Perhin Madoc Gamgins

Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue Lycoris Recoil – Friends are the thieves of time –, Episode 1

Wednesday, Crunchyroll streamed Episode 1 of the limited (six episode) series Lycoris Recoil – Friends are thieves of time –. The studio calls these “short movies,” but this first episode was only two minutes long – so actually vignettes or shorts, not movies. Still, I thirst for Lycoris Recoil, and even two more minutes is a huge treat. The short made me smile. When the notes of the ED song ramped up, I got deeply nostalgic for my favorite anime series of 2022.

So today, at the end of the anime week, I started a rewatch of Lycoris Recoil. I watched the first four episodes of the 13 episode season. I’ll make time during the week to watch the remaining episodes. I love this show!

Also this weekend, CDJapan sent me some targeted merchandise recommendations, including a Lycoris Recoil Chisato and Takina Figurine Set. I checked, and Crunchyroll offers the Same Figurine for $90 more (which included a $12 member discount). Even allowing $50 for shipping from Japan, the CDJapan item is a better deal – and arrives six months sooner. (I’m hoping in time for Angel’s Month.) Even though the sculpture by Alter isn’t as faithful to the original art (as, say, Good Smile would have done), I went ahead and placed an order. I still don’t know where I’m going to put new figurines. But having Chisato and Takina in my collection would be a delight.

Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue Lycoris Recoil 1/8 Scale Figurine by Alter

Moeka Shiotsuka of Hitsujibungaku Revolution Hall • Portland, Oregon April 16, 2025 Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS99 f/6.3 @ 53.8mm • 1/8s • ISO 1600

Back in January, I bought a ticket for the Hitsujibungaku concert at Revolution Hall last night. I did very little preparation in advance. Fortunately, my sudden concert activity in the past couple of years has set me up with a standard checklist. I modified the checklist I used for the Heart Concert last month.

( Concert Night Below This Cut )

Satoko Kusagakure and Konoha Koga Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi, Episode 1

While I’ve ended my weekly anime summaries, I’m still checking out most series at the beginning of each anime season. I’ve sampled each new show, and I’ve got a quick take on which shows I’m watching, may be watching, and dropping. I hope to do a wrapup at the end of the season.

( A Pandemonium of Shows Below This Cut )

It was important to try and do early procurement of tech products to avoid tariffs, as the surcharges could extend up to and over $1,000 on certain items. After the tech stuff, there were just a few minor items to look out for – nothing so critical that we couldn’t absorb the price increase – but I’d rather not spend extra money if I could avoid it.

Before the 90-day hold, the tariffs that were to apply to goods from Japan were 24%. I figured things would be bad at my local Japanese grocery, Uwajimaya. I’ve heard stories of shoppers buying up nori (dried seaweed). I suppose one of my failings is that I don’t cook a lot – and I cook Japanese dishes only rarely.

Still, we consume a lot of white rice and soy sauce in this household. Lucky for me, the rice is grown in California, and Kikkoman soy sauce is brewed in Wisconsin. Also, the best tofu and miso are made right here in Portland. Happy to be tariff-free on important staples.

Regardless, I get a little nervous when we run short on rice or soy sauce, so I tend to keep a fair amount of stock on hand. This week, Uwajimaya had a two-day coupon sale which I took advantage of to get $10 off 30 pounds of rice. Added to the 40 pounds of rice we already had, I think we’re set for a while.

And I recently opened the last 2-quart container of soy sauce, so I bought another gallon at Costco today. I feel better. I should figure out our run rate on soy sauce and rice.

The 90-day hold on tariffs should let my Coco Figurine slip through unscathed. Also the MISAMO Japan Dome Tour 2024 Haute Couture Blu-ray set is under the wire. Lucky!

I don’t generally buy Japanese manga, but I do buy Japanese art books, and those prices will go up. The prices at Kinokuniya are already very high. It might be that I just won’t buy any after July.

The only other specialty item I stocked up on isn’t from Japan – it’s from South Korea. Yesterday, I took advantage of a $15-off coupon at Soko Glam to get three more bottles of Korean sunscreen. Korean sunscreen is the best. (The tariff for South Korea is 25%.)

Tulip in My Neighborhood Nikon Z8 • NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S f/9.5 @ 105mm • 1/1500s • ISO 800

I’ve been spending way too much time thinking about fallout from the US self-imposed tariff chaos, driving me to pull 2025 planned purchases forward to this month. And when I figured I was done with that, I realized I should consider unplanned purchases also. Do I buy a new iPhone now? I decided to hold off, even though the prices of new iPhones could double in price. I would cross that bridge when I was forced to.

I did surprise myself by thinking about camera lenses. I had absolutely no plans to buy any (more) lenses this year – or maybe ever. I’m in very good shape. However, I realized that there is one lens that I wanted to have – but had decided not to buy in the interest of being frugal. The first week of April was a week of rapid decisions – and I did a sudden 180° turn and last Friday ordered a NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens from B&H Photo. I figured the price would never again be this low. The lens is made in Thailand, which had been assigned a 36% tariff rate. Assuming a very generous operating margin on the lens, this tariff would probably add about $200 to the cost of the lens. Could be more.

B&H Photo closes for the sabbath and didn’t ship my lens until Sunday via FedEx. The lens was scheduled to arrive here yesterday, but it got delayed one day and was delivered this afternoon. After I signed for the lens, I was no longer chained to the house, and I could go for my daily walk in the neighborhood. After a few days of rain, the sun had come out in the afternoon, and it was a good opportunity to test the lens.




This is actually the first time I’ve taken the Z8 out for a photo walk. I used the flip screen a lot – because flowers were low to the ground. The most amazing thing, though, is the near silent shutter – sooooo buttery smooth! So sweet!

My plan this year did include doing more macro photos (although that plan is likely scuttled for the year), and having the telephoto macro lens will be handy. As I wasn’t planning to buy a new lens, I was going to use my 105mm f/2.8 F-mount macro lens and the FTZ adapter. But Thom Hogan highly recommends the Z-mount version of the lens. It’s pretty nice, paired with the Z8.

Nikon Z8 + NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens

Visa (Citibank) is going to love me this month.