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First of all, a quick shout out and congratulations to our friends back at home, Brian and Christa, who are getting married today!! Yay!! Congratulations!
So today was once again filled with nerdiness, it seems all the anime shops bring out our inner otaku once again, yet every anime store we go into we can expect to find mostly products for the same three anime: Tiger & Bunny, Uta no Prince-sama, and One Piece. EVERYWHERE! NOTHING ELSE! Seriously. Anyway, our first destination was a place we knew would have stuff we liked because we have played the game for a long time now: The Pokemon Center! Kind of near the Tokyo Tower, the Pokemon Center was packed, mostly with kids, but with grown up nerds like us too. It wasn't a very big place, but the shelves were packed with all sorts of Pokemon merchandise. We bought a lot, but it was a really cute place, and they even played the music from the game when you're in the Pokemon Center, healing your Pokemon. It's stuck in my head even now.
Next we went to Shibuya. One: for a notoriously good anime store called Mandarake, which was pretty etensive and had some older anime stuff too. Two: For the Biohazard Cafe. Biohazard is what they call Resident Evil, a popular video game here and there. Since they recently came out with Biohazard 6, they made a cafe that is only open for a limited time. It was certainly one of the most strange and rediculous experiences ever. The decor is set to match the tone of the video game and their Special Tactics and Rescue Squad (STARS). The music they play while you wait for the show.... not so much. I felt like I was transported back to grade school in the 90s as we heard forgotten songs like "Mmm-bop" and "Kiss the Rain" and "Barbie Girl". It was really wierd. All this time there is a life-sized figure of a Tyrant zombie in a glass case across the way. Then they finally pipe in some soundtrack music of sirens and dangerous music. Then the girls in hotpants dance out, the Tyrant lights up and "tries to escape", but luckily, the dancers in hotpants grab the prop guns from the wall and a customer, to help shoot at the Tyrant, and the day is saved. The dancing continues. Seriously, it was ridiculous but an experience you can only have in Tokyo.
After that we went to Akihabara, where Jeph said, "This place really isn't all that big" and I patted him on the shoulder because I knew what he meant. Akihabara, the Electric Town, the supposed mecca for anime fans, really isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, near the JR line you could waste a whole day going into each building and going up all the floors. They are jam packed with little walking space with figurines and toys and comics, but each store seems a lot like the next. There are maid cafes though, and while we didn't go to one, the maids were out in full force on the street handing out pamphlets.
In the end, we still bought a lot of stuff. I found a wonderful book at Book Off (think Half Price Books) to celebrate 10/13. What's so special about 10/13? It's the birthday of Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, and also Fox Mulder's birthday! Since I couldn't celebrate with a marathon, I bought a book I happened upon at Book Off, an X-Files novelization in Japanese! Awesome.
Anyway, that was our day. Now a word from our Jeph:
11 bookstores and not one copy of The Name of the Wind in Japanese. I am disappoint, bookm'n. Snagged some more M:tG cards, including a Taimyo the Moonsage for Ry-guy. Also, I believe that at some point this whole city is going to collapse under the weight of its own overcostedness. Seriously, $74.99 (6900¥) for one DVD with 3 episodes on it? The hell?
America is also way behind in the hotpants to ward off biological-mutants front. Seriously, these girls looked like 13 year old boys and even their meager curves were enough to defeat Tyrant. Just imagine what womenly women could accomplish.
Now there are Italian people. I assume they're talking about Pasta or seducing other people's women. Now, to bed, because I am old.
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