I would normally post this on my FC2 blog but their image uploader sucks harder than my Dyson vacuum so gonna post here instead =D.
With proxy fees and shipping I pretty much paid about $36 per book. The books are pretty big but still it’s very expensive, so I’ll just give my impressions after the jump.
Due to ordering directly from Quin Rose’s shop they included a free file folder. I haven’t used these things in ages but still a nice little gift to have for free ^^.
Each book contains comics and short stories. Here’s some sneak peeks:
Arabians Lost book was SEXXXXY if only for the Curtis x Aileen story drawn by Fujimaru. （；´Д`）ﾊｧﾊｧ （*´Д`）/lァ/lァ （*` Д´）／/ア／/ア！！ Also the heroine from Crimson Empire made a cameo 😀
Cinderella book was the most disappointing one. It has only 2 comics and EIGHT short stories. Since I’m a comic person above blocks of text it was disappointing. I mean if you compared it’s literally 3mm thick of comic and like 1cm thickness of stories. (´･ω･｀;A） Maybe someday I’ll read them. Had I known it’s like this I wouldn’t even have bought it. The comics weren’t that interesting either.
The Kaidan Romance book was great! The first 2 stories had crossovers between both schools with Shinji “hitting on” Shizuka and then Ui fighting with Hisoka. Also the Tsubaki comic in here was so adorable, it makes me shed tears at how shitty his route was in the game. щ(ಥДಥщ)
Grimm stories were fairly cute, I especially liked the one with Adolf and Hansel/Gretel. Jule’s was pretty cute too though.
Overall I’m satisfied with everything except the Cinderella book. I dunno maybe the short stories are actually good but I haven’t read any of them yet so I can’t comment (I really hate reading vertically my eyes wander off the page lol.) The bummer about Cinderella and the fact that 24hour CInderella was such a disappointment, I have pretty much lost all hope for the 3rd Cinderella game. I feel like Halloween Wedding has turned into QR’s shovelware series. They should make a Snow White game instead. I mean come on, we got 7 dwarves that can be 7 hot dudes + the hot prince. 😆 All books can be purchased from the Quin Rose shop as well as Stellaworth (but if you live outside Japan you will probably need a proxy.)
かわいいじゃなきゃダメなの！ 
the person I used is no longer a reliable source for me so I don’t really have one at the moment. Try FromJapan I heard a few people had good luck with them ?
They look very good. I was wondering if you knew a site that could ship items from the Quinrose site internationally, since most items aren’t exported out of Japan… I found a Cd I really wanna buy, and need help.
oh yea I forgot about them! I was looking for a PC game alternative of AmiAmi (they’re really fking annoying when it comes to cancellations and they never guarantee that you’ll get your item blah lol.)
I just use the search function to find a game it’s a lot easier that way or sort by release date 😀
Pfft, there were times when Amazon categorize novel tie-ins of games as ‘software’ and I had to get a proxy to buy it, because Amazon’s restrictions are retarded and I didn’t know forwarding services existed back then. THAT was even sillier.
I think Comicomistudio ships internationally anyway for PC games, so there’s no problem? Even though you might have to wade through quite a bit of BL to get through to the otome; it’s primarily a BL store after all.
i guessed cause Japanese blog users like horizontal banner more. I did saw they used a lots and tiny horizontal banners on their blog. Or you should ask quinrose make both horizontal and vertical banner. That way will please more fans ^^
well i think yokatta says its 700 yen for 3 items from the same shop right? so i’d try to save money and not order more than 3 games anyway. then again like i said i seriously rarely ever order anything outside CD japan. Only thing CD japan doesn’t really sell old stuff like you said (and i don’t particularly buy old things?) and they don’t always sell PC games (lol they sell hanaawase and categorize it as a book wtf)
Oh. Well, Yokatta’s pretty good and professional. They’ve got some lead time from you paying them and them actually buying the stuff, but it’s not any longer than most other proxies. I haven’t had a problem with them yet. Wouldn’t use them for large orders, though, there was one time where they *almost* forgot to order one of the things on my relatively long list. For short orders, I think they’re as hassle-free as proxies get.
(The only problem I have with CD Japan is their lack of a back catalogue, honestly. They’re a good service.)
lol oh yes YOkatta, I’ve been meaning to give them a shot. I VERY rarely use proxies. I mean literally the only thing I’ve ever bought through a proxy were books from Quin Rose’s shop. For games I just go ahead and use CD Japan, no fees, great point system etc.
lol oh yes YOkatta, I’ve been meaning to give them a shot. I VERY rarely use proxies. I mean literally the only thing I’ve ever bought through a proxy were books from Quin Rose’s shop. For games I just go ahead and use CD Japan, no fees, great point system etc.
hahahah yea you could have 😀 It’s nice that you have such opportunity. when I visit Japan I stay at a hotel so it’s not like I can preorder/ship anything there. ill have to just buy whatever Animate has!
though I wonder why they only listened to my suggestion for Hyakki but went back to their stupid old ways for the other games :S
yea you should send them, i did read about those vertical banners on your fc2 blog so if this time they take your advice, it’d be great (＾▽＾)
Their quality did went down but i think still a lots better than otomate and i still have hope for Alice seriies (*´∀`*)
Interesting. But I do go home every year, and my parents and sis are still in Japan. But so far, Ive only made them ship me like a ps3 game, which cost 800 yen on regular intl mail. Meh, if I lived in Japan still I could have done such bussiness LOL
Oh wait, you asked for a recommendation on PROXY services. >_> In that case, disregard what I said and um, I’m sorry I can’t really help you. I use proxies as little as I can, to save costs and because I hate dealing with proxies, the antisocial caveperson that I am.
When I do, though, they tend to be small doujinshi orders and therefore I’m perfectly fine with using stuff like Yokattaweb.
Wow, I don’t even know Jshoppers still has a forwarding service. Anyway, I’m like any other bloke out there and use Tenso. Their fees are getting steeper these past few years, but they’re still reasonable and their system is convenient for my purposes : register, get an address, order stuff there, they repack it and ship it to you when you tell them to, no questions asked. And when you do have to ask them a question, they’re quick and polite in responding even if you just asked them to check 10 kg of Questionable Stuff. They have a deputy service as a sideline but the fees there are pretty expensive so I mostly use it when I have a gigantic shopping binge going, want to order from somewhere that don’t take foreign credit cards and don’t want to get a separate proxy/deputy. I HATE dealing with proxies, so. Using them since 2009, happy so far. Their proxy services won’t deal with places not accepting credit cards, though, which….is sort of what proxies are for! So Tenso’s proxy is fail, their forwarding service is pretty good.
JapanToDoor has a complete service package with auction bidding, complete deputy service and forwarding address. They’re pricier than Tenso, or so I heard, but their forwarding address TAKES COD, which almost no other place does and is quite indispensable for buying doujin items. The annoying thing about them, though, is that you have to tell them 2 weeks in advance of delivery date (TO them) when you’re buying stuff, or they won’t look for your packages. This is hugely inconvenient for me since you have to field the senders and packages ALL separately, and when you deal with the Amazon Marketplace getting that information correctly is nearly impossible. Also, since I shop old books from all over, my packages tend to come in small ones of 1-2 items that’s a pain in the ass to register. Still, it’s almost worth it for the COD. Almost.
Anyway, shop around some more! There’s bound to be someone else with more experience in a variety of services. 😀
do you have any proxy services you’d recommend? I’m looking into switching and so far I only got a recommendation of fromJapan but they seem better for bulk orders. Also Jshoppers for fwding only orders.
If you (generic you) can read Japanese, a forwarding service is a great choice imo. Amazon ships domestically without any shipping fees (compared to the ridiculous handling fees for international orders, plus the ‘no software/games for you filthy foreigners’ rule they have) which makes them 120% more viable, and you can buy stuff from practically anywhere except Toranoana (they block forwarding services and will cancel your order once they find out you’re using one) so old/secondhand/out of print stuff is also a go. My buying costs really dropped once I started using one. Buying book sets on the cheap from Surugaya, man! Most also have a proxy side-service for those times when a site JUST doesn’t take a foreign credit card, so it’s a pretty good deal usually.
Of course, it also means that I end up buying a lot more shit, so the hole in my wallet is roughly the same size anyway.
i think the “how dare you not speak japanese” rule applies only to asian people. since I’m as white as my printer paper, they just assume i don’t speak japanese and when I do speak Japanese I get either 1. ur japanese is so good! 2. why’s this white chick speaking japanese around these asian guys (who are my chinese friends that barely know the language 3. people assume im some expat or student and just speak normally
yeaa xD just google up like “japan shopping proxy” and you’ll see a ton. my friend recommended me “FromJapan” so you can try them!
Proxy…like not only proxy server…but there are companies that buy your items and ship them to you? I didn t know they do that. :O wth….
Oh boy! Grannies reading 50 shades of grey! LOL
Miss those cheap fast eat noodle places where you stand and wold your noodles then leave.
I would have loved to see that japanese man’s face! Jap people are so terrified if you cant speak their language, worse, some get pissed if you dont speak japanese. Some are like, “Youre in japan, you speak Japanese!”. I only agree when my mom tries to fake the “nIhonga wakaranai” when those tax/newspaper people comes knocking on our doors.
Thanks for your tip, I might be using the proxy to buy BWS BN, the 4th Wasurenagusa CD and some other stuff, if it’s not too expensive. ww
Japan should seriously start shipping things internationally… I would give them all my money, if they do… 8D
haha wait there was a hunter? I forgot about this lol.
We kinda cut off on a bad note so I won’t be doing business with her or recommending her to anyone else. One of my friends did recommend a proxy called “fromJapan” so you can try them!
I’m not gonna recommend my proxy because I had some issues with her sorry
Ahahaha… The idea of Snow White with 8 hot dudes is good. xDD I would want that game too. LOL How about adding the hunter as a capturable man too? “…Snow White decided to not run away from the dangerous hunter, but to seduce him!! (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.’:;ﾌﾞｯ
Those anthologies look so good!! 8D
I always wanted to buy things from Stellaworth, since the extra goodies are totally appealing, but the high proxy fees were too much for me… LOL
Would you mind to tell me which proxy you used? =D
omg wow really? I didn’t know how you can buy stuff since I had the proxy do it but damn man. I knew they were a bit behind (I mean who makes vertical banners anymore) but that is pretty sad lol. I heard people being able to order with their cards from Stella (i never tried it myself) so maybe one day I’ll give it a shot. It seems like Jshoppers have a forwarding service without any fees so it would be a great combination.
yea like it’s such an obvious idea. Maybe I should send quin rose’s staff an email. they did once take my advice and make those vertical banners! they do release stuff fast but lately I’m starting to see that their speed is starting to affect their quality..
they don’t, hence my “you will probably need a proxy” lol.
I remember going to Mandarake though I think I was sick that day so all I remember is lots of figures and badly tasting 300yen udon 😆 I was so out of it I almost approached a random Japanese geek and started talking to him in English. He looked rather terrified ww.
I spent money since I know its nearly impossible to find any kind of doujins from Quin ROse games as they’re just not that popular. Also finding non porny doujins that aren’t just implied hand holding is a feat in its own. You’re as young as you feel tbh, who cares if you’re 60 and reading manga. I’m sure I’ve seen old grannys on the train reading 50 shades of gray ww
Im not 40 just so you know LOL But I can see myself maybe still reading manga at that age
Whoa, I didnt know Quinrose ships internationally! If only amazon.co.jp does that, or allows international access to ebooks there then the world would be a better place with easy access to Moe haha
I have one 2nd hand anthology of Heart of the Kuni that I ran across in a store called Mandarake. I also collect some of the ZERO-SUM Alice series. Recommend those too.
But thats alotta money you spent there! Even when I was in Japan, I usually went to bookoff to buy these things 2nd hand. Im so cheap lol. I never realized how strict Japan could be with keeping access to their goods soley to themselves….But its good to know Japan is slowly opening doors internationally…so if i get desperate….hehe. Coz eventually I wont be going home as much and Im pretty sure that I’ll turn out like those 40 year old women on the train reading manga. Its too late now lol
Wao∑(O_O；)
They are really expensive but the file folder’s really pretty.
It’s really funny that i had exactly the same thought as you 7 dwarves=7 hot dudes Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ and with Fujimaru as artist it’ll be perfect.
Quinrose releases sequel really fast but if only they start more new series as good as school wars i’ll be more glad (more hot is good,too (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))
Wow, QR only take bank transfers. I know Japan’s lagging in terms of Getting Stuff Online (I’d buy a lot more doujin games if they’d just put. those. on. DLSite! take a cue from successful indie devs in the West, dammit), but for a longstanding company it’s rather behind the times. Stellaworth’s an asshole with credit cards, taking only katakana and not romanji, but I’ve heard some people successfully using their credit cards with them so who knows?
You’d still need a forwarding address, though. Cheaper than proxy services, but still.