard to imagine three themes that fit their characters more perfectly than these.
I really would like a Millia Rage figure too. Just saying this randomly.
Sae is a cute girl who is popular with the boys but what those pitiful guys who flirt and take her to lunch does not know is that she has a very healthy appetite that it will rob them all off their pocket money. Sae being a person who loves to eat ironically does not know how to cook. Yuuki, a boy from class who knows of Sae’s true character and immune from her charms decides to help her when Sae and her friend was face with the dilemma of making a box of lunch in order to solve a love problem.
The Miku-Fes 2011 Committee is joining with ANIME EXPO 2011 to bring a Hatsune Miku concert to Los Angeles, at the ANIME EXPO 2011 (Los Angeles Convention Center from the 1st July to the 4th July). She will be preforming with sponsorship from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. in the NOKIA Theatre on the 2nd July 2011.
The concert is based on the event that took place in Tokyo on the 9th March 2010 named "Miku's Day Thanksgiving", but will feature a few improvements over the original event. The 3D imaging will be created by SEGA and supervised by Crypton Future Media, the creators of Hatsune Miku.
About Crypton Future Media
Crypton Future Media, Inc. (Head Office: Sapporo, Director: Hiroyuki Itoh) is a company that specializes in various sound generation software. In 2007 they released the "Character Vocal Series 01: Hatsune Miku", and since its release there have been hundreds of thousands of songs created using Miku's voice - she has created an international sensation on the internet, which is only growing bigger. In 2010 Crypton also introduced a web-based music distribution service - over 1000 music labels are using it to distribute media.
About SEGA
SEGA Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, Director: Okitane Usui) was established in 1960 and ever since have been bringing the world a variety of original games and software for everyone to enjoy. They are also the creators of the rhythm action game "Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- 2nd", which has now sold over 400 thousand copies - a game enjoyed by Miku fans all over the world!
About Tokyo Kawaii Magazine
Tokyo Kawaii Magazine is an iPhone electronic magazine that was first released in March 2010. It introduces Japan's anime, fashion and pop culture to the world in both English and Spanish, and is downloaded all over the world. In the past the magazine has featured famous anime series such as Suzumiya Haruhi and Evangelion, and the most recent issue had a large special feature featuring Hatsune Miku!
About Miku's Day Thanksgiving
Miku's Day Thanksgiving is a solo-concert created for the virtual idol Hatsune Miku. The concert took place on the 9th March 2010 at Zepp Tokyo. This date was chosen because the Japanese words for 'three' and 'nine' can be read as 'Miku".
There were two performances - an afternoon performance and an evening performance, and a total of 5000 fans came to see Miku live, along with another 4000 fans who watched via online streaming. The concert was run using the 3D model data created by SEGA for the 'Hatsune Miku Project Diva Arcade" game - huge versions of the game's models stood on stage and gave fans a performance that they will never forget. The concert made news worldwide.
About Anime Expo
Anime Expo (AX) is a North American anime event that has been running since 1992 in Los Angeles. Every year a number of guests are invited from Japan to attend the event and give live performances or attend conferences. This year the event will be taking place from 1st - 4th of July at the Los Angeles Convention Center - the biggest convention center on the West Coast.
About The NOKIA Theatre
The NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE is a concert hall opened in 2007, adjoined to the Los Angeles Convention Center. It houses an impressive 7100 seats and has held over 120 live events since its opening.
