Senior Letters

Been a while since I talked about my students. Here are some of the letters I received from my graduating kids when I returned in March. I've taken the time to transcribe them in case the images aren't clear enough, making sure to keep the transcriptions as close to the letters as possible in terms of punctuation and spelling. Also, I've removed all the names leaving only the first letter of anyone mentioned.

#1

“Dear Eric

Hello, my name is K. How are doing. Thank you for coming to our graduation ceremony. It was fun for me to play kendo with Eric. I want to play kendo very hard. After I enfer high school, I’ll try hard by using what you toght. Best wishes to you and Amanda. I’ll never forget Eric. See you again.

Goog Bey”

This was from the student who nearly hugged me when I showed up to their sports day. I remember the JTE was surprised when she first heard that this student was talking to me. I love the fabric on the corners.

#2

“Dear Mr. Eric,

Hello! Long time no write. How are you? I’m fine. I felt happy that you come to graduation cerewory. Thanks to you, I like English a little. How are you doing? I study for test. What do you like now? I have liked reading books and comics. After I enter high school, I’ll try hard by using what you tought. If see you again, let’s speak with me.

Have nice days.

I wish for see you again…”

This student was always reading, so I'm not surprised she mentioned it here. I also love it anytime a student says they like English because of me. Plus, she drew this adorable picture.

#3

“Dear, Eric.

Hello. How are you? I’m very happy because I enjoy spending my school life everyday. I play kicking cans after school It’s fun for me to do it. I wanted to play kicking cans with Eric…

Thank you for teaching English to me. Thanks to your help, I got to like English. I can’t speak English well. But, I can speak English a little.

After I enter high school, I’ll try hard by using what you tought

If you meet me, please call me!!

See you…”

This student was always a bit precocious, but I liked talking with her a lot. It makes me happy that she still thinks about playing games with me. This letter also had a lot of little flourishes that made it extra special.

#4

“Dear Mr. Eric.

Hello. How are you doing? Are you enjoying your visit to Japan? Do you play “Pocket monster Brack” or “Pocket monster White”? I play “Black” and “White”. Will you buy the new game “Pokemon + Nobunaga no yabo”? I am going to Reimei high school.”

I like this letter because it truly reflects the student's interest and personality. While she does tell me what school she'll be going to, she's much more interested in trying to find out if I'm playing the same games as her. By the way, we totally picked up a copy of "Pokemon + Nobunaga"during our trip and I'm excited to play it. Also, I can't help but feel the inclusion of the Furret at the bottom was not coincidental. It is one of my favorites and was my costume for Halloween week.

#5 

“Dear Eric

Hello. Long time no see. How are you doing? It was very fun for me to play tennis with you. I felt happy to spend the time with you. Thank you then. We graduate today. I’ll never forget the time we shared!”

Though the letter is undeniably sweet, I'll admit that I included this one largely because of the picture the student drew. It's just too cute.

#6

“Tanks: Mr. Eric

Dear Mr, Eric

Long time no, write. I can graduate Ariake junior high school at last, finaly. I’m very very happy! Do you remember playing tennis with us in tennis club. You practiced tennis very hard. You could play tennis well. I remember chating with you. I enjoyed very much. I’ll never forget to spend the time with you. I’ll study harder than now. I hope we meet again soon. Take care.”

As one of the students to give me a farewell speech when I left, I already knew how important our chats were to this girl. I like the line about finally being able to graduate junior high. It comes off as a bit impatient, but I think she was just really excited to start high school.

#7

“Dear Eric

Hello!! Long time no write. How have you been? I’m fine. I felt happy to spend the time with you. I’m very impressed that Eric did seiza which is the Japanese activity. Today, I grauated Ariake junior high school. Thank you for teaching English. See you again.”

Ah, the first (but not last) instance of my sitting in seiza being mentioned. For those who don't know, seiza is basically sitting on your knees and is considered formal or polite in many situations in Japan. I got used to sitting that way a lot. This letter also stands out due to the picture. I'm not sure I ever explained to my students that I had taken on the octopus as an unofficial mascot, but it's great to see a student's interpretation nonetheless. 

#8

“Dear Ms. Eric

Today is wondeful day. I have a great time with you. I will never forget the time we shared. I’m glad to meet you today. You are loved by everyone. Thank you all very much.”

Though other students may have written longer or more difficult letters, this one has my favorite line "You are loved by everyone". Somewhat surprising coming from this student, who could occasionally be hot-tempered and was one I didn't think I had made that strong of a connection with.

#9

“Dear Eric

Hello!! Long time no write. How are you? I’m very happy because I have a very good time everyday. For example, I play “kicking cans with R, T, S, R, K, C, A, N, and K after school. It is very fun. How about playing kicking cans with your friends?

Now, I have to study hard because I will have an entrance examination. But I don’t study hard because I want to read comics and listen to music. My favorite song is “Amenojaku )(天ノ弱) of Gumi. Why don’t you listen to it?

I will be a high school student maybe. So, I want to study hard, make many friends and play many sports.

I want to do my best.

I hope you have a good time. See you…”

This girl also mentions kicking cans. It must have been something they did just before writing these letters. This is the student who got me started reading "The World God Only Knows", tough I believe she only read the light novels and not the manga. The singer she mentions is a Vocaloid, something I'll no doubt talk about later, that is very popular at the moment. This girl is very bright, so I'm sure she got into a good high school despite her seeming lack of focus.

#10

“Dear Eric

I am happy because you came all the way our graduation ceremony. Thank you very much. I remember that you cheered at our tennis games before you went back to your country. I remember that I spoke English poorly with you. It was very fun for me. I’ll send e-mail soon. Thank you for everything.”

This was one of the two girls who played at the all Kumamoto tennis tournament, the last event I went to before returning to America. She spoke English fairly well despite her pessimism, but she was always a better writer than a speaker. Sadly, I'm still waiting for that email.

#11

“Dear Eric

Long time no write. I passed the entrance examination of Reimei high school. Eric was very kind to everyone. I’m very impressed that Eric did seiza which is the Japanese standard while we were playing volleyball. I felt happy to spend the time with you. Thank you.”

Here's the other seiza letter I wanted to share. I think the wording on this one is very interesting. Again, this is a student I really didn't think I had affected that much, but it would seem I still made a good impression on her.

#12

“Dear Mr. Eric

Long time no write, Mr. Eric. How are you? Do you remember me? I’m N. Thank you for your coming our graduation ceremony, today. We’re glad to see you.

My best memory is playing catch ball together. It was very fun. And you?

By the way. I’m interested in Rock music. My favorite group is “GREEN DAY” and “New found glory” and “Mr. BIG” and “Oasis” and more. Have you ever heard of it?

And, I will send e-mail later.

Thank you very much today. I want to meet you again. Take care.”

You can tell a lot of the boys' letters because theirs tend to be a lot simpler, not that I'm complaining. This boy is amazing at English, something I wish I would have picked up on sooner. We occasionally talk on Skype and recently he's been encouraging me to contact some of his other friends. He's always willing to speak English and it's really fun to talk about music with him.

#13

“Dear Eric,

Hello. My name is K. Do you remember me? Your class was very fun. When you left my school, we were very sad and we thought “Why do you go to America?” But you came back to Japan. I’m very happy that you came our gradnation ceremony. I’m going to go to Amakusa high school. I’ll study hard and I’ll play a lot. I’ll never forget you. I wish your happiness. Thank you.”

I included this one because of the line about how the students felt when I left. People often say kids have a sense about what is going on around them and I'm sure I didn't hide my displeasure about leaving as well as I should have. It is bitter sweet to know the kids didn't want me to leave either.

#14

“Dear Mr. Eric

Thanks for your teaching English, I like English very much. It is difficult for me to understand English. But English became my favorite subject the best of all. Your classes were very great and playing tennis with you was enjoynable, too. Thank you all very much.”

Alright, I saved my favorite two for last. This one is not only the most intricately decorated, but has a bit of a story with it too. You see, I knew this girl didn't like English at all at one point. I remember at the beginning of her 8th grade year glancing in her notebook to see all she had written down for an answer to a simple question was "I don't no." However, she always had a fondness for cursive. When I first joined the tennis club, she would write words in cursive in the dirt. Over time, I noticed she was getting better and better with English and would take time to talk with me during practice. The thing of it was is that I never wanted to oversell my role in this development. However, this letter seems to suggest I had a hand in changing her mind about English and that is one of the greatest feelings I think I've ever experienced.

#15

“Dear Eric,

Long time no write. How are you doing? Are you enjoying your American life with Amanda? Thanks for coming to our graduation ceremony today! I had very fun times in Ariake jonior high school. I learned a lot of things. But I have to leave this school. I am going to Amakusa high school. And I am going to be a member of the photography club. Thank you for e-maile to me. I am glad when you sent e-mails to me. I am going to send e-mails to you. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Almost certainly the best written of the bunch, I've really enjoyed being able to keep in touch with this student. I'd usually email her anytime I did any cooking because I knew she enjoyed making food as well. Sadly, it would seem her email has changed merely a month after she sent it to me. I'm hoping she contacts me again soon. I will always remember her brilliant smile.

Hope you enjoyed this brief look at the letters I received. I have another 50 or so along with a yearbook and DVD of the culture festival I missed. They made great gifts and reminded me of how lucky I was to be a part of these kids' lives.

Photo Friday: Hobby Store

On the first day of our trip to Japan in February, Amanda and I happened across a small hobby shop located below a bookstore in Kyoto.

It's fairly common to find these kinds of stores. Space is at a premium in many areas of Japan, especially the big cities. This results in stores that span several small floors, occupy basements, or are located down side alleys. It's a good idea to keep an eye out for them as you walk around.

Space is a bit of a problem within the stores as well. Aisles are rarely wide enough to accomodate two people standing side by side, so there's a lot of waiting for other patrons to reach an area where you can move around them. Still, these are some of my favorite places to seek out, as you never know what you'll find inside. This store in particular had a lot of Gunpla models, which aren't really my thing. Nevertheless, I walked away with some One Piece merchandise as well as a Pinkie Street figure for Amanda.

Review: Machine Robo NEXT Magnum Police

I'm no stranger to the Mugenbine toy line, having snatched up most of the figures released during my time in Japan. I talked briefly about the history of Mugenbines in my Needle Stego review but feel it's worth mentioning again. The predecessor to Mugenbines was the Machine Robo series (AKA Gobots). In fact the first Mugenbine, Air Leon, made a brief appearance in the Machine Robo Rescue anime that aired from 2003-2004:

Since his introduction, it seems the Mugenbine line shifted focus from vehicle based robots to primarily animal based ones. Everything I collected while in Japan has an animal mode. And while Needle Stego and Mugen Police have vehicle alt modes, more recent sets have done away with them entirely.

Enter Magnum Police, the newest release from Bandai. The company seems to have dropped the title Mugenbine in favor of Machine Robo NEXT, perhaps to reflect a change of direction back to vehicle themed toys. Make no mistake, however, this toy still looks and plays like any recent Mugenbine candy toy release.

There are five toys in this set: Policeroid, Magnum Patrol Car, Magnum Sonic, Magnum Wheel, and Magnum Gyro. Each comes in a standard candy toy box with pictures of the other toys in the series along one side and a picture of the standard combination on the back in addition to some other possible configurations. In fact, the box encourages you to buy four sets of robots 2-5 in order to make a slew of alternate combinations. Bandai is really pushing the potential play value of these toys, which is great. Still, I opted to only get one set and built the standard combined form. I've only got so much cash. So, lets look at each toy in order.

First up is Policeroid. Out of the box there isn't a lot to assemble. Sticker apps are also thankfully sparse, though I'll comment a bit more on that later. As always, the instructions for the individual machines are on the inside face of the box, which tears open quite nicely, while a copy of the instructions for the combined form is placed inside each box. 

Of note with this release is the inclusion of additional instructions for creating arms and legs from any vehicle with the exception of Policeroid, which always forms the torso. This is what allows you to form all the alternate combined modes and even allows for a bit of customization with a standard set of five.

Back to Policeroid:

Policeroid is a bit blocky, but he has a certain style that I appreciate. I think it's mostly the hat and sunglasses.

I also like the inclusion of the tiny gun with this toy.

Pew, pew!

The new joint system took a little bit of getting used to, but it allows for a good range of motion with the arms even at this small a scale.

I also have to say that this set did a better job overall at hiding all those extra fists and heads that I found distracting in earlier Mugenbine releases. Here you can see the head of Magnum Police placed snugly in the back of Policeroid:

Magnum Patrol Car (I'm honestly guessing at that name, the kana is マグナムパトカー) is probably my least favorite in this set.

I have a serious dislike of the brown used for the window here. Sticker apps in general feel like a misstep with this series, which had recently done away with them entirely and still looked decent. I also hate toy cars with wheels that don't move. Still, not everything on this toy is terrible.

I definitely dig the front of the car. It is probably the most intricately molded piece in the whole set with the exception of maybe some of the face pieces. Also, despite my displeasure with sticker apps, I like the design choice of having a number displayed on each vehicle.

For what it's worth, the sticker for the tires add a cartoony feel to the toy that I feel is appropriate. Still, I wish they could actually roll somehow.

Magnum Sonic is a pretty neat looking jet. It has a pretty clever method of joining the front and back pieces together.

The terrible brown color is present here again, but it doesn't bother me near as much here as it does elsewhere.

Here's a bit of detail on the wings. The red fins were the hardest stickers to apply and I know they'll be the first to start peeling off. The pieces that will form the chest plate of Magnum Police also have awkward sticker apps, though they're mostly flat and thus likely to last longer. You can also see the toy's number sticker located on the tail fin.

Again, the extraneous piece, this time a fist, is cleverly hidden beneath the tail fin and out of sight from most angles.

Magnum Wheel has me torn over whether or not I like it. 

From one side it looks pretty solid.

I like the color in the wheels and the simple design. But from the other side, it is a disaster.

The tires have absolutely no detail from this side. And is that a robot face?

With all the care given to the other toys, it's a shame to see this one fall so flat. Granted it's only three pieces, but at this scale that's nearly half of the overall toy. There are some positives, however, chief among them the ability for Policeroid to ride the motorcycle (with a bit of limb swapping of course):

I recommend repurposing the gun as a kickstand if you want it to stand on its own.

The toy's number is located on the front. It's probably the hardest number to get to stick properly due to the bend in the middle.

Last is Magnum Gyro, whose name may be a nod to Gyro Robo, the helicopter robot form Machine Robo. 

This is probably my favorite of the bunch.

With the overall darker color scheme, the brown doesn't feel out of place and actually adds to the overall design.

My criticisms of this toy are minor and unsurprising. The blades of the helicopter can move, but don't spin freely. The lower part of the helicopter seems unnecessary, but it may represent a weapon of some sort.

Hidden robot face!

As always the big draw, and the purpose of collecting these things,  is the combined form. First, here's what Magnum Police looks like with just the limbs built, before adding all the details from leftover parts. Think of it as an unarmored mode:

It's a bit slimmer than most Mugenbine toys I have, maybe as a result of employing the new joints. It also doesn't have as many extraneous parts, even when you add the rest of the pieces.

Some pieces also form a gun and night stick, allowing Magnum Police to be ready for action:

The final form is pretty cool. Even elements like his backpack, where Bandai usually sticks pieces they can't fit elsewhere, seem to work. He's not overly bulky or awkward and is able to hold a pose pretty well, though I would have liked to see some more articulation down in the ankles. The shield on the left arm also hinders movement a bit, but not so much as to be distracting. The robot face on the side of the gun is also a bit weird, but I almost expect that at this point, especially with a set that has to somehow hide five alternate faces within its design.

This is a pretty standout toy even within the Mugenbine line. It possesses a great deal of play value and is not so cumbersome or ridiculous in its combined form to be difficult to manipulate.  Still, like all the candy toys before it, I feel Magnum Police is better fit for posing than playing, if only because it takes a lot of twisting and turning of pieces to get him looking just right and his joints are rather stiff. Plus, as a combiner you always run the risk that an arm or leg will pop off. 

For now, he'll take up what precious little space is left for him on my nightstand alongside his older cousins:

Let's close things out with the Japanese commercial: