Final Blogger Post - Moved to Substack

 Hello everyone, Tsubaki here!

It has been a long run on Blogger, so please note this is now the OTAKU on HYPE archive!

Please check out this post on why I moved from Blogger to Substack

Also please do follow me here on Substack!

Glassophy Pudding Stub Nib and Bubble Tea Glass Dip Pens

Hello everybody and welcome back to yet another long awaited glass dip pen review!

After some time, I finally reconsidered buying a second glass dip pen as I realized that there are many glass markers creating cute and unique glass designs along with different nib sizes. The first glass dip pen was the Bungubox Synchronicity which I wrote about a while ago (by the time of this post I did sell this to a good friend and finally got the Kakimori glass dip nib).

The second glass dip pen has a cute puddign design which I pruchased from the Etsy seller: KongGirls from the United Kingdom for $221.60. I feel it was a great price considering it is from a Hong Kong glass marker plus it is a stub nib! I wanted a stub nib for the shimmer inks and to use it for calligraphy, especially since I been very interested in Gothic/Blackletter. 

The pen was very well protected and came in its own padded box with snap closures. The pudding on top is very simple and super cute which is exactly what I wanted to match my PomPomPurin vibe on my desk. The stub nib is a very interesting experience because it doesn't hold that much ink but I love the thick line it makes on the page. Below will be a writing sample:

After the pudding glass stub I actually got one more glass dip pen which is designed by Wanderlust and crafted by Hanabi Glass Studio, which is the Bubble Tea pen! A few people that found me via Yoseka's video here might remember it, here is the video by the way: Yoseka's Video We talked to 5 Customers in the Store about their favorite stationery items

I preordered this pen December 2023 for $131.63 with shipping cost of $21.70 making the pen cost $153.33. This came very secure in its own snuggly box which was great in making sure it did not break.

The design of this pen is special as it is a thick diameter because it has pigment, liquid and glass balls that look like tapoica encased inside. The pigment does separate when left alone so it is recommended to shake it to get it looking like bubble tea again, I find moving the glass tapoica around very calming as they clink around. This nib is very much more like a Japanese medium which you can see in the writing sample below:

Both of these glass dip pens are now used for my ink swatches which you can now watch on my YouTube Shorts!

Overall I think if you are switching inks constantly and don't want to ink up a fountain pen you can consider a glass dip pen or two if you trust yourself to not drop these. They use a certain type of glass but it doesn't mean it is not immune to beiong chipped and damaged. In most cases you can return the pen to where you bought it but the nib can only be made thinner, just keep that in mind.

Kakimori Glass Nib Review

Happy New Year everyone! I am so happy to start this year off with something I been wanting for a while, which is the Kakimori glass dip nib.

Some funny background before I really get into this. I remember not getting this the first time it came out which I deeply regretted as it was so hard to find for the longest.

Kakimori posted on social media a few months back that the glass dip nib will be able for preorder in late December 2024 in limited quantities. I was lucky enough to order one as it sold out quickly. The nib alone was $51 and with shipping was $76. Yes, it is pricey but I do think it is worth it.

First off, this nib was packaged very well! If I ever need to order from them again I would be very confident in having it shipped. The writing experience with this has been wonderful. It holds a great amount of ink thanks to grooves taking up the ink,  I don't need to use as much pressure since the ink flows with ease plus it writes like a medium-fine as you can see from my journal entry this month!

Even with wetter inks, sheening inks and inks with shimmer, the writing experience has been like butter with this nib. Cleaning it is a breeze with a soft brush along with drying it with a towel immediately after. The quality and care put into making this really shows.

The nib itself looks amazing as it is glass secured with a brass ring, making it compatable with rubber ring nib holders. The nib holder I am using with this is Rosa Mexicano from Amarillo Stationery in collaboration with River City Pen company.

I very much recommend this glass nib, especially for those that want to easily write with different inks but don't want a full glass dip pen. I hope that Kakimori is able to bring these back to retailers so more people can get a chance to have one!

The Help I Needed-Nebo App Review

Hello everybody, I am back after a painful hiatus of not updating this blog.

I have been wanting to write many reviews and stationery comparison posts but haven't had the time to do my full three-step process; writing out the draft on paper, typing out the draft, and adding pictures. So, I been researching other ways to update my blog by reducing the number of steps by combining step one and two so that the blog draft is quickly finalized. Pictures are a bit time consuming but also very much needed to have a well put together post.

While researching I did come across a modern typewriter which can save your drafts to your drive, however it is a large investment considering the price of over $700 which is almost the same as purchasing a restored, working with original carrying case, vintage typewriter. I do hope to invest in one in the future if I decide to work on academic papers or a book. [Smart Typewriter]

One product I was recommended was the bluetooth typewriter mechanical keyboard. I had to really backtrack on this because it was very popular to the point that multiple knockoffs are available. I found the Qwerkywriter on Querky Toys which provides warranty and looks really high quality however it would be helpful to have at home on my desk and I could use it with my iPad if for some reason I am not near a computer. However, it is an investment that I might consider later as well. [Qwerkwriter]

Now for the helpful solution I stubbled upon, the iPad app called Nebo which was hidden within the sea of note taking apps. I find this app very interesting because it is able to understand your handwriting and convert it to text. It gives you the option to cut, copy, paste and convert the text as well as export the entire document!

Right now to make this post, I copy and pasted each paragraph into Blogger after converting it from handwriting to text in the Nebo app. This feels faster than me personally transcribing my draft plus now I don't have to sit with a personal computer and a notebook cause now my original step one and two are completed on iPad plus I cna export the entire draft and save it to my Drive!

Convert written text!

Finish the text after checking!

Copy it over!

As I person who finds writing much easier than typing things immediately this is worth the $8.99 for the full app and I am so happy with this purchase. Do note that I already have an iPad mini so in a way I am getting more use out of technology I already own but I hope others that just need a little bit of help with their writing can use this post to see some available tools!

Until next time, stay hyped!

Fountain Pen Collection Update (September 2023)

During my stream on Fountain Pen Day 2022, I counted all the pens in my collection. Since then I did obtain a few other pens and I do plan on buying some store exclusives so here is my official fountain open list as of August 2023! (This will be updated whenever I get more pens)

The fountain pens are in no particular order but they are grouped by brand for those wondering how many pens I have from any popular brand.

Benu

Goulet Pens Exclusive - BENU Euphoria Iced Caramel Latte

Pilot

Pilot Chalivier in Pink

Pilot Grance in Pink

Pilot Capless Bamboo Forest

Pilot Capless Taiwan 30th Anniversary

Pilot Custom 743 Verdigris

OPUS

Gourmet Pens Exclusive OPUS 88 Koloro Demonstrator

Sailor

Sailor Profit Jr. Polar Bear

Sailor Profit Jr. Mizutama Kohiru 

Sailor ProGear Slim Shikiori YukiTsubaki

Sailor 1911S Kagero PenBoutique

Sailor x Yoseka ProGear Slim Origin

Sailor x Yoseka ProGear Slim Refresh

Sailor x Yoseka ProGear Slim Home

Sailor ProGear Slim LINE FRIENDS BROWN 

Esterbrook

Esterbrook JR Pumpkin Latte

Pelikan

Pelikan M200 Cafe Creme

Kaweco 

Kaweco x Moleskein (Green)

Kaweco x Hello Kitty AL Sport (Pink)

Kaweco x Hello Kitty AL Sport Opal

Kaweco AL Sport Golden Espresso

Kaweco ART Sport Milk & Coffee

TWSBI

TWSBI ECO-T Royal Jade Rose Gold

TWSBI ECO Smoke Rose Gold

TWSBI ECO Creme Rose Gold

Narwhal

Narwhal Nautilus Primary Macchiato

Platinum 

Platinum preppy Hello Kitty (Black, Blue, Green, Red, Yellow)

Lamy

Lamy Safari (Mint Glaze, Spring Green, Neon Green, Green/Apple Green and 2021 Savannah)

Lamy AL-Star (Charged Green, Blue-Green, Silver Green)

Lamy Safari  x LINE FRIENDS Brown

Retro

Retro 51 Tornado Decorations

Other

WriteTurnz Project TTFN

WriteTurnz Rabbit

Gourmet Pens Hot Pink Lemonade

Current total: 44

Let me know if you have any questions about these pens! Until next time stay hyped and keep writing!

Instax Mini Evo Hybrid Review

Happy New Year! Happy to say that I am back with another Fujifilm Instax product which has been an upgrade from the previous Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Bluetooth Photo Printer I posted in 2021, which is the Instax Mini Evo. Let's jump into where I purchased it, the price, the features and how do I like it.

I will be honest and say that I did sell my Instax Mini Link because I knew this was going to be way more expensive. This camera was on backorder but I held on and waited until B&H had it in stock because if anything happened to it they could replace it. The Instax Mini Evo retailed for $189.95 when I purchased it late last year and I got a MicroSD 32GB, a pack of film and 4-year warranty which made my total $275.37 including tax. I am pleased everything together was under $300 and I didn't need to pay shipping because I picked it up at the store.

Personally I like B&H cause of their great customer service so far!

I adore how this looks, it has a nice classic look that at first glace it seems like a standard small professional camera without the extended expensive lens. Super happy it came with a strap so I can wear it when I am out and about, there is even an attachment slot for an LED light or tripod. It feels sturdy but not heavy for those that like to carry a lot in their analog bags. 

The Evo in general has so many more features just in the camera alone. There are options between 10 film effects (normal, vivid, pale, canvas, monochrome, sepia, yellow, red, blue and retro) and 10 lens effects (normal, vignette, soft focus, blur, fisheye, color shift, light leak, mirror, double exposure and half-frame), so you can mix and match for the perfect effect. You can even remote shot with this camera by letting your phone be the remote control, which is helpful for angle and overhead shots. The app for the camera was very easy to connect to and has all the options available as soon as you open it. The biggest plus for me is that I can save pictures on the SD card and send pictures from my phone to the camera. I did have this for a few months now and I can say the battery life on this is amazing, I only been charging it every two months at most.

The screen is very true to life and so clear.

One difference between the Mini Link and the Mini Evo is in fact printing quality. The quality looks so much clearer that to me it does justify the price jump.

Overall I super recommend this product if you do want a photo printer that also functions as a camera by itself. So even if you phone dies as you are traveling around, you can still take beautiful pictures and print out a few!

Happy New Year everybody and let's stay hyped in 2023!

Plotter 5th Anniversary Liscio Green Bible Size 6-Ring Leather Binder Review

After trying to use rings as a work planner and it failing for a bit, I decided to try rings again but with a completely different brand and purpose. This post will be my review of the Plotter 5th Anniversary Liscio Green Bible size 6- ring leather binder. 

For a bit of background, Plotter is a Japanese leather ring binder brand that has opened an online shop for the U.S. Plotter is under Designphil like Midori and Traveler’s Company. 

To start off the 5th Anniversary Plotter is $189.00 by itself which is normal compared to some other personal-sized ring binders, but considering it is a limited edition to celebrate the 5th Anniversary, which is a major milestone for many brands, the price is very much justified to me. I did proceed to buy the bridle page finder set, 5mm grid memo pad, and two card size 5mm grid memo pads from the 5th-anniversary release along with the ring protector and penholder with lifter totaling $257.90 with free shipping via FedEx.

I really love the green leather Plotter used for this it is almost like olive or even military green and I am excited to let it patina with use. The rose gold backplate is a nice classy and structured touch as it holds the rings to the leather. I adore how they did the embossing on the front and back to make it seem like this system is a form of union between paper and pen. The backplate is where the weight of this system is even if it is thin. The leather is smooth and the embossing feels very nice, not too ingrained but just right. The Plotter numbers on the inside back cover are interesting as you can read them better when the light hits it at a certain angle. This is a very attractive ring binder at least compared to FiloFax binders I had.

Top: Card size 5mm grid (5th Anniversary)
Bottom: Bible size 5mm grid (5th Anniversary)

Besides the attractive look, I did like how the binder is using smaller ring size (about 11mm) which makes it thinner overall. My issue with ring binders is that most of them are heavy, but with this staying slim I feel like I can really take this around with me.

What I am using this for is something that I feel doesn't require a bound notebook, which is mail tracking. I am really happy that I sent out more letters, postcards, and packages in 2022 but I am facing challenges in remembering what I wanted to send and when I sent previous packages. This will help because I can write down what I want to send and track when I sent it until it is delivered. Once delivered I can easily remove the pages.

The grid 5mm memo pages are for notes and listing what I want to send, when I sent it out and when it was received. The card size is for shipping prices and postage notes.

Overall I do recommend this especially if you have something planned that works in a compact and removable system, such as notes and lists where pages will be archived as you keep using it. Either way, I am happy that there are now more compact ring binders on the market for those that don't feel like using 20mm rings and larger ring sizes.