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Takahina loves to collect, I guess it's no mystery. Throughout the years when I've finally gained some financial power, I started buying stuff, regardless I will use them or not, because I like them and I like to collect them. Therefore in a sense, normally I'm reluctant to borrow out any of my stuff, especially things like CDs, Comics, DVDs, Games, because it's part of the "collection."
Hence, for the first of the Takahina "year-end series", it'll be a very 'Otaku' update on his collectibles. It's kinda in a sense to show Takahina how much his collection has grown in this year as you compared it.
The collectibles will feature:
- Games: CD/DVD-rom, PS games, PS2 games, PS3 games. Sadly most of these are pirated ones cept for the roms and the PS3 games.
- Music CD: Featuring artist like Matsu Takako, Perfume, Tokyo Jihen, Do As Infinity etc. I do not collect singles FYI.
- Anime/Misc VCD/DVD/Blue-ray: Most of it are Anime I bought from commercial stores in SG. I wanted to purchase some from online however they have region problems and are much more expensive, thus sadly none of the collection I have are from online.
- Manga/Comics: This will be the most regularly updated collection since I'll have an average of 1 new manga per week now.
- Drum related stuff: In future I will purchase actual drumsets, cymbals, pedals and toms to go with my drumming hobby. But for now, I sadly only have drumsticks to work on.
- Novels: Be it Chinese or English, I do read stuff other than comics.
- Misc: Anything which I felt memorable and kept in a corner of my room.
This will be the first year that I'll be doing this... so please bear with me as I slowly go through them.
Games
Cd/dvd-rom:
A large series of these came from a period of time when I was rather infatuated with chinese rpg games. You know those cd-rom games you would see being sold in Popular and Challenger but not being able to be sold out at all? Yeah I was the rare few who would buy them. To be frank some of them were a damn good play, some were damn weird, and some were close to the standards of being a Bishoujo Hentai game. Around those time I also got in contact with the more mainstream Starcraft and Heroes of Might and Magic Series.
However, eventually the one thing that would eat up TONS of my money is The Sims series. I actually bought the expansion set 1 by 1, without waiting for the compilation to come up, so you can imagine my grief and insanity when they came out with the whole THE SIMS series with all the expansion pack in it.
Up to now, I haven't been buying any cd-rom games. I have been contemplating to buy The Sims 2 expansion sets and The Sims 3, but worried about the cheap compilation sets that they will release without warning, I didn't buy it at all. To the extend now I'm completely out-dated. I remember my The Sims 2 and Caesar 3 should still be with Tian Wei... but that's another story for another day. :/
Playstation 1 Games:
My first Playstation came from my brother when he bought it from his friend at a discounted price. I remembered tempering with it, buying parts for it and having it go into smokes once (I was seriously freaked out at that time).
We actually didn't buy games for it. We actually discovered a whole big bag of Ps1 games at the void deck. We took it... and played it. Inside the bag was a whole bunch of worthless games that we slowly explored. Eventually I recognized a few being seriously good and kept them while I threw away the rest.
Partly, at that point of time we bought a few of their continuation such as Silent Hill (the 1 game which I do not dare to play in my life even up till now), Final Fantasy 8 (which I can't stop playing), Suikoden 1 and 2 (immensely good RPG) and for me, Dance Dance Revolution. Yes, at that point of time I was madly in love with DDR and trained regularly at the arcade and with the direction mat that they sold at that time.
Thanks to that, I am now what they call, a Heavy Weight DDR Champion. I assure you won't find another person same or bigger size than me playing DDR as good or even as close as me.
Playstation 2 Games:
This period was the scary point of time. Piracy was roaring at that point of time and there are pirated PS2 games sold at almost every neighborhood heartlands shop-house. It was mad. Thanks to that, after I got my PS2 (which is still in a very pristine condition even up till now), I went into a buying spree. Yes I was a PS2 game shopaholic and would anyhow buy games. This was when I grew into a self-proclaimed gamer. However sadly I was rather focused on my studies too while I was a secondary school student entering JC. So, of all the games you will see below, I have only completed like 10% of them. Sad huh :/
My games are sorted out according to Movie/Anime-related, Horror Games, Fighting Games, Action Role Playing Games, Role Playing Games, Strategic Games and Sports/rhythm Games.
The movie/anime-related, horror games, fighting games
I bought most of the Silent Hill games to accommodate my brother who loves it. Fatal Frame can be used to scare people to no end such as JunRong. Personally, I have never really played the horror games. I'm a wuss.
Action Role Playing Games
Some games such as FF7: Dirge of Cerberus, I have never touched it at all. But I know I'll want to play it, so I buy it first for future use.... It has been almost 3 years now though. >.<
RPGs + Strategic RPGs Games
Till now, I'm still playing these games. Such as FF12, I'm still stuck at "training", before I will complete the game. That's how I play RPGs, full 100% completion. ;)
Strategic, Sports Games. I have no idea who bought the Mario but it's there. :/
Soccer games are mainly bought by my brother and I use it as a "guys-night out" game. It's always a guys favorite and several members of Rurouni love it to no end.
Playstation 3 Games:
I just bought the PS3 this year. So I don't have lots of games to boot. Also since there is no piracy for PS3 and it's blue-ray technology, games are all original and damn expensive. My brother and me normally would only buy certain games first-hand and other games to be sold as 2nd hand and bought as 2nd hand.
PS3 Games
Among these collection, Super Street Fighter 4, Dragon Age Origin and Final Fantasy 13 are a NO-SELL and 1st hand. Meaning it's here for the collection. The rest of the games such as Lego Batman is for my Sister-in-law to play in her spare time and 2nd hand bought by my brother. Ah Ning (my sister-in-law) loves simple minded games but I heard she can't manage to complete it. Go figure :/
Lastly, to better allow me to perform my moves with better dexterity and fluidity, I bought a Fight Stick.
Yes, I play Street Fighter 4 with a King of Fighter Fight Stick
Why I buy this design? Well it's the cheapest in the market.
Music CD
From the template of this blog, you should know I have several artist's albums that I collect. I don't collect singles cause that will make me bankrupt.
It's not exaggerating to say that buying my first CD, "Countdown Jpop 2000", determined the route of my life. You would have noticed that Takahina is a very Japanese Culture Loving kinda guy and it started out from that CD. I started collecting since 2000, which is around 10 years now, from ever since I'm Primary 6. I ventured out and came into the current state which I am today.
1 point to note out though, although I buy CDs to collect but at the same time to listen to the music that they have rather than just to "collect". So I don't buy extra versions of the same CD.
Ayumi Hamasaki: Favorite Album - My Story
Ayumi Hamasaki was, and in fact is still big in Japan. I don't call her Madonna of Jpop for fun. She was the 1st idol I started to collect to and it didn't stop ever since. Although I found her standard dropping tremendously compared to before, she'll still be a legend in my heart and perhaps the whole of Jpop culture.
F.I.R: Favorite Album - 无限。
The only non-Japanese artist I collect. F.I.R was promising. They had potential and I had truly loved their sense of music in rock pop. It sounded full and had a different feel from the usual brand of mandopop rock at that point of time. Their fame has dropped much ever since, but still they remain quite good.
Compilations: Favorite Album - Best of Jpop 2003.
I collected compilations, because they normally feature artist that are less known in Singapore and I would know more of them from these cds. However lately there has been a lack of these cds and I hadn't updated them in years. Youtube has also overtaken their position in my source for new artist.
Utada Hikaru: Favorite Album - Heart Station
I love to call Utada Hikaru a true musician and the magician of Jpop music. Her pieces are normally creative to no end and sounds totally original. You hear her music, you know it's her. She has expanded into US and had a above average 2nd English CD, which is coincidentally my first R&B CD. I first heard of her not through her famous "First Love", but rather, "Can you Keep a Secret" which still remains a favorite of mine till this day.
Matsu Takako: Favorite Album - 桜の雨、いつか
Without Matsu Takako, there can be no Takahina. Simply cause the nick "Takahina" was derived from "Taka" and "Hina", with the "Taka" originating from Takako. First knew her through the drama "Hero" and I fell in love with her since. At first I thought she only acted, but when I discovered that she sang as well, without second thoughts I bought her CDs. It was expensive, because they can only be imported from Japan, so a normal CD costing of $20 would be $40-$70 for hers. Up till now, her Compilation CD "Footsteps" is still holds the record for the most expensive CD I have ever bought, $100+. Her voice is soothing and helped me a lot during a period when I was most emo and rebellious. She seldom produces music now and focuses more on stage-plays and movies.
Do As Infinity: Favorite Album - Eternal Flame
My first interaction with rock music would have come from them. Their pop rock is never boring and has a power that motivates people on. The drumbeats of theirs are challenging and seriously fun to play with. They disbanded at 06 but reformed again last year and released a new album Eternal Flame, which I can't stop listening. The chops are back and more exciting now.
Shibasaki Kou: Favorite Album: The Back Best
For the people who have read my reviews on Shibasaki Kou's music before, you would know that I kept emphasizing on how creative her "behind the scene crew" are and how versatile she is. Among my CDs, she always hold the Takahina's record for the most emo album. "The Back Best". If I wanna get emo, listen to that and I'll get emo.
Tokyo Jihen: Favorite Album - Adult
The insanely brilliant band that creates music which I can only hope to produce. Imagine a band filled with all known experts in their own field of instruments forming into a band and you get Tokyo Jihen. Their music are at times sexy, at times crazy, at times quirky. It's not easy to get used to their form of Neo-Jazz but once you like their sound, you will like it. Problem is, it's not all easy to get used to their sounds at all.
Perfume: Favorite Album - Triangle
Perfume needs no introduction. They are one of the biggest girl group in Japan right now and sparked off the whole electronic pop trend in Japan. I won't exactly say they sing well, in fact without vocoders I'm pretty sure they won't sound as good as the average singers in the market now. But they excel, in being artists. Being able to dance, able to host, able to joke, these various traits has got them into Takahina's list of idols and their story of reaching today's achievement will always serve as a reminder to Takahina on the importance of diligence.
Alan: Favorite Album - Voice of Earth
Having a China Girl singing Jpop is something which I hadn't expect to happen. Alan's voice are one of the most unique voices in the field; mix it into the talented hands of Jpop musicians and she has tons of potential to only grow further. It's difficult for a young girl as herself to pursue a career in a place you have no knowledge of, but she did it against all odds.
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The 2nd part will be up by next post. :)
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