Went to this annual event in Taipei, where a bunch of books and lots of other stuff is exhibited and, most of the time, sold. You pay 100 NT$ (students: 80 NT$) for a single entrance - which isn't an enraging price. Look out for lots of 2D gals.
)
TiBE. Sounds like the name of a Danish city, doesn't it? And about the i - there's apparently no real reason for it to be tiny and colored retro-apple-logo style.
Oh yeah. I didn't write much lately did I? Sorry about that.
)
The exhibition is split across 3 different locations, all located in storage houses around Taipei 101. There's one for childrens books and one for international books (i don't know exactly to what measure, but most of those were English, and there would be Korea-, Japan-, USA-, Federated States of Micronesia-, Afro-Asian Publishing Company-, and what-not stands).
And then, there's the one with all the people: The comic-book department.
)
By the entrance, (actually, I think that's the less official one), the first thing I ran into was this wall where people can draw stuff on as they like. The above was taken about 5 pm, as I entered, which is quite late as the exhibition closes 6 pm.
)
I bet this is a pretty good warning to what this place is all about. I didn't get an idea of it as biggest comic con evah, but I bet it's going to be more crowded in the weekend. Today was a rainy day, and students still go to school, even though they have winter vacation now. I'm hoping there'll be cosplayers on Saturday or Sunday (it'll end by then), but I have no idea if there's a chance or not.
I put the photo above here mostly because of the drawing right above the head of that little girl in the middle.
)
This is a photo I took just before the exhibitions closed on the 28th February. I wonder how it will look by Sunday.
)
Just found out I photoed something with cosplay written over it. Should probably go back there and ask someone to translate that one of the coming days.
)
The vampire lives eternally, for it was promised so.
)
Let's not forget that this is Taiwan, so with everything Japanese, you have to mix some Chinese into it. (And just by the way: It's going to be Chinese new year pretty soon, so better keep your heads up.
Finally decided to go into one of the stores. (Not the one above, though.)
It was full of people, so we had to stand in a line to get in, but only for somewhat less than a minute.
)
But where's the books???
)
Heck, who cares? They have pillows with onelegged hamster/cat-hybrids and stuffs.
)
Let me just tell you before it becomes too unmistakable: One piece is probably the biggest anime/manga/merchandise franchise in Taiwan while a bunch of goth stuff is competing about the relatively big market of young people who hate the world. (The size of which should be no wonder with such shitty high schools.) Stuff that's popular, or at least more or less known where I'm from such as Naruto, Dragonballz, Bleach, Haruhi with more, is less visible. Stuff such as pokemon, digimon, yu-gi-oh and other crap is apparently extinct here. Which is good. I bet people never bothered to write a manga for those?
)
Lot's of pillows for anyone in desperate need of a franchised bed. (Look elsewhere in this building and you'll find blanket and bed covers too.)
)
Long time since I watched Bleach. I wonder if they bad guys are finished explaining their German-named fighting methods yet.
)
Finally managed to find books. Had already bought some stuff from Hot Dog Toyz, but after I bought some heavy books from Kadokawa here, they gave me this lovely bag to carry stuff in:
)
You could, (and probably still can the next few days,) see lots of young people in the MRT's and nearby the exhibition buildings carrying these bags.
)
And there's the stuff I bought.
)
The anime for these books, called ご愁傷さま二ノ宮くん (Goshūshō-sama Ninomiya-kun), was one of the series that got me really hooked to that kind of stuff. (Although I must say, My Neighbour Totoro, which I believe I saw during my very early childhood, was probably the one planting the initial seed for my attraction to Japanese entertainment.)
Bought one, probably as a tribute, as I don't have much hopes of being able to read complicated Chinese soon.
)
I have two of these Lucky Star Books that I'm trying to study once in a while, but usually give up on within less than a minute. Also translated to Chinese, of course.
)
I am suddenly reminded of 4Chan, and the absence of influence from their internet memes on people here. I bet if someone here gets rickrolled, they probably don't have a clue. It's not like they rule Denmark either, but at least there's still a handful of people who know what longcat is there.
)
This place looks so awesome from the exit that I feel like going back in.
)
Suzumiya Haruhi reaching out for you there. I bet Kadokawa, with it's Japanese sounding name, is more into the stuff that's mainstream in Japan. Found much more stuff I could recognize there.
)
Too bad they don't even sell any of the posters they stick in the top. There was at least a few of them I'd have liked to see the price off. Oh well. There's other stores for that.
)
I never knew much about Spice and Wolf before I got to Asia. Saw a few episodes of the Anime, but didn't realise it was really popular before I visited some of Taiwan's Japan-dedicated areas.
)
Yup. There they are. Posters for sale, and for Chobits even. I don't know if it's because the franchise was never super popular or just 9 years old. I'd put my stakes on the latter. I love Chobits.
)
Seems to be the last picture at the exhibition. Sorry for my total un-Otakuness. I'm not a person attracted much to mainstream, but when it comes to this stuff, it just gets me. I should probably dig some more into K-On sometime soon, before it's not totally the new thing any more.
)
Will open this nendoroid box tomorrow. Have absolutely no idea what this stuff is all about, but I bet Google will yield me some results on "Vocaloid" or something. Right now it's kind of late. I have winter vacation of course (and there's no way I'm going to school as everyone else, but still need to walk around town with my Chinese teacher and look at stuff while practising. Like this again, perhaps.
I hope this post can make a little up for the recent lack of content. Goodnight.