Say hello to my Dragon Quest 'Smile Slime' mug :)

A few months ago, I noticed that AmiAmi was accepting pre-orders for a number of Dragon Quest "Smile Slime" mugs.

Although initially my eyes were drawn to this liquid metal slime mug, in the end I decided to plunk my money down on the more traditional design that can be seen throughout this post.

Now that the vessel in question has successfully made its way across the ocean and into my welcoming paws, I thought I'd snap and share a few photos of it.

As I'm sure you can imagine, the Smurf-blue box showcased above served as my "Smile Slime" mug's home as it crossed the pond last month. 

What you may not be able to imagine is that the box is pretty darn small. I'd say it's just inches--three to four, tops--in any particular direction. 

Here's a glimpse of the mug itself. It's pretty small, too--which I guess could go without saying.

Mind you, it's not so tiny it could be confused with a child's sippy cup, but it's definitely smaller than your typical mug.

Which kind of sucks, as my original plan was to take this mug to work and make all of my co-workers jealous whenever I waltz down to the kitchen to grab a cup of joe.

(Don't trust the selfie above, by the way. I was holding my Dragon Quest-themed mug at least a foot in front of my face when it was snapped. Also, don't mind that expression on my face. I was trying to give the camera the old "single raised eyebrow" look and failed spectacularly.)

Oh, well. I still love my new mug, even if it isn't as large as expected. (Now where have I heard that before?)

If you'd like to get one of your very own, just click on the following link. Don't worry, the folks at AmiAmi don't pay me--or give me any other kickbacks--for promoting their site or products. (Not that there's anything wrong with that sort of thing. I just thought you should know I don't benefit in any way from passing along links like these.)

Buy: Dragon Quest 'Smile Slime' mug

I'd totally get these Dragon Quest VIII-themed 'PC' and 'TPU' covers if I owned a New 3DS XL

Thankfully for my bank account, I don't currently own a New 3DS XL or LL. And even if I did own one, it probably wouldn't be an all-white model, which is what it would have to be for the colorful "TPU" cover showcased below to stand out as it should.

Speaking of which, I don't suppose any of you know what "TPU" stands for, do you?

Regardless, if you'd like to pre-order one of these beauties, you can do so at play-asia.com--assuming you've got $24.99 to blow.

As for the Dragon Quest VIII-themed "PC" cover alluded to in the headline above, here's how it looks when applied to a blue New 3DS XL or LL.



It also looks pretty cool when it's not attached to either of Nintendo's big-screened New 3DS models, as can be seen in the image below.

These "PC" covers (again, whatever "PC means) can be pre-ordered via amiami.com, by the way, for the super-low price of 1,260 Yen (about $10).

Or, if you're more of a play-asia.com kind of person, you can buy one on that site for $13.99.

Just be aware that neither cover will reach your doorstep until late August at the earliest--which, curiously enough, is right around when the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VIII will be released.

(Via NintendoTweet)

I think our home needs a set of these 'Smile Slime Yurayura' glasses, don't you?

I know I've said things like the above before and then failed to follow through on them, but this time I'm serious. Or at least I'm as serious as one can be when it comes to talking about possibly purchasing roly-poly glasses that resemble Dragon Quest Slimes.



That's because I now thoroughly regret passing on the Dragon Quest "Smile Slime" mugs--here's the regular one, and here's the one bearing the grinning visage of a liquid metal slime--that Square Enix offered for sale a couple of years ago. At the time, these vessels could be picked up for just $20 or so, while today they go for more than $40.

Anyway, these three-inch-by-three-inch "yurayura" (that's a Japanese onomatopoeia for “swaying,” “wavering” or “wobbling," according to crunchyroll.com) glasses potentially are less practical than the above-mentioned mugs--after all, I drink many cups of coffee each day, while I only drink wine (which is the liquid I'd most likely pour into these glasses) a couple of times per week--but I'm OK with that as they'd still be cool to own and even show off now and then.

They're pretty darn cheap, too, when all things are considered--with a single glass costing just 840 yen, which translates to about $7, if pre-ordered via amiami.com. (They'll supposedly start shipping in early July, so don't wait too long if you want to nab a couple.)



I'm also giving serious thought to buying one or more of the "Smile Slime" silicone ice trays that are being sold by amiami.com, too. I don't know about you, but I think 870 yen (again, around $7) is a small price to pay for something that's going to allow you to fill your drinking glasses with slime-shaped ice cubes.

Should someone decide to make a Dragon Quest Slime version of these headphones, I'll probably buy a couple of pairs

Don't get me wrong, I like Dragon Quest's Watabou character well enough, but not so much that I'd buy a $22 pair of fluffy headphones bearing its likeness.

Granted, even if someone made a Slime variation of this product, I'd probably only wear them around the house.

Whatever. I'd consider them a worthy purchase even if all I did was use them to decorate my desk.

Should you be interested in a pair (or two) of Watabou headphones, though, you'll want to head over to shopncsx.com at your earliest convenience so you can plop down a pre-order well in advance of their November release.

A new gaming blog draws near: Gaymer Quest

Although there are a lot of positives associated with maintaining a gaming blog, I'd be lying if I said some negatives didn't also come with the territory.

A particularly noteworthy negative, given the focus of this post, is that it can be difficult to keep up with all of the great gaming blogs other folks are busily maintaining.

I'm going to do whatever I can to keep up with a new gaming blog I was introduced to late last week, though--with the blog in question being the fabulously titled Gaymer Quest.



It was started by--and will be maintained by, obviously--a bloke who calls himself "Kaze" (kah-zay), who some of you may have spied in the comments section of this very blog.

Kaze, a self-described gaymer and aspiring Japanese translator, says he launched Gaymer Quest "as a fun outlet to discuss all the nerdy things I'm passionate about. So, expect a lot of posts about retro video games, modern video games, anime, manga, Japanese culture, gay culture and who knows what else."



Gaymer Quest's home to just three posts so far, but two of them--one of which focuses on the first Final Fantasy Legend GameBoy title, while the other discusses the GaymerX event and "the power of safe spaces"--proved to be intriguing reads (the first was little more than an introduction), so I'd say this is a blog that's well worth keeping an eye on for some time to come.

Oh, and should you want to check out or follow Gaymer Quest elsewhere, its Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/gaymerquest and its Twitter account can be found at twitter.com/gaymerquest.

Who wouldn't want to wake up to one of these slimy suckers?

I don't know about you, but I start every day by downing a couple of steaming mugfuls of coffee. Unfortunately, the mugs in question are about as boring as you can get--completely unadorned and white.

That may help explain why I'm more interested in acquiring the following Dragon Quest-themed mug than I probably should be.

Of course, I'm a Dragon Quest fan from way back, so that may be partially to blame for my curiosity, too.

Regardless, I'm intrigued--and I'm seriously considering buying one (for $22.90) once they become available at ncsx.com.

The question is: should I buy the one above, branded with the long-running RPG series' smiling mascot, or should I go with the one that features a similarly grinning metal slime?