With this copy of Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi, my Famicom 'Pulse Line' collection is now one step closer to being complete

A part of me has fretted (only slightly, I assure you) for some time that I'd never own a complete copy of Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi--a Famicom game that's better known to folks outside of Japan as Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

I know that probably sounds silly to a good number of you, especially considering we're talking about an educational title, but here's the thing: I really want to complete my collection of the 14 "Pulse Line" carts Nintendo released for its maiden console in 1983 and 1984. (Some of my previous purchases in this vein can be seen here and here. Oh, and here.)



Seems like an easy enough task, right? Actually, it would be pretty easy to accomplish if it weren't for one thing--complete copies of Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi (as well as Popai no Eigo Asobi, or Popeye's English) can be pretty darn pricey, especially on this side of the pond.

As a result of all of the above, I all but gave up on the idea of owning anything other than a loose cartridge of Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi some time ago.



That is, until the copy seen in the photos published throughout this post popped up on eBay a number of months ago. Although I can't remember what this particular auction's starting bid was, I have no such problems recalling its selling price: $30. Or was it $35? OK, so maybe my memory isn't the best in the world.

Regardless, I got it for a whole lot less than the $100 to $200 price tags I've regularly come across over the last few years.

Sure, the game's still only marginally fun--although I'd argue that it's more enjoyable than most let on--but as you can see here, that $30 or $35 nabbed me some really sweet Donkey Kong Jr.-branded box art as well as a rather nice cartridge and instruction manual.

See also: 'A few photos (and words) that hopefully showcase why I consider Yume Penguin Monogatari to be my second-favorite example of Famicom box art'

Mimi's Adventures in Miminton (or, yes, I'm obsessed with Animal Crossing once again)

So, I'm playing Animal Crossing again. No, not the Japanese version of New Leaf (I wish!). And, no, not City Folk or Wild World, either. Instead, I'm playing the original one--or, rather, the first one to make its way to North America--for the first time in many, many years.

I'm having such a blast with it that, well, I thought I'd snap some photos of my playthrough and share them here. Consider yourself warned, though, that the images shared in this and subsequent posts were made from photos taken of my TV. You heard that right--no fancy-shmancy screen-capturing technology at work here, no sirree. As such, some (all) of them are sure to look a little funky. Sorry in advance.

With that said, why don't I introduce you to my main Animal Crossing character? (Yes, that means I have more than one.) Her name's Mimi and here's a glimpse of her in her Harvest Festival-themed home on her birthday--which took place just after Thanksgiving, by the way:

Note the three NESes sitting around. Mimi actually obtained one of them (Donkey Kong) from a neighbor on her birthday, while the others (Balloon Fight and Pinball) were acquired via the village's black market. (Shhhhh!)

This next shot shows Mimi interacting with one of her Miminton (named in honor of the fabulous Japan-only Wii title, Captain Rainbow) neighbors--almost all of whom are bitchy, it has to be said.

At least the follicley freaky Freckles, above, has a nice thing to say once in a while. The same can't be said of Vladimir, below, who surely has never met someone with whom he couldn't find fault. Still, Mimi can't help but like the ol' sourpuss.

OK, so I caught Tangy in an off moment in the photo below. Thankfully, she's pretty darn peppy most of the time--or maybe I should say "she used to be pretty darn peppy," as she and her orange noggin are now sweetly harassing the fine folk of some other Animal Crossing burgh.

More Flickr-ized Famicom cartridges

Yep, I recently picked up--on the cheap, thankfully--a few more of the "pulse line" Famicom carts via eBay. Specifically, I bought Devil World, Donkey Kong Jr. Math and Popeye English--each of which can be seen below. (Click to view larger versions.)

To see a few more shots of Devil World, check out the first page of my Flickr photostream. Photos of the rest of my (still small) Famicom cart collection can be seen here.

See also: 'On being an anal-retentive game collector'