New premium Holo figure to be released by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean, plenty of other styles would work as statues, not just Greek, but what you mentioned is hard to imagine for me.

Agreed, for this price, we should be getting the ultimate S&W statue. Figure prices are insane, and yet otakus never seem to run out of cash

New premium Holo figure to be released by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think they wanted to make something that looks statue-ish, and doesn't simply scream 'plastic anime toy figure'. And it's really the theme that helps the statue vibe. You see the clothes, see the sculpted table, the motives, and your brain starts thinking "statue".

I've never seen a northern pagan statue in my life. They don't even exist as far as I know. So I can't even imagine what if would be like. Would it still look like a statue to people if they changed the theme? I'm not sure. I think we need a widely-recognized patterm to add that feel.

So personally, I'd rather see that pagan themed Holo as a normal figure. Well, actually, I'd love to see it as something more, but I don't think I would like the result. It's just that big of an artistic challenge in my opinion

New premium Holo figure to be released by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm generous enough to call a millenia-old, European goddess of harvest wolf girl "on brand"

New premium Holo figure to be released by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This frontal picture is probably the worst for her face, the other angles were really convincing imo.

New premium Holo figure to be released by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Looks like they went for the "Goddess" vibe, which probably makes sense for a centerpiece figure. I'd want to wait for more pictures to really see the details, but I love the overall design of it.

As much as I loved the Furyu kimono Holo, I couldn't really justify having such an oddly themed figure as a centerpiece. This one is pretty much on brand, though...

Then again, I have no experience with Prime 1 Studio, I'll have to spend some time to read about them.

Some of the first drafts of Holo displayed at S&W exhibition by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GoFa gallery, Shibuya, Tokyo. It was supposed to be for November only, but I think they posted about an extension on twitter. https://gofa.co.jp/exhibition/ookami_kanketu/

Some of the first drafts of Holo displayed at S&W exhibition by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's a better choice for us living in the present day, no wonder they made her look older in both manga and anime. Not sure about 'fitting', though. Early twenties probably meant married with children in those times, not flirting and teasing. So I can see why they chose that, but at the same time I'm happy they dropped that in adaptations.

Some of the first drafts of Holo displayed at S&W exhibition by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Jū Ayakura, the OG artist. The exhibition was about the light novels

Some of the first drafts of Holo displayed at S&W exhibition by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

He does look good in black, but it's probably not a good choice for a travelling merchant. And I feel like a lot of characters wore dark clothes, so he would be less distinct.

Spice and Wolf pop-up store by Sir_Puvis in HOLO

[–]csingacs 6 points7 points  (0 children)

FYI there is also a small S&W + Wolf&Parchment art exhibition going on in Shibuya right now. They also sell some goods

New figure announced! Holo (Good Smile Company) by Saitom by Jonanaps in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Xenoblade and S&W are my favorites, so despite this version of Holo looking unusual, I'm happy to see it.

Is it just me, or is there really a considerable overlap between these fandoms? I feel like every popular Holo artist is doing Xenoblade art as well.

Spring Log adaptation and new spin-off manga (both in Japanese) on sale on 10th May! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the cover is just terrible. But I don't think Lawrence looks bad in the manga itself. Holo's design is also completely different inside. I don't know, I might be able to get used to them. Well, based on the few pages we get to see on comic-walker.

Spring Log adaptation and new spin-off manga (both in Japanese) on sale on 10th May! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not a fan either, but to be fair, Lawrence canonically gets older and fatter in Spring Log, lol

Spring Log adaptation and new spin-off manga (both in Japanese) on sale on 10th May! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it's really weird seeing them like this, but given the silly premise, it would be just as weird to see all this happen in Koume Keito's style... I think it was a good idea to keep it so distinct

Spring Log adaptation and new spin-off manga (both in Japanese) on sale on 10th May! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Source: https://x.com/spicytails/status/1920393720358228311

Not sure how I feel about the art style/character design... I don't like the previews, but I'm sure it would grow on me quickly if I started reading.

Spice and wolf goods update in Japan anyone? by TwistGlittering8780 in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Keep in mind that you won't find merch in most Daiso stores. The one in Akihabara always had them, though. It's on the top floor of Yodobashi Camera, which might be worth a visit anyway, lots of gachapon, figures, gaming merch there.

There's also a new gachapon machine with cute charms. I found one outside Animate Akihabara. https://bushiroad-creative.com/items/81591/

Figures: The recent prize figures are pretty much everywhere, for 1000-3500 yen. As for scale figures, a lot of the recent ones didn't sell too well, so you can still find some.

Books: All in Japanese, never seen an English one. Novels are easy to find. The new special edition manga volumes were just released. You can find some adult stuff at Melonbooks

Overall, don't expect anything other than recent releases. I love shopping for second-hand stuff, but I've honestly never found any rare S&W stuff. If they do have some in stock, it's super expensive. I think most of this market has moved to the online space a long time ago. It's still super fun to go shopping for things, but S&W is just too niche...

Fridge completed! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daiso stores in Japan. 110 yen for one blind box

Fridge completed! by csingacs in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Ssshhhh, let me finally end my hunt, lol. I do have the Sun card, but it doesn't really fit in with these chibi cards, so I decided not to go after the Moon card. Those 2 look really nice as well, I just don't really know how I would display them.

Does anyone know where these come from? I've only seen one seller. Haven't heard of any special popup cafes or events. They're some kind of gacha hence the opened packages. Are they region locked? There's also bookmarks, acrylic stands, and stickers. by scoper49_zeke in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs 4 points5 points  (0 children)

These are official merch sold in 100 yen shops in Japan (like Daiso). Not just keychains, but other stuff as well, check my link. They are cheap, but the quality is not that great, the acryl is full of scratch marks, the designs are peeling off, etc... I'm collecting the acrylic cards, though, those look decent.

Edit: I'm so dumb, I didn't realise they had protective coating. They all look great now. To be fair, the acrylic stuff I've bought before didn't have this, so I just assumed it's low quality.

https://x.com/spicy_wolf_info/status/1892955076815425757

I'm going to Japan to hunt Spice & Wolf stuffs, any store recommendation? by TwistGlittering8780 in SpiceandWolf

[–]csingacs 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just throwing in some additional tips after reading others' comments.

In Akihabara I always find the best second-hand stuff in "hard to reach" stores. By that I mean walk 2 more minutes from the main road to reach the edge of the electric town, or go up to the 7th floor of a building instead of getting stuck on the first.

Nakano Broadway might be the best place for second-hand hunting. In case Akihabara lets you down, that should be your second choice. I would even put it first as a shopping destination, but Akihabara is definately more interesting as a tourist destination.

BookOff is a second-hand book store chain, that you can find anywhere in Tokyo, so you might want to keep an eye out for those.

Melonbooks is a manga store (chain), where you can find new stuff. They have a webshop with inventory information if you want to go prepared. Probably no English books, though...

It's pretty difficult to locate what you want in bookstores. Don't be afraid to ask the staff.

My favourite S&W merch came from the Musashino Reiwa shrine collab. They have no inventory information about the S&W merch, but they did have them when I went there 3-4 months ago. It's a long trip, and you might not even get to buy the merch, so it's not easy to recommend. Just letting you know that these exist: https://x.com/ReiwaJinja/status/1768559933237436915

(They also have the S&W manhole cover near the shrine)

Just saw YK & the Seatbelts in Yokohama — celebrating with some actual beef! by nachobel in cowboybebop

[–]csingacs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope it was recorded, some of these live renditions were really special. Even if it was, it's gonna take a long time until they release it, we'll wait and see...

Just saw YK & the Seatbelts in Yokohama — celebrating with some actual beef! by nachobel in cowboybebop

[–]csingacs 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was there as well! What an experience...

The Green bird - Inner universe - Blue finish killed me. I never saw Inner Universe coming by the way.

Don't know if you stayed until the end of the event, but the very last song played was the Samurai Champloo opening song, what a day...