In which I show how much of a Nano fan I am
Although I was working on this entry earlier, a sudden thunderstorm passed through the area, so I had to delay this for a couple hours until it passed. D:
I had put this off for a while, but I'm now up to showing off what I've currently got. This is specifically for my Togainu no Chi collection, which mainly revolves around Nano.
Personal synopsis sort of intro/information
Considering that Nano is not the most popular TnC character, his merchandise level is actually rather low, as he is often ignored, set aside, or completely skipped over. It doesn't matter if it's official works or fanmade; anything involving Nano is closer to the realm of rare.
For example, Nano is the only main character who doesn't even have his own drama CD. He has made brief appearances in the other drama CDs, but he's more often used as gag material. For example, with the way he talks, it's sadly easy to make fun of his dialogue or play up/overplay his uniqueness. Now that I think of it, I don't believe he's taken part in any of the special commentary extras from the TV series, either...
Still, Nano is my favorite character in the story, in all the renditions of TnC I've seen. The Nano fandom is generally rather quiet in comparison to all the other character fans, who are often much more prominent in productivity and voicing their likes. I encountered a couple TnC fandom direct interactions within the past month or two that really drove home the fact that a lot of people in the fandom do not really understand or grasp Nano's character and personality due to his lack of emotions and complex yet confusing behaviors; it was a good exercise in trying to describe certain facts and quirks about him to those out of the loop, which thankfully was a positive experience.
I believe part of the reason why Nano is generally under-appreciated is because to get to his route, you have to go through basically all other routes available. Not everyone wants to get involved with certain characters if possible, so not everyone will ever be able to see Nano at his best. Regardless, Nano's route is treated as the final "true" story arc, which in turn does make me appreciate his character more.
TL;DR version:
Nano is my favorite TnC character, even though he's not really popular or understood by the general public. XD
Current TnC collection fun
But let's get onto the good stuff, shall we? :D Most of these items in my TnC collection are not recent gets. I'd say most of them are from within last year, when I admit I got back into TnC all over again thanks to the TV series (even though the TV series still sucked so much overall).
As an extra note, my collection began with the Shiki figure of awesome, but I have yet to take a photo of it. XD; It's the regular figure and not the military version. I also have the large chibi vinyl Shiki figure as well, but again, no photo yet. I believe those are the only items I don't have photos of yet, but that's my starting point.
The trading chibi figure of Nano. This is the first Nano item I got and may always be one of my favorites. I got it during an odd time 1-2 years ago (I think?), and even though I started as a Shiki fan, Nano always had my attention. I call it a transitional time when I began to drift away from Shiki little by little, realizing I was much more into Nano overall, haha. I do still like Shiki quite a bit, though!
I finally was able to get copies of the two main art books! The official fanbook on the left is more of a guidebook + walkthrough guide, while the official works book on the right is a fun one full of many of the conceptual artwork and other roughs in addition to the main final artwork. :)
Here are the backs of these two books. I find it amusing how Akira and Nano share similar positions on each set of covers. For the fanbook (left), Akira and Nano are the ones sitting in the middle front. For the official works book (right), Akira and Nano are the furthest in the back each time.
I do happily own a copy of the PSP version of the game. It's technically a port of the PS2 version, which is a tamer version of the original PC version. Even with the edits and obligatory fade to black sequences, I'm still cool with the final results. There's even the poker minigame included as an extra.
Yet another fun extra, I got a nice large poster of the PSP version's cover artwork, which I seriously adore! ;A;
Yes, I admit to placing it in a nice blank clearfile I had to show off my favorites together in high quality glory. <3 The guy at the top with red hair is Yukihito, who only shows up in the PS2/PSP version of the story, but he's pretty cool, too. :)
Special calendar from the Nitro+ Chiral Comiket 79 set. I'm just showing the TnC flap, but there's like six available pictures, and you can have whatever month showing with whatever picture. Very customizable!
Part of the same set as the above, each picture included in the calendar was also included as large posters. <3
Special note: Nano is the only one in Akira's arms and looks like he's smiling for a change!
Super weird bonus to the set: a cup of udon noodles. XD; They were actually pretty good, and the artwork on top is actually a sticker you can keep/use for later.
The official CD case/holder thing of awesome! :D Even though it's cardboard, it has some fine artwork on the outside and inside, as well as inserts.
A couple of the official trading cards~! They're from some of my favorite scenes in the game, hahaha. Makeout scene on the left and the waking up (and eventually munching on tree bark) scene on the right. <3
I recall posting about this months ago, but here we go again. The Shiki and Akira happy badge/pin set.
And inside for more cuteness.
The rubber charm straps of fun! I still lol at the kitties. XD Nano's tag has kitty prints, while Akira's has blood splatters.
I still like Shiki, and I kept Arbitro's for the lolz. Shiki's tag has his crosses while Arbitro's has rose power.
I guess this is a clip type thing, but it's so cute! :D
Surprisingly tough to find (let alone for a good price), here's the official Nano plush. You can move the kitty off his head if you like, but it's stuck on there via magnet. XD So adorable!
Tag comparison time! The round tag is from the plush, while the square piece is the insert included with the chibi trading figure. :3
Now onto the doujinshi selection!
"Abyss" - Shiki x Akira, takes place after Shiki's true ending
Note: It's the first TnC doujinshi I got, this one done by Nheira. It has an interesting rendition of comatose!Shiki, too.
"咎狗再録" - Akira-uke, has pretty much all PC version pairings present, anthology book
Note: Surprisingly enough, the majority of the book is crack material. XD I especially enjoy the Nano x Akira sequences, which are so utterly utterly ridiculous/silly.
"Chiral×Achiral" - Nano x Akira
Note: Kind of a funny rendition of Nano, who kind of plays with Akira's feelings a bit, I think? Silly~!
"If" - Nano x Akira, Shiki x Akira
Note: It's a pairing I don't technically see? It's Akira from Shiki's military ending stuff, the "playful" version instead of Shiki's subordinate. Kind of angsty stuff here.
"イル・レ ゴランシン" - Nano x Shiki, Shiki x Akira, Nano x Akira
Note: This book wins if only because it has my "endless circle" pairing situation. XD;; I swear the description of this book said it was only Shiki x Akira when I ordered it, but upon looking through it, it was immediately Nano x Shiki from the start, so I must have missed the mention of it, whoops. Nice surprise! Interestingly, Nano is such a troll in this book, oh man. He is played for major lolz and antagonizes Shiki almost constantly, evil smiles and all.
And that ends where my TnC collection is currently. :) I never know what's around the corner, but it's great to make new discoveries~!
I had put this off for a while, but I'm now up to showing off what I've currently got. This is specifically for my Togainu no Chi collection, which mainly revolves around Nano.
Personal synopsis sort of intro/information
Considering that Nano is not the most popular TnC character, his merchandise level is actually rather low, as he is often ignored, set aside, or completely skipped over. It doesn't matter if it's official works or fanmade; anything involving Nano is closer to the realm of rare.
For example, Nano is the only main character who doesn't even have his own drama CD. He has made brief appearances in the other drama CDs, but he's more often used as gag material. For example, with the way he talks, it's sadly easy to make fun of his dialogue or play up/overplay his uniqueness. Now that I think of it, I don't believe he's taken part in any of the special commentary extras from the TV series, either...
Still, Nano is my favorite character in the story, in all the renditions of TnC I've seen. The Nano fandom is generally rather quiet in comparison to all the other character fans, who are often much more prominent in productivity and voicing their likes. I encountered a couple TnC fandom direct interactions within the past month or two that really drove home the fact that a lot of people in the fandom do not really understand or grasp Nano's character and personality due to his lack of emotions and complex yet confusing behaviors; it was a good exercise in trying to describe certain facts and quirks about him to those out of the loop, which thankfully was a positive experience.
I believe part of the reason why Nano is generally under-appreciated is because to get to his route, you have to go through basically all other routes available. Not everyone wants to get involved with certain characters if possible, so not everyone will ever be able to see Nano at his best. Regardless, Nano's route is treated as the final "true" story arc, which in turn does make me appreciate his character more.
TL;DR version:
Nano is my favorite TnC character, even though he's not really popular or understood by the general public. XD
Current TnC collection fun
But let's get onto the good stuff, shall we? :D Most of these items in my TnC collection are not recent gets. I'd say most of them are from within last year, when I admit I got back into TnC all over again thanks to the TV series (even though the TV series still sucked so much overall).
As an extra note, my collection began with the Shiki figure of awesome, but I have yet to take a photo of it. XD; It's the regular figure and not the military version. I also have the large chibi vinyl Shiki figure as well, but again, no photo yet. I believe those are the only items I don't have photos of yet, but that's my starting point.
The trading chibi figure of Nano. This is the first Nano item I got and may always be one of my favorites. I got it during an odd time 1-2 years ago (I think?), and even though I started as a Shiki fan, Nano always had my attention. I call it a transitional time when I began to drift away from Shiki little by little, realizing I was much more into Nano overall, haha. I do still like Shiki quite a bit, though!
I finally was able to get copies of the two main art books! The official fanbook on the left is more of a guidebook + walkthrough guide, while the official works book on the right is a fun one full of many of the conceptual artwork and other roughs in addition to the main final artwork. :)
Here are the backs of these two books. I find it amusing how Akira and Nano share similar positions on each set of covers. For the fanbook (left), Akira and Nano are the ones sitting in the middle front. For the official works book (right), Akira and Nano are the furthest in the back each time.
I do happily own a copy of the PSP version of the game. It's technically a port of the PS2 version, which is a tamer version of the original PC version. Even with the edits and obligatory fade to black sequences, I'm still cool with the final results. There's even the poker minigame included as an extra.
Yet another fun extra, I got a nice large poster of the PSP version's cover artwork, which I seriously adore! ;A;
Yes, I admit to placing it in a nice blank clearfile I had to show off my favorites together in high quality glory. <3 The guy at the top with red hair is Yukihito, who only shows up in the PS2/PSP version of the story, but he's pretty cool, too. :)
Special calendar from the Nitro+ Chiral Comiket 79 set. I'm just showing the TnC flap, but there's like six available pictures, and you can have whatever month showing with whatever picture. Very customizable!
Part of the same set as the above, each picture included in the calendar was also included as large posters. <3
Special note: Nano is the only one in Akira's arms and looks like he's smiling for a change!
Super weird bonus to the set: a cup of udon noodles. XD; They were actually pretty good, and the artwork on top is actually a sticker you can keep/use for later.
The official CD case/holder thing of awesome! :D Even though it's cardboard, it has some fine artwork on the outside and inside, as well as inserts.
A couple of the official trading cards~! They're from some of my favorite scenes in the game, hahaha. Makeout scene on the left and the waking up (and eventually munching on tree bark) scene on the right. <3
I recall posting about this months ago, but here we go again. The Shiki and Akira happy badge/pin set.
And inside for more cuteness.
The rubber charm straps of fun! I still lol at the kitties. XD Nano's tag has kitty prints, while Akira's has blood splatters.
I still like Shiki, and I kept Arbitro's for the lolz. Shiki's tag has his crosses while Arbitro's has rose power.
I guess this is a clip type thing, but it's so cute! :D
Surprisingly tough to find (let alone for a good price), here's the official Nano plush. You can move the kitty off his head if you like, but it's stuck on there via magnet. XD So adorable!
Tag comparison time! The round tag is from the plush, while the square piece is the insert included with the chibi trading figure. :3
Now onto the doujinshi selection!
"Abyss" - Shiki x Akira, takes place after Shiki's true ending
Note: It's the first TnC doujinshi I got, this one done by Nheira. It has an interesting rendition of comatose!Shiki, too.
"咎狗再録" - Akira-uke, has pretty much all PC version pairings present, anthology book
Note: Surprisingly enough, the majority of the book is crack material. XD I especially enjoy the Nano x Akira sequences, which are so utterly utterly ridiculous/silly.
"Chiral×Achiral" - Nano x Akira
Note: Kind of a funny rendition of Nano, who kind of plays with Akira's feelings a bit, I think? Silly~!
"If" - Nano x Akira, Shiki x Akira
Note: It's a pairing I don't technically see? It's Akira from Shiki's military ending stuff, the "playful" version instead of Shiki's subordinate. Kind of angsty stuff here.
"イル・レ ゴランシン" - Nano x Shiki, Shiki x Akira, Nano x Akira
Note: This book wins if only because it has my "endless circle" pairing situation. XD;; I swear the description of this book said it was only Shiki x Akira when I ordered it, but upon looking through it, it was immediately Nano x Shiki from the start, so I must have missed the mention of it, whoops. Nice surprise! Interestingly, Nano is such a troll in this book, oh man. He is played for major lolz and antagonizes Shiki almost constantly, evil smiles and all.
And that ends where my TnC collection is currently. :) I never know what's around the corner, but it's great to make new discoveries~!