Japanese 3DS owners get the best Swapnote stationary designs

I don't know about you, but I haven't opened up my 3DS' Swapnote app for some time now.

That's not a reflection on the quality of the product, mind you; rather it's a reflection on my inability to deal with the flood of a million (give or take a few thousand) Swapnotes that are sure to flood my in-box should I decide to check in on it.

I'm seriously considering testing my mettle, though, thanks to the following handful of stationary designs that have been sent to Japanese 3DS owners in recent weeks.

I'm pretty keen on the one above, which first appeared about a month ago in response to the continued success of Denpa Ningen no RPG 2 (aka The "Denpa" Men 2), because of its colorful, Katamari Damacy-esque vibe.

The rather classy one above, on the other hand, was released to celebrate the arrival of the new year.

In a cruel twist of fate, not only do Japanese 3DS owners get to play Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori (aka Animal Crossing: New Leaf), but they also get to exchange adorable, Animal Crossing-themed notes and doodles thanks to the stationary design seen above (which was first delivered to unsuspecting gamers a week or so ago).

Two days ago, the folks at Nintendo starting sending out the precious piece of stationary that can be seen above, which once again includes characters from the popular eShop title, Denpa Ningen no RPG 2.

Will those of us who don't have Japanese 3DSes (or don't have friends who have Japanese 3DS3s) ever gain access to any of these Swapnote designs? I have my doubts, but I'm crossing my fingers and toes all the same.

Welp, it seems I'll be buying a 3DS XL a bit sooner than I initially thought I would

That's because, as some of you likely have heard already, during its latest Nintendo Direct broadcast yesterday, Nintendo of Japan announced that it will release a "PINKxWHITE" 3DS LL (XL to us heathens in the west) in late September.



Will this precious-looking handheld also find its way onto store shelves in other regions in the coming weeks and months? Sadly, I have no idea, although I certainly hope that will be the case. Should it fail to appear in my neck of the woods (that would be North America), though, I'll probably go ahead and pick up a Japanese one, as I'd love to be able to play some of the games--like Dangerous Jii-san Jya--that haven't been or won't be brought to our shores.



The announcement of the pink-and-white 3DS LL wasn't the only nugget of news that caught my attention during yesterday's Nintendo Direct, by the way. Also piquing my interest: This bit of gameplay footage of the next Animal Crossing title, as well as the title's colorful Japanese box art that can seen below.



Similarly thrilling for yours truly were two eShop game reveals. The first was for Denpa Ningen RPG 2, the sequel to the Genius Sonority-developed title that I once described as being "part Teletubby, part Tingle, part Pikmin, part Mr. Driller and part Mii," while the second was for HarmoKnight, a Bit.Trip Runner-esque platformer from the folks behind the Pokémon series. (To see HarmoKnight, which will hit the Japanese eShop on Sept. 5, in action, check out this recent tinycartridge.com post.)



Finally, I have to admit that watching the latest footage of Tomodachi Collection 3DS, which was shown during the waning moments of the aforementioned Nintendo Direct broadcast, made me feel sad that those of us who live outside the Land of the Rising Sun likely will never get to experience its wackiness. Maybe this will be the game that finally gets me to start learning Japanese?