TOYS IkkiTousen GG Kanu Unchou Perfect Body - New Import

«©NCSX» NCS inspected the new Kanu Unchou Perfect Body Version thoroughly but we couldn't really discern what made this particular version the "perfect body" as opposed to the myriad incarnations of Kanu we've sold through the years. Were those earlier Kanu figures "imperfect," "ill proportioned," or "flawed" in some way? We'll never know for sure. Perfect Body Kanu has candy resin skin and an hourglass figure that might be deemed perfect by most standards. Women hate her and men stare a little too long for comfort.

Alphamax's Kanu coldcast figure is sculpted to 1/8 scale and measures 22cm or 8.66" tall. Kanu is basically nude but she wears a pair of skivvies below while two strategically placed strands of hair provide coverings for her bosom. In Kanu's left hand, she holds her uniform which drapes neatly downwards. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and pricing is set at JPY13,800 or US$155.90 from NCS. Update: Sold out.

TOYS Rebuild of Evangelion Bike Helmet - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» New York City is an urban jungle. Stand in the middle of Times Square at noon and marvel at the masses of humanity that walk the Earth. Bet you a silver dollar that Mother Nature never anticipated there'd be this many people shuffling their feet at any one time. Yet there they are. Along with the pedestrians, a lot of bicyclists roam the streets. Loads of bike messengers. One time, we saw a taxi cab rear-end a bicyclist which sent the rider sprawling forward with a lot of thrust. The bike was a total loss but the biker survived. His helmet didn't really help because the bicyclist didn't land on his head but he did skin his chin so that there was a big patch of bloody red gore below his lower lip. Looked like a slice of roast beef that had just been lopped off a steer. Heartwarming visuals are NCS' business.

Movic's Rebuild of Evangelion Bike Helmet probably won't save your chin if you end up skidding face-first on concrete pavement. However, it'll probably save your life there's ever a time when you're riding a bike and you suddenly find yourself landing on your head. Preorders ship in January 2010.

TOYS Little Busters! Kudoryafuka Hair Pin - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» In the Little Busters! animated serial, Kudryavka Noumi is a bi-racial girl (Japanese, Russian) who has a pet Husky she calls Strelka which means "small arrow" in Russian. Kud wears a floppy hat which looks like a loaf of bread and she accessories with a little bat pin which she wears on her hair. The black bat may be symbolic of witchcraft, evil, bloodsucker, or maybe Noumi's just a really rabid Batman fan.
Cospa's Kudoryafuka Hair Pin measures 6 x 4cm (2.36 x 1.57") and is manufactured of PVC. A metal hair braid is attached to the back of the bat so that the pin may be attached securely to a few locks of a wearer's hair.
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2009 at JPY1200 or US$16.90 from NCS. The pin will ship in a cardboard-backed blister pack.

NEWS General Updates

Final Fantasy XIII Update If it was any other game, FFXIII would've already shipped from Japan last night but Square Enix warned its distributors that they would not be allowed to release the game early. NCS was hoping to get FFXIII tomorrow but that's not going to happen. We're not sure what kind of penalty breaking street date would have incurred but apparently, all vendors and distributors are behaving and following SE's orders. Another condition for preordering FFXIII was full prepayment so maybe that's another reason why distributors aren't allowing the game to be leaked. In any case, NCS expects to receive all of our shipments of FFXIII on Thursday of this week and all preorders will ship on that day. New orders placed over the next 2 days will also ship on Thursday of this week. Thanks.

Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Bundle Update The Lightning bundles are scheduled to arrive towards the end of this week and NCS will ship all confirmed preorders on the same day that the bundle shipments arrive. On another note, if you've received an email concerning payment validation, please try to contact us before Thursday so that any outstanding issues are resolved and your order can ship without delay or interruption.

Mushihimsama Futari RE Update The second printing of the regular edition of Mushihimesama Futari is scheduled to arrive on Thursday of this week. All backorders will ship upon delivery. Please note the 2nd printing does not include the bonus DLC card.

Xbox 360 Arcade Pack (Jasper Chipset) Outstanding backorders for the Japanese Xbox 360 Arcade Pack should be filled by early next week. The new batches are fitted with the Jasper chipset... as they have been for the past few months. We don't think Falcons are available even if we wanted them.

NEWS Japanese Import Outlook - Arrivals on Thursday-Friday

NDS	Fuyu no Sonata DS	D3
	Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! DS Ore Ga Bosu!	Takara
	Poupee Girl DS	Alvion
PS2	Death Connection	IFactory
PS3	Final Fantasy XIII	Square
PS3	Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Bundle	Square
PSP	Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos	Bandai
	Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos Gekitou Pack	Bandai
Wii	F1 2009	Codem

MAG Weekly Famitsu Vol 1097 - Subscriptions

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The December 24, 2009 issue of Weekly Famitsu includes coverage of the following games and events in the Japanese marketplace:

» Preview for NDS Sekaiju no Meikyuu III: Seikai no Raihousha which is being published by Atlus and is shipping on March 4, 2010.
» NDS Dragon Ball DS2 preview which shows off some nifty screenshots of Goku in 3D bo-stick-swinging action.
» Famitsu's reviewers rank PS3 Final Fantasy XIII (10/9/10/10), PSP Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos (8/8/8/7) and NDS Deca Sporta (8/8/6/8).
» PSP Darius Burst gets 2-pages of coverage on p58-59.
» Pages 99-122 are dedicated to Final Fantasy XIII while pages 123-138 belong to Tales of Graces.
» Strategy guide for Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus.
» Christmas-themed cakes and confections are in play in PICK UP FOOD.
» Photo spread for actress Alice Hirose.
» Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 is shaping up nicely - see pages 264-265 for proof.

TOYS Puyo Puyo Plushies - New Import, In Stock

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» In The Puyo Puyo games from Compile/Sega, the little dropping blobs look like they'd be sticky and somewhat clammy to the touch. Jellies with big eyes tend to be sticky, squishy, cold-blooded, and thus clammy. Sanei goes against the grain by manufacturing Puyos that are squishy but un-clammy. They're satiny smooth and filled with beanies for a pleasant tactile experience when touched. Five standard 9cm-diameter Puyo Puyo plushes were released in Japan - Red Puyo, Green Puyo, Yellow Puyo, Blue Puyo, and Purple Puyo. In addition to the standard sizes, Sanei also releases a large Red Puyo which measures 40cm or 15.74" in diameter. To round out the bunch, a satiny Carbunkle plush was also released which measures 25cm or 9.84" tall from the top to its stubby feet.

TOYS Professor Layton Plush Toys - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Sanei hit it big with the Pikmin and Mario plushes and they're sticking with Nintendo for their next big thing. Five Professor Layton plushes arrived yesterday including a small-size Luke keychain plush which measures 4cm (1.57") at JPY700 (US$10.90) and a medium-size Professor Layton plush which measures 35cm (13.77") tall at JPY2200 (US$25.90). Please note the sizes of the plushes are larger than what Sanei originally listed on their solicitation a couple of months ago but the correct measurements of each plush are listed below. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome. If we sell out in the next few days, please note the next batch is not expected until after Christmas. Sorry.

The Layton plushes released in Japan this week are as follows:
1) Layton Plush Medium - Height 35cm (13.77")
2) Layton Plush Small - Height 25cm (10.00")
3) Luke Plush Small - Height 23cm (9.05")
4) Layton Plush Mini - Height 8cm (3.14")
5) Luke Plush Mini - Height 7.50cm (2.95")

Due to time constraints, we'll post a proper photo gallery within a few hours (well, maybe by tomorrow morning if things get hectic).