Little Girl

Kodama no Ki welcomes Fumina Maggs! Her shop is right here.

Fumina's range of products is the "little girl" style, that you could find in the streets of RL Akibahara, Harajuku or Amemura. Swing coats, formal dresses, sailor one pieces and so on; anything a western girl wouldn't even dare to wear nowadays.

Apart from the free shoes, there is another surprise. A very cute rendition of Shinku, from Rozen Maiden! :o)

Inescapable

If you ever went to Japan, you certainly have noticed that were ever you go, you can't escape from vending machines.

Selphie Oberts opened her shop in Kodama no Ki and her main line is just that. Udon, tobacco, etc... And of course, the anime icon, Pocky! Part of the line is the Natsukashii series, that have a retro feeling.

You will also find miscellaneous builds worth a check: a green public telephone, portable shrines, etc. And an offshore landscape from Ise!

More to come I hope! :o)

Name It, Show It

You know you're a Dragon Ball fan and you want to show it. Koenees Karas has prepared such a typing overrider for you in his shop. When you type, it will show the Dragon Ball name in katakana, one kana after the other. It is also worth mentioning that it is highly customizeable, and you can also link it to another attachment without breaking the scripts.

Activate Your Spandex

Ultraman fan Kennt Kidd has released a couple of avatars through the summer; you can get them at his spot in Kodama no Ki. Don't just wear your spandex. Activate it. Click here for TP.

Ultraman Leo, with his Leo kick, shooting beam, etc.

Magma, with his saber hand, claw hand and different attacks.

Ultraman 80, with his saxium beam, buckle beam and flashing color timer.

And finally, an update to the previously released Ultra Seven. Kennt says that this one feels more real-like and the attacks are more complete. So you too can shoot an emelium beam, a wide shot and an ice lagger.

Jikatabi Update

Just a short notice for those who bought my jikatabi. I found a small bug in the script bundled in the left foot: the color menu shows "beni" as an option where the script understands "tokiwa". To get the update, wear your update card while standing in my shop and touch the jikatabi vendor.

A Freebie Out of Curiosity

The other day, when I asked mappy Handrick if his name is that of the 1983 Namco game, he denied so, and told me that it was just his childhood nickname.

But then I remembered how easy it was to die in the game - well at least on the NES/Famicon version. All you have to do is to wait two seconds. If you don't move you're done; a pink cat will get to you. I think the reason why I remembered it so much is that the normal music and the dying music blend it so well in that case that it is like one melody. Back then we would start and restart the game to hear the mouse dying with the music.

That was a fun idea for an animated gesture, so I made one! (^ ^)

Here it is, for free.

Flowers for Departures

Toya Watanabe has released higanbana, or red spider lilies. Click here fot TP.

In Japan these usually bloom around automnal equinox. They are planted near cemeteries or used at funerals to guide the dead towards the buddhist next reincarnation, or around paddies or house to keep pest away (the bulbs are poisonous).

There are four packs available: white, red, red with particles, red with particles and sit animations. I have put three samples of the fourth set in the south east corner of the mall, if you want to see how they feel like. (Note: with that version, the particles start when you sit).

Yes, I claim that kappas are not a pest (°ω°)b

Farewell, Normality

Visual kei expert Kiba Tachikawa is proud to present another dress, Au Revoir! It was worn by Mana while in Malice Mizer for their Au Revoir music video. Available here.

Lucky Dolls of The Apocalypse

This summer, cark Milos released a curiosity: characters and mecha from Neon Genesis (Shinseiki) Evangelion as daruma dolls. You touch them to change between human and mecha depiction. Definately a collectioner's item. Available here.

Gr8 Story

Kiba Tachikawa is proud to present, in Kodama no Ki, his first full outfit in several months, Gr8 Story! This outfit was worn by Takeru of visual kei band SuG in the Gr8 Story music video.

It's sold as a set, but you can buy only the arm warmer if you want.

New Cosplay Avatars

Tohru Kanami has released cosplay reproductions of Aegis (Persona 3) and Shion Uzuki (Xenosaga). Available here.

Guide Their Souls

For all of those of you who have friends whose second life ended, you can now grow your plant of winter cherries (h­oozuki), so that you have something to offer their souls at the Japanese o-bon festival (mid-August). Toya Watanabe released such a plant, and as with her last release, it has somehow a "magical" touch, with the unusual bright red of the fruits. You can get it here.

Cosplay Update

Leavana Jewell released a cosplay avatar: human form of Artemis, from Sailor Moon. And at the same time I would like to point to another avatar Leavana made that skipped through this blog: Aerith, from Final Fantasy CC! Both are available here.

Re-Kokekokko!

CHATNOIR Catnap has put in her shop a special black version of her Gunkei-zu kimono for men. It includes two colors of collar, three shirts of different patterns, regular and tattered "bat" sleeves, complete with sarashi (bandages), tabi and geta.
TP here to get it!

Shiny

Toya Watanabe has updated her shop in Kodama no Ki with new Japanese seasonal goods!

Two items that you could use for visitting your relatives' graves at O-bon...

And a magnificient green firefly tree! (Currently for display in the north-east corner!)

Shuriken

Koenees Karas took a step aside from his usual DragonBall line and reproduced Yuffie's shuriken! The sculpties are sharp, and the weapon is touroughly scripted. You will specially like the wall walker option! You can get it right here.

Kokekokko!

Good morning! CHATNOIR Catnap's new release this week is a yukata based on Gunkei-zu (群鶏図). She says she has updated the sleeves from previous designs. Worth a try! It's right here.

The Active People's Footwear

Yukinoroh Kamachi has... (^^;) I mean, *I have* released Second Life's first sculpted jikatabi (rubber-soled split-toe cotton boots). Available at my spot in Kodama no Ki.

I felt I really have to bring my usual real life footwear into SL, and that is now done. So yes, I modelled and textured these jikatabi from my own feet - from pictures I took. I usually wear black ones, but I specially bought a white pair so that the SL product be tintable!

When new or wet, the soft rubber soles of jikatabi will squeak, and I reproduced that in SL too. The sounds are tuneable, for people who like them (or don't like them). It was quite a challenge to record them (^^;) But I was told it's a good selling point... ?

About the title to this post and the vendor text... In Japan, jikatabi are typically worn by people who move a lot and need a good grip: construction workers, gardeners, festival participants, pilgrims and b­ōs­ōzoku/yankees. Most Japanese people have never worn them. Too bad! They are light, they breathe and dry well, and their sole give you tactile contact with the ground and prevent you to slip.

Moreover, they look ninja, but that is because the ninja footwear and the jikatabi have a common ancestor: the tabi, the japanse socks. The ninja wore waraji (straw sandals) under tabi. The jikatabi is a 20th century invention, when the Bridgestone (formerly Nippon-tabi) company tried to sew a rubber sole under tabi for the coal miners in Kyūshū, hence the name chika/jika, "underground". But they are becoming a ninja thing anyway, as I saw ninja actors in Iga wearing them...

All-in-One Maiko Kimono

Aryanna DeCuir released a multi-feature kimono for the geisha dancing girl in her nicely furnished store in Kodama no Ki. Tons of options and features, to adopt your style to your customers and the importance of the events.

Grow An Eye

Kiba Tachikawa's introduces his newest line of accessories, "Efflorescence". These wonderfully crafted eye patches are inspired by the visual kei band GPKISM and are only 99L$ each. They come in 7 colors: red, black, white, pink, purple, yellow and blue.

Nico's

Nico Nicoletti has opened a cosplay shop in Kodama no Ki. You will find some rare outfits there, like D.Gray-man inspired military suits, almost all Vocaloid cosplay (real-like), and more. Drop by to see more!

A Butterfly

CHATNOIR has a new classical painting kimono available in her store!

This time the painting is Shakuyaku-gun-ch­ō-zu 芍薬群蝶図, an assembly of peonies and a butterfly.

Three colors available, for men.

The Blacksmith

Kodama no Ki welcomes Jin Inaka! Jin is a blacksmith, and what is special about his swords is that they are authentic, the design is focused on what they actually were : simply weapons with no fancy stuff. And they do work. They are all DCS-compatible and feature animations. Worth giving a try! Click here for TP!

Slurrrp!

Hot for the light snowy days, cold for when the cicadas sing... Soba noodles is a must year-round! Cark Milos released a small booth that'll allow you (and your visitors) to enjoy them. Click here for TP.

Summer Goods

Toya Watanabe has updated the contents of her shop and presents us japanese typical goods of the high season : reed bushes, watermelon and fireflies! One of these is for display in the north-west corner of the mall.

One reason you will certainly want to drop by is the 5L$ six-pack watermelon jelly, that you can pass over to your friends :o)

Click here for TP!

Butterfly Dragonfly

Aryanna DeCuir presents the "Dragonfly dance" yukata, available in 8 summer colors. Click here for TP.

The obi features a double layer fabric inside of shimmery silk and outer layer of woven cotton, and is tied the ch­ōch­ō (butterfly) way so that it looks like a moth that would come to dance around a lantern by a hot matsuri evening :o)

Good Morning

CHATNOIR Catnap has released a male version of her rooster kimono. Available in two colors, to fit your morning tea.

God-like

Koenees Karas has released a huge pack of DragonBall style breakable mountains. Click here for TP.

What is special about them is that you don't need a special weapon to break them, they response to normal collisions - you can use them in a non-DB environment as well.

Crystal Tears

Kiba Tachikawa is up with another line of original items! These are face gem decorations that are often seen in visual and oshare kei to decorate the eye area. They are available in 6 variations and 8 colors. Shown below are the drain and verge gems. (Click here for TP!)

All gems are sculpties and so have the actual cut gems are supposed to have instead of being plain circles with gem textures.

New Shop

Kodama no Ki welcomes Link Appletor! Click here for TP!

Link makes anime-inspired t-shirts and tattoos :) Shown here is part of his line of t-shirts.

Furisode

CHATNOIR Catnap has released a long-sleeved (furisode) woman's kimono.

It uses elements of "Dōshoku Saie" and "Taikei Shiyū-zu" from her favorite painter :o)

Click here for TP!

Repolished steel

Beware Hax has updated his forehead protector (hachigane). There are some scripting fixes, a new white fabric texture (tintable), the steel part has a new logo available (Yugakure), its cloud logo has been redone and, if you are not really a Naruto fan, you can now set it with no logo. Beware says that those of you who bought the item previously will soon receive an update.

Mandarin Duck Kimono, Male Version

CHATNOIR Catnap has released a male version of her kimono featuring Jakuchū Itō's "Secchū En'ō-zu" painting (a mandarin duck in the snow).

You can get it here.

Surgical Masks

Out of the usual protection for H1N1 or to keep your cold for you, the surgical mask in Japan has been part of the bōsōzoku gangster fashion for a while and as a result the visual kei fashion picked it up as well, in a wide range of styles. Kiba Tachikawa presents us that range - 12 masks in total. Shown below is the Massacre one.

Reafflicted

Angelic Yumako has reopened her store in Kodama no Ki, with lots of new products!
You will find there apparel and weapons inspired from different Japanese video games like Phantasy Star, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XI. Drop by to check it out!

Napalm Strike

Kidnaplism Freschi's third weapon is here! It is inspired from Nero's sword in Devil May Cry, but it has more details and sound effects than it. As usual, Kidnaplism has prepared a Youtube video to show you the weapon in action.

Die for It

In the spirit of doing the entire Dir en Grey band as Kiba Tachikawa has promised many people, here is Kyo, its singer. This is his outfit in the Ain't Afraid to Die video. Like the previous Diru outfit, it is for Hentai Katayama. Kiba says: He expressed how this song literally saved his life and his story touched me so much I wanted to make something fom it.

If you are unfamiliar with Dir en Grey's work, you can watch the promotional video.

Break A Ship, Break An Areana, Break People

When Koenees Karas sent me pictures of his new releases, I pointed out that there are not many products in real life whose selling point is that they are breakable. (Well at least one thing I bought in RL was not labelled like that, and it broke after 13 months, is to say one month after the warranty is over...)

So yes, they are well scripted, and realistic. As usual, with bleeding visual effects. One more step towards a better reproduction of the Dragon Ball atmosphere in Second Life! Give them a try!